Location: The Narrows Overpass
The scenery that surrounded the overpass situated in the deep end of the poverty-stricken Narrows, a place so untidy and chaotic it made Gotham look like the Bahamas, was the type that a goth kid would be quickly enamored with. The majesty of the crescent moon which stood up and watched over the globe, covered by the coal black clouds and the smog, a by product of the increasing level of pollution. For a career criminal looking for some mischief, those conditions were heaven. For any decent person hoping to make it home safe - not so much.
Two factions stood in front of one another, some of their members leaning in their vehicles while some keeping themselves up on their feet, maintaining a straight and unwavering posture. There were eight people in one side and nine on the other, ten if you had the foresight to anticipate a well-hidden sniper in the torn out building a few hundred feet behind. Judging by their impeccable fashion style which contrasted their deplorable mannerisms, it didn't take a knowledge of rocket science to deduce they were both part of a mob. After some chit-chat, one of the mob leaders made a quick hand motion to one of his trained "monkeys", commanding him to pop open the trunk. Like a good simian, the guard complied. Disregarding the feminine screams coming from the car, he opened the trunk revealing a young, auburn-haired lady, her mouth patched up along with her feet and hands. The mascara smeared all over her cheeks coupled with the horrid smell signified she had been in there for quite a long time. The associated mob leader moved at a steady pace towards the trunk, two of his guards trailing behind. Laying his rotten eyes upon the girl, he let out a devilish smirk before nodding to his partner.
"That is her. Mr. Andretti will be very pleased.", his voice was naturally rough even though he seemed to be content with the service that was provided to him. His counter-part didn't appear to be as giddy, though, responding in a manner that can be almost deemed hostile.
"Not so fast. You need to hand us the money first, pretty boy.""Or else?", the man retorted quickly. His remark tensed up the situation as both parties slunk their hands down their jackets where their weapons were holstered. After a long pause, the offended individual spoke, a thick layer of disdain cladding his tone.
"Do you really want to know!", he questioned, although the way how the sentence was uttered didn't sound like a question. Their metaphorical dick measuring contest ended with a short burst of raucous laughter by the potential buyer. He raised his left hand up then wiggled at one of his henchmen, the one carrying a black briefcase. He then opened said briefcase and then raised it up in display. The seller moved close, inspecting the 100 dollar bills carefully.
"Looks good.", the man declared to his people, at the same time instructing them to hand over the girl to his clients. Before they could reach out for her however, a noise put everyone on high alert as they armed their weapons and were all facing the direction of that sound which was coming closer by the second. At first, all they could make were a dual set of bright lights as they rammed through the fence and then the sound of a car, what looked like a jeep. Chaos ensued as a hailstorm of bullets penetrated the car's windshield, the sound of breaking glass drowned under the dominant noise of gunfire. The car eventually stopped, prompting two goons to move closer in order to inspect it. Much to their dismay, there was no one in the car but a rock in the gas pedal and one of their henchmen tied up to the bumper in the back, a sniper rifle attached to his hand via a cable. He was alive, his constant shuffling and groaning was evidence of that, but he was severely injured most likely due to the rough asphalt scraping his skin.
The mafia goons went from shooting what they thought was a common enemy to staring down the barrels of each other's guns in a second. There were a lot of accusations and insults hurled at one another, but none of them had the guts to shoot first. Their beef was distracting enough, so much so that they completely ignored the out-of-place, faceless stranger jacking their car with the "merchandise" in it. Three of the henchmen ran towards the car in an attempt to stop him from ruining their business, however the car began to skid in a circle, causing it's rear to hit their bodies and send them flying a couple of feet away. Not willing to endanger the girl's life, the stranger, Aprozop, sped off into the night. The mafia goons boarded their vehicles only to find out their tires were pricked and were now flat as a pancake.
Minutes later, the car's trunk popped open and the auburn-haired girl was greeted by the faceless stranger. She wheezed, trying to move her feet and hands erratically in an attempt to escape her neverending nightmare. Aprozop put his hand on her shoulder and uttered, calmly.
"Calm down. I'm here in behalf of your father.", his tone was serene and almost angelic. The mention of her father calmed her down a bit, although she still had mixed feelings regarding his appearance. In a rapid motion, Aidan removed the restrictions in her mouth and limbs before moving a few feet away, allowing her to take everything in. She barely got out of the trunk but once she did, she was greeted by the interior of the second story of a multi-story car park.
"You must remain here for the time being. I have notified the police and your father of your rescue. They'll be here to collect you any time now." Understandably, she was having difficulties with making sense of the situation. Unfortunately for Aidan, it was going become even more muddled.
Without prior notice, the girl fainted. Just like that. Though her fall was ominously soft, like all out of a sudden the weight was removed from her and all was left was hollow skin. That admittedly took Aprozop aback, which is an achievement in it's own, but he was quick to determine that the perpetrator wasn't a natural occurrence. He quickly shifted his sight to his right, spotting a mysterious woman wearing a red robe and a face mask. She gave off a metahuman feel right off the bat.
"Splendid job.", she congratulated Aprozop, although he had a feeling that was not the sole reason she was there. He quickly pondered in his head whether he should respond to that or not, but in the end opted not to, choosing to let
her explain the situation.
"It's a shame you have no time to savor this victory of yours." Whoever this lady was, she sure knew how to play the guessing game.
"And I see you are dressed up like someone who has a statement to make. Speak.", Aprozop finally responded, completely unfazed of her ominous words or the fact she appeared out of thin air. He grabbed the unconscious girl and dragged her to the back seat of the car, keeping his ears peeled for any decent explanation on just what the fuck was happening.
"I have information regarding the case you're working on. The crucial kind." Aidan smiled under his skintight mask, a smile that only lingered for a couple of seconds and was very hard to make out.
"If that's so, then you know my case has just been resolved. Thank you ma'am, but no thank you." With that said, he steadily walked past her, getting a good look at her mask in the process. He couldn't lie - he was somewhat curious. He didn't make it far though before he froze in his path. It was because of something she said.
"I'm not referring to this case in particular." No more words needed to be said. Aidan knew what she was talking about. He was willing to pay attention again.
"The Archer. A bar in Bludhaven, east of Downtown. If you head over there, then you'll unlock the missing pieces of your deadly puzzle. The password is -The arrow shoots straight.""How do I-", before he could pose one last question, the woman disappeared. Aidan felt that the circumstances in which this invitation was made were very dodgy, but he'd seen dodgier. All his previous leads regarding the superhero disappearance case went cold after a while. He didn't have the luxury of discarding a potential lead in favor of his own safety.
The sound of emerging sirens snapped him out of his thoughts as he made his way down the parking lot, where his car was parked. He sped up past the police cars and into the highway. Next stop - Bludhaven.
Location: Bludhaven, Downtown
"The Archer" Bar
Aidan parked his car nearby, electing to make his way inside the establishment on foot. It was very easy to shuffle through people at night. The darkness obstructed Aprozop's facial features, or lack thereof, which were covered by his fedora anyway. So long as no one mistook him for a co-worker or something, then he'd be fine. Wasn't long until he found himself standing right before the bar. After a brief pause, he grasped the handle firmly and then shoved the door open. He stumbled his way through the people in the direction of the bartender, a young man in his 20s. Or at least he looked that way. Aidan didn't get to the talking immediately, waiting for the boy to notice him. It was only then that he said the magic words.
"The arrow shoots straight."
