Wire
There was a miniature pause, either from slight relief or to build up rage.
"I don't f*cking care who you're with! I will f*cking kill you if you don't f*cking leave!"
He was playing for rage, but the emphasis on 'care' and the lack of emphasis on 'kill' showed more irritation than anger. But irritation with what.. That was the question. Wire took a breath.
Hmm.. this is sounding pretty standard now. And not in a good way.
Alright then, lets wear him down, just like all the others.
Don't think I should tell him why I'm here just yet.. He knows I'm not here for a fight, or at least doesn't know whether I'm here for one or not, and thats good. So I think its time for some shots in the dark.
Sounds good.
He knew he was talking to himself, and he didn't care. Right now it was helping. His world began to spin again.
"What happened? Lose your temper?"
Wire paused to hear the loud exhale through gritted teeth coming from up ahead. With a very slight snarl. Well now he knew it was another standard case. It still didn't explain why he was down here in the sewer though. Wire breathed again.
Alright. What would make him come down here? I'm ruling out that it was for his own safety: he's frustrated, and no one else has gone after him since he disappeared.
Well then the only other alternative is that it is for everyone else's safety.
Why yes, thank you for stating the obvious.
Hey. Shut up.
Alright, alright, thats not helping.
Damn straight. So, as I was saying, that would mean that he knows he has a problem with his temper.
That makes things easier. But what started it?
Think. You've memorised the data, just connect the dots.
...I'd call you captain obvious, but that would be unproductive.
So why are you saying you would? Isn't that just as-
SO.. lets think.. we know that no one from his outfit was there at the time, otherwise they'd have been among the injured and this would be a whole lot worse for him. Come to think of it, why was a guy like Howard in a coffee shop like that? It's really out of character.. What would make a tough guy like him go into that sweet little place?
...
Ah. I see. This makes sense now.
Oh, what makes sense?
You know what makes sense, you're in my head.
Wire waited for Howard to say something. And as he heard the intake of breath to signal speech, he cut him off with a laugh.
"Heheheh.. What was her name?"
The only reason he could think a tough guy like him would go to a cafe would be if he was soft on someone. And that person would either be family or a person of the opposite sex. Family was unlikely, as they lived in another state, and he doubted that anything they could have done would anger him if they could get him to a cafe. So the logical choice would be a girlfriend.
Wire heard movement: brick leaving concrete. He leaned forwards off the wall as he watched the cinder block smash where his head had been a second before. He had struck the nerve. He smiled beneath his mask.
"Had a domestic dispute? I've been there. Every couple has been there."
He reached up and turned on his torch, while keeping one adjusted eye closed. He aimed it below where the projectile was thrown from. And there he was: an 8 foot tall monster of a man huddled up in a corner. He wore an unnaturally nice shirt and a pair of jeans. They were both grimy. A pair of pale eyes stared at his with a quiet fury. Now on to stage two.
"Doesn't mean you have to be so melodramatic. Now are we going to talk, or are you going to try and f*cking kill me?"
Provocation. The man let out a roar, and charged at him with both arms poised to grapple him. Wire aimed the torch at his eyes, blinding him before jumping up out of reach. He switched off the light source, and plunged both of them into darkness. He opened his other eye, and regained his vision enough to see him grab at air. He kicked hard off of the back of his head, and landed behind him. Wire watched as he began to swing an arm around for a right handed backhand, but ducked long before it could reach him and landed a strong punch against his twisting knee. The titanium connected and the blow was sent upwards in an arc. Howard fell backwards with the momentum of his strike flipping him onto his back. A jumping punch was aimed at his elbow which recoiled in pain. He didn't know what to clutch, his arm or his knee, but it gave plenty of time for Wire to get him in a headlock.
"Now tell me big guy, what happened?"
"SHE F*CKING LEFT ME, THATS WHAT HAPPENED."
He regained some composure, and with his good arm, grabbed Wire by the coat and threw him across the room. Wire let go of his grip, and cushioned his impact against the wall with his legs. He looked up to see Howard back on his feet and coming for him. His good arm was throwing a fist in his general direction.
"SHE SAID I HAD ANGER ISSUES. I'LL SHOW HER F*CKING ANGER ISSUES!"
Wire jumped as the punch shattered the mossy brick, and watched for his right arm. As expected, he attempted to grab him as he sailed over his head for a second time. He slapped his hand away before he could grab, and it gave way with little resistance due to the damaged elbow. Wire again landed behind him, and he watched as Howard made to slam his back into the concrete. Before he gained any momentum, Wire had already backstepped, and was brining a punch down onto the crown of his skull. It connected with a soft crack as he pulled the punch and Howard fell for the second time. He tried weakly to stand back up, before falling but was too dazed to properly move. Wire raised his fists in case he got up again, but lowered them again as his opponent started to stare through him.
"She said I have anger issues, and then I went on a f*cking rampage."
A tear came to his eye. Wire wondered whether or not he had hit him too hard. But onto stage three.
"I wouldn't call it a rampage. You broke a few bones, and smashed a few tables. You didn't kill anyone."
Howard gave him a hard look, as if he was seeing him for the first time.
"Who are you?"
"The name's Wire. And I've been hired to find your sorry ass and tell you your boss has already sorted everything." Wire held out his hand. "You're not going to prison, and he wants one of his best men back on the streets ASAP."
There was a look of suspicion that flashed between the mask and the hand.
"He doesn't want me dead?"
"If he wanted you dead, I wouldn't have taken the job. I'm a private investigator, not a God damn hitman. Besides, if I wanted you dead, I would have brought a gun."
He gave a slight nod, and took the hand. Wire helped pull the mass of muscle up, and gave him a small handshake. Howard was limping on his damaged leg.
"Sorry about the knee by the way. To be fair, you were being difficult."
"Yeah. I do that."
Wire turned on his torch, and they began to walk back out. The sound of footsteps and flowing water were the only sounds. The big man gave a slight sigh of defeat, with a subtle hint of relief.
"So why a sewer? There are plenty of cleaner places to hole up while you simmer down."
"Maybe. Its hard to think straight when you get mad."
"...You know.. its harder to stop swearing than it is to keep your temper in check."
"Bullsh*t."
"..Just something to think about."
They plodded on into the darkness. One was going back to organised crime, and most likely attempt to repair a probably doomed relationship. The other just wanted to get paid and sit down on a comfortable chair. And in after this job he could: he was getting some decent money from this. He wouldn't need to take another job for a few days. Wire let himself relax a little after a good day's work.
"...bullsh*t."