Time To Talk To Tommy

[Frank Castle]

The homeless man dragged himself up to Pier 41 of the New York City docks, his burlap and fabric coat making a harsh grating noise as it did so.

At least, it looked like a homeless man to anyone just taking a passing glance. Which was what Frank wanted them to believe...

Under the coat, he carried a modified Colt .45 with silencer fitted. It was heavy, but it was only meant as a sidearm. Nor did he expect to need to use it.

His primary weapon on this mission was a one shot blast stick. Inside what looked like an ordinary cane, Frank had packed the equivalent of four shells worth of shot and powder into the stick. This allowed him to use it as an inpromptu bomb, or as a quick one shot kill to a number of people in a decent spread.

[The Administrator!!!]

Frank was just a homeless man wandering the streets to the men stationed here. Several, brandishing some semi-automatics. As well glaring him down. It seemed he was in for a nasty fight if he really, really thought he had what it took to take out all of these...

Suddenly, they start holding their ears. It's something they caught. The men start putting their guns into crates and placing a number of headphones, hardhats and the like on their heads. Looking like workers that were lazily shifting tools.

A squadcar appears soon. The squadcar had no lights, or siren on but was slowly pulling down the road. Seeing the homeless man though it stops... the passenger side opens. A black man walks over slowly and rubbing the back of his neck. He turns to the men who are watching him for a bit. When he came close. He smiled, politely.

As he went to spoke. The man driving calls, "Bishop! You retard, get back in the car!"

Bishop turned back to his new partner. He'd been a detective a while. Saved that girl a few week ago from that monster... thing.... but this is when his life got all hinky. He was hired into a team by "SHIELD" but, somewhere, the team was disbanded. In the blink of an eye the hero was busted to a rookie again. He was kind of pissed.

Yet, only at the department. A smile again and he told Frank... "Hey, listen. You can't stay around here." He was given the eye to the men across the street as his new partner opened the door and started heading into the building. He frowned to this.... that explains why they were making such a long drive...

"Right...." he frowned again, "Listen... Mr, you can't stay here. It's not safe..."

He felt bad. Not for the fact he's homeless. More that this old pier might be the only 'safe' place he can stay the night. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you why.... I don't really know but, seeing what my 'partner' said, it's better neither of us know. So here, I'll give you seventy bucks. Enough for a cheap room, and a good meal..."

He reached into his wallet. Getting out the money, he smiled again. "You get yourself somewhere safe okay? It's the best thing you can do. Especially on a night like this. A storm's brewing they say."

Unaware who he was talking to. He just wanted to help. Not knowing that in reality, helping the man was impossible in today's stroke.

[Frank Castle]

Castle looked up at Detective Bishop, and smiled, his painted teeth black and gold, "I dun know where the aliens are gonna show next..." he says, glancing around nervously, "they try and come at me through the dryer, but I dun tells them, 'go away ya mangy varmints...goes away' but they doesn't go away..." he then starts sobbing into his coat.

He wanted this cop to stay out the way, he seemed a decent enough fellow, hell, if he was willing to trust people, they could have been friends. Not to mention he'd heard of this Detective Bishop, and he was as clean as they came, though a little worse for wear these days.

[The Administrator!!!]

Bishop smiled politely. No matter how badly it sounded. He slapped his shoulder saying, "You'll be alright.... it's my job to serve and protect people like you. Least, so long as I can." He turned a bit.

His partner was coming back.... he sighed and this time. He said. "Listen, listen.... get yourself out of here. Seriously... the aliens are all around this place..." He winced, "Uh, and they won't be waiting long if you don't get going. So..."

Suddenly, the beep at the car. He turned and looked back to Frank. Holding his shoulders, "Please don't get yourself killed here. Just understand what I'm trying to tell you."

After that he had to run back to the car. The two drove off soon after.

When the cops are gone. A man, smirked a bit and walked on over with a bat over his shoulders. He was just kind of having himself some fun. "Hey! Begger!" He was trudging over all calm like. "Com'er! I got a word with you, ya little piece a shit."

His buddies were now leaving their guns. A few walking over to. Including this moron with the bat, and his three other pals. The only others in sight of Frank were one man with a headset, chewing gun sitting on a forklift. The other was actually with two more, off to the side with their guns in a barrel, playing a game of cards. The cops made them lax, made them weaken that 'defense' they had.

In some ways they did Frank a bit of a service. Now he had four goons walking to him, one with a bat the others had left their guns. The three off to the side playing cards, left their guns in a barrel and they all sat on the ground it'd take at least five to seven seconds to get up and get their guns... the last one on the forklift, was listening to music and chewing some bazkooka gum completely unaware of the world around him.

This was way easier than it ever should be.....

[Frank Castle]

Frank stood up on the blasting stick, which is what would triggered the 3 second fuse when he released it. He looked up at the man, his face disturbingly calm now, nothing of the act he put on remained.

"I'd like to make a statement first."

Frank released his grip on the cane, then tossed it into the middle of the group of four.

3...

He then slid behind a set of oil drums...

2...

He crouched behind the makeshift cover...

1...

He drew his silenced sidearm...

With a deafening blast, the cane explodes near the group of four, shredding anyone in range of the shrapnel it produced, and there was plenty of shrapnel from the shot and the exploded pieces of wood itself.

Frank waited a moment to let the blast subside...and then phase two of the attack would begin...

[The Administrator!!!]

The men followed the cane a bit in its movement. They just watched it roll to them. Then as it just laid there. There is the sudden explosion. They are thrown wildly from the outward force. Then the matter came those at the barrel stood and grabbed their guns kicking over the barrels, and hiding behind crates.

The man on the crane heard this explosion and turned back gawking with his gum blown out a bit. He shook his head and started to retrieve his gun too... what the fuck happened? Aiming, he watched the smoke clear. As did the other three. They were stationed in two locations. Frank can snipe one location, opening to the other. While one had just a man on higher position to his left by the tall forklift. The others were to his right, behind boxes and such.

His choice, would open him to a horrible collection of fire from his current position. The fact they didn't just shoot wildly showed they were not idiots. They wanted to see flesh, not some scenery. Besides they didn't know where he was yet. They only saw their dead comrades tossed with parts shattered and blown to bits.

[Frank Castle]

Frank wasn't phased by his current predicament, he had planned for something like it in fact.

Which was why he had rigged the crane the night before...

Clicking the detonator in his hand, he quickly covered his ears and opened his mouth as wide as possible to deflect the blast wave. Seconds later was a deafening KRAKOOOOOOOM! as the crane exploded into a mess of shattered and bent steel, then with a terrible tearing sound.

Frank was ready for what was going to happen next, he just needed to see what these men would do...

[The Administrator!!!]

The explosion was of a concussion force. Those hidden were effected by a loud sound and the chattering of their own teeth. It was so bad the reel back loosing all focus and sense of their own. Works out well with the sound ringing in their ears for they did not expect a secondary blast.

The one with the headphones, though taken by the blast's force. Somehow was able to gain his composure fast enough. He fell back and held his head. His teeth chattering.... he was out of it but he was not hearing the ringing. Able to see quickly, he raised his gun weakly and just watched mindlessly fort he figure. A bit off kilter though and he started stumbling off the large machine.

[Frank Castle]

Frank killed him first. A quick double tap to the head was all that was needed to drop the thug. Then Castle started moving again, across the barrels, and underneath a support column to his next weapon stash underneath the power cables for the pier.

Crouching behind cover, he slid a small bag out from under a piece of steel he had laid there the day before as he had been casing the place. A dockworker had questioned him, but Frank had convinced the man he belonged, and managed to get the item in place.

Unzipping the bag, he pulled out an older model M16A2 with night vision scope, one he had "acquired" during his time in Vietnam. He wasn't supposed to have it...but after Valley Forge...

He pushed the memories aside, knowing he couldn't worry about such things now. He fitted the silencer he had modified to fit the rifle to the barrel, then reached down to the transformer box...

And turned out the lights to the entire pier...

[The Administrator!!!]

Darkness fell on everything. The place was now growing with louder or more unexpected frustrations. Deeper into the building the man of the hour stood at his desk puffing a ciggarette. He wasn't sure what caused the outtage but.... he didn't like it....

Puffing a bit he leaned into the desk fiddling with it. He began looking for a new light.... but he got the talkie too. One hand smoking and fiddling with the light, he called out, "Everyone! Get your asses inside. I don't know what the fuck that explosion was but I find out someone pissed on something! I swear I'll have your balls, fucking hung over my door as a warning the next bitch to get drunk is DEAD!!! Fucking dead!!!"

~~~~

The others were still out of it. There is no way to understand the madness. Now... all light is gone. All they had to work with was their fear, their instinct and that was to fire wildly. Sparks of light while they tried to pinpoint the intruder. But it helped none. After that failed they got together back to back. The three men were panting and heavily breathing. Their hearts were so loud they could wake the dead with the beating.

[Frank Castle]

Frank leveled the silenced rifle, and slung it behind his back. He knew he'd need the ammunition later, and decided these guys weren't worth the bullets. Instead, he slunk forward, his own eyes adjusting to the darkness from years of practice in the jungles...

And the first man dropped from a quick neck snap...

Number two Castle choked out...

And number three took a knife under the chin...

It was fast, it was painless, and it was what Frank needed to get inside. He knew he didn't have much time, and getting bogged down in a pointless firefight would only hurt his plan. He wanted to clear this place of thugs...but he needed Tommy more...

So, shouldering the rifle...he made his way inside...

[The Administrator!!!]

Frank's work was going well. Inside, he found it's empty for the most part. There is not much else to gain here. Of course.... that's a little strange.

Walking on his night goggles were showing that soon a few men appear, circled with working on some lights with their lighters to help them. They were not even aware of Frank. For the moment they were just trying to put batteries into the flashlights. Five more men in a circle all together. In the dark with minimum fire light. It's like they WANTED to make this easy.

It's also obvious the man that was still screaming out orders over the walkie-talkies they wore. Was the boss. It was he that was 'Tommy'. One of the men even mentioned how Tommy was just shooting shit out his mouth again. Which was able to get a few laughs. The men felt calm, for they were in numbers in a place they believed they control the world. This pier was as far out of their power as it got.

[Frank Castle]

It didn't take long for Frank to remove the guards. A couple silenced and quick shots, and they were all down, head wounds slowly bleeding onto the floor.

Frank stepped over them, and followed the voices to where he thought Tommy was...and slowly opened the door.

[The Administrator!!!]

Inside. Tommy had with him three men. He was trying to call someone. Not really able to tell who... Frank probably took a moment to listen. When he did...

"Look, I don't give a damn who you send. I want those pigs I pay back here. Now! I got men going ghost on me. I'm not letting you idiots fat out on doughnuts all day. So I can..."

Suddenly, he screamed throwing the phone. Idly to Frank's feet. Then he slammed a fist down. "I want this... shit head. Whoever he is. Bring him here and put a bullet in his head. I don't care which fucking order!"

He had a hot fuse. That's the good thing. He had the three biggest guys with him... but big isn't always a good thing. While they started to leave, Tommy walked toward his desk to get another smoke. His old one went out.

[Frank Castle]

Frank took position behind the door, and slung the rifle behind his back. Drawing his knife and pistol he waited for the men to walk through the doorway.

The first man wouldn't know what hit him as Frank drove the knife up under his chin, killing him almost instantly.

The second got a couple good punches off, one almost sending Frank reeling, but he didn't last too much longer, as Castle's knife did it's work on his throat.

The third, he was a bit of a problem. Body checking Frank into the wall, he knocked the wind out of the former soldier, and the knife from his hands. Reaching around his neck, the big man began to strangle the smaller man, and almost succeeded, were it not for the second pistol Castle had hidden on his person. Four quick gunshots later, he too, was down.

Picking up his weapons, he then walked into the room...