The Other Side of the Coin

Edgar and his gang has their first real fight.

Chapter 2: The Other Side Of The Coin

As you make your way to the hideout, you receive another call. It's from Diane.

- Sup sis. Watcha want? �" You ask her.

- Hey bro. So, how's my favorite little man in the world doing? �" You breathe in, eyes closed, ready to hear another one of her potentially insane requests.

- Ok, what is it this time? Whatever it is, not doing it today. �" You close the case before it's even open. That doesn't stop her.

- Oh don't worry, it isn't, kinda. You see, I'm kinda going to hang out with my friends tonight, but dad told me to do something very important before. �" You know where this is going.

- ... What is it? �" You ask her while frowning.

- You see. He won't come home tonight, so he asked me to go and buy his favorite: a big sized chicken sandwich for him to eat in the next morning, but I'm totally broke right now, and the cash I have is for tonight's sleepover. Could yo do this for your big ol' sister? �" She finishes her request. You do have cash, but wonder what you could get out of this.

- Alright, but next time my turn to do the dishes come, you'll do it. �" You argue with her. She agrees, and ends the call after thanking you a few times. Before going to the hideout, you pass by you father's friend's shop, and ask him to deliver the sandwich to his house by sunset and give it to his mom. He just nods as you pay him.

You finally get to the hideout, with everyone waiting for you with some impatience.

- Now we're even. �" You joke around, grinning.

- This wasn't just a daily meeting you know! For once I thought you would realize it and come as soon as you

could. �" Derick scolds you.

- Whatever. So, how we'll do it? �" You ask Bastion, thinking he already has the whole plan figured out. He doesn't.

- We were waiting for you to discuss our strategy, so I wouldn't have to say it all again later. �" He explains, adjusting his glasses and cleaning his throat.

�" So, the plan is pretty straight foward. Rose have been tailing one of them, and she figured where they are hiding. It's a room far up in an apartment in the suburbs. I have figured two ways for we to enter: We can either fake something for them to let us in, or we can do it old style and force our way inside. The latter would be more troublesome, and could backfire since we don't really know the full extent of what they can do. �" He sums everything up,

- What about bystanders? Someone could get caught in our little fun. �" Derick asks him.

- About that... �" He begins to explain, but is interrupted by Rose.

- The rest of the floor they're in is completely deprived of the living. They rented the whole floor for themselves and told everyone to stay far from them. They also said they wouldn't tell why they did it. Some employees accidentally saw them going inside the other rooms with suspicious bags, and coming out without them. The security cameras from the halls prove the whole thing. �" She finishes, making a puzzled face. �" What could those things be?

- Obviously they are plundered goods. �" Natasha begins.

- I don't think so. I mean, yes, they could be just the things they stole, but it could also be something else. Why, of all places, they chose an apartment room, well more like a whole floor, but still. Something's fishy �" You point it out, Bastion agreeing with your line of thought.

- In any case. What they can do? Any info on them? �" Derick says, looking annoyed at something.

- They are- Rose starts, only to be interrupted by an overly excited Natasha.

- Oh, oh! Can I say this one, please? �" She asks, baby doll eyes and everything. Rose sighs.

- Sure thing, go on.

- Yay! �" Natasha almost hugs Rose, if not for her sidestepping. �" Ahem. So. The group we're after is made of three criminals. Rose got their files while asking for some favors from some of her contacts, and I just happened to be in her house when she was ready to analyze them. They are: Rufus, Talon and Border. In- Now Rose is the one to interrupt Natasha.

- I think I should assume from here. This is important, so let me handle it. �" Natasha puffs her cheek, half closing her eyes and giving Rose space to talk. �" Talon is the shortest of the 3. He can turn parts of his body into sharp objects from different materials. Rufus is the tallest, but also really slim. He can control eletricity. Border is their leader. Pretty bulky guy that can turn his bones into stone. He's the one we should keep our eyes on, since he's an ex boxer. His punches will hurt if they land. �" She finishes the explanation.

- Is that about it? If so, when and how we'll get there? I mean, fighting inside the apartment will be troublesome, but taking it outside could end up involving hostages, or even victims. �" Derick shares his concerns over this plan.

- That's where Natasha kicks in. �" Bastion tells everyone. �" Her invisibility is going to be a key factor for this to work. Here... �" He starts to explain the second part of the plan.

- ... Agreed! Natasha Sugar ready to kick some a*s! �" She says, energetic as always, before marching towards the apartment before being stopped in the spot.

- Hold your horses now. We'll wait until nighttime before going in. Until then, we'll monitor the apartment from a distance. �" She scolds Natasha, who rubs her head.

- I know, I know... �" She replies, embarrassed.

- I'm going to stick around by myself for now. Go there once it's 20:00. And try to bring some sort of weapon. It could be useful. �" Rose says before making her way towards the exit. The rest of you follow her afterwards, trying to keep calm for tonight's intense "party" you'll have.

Instead of going home, you decide to just mess around for a bit. Today school ended earlier due to an accident, so you had a few hours before 20:00. While you're at it, you see in an alley a kid sobbing in a corner, with three others counting something in their hands. Closer inspection shows that they have a lot of cash with them, or at least more than a kid should have. They all seem to be around 7~9 years. The one crying has this "I'm rich" vibe to him, whereas the three standing seems to be normal looking. You decide to have some fun.

- Hey, you! �" You shout, alerting them. They quickly hide the money behind themselves, trying to play it cool.

- Scram you d****e. Don't mind other's business. �" They bark at you. You grin.

- Are those the manners your parents gave you? Oof. �" You shrug their annoyance off, which makes them even more irritated.

- Who are you to talk? Get out! �" They start yelling. Whoever they must be, they're confident they can take you down if they group up.

- Ok, no. �" You say, before quickly making your way behind them. They don't react to your suddenness, so you take the cash from their hands. �" Oh wow, 30 caps! That isn't something kids your age should keep to themselves, you know. Let an adult handle this. �" You joke with them, while smirking a smug.

- Hey! Give it back to us! �" They say in unison, which surprises you a bit.

- Ok, just tell me how you got your hands on it. The way you hid it when I came was suspicious. �" You demand.

- We don't have to tell you anything, you thief! �" The one in the middle shouts, glaring at you like he had a gun to shoot at any moment. You still don't know what they can do, so you keep it low.

- Just give it back to us and we won't tell any of your friends about the beating we'll give to you! �" The one in the right says before turning his feet into springs. The one in the left raises his hands. Closer looks shows little holes in his fingers. The one in the middle catches fire.

- You know what? Come at me! I'll even give you the first shot! If you win, I'll leave and don't bother you again, how does that sound? �" Your grin widens as you take a fighting stance. �" Gotta teach little brats like you how harsh reality can be.

"Little holes" shoots pressured air towards you. They land, but it barely hurts. Feels like a girl is hitting you. "Springman" jumps at you, trying to knock you over. You just harden your posture, and he bounces off, hitting his head and hissing the pain. At least he knows how to take a punch. "Fiery brat" grabs rocks nearby, scorching them and throwing them at you. You just deflect the things, but they still itch and leave small burn marks on your hands.

- Gotta say. If I was anyone else, you would have probably won. Your Powers are impressive for kids your age. But mine's just much better. �" You say while approaching them. �" Any last words before I knock you out cold?

- Actually yes: Don't underestimate us! �" Fiery brat barks, before Springman stands up and they all unite. Now, instead of his feet, his hands are turned into springs. Some fire rocks are placed on them and then released, flying at super speeds. You barely have time to dodge one, but the other hit your gut, packing a punch that actually hurts. While you crouch in pain, they prepare a new attack. This time, Little holes uses his compressed air and Fiery brat's flames to attack you with an improvised flamethrower.

- Ok, that's enought playtime for today. �" You tell them before quickly moving to the right. You then dash foward, knocking all of them on the floor. They get so scared of your sudden speed they almost cry, while you don't even bother to hold your laughter.

- ... Thank you, sir. I'd like to... have my money back... �" The fancy looking kid speaks up with a rather feminine voice for a boy.

- How's that? Your? �" You ask him, which makes him recoil a bit.

- ...Yes. They stole it from me after seeing my parents give it to me... �" He explains, making you glare at the kids. As you approach them, you kneel to their level and start wispering.

- If I ever find out you grouped up on him, or anyone for that matter, I'll tell your parents about this little errand of yours. And if they don't do anything, the police will be called, and all of you will get i trouble. Got it? �" You menacinly warns them. �" Now scram! �" They run as fast as their little legs can carry them.

- Here kid, back at ya. �" You give him his money back. Something else feels odd in his "thank you", sounding overly feminine for a boy, even his age. You decide to ask. �" What's wrong with your voice? If I didn't knew better, I would say you're a girl in disguise. �" You tell him while laughing quite loudly. He, however, is stunned by your deduction, and blushes almost immediately. You make a puzzled face, trying to connect a few dots, before it comes to you. As such happens, the boy immediately starts to run, while apologizing, giving an excuse of "my parents must be worried" or something. You can't make it out, nor do you really care. �" As far as I'm concerned, I'll never see that girl again. But why was she acting like a boy? Weird.

Nothing really interesting happened after that, as you now find yourself waiting for the rest of your friends to show up.

- Maybe a little too early? �" You ask yourself, before the usual happens. Sometimes you wonder how much of your monologues Natasha hears before scaring you like that.

- Mind if I wait here with you? �" She asks you with a smirk crossing her face. Maybe you're being a not so good influence for her after all...

- I mean, you're already there, so suit yourself. �" You let her know before going back to observing the area.

Not too long after her, everyone else shows up. Before you actually start the plan, Rose gives everyone masks. They are weird, cause they distort your actual face a bit, while also having inbuilt wigs to further hide your identity.

- If they see our faces things could get problematic. Put those once we're there. �" And with that all of you go head on to your goal. You wonder how this mission will unfold. Being your first time dealing with real thugs should sound scary, but you don't look like you are, at all. Excitement fills your limbs as you get closer to the reception of the apartment.

- Good evening kids. What can I do for you? �" The receptionist asks you, smiling a forced, tired smile, like he' s been doing that for the whole day.

- We're here to deal with the "infestation" I talked about the other day. �" As soon as Rose says the man's eyes open up, realizing who you are.

- But they're just kids! I thought you would bring actual fighters for this! �" He starts to freak out.

- Listen here pal. We don't know you, and you don't know us. Let us do our job and you keep doing yours, because we're damn good at it. �" Derick says, a vein popping in his head. Being underestimated sure isn't something pleasant to him, but it angers you even more. How could this adult look down on you?

- Remember, you didn't saw us, and none of this ever happened. �" Rose says while handling him a 1 crown, or a 100 caps bill. His eyes glow for a bit before letting us in.

- Use the stairs. The evelator is quite noisy on that floor. �" He let you know.

As you slowly climb your way to the last floor of the building, your heartbeat quickens a little, but you don't know why. It's been so long since it was so audible from distance, and it was usually due to fear. But what could someone as strong as you ever fear? Street thugs?

- Alright Natasha, let them know room service came to clean the other rooms �" Rose winks to her. Almost immediately Natasha disappears in thin air like magic thanks to her Power. We can still hear her if we pay enough attention. She climbs the rest of the staircase by herself, which isn't much to be honest. Soon after we're there.

As you finish your climb, you can see an open door. Soon, a head comes out, looking around. You hear him mumbling something. - ...pranksters, if I get my hands on who's doing this... �" The man who seems to be Talon says before going back in. More knocking is heard, and Talon now completely comes out of the room, revealing his shorter than average body. As he turns his hands on blades he shouts. �" You coward! Come at me like a man!

Something that went unnoticed by you was Rose's hand slowly stretching in the corner towards Talon. Eventually she firmly grabs his leg an drags him towards us. As soon as he gets close Bastion knocks him unconscious by surrounding his face with an air bubble, suffocating him. It doesn't take long for the other two to come out and spot us.

- Well, looks like stealth mode ended. To try again, please press the button. �" You joke around with yourself.

- Who are you k- Brutus tries to ask something before being knocked out cold by something that hitted him from behind. Border tries to do something about this ambush, but Derick soon also tries to knock him out by crushing his head with two concrete pillars from the walls.

- Would you mind finishing the job? There wasn't a lot of concrete that I could use without doing damage to the walls. �" Derick lets you know that Border is still awaken. You don't give him openings, dashing towards him. He's fazed out thanks to the blow, so he barely hits the nothing on your side, while you elbow his face so hard some blood comes out, knocking him out easily.

- Well... That was anti climatic. �" You point out, wondering how could this have been so easy.

- I mean, I think they were street thugs for a reason, right? �" Bastion laughs the situation out, looking proud about what he did earlier.

- Now, now. We don't want them here, we want them where we can get paid. Let's take them to jail and get our reward. �" Rose asserts everything before commanding everyone to grab the guys. Me and Derick grab Border. Bastion and Natasha hold Rufus and Rose carries Talon. After getting to ground level you tell the receptionist to get rid of everything they stole. Your mission was to capture the thugs, not what they have stole, so you decided to leave that to the police once they arrived. As you're leaving the apartment, things didn't went exactly as planned. Border wakes up, but don't let us know it before he has the chance to punch me in the gut. It hurts for real, making me flinch and losing balance.

Derick doesn't get a chance to react either, also getting punched, but in the face instead. He falls on his back, trying to hold the pain in his face.

- Gotta say, don't know who you lads are or why you thought it would be a good idea to disturb us, but you're in for trouble. Get ready to sleep in a special place, 6 ft under! �" He barks, extremely angry at everyone. He takes a fighting stance, jabbing the air a few times to warm up.

- Ouch! �" Rose screams, dropping Talon on the floor while inspecting a cut made in her arm. �" You sly b*****d! �" She tries to kick him, but he quickly jumps out of her reach and close to Border, making a fighting stance of his own.

You suddenly hear a faint zap coming from Natasha and Bastion. As you check on them, you see Rufus covered in electricity. Looks like he can do more than just manipulate it. He too goes to where the others are, also adapting a fighting stance.

- This is what you get for thinking you could just break in our stronghold and take us without our concern you filthy brats! �" Rufus shouts, trying to zap Bastion, who dodges everything with some struggle. Natasha has already vanished, making sure not to get in our way.

- Derick, try to take hold of Talon! Bastion, keep Rufus busy for now. Rose, try to help Derick, but be careful with what he might try to turn into. Let's see what this Border is made out of! �" You finish giving commands to everyone before jumping a few times and preparing to pounce on Border.

Derick elevates the ground below Talon to send him flying up. Rose grabs him mid air and slams him on the floor, away from the other two. He is soon on his feet again, cleaning some blood and turning his hands into swords. �" Is that all? �" He mocks, running towards them.

Bastion keep dodging Rufus' attacks, while using his wind manipulation to hurl small objects from around at him with considerably dangerous speeds. He's faster than Bastion thought, dodging his attacks with relative easy.

- I wouldn't mind their problems when you have the big baddie right in front of you, you know? �" Border lets you know of his presence by jabbing towards you. He's also faster than you saw coming. Maybe being an ex boxer gives him something to go for. You react in time to jump sideways before launching a flurry of attacks at him. He tanks everything, thinking little of you. His mistake. You can see him swallowing the pain down his throat to look tougher

- How's that, stone head? Try overlooking me again, I dare you. �" You taunt him while smirking a smug. He falls for it and dashes to lay another jab. This one however is much faster than what you anticipated. As it lands straight in your face, you almost lose balance from the impact, wiping the blood coming from your mouth.

- Heh, I felt that. G o o d �" You grin menacingly while throwing a straight punch at him. He counters it with his own straight. Your fists clashes, making a low, but still audible "boom". You shake your hand a little. �" Damn, this hurts!

- You're not the half baked a*s I thought you were punk, gotta admit that. But let me tell you what happens when you put a street fighter to fight a professional boxer. �" He taunts you back, clashing his fists on one another. You decide to step up a notch and add some more power to your blows. That also makes you way faster than before, but Border's expert eyes somehow barely catch up to your sidesteps, waiting to see what you'll do next. He is no joke.

As you pounce on him you release another flurry of punches, these being faster and stronger than before. You hear something similar to a stone breaking, while Border coughs blood.

- Getting tired? I recommend you to stop if you know what's better for you. �" You warn him, to no avail. He still doesn't take you seriously enough. �" Fine. Show him the hard way then. �" You tell yourself as you start to charge a special attack, making your fist glow.

- Bringing the big guns, I see. �" He talks about your glowing right fist. �" Ok then, time for me to start taking this seriously too! Full Body Armor! �" He shouts, before being completely covered in stone. If he was hard to hit before, now you don't even know. But a piece of rock is still just a piece of rock.

- That won't help you in the slightest, old man. �" You tell him for the last time before you start to gather power from your surroundings. It stacks on your hand with a downwards hurricane formation, like you were absorbing the very air around you to your hand. �" This ends now! Supercharge Punch! �" You shout from the top of your lungs before delivering the final blow. Border manages to create some kind of shield by sticking his arms together, but all it does is stay in the way of your attack. A white flash and various debris makes you close your eyes a bit. You can hear him scream in pain, and feel his body being pushed back with the impact and force of your fist. He haven't gave up yet though, as he stands his ground, trying to push you back to retaliate. You don't give him this opportunity, as you keep pushing, harder and harder, until his arms splits open, leaving his chest area open to take your blow. It does, and it isn't pretty. He is knocked back with such force that it's almost as if a cannon have sent him flying. As he goes back to normal he coughs even more blood, despair in his eyes.

Before he can fly any further, an arm grabs him by the leg, while a hook made out of the asphalt from the ground grabs his other one, dragging him back. As you inspect the source, you see that eveyone else have already took care of the other two thugs. Derick and Rose are the ones who took the most damage, as their blood is visible and fresh. Natasha only now reappears, apparently she was helping Bastion while invisible, and Bastion himself is mostly alright, except for some hair strays standing up. Both Rufus and Talon are tied in a big stone circle, unconscious. Your fist now starts to go back to normal, but you can feel the drawback of summoning so much power without having too much practice with it, but it was worth it. You hope they don't make questions.

- That was so cool! Alter, where did you learned to do that? �" Natasha's eyes glows a bit with excitement of your ridiculous power output.

- Yeah dude. That was so... So... Urgh! �" Derick refuses to compliment you, nothing new there.

- Gotta say, I never saw you do that before. That was quite impressive! If I knew you had this kind of power I would have watched over my manners towards you a little better. �" Bastion says, a little embarrassed.

- Alright alright. Show's over. You sure packed a punch there. Wink. �" She jokes with you, soft punching your arm. It hurts a bit, but you don't let her know.

- That was something I like to call a Secret Move, which means you won't see it again anytime soon, unless the situation calls for it. Now let's toss these scumbags back at jail and get our reward. I'm tired. �" You hide the fact that you're also in pain. Your body isn't used to this kind of stress, so it was expected something would happen to it. You just didn't thought that it, along with your Supercharge, would cause that much damage.

- Yeah. People are staring. We should go now. �" Natasha worries a bit about the now fully crowded place. You didn't paid them attention thanks to Border, but it looks like no one got caught in the middle of your slugfest. They are taking photos and recording the whole thing. Thank goodness Rose suggested you wore these weird a*s masks.

- Well. Time to send you guys to prison. I'm hungry, wonder what mom made for dinner. �" You ponder on your thoughts while helping with taking the thugs out.