Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 6

Life, Crime

An unusual request from The Spider sees Rue joining Doug at the Bathala City docks for an information drop and an unlikely visitation with one of the city's greatest heroes.

After a few days, Rue is woken up in the middle of a night by the angry buzzing sound of their new phone going off with a text message. They shoot up with a jolt, heart racing and the very notion of sleep all but ejected from their mind, and upon seeing the ID of the sender reading 'Boss' their heart sinks again. At least during these last few days they could pretend to be a different person than the one who'd so callously used and stolen from people in the name of a wad of dirty cash. They had no idea what Rachel had so clearly seen in them, they were no 'good egg', that's for damn sure.   "Good evening, little Morsel. Got some business going down at the docks. Could use an extra set of eyes if you're interested. I'll throw a cool five-hundred your way for the trouble." Rubbing a hand over their face, they let out a sigh.   ''I'm on my way.'' They send the message, quickly slipping on their boots and hoodie before they quietly exit the room. The past few days have taught them which steps in the hostel will creak, and so they noiselessly tiptoe down the stairs, creeping through the front door.   "Good girl. You'll be meeting Doug at the docks, near the old textile mill. He'll let you know what you have to do."   Their breath fogs up the air in front of them as they head in the direction of the docks, a thin sheen of ice crystallising on a nearby puddle. Despite the late hour, there are decorative lights illuminating window displays, ready to coax people into overspending as they buy gifts for the holidays.   Rue continues on past the shops, folding their hands under their armpits to keep them warm as they make their way to their destination. Their journey down to the docks is mostly uneventful. While the seafaring district is another on the decline, much like the industrial district, it's not quite become the slum that the latter has. It's familiar but not quite the same sense of danger that the other often feels like at this time. In stead of the destitute and dangerous types who wander the streets at this time, the place is mostly abandoned, and Rue has no real problem making their way to the old textile mill, sitting on the border line between the two districts, though there aren't exactly drawn up borders on the ground.   Before long they notice Doug under the illumination of a street lamp, using the light to read another book, this time "The Catcher in the Rye," by J. D. Salinger. He seems fairly engrossed, and it's not until Rue steps into the light that he looks up.   "Oh," he says, seeming surprised, "Boss sent you, eh? Must think you're doing pretty well. How ya gettin' on, Kid?"   ''Just had a couple of days off,'' Rue shrugs, leaning slightly to the side in an attempt to read a bit of the page Doug is on. ''What's this one about, then?''   "Nice. Hope you enjoyed 'em," he says, immediately then surprised by Rue's sudden interest in his reading, "The Catcher in the Rye? It delves into the alienation and rebellion of a disenchanted youth navigating the hypocrisy and phoniness of society while desperately searching for authenticity and connection. You much of a reader?"   Rue stares blankly at Doug, ''I understood about half of that...'' They admit sheepishly, running a hand through their hair. ''I never went got much of an education. I know how to read, but that...'' They nod at the book in his hand. ''That might be a bit too... difficult.''   "Hmm..." he gives them a pensive look, before moving away from the street lamp and towards an inconspicuous sedan parked nearby. He opens one of the back doors and leans inside, emerging after a moment with another book in his hands, "Try this," he says, handing over a well-read but tidy copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "It's not a light read really, but accessible. Who knows, you may just take something away from it."   Rue takes the book from him, looking at the battered spine and slightly frayed pages, ''Thank you.'' They say, still a little taken aback by Doug's literary knowledge. They stuff the novel in their pocket, genuinely curious to read it later, ''So what are we doing here?'' Rue asks, getting back to business.   "Well, you know the Boss at this point. Kinda prefers to deal in two things," he counts them out on his fingers as he motions for Rue to follow him further into the docks, "information peddling and blackmail," He leads them down into a shipping yard, with large containers lining the area, "Well, this is where I'm meeting one of his informants to collect a docket. You're just here as a second set of eyes, in case of cops or anything."   ''That's it?'' Rue quirks a brow, following Doug to the meeting place. ''Huh, okay. And I suppose you have a backup plan, in case of cops or anything? Spotting them is one thing, but do you have a getaway strategy?''   "That's it. Information is everything to the Boss, so he pays as much as it takes to get it delivered safely." he stops for a moment, quirking his own brow before nodding in approval, "I have three more cars like that one parked there, there, and there," he points each out in turn, "At the first sign of trouble, we book it to whichever is most accessible, screw the drop." he thinks for a moment and reaches behind him, "And... here," he says, holding forward a seemingly-loaded handgun, "In case of trouble."   Rue looks down at the gun, their eyes widening slightly, ''You're seriously offering me a gun?'' They ask incredulously. They shake their head, somewhere at the back of their mind wondering if this is the same weapon he'd aimed at them not long ago. ''No, thanks. I think it's better if you keep hold of that.''   "Listen, Kid," he says, sighing slightly, his eyes seem almost sad at what he has to say, "I'm not sure what kind of world you think you've stepped into, but no matter how street-smart you are, an unarmed teenager out here is an easy target. And, unless you have some other way of defending yourself, I'd feel a lot safer knowing you had it... at least until we're done here."   Strangely moved by the man's concern, Rue purses their lips. It's not like they can come out and use their powers here without word of it travelling back to The Spider, and so they take the gun, feeling the weight of it in their hands, ''Care to give me a quick tutorial before I accidentally shoot myself?''   "Sure," he says, before quickly running you through a very brief orientation and safety briefing, "...and always remember to keep this end away from me," he finishes, "Any questions?"   ''Nope, that's pretty clear.'' Rue tucks the gun into the back of their jeans, a small smile pulling at their lips. ''Ever thought about becoming a teacher instead?''   "Yeah, once," he says, pointedly looking away as he continues ahead, walking slightly faster than before, "Come on. We don't want to be late."   Rue recognises the tone of Doug's voice immediately, feeling a pang of guilt as they've somehow upset the man. They decide to drop the topic, following him to their destination. On the way there, they focus on their senses, listening out for anyone or anything and looking around and -without Doug knowing- through the containers.   After a few moments, Doug brings Rue through to an opening in the shipping containers where three men are waiting, pacing the area illuminated only by the moonlight and the torches they each carried.   "You're late." one of the men, a squirrely figure in a long coat hisses at Doug who seems to take the whole situation in stride.   "Sorry boys, car trouble." he says, shrugging.   "Who's the Kid?" another man chimes in, this one puffing on a vape pen and leaning against a nearby container.   "Just a babysitting job," Doug continues, "Everyone's got two jobs these days, eh?" he suddenly gets serious, "You got the docket?"   "Yeah, we got it." the final man says, pulling a thick manilla envelope from his coat, "You got the cash?"   "Of course." Doug continues, but as the deal is going down, Rue starts to notice something. A movement on the periphery of the shipping containers. Even with their super-senses, they cant quite make it out. It seems, amorphous, insubstantial even. But it doesn't stay still for long, quickly making its way up the outside containers and towards them.   ''Doug.'' They start, their gut screaming that this could be trouble. From the corner of their eye they can see Doug turning to look at them, but they keep their focus on the blur, their nose twitching ever so faintly as they try to locate whatever they saw. ''Time to go.''   "What is it?" he questions, suddenly searching in various directions for trouble as he grabs the docket from the men and hands over an envelope of cash, "What'd you see?"   ''Someone's out there.'' They start, their hand going towards the gun. ''I saw a shadow just now.'' Rue hopes that Doug won't question where or how they might have seen it, certain that it would've slipped past unnoticed if it weren't for their senses.   "Alright, we're out," Doug says as he and the three men all pull their weapons and begin looking around, "Where did you-"   "Oh shit!" one of the men cries out, shining his flashlight up to the sky as Rue sees the shape finally make its way onto the cargo container overlooking the group. There the shape takes on a more solid, humanoid shape, with a blank, expressionless face and a long white coat, the shadow takes on a form that every resident of Bathala knows well, and it doesn't take long for everyone to realise it.   "It's Blue!"   ''Crap.'' Rue takes a step backwards, their blood running cold. They can hear one of the men shouting 'run!', their forms scattering away from the clearing. They look over at Doug, remembering which sedan might be nearest and wondering if they can even make it there in time.   "Good evening, Gentlemen." Blue began, a touch of amusement in his voice, before he stepped down off his perch.   Since growing up in and around the Railyard, Rue's seen quite a few fights in their time. Usually it's a couple vagrants fighting over some mildly valuable item or piece of food, or more rarely when curiosity drew them towards the local fight club. Until this point however, they'd never seen a fight quite so one-sided. As the hero descended on the three men they'd come to see, it quickly became apparent that bullets did little more than pass straight through his semi-solid form without so much as slowing him down.   Within a moment, he'd closed the gap on the smoking man, his fist growing to the size of the man's torso as he laid him out with a single punch, crushing his body against the nearby container. The other two didn't fair much better, with Blue stretching to adhere to the container behind them and pulling himself forward to deliver a high-velocity kick to one, before his arms split into three a piece for a vicious beat down of the other.   Rue and Doug however hadn't stuck around to watch the superhero action, electing in stead to charge towards the nearest of his getaway cars while the hero is distracted. Rue's heart is pounding by the time they exit the shipping containers, they can see the car, the promise of safety, but their senses are clouded by panic, and Blue could be anywhere.   They're not foolish enough to feel relief when the sedan comes in sight, knowing damn well that a super should never be underestimated. What's more, there was every possibility that Blue hadn't come without backup, though they really did not want to think about that if they could help it.   ''That car better be unlocked!'' They call over at Doug, their legs carrying them as fast as they can.   Doug charges ahead, his taller stature giving him a slight advantage in the race to the car. He holds up a fob and the car's lights flash as he shouts, "Get the fuck in!"   The pair dive into the front seats of the car and the wheels screech, kicking up smoke as Doug performs some sort of racing maneuver to get out of there. As they're pulling away, Rue looks through the back window and sees the superhero in the background, placing his hands in his coat pockets as he watches the pair escape. Doug notices and looks back, smiling as he notices the hero not giving chase.   "Oh my god, oh my GOD," he says, beginning to crack up with laughter from the relief, "That was insane! You've got a good eye, Kid. Not many people can spot Blue at night. You okay?"   Rue is holding on to the grab handle above the window as Doug speeds away, their heart racing. Seeing Blue standing there so nonchalantly hasn't done much to ease their nerves, their senses still on alert for any possible incoming danger.   ''I'm fine..'' They pant, still out of breath from their sprint to the car. ''And I just got lucky spotting him.''   Though 'luck' might not be the right word - what were the chances of bumping into two of the most prominent heroes in Bathala in less than a week? Feeling like they're still being watched, Rue puts their hood up, slightly sinking down in the seat.   "Whatever it was, Kid, it was incredible. Had it not been for your sharp eyes, I probably would've ended up like those poor schmucks back there," he suddenly realises what this development means, "Ah, Boss isn't gonna be happy about that one. Ah well. The important thing is we made it out in one piece. Your money's in the glove box by the way." He nods to the compartment, "Tell you what, I wouldn't mind having you along on one of these jobs again if you're interested. Of course, I'd understand if this has left you a little spooked."   Rue reaches into the glove box and retrieves an envelope from it. ''Did you have one of these in each car?'' They snort, the adrenaline slowly fading. As they get further away from the docks, Doug slows down so as to not attract any unnecessary attention. ''I mean, I don't really get a choice in which jobs I get...'' They begin, smirking faintly. ''But you're not the worst person to work with. Just, lets leave the superhero encounters to a minimum.''   "It's a magic trick. I could pull it out of your ear if you prefer," he jokes, pulling onto one of the backstreets to avoid the main roads, "Well damn, I was hoping to get a date with Wonder Woman one of these days..." he grins, pausing for a response.   Rue lets out a chuckle, the tension they’d held in their shoulders gradually easing. “Yeah good luck with that,” They glance over at Doug, the ghost of a smile on their face. “So what now? We just drop off the info and that’s that? Job done?”   "For now? Yeah," he says, smiling, "We're paid by the risk, not the hour. Hell, if you want I can take it from here and just drop you off wherever you're staying. The sun'll be coming up soon and I'm sure you wouldn't mind the sleep. Maybe swing by the club in the evening. Boss was planning something else, and I think you'd be a great fit."   “Alright, thanks.” Rue sits up a little in their seat. They reach their hand behind their back and pull out the weapon Doug had handed them earlier that night, storing it in the glove box. “And err, thanks for letting me borrow that.”   "Yeah, no problem, Kid," he says, nodding as he notices the return of his weapon, "So where am I taking you then?"   Rue gives him directions to the hostel, leaning their head against the window as they turn down another road. It’s a short drive, and Rue finds themself longing for a hot shower and a plate of freshly made pancakes.   It's pushing six in the morning when Rue finally makes it back to the hostel. It's fairly quiet, with the sun just starting to peak over the houses and the morning birds chirping as Rue walks through the front door. The house is silent save for the sounds of activity in the kitchen, Rue's gaze is drawn over to the door and notices artificial light streaming through the frame. They look through the door with their x-ray vision and can see Nadia, the proprietress of the hostel, lovingly preparing Tupperware boxes full of food that Rue didn't recognise. She's completely dressed and made up, humming a little tune to herself, and Rue wondered if it were actually 6pm rather than 6am.   The smells coming from the kitchen make Rue’s stomach rumble and their mouth salivate. Still, they have the feeling that this is a moment of tranquillity for Nadia, and they don’t want to interrupt her preparations. Eating can wait just a little longer, they decide.   Silently climbing up the stairs, they make their way back to the room, locking the door behind them and making a beeline to the bathroom. They turn on the shower, letting it get to temperature as they discard their clothes in a heap in the corner. As the hoodie lands on the floor with a thump, they remember the book hidden within the pocket. Rue smiles faintly, determined to start reading later that morning.   To be continued...