See No Evil: Proof of Concept (ch. 14) (Patreon)

"Nice set up you got here," the lead Blackgater spoke, gesturing around with a too big pistol in hand. It looked like a hand cannon, so it was probably a desert eagle or something. A thoroughly impractical gun, but if someone got shot with it then a hole would be shot through them. "I expected to see the bums in cages or some shit, but whatever works I guess. Who's in charge of this operation?"

I strode forward, away from Tifa and Revy. I clenched my jaw until my teeth began to ache, a hand retrieving my deck from my pocket and squeezing down on it until the cards crumpled at the edges. I felt every eye go to me as I walked, the inhabitants of 7th Heaven deadly quiet and the Blackgaters sizing me up. I wish I was wearing my bulletproof suit, but my vest would just have to do.

"I am," I spoke up, jumping down from the platform as I sized them up as well. A dozen of them, all of them carrying guns. One carried a rifle of some kind, but there were mostly pistols. Looking at them, I was all too aware of everyone around me. The people too scared to move because any sudden movement could lead to death. And I was more reassured than words could say when I heard people follow me off the platform -- both Tifa and Revy. "What do you want?"

The lead gangster offered me a winning smile with too-white teeth, "You're operating in East End, baby. I think we both know why I'm here."

I held his gaze for a long moment, and I realized that I did know what he was here for. "You want protection money," I stated, my lips twisting into a frown. "Are you really going to do the whole 'nice place, shame if something were to happen to it' bullshit?"

The gangster's smile widened a fraction as he gave a careless shrug. "I would have used the word cut, but I guess you can't be scaring off the merchandise." He said, making me blink in confusion. I could feel the tension in the air as everyone watched the interaction with baited breath.

"No one here is merchandise," Tifa snapped, her gloves creaking as she clenched her fists so tightly I knew her knuckles would be white. She stood behind me on my right and Revy stood on the left, the sound of her pistols leaving their holsters seemed to echo in the tunnel. And so did the gangster's pointing their guns at us.

The lead gangster shared a look with a guy next to him before he eyed up both Tifa and Revy. "You sure? Because that would be a damn shame," he said, offering a flirty smile.

Revy scoffed, "Your house, your rules, but if you don't shut him up, I'm going to give him a couple new assholes to spew that shit out of." She warned me, making the gangster's smile slip.

I looked at the gangsters, my mind turning over the problem at hand. They were here. In my house. Demanding tribute. It galled at me, my pride rebelling, but I swallowed it down and used the awkward silence as time to think. They were here, they knew where we were and they sent a dozen guys as a house call.

The Blackgaters weren't some two-bit gang. They controlled East End. Their influence stretched to Crime Alley and beyond to the point that Jeremiah had attempted to fight them off. I had no clue how many of them there were, but I had to assume… that they were like the Penguin Mob.

And they were here.

I took in a slow breath, "I want to make one thing clear," I started, breaking the heavy silence. Their guns were pointed directly at me, and I wished that Tifa or Revy had circled behind them rather than support me. "A percent of nothing is still nothing."

The gangster glared at me, adjusting his black and orange hat with his free hand. "And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked, not taking the rejection too well because the faux friendly nature was gone.

I gestured around at the people around us, "Despite whatever you heard, this place is just a homeless shelter. It doesn't make any money. Not a single penny. In fact, it's costing me thousands." I explained, keeping my tone level. That got a deep frown from the lead gangster, making the others share a few looks.

"You expect me to believe that?" He demanded, jerking his gun at me.

"It's the truth. Rumors run wild because this place sounds too good to be true. It's easier to believe that this is some human chop shop rather than just a homeless shelter to get people off the streets." I stated calmly, and I saw doubt grow in one of the gangster's eyes. One at the back, he shifted where he stood, but he didn't feel bad enough to not point a gun at my face. "So, I can't give you a cut of anything. This place doesn't make any money."

The lead gangster was silent as he considered that, tilting his head back and forth. Then he lowered the gun. Only to point it at the leg of a man off to the side and pulled the trigger. The sound slammed into my ears, it sounded like a cannon going off rather than a gunshot. People shouted in pain, cowering as they cover their ears -- even the gangster's flinched.

I raised a hand to Revy, a gesture for her to stop before she could pull the trigger and turn this into a bloodbath. Because if it did then a lot more people would get shot, they would die, and 7th Heaven would collapse. The people would leave, rumors would get out of what happened so no one else would come, and the Blackgaters would be out for blood.

My ears rang from the gunshot, but I heard Revy tsk. "Vergil-"

"Revy, shut up," I snapped, but my voice sounded too calm for it. I glared at the lead gangster, who still pointed his gun at the fallen homeless man. I looked down at him as well to see that it was Bill. One of the first people I had met in this city. "No one move," I ordered, my tone harsh despite how calm it sounded, and everyone obeyed the order. They froze, half ready to flee or cower.

My blood boiled in my veins as I watched blood seep from his wounded leg

"Carla? Please help Bill with his leg," I said, my voice carrying, the tunnel was that quiet. The petite Mexican woman rushed down from the platform to put pressure on Bill's leg. I took in a slow breath as I turned my attention back to the gangster.

I came to a decision as I looked into his dark brown eyes. I didn't see an ounce of remorse.

"Shooting someone won't change the fact that I can't give you a cut of anything. But protection money… well, that's just like a utility bill in Gotham, isn’t it?" I said, taking a step forward, making the lead gangster point his gun back at me, away from Carla and Bill. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her confidently putting pressure on the wound as she began bandaging it with a sleeve of her shirt. Bill would have to go to Dr. Thompkins, just to be safe.

The lead gangster met my gaze, considering that, "Yeah, that's one way to put it. And I guess you were right. This is a nice place and it would be a shame if something happened to it," he said.

Alright, there was my foot in the door.

"See? No need to point those things at anyone. I get it. You're the Blackgaters, we're just a bunch of nobodies, and we have to pay protection money. That's just how it is," I reassured, taking another step forward. I couldn't say I was a member of the Penguin Mob. That would just complicate things because then it would be Mr. Cobblepot operating in their territory rather than some bum nobodies.

The leader scoffed, "Work the shaft a bit if you're going to kiss ass like that -- but, yeah, I hear you. That's just how things are," he said as he looked around, making a point of lowering his gun. I reached out and lowered Revy's and, miraculously, she didn't shoot me in the back of the head for the offense. "A place like this… call it… a thousand a month."

"But," he quickly followed it up with, "if we find out that you do have some shit on the down-low in this place? That's going to go way, way up. We'll take whatever we want -- we'll kill your punk ass, take those bitches and take over whatever shit you have got going on."

A thousand a month. That was steep. Working a month in the mob and you pick some stuff up like that from hearing people talk. Protection for apartments averaged around three hundred bucks, businesses were closer to five hundred, while major companies got charged the big bucks. I guess if he figured I could provide for a place like this then I could afford an extra thousand to keep it running. That was annoyingly smart of him.

"Then I don't have anything to worry about," I stated firmly. The gangster met my gaze, glaring at me as he searched for any hint of deceit. He jerked his head in a nod, accepting that answer. I summoned a thousand bucks from my cards and I slipped two cards in the bundle. Folding them around the cards, I took a final step, putting myself in striking distance, and held out the protection money.

The gangster smiled, that faux kindness returning full force. "Well, ain't that nice and simple," he said as he snatched the bills from me. He held it up, waving it back and forth for a second, a mocking smile on his face. "I like easy jobs like this. Maybe I'll-" he started, but I didn't care to listen.

I activated a card in the bundle, making water splash out. It gushed out like it came from a fire hydrant, splashing on the ground and soaking the gangsters. They recoiled, shocked at why they were suddenly being doused with water, and the lead gangster dropped the bills. I ignored the water splashing on my face as I dove away the same instant as I activated the second card.

As one, the gangster's screamed as their bodies convulsed while they still stood up as volts of electricity flowed through them from the second card. And, as one, they flopped to the ground bonelessly in a puddle of water.

"Get their guns!" I shouted as I kicked the desert eagle away from the lead gangster's hands, who continued to convulse on the ground. Tifa fell upon the fallen gangsters, spurred into action as she disarmed them. Others rushed forward, jumping onto the gangsters to keep them down. By that time, the shock to their system had worn off.

"You're dead! You're fucking dead! You hear me? I'm going to fucking watch you fucking die!" The lead gangster shouted out as Jack kept him down, keeping his arms pinned behind his back. Others rushed forward with materials to tie them up with but there was a chill that raced through 7th Heaven at his words. I could feel the people around me realize that he was probably right. They were dead.

That was probably a mistake, but one that I had to make. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't swallow the shit he was shoveling down my throat after he had shot Bill. I probably couldn't have swallowed it in the first place.

I was so absolutely sick and tired of getting the crap kicked out of me by life. It was time to start getting my own hits in.

I took a step forward and kicked him in the face. His nose flattened in a spray of blood and he howled in response. I heard Revy laughing behind me, but I didn't find any of this funny. None of it was.

"So, you do have some balls," Revy teased, but I ignored her. I glanced behind me at Tifa to see that she wore an expression of naked concern. Though I couldn't tell if it was for me or what happened next. I looked beyond her to see everyone else's face wearing that same expression, their eyes on me, pleading for an answer. For reassurance.

Answers and reassurances that I had to give them. I could feel the framework for 7th Heaven creak and groan underneath the weight of this action. When I sent us on a direct collision course with the Blackgaters, one of the biggest gangs in Gotham filled with the hardest criminals in a city of criminals.

"7th Heaven," I started, my voice carrying through the tunnel as everyone shut up to listen to me. They hovered on the edge of the platform, crowding around the tunnels, every single one of them looking at me. And I always hated public speaking. I trailed off for a second, trying to gather my words before I decided what I wanted to say. "Before 7th Heaven was here, me, Jack and a few others lived in another community in the sewers."

I turned, trying to meet everyone's gaze as I did so. "Some of you know the story. Some of you don't. But, one day, the Jokers came down to our little community and they attacked the people that lived there. They just about beat Jack to death along with a few others. The only thing that saved them was the fact that when they were beaten into unconsciousness, they stopped giving reactions so they would move on." My lips thinned as I recalled that moment of walking in on Jack and barely recognizing him he was so injured. "I asked one of them why they did it. What did they get out of it? You know what he said?"

No one said a word, but I gave the answer anyway.

"They thought it was funny that no one would care about a bunch of homeless people being murdered," I told them. There were grim faces all around and my voice echoed in the silent tunnel. I shook my head as I shrugged, "And you know what? He was right. Because no one gave a shit. The crime was never investigated. The cops never bothered to look into it. You want to know how I know that?" I asked and this time I didn't give them time to answer, "Because the bodies of the Jokers are still there."

I let that sink in for a moment before I slowly pointed to the city above, "I am completely and utterly sick of everyone up there deciding my worth. If I'm worthy of help. If I'm a fucking human being or not just because I don't have an address." There was a strangled anger in my voice, the anger that had built up over the past month, anger that had been building up long before I arrived in Gotham -- it was finally bubbling to the surface. "And I'm sick of assholes like these who think that they can do whatever they want with us."

There were nods, people matching my anger, and shouts of support. That fracturing framework was strengthening as I voiced their anger. Their desires.

"We won't be pushed around anymore. They can't take what they want anymore. Because this place, 7th Heaven? This place is ours!" I shouted the last word and that call to arms echoed through those here. I turned, looking at Tifa to find her nodding in agreement while Revy gave me an appraising look.

"Big words. You have a plan?" Revy asked, her voice nearly lost in the shouting and cheering that undoubtedly carried throughout the metro tunnel.

I did.

"Depends on what you would call a plan," I answered, making her huff before I turned my attention to the gangsters. The one that I had kicked was glaring pure hate at me, but there were a few remorseful other gazes. I guess even hardened criminals had lines. "Tie this lot up. I have a few questions that I want to ask."

The people jumped to obey the order. People picked up the gangsters, bringing them up to the platform while a few people took some shots. And I stood there for a brief moment, it really settling in what I had just done. If I felt any regret then I pushed it away before I could identify it, because now was not the time to second guess myself.

"Revy," I started, turning to the woman, who had thankfully reholstered her guns. "Are you in?"

Revy tilted her head, "If the price is right," she said, but her tone was off. Like her heart wasn't in it. If I had to guess, it was her own experience as a street rat when she was a kid, but I didn’t say that.

I walked forward and grabbed the soaking wet bills that the gangster had dropped, and I was honestly shocked that no one had grabbed them in the chaos. But since they hadn’t, I grabbed them along with my two empty cards -- that combination had been a good one. I put them back in my deck before I turned to hand the dripping wet bills to Revy. She looked at them with some annoyance.

Then I tossed one card to the side and a large crate appeared. “Take what you need for the job and keep it,” I told her, making a savage grin appear on her face. Her golden-brown eyes seemed to darken with a nasty emotion that thankfully wasn’t directed at me.

“Kid,” Jack spoke up, looking at the crate as Revy tore it open. The excited noise she let out when she peered inside reminded me of a kid in a candy store, that was given his mom’s credit card. “What are we doing?”

I saw that question mirrored in Tifa’s eyes as well. I glanced over at where the gangsters were being tied up, forced to sit down. Then I looked at Bill, who gave me a bloody thumbs up as Jack went to help him up.

“We’re making a stand,” I answered shortly. “7th Heaven can’t handle a counter-attack from the Blackgaters. They come here in force and everyone will run. Everything we did up until this point will have been for nothing.”

Tifa took a step forward, “What are we going to do?” Tifa asked, echoing the question, but the tone couldn’t be more different. Jack sounded like he was looking for guidance while Tifa sounded like a solider waiting for an order.

“We hit them before they can hit us,” I answered before I turned around and started walking up the platform. I saw a dozen gangsters tied to chairs and the like, in addition to being held down and under watch by dozens more. I steeled myself for what I was about to do because things were about to get messy. Stray thoughts were banished from my mind as I walked forward, the gangsters looking at me with more fear than defiance.

Good. I needed to be scary at the moment.

To seal the image, I unsealed a card. A card that I had never unsealed ever since I saw it. A card that I spent nights looking at, haunted by what I did to get such a card.

A bloodstained bat appeared in my hand, but there was something wrong with it. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the bat itself made me feel uneasy. It had an air that I could only describe as malicious and sinister. The gangsters had a far stronger reaction, some trying to get away while others seemed to freeze up. I looked at them for a moment, the bat feeling like it weighed a million pounds in my hand.

“You,” I picked one at random. “Take him into the train car,” I ordered. “And get me some maps of Gotham,” I added. The guy that I picked started to resist until I neared him. “I’m going to ask you all the same questions. Whoever gives me different answers…” I trailed off, leaving the threat unsaid. “So be honest. Separate this lot so they can’t compare notes.” Almost absentmindedly, I resealed the crate of weapons after Revy took her pick.

The guy was dragged to the train car while the maps were brought to me. Tifa was giving me an odd look, and I couldn’t meet her gaze at the moment. I couldn’t second guess myself. Not now. I could do that when this was done. We were on this path, and now we had to see it through. No matter what.

I strode into the train car -- Tifa and Revy followed me in. The guy was tied up to the handrails, and he was shaking like a leaf. I tossed the pile of the maps to the side, leaving one in my hand. “Dude, please, what Jay did was-”

“Don’t,” I cut him off. “I don’t want to hear a single word,” I told him as I took a step forward. With minimal fumbling, I untied one hand. He did the smart thing and he didn’t attack me. I pressed a marker in his hand before I held up a map. “I want you to mark every single hideout, safe house, and front you can think of on this map. Every single one.”

Then I gestured to the outside of the train car with my bat, “I’m going to ask them the same question. If your answers don’t line up, I’m going to pick the person whose answers differ the most and I’m going to kill them.” I had no clue if that was a lie or not. And I really hoped I didn’t have to find out. “You’re honest and everyone out there is as well? You live. If you want to live, then this is your chance. Start marking.”

I could feel Tifa and Revy’s gaze on me, and I suspected that one was more approving than the other. Regardless, they said nothing as the captured gangster quickly began marking the map. There was genuine terror etched into his face as he frantically worked. I never thought I would ever cause that kind of reaction in another human being. I never thought of myself as scary.

But right now, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. He was so scared that I knew deep in my gut that his answers were true.

“On third street, I messed up a bit -- the mark is supposed to be on the corner. Mac and Grill, that’s the place,” he added, trying to clarify. I nodded, accepting that since his hands were shaking. I looked at the paper and there were so many marks. The Blackgaters were huge. No wonder they practically controlled East End.

Revy grabbed the guy, “Come on. Let’s go check your answers,” she said, untying and leading the guy out of the train car. It was only once he was gone did Tifa speak up.

“So, the plan is to hit as many places as we can at once?” She asked, and I expected her to question what I was doing. To judge me for it. But, as kind as she was, Tifa had once been a terrorist. That fact only really sunk in now when there was none of the expected disgust and judgment I expected. Instead, there was only grim acceptance of a necessary evil.

I nodded, “We can’t take on the entire Blackgaters. They’re just too big, and all it takes is one hit from them to destroy this place. So, instead, we put blood in the water.” I passed the marked map to Tifa, who took it. “We hit those places, as many as we can all at once, and the other gangs are going to take the chance to take a pound of flesh from them. We hide the fact that it was us, and 7th Heaven goes right down to the bottom of their priority list.”

Tifa nodded as she looked at the map. “But this is going to happen again. Even if the Blackgaters fall, someone else is going to come here demanding for protection money.” Tifa sounded like she absolutely detested the idea of it, but I had been honest with what I told the gangster.

Protection, in the end, was just another utility bill in this city. Just like water and electricity. What I couldn’t accept was the arrogance and the fact that they thought they could get away with whatever they wanted.

“You’re right,” I admitted, knowing that she was right even if I didn’t want to think about it. But I had to. What came after the Blackgaters were dealt with? When there was a feeding frenzy? How did we stop this from happening again? My grip tightened on my bat, and Tifa reached out to place a hand over mine. It was a reassuring gesture I hadn’t realized I needed until I had it.

I nodded to myself, exhaling some of my tension, “You’re right,” I repeated. “So, we turn this place into a neutral ground.”

“Can we go to the Penguin for help?” Tifa asked, and I considered it. I didn’t want to go to Mr. Cobblepot, but it was an option. But there was a big problem with it.

“Maybe. Mr. Cobblepot focuses on the docks since that’s where he makes most of his money. I don’t think he would go for something like 7th Heaven unless he could make money off of it. Which he won’t, as it is.” So, we either changed what 7th Heaven was, or we handled this ourselves. And I didn’t want this place to change. “Waylon will probably be on board, Revy too so long as we pay her…”

We had a force to be reckoned with. The issue was that it was a small force.

“What we do… is develop a reputation,” I said, thinking out loud. “We can handle the smaller gangs no problem. So, when one of them comes here with their hand out, demanding money, we crush them. Completely and utterly and we salt the earth to drive the point home. Eventually, people will catch the hint and leave us alone.”

Tifa looked at me as Revy led another gangster onto the train car. “Okay,” Tifa agreed, giving my hand a small squeeze before she let go. “That’s what we’ll do.”

…

Their answers matched up. For the most part at least. There were a few dots that were outliers, which probably meant that they knew about a place that others didn’t rather than they were lying. But we would hit the ones that were corroborated by others, because discounting the others, we had a considerable to do list.

“Does anyone here have any military experience?” I asked, dressed in black and orange -- the clothes were stolen off the gangsters to help hide that it was us. If only for a time. A couple of hands were raised as a handful of men and women stepped forward. And that was an absolute disgrace to the nation. I stepped forward and gestured to the weapons that we had collected from the gangsters as well.

“What do you want us to do with them?” One asked, her tone level as she accepted a pistol and checked it with what I could only describe as practiced ease. And that was a loaded question if I had ever heard one.

“I want you to stay here and protect this place,” I answered as the dozen men and women armed up. The one that had asked met my gaze for a moment before she offered a curt nod, I had apparently passed some test of hers.

“Just in case?” She offered, earning a nod from me.

“Just in case,” I agreed. Looking away from her, I turned my attention down to the stripped down gangsters. Some of them were crying, their sobs muffled by gags, while others stared straight ahead. Only the leader had any fight left in him. And that was going to be a problem. “Keep an eye on them until we get back. We’ll decide what to do with them then.”

The woman nodded, “Happy hunting,” she told me as I walked away. The other former soldiers offering grim nods. I turned to Tifa and Revy -- both were wearing black and orange, both nearly unrecognizable with their hair done up and hidden underneath hats.

“What was the point of dying my hair?” Revy wondered to herself, making me blink at her as she tugged at her cap.

“Your hair was dyed?” I asked, somehow caught off guard by the information. Revy gave me a dull look like I had said something incredibly stupid.

She shook her head in disbelief, “Of course it was, idiot. Who has purple hair naturally?” She asked, her tone telling me that I had said something incredibly stupid and she thought I was too. And fair enough, I guess. I had just figured the anime hair was natural.

To change the subject, I passed them both a mask with an extra addition. An earpiece had been added to the masks, so now we could communicate with each other. The earpieces wrapped around the ear, taking the place of the straps before. “Put these on so we can keep in touch. We hit them block for block. Anyone needs help, then we come running.”

Revy huffed, “You mean if you need help.” She corrected, sending me a sharp smirk as she yanked the mask from my hand.

That was also fair. I was the only one with powers, but I was by far the least badass person here. “Pretty much. So please rescue me if I get in trouble,” I said as I tucked the mask away while Tifa did the same. Her reddish-brown eyes were hard, ready for the fight to come. The joke wasn’t even enough to get the slightest of smiles from her.

“Ready?” I asked them, earning nods. “Then let’s go,” I said before we started walking. People watched us leave all throughout the tunnel, some cheering while most just looked at us with a sense of uncomprehending wonder. At the end of the tunnel was Jack, his arm still in a cast. He, on the other hand, looked downright mournful.

“Kid,” he greeted with a nod as we neared. “Stay safe out there,” he said, sounding like there was plenty more that he wanted to say. But we didn’t have time to stand around to chat.

“I will. If Waylon stops by then fill him in for me, okay?” I requested, earning a reluctant nod as we passed him by. After that, we traveled the metro tunnel in silence, climbing up onto the platform, and walking back up to the surface. It was only a little past the afternoon, so we wouldn’t have to worry about Batman swooping in.

And, just to make sure, I lexed Bruce Wayne to find that he was currently in Hawaii, so probably a Justice League mission. But it meant that he wasn’t in the city. And that was fantastic news.

“Be careful,” I told both of them as we reached the point where we would be going our separate ways. Revy shot me the bird before she walked off, a map with her. Tifa looked at me and stepped forward.

Her lips pressed against the edge of my mouth, just close enough that I could be confused whether it was a kiss on the lips or she had been aiming for my cheek. It barely lasted for more than a moment, and when she pulled back, there was a sly smile on her face. “For good luck,” she informed before she skipped back, flashing a wider grin at my dumbfounded look before she walked away.

I watched her for a moment before a sigh left me, “I’m in so much trouble,” I told myself as I walked in the opposite direction. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, a card stuffed underneath the gloved that I wore. Underneath my disguise was my bulletproof suit, just in case. My destination wasn’t far, just around the block. A small apartment building with my destination being 2A.

As I entered the building and walked up the steps, keeping my head down low to obscure my face until I was at the right floor, I put on my mask. A thought entered my head while I walked down the hall of a dingy, rundown apartment building. It wasn’t that it settled in what I was doing, but it was something else. Something I had to accept, even if I really didn’t want to.

I reached 2A shortly before I shoved a card underneath the doorframe. A card of Drowsy Gas. I activated the card, filling the room with the gas, and instantly I heard a commotion coming from the other side of the door. And I braced myself against the door. Not a second later, the door shook as those inside tried to escape.

They banged on the door as they shouted before they started to quiet down as the card worked its magic. However, the door next to me opened up to reveal an elderly lady, who probably wanted to know what the commotion was about. Our gazes met for a moment, her lips turned down into a deep frown.

Then she promptly walked back inside.

By that time, the thumping had stopped and I figured I should leave before I got the cops called on me. I took a step back from the door and pulled it open, the guys opened it from the other side. There was faintly purple smoke coming from the room and the guys were slumped at the door, all snoring. I walked over them to step inside, my mask protecting me from the gas I had created.

Inside, beyond the smoke, was a coffee table covered in drugs and money. Cocaine, by the looks of it and piles of bills.

“I was making money wrong all this time, huh?” I asked myself as I slid the contents of the table into a duffel bag I had gotten ready for this exact thing. The card didn’t tell me the details, but I knew how to eyeball it at this point. About five kilos of cocaine and fifty thousand dollars. A life-changing amount of money and getting it was so easy.

But, as I turned around to leave, my gaze lingered on the unconscious men. That conclusion I came to rearing up.

I had been willing to sabotage Jeremiah to stop him from getting enough heavy weaponry to start a gang war. But I was willing to take that weaponry from him and use it myself. I told myself it was to protect the downtrodden from the gang war that would spill out onto the streets, but here I was. I was starting a gang war myself.

No matter how I looked at it, I was a hypocrite. More than that, I knew the reason I was a hypocrite.

Because I had something to gain.

And something to lose.