Broker

There were thousands of gangs in New York City, hundreds of thousands of men and women on the street every single day engaged in everything from violent crime to drug dealing to theft. It was pretty much the same in any major city one went to, but the gang culture in New York was embedded so deeply it was impossible to root it out. There were other organized crime groups, of course, better connected, better funded, larger. Larger compared to a singular gang, anyway. They were dwarfed, however, by the sheer volume of gangs throughout the city. 

Even so, it had never been a concern for the various crime families and groups that operated in New York. Who could ever imagine a day when the street-level gangs would start to consolidate?

Shark hadn’t believed in the cause, not really, not at first. But now? Now it was a different story.

Shark had stopped shifting back into his human form two weeks ago, there wasn’t much of a point anymore. He’d grown more and more comfortable in his altered body. He’d also taken to wearing nicer clothes, gone were the polo and jeans. Now he wore tailored suits and walked with a contingent of bodyguards around him. They were mostly for show, though, the boss had seen to that very quickly. She’d explained to him the name of his power, what it implied, and how he could use it. It had opened his eyes to possibilities beyond his imagination. It was like knowing the name of his gift gave him power over it.

He shut the small booklet about sea life he held in his hand shut and slipped out of the car, his head held high, as he walked towards the door of the Danube Hotel in Brooklyn. His security detail formed up around him, all of them thugs who’d had their abilities awakened by the boss. Foot Soldiers of the highest caliber. They weren’t the only ones here either, more were coming packed quietly into a semi that had just pulled up behind the hotel. He had a feeling today was going to be a bit more exciting than usual.

Most of the time, the smaller gangs of the city had just rolled over and joined up. A few of their members had abilities but none of them contended with Shark. He’d had a few tough scrapes here and there but nothing he couldn’t bounce back from. He honestly found the memories kind of boring, which was a bit of a shame, he’d had thought simply conquering a single gang would have been exhilarating. Now, though, he realized that he was worth so much more. The boss had invested in him and basically declared him king of New York’s underworld unilaterally.

He was more than happy to prove her right.

Today was going to be different, though, his boys had informed him that the gangs of Brooklyn were desperately rallying to the banner of the Vincenti Crime Family, seeking protection in numbers in a hope to fend off the beast that seemed to be consuming the city’s underworld like a ravenous titan. They’d all gathered here, at the Danube, to hash out the last remaining details of their agreement.

The boss really is ruthless, he thought, licking his lips, I’d been too tepid.

He thought back to his conversation with her over dinner. He was one of the few who knew her face, her real face. He wondered if even her little caretaker attendant knew. He swallowed hard as the images came back to him.

“...so they’re having a meeting?” Sonya asked, sipping her wine and setting it down, she cut into her steak in silence, “And what are you going to do about it?” She was wearing a dress as delicate and beautiful as a wedding gown, her mechanical eyes clicking almost audibly in the silence of the private dining room. Her skin almost glowed, it was so white, and her hair sparkled in the comfortable lighting. It shook him to his core.

He had to make a good showing, “A show of force, boss,” He said, “We’re going to go in there and force them to bend. I’ll probably bring about ten guys, that should be enough after you awakened them-”

His words trailed off as she set her utensils down, she looked up at him with those twisting and turning eyes that shifted with each flicker of light. Her thin lips set into a frown so fine her mouth almost seemed to disappear into her face. “I didn’t expect a soft hand from you, Shark.”

“A-a soft hand?” He blanched, “B-but we’re rolling up with guns and powers, ma’am.”

“That worked up until now, but now they’re on the defensive,” Sonya said quietly, tracing her finger around the rim of her glass, “They’re more desperate than ever to hold onto their identities, they’ll send their best to this meeting,” She said thoughtfully and stared at him.

What the hell do I say? What other measures can we take? It’s not like we should-

“Kill them all,” Sonya said flatly, picking up her utensils again and plucking a piece of meat off her plate, she took a bite and gasped, “Oh this is very good!” She said delightedly and cut into her steak.

Shark stared at her, dumbstruck, “All of the gang heads… ma’am?”

“And the Vincenti Crime Family too,” Sonya said, dabbing her lip with a napkin, “Whoever goes to that meeting.”

“But-”

“We have all the time in the world, Shark,” Sonya pointed out with a sigh, “Why deal with internal strife and rebellions when we can just rebuild. If they weren’t going to capitulate before, why expect them to do it and commit now? It’s better to just send a message.”

“Join up or die?” He asked, incredulous.

“Exactly. Now seriously, Shark, eat your steak! It is delicious!” She crowed and dug right in.

He opened his mouth to speak, but all he could do was choke on his words. For a moment, just a heartbeat, all he could feel was cold in the air. It was like knowing that there was an apex predator nearby, knowing that death itself was present. He felt the pressure across his chest and all the way down his spine. When he looked into her eyes they were like disks of light burning in a shadow. This wasn’t a suggestion, this was an order. Annihilate the leadership in Brooklyn and start anew.

He shivered as the memory passed, straightening himself up to his full height. None of the others knew exactly who was backing the underworld takeover. Only he knew just how dangerous the real boss was. For all they knew, he was the boss, and he had to make it look good. 

A pair of men stepped out from near the doors to the hotel, their hands reaching into their coats, “Hey! There’s a private party here today, I suggest you leave,” One instructed.

He threw out his hands and they changed, stretching out several meters in length in an instant before taking on the disturbing appearance of octopus tentacles. He wrapped them around the necks of both men and squeezed. There was a noisy snap and pop and the two men collapsed to the ground, “Give the order,” Shark said, his eyes steady, “Nobody in that fuckin’ party gets out alive.”

“Yessir,” One of his guards said and raised his finger to his ear, “All in.”

–

Sonya sat in silence at her desk, her fingers wrapped tightly around the armrests of her chair. The security footage from the Danube played on the screen. A valiant resistance from the remnants of independent leadership among the gangs of Brooklyn. A few of them even had some decent powers, it was a shame she didn’t get a chance to shake their hands but it was becoming plain she couldn’t have everything she wanted.

She watched another man drop as one of Shark’s guards pounced on them, crushing them beneath their heroic strength.

Is this really what you wanted? The words in her mind sounded almost disappointed, they sounded like hers, but they weren’t. Blood on your hands?

She sat in silence as the images flitted across the screen, her technopathy product allowing her access to the pathetically secured cameras without much issue. She wasn’t sure where the thoughts were coming from, whether they were born out of guilt or some mis-guided sense of justice, but it didn’t matter. She’d already committed to this when she opened Pandoras Box and sent herself back to the past, she tilted her head up and looked down on the screen.

I’ll have an ocean of blood at my feet when it’s all done, if that’s what it takes,

World peace and security at the cost of human life? Aren’t you a hypocrite? Didn’t you just get done offering to help the police?

She snorted, Yes I am, that’s the point.

The voice in her head seemed to hesitate, it was as if madness itself had been surprised by her thoughts. She grinned ear to ear, “Ishtar the Monster, Sonya the Champion,” Sonya breathed as she leaned forward. Even as horrible as it was, even as gutwrenching as it was, even as she felt her soul crack with every single life that Shark and his boys took, she swore to herself that she wouldn’t look away. She’d ordered this death, she’d ordained it, demanded it, if that’s what it took to get even a step closer to spreading her influence across the underworld.

I already said it once, she warned the voice, I will be the worst of the worst, if that’s what it takes. Now buzz off, I’m watching my darling subordinate work.

The slaughter continued for another five minutes before the various groups began to check in. Cheap radios modified by Amos to be more secure. She couldn’t give them the finest gear, not yet, it would draw too much attention if a group of gangsters were caught with high end gear. She glanced over at her phone just as Shark put his own up to his ear. It started to ring and she snatched it up, answering it with a smile, “Fabulous work as always, Shark.”

She watched him freeze on the screen, “You were watching, ma’am?”

“Of course! Next time, deal with the security cameras before proceeding. I’ll take care of it this time, but you should be more careful,” Sonya said smoothly as her mental connection to the cameras fired off like sparks in her mind, the cameras began to short out, one after another.

“R-right,” Shark said shakily, “I apologize, ma’am.”

“Not a problem, now we’ll see how the gangs of Brooklyn react,” She said, leaning back in her chair and snagging a soda from the mini-fridge beneath her desk. She cracked it open, “You’ll have a few show up and ask to join, let them in and have them clear out of Brooklyn for a while. When they stop coming, send in your men to comb the borough and get rid of the rest. If they haven’t figured out how the tides turning at this point, then they aren’t worth recruiting.”

“Yes boss,” Shark acknowledged, sounding less strained this time.

“Oh, and Shark?” She chimed after a sip.

“Yes boss?”

“Refer to me as Ishtar from now on.”

“Yes, Ishtar.”

–

Shark hung up the phone as his men all watched him, murmuring quietly among themselves. He slipped his phone into his pocket. One of the braver ones stepped forward and cleared his throat, “Uh… boss? Who was that?”

“You know how they say there’s always a bigger fish?” Shark asked, glancing around at the bodies. Two of his men moved in and started using their powers to dispose of the corpses and the mess, one destroying the bodies one after another while the other exhaled and the floors and walls were cleaned to almost spotless levels. The others looked at one another before the brave footsoldier nodded. Shark cleared his throat, “That was Ishtar, she’s the biggest fish.”