by Blackwulf and Grimm
Dawn at the docks:
"Wake up, you miserable little... Ah, you're awake! Good. You know where we are. And you know who I am, yes?" A young man apparently in his late twenties stepped from the shadows into Shan's view.
Shan was then alarmed to notice that he was strapped down to a table. He looked at the young man and said, "Y-you're Master Stein. Claus said you would come. He said if he failed, you would be the next to..." Shan stopped as Stein began to remove the skin on the young man's back. "Ahh, shit that hurts. Why are you doing this to me?"
Stein sat at the table across from Shan and began to play with the young man's wound. "We shall answer one question at a time, you little wretch! Now where is Mac? You know him, your cohort?"
"I don't know. I swear we split up to come back here, and he hasn't made it yet. Master Claus said to meet back here." Shan screamed in pain as Stein plunged a finger deep into his laid-open back and began to rummage for something.
"Ah, yes, Claus Von Feznek. He died tonight in a way that, if he was smart, he would have avoided. You see, he wanted to face the Harbringer and make himself a god. What a fool! He played right into the Harbringer's hand. Now, tell me, you're smarter than to have gone along with his plan to send just the four of you against the horror bringer. You must be a madman to have thought you stood a chance. I have ten of the best trained warriors waiting for me to give the signal." Stein motioned with his left hand at an entourage of men who were coming up behind him.
"What does this have to do with me?" pleaded Shan.
"My dear boy, you have no idea how vital it is that you know this. You will be free of this mortal coil after dawn, and he will know... he will know... that you have sent word that he is here. You see, you're going to be the bait for me. For I have no idea what he looks like, and I don't want to have a run-in with him unprepared." Stein turned to one of his underlings. "Jarvis, get on with it. He needs to be ready before dawn."
"Yes, Lord! It will be done!" the pale servant of Master Stein said as he began his work, first setting down a portable radio that played nothing but the songs of the seventies.
My back, thought Shan. My back is burning like I've been caught in the rays of the sun.
"Don't you be worrying, laddy. This device will be gone in just a few hours." Jarvis grabbed a rusty knife and sliced open a tendon. "You see, you're lucky. You have the power to regenerate. If not for that, this whole process would be lethal to you."
Jarvis now grabbed some device off the table that Shan couldn't see. "There we go. Now you're all done. I just gotta pack the wound with rock salt and close 'er up." Jarvis grabed the suture and began to sew.
The music on the radio paused for a moment as an announcer said, "It looks like tropical storm Jason is gonna become a hurricane."
At the far end of the docks, Stein stood at the edge, speaking at first glance it seemed to himself. A large metal bucket sat next to him. He paused to reach into the bucket and pull something out.
A splash in the water.
"We are much alike, you know. Predators, both of us. Only our environments separate us from each other."
A bald head bobbed halfway up out of the water. Black tribal tattoos surrounded the small beady eyes that looked up hungrily at Stein.
"The one you seek is close by. My men have seen him, and will bring him to you. All you have to do is keep him out of the way while I attend to some... business."
Another splash. The water in the immediate area began to turn red.
"And you do not even need to tell your associates of our little deal. If you wish, you could work for me full-time..."
The head bobbed up slightly. "I like what I'm doing. This is just overtime," a guttural voice sounded from just above the water.
"Very well, then. Do we have a deal?" Stein looked inquisitively at the bucket at his feet.
The eyes glanced at the bucket, then back at Stein. "Deal."
"Excellent." Stein reached into the bucket again and pulled out a small arm about the size of a small child's. He casually tossed it out toward the head.
The head shot up out of the water, revealing a smooth, muscular form covered in black tribal tattoos. The mouth opened, revealing rows of jagged, sharp teeth. The man caught the arm in his mouth and fell back into the water, disappearing under the waves, leaving only a growing red stain as proof of his ever being there.
In the MBL Consulting apartment complex, Grimm pulled off his now-ruined shirt as he walked out toward the lobby.
"Uh, Grimm? Where you goin'?" Mick Harrison asked.
"To make a phone call. Gotta talk to my insurance agent."
Grimm picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Yeah, Wulf? Listen, you remember that offer you made last night? Yeah, well, I may have a counter-offer for you..."
On the other end of the line, Blackwulf said, "Yes, comrade, I am listening... Yes, I am being interested... Yes, I know the address. I will be being there after lunch... Is your building having a basement? ... Good, I will bring equipment and be hired as your team's trainer. I am liking that very much. I will be seeing you, then."
Blackwulf hung up the phone, only to pick it back up and dial an old friend.
"Listen, I need a favor," Blackwulf said with a strong American accent. "I need you to send me the light training package... Yeah, the one marked for Moscow... Send it to this address. And listen: have it there by eleven o'clock La Perdita standard time...
"Good, good, thank you, comrade," Blackwulf said, his accent thickly Russian once again.