The Rising Dawn, # 33— "You and Me, Girl."

With Adrenal being used in the streets of Rook City, dealing with drug addicts now also meant super-powered low-lives. The low-cost, watered-down, addictive form of the Drive was wildly popular, and the Irish mob had placed a bounty on obtaining the formula. It was originally postulated that the mobsters should kill any Adrenal dealers on sight, except for one problem: anyone on Adrenal was much harder to kill, and provoking them was like poking a grizzly bear. However, the Celtic district became formidable when they began making use of the drug, but it played right into the Magister’s hands: he controlled the Adrenal spigot, and even when they obtained it, the money went to Zane Frederick (The Grecian, or The Magister).

Meanwhile, an upstart gang arose outside the Athens district, believing that now they had Adrenal, they didn’t need to take orders from ‘Danny Boy’ McGrills or the Magister. Every one of the gang were Adrenal addicts, and the drug made them irresistibly powerful. The municipal police were helpless against them, and Zane wanted to make an example of them. But he had a better plan in mind.

Zane’s agent in Freedom Tower planted the idea that the gang in Ares District needed to be dealt with personally by the Sentinels. Whatever happened when those two enemies collided, it would be a win for Frederick. The Dawns were aggressive in freeing Outliers from facilities that harvested their blood, and would target wild Adrenal addicts with the intention of wiping stashes of illicit drugs off the streets. A loss for the Dawns would have been music to his ears, and the same went for the Strong Boyz, the rebels from the Ares District.

The Strong Boyz extorted protection money from Ares, which for them only meant protection from themselves. They would also commit robberies outside of Ares, and had incensed not only the Magister, but the Irish as well. As for the protection money, Ares was contested turf in favor of the Magister, but the Strong Boyz gained headway by fostering anger concerning paying protection to both the Irish Mob and The Fraternity.

This was to be a daylight assault, and so Nightshift would not be participating. They did, however, bring Carny, Needle, Pointer, Mech, Brawler, Beacon, with Gallant and Wraith in hiding, and Philosopher kept in the wings in case someone needed an energy transference.

Beacon had some protective equipment, but fighting wasn’t his purpose. His Gift was, when he concentrated, to be able to draw specific people to find him. Parse was able to ascertain a profile of the Strong Boyz and their leader, Grimace Bartholomew, also known as Grim Bart. Gallant and Philos assented that by drawing out their leader, they could also confront the other Strong Boyz.

Beacon was vulnerable, being the lure that drew in Grim Bart and his gang, but they had a plan: Carny would misdirect their quarry by making them believe he was the source of the signal.

Carny’s voice was not beautiful like Ratcatcher’s, and his fairly obnoxious singing was like the red cape of a bull-fighter— the various thugs and criminals of Rook City would assault Craig Jabson for this reason alone. But Carny was intentionally provoking enemies. Doing little hops while juggling four colorful hacky-sacks and wearing a flamboyant outfit, Carny sang:

“Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii’ve been tellin’ everybody that you-ah mah girl,

Cuz I’m not one to be shy!

You don’t hafta go with me if ah-you don’t want,

Just tell er’ybody I’m you-ah guy!”

“You and me, girl, it’s for-ev-ah,

Sha la la la la la!

I’ve been tellin’ everybody that you-ah mah girl,

Cuz I’m not one to be shy!”

This, he repeated with deliberate desire to irritate, while Beacon compounded the spectacle with his homing signal, but he was hidden while Carny was on stage.

A small gathering of onlookers looked on at the juggler, but within twenty minutes Grim Bart and his gang arrived on foot, and the onlookers dispersed, at least out of the vicinity of the Strong Boyz.

As though oblivious, Carny kept juggling and singing as the menacing gang approached.

“Might I ask,” said Grim Bart, and Carny dropped his hacky-sacks, as though afraid, “Just what in the F*%k you’re doing?”

Carny appeared to muse on this for a moment, then said, “Cultural enrichment?”

“You’re gonna hafta pay up,” said one of the thugs.

“Ah, money,” said Carny, also talking with his hands, “I don’t have that. But simultaneously, I’m a good dancer.”

There was cold, angry silence from the Strong Boyz.

“I’m gonna give you a head start, queermo. You got thirteen seconds.”

At that moment, Carny used his ventriloquism, along with his ability to throw his voice, and the Strong Boyz heard voices from the surrounding area, some of them from their own gang:

“It’s McGrill’s boys! Get ready to knuckle up!”

“Danny Boy and his gang, let’s brawl, motherf*%ker!”

“You wanna fight, Grim Bart, you punk?”

“I heard there’s only two things in Ares District: Steers and Queers. And I don’t see any horns!”

This last one, Carny added for his own amusement, as a redneck insult was completely out of place.

While the Strong Boyz were bewildered, Carny gave them the slip.

Meanwhile, the Rising Dawn closed in.