The Commission

[KittKat chunky~]

"So... what ya saying is your selling the apartment..."
Kitt nodded, the brusque wolf sitting across the desk looked through the paperwork, grunting under his breath occasionally in apparant displeasure....
"Kid.... this apartment is in pretty hostile territory... you know dat dont cha?"

Kitt shook his head slowly, puzzled...
"Dont know what you mean sir"
The wolf chuckled dryly...

"Romano territory... this is a Romano flat aint it... you know what that means right?"
Again Kitt shook his head, he only knew the Romanos as a family, the group that ran the docks... nothing more... this whole gang war was rather above him...
"Look Kiddo... you look down on ya luck.. heck, half you dock hands look down on ya luck... its why your dock hands aint it!"
he laughed again, wheezing...
"I see what i can do for ya, Mr... Szabo..."

[Alice The Necrofox]

Shiro moved over when the last of the trucks had pulled out, and sat down across from him.
"A job well done, eh? Now that's two messes I've cleaned up. Not that you owe me for it, every thing I do is for the family."
He smirked, and took a swig of his Vodka laden flask.

[Armalite_]

Spike looked at him. He was not amused while his eyes pierced the smoke from his cigarette and straight through Shiro's head. Deciding not to say anything, he pretended Shiro hadn't spoken. Instead he held up the small notebook in front of Shiro and stared at him for a few moments before he spoke. "Do you know what this is?...This is what would have kept that tool out there on the stretcher alive...for a little while longer at least." Spike flipped it open and skimmed the pages. "Damn cops can't organize notes worth nothin'." He turned the small book every which way as if the stoat had written in every direction possible. "Here." The fox said while pointing down on the page with his finger and tapping ash off the end of his smoke into the ashtray off to his left. He slid the book forward to let Shiro have a look. He took another drag from his cigarette and narrowed his eyes. "The wanker had us by the balls." Smoke formed the words as he spoke. "He was there. I don't know for how long but long enough to get information on our muscle handling the docks. He took notes on the crates, the desintations...Hell, he's probably got pictures somewhere too." Spike chewed on the butt of the cancer stick. "Have you seen him around there lately, Shiro?" 

[KittKat chunky~]

Kitt walked across the docks, the paperwork was left with the agent, and hopefully the apartment would get sold off... hopefully... he passed old friends on the docks, the attack which Kitt himself had, unknown to the other dock workers, helped lead, had killed many former workers as well as destroy a whole pier... it would be several weeks before the docks where fully functional again, and New York would feel the pinch, as the Romano docks where the biggest importers or goods to the city...

"Kitt! Buddy, its good ta see you!"

Jake, a thick set timber wolf walked over and embraced Kitt in a tight hug... Kitt mumbled a reply, his small, feline frame engulfed in the embrace of the large wolf...
"We thought you'd been killed in the attack... but you okay, right?"

Kitt looked up at Jake, and nodded, even as his insides gave a twisted squirm... Jake could have been killed, many of his old friends HAD been killed... but it was all business right? just business....
"C'mon... we gotta pier load of coal to try and shift, and with only half the workers we aint brining in nearly enough of the stuff to fuel the city..."

[Alice The Necrofox]

"The stoat? Nah, I haven't seen him, but there is a guy I know who might..."
He stood up and walked towards a shadowy door in the back, motioning for Spike to follow.
"Used to be the best darn reporter in the city, until he was caught using drugs. He was quite the shutterbug. He could get pictures from the weirdest places, and stories from sewer rats that were legit. He was the best. Now he is working for me. I stem his addiction, and he keeps me posted. Can't tell you how many rigged cameras we have in here. He has them on timers so that about every 3 minutes or so, they are taken." Shiro pointed at a picture frame that had holes drilled in it. If you they weren't pointed out, you would never have noticed the lens hidden in one of them.
"He bragged that he once caught the governor sleeping around, but was muscled to not publish it."
He came up to the door.
"You gotta be ready to meet him though, he ain't a pretty sight.

[Armalite_]

Spike slid out of his seat and stood up, grabbing the small book and stuffing it in the pocket on the inside of his jacket next to his Colt. He adjusted his jacket and followed after Shiro. He took a final drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out in the closest ashtray he was near...which happened to be a man's soup who'd passed out around all the empty glasses that were scattered about the table. Spike heaved a sigh. "As long as this guy of yours is legit, I couldn't care less about what he looks like."

Paul sat at the bar, his golden eyes watching Spike as he followed after Shiro. The wolf went back to his business and took another swig from a large mug filled with a dark liquid that seemed more like motor oil than beer. Paul lit up a cigarette and perked an ear in the direction of his boos should something go down.

[KittKat chunky~]

Another crate of coal crashed down onto the pier, the constant sea spray poured over the jetty and ship as dock workers shouted back and forth..
"C'mon then you lazy arses! We need this delievery in the trucks in one hour!"
Kitt and Jake set about untying the crane hook from the crate as the rest of the dock hands reversed the truck onto the jetty, another wash of sea spray rushed across the pier.... as the crate was finally unhooked and the coal loaded up...


~~~~~~~~~~~~


"So Kitt... who's this your gonna phone up?"

Kitt mumbled somthing about "none of your business" as he opened the broken door of the street corner phone box... he wondered why Jake had followed him...
"C'mon... A laaaaady friend?"
The large built timber wolf smirked, patting Kitt on the  shoulder...
"M' just jokin' buddy..."

[Alice The Necrofox]

((Haha! I love what you are doing with the NPC I threw your way. ))

"Oh, he is legit. And... I don't allow firearms in here, so he probably won't try to hurt you."
He pushed open the door. Inside was a red room. Painted red with red lighting. Pictures hung on strings everywhere. Pictures of anyone and everyone. Spike, Justine, Shiro, Kitt... anyone you could name. In the park, on the street corner, in the lobby of the grand hotel. Right up front on the wall hung pictures of a cat that had swindled the shop, and Shiro was obviously looking for him.
"He has a gang working for him, all shutterbugs. He develops, and pays them for every sweet picture. Makes a living for youngsters, I guess. And it pays more than the opposition is offering, so no need to worry about cops."
There, on an old stool, was a rat. His fur was falling out in places, his tail moved back and forth lazily, and his face was gaunt.
"Hey Stanley! I got a friend here. He wants to know about some stoat. A cop. Any of your moths pick up anything?"
The rat got up without looking at them, and went over to a filing cabnet in the next room. If you could call it that. The thing was so filled with papers and pictures you could hardly tell that it was part of the building at all. He reached up to a point and pulled out a manilla envelope.
"Roy Maklin. Police Detective. Age: 29, Race: Stoat, Gender: Male. A genius. Infiltrated the casino runs back in the 20's. Was in charge of the Jerrysburg case. Police captain until fired in 1931. Been a detective ever since, looking for an oppertunity to come back into the force. Seen him around at the docks recently. Got a pick with you too, boss. Guess that's why you had him bumped off. Good thing, the cops were after him too. Into hard drinking, that one. One night, in a stupor he smashed into a liquer store, one of ours. Stole two bottles, dropped one on the way out. Not much of a security risk, so I dropped it. Guess he was up to no good."
Shiro grinned.
"See? The best. Knows every person there is to know, besides the other side. He has so many favors owed to him, it makes my list look like a ping pong ball. You get double rations this time, Stan."
The rat nodded, wondering if Spike had any questions. "You wanna know anything else?"

[KittKat chunky~]

(( Why ah' thank ye'  ))

"So i'l see ya tonight?..... 3rd street down by main?.... see ya there Jesse... yeah, love you too..."
Kitt hung up the receiver, and a few spare coins clanked out of the machine... collecting his change Kitt opened the door of the phone box, which was hanging by a single hinge, and looked up at Jake....
"So.... Jesse is the name of this beautiful young man your dating, eh?"
Kitt raised one eyebrow, frowning as Jake burst into laughter... for such a large and muscled guy, Jake laughed a lot... he had a good sense of humour... which was why Kitt liked him so much...
"Yeah... Jesse, well, Justine really... but everyone calls her Jesse....... how much of that did ya hear anyway?"
The pair started to walk back to the docks, the large wolf and the slim cat....
"Oh... i tried not too listen in... but you know me........... your selling the apartment then?"
Kitt nodded, sidestepping a rumbling truck of coal that passed them...
 

[Armalite_]

Spike slumped against a filing cabinet and stared at the rat in red. "If the guy was a detective then he's doin' detective work for someone. He's gotta be on someone's payroll. Who is it?" At times like these and people like him, Spike wondered why he kept Callum around...if he could say that. Spike's dog in the force had been missing for weeks if not months and Spike was getting a little upset, wondering where he stood in all of this. He looked at the rat again. "Also have you seen my man, Callum? The man hasn't been seen for weeks...unless you have."

[Alice The Necrofox]

"You mean Callum? One sec."
The rat scratched his head, turned around back into the other room, and got a file.
"One and the same person, mate. See?"
He pulled out a bunch of pictures showing the dog with the weasel detective.
"All I needed was a name. Now I know him. And I know where to find him. He is running the police in New Jersy. He booked as soon as he heard the dock crisis. I lost one of my shutters out there because of him."

[KittKat chunky~]

"Whadayou bilge rats doin' offa the piers, eh? Get to work maggots, we still got five times the amoun' of coal we can feasbily shift, and only half the work force... if you aint dying, get on the freakin' pier, and shift some coal!"
The Romano officer was a thickset canine of indescernible species, he kept the traditional Romano revolver held tight in one paw... the other held a long crowbar...... Kitt and Jake nodded hurriedly and set off at a faster pace towards pier 2.... Once they where out of sight of the officer Jake growled under his breath...
"One of these days i'm gonna punch that sod right between the eyes.... we was only gone five minutes..."
Kitt nodded slowly, not actually listening to what Jake was saying... his thoughts where on other things...
"I mean... its not like we didn' tell 'em we was goin'... besides... he's just a.... Kitt, are you even listenin'?"
Kitt shook his head suddenly, looking up at Jake..
"Wha?"
Jake chuckled under his breath as he slapped Kitt playfully on the back... and then picked Kitt up off the concrete floor, that slap had been a tad harder than he had anticipated....

[Armalite_]

"What the hell is Callum doing running around in Jersey!?" Spike asked slamming a fist against the filing cabinet. Paul walked up behind Shiro in the doorway. He came to see what Spike was yelling about and then saw the rat with all the pictures pinned to the wall. He made a face. "Jesus, Shiro. What kind of show are you running here?" The wolf asked scratching his head between his ears. Spike didn't turn around to see Paul instead his face turned a slight shade of red and shook with rage. "Is that greasy punk working with the Romanos? He is ain't he!?"

[Alice The Necrofox]

Shiro looked at the rat.
"Why didn't you tell us about this?"
The rat looked offended.
"If I gave you every minor detail and minor heist that goes on in this city, after about the first few hours, your butt would have glued to the chair."
The rat turned around and went back to his piles.
Shiro sighed.
"I guess that means he has something to do with this after all... this isn't good. The Romano's have more money than us, so I guess it would be an incentive..."

[Armalite_]

Spike ruffled his hair in frustration. He paced back and fourth. "Oh I can't believe I even-! Oh that motherf-udging!" He stopped and looked up as if an idea popped into his head. He turned around to face Shiro. "...The card game..." He thought for another moment. "I'll get him a seat at the table...THEN BLOW HIS BRAINS OUT INTO THE POT!!!" Spike had his wicked smile on again. He looked back at Shiro. "AH no. He'd be too smart for that, he knows me. And I can't just roll up and shoot him...especially in Jersey." He snapped his fingers together. "...Kitt."