Chapter 12: Crime and the City Pt. 2

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The Following Night, Rooftop
March 3rd, 9:25pm

"New Meridian - Canopy Kingdom - a paradise of crowds and concrete, where the crime is so cold they wither the soul and freeze the blood. Millions exist here, walking streets that may swallow them whole and spit out their bones."

There was a soft dramatic tune playing in the background to set the scene, Sargent Patriotism stood on the roof's edge overseeing the neighborhood.

"This place, this hell I temporarily call home, is where I learned the meaning of hopelessness and strife. Every man who stepped foot here has basked in the almighty light above, wondering the source of its beauty, the gift of its warmth. Of course just relishing in the light wasn't enough, they began to fight over it. A chance to claim this precious light for themselves. Greed has overcome a great many, and now I stand here, in the presence of sin, to fight for a better-"

Click! The dramatic music stopped.

Once Sargent Patriotism turned around it was revealed that it was Madame Butterfly who cut off portable radio he brought along.

"Aw, Sienna, why'd you do that? I was just getting into it."

"What were you even doing?" Samson regretfully asked knowing the answer was going to be dumb.

"Having a little late night monologue while watching over the neighborhood. It's pretty popular with superhero detective comics where I'm from. If I had a cape it would've been perfect."

"But you're not a detective." Tricho-Noir pointed out.

"That's not the point." Sargent replied with disappointment in his tone.

Madame Butterfly shook her head at the needless distraction and redirects focus on the radio. "Shouldn't we be listening to news reports for crime in the area?" She adjusts the dials and nobs on the radio.

She switched to the news station:

'-I can confirm like Tomar was saying, the Black Egrets are on the ground here. They're doing some investigations on site right now. The robbery in question took place at Pandora Jewelry, where all this started late last night. Pandora Jewelry has been the sight of the 6th successful heist since mid-February. The Black Egrets believe these incidents are tied to the infamous Diamond Cuts heist crew, who are still at large.'

"The 6th heist? Goodness. I'd hate to say it, but...who would've known the Medicis kept crime so under control in New Meridian." Leviathan said after having a sip of coffee from his takeout cup.

"It's like they were the light bulb that scared the roaches off, then once the light blew out all the pests came out and infected the place." Sarg adds. "Still, that doesn't mean they should've stuck around - the Medicis had to be stopped either way. We're New Meridians pest control now, so let's make sure we do our part and exterminate the house."

Speaking of roaches and pests, a suspicious man dressed in black walks down the block with a noticeable habit of cautiously looking over his shoulder.

Leviathan, who picked up on the suspicious fellow, informs the others by pointing his tail to ground level. Once the gang picks up on Leviathan's gesture they all crouch low and observe the stranger.

The man approaches a car based on a 1941 Crosley sedan and immediately makes it evident he wasn't the owner by hastily picking at the keyhole with a lock pick.

Sargent Patriotism smirks seeing as how the opportunity landed right into their lap. "Bingo. We got action." He whispers to the girls.

"Perfect! Our first bit of injustice." Tricho-Noir whispered as well, now looking over to her friends. "What do we do?"

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