The Coyote Kid and The Council
or
Old Times
The Council thug got out something that sounded like, Whatha-, before Coyote Kid punched him in the face with hilt of his katana. As the thug stumbled backwards into the evening shadows outside the warehouse, Kid kicked him in the stomach for good measure. From then on, it was simple to knock him out.
Kid dusted his leather gloved hands absently after pulling the soldier out of the way and picked up his katana. So far, so good he thought to himself. The operation needed to go down nice and quiet.
The night erupted into an explosion of gunfire and the packing crate next to him blew apart in a cloud of splinters. Reflexes took over and he lept to the side as bullets tore into the pavement and warehouse wall where he had been standing. Rolling to his feet, he took off running down the narrow space between stacked storage crates and the warehouse building. Behind him, the automatic gunfire continued, splinters buzzed around him, and a small impact grenade went off rocking the air around him.
Sliding to a stop, he tried to grab a quick view of his surroundings. Behind him, he saw the silhouette of a soldier where he had just been standing raising a weapon to his shoulder. Without thinking, Coyote Kid ducked his head into his leather jacket and dove through an already half broken window of the warehouse. Behind him, gunfire ripped into the side of the building.
Bouncing off of another stack of warehouse crates, he eventually came to rest on a hard concrete floor surrounded by shards of glass and pieces of the destroyed window frame. This was not the way he had planned on entering the Councils hidden facility but, well, it would have to do for now. He looked around himself quickly.
Four Council soldiers in their grey green uniforms and red night-sight goggles spun to face him. They seemed as confused about the situation as he was. Kid wasted no time taking advantage of that confusion as he brought his katana to bear. When it was over, he had a Council rifle, four grenades, and some extra clips of ammo. It was like Christmas.
The base alarm went off at that point and the gunman from outside opened up on him from the window. Kid tossed an impact grenade his way and took off for cover. Behind him, the window opening exploded from the grenade and a good chunk of the wall blew outward. Surprised at the severity of the explosion, Kid paused and looked at the grenades he still carried. Surprised to find that they were not the small impact grenades but M67 frags, he muttered, Neat.
He then pulled the pins and threw the remaining three in random directions around the warehouse.
As the triple explosions rocked the insides of the warehouse, he leapt to an industrial forklift and sped off in it for his original target located in the back office. The facility had fallen into disorder as one of the grenades had managed to ignite something flammable in the far corner of the warehouse. As he rolled along, several Council soldiers ran past him focused on the explosions and gunfire. He found this immensely funny. The second group of five were more alert and noticed immediately the intruder driving the forklift.
Coyote Kid aimed the careening forklift into them at full speed as bullets bounced off its metal frame. The forklift crashed into a stack of crates which wobbled menacingly. Leaping from the forklift, he kicked one of the Council into unconsciousness which added to the thugs inability to move away as the six crates toppled onto the group. A final member of the group, as spry as the Kid, had also danced away from the collapsing crates. The soldier had lost his rifle in the confusion and stood facing the Kid weaponless. Taking a dramatic martial arts pose, he began to advance.
Coyote Kid threw the empty Council rifle at the thugs head with pointed accuracy and then followed in directly behind it. As the soldier reacted, trying to dodge the rifle, Kid slid underneath him. The cut from the katana was quick and the man went down holding his leg. As the man screamed and tried to fend him off, Kid first bounced the katana hilt against the mans head and then grabbed the mans grenades. Pulling the pins, he tossed them in random directions like the others.
As three more explosions rocked the warehouse, complete chaos descended on the warehouse. Council soldiers were firing at non-existent attackers, some were trying to put out fires, and others were trying to make some sense out of the attack. The others that the Coyote Kid ran into on the way to the back office faced a similar fate as their fellow soldiers.
With alarms going off, an occasional explosion in the background, and the smell of smoke in the air, Coyote actually knocked on the open door of the back office. Delivery for Captain Harlington.
He then tossed two concussion grenades into the office room.
The leader of the base was turned away from the door but when the alarmed cries of the other soldiers filled the air, the Captain spun to face the intruder. Just before he spun into the hallway covering his ears, Kid was surprised to see that Captain Harlington was a woman.
As he leaned against the outer wall and felt the double tap of concussive thumps in the office, he was even more surprised by the fact that he knew her.
He popped his head around quickly to get an idea of what was happening in the office. He saw quickly that several Council soldiers were on the ground, papers floated in the air, lingering discharge smoke drifted in the room, and Captain Harlington was charging for the doorway holding a pistol, her close-cropped red hair nearly matching the color of fury on her normally pale skin.
Kid thought absently that it really didnt match her Council outfit at all and ducked back into the hallway.
Harlington stuck her hand into the hallway and emptied her pistol several times where she had seen Kid duck. Having ducked prone, the bullets tore over him by several inches. However, he was surprised when she came diving and rolling into the hallway in a blur of motion
He was even more surprised at the speed at which she kicked him in the face.
Staggering back from the blow, he could see her following up the kick and he couldnt help but think how sexy she looked when she was angry. He sidestepped the forward Dragon Strike punch and threw a knee into her ribs. She huffed out a breath and her hand went to a knife on her belt. As she drew her knife, Coyote Kid drew his katana and stepped back.
This made Harlington stop for a moment.
Kid decided to open up conversation, Hiya, Harley.
Harlington snarled, hazel eyes flaring in mild surprise, Kid! What the @!$& are you doing here?
Coyote shrugged, Blowing up your stuff. And you know, I could ask the same thing. I thought you were hiring out with the Andromeda Syndicate?
Harlington took a step or two to her right, They suffered an unfortunate lack of fundage brought about by about six pounds of C4 and a minivan.
Kid matched her movement, shifting a bit to his right as well, So you hired on with these morons?
Yeah, I did. Dont judge me, scum. Times are tough. And come on, you had to recognize the name.
Scum? I see youre still angry about Vegas
Harlington gracefully drew another knife with her left hand, Matter of fact, I am.
Look, Harley, I figured it was some other Harlington. Im just here for the girl. You know my ability with this, and he waved his katana, and I know your ability with those, and motioned to the knives, and I know who will win and I also know you know that. He gave a crooked smile, Could you maybe just hand her over?
Harlington licked her lips and laughed a sarcastic laugh.
Oh, nuts, the Kid responded.
Yeah, said Harlington.
Almost faster then the Kid could see, Harlington threw the left handed knife at him and with the now empty left hand went for something on her belt behind her back. He moved his head almost in time but the knife knicked the edge of his ear as it shot past his head. He used the motion of his head to slide towards the wall of the hallway as she brought a machine pistol to bear and fire down the hallway. She was fast, much faster then he remembered. Something had made her better and Coyote put his money on the Council.
She was moving away from him and tracking his movement with the still firing pistol in controlled bursts as he leapt towards her, trying to close the distance. He came up short with her starting to bring the barrel directly in line with his forehead. He spun sideways and reached for her wrist just as the weapon went off a few inches from his face. Powder burns scorched his cheek and the gunshot deafened him. But, he felt his hand close around her wrist and was happy. He started to pull her into a throw.
The happiness was short-lived as he felt the knife in her right hand slam into his ribs.
They stood in the hallway, locked together. His left hand wrapped around her outstretched left arm, her turned slightly and her right hand with the knife in his ribs. There was a brief moment, faces inches away from each other. Her hazel eyes fired by the fire of combat bored into his. He could see the detail of her lips, individual eyelashes, little flecks of gold in her eyes, and the individual strands of her red hair.
Vegas was really bad for us, wasnt it?"
She snarled and jammed the knife in harder.
He grunted and head butted her on the bridge of her nose.
She cussed loudly and tried to drive the knife in further, twisting it a bit. Kid brought his forehead down again and decided to join in on the yelling.
She finally fell backwards and down to the floor, letting go of the knife.
Kid looked down at the knife sticking out of his torso, the hilt protruding from his leather jacket. His healing ability was good and his meditation practices on pain tolerance allowed him to take damage like this. A few more inches and he would have been gone. On top of that, it hurt. It hurt alot. Harlington was crouching and the blood from her nose was draining down the lower part of her face but, being well trained, was not letting it distract her.
I hope you feel better," he said and motioned at the knife.
Harlington took a swipe at the blood at her face and gave him a genuine, warm smile that unfortunately did not have the same effect with the animal-like crouch and smeared blood. Actually, I do.
Coyote Kid nodded and winced a bit, Wheres the girl, Harley?
Outside, over the sound of the alarms, the thumping sound of an approaching chopper could be heard. Kid noticed it and squinted at Harlington. Is that your escape plan?
Harlington nodded grimly, Yeah. And then, in a blur of movement, faster then before, faster then he could react, she was on him again. She punched him twice, grabbed the knife with her right hand, and pinned him against the wall with her left.
She grinned at him. I need this back.
She pulled the knife out quickly and then stepped back.
Because of old times, the girl is in a trapdoor of the office floor. Under the black filing cabinet.
Coyote Kid grunted and instinctively moved his left hand to cover the wound, Thats
so
nice of you.
She kept him pinned for a moment, Because Im sure every hero in a half mile is on their way here, I dont have time to grab her anyway. All things considered between Vegas, Anchorage, and Shoals, Id say were even. What do you say?
Kid glanced at his right hand that still held his katana, You realize that I could have poked you with this like four different times, right?
Harlington looked over her shoulder at the gleaming razor-sharp katana, Yeah, maybe. Why didnt you?
Like you said, Harley, old times.
Yeah, right. As Kid watched, she ran a gloved hand over her close cropped red hair, gave him a slow once-over look, and chuckled, You are one tough varming, C.K., always have been.
Then she was gone down the hall in a blur of supersped motion.
Coyote slid down the hallway wall, Thanks
The daughter of the lawyer was right where Harlington had said she would be. He sheathed the katana and carried the girl out. By the time he made it back outside, the knife wound looked worse then it was. It would still be leaky and sore for a day or two but the bleeding had stopped and his body was mending itself. In the warehouse, other nearby heroes had arrived and were cleaning up scattered remains of the Council base while the other half of the warehouse continued to burn.
He was asked a few times if he needed any assistance but shrugged it off. A healer in a blue cape with mystical symbols and white hair flew over and covered the two of them in energy. Kid felt the knife wound seal completely and the girl smiled. So much for leaky and sore, he thought to himself. Luckily, in a city of capes and colorful outfits, he was even less noticed then he would have been in Chicago as he left the scene. The police were talking to a few capes, interviewing them, as the heroes shrugged their shoulders and looked around, Kid ducked down a back alley with the girl and headed for his car.
Within a minute or two, he and the girl were in the car and driving away at a comfortable speed. Within an hour, the girl was smiling in the arms of her father and he had pocketed a healthy paycheck. Shortly after that, as he drove over the bridges of Skyway, he found himself thinking back over the encounter. There was one sticking point that he wished he had asked Harlington before she had dashed away.
He wondered if she still had that tattoo on her right hip.
(I guess it's about time I started a story thread for one of my favorite characters so far. This is his origin story. More to come...)
------------------------
--From Whence He Came--
"For cryin out loud, do you think you could've made a BIGGER mess?!?"
The Coyote Kid put down his styrofoam coffee cup and turned to face the oncoming rampage of his most favorite Captain in the Chicago Police Department, Captain Reynolds. "I left the paintings up this time, Cap'n, and besides I asked them to put the guns down first and everything..."
The rotating lights of the eight squad cars, two fire trucks, and three ambulances added a weird carnival lighting to the scene outside the Chicago Field Museum. The trenchcoat wearing Reynolds pushed through three of his officers and looked ready to explode from internal pressure.
"I have had it, Kid, had it! Why is it I find you at every large explosion, inter-gang blood bath, or insane car chase? Do you know, I have a file on you that may need an extra room!? And you ALWAYS have an excuse! What is it this time, Kid? International gun runners? Drug dealers?"
Unphased and offering a grin, Coyote Kid offered up, "Art thieves."
"Art thieves?"
"Art thieves."
"Art thieves steal things quietly and try not to damage anything!" Reynolds waved at a smoking black sedan and a black van smashed against a light pole that leaned precariously to one side. "How would you explain this?" He pointed to the smoking museum, "Or that?" And finally pointed to several black clad operatives lying unconscious or dead on the front steps of the museum, "Or THOSE?"
Coyote took a deep breath, held it, let it out slow and looked at the Captain out of the corner of his eye with a shrug, "Uhmmmmmm, too many video games?"
"Christ, Kid, thats it! The mayor is on his way down here because of this. I could lose my job! The boys tell me you are clean. That you actually did a good thing here. But... you know what? GET GONE! Go! Leave! I see you in this city again within the next six months and I will have you arrested for disturbing the peace with your simple PRESENCE!"
Reynolds seemed to gain some composure, "Just get out of here, alright? I've got a burning museum, automatic weapon fire, several dead foreigners-"
"They started it."
"Shut up! Go! You know what, why don't you go to Paragon, huh? They're used to this sort of craziness and violence. You'd blend right in!"
"Ah, thats sweet Captain, you think I'm a superhero..."
"You're a walking disaster is what you are!!! And you belong there!!! I don't care where you go, I just don't want you here ANYMORE!"
The Coyote Kid blinked and finally took his hands out of his leather jacket, "Ah, Captain, you can't be serious? I've got reservations at Gibson's tonight and-"
Captain Reynolds lost it, "If you aren't out of here in thirty seconds I am going to shoot you myself!"
This caused several news cameras to spin his direction.
Coyote Kid raised his hands, "Alright.. Alright.. I hear ya, Reynolds. Sheesh, no need to yell."
As Reynolds seethed at him, The Coyote Kid looked around at the disaster he had helped create and let out another long breath. What Captain Reynolds had said actually didn't sound bad. He'd heard of Paragon and the drive to the East Coast might actually be relaxing. Well, it would be as long as the Tachini Brothers didn't send another helicopter after him.
"Paragon City..." he whispered it and then nodded at Reynolds. "Sounds good. Thanks, Cap'n." Coyote then threw a thumb over his shoulder towards the museum. "By the way, the guy in the red trenchcoat that's hanging off the second floor balcony is the ringleader. He'll point you to where the rest of these bozos are staying."
Reynolds said nothing but his eyes flicked to the museum.
Kid knew it was time to go, "Right. Give my love to your wife..."
"AHHHHHH, thats IT!" said Reynolds and started fumbling for his pistol.
The Coyote Kid took off chuckling and headed for his car parked a few blocks away. Behind him, he could hear the Captain calling back some officers that had mistakenly taken off in pursuit. Overhead a news copter tried to follow him for a short ways but he lost them quickly enough.
Unlocking his car and setting his katana into the passenger seat next to him, he got seated and started the car. He knew Reynolds and he knew the Captain was serious. If the Captain didn't order his arrest, the mayor would've. It was time for him to go. He knew he could get his things mailed to him. The firearms would take longer to get to him but he could pay to have someone drive them to him. He glanced over at his katana.
He had everything he needed right here.
"Now," he muttered, "can someone show me the way to Sesame Street?"
He started the car, opened the sun roof to let the night air in, and turned the car towards the Dan Ryan Expressway which would hook him up wit Highway 80 and eastwards travel. Eastwards toward Paragon City.