Chapter 14: The Born Sucker

The Metal Works, The Attison District, Temple City (3040).....

Frustrated beyond belief, Detective Ian Baddwulf found him fending off his fair share of assaults as he managed to clear his way to The Bowery. He wasn't much for sight seeing at the old metal works and even less for venturing down death defying heights even for the sake of a sap that was due to pay him black pennies. Baddwulf snarled angrily after snapping the neck of a would be guard whom had added to his relative annoyance as he moved through the metal works the stench of molten metal all around as well as sweat from the would be attackers stationed in this place. He didn't figure his client for a soft touch in addition to being a sap and attempted to write his being in an ideal dangerous location as careful planning on the part of the business shady partner and the greedy dame after his coin purse. Baddwulf had not been the type to actively put his life in danger no matter how much he looked for trouble and seeing as his client had been this dense, he hastened his efforts to locate him before the dark deed was done and he was out of his share of black pennies.

The entrance to the metal works was heavily guarded by convenient workers whom had no idea that their boss was about to be giving his last assignment should the worst come to pass. He could smell the stench of rust and blood as he moved about the visibly unsafe metal stairs and ventured further and further into the bowels of the metalworks. Baddwulf hated going into deep dark places like this, as it often reminded him of when he'd been caged back in the labs with The White Coats and Blackhearts moving about the place keeping a close eye on him as if he'd been some pricy science project.

He resisted the urge to growl at the oddly timed memory as he continued to descend further and further into the metal works. As he moved, he got a sense that all had not been right for him and the poor sap whom had been lured to this twisted metal place. The further he got down the metal staircase the more intent the nagging feeling and the stench in his nose had been on reminding him of why he didn't venture into cases like this on a daily basis. A sense of urgency filled him and Baddwulf found himself leaping down the last remaining steps toward what appeared to have been commotion in the form of a select group of workers possibly employed via the shady friend of the client's turning on him.

"Fuck." growled Baddwulf as he stepped between the nearly murdered man tied up in a navy blue suit in the dark and his assailant, a scrawny average-sized thug with dark brown eyes, a pricey grey suit and sloppy hair hastily slicked back to appear well put together.

He had been semi-conscious and tied to one of the metal poles while his so called workers were digging his grave where no one would have been any the wiser about his untimely disappearance. Ordinarily, the poor sap in the blue suit would have been done for, but it just so happened that he came to the right man and Baddwulf sniffed out the trouble before the end came and the official story got changed to protect the guilty.

One of the lackeys had been about to strike the death blow when Baddwulf appeared already enraged from the trip down and the trail of bodies he'd left behind of the other so called workers in the backstabber's employ.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." said the smooth talking brute as he slicked back his medium length, and decidedly wild and sweat slick black locks and approached the tied man in surprisingly graceful and large ranged strides.

The main lackey seemed to be offended by Baddwulf's very presence and the prospect of outsiders knowing of the horrible act he'd been about to commit all for the sake of black pennies. Ironically, he knew little about the heroic act Baddwulf had been about to commit for the sake of black pennies as they stood glaring at one another.

"This ain't none of your business Graffe." growled the main lackey balling his fists and narrowing his eyes at the larger more muscular man before him. "Why don't you go stick your nose in someone else's business because you don't belong here."

Baddwulf simply stopped in front of them looking from the main lackey to his fellows and a big wide grin filed across his ruggedly handsome face.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't give a shit where you Morts shove your show...unfortunately for you...this one owes me quite a few black pennies so my hands are...as they say tied when it comes to this being your business, as he is very much apart of mine." replied the rather bored and annoyed werewolf.

"Two for the price of one doesn't make any difference to me, one less Giraffe in the world." replied the main Lackey with something of a wicked smirk. He motioned for his fellows to join him as he charged Baddwulf hoping to end him and their intended target at the same time.

Baddwulf smirked as the twinkle behind his dark eyes lit up and he simply stepped to the side via speed that none of the offending men could match and very easily dispatched the lot of them leaving their vocal leader standing as he slowed down just enough to dodge a wayward attempt at a punch from him only to laugh in his face and deliver a few quick blows to the body of the man whom had attacked him. Baddwulf had never made a show of dispatching those weaker than him before but seeing as he was low on patience and these bastards had been asking for it, he milked his prowess just a bit to drive his point home.

"Fucking Giraffe." growled the now ailing man whom had doubled over in agony from the swift blows to his chest and stomach. "One of these days you're going to get yours."

"Today must be the day you get yours." replied Baddwulf before sending the huddled man both to the ground and out cold via one swift haymaker to the jaw that launched him a few meters into the air before he landed onto the ground unresponsive.

Baddwulf turned his attention to the sap whom had been tied via a lead pipe and sighed.

Just as he thought, the man was a real push-over and a waste of a good assassination plot. Still, the Mort had been rich and was due to pay up in black pennies. The thin relatively pale man with short neat cropped brown hair, with brown eyes wore an expensive navy blue suit and found himself minus a jacket and tied via his wrists with thick wiry rope as he huddled in the corner awaiting his demise before Baddwulf showed up.

"I say...ol' chap you have my thanks for coming to my aid at such an opportune time." he said via a strange yet familiar accent, grateful to be rescued despite knowing that Baddwulf had been a Graffite.

"Don't mention it." replied Baddwulf in his usual gruff tone as he set about untying the man and getting him away from the lead pipe and directed toward the exit back up the winding metal staircase.

"I do believe I would have been killed by my own men and no one on the surface would have been any the wiser." continued the sap shocked at what might have taken place had the cavalry not arrived. "I've never met a Giraffe before, I have to say you are quite impressive from what I witnessed back there...I'm Neil by the way, Neil Brautigan....been a hard worker all my life and never saw anything like this coming down the pipeline."

Baddwulf rolled his eyes after noting that his client was the talkative sort.

"Do yourself a favor and count your blessings by shutting up until we are away from enemy lines." growled Baddwulf, whom had not been much for conversation in general let alone with a Mort turned sap.

He planned to get the unfortunate man to the office and have Jake look after him, at least until they had been paid, after that he was on his own.

The two of them climbed out of the metal works without incident as Baddwulf had already taken care of quite a few of the men guarding the place. They managed to clear the metal works via a few tunnels and made it back to the main street in good time. Baddwulf escorted the sap to his office building and Jake safely despite the implication that the man would still be in danger if he didn't deal with his greedy cheating wife and lying fake friend in a hurry.

They say there is a sucker born every minute, the poor sap whom had been marked for death by his own wife and friend had been one of those natural born suckers.