Chapter Two
"What do you think we are Lia, the Good Samaritans of the year? Helping all those we think might be in trouble?" Rene said with more then a slight tone of sarcasm to her voice.
"Yeah, Rene, actually we are. How do you know this has nothing to do with the Fist?" Lia said. She had explained what she had overheard in the alleyway to the others and suggested that they find out what's really going on. She had expected Rene to object, as she usually did, and was prepared to back herself up.
"Ok, so now we're actually looking for trouble? And I thought a never-ending battle with 'em was enough to satisfy your lust for blood. I guess I was wrong though, huh?"
"Lust for blood? You know I only fight as a last resort or for self defense as we all do! Besides, if it has to do with the Fist, it has to do with us." Lia motioned around the to her other sisters who were sprawled about the living room.
"The Fist's business is not ours! Why do we have to get so involved anyways? The only business we have with them is through Kutter, and it's strictly for vengeance-"
"You're contradicting yourself Rene." Donna said, looking up from her magazine.
"What?" Rene snapped back, surprised at being cut off in mid-sentence.
"We fight the Fist to get revenge for master Kutter. I mean, we haven't killed the Reaper yet, have we? Therefore, we're already involved, making their business ours."
"Oh, ok, that's right, take Lia's side. The brave and fearless leader has spoken! Shall we all bow respectfully now?" Rene growled.
"Dude, calm down Rene! It's not like we're all against you, ok?" Mickey said from her perch atop the old sofa.
"Shut up Mickey, nobody asked you!" Rene was already peeved with Lia, why did Mickey have to further her anger?
"I'm part of this group, aren't I? So doesn't that mean I'm part of the discussion too?"
"My daughters, please. We must discuss and plan in a more organized fashion." The large lizard said, hushing the entire room.
"Yes master. We must plan and take action!" Lia chimed in excitedly.
"No Lia, we must decide what course of action to take first, weather it be one of silent observance or fierce combat."
"But I heard what they were saying! They want to kill someone! We can't just stand by and watch!"
"That is not for you to decided alone Lia. Rene is right in some respect, we mustn't get involved in business that is not our own."
Lia lowered her eyes in silent defeat. Kutter knew his students were fine ninjas and capable of many things, but they still had much to learn.
"What should we do master Kutter?" Donna asked.
"You should go to observe, as much can be learned, but also go prepared to fight, but only if matters call for such action."
"But master-"
Kutter held up a long, scaley hand to stop her. "You shall discuss it together. I can not make all decisions for you my children."
The four looked at each other and Lia was the first to speak.
"Ok then, we go to watch, right?" Donna and Mickey nodded, but Rene pretended to be more interested in some dirt under her nails. Lia continued anyways. "We should split up, two to the apartment and two to the motel, ya know, so we can see what's really going on.
"He said that they were gonna leave the motel together, so the two there should follow them back to the apartment where we'll all meet. Remember, only fight if it's necessary."
"He said something about a body, didn't he?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah, I think."
"Well it sounds to me like he wants to kill the husband. I mean, 'keep him quiet'? 'Step aside'?"
"That's what we're gonna go see, now isn't it?" Rene said from the corner, now taking more interest in what was being said.
Lia ignored her. "Just be prepared for anything." The others nodded. "Ok, me and Donna got the apartment, you guys can get the motel." She motioned to Rene and Mickey. "All right then, let's go."
"My blessings go with you." Kutter said as they climbed up the latter to the roof.
Geeze, for thinking this whole thing was stupid, she sure is serious! Mickey heaved a sigh and leaned back against a large metal vent. She sat for another moment when the vent began to hum and slowly vibrate. She jolted up in surprise, but when she realized what it was, she leaned back again.
"Ooooooh, yeah, this feels good!" She closed her eyes, letting the vibration travel up back to her neck and head.
Rene looked back at her. A steady stream of steam poured from the vent as Mickey moved slowly up and down against it, enjoying the vibration and warmth. "Ya know how sick and stupid you look?"
"Think I care? It feels so good! Besides, it's not like there's anyone up here to see us. Ah..."
Rene snorted and focused back on the motel. A cool breeze blew through her short, dark red hair. She heard someone honk their horn in the streets below and the sound of Mickey's new pleasure toy, which was driving her mad. It clicked and moaned and sounded as if it would burst any moment, and to make matters worse, Mickey was mock purring.
Rene tried her best to tune them out, but to no avail. Finally, she whipped around and yelled, "Stop it Mickey! You're gettin' on my nerves!"
Mickey rolled her eyes. "Everything gets on your nerves. . ." She moved over a couple inches and repositioned herself against the side of the ledge. "What time is it? Didn't Lia say they were meeting or wherever at ten?"
"How the hell should I know?" Rene snapped.
Mickey shrugged. "I dunno. Just seems like something would've happened by now."
"I think Lia's got us on another bogus goose hunt. This is bullshit!"
"Yeah, I'm starting to think that too."
They sat in silence for another moment when Rene's ears suddenly perked upright and then lowered flat against her head.
"What? What is it?" Mickey joined her on the ledge and peered about.
"Shhh! Look right there, I think that's them." She pointed to a couple entering the building. The woman wore a long black coat and scarf while the man she lead was tall and wore a business suite. He was chattering away, but the woman remained silent.
"Can you hear what he's saying?"
"Oh yeah, I can make out every word from five stories above a major New York street." Rene rolled her eyes. "Which room did Lia say they were going to? 355? 533?" The couple had already entered the building and Rene could barley see them through the windows at the reception desk.
"Uh. . . 533 I think. But how do we know which one that is?"
"We'll have to look through the windows."
"Watch it be on the other side." Mickey groaned as they climbed down the building on the fire escapes and windowsills. She stopped on one of the fire escapes and squinted across the alley through a window. "Ok, I think the door to that room says 650. Is it on that floor down there?" She half yelled, half whispered down to her sister.
"Where are you looking in? All is see it the inside of the. . . Wait, ok, that door says 500."
"Then I'll bet it's down there, hold up." Mickey scaled down the wall until she reached the landing Rene stood on.
"There's the elevator. They'll probably come up through there." Rene whispered and crouched down.
They watched the elevator doors, or what they could see of them, until they slid open and the couple stepped out. The woman glanced about the hall nervously and grabbed her husband, who appeared to be quite drunk, by the arm. She lead him into the hall where they disappeared
"How are we gonna watch 'em now?" Mickey asked, her voice hushed.
"Well look, the rooms not being used are dark. Just wait until they turn on the light in 533."
"But what if it's on the other side?"
"Then we'll go over there, this isn't rocket science!"
"Ok, ok. Sorry." Mickey thought Rene was in an especially snappy mood tonight, but then again, she was always snappy. Just then a light flickered on in one of the windows.
"Bing-go!" Rene stood and leapt to the next fire escape to get a better look. "Hey! The curtains are open! What're the chances of that?"
"Heh, cool!" Mickey joined her on the fire escape and gazed through the window. "Do you think they'll see us here?"
"Naw, probably not. Just stay still. . .if you can."
"I can stay still!"
"Yeah, whatever. Look!"
The man stumbled over to the bed an fell heavily down on it. Their voices couldn't be heard by the human ear, but lucky for them, they weren't human and the voices were only slightly muffled.
"C'mon baby! This's why we got the room, ain't it?" The man said, his words slurring.
"Sure honey. Want another drink?" She walked over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle full of clear liqued.
"Vodka." Rene offered.
"Yeah, sounds good!" The man sat up and attempted to stand, but fell back to the bed.
"No no, you just stay there, I'll bring it to you." She poured the Vodka into a shot glass and glanced over her shoulder at him to make sure he wasn't watching. She reached into her coat and pulled out a small pouch.
"Uh-oh! Looks like she's gonna drug him!" Mickey said quietly.
"As if it wasn't enough that she got him so drunk he can barley stand! What the hell is she trying to do?"
"My guess would be to 'keep him quiet.'"
"That or kill him!"
They exchanged glances then looked back towards the window.
The woman poured a white powder from the pouch into his dink and swirled it around.
"How 'bout that liquor?" The man bellowed.
"Here it is honey. You do still like Vodka, don't you?"
"Don't matter to me baby, liquor's liquor!"
She handed him the glass and he immediately threw the Vodka down his throat.
"Need another?" She asked, glancing down at her watch.
"Yeah, sure." He laid back on the bed an covered his eyes with his arm.
She took the shot glass and poured him a second and soon a third and fourth. His responses became little more then grunts and he complained about the light being to bright and giving him a head ache.
Mickey crept to the other side of the fire escape and whispered, "The assassins or whatever are suppose to be in there, aren't they?" She pointed through a window to the room next door.
"Didn't they say they would come in after?"
"Oh, yeah, I think so. One of us should have been watching the door."
"Oh well, too late now." Rene shrugged.
The man was slowly losing consciousness and the woman was growing even more nervous. She kept glancing at her watch and then at the door which conjoined the room next to theirs.
Rene surveyed the side of the motel. If they should have to intervene in anyway, it would be difficult to get into the building from the fire escape. The windowsill wasn't very wide and there were no foot holds. The window would be extremely difficult to break, if not impossible. If a murder should take place, Rene feared that they couldn't stop it.
"Damn!" She cursed. "We should have been more prepared. They're gonna try and kill this guy and we can't even do anything about it!"
Mickey was silent for a moment, surveying the building for herself. "You're right. There's no way we could get in. What'll we do?"
Rene shook her head helplessly. "Meet up with them later I guess. No crime goes unpunished. . ."
They turned back towards the window and noticed the woman become very alarmed. She was leaning over the bed where her husband lay, shaking him gently at first, then with more force.
"Steven? Steven! Oh God Steven, wake up!"
Steven didn't move or respond. His arm fell off his eyes with her shaking to revel that they were open. The woman shrieked and jumped back, then approached again, very slowly.
"Steven?" She touched his face and then withdrew her hand. "No Steven, wake up. This isn't funny!"
"I don't get it, I thought she wanted him dead." Mickey whispered.
"Yeah, well, maybe she's having second thoughts."
Just then the conjoining door burst open and two men jumped through, followed by a third witched bared a remarkable resemblance to Steven. They stopped short when they saw him lying on the bed. The third pushed through them and leaned over him, checking for a pulse. He turned towards the woman.
"What's this? What did you do to him?" His voice was steady, but he did not hide the anger.
"I-I. . . you said for me to keep him quiet so I. . . I didn't mean to actually kill him!" She cast a uneasy glance at the other two men.
The man was silent for a moment, when he spoke again, his voice was mild and calm. "Looks like you didn't need my associates services after all. Gentlemen, if you please." He motioned to the body.
The other two men disappeared back into the next bedroom and reappeared with a long cardboard box which had Steel Piping
printed on the side.
"Shall we leave Mrs. Jopal?" He asked, offering her his hand.
She was staring at the floor, and unable to look at him or answer, but reluctantly took his hand.
Rene and Mickey watched them leave the room, speechless. They watched for a moment more before Rene stood and began to scale the building again. Mickey watched them enter the elevator before she began her ascent as well. When she reached the roof, Rene was already watching the door, waiting.
"This is serious." Mickey said, joining her on the ledge.
"Really?" Rene's voice was sarcastic. "You go watch and see what they do with the body, I'll follow them back to the apartment. Just meet us down there I guess."
"But Lia said-"
"Screw Lia! She didn't know they were actually gonna kill someone!"
"All right, fine, but it was your idea." Mickey climbed back down the building to the alleyway where she ducked behind a dumpster.