HEROES Chapter 2

Henkel took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. "Christ! This is crap." He complained, "I can't believe we haven't come across a Dunkin Donuts in 20 blocks, I thought they were supposed to be all over the god-damn place."



Jameson smiled, amused by his partner's constant bitching. In fact he hadn't shut up since they left the motel. They were driving across the Madison Avenue Bridge, when a 1080 came over their police scanner. Units were in pursuit of a silver Cadillac and had blocked off Baychester Avenue. Henkel looked over at Jameson and without a word, he flipped on their lights and joined the pursuit.




Even before the sound of the police sirens could be heard, Voodoo suddenly stared off into the distance and alerted D-Slam of their presence. "Cops. They are going to block off Baychester."



D-Slam never doubted the visions of the 'Doo', and immediately took evasive action. Jumping the curb, he crossed a vacant lot, purposely spinning his tires to kick up a lot of dust. Concealed by the cloud, he concentrated focusing all his energy on making the car unseen, but as it was in motion it was extremely difficult. "Take the wheel!" He told Hi-Dro and he quickly dropped his gun, reached over and helped steer.



"God dammit, man! I though you said you couldn't do this." Stated Hi-Dro as he turned the car down a narrow alley.

D-Slam forced his powers to the limit, and the car turned invisible and he slowed down to a crawl. A police officer at the Baychester road block heard a noise in an alley to his left, like the sound of tires on pavement but when he looked over he saw nothing. The invisible Caddy, just drifted across the intersecting road and they continued down the alley until they were well a way. They pulled into an alley, behind an abandoned house and parked the car in the driveway. The invisibility field dissipated as D-Slam exhaled and loosened his grip on the wheel. He was soaked with sweat and was breathing like a man who had just sprinted a mile. When he finally caught his breath he leaned back into the seat and looked at Voodoo through the rearview mirror. "Doo. Whatchyu got man?" He inquired.

Voodoo concentrated for a moment. "The chota are..."

"I don't care about the *%#*ing cops, man. Where's Wrangler?" D-Slam interrupted still gasping for air.

The psychic concentrated again, his range was limited but as he searched within his parameters he began to laugh.

"Yo, Doo. What's so funny. You trippin'?" Asked Hi-Dro.

"You ain't gonna believe dis, homes." Replied Voodoo. "That vato, he's one street over in da back lane."

D-Slam, snapped his head up, put the car in gear and hammered the accelerator. He tore out of the alley and around the corner just as Tim was pulling out.

"Get that mother!" He screamed and Hi-Dro and Voodoo, leaned out their windows and blasted a hail of bullets at the black mustang.

Hi-Dro screamed as a spray of shot caught him in his arm, but he was still able to keep shooting, although most of his bullets were now ricocheting off of the pavement as he leaned forward in pain. He would have fallen out of the car if D-Slam hadn't of reached out and grabbed him by the waistline of his pants and pulled him back into the car.



D-Slam, tried to bring the Caddy along the passenger side of the Mustang on the residential street but as he accelerated a flock of pigeons, crows and other neighbourhood birds suddenly decided to wage war on their car. "Dammit! Where'n the hell these birds comin' from?" Cursed D-Slam as he was forced to slow down as his vision was obscured by the blood of the smaller birds smashing against the wind shield. Voodoo, who was still hanging out of his window was pelted by several small birds and pecked by crows. "Hijo de puta!" He swore as he retreated back into the car and shot apart several birds as they tried to get in through his window.



D-Slam leaned forward when, Voodoo started shooting in the back seat. "Watch it you crazy motherf - - -r!" He shouted and as he was distracted the front fender of the Cadillac slammed into the rear panel of the Mustang.

"Yep it is my little piece of heaven, harse mainly, but I do have a few cows and a mangy old dog hangs 'round the ranch. I reckon you an me might just hav ta just go thar fur a rest someday, ifin' ya've amind ta. ....... Shit!" Tim said as the Mustang swerved from the impact of the Cadillac, his hands tightened on the steering wheel, he down shifted, slammed on the accelerator, upshifted through the gears speeding north west on Baychester Avenue. Slamming on the brakes and down shifting to second, the Mustang slid screechingly left onto 223rd. Tim slamed on the accelerator and upshifted through the gears. He rolled down the drivers side window, reached in his jacket and pulled out one of his S&W 40 caliber semi automatics. Reaching out the window, using the rearview mirror he fired eight shots at the Cadillac, the bullets struck the Caddy in the grill, traveling through it and into the radiator.
Tim dropped the weapon into his lap grabbed the steering wheel with both hands, slammed on the brakes, turning the wheel as the Mustang slid left around the corner of Jerome Avenue, he down shifted stomped on the accelerator again and the mustang sputtered, slowing.

"Damn it." Tim said as he reached up to the bottom of the dash and flipped a switch, switching to an auxilary fuel tank. He downshifted to second and popped the clutch. The Mustang backfired as the engine sprang back to life. Tim immediately stomped on the accelerator and upshifted through the gears. "Morgan, reach in my jacket and take out tha clips." he said as he picked up his weapon and fired six more shots into the Caddys grill. Handing his weapon to Morgan he asked "You know how to reload this thing?"

Tim hearing the police radio transmission smiled and said " Welp I reckon ar day's 'bout to git a tad excitin'." as he reached in his jacket a drew a second S&W .40 caliber semi automatic. As the caddy drew closer, Tim said to Morgan calmly "Reach under tha clove box an pull that thar handle." As she did two gallons of motor oil was dumped from a tank through a series of nozzels under the rear bunper of the Mustang, onto the road infont of the Caddy.

Jameson could see the silver Cadillac now and he punched the accelerator, greatly exceeding normal pursuit speeds. Henkel just leaned back and braced himself. He had been in numerous pursuits, but Jameson was something else, he'd never seen anyone with such incredible reaction time, almost as if he was able to anticipate, flawlessly what other motorists were going to do. Glancing over at his partner, the young man was focused, his eyes intense as he weaved expertly around parked cars, even skipping over the boulevard a few times to avoid cars that were foolishly creeping into intersections after the black Mustang and Cadallic sped by.



Voodoo turned around and looked behind them. "Shit, mang! We've got Feds on our ass!"



"How far?" Asked D-Slam as he swerved away from another shotgun blast that took out his side mirror. "Damn! F - - -You!" He screamed through his windshield at the girl.



"Dey are gaining. Maybe ten minutes." Answered Voodoo.

In the passenger seat, Hi-Dro was bleeding bad. "*%#@ man! I'm not doin' so good." He cried.



D-Slam ignored his friend, he didn't have time to deal with him. He was more concerned with trying to catch up to the Mustang which was proving difficult. As the the black car swerved and skidded round corners, the gangster was just managing to scrape by parked cars and keep him in sight.

"Doo! How 'bout some of that spooky shit man? Voodoo his ass!" Screamed D-Slam.

Voodoo complied. He breathed in deep and tried to focus, which was difficult considering they could crash at any moment. He concentrated on the black car and began to chant in spanish and while he uttered words that allowed him to conjure his abilities his eyes began to glow red. He did not have any possessions of his targets that he could to hold that to allow him to directly effect their minds but he could still generate a minor illusion that would effect the general area of the car.

After Tim had positioned his automatic fire arm out the window and used the rear view mirror to attempt to fire more shots into the grill of the Cadillac, the gauges in the car all suddenly went awry. The temperature gauge went hot, his tachometer dropped dead and all his warning lights flashed on. Morgan noticed it too, although what she saw were the flashing warning lights occurring in a different order from what Tim perceived as Voodoo's illusions began to randomly effect what they saw. Tim believed that he saw smoke pouring through the vents, he even smelled it, the road was becoming difficult to see and he even began to feel a chocking sensation in his throat. Morgan saw something completely different. As Tim started to cough and wave at something in front of his face, she could see hundreds of spiders pour through the vents of the car. They crawled over the seats, across Tim and into his mouth, apparently causing him to choke. They began to swarm Morgan, dropping from the car's ceiling and into her hair!

At the same time, an oil slick coated the road and D-Slam lost control, he tried to to fight the skid of the Caddy but he couldn't bring the car back. The Cadillac struck a parked car, then bounced into another wedging the vehicle in place and blocking the road.

Back in the Mustang, Voodoo's illusion continued. The suggestion had been placed and the minds of those effected would perpetuate the phantasm until they were able to rationalize what was happening to them.

Even as the temperature gauge shot up to hot and the tach went to zero, the engine still roared it's deepthroated steady sound. Tim saw smoke pour fron the vents and the road begand to be hard to see. He, instictivly let off the accelerator and down shifted slowing the vehicle down, Tim's mind was working overtime. He glanced over at Morgan and saw her batting and brushing at something unseen to him. "It ain't real......Morgan it ain't real." he said "One of them guys must be a Shaman ar sumtin'. Keep tellin' yurself it ain't real. I seed it one time on the reservatioon in New Mexico. A Medicine Man made rattle snakes appear outa thin air, then turned em inta Mesquite branches. ...... Just keep tellin yurself it ain't real."

As he repeated the fact that the illusion wasn't real the snoke slowly faded and the gauges all returned to normal slowly. But this had slowed them down and as Tim glanced in the rearview miror he could see the flashing red and blue lights in the grill and barely read the U.S. Government Liscense Plate of a black Crown Victoria approach quickly. "Feds Tim." muttered as he downshifted again pressed down on the accelerator and shifted up through the gears gaining speed.

Jameson and Henkel came close enough that they could read the Texas Liscence plate on the back of the Mustang "DPD-CB1" As the mustang pulled away, down Jerome Avenue and right onto the Cross Bronx Expressway.

When their car was wedged in between two parked vehicles, Voodoo snapped out of his trance as he bounced off his door. Cursing in Spanish, he quickly jumped out of the car and revived D-Slam by slapping him a few times in the face, "Com'on homes, we gotta book it."



D-Slam opened his eyes and stabilized himself by gripping the steering wheel. As his vision came into focus he looked over at Hi-Dro who was slumped over, his body being supported by the air bag. He reached over and tried to wake him, but there was no response. "Hi-Dro, man. Com'on, wake up. We gotta book."

"We have to go, mang!" Shouted Voodoo as he dragged D-Slam out of the car. "You have to hide us!" he warned, but D-Slam was too concerned with his friend and tried one more time to get Hi-Dro out of the car but Voodoo wrestled him away. "You can't help him, but chu can help us!"

Just as D-Slam was coming to the realization that Voodoo was right, a black crown victoria skidded by them on the boulevard, just missing a tree then sliding back onto the pavement in pursuit of the Mustang. Two NYPD squad cars were not far behind, but the lead car hadn't noticed the oil slick as the unmarked car had, and unable to break slid into the Cadillac, striking it in the front fender. The car slid forward but the two gangsters were no longer behind it. Before the arrival of the police, D-Slam touched Voodoo's shoulder and the two vanished from sight. Invisibly they walked away from the scene and their friend, maintaining a very slow pace, enabling D-Slam to maintain his cloak with minimal effort.



Jameson saw the oil slick and made a detour around it and the obstructing car by jumping onto the boulevard and skidding round a tree, then back onto the street. As the wheels of the car spun on the grass, Henkel was able to see that their suspects had abandoned on of their gang in the car. He also saw the other two vanish into thin air.



"Did you see that?" Mentioned Henkel.

"I sure did." Verified Jameson.

"Not a word that we're dealing with meta-humans, I don't want that bastard Birkshire sticking his nose in this. You gotta problem with that?"

Jameson smiled. "No, sir. No problem at all." He was happy to hear that Henkel wanted to keep RAID out of this as well. This Wrangler was his, and he didn't want RAID sweeping in and stealing all the glory like they were so good at. He had also noticed that Wrangler hadn't been using any meta-abilities, at least none that he was aware of. It was like he was keeping this just between he and them, and that's just the way Jameson liked it. He had to admit, he'd miss the rush when they finally caught up with Wrangler and put this guy away.

As they tore down the road, Henkel began to make a call into the NYPD and that's when they saw the black Mustang, moving at a snails pace up ahead. "What the hell?" He remarked.

Jameson couldn't believe it. The guy was just waiting there in the middle of the street, taunting them! He gunned the engine and went straight for him but as he closed the distance the Mustang's engine roared and the tires squealed as Wrangler peeled away. They were right on his tail for a few seconds, more than enough time for Henkel to memorize the license plate number, 'DPD-CB1', then there were car was assaulted by a flock of various birds. They swarmed the windshield, obscuring Jameson's vision but he could see well enough to accelerate through the birds and continue their pursuit.

"Christ! I didn't know he could summon birds!" Exclaimed Henkel as Jameson sped up Jerome Avenue.

"He can't." Jameson stated. "I think he picked up a passenger."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Did you see the damage to the car back there? Rounds from a shotgun on the driver's side just below the fender." Answered Jameson and kept his eyes trained on the tail of the Mustang that was only the length of six cars ahead of them. He was also sure now that Wrangler wasn't going to use any powers unless he absolutely had to. 'Guess he forgot to mention that to his partner', he figured.

Henkel wasn't going to try and figure out how Jameson saw all that in passing. He himself was lucky just to catch sight of the guy left in the passenger side seat. Jameson was right though, that would be a near impossible angle for someone sitting in the driver's seat, so he must literally have someone riding shotgun. "Good work, Jameson. Guess I'll keep you around a little while longer."

As they turned onto the Bronx Expressway, Henkel called in their location and informed them about the Texas license plate of the Mustang. He also reported that they suspected that Wrangler now had a passenger with him and that they should be considered armed and dangerous. Henkel also requested to speak directly with the precinct Captain of the units that were currently investigating the suspect left in the Cadillac. "I want a report in an hour. I want to know what everything about him. An hour!" He ordered.

Jameson simply kept pace with the Mustang on the expressway. Watching the movements of the car he was able to anticipate it's every turn and knew that all he had to do was stick with him until the NYPD or the State Troopers were able to set up a decent road block and lay down some spikes.

The door to the cell opened and a marine armed with an automatic rifle walked in. "Mr. Njordhagen. Would you please come with us." The soldier politely ordered.

Toril smoothly rose off of the bed and before he even considered trying to take out the marine he noticed three more outside in the corridor. Though he had no bonds, the steel on his wrists prevented him from dematerializing and even if he could somehow blast through four marines single handedly he doubted that he would make it past the gates if he wasn't killed in the hallway first. Deciding against any rash actions, the big man proceeded into the hall and was escorted to, and left alone in an interrogation room with a long black table and only two chairs. He made himself comfortable in one of the chairs and patiently awaited the person who was meant to sit across from him and after what he figured was about twenty minutes the door opened.



Toril threw his head back and sighed when he recognized the soldier that walked in through the door. Vacily slowly walked into the room, holding his hat in his hands before him as if he were prepared to make a formal apology and sat down across from his old friend. Toril folded his hands, and placed them before him lightly tapping the metal bracers against the table.

"I'm sorry, but they're necessary." Said Vacily, nodding toward the steel bracelets. "You'd do the same to me if there was a way."

Toril shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. So where is Yelena and Shawn?"

"Oh, Yelena's safe and Shawn will be sent to a Meta Detention Centre. Your friend is far too dangerous to be allowed to roam free. Right now he is comfortable and we are keeping him sedated for his own safety and ours." Answered Vacily.

"Forgive me if I don't trust you. I want to see them." Demanded Toril.

Vacily laughed dryly. "What makes you think you are in a position to dictate to me? I have video of you at the hospital assisting fugitive meta-humans who are wanted for a number of charges including man slaughter. You really should be careful who you associate with my friend."

Toril's clasped his hands so tightly that is knuckles turned white. "You set me up."

"Yes, I did." Vacily admitted.

"I thought maybe you had changed, that things would be different, that —"

"You are a dreamer and an idealist, Toril." Vacily interrupted. "You always were."

Toril leaned back in his chair and stared angrily at the man he had once admired a long time ago. His eyes began to unconsciously emit a slight bluish glow and the Colonel could feel winds stirring in the room, and the temperature quickly dropped, so much so that Vacily could see his breath. Then as he became aware of his behaviour, Toril quickly suppressed his abilities and all began to return to normal along with his eyes.

"If anyone can appreciate my vision it's you." Vacily continued, "I needed you to help me acquire a special meta-human. One that can help us erase all of our problems and I knew you would never agree to help me if I would have just come right out and asked you. Besides, I needed you to be believable. I couldn't risk your cover being blown, the less you knew, the better it was for Beacon."

Interested in hearing more of this grand scheme, Toril prompted Vacily to tell him more. An hour, later Toril was escorted back to his cell where he laid down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Tim glanced over at Morgan and then in the review mirror. "Ya just sit back an don' be frettin' now darlin'. I'll git us outta this har mess a cow shit." he said "Ya just hang in thar, now." Tim glanced from the road back to the rearview mirror. The black Crown Victoria was about six car lengths behind. Tim down shifted and stepped on the excellerator harder, the upshifted to fourth. The speedometer read 95mph as they sped across the George Washington Toll Bridge. Tim weaved in and out of traffic and into the express toll lane, now eight car lengths ahead. He slowed the black Mustang down to 55mph as they crossed over into New Jersey and went through the automatic toll booth. He then glanced in the the mirror and saw the Crown Victoria weaving in and out of traffic. Just as they approached New Jersey 4 exit, Tim concentrated and time outside the mustang seemed to slow to an almost stop. Tim, slowed the mustang to the legal speed limit, turned right onto the New Jersy 4 exit, then right again onto Teaneck, down two blocks and left on New Bridge Road. Relaxing a bit and taking a deep breath time outside the Mustang returned to normal. Tim turned right on the 503 and head north towards River Edge. "I rekon we outa git sum gas an a burger an some fries. What ya think. Morgan?" (The automobiles and pedestrians Tim and Morgan passed as they drove, seemed to be froze in midaction. While they weaved around them at normal speed)

+++++++++++++++++
Meanwhile on the George Washington Bridge, chaos would have insued as as drivers suddenly awakened as if from a daze and found themselves going from standing nearly still to suddenly being catapulted several minutes forward in time.

"Yep ya heard me right. That is ifin' ya got a mind ta." Tim said then added "A a double cheeseburger, ketchup and mustard only, small fries and a large sweet tea. Ya got it pardner, I think thar might be sum 'cerdrin in the console. I gets sum killer headaches at times."

Moving silently and coolly through the metallic hallways, Zoe made her way purposefully towards Cassius' cell. Though she kept her demeanor calm, her eyes picked out every shadow and flicker of movement that she could. With cold eyes, she moved past cell after cell of captured metas until she reached the one she was looking for. As the guards met her gaze, she wordlessly raised the gun and popped two shots, one in the forehead of each guard, before she reached the lock and easily shut it down.

As the door slid open, she quickly stepped in, looking to her lover lying on the meager bed.

"Dominic," she said urgently.
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Grey watched the TV idly as he stuffed his face full of greasy burger in the small diner. He watched as the news excitedly covered every second they managed to get of a high-speed chase between a mustang, a cadillac, and the police with jaded disinterest. If he noticed the continued glances by the other patrons, he showed no sign, even when a racial slur once against loudly escaped his lips upon the mention of some of the suspects' races. When a young woman gasped and scowled at him, he simply took another sip of his coke and turned his gaze lazily back to the screen.

Just as his mind was beginning to wander towards the bottle of pills in the pocket of his cargo pants, the news caught his eye and he suddenly watched with a wider, more intent gaze. His sharp eyes caught the image of the driver in the black mustang. Though the volume was near mute, the words "suspect" and "vigilante," caught his attention and he slowly lowered the burger back to the plate.

"Goddamn..." he muttered, voluntarily this time. After another moment, he dropped a few bills onto the table and rushed out the door, swearing silently to himself and cursing his very existence. In a few quick strides, he leapt up a fire escape and hopped across a few roofs before pausing and looking out into the distance down towards the turnpike. While most wouldn't have been able to catch the tiny dots of flashing blue and red lights in the distance, Grey squinted and began heading by rooftop towards the cop cars. "This motherf----er better be the guy and he better be real important," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes with the thought of his own boss. As he moved quickly over the rooftops, a mere flick of a shadow to the common viewer, and gained steadily on the cop car, he wanted nothing more than to get back to his apartment and dope himself out of consciousness, forgetting all about this "Wrangler" freak.

Tim spotted a McDonalds and a filling station just ahead and to the right. "Good, cause I sure wud like ta show it ta ya." he said as he pulled into the filling station and turned off tha car. "Lets have a look see at yur head." he added as he reached over and pulled the bandage away. "Well it's gonna hurt fur a spell but it was just a graze. I'll get sum peroxicide inside when I prepay fur tha gas. Ya just sit har an rest, then we'll go thru tha giddy up and go at McDollads." he said as he started to get out of the car ....... " ain't too worried 'bout the tags and I got a friend up in Englewood can make the car look brand new by mornin'." he added as he went inside to get some peroxcide and pay for the gas.

As Tim enters the gas station a shadow moves quickly across the ground. It moves from one shadow to the next as it makes its way towards the car holding Morgan. After a moment in the sun there appears to be a little smoke floating up and the shadow darts under the car. Should anyone see the little shadow it would be clear that it wanted in the car for some reason.

"Dammit! What's he got under the hood in that thing!" Growled Jameson as the Mustang began to pull away from them on the George Washington Bridge.



"Take... it...eeeeaaaassssy....Jaaaa..." Said Henkel, but in that moment time began to freeze. Everything around them was reduced to a fantastically slow rate of motion and their minds were effected as well. Peoples thoughts slowed until all they were able to concentrate on was a lingering thought and could perceive a single scene. Jameson helplessly watched the distorted image that was Wrangler's car move at regular speed down the New Jersey #4 exit and disappear in the distance. Then the warp ended, almost as quickly as it had began and as time snapped back on itself all that were effected by the warp were rushed ahead to the current moment in time and for a moment everything moved incredibly fast, too fast for people to compensate for and there were several car accidents. Not even, Jameson's skillful driving could avoid being side swiped by an old woman who was screaming in terror as her brain rationalized the experience of time travel.

Jameson stopped shy of rear ending a stationary school bus and shifted the car into park. "That's what happened in the tunnel." He explained to his partner as he put the car in park and leaned back in the seat.

"Son of a bitch!" Was all that Henkel could utter. "The bastard's time stopping just doesn't seem to effect his own body, but everything around him."

Jameson nodded in agreement. "So, how do you expect us to hide this from R.A.I.D.?" He considered.

Henkel didn't answer, instead made a report to all personal in the vicinity to be on the look out for a black late sixties model Mustang and that it was last sighted, westbound on the New Jersey turn-pike.

Tim smiled faintly as he walked up to Morgan's window and tapped on it. She rolled it down and he handed her the small bottle of peroxcide and a box of 4" steril gauze. "I'll fill tha car up an' we kin get us those burgers and fries." he said as she took the items and he moved to the gas pumps. Uncapping the tank on the right rear of the car he filled the right side bladder tank,recapping the filler. He then moved to the left side of the car and filled the auxillary bladder tank replacing the cap. Tim then replaced the hose, swiped the American Express Card, he had used to pay for the hotel rooms and waited for the reciept. He then walked over opened the drivers side door.

Unseen by either Morgan or himself the shadowy smoke drifted into the back seat, as Tim slid into his seat, shut his door, started the engine and drove to the thru the McDonald's drive thru. Pulling up to the ordering window, Tim order " A double cheeseburger, ketchup and mustard only, small fries, a large sweet tea...a Big Mac, fries, a medium diet coke and a couple of them thar apple pie thangs ifin' ya would please" the voice of a young lady repeated his roder ans asked if that was all. Tim said "Nope ma'am that otta do us jes fine." He then pulled up to the second window. Sitting at the window waiting on Morgan and his order Tim gently appied some peroxcide to Morgan's wound and secured the gauze with some strips of medical tape from her first aid kit.

When the young man at the window handed them two bags and thier drinks he said to Tim

"Awsome ride man is it as fast as it looks?"

Tim looked at Morgan as he handed her the bags, her drink and grinned, then back at the young man "Faster then ya kin imagine young man." he said as he placed his drink between his legs, shifted into first and pulled away slowly. Turning right on the 503, Tim drove towards Engelwood.