The Danger Saga

The night was cool, and clear. No clouds were there to obstruct the light from the moon, and stars. Most people wouldn't find themselves walking around at this hour, but Kenny Danger was not “most people.” It was late fall, and the city's few trees were already barren and awaiting the freeze to come in just a few weeks. Only in Sangtonville Park could you walk the paths and appreciate the autumn metamorphosis nearing it's end. Some leaves sat dry and crumbled on the paths, and some still lay in piles where children gathered them to dive in. The frog pond at the center of the park was quiet, absent the usual chirping, and burping of the frogs. Sangtonville was like most cities, and was alive all day with people, businesses, and activity. At night, Sangtonville had different people, businesses, and activity that Kenny had taken an interest in. The autumn breeze kicked up some leaves that blew by his boots, the moonlight shimmered off the pond's surface. Like any other night for the last 10 years, Kenny Danger would be walking nearly every block and not all of them were as pleasant as the park. 'Another long night,' he thought to himself as he walked carefully through the park. He wasn't on the path of course, just walking by the pond. It sort of reminded him of the frog pond back home. Home. He certainly had not spent a single night without thinking about the home he left behind ten years ago. He dropped out of college when he returned to Sangtonville after the fire that took his mother's life. He still had questions with no answers about that night. Scanning the darkness around him he saw nothing, but he knew someone or something had taken an interest in him. Crumbled leaves are a challenge to avoid on a quiet night when you want to remain hidden. Turning to leave the park, he held out his hand willing a green flame to ignite within his palm. It illuminated the area around him, and burned hotter and hotter until he closed his fist. “Quiet tonight.” He remarked out loud into the darkness. He could draw this person out, but why rush the inevitable encounter that seemed to be approaching? Walking out onto Main Street, he immediately took a left walking at a quicker pace to a new destination. The Snake Pit would be operating at prime time at this hour. Usually, by 3:00AM there were rumors flying in the place about the newest criminal activities, mafia directives, and the message boys of the city were drinking and carrying on after finishing their work. He could pick up on a lead, or he could just pay a visit to his old friend. Johnny Bennett, who found his success running a place like the Snake Pit grew up in the same small town as Kenny just a few grades ahead of him in school. The Snake Pit was a lounge that attracted all of the buzz among the riffraff, and even some of the unexplained activities, or people in the city. For the late night crowd, the Snake Pit was always open. While making his way down the street, he made a casual glance back and still saw nothing. Finally, he took a right down an alley unsure his unknown follower had still trailed him. A gutter dripped into a puddle that he splashed through before stopping to knock on a black steel door that could have been easily missed by an unknowing passerby. The sliding view window opened briefly and then closed, followed by the squeaking of the handles turning to allow him to enter. The nameless sentinel nodded to him. Kenny Danger nodded back and slipped by him gaining entry without much scrutiny. He had been here many times. He headed down the narrow hallway. The stairs opened up before him, taking him downward into another corridor. Finally, another door opened smoothly with his approach and the music instantly enveloped him. The deafening, heavy metal vibrating everything, blocking out the world beyond that metal door. The light was dim and red inside, the bar was filled with exactly the crowd he expected. Distracted by the music, few patrons looked up to make note of him. Kenny glanced around at the drinking, the pool tables busy in the far corner, each faction of the underworld had it's own space in the Snake Pit. They knew they were required to be neutral here, or be banned permanently. He pulled up a bar stool and sat, watching for his old friend Johnny. “Well you look like hell.” A familiar voice shouted over the music beside him. The voice of his old friend. “I have had worse nights.” Kenny said fluidly. “What happened to that baby face that used to date my kid sister, huh? It's been ages since I've seen you in here!” Johnny Bennett put his hand on Kenny's shoulder while Kenny ignored the mention of Sarah. He had to. “Too many years of hard living, J.B.” Kenny Danger nodded to him and then leaned in speaking quietly. “As always looking for the pulse of things. Seems so quiet lately.” “Been on the quiet side here too, man. Nothing new, aside from the fact that the Dover Street crew is slinging hard stuff on the streets. Since the last big drug peddlers had a run in with someone who taught them a lesson,” J.B. Raised a brow at Kenny. “I will say the usual rumors of disappearances are getting out of control. Not just one witness, but a lot of stories about people just vanishing.” Johnny leaned back and clearly had his attention on the pool table to his far right. He watched for a minute as some misunderstanding appeared to be getting worked out among some patrons at odds . Kenny Danger followed his attention and watched as the argument appeared to be over the man's female companion. Johnny returned his attention to his old friend. “Any word from back home?” Kenny Danger ventured, taking in the scene around him once again. He felt something, the same thing he was feeling in the park. Something was there, and it was there for him. “You know I don't hear from my parents much. They have so much to take care of now...” Johnny trailed off without elaborating further. Kenny's thoughts immediately went to Sheriff and Mrs. Bennett, they were basically like a second family when he was growing up. He and Sarah were so close in age they had spent all of their time together. He stood from the bar, and redirected his thoughts away from Sarah. “If you hear anything you know how to reach out to me. I probably won't be by again too soon.” Kenny always maintained with Johnny that he was selling intelligence to the cops, but never let on to his true purpose to be on the safe side. It was dangerous enough letting J.B. think that much. He did want to look into the fact that disappearances were increasing without explanation. “Watch your back J.B.” Kenny nodded and left. Kenny Danger was making his way back home, sunrise was nearly upon Sangtonville when he found himself still glancing over his shoulder as he walked. This was going to have to end before he got back home. Ducking into an alley with no warning, he waited several minutes for his stalker. If he blinked he would have missed her. A shadow of a woman. He reached out and grabbed her arm twisting her around to face him. “Why are you following me?” He demanded of the stranger, whom he realized was wearing a mask over the lower half of her face, like a scarf. She quickly slipped from his grasp and began running full speed down the alley. Kenny Danger barely missed a beat and was running after her before he knew it. Whoever she was, she didn't want to reveal herself. Over the years, he had helped a lot of people, but this was not just a random person looking for help, he could feel it. It seemed like she completely disappeared into thin air. He had chased for at least fifteen minutes before he realized he had lost her. She would come back. Anyone who went through that kind of trouble to follow him would be doing it for a reason. His guard was up the entire way home, but he never sensed her presence again. He entered his apartment cautiously, and set his keys down. He listened. Nothing. Sighing he fell fatigued into the only living chair in the apartment. As he closed his eyes, he heard the sound too late. The needle sunk into his neck before he could react. He was subdued soundly. Everything in his vision faded to black. “Sleep tight.” The masked woman remarked. ***** Johnny Bennett wiped down the counter, looking at the clock showing 6:00AM, time to close up for the early morning hours. He was looking forward to sleeping. The place was emptied by now, and he just had to lock up. Casting a final glance around and heading through the two hallways before the alley exit he found himself thinking about his old friend from back home, and where he grew up. As the son of a sheriff Johnny knew right from wrong, but when you're living in the city you have to bend the rules a bit to get anywhere he assured himself. 'What would my father do if he knew I ran a place like this?' he thought. It was a place where Johnny watched and overheard some of the worst criminal activity that would make anyone from his hometown lock their doors at night just watching such things unfold on the evening news. So he allowed the criminals and thieves in the city enter his bar, worse he let some of them conduct business here. Rules were rules though and most of his patrons understood them. No fighting, keep it neutral, or they would be thrown out permanently. How did he keep order? He had not had to demonstrate those consequences for some time, but stories were still told. He pulled open the alley door just enough to turn the lock and a large hand suddenly stuck out and pulled the door wide open and three men pushed their way into the corridor. Three men were on Johnny in an instant, a tall bulky one, a lanky one, and a pale one. The taller, bulkier of the three pinned him against the corridor wall, the lanky one gave him a few gut shots with surprisingly heavy fists. The wind went out of him. The pain wasn't too bad, but he had a feeling this wouldn't be brief. A fourth man stepped into the corridor and closed the alley door behind him. “You know Kenny Danger?” The last arrival, the leader asked him abruptly. “What you don't even offer me a drink before you start with the hands?” Johnny coughed and replied as casually as he could. He was answered with more blows to the gut, and several more to his face. The last blow made him spit blood before it could choke him. “Tell me about Kenny Danger.” The leader demanded. “I know you can tell me where to find him. Why not just cooperate and avoid the plastic surgery?” “Who?” Johnny loyally maintained ignorance. More blows followed. He tasted copper, choked on it now spitting and snorting the phlegm and blood. “We want him, and we want her. You deliver them to us.” The demands now confused Johnny. 'I don't know of any 'her' that Kenny Danger hangs around with,' Johnny thought to himself. 'The last her I saw Kenny with was Sarah... and she's not... around anymore.' “Do you get the message Johnny?” They threw him to the floor where the tall bulky one, the lanky one, and the pale one kicked him repeatedly. Johnny, unable to breath just waited it out, groaning and bleeding. “Deliver Kenny Danger and the girl to us, you have one week.” “Who do you work for?” Johnny coughed. “You attack me in my bar?”Johnny was left bleeding on the floor while the leader opened the alley door and exited without his goons. The three lackeys tossed him around a bit more. “You know who we work for.” The pale one said in a eerie voice, through a sandpaper throat. Johnny held his stomach, feeling the bruises already. He knew who this message was from. He knew it was coming from high up the chain. The criminal crowd would never deliver an assault to the owner of the Snake Pit. This was from the top of the “other” part of the city Johnny barely dabbled in. The part that housed the unexplained. Beings with power beyond what he dealt with day-to-day, sent this message. He watched the three men leave without another word. As the door closed behind them he groaned loudly and propped himself against the wall before the stairs. 'Kenny and her,” he considered with his vision blurring in the dark corridor. 'Who is she?” He shook his head a couple time to get the fuzziness out. Johnny drifted out of consciousness, a vision of Sarah replacing his reality. She was laughing, a kid. Just barely out of high school. She was in her old waitress uniform. She was talking to him about how Kenny was going to move to Sangtonville for college. He was going to leave her behind. He laughed at her, making fun of her for caring so much about Kenny Danger. “He is damaged, and he'll never stay in this old town.” Johnny heard himself speaking those words to his younger sister. “After losing his dad as a baby, his uncle when we were camping as kids. His mother is already crazy.” “Johnny, there's more to Kenny than all of his losses.” “You really love him, don't you?” Johnny heard himself calling his sister out. “I'm not saying that. I am saying there's a lot more to him than you know.” She replied to his accusation. He recalled in his mind that Sarah continued to deny her feelings for Kenny at that time. “I am moving out there too, I'm going to get a decent job.” He promised. “Then you can come stay with me, and it'll be like when we were all together growing up.” Ice cold water jolted him back to consciousness at that moment. He all but jumped to his feet, then abruptly sat back down where he was. His vision was blurry, but he could see it was Alec. Alec was not exactly security for the Snake Pit. Mostly, he just watched Johnny's back. “What happened boss?” Alec asked calmly. He was almost a real giant. Johnny always joked Alec's father was actually a giant. “The Circle.” Johnny said flatly. “What do they want?” Alec wondered. “They want my friend, and someone else they think I know.” Johnny groaned and slowly got to his feet. “What time is it?” He asked Alec, realizing he was probably unconscious for some time. If Alec was here, it must be nearly time to open again. “It's just after sun down.” “I'm going to grab a shower, open up the place for me.” “Sure thing boss.” Alec nodded and watched Johnny limp back down the corridor to his adjacent apartment. “Alec,” Johnny called over his shoulder before disappearing, “find me something about a new girl in town, and anything that traces her back to the Circle.” “Sure boss.” Alec nodded. The shower was running and steaming while Johnny examined his bloodied face. His ribs were all bruised, his entire face was barely recognizable from the pummeling he took. He hadn't had to deal with the Circle in a long time. He considered all he knew about them. The Circle are the overlords of the overlords of all underground trade, trafficking, torture, or otherwise dark dealings of the world. They were interested in things and people that made them powerful. They wanted Kenny Danger, and the mystery woman. Johnny opened the drawer by the sink and perused a catalog of vials filled with liquid. Different colors, different consistencies, hundreds of choices. He plucked one of the small vials and uncapped it. He gestured to himself 'cheers' in the mirror, drank the contents and got in the shower. Blood circled the drain as it was rinsed from his injuries. Painful bruises made it hurt to feel the pressure of the water on his body. It took a bit longer than he remembered it, but the bruises faded suddenly while abrasions healed simultaneously. His vision became clearer as the swelling was reduced to nothing. It was as if he had never been injured when he stepped out of the shower to dry and dress. The way he kept such strange company certainly lead to many resources and opportunities that were abnormal. A fairly advanced brewer of potions and tonics that frequented his establishment had sold him that vial several weeks ago. Only a couple of weeks before that, a rune reader told him he would need it. Time to get to work. Alec wasn't exactly a good bartender. If Kenny would show up tonight, he could try to warn him about the Circle. Johnny decided he would ask him about the mystery woman too. It had been long enough since Sarah that he shouldn't feel guilty for trying to have a life. 'I still think about my kid sister every day.'. The way she and Kenny were together like they were linked at the hip, surely Kenny would think about her on occasion. Johnny took a last glance in the mirror and headed back to the bar.