Second Wind

Chapter 26: An Unlikely Alliance

"I've been working for the Pathfinder for a long time now, ever since the collapse of the government. I was brainwashed into thinking that by aiding their cause, we were doing this city a favor...I never saw the suffering that was wrought on the people because of our actions until much later. When I realized that what we were doing was slowly poisoning Detroit, it was already too late for me to escape. Fleurie had already sunk her claws deep into the lifeblood of the city by then...there was no choice but to just keel over and keep going. Most of us wanted to stop, but knowing that we were threatened with our lives should we defect, we were forced to continue doing these atrocities...I figured that maybe, as I carried on with my work, I could gain the trust of my boss and she could understand where I was coming from..."

"...only for her to treat you like the dirt under her boots, huh?"

"That's right. After you crippled our drug circulation by blowing up those buildings, you went completely AWOL on us. Our superior, Lettie, ultimately gave up on the whole operation to salvage whatever we had left and sent everyone home. Probably because there was nothing left. Only a small group of us chose to stay behind to find the vigilante and, hopefully, Lettie herself. However, we were never able to find her or even you. In the end, we gave up on the search and chose to confront Fleurie directly so that we could tell her what had happened in Brightmoor. This whole time, we tried to keep this entire debacle hidden and under wraps so that Fleurie would not know of this problem."

"...why did you have to hide it from her and the others?"

"I'm sure you know why. She's a very violent figure...if things don't go her way, she is thrown into a vicious fury that could make even the Devil shiver in response to her own presence. So, when we arrived at Foxtown, we met with the boss at our base of operations. After we told her everything, she had her guards shoot everyone dead after commanding us to run for our lives...I was the only survivor from that group."

The vigilante could only remain silent in response to Jaguar's admittedly tragic tale - it was tough to be treated in such a manner, especially after spending so many years in servitude. She continued to remain silent whilst Jaguar continued narrating her experience.

"...since then, I realized that no matter what I did, I was going to be expendable to those monsters. I don't know why I had to wait until this long to finally break free from the mold and be my own person...but here I am. I've done a lot of terrible things to these people...I need to find a way to change that."

"Hmm...sounds like you wanna assist me."

"That's right. When you destroyed those buildings, I realized that you weren't going to just stop there. I'm sure Lettie knows this as well. I don't know where she is and where she may be, but just know that she's not who you think she is."

"She facilitated this whole drug problem in the first place. She's part of the reason why all this even happened to begin with. Why are you out here defending her practices?"

"I know that she was involved in this mess...but she's not the kind of person that Fleurie is. Even seemingly good people can get involved in very bad things, you know."

"...I'm aware of that. Either way, you came all this way to find me...why didn't you try and take them on yourself, like I am?"

"Because I know that if I tried to defect, I'd be done for. We can't be working as two individuals here. Both you and I know that this is a task too herculean for you or me alone. I know you can't trust me, and I totally don't blame you for that, but we have to work together...at least until all this boils over and the deed is done."

Blake was completely silent, but her current expression meant that she was thinking over Jaguar's offer for assistance - although she was keen on doing this alone, she knew that the woman was right. By venturing into the heart of Warrendale, she was going to put herself in some serious danger that she needed to wrestle with. With her hand forced, she let out a defeated sigh as she gave Jaguar the nod of approval, implying that she was ready to accept her help.

"...fine. But the moment you try and double-cross me, your head will be stuck on a pike. You hear me?"

"The last thing I would do is lie to someone who's got a kill count of the hundreds, you know."

"...wise choice. For the time being, you can get a room in the motel that I'm staying in."

"Huh, so you're staying at the edge of the town...wise choice."

"I could've been anywhere...I only ended up here because it was the first place I found. I guess it was a stroke of fortune in that regard. So hey, I guess there are some things that are beyond my control."

"Hm...fair enough. Right, so what do you plan on doing?"

"What do you think? I wanted to explore the heart of the neighborhood to see just what they're guarding there...if I can find out the source of the weapons, then I can plan out my next move from there. And what were you thinking of?"

"...you know, why don't you sit this one out?"

"...sorry, what?"

"I know everything that needs to be known about the Pathfinder. Even then, my knowledge of their operations is only limited to Brightmoor and practically nowhere else. If I can sneak myself inside, I can provide you with the information you need while you don't get any unnecessary attention focused onto you. Sounds like a good plan, yeah?"

It was safe to assume that the vigilante was rather conflicted by this suggestion - on one hand, she wanted to get up close and personal with the action, but at the same time, she won't be experiencing any action if she screws up...the negatives really did outweight the seemingly minor positives here. Finding herself with no other alternative which could involve the both of them, she let out a sigh of defeat before giving Jaguar an approving nod.

"...fine. But you better keep yourself alive, bud."

"Damn, don't worry about me. I'm not the one who is being hunted down, you know. I'm still just like one of them, but they don't need to know my ulterior motives."

"Hm...is there a catch to this whole thing? You're getting yourself involved in my personal mission...surely you want something out of this whole thing, yeah? So what is it?"

"Heh...smart one, you. Well, I'm keen to show my boss just what happens when you try and mess with your loyal employees."

"You got a revenge story too, huh?"

"...'too'? You got a thing against them as well?"

"Yeah, but...I can't really tell you the details. It's a bit complicated..."

"Huh...weird. Eh, if ya say so. I'm not here to interrogate you, so I don't even bother. But it is rather strange...this whole scenario, I mean. Don't you think it's strange?"

"In what way is it strange?"

"I mean...they saw you die, you know. Fleurie shot you in the head multiple times, even though you were done and dusted that day on the freeway. And somehow, even after all that, here you are...standing before me as I'm talking to you. Doesn't this just feel rather off-putting to you? The fact that you somehow managed to escape death? Who even helped you with your wounds, anyway?"

"...I really don't know. When I woke up, I found myself completely recovered. It doesn't help that I feel very strange, though..."

"So you don't even know who rescued you...right."

It was safe to assume that Jaguar was already feeling suspicious of her - she definitely had something to hide. Admittedly, her curiosity over the matter meant that she really was bent on wanting to find out what really happened to her on that day, but for now, she chose to put that curiosity aside so that she could focus on the mission at hand.

"Anyways, here's the plan. I'll go in and get you the intel you need. As for you, you can figure out what you can do with that information. Whether you want to involve me in your plans or not is your business, not mine. That sound fair to ya?"

"Hm, I guess that will work. Hope you get outta there unscathed. By the way, I never got your name. It's gonna be difficult for us to even talk properly if I don't even know who you are."

Jaguar displayed a bit of hesitance and reluctance on her end when Blake asked for her name, but knowing that she was right, she let out a sigh as she merely gave her her codename.

"...I just go by Jaguar."

"Going by the name of your mask, huh...typical. Anyways, you can get going. Take as much time as you need."

"Right then...I'll see you back here by sunset. Sound like a plan?"

"...sound like a plan."

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Jaguar did not feel even a singe of fear or paranoia when she found herself within the heart of Warrendale. She was surrounded by so many armed goons that any normal person could feel suffocated by just being within the vicinity. But this was definitely not the case for her - in her point of view, she felt right at home, even if she was now acting as a double agent. However, did everyone else need to know that? Certainly not. After having her motorcycle parked in an alley near Plainview Avenue, she began walking the streets, mostly minding her business. Jaguar was not getting any attention focused on her at all, and for the most part, she was being greeted by some mobsters who were passing by - it seemed as though she had a name for herself within the gang, which did help make things a lot more manageable on her end.

Although there were a high number of goons on active duty on the streets between Tireman and Whitlock Avenue, she noticed that the mobster count was much more concentrated on one particular road - West Warren Avenue. Knowing this, she knew that there had to be something here that they were actively guarding. Was it one building that they were guarding? Was it more than one, perhaps? Or was this entire street functioning as their base of operations? Jaguar needed to narrow down her options so that she could come to one definitive solution. She could approach anyone and ask anyone about anything, but at the same time, she knew that she should not ask too much - otherwise, she could be put into a rather dangerous position as soon as they start suspecting her motives. For now, she is in the safe zone, but she knew that no matter what happens, she cannot allow herself to get caught.

She cannot afford to confront Fleurie again, especially after what had happened back at the theatre.

With all things considered, she knew that it was best for her to play it safe and take it slow - they are not in a rush, right? Well, that was what Jaguar thought, anyway. In Blake's point of view, she was bent on getting her mission here over and done with so that she could carry on with her next goal on her agenda. Despite the clash in beliefs, this was something that neither of them have expressed to each other yet, and thus, this was not a problem that needed to be tackled...for now.

It soon reached a point where she knew that it was going to be pointless for her to continue her investigation on her own - she already knew that she must maintain her search purely within West Warren Avenue, but now she had to figure out the buildings that she must target within this one particular main road. From there, Blake can work her magic and exploit the information that Jaguar has gathered. Deciding to kickstart her info extraction, she began asking around so that she could get some intel involving where the weapons were being manufactured and stored in. This soon culminated in a conversation that she had with a fellow goon, who looked to be wearing a bee mask.

"I need help with something, chief. I've just been relocated here to assist with you guys in Warrendale...but I don't know where you guys even function in to begin with. You think you can help get me settled in?"

"Damn...you telling me you don't even know where we operate in, dude?"

"Come on, I've only been working in Brightmoor. And you know how that turned out."

"Hmm...fair enough. Hey, weren't you the one that managed to escape the boss?"

Admittedly, the goon recalling her experience with Fleurie did leave her in a rather sour mood, though she chose to push her emotions aside for the time being - after all, she had other things to focus on right now.

"...yeah. She told me and my team to run, and so we did...I was the only one who managed to escape."

"Jeez, that's crazy...usually NO ONE survives. The fact that you managed to make it out means that you're pretty lucky. Here's hoping we don't mess up here then, huh?"

"Hehe...yeah. So what do you say? You think you can give me a helping hand?"

"Well, seeing how you're at the end of your rope right now...eh, sure. Why not. Don't really want one of us to get our asses handed to her, ya feel me?"

"Mhm, I certainly do..."

She sounded very disinterested there - she definitely did not find any humor in their little quip there, which ended up making them laugh rather awkwardly in order to deal with the response they had gotten. With their laughing not exactly diffusing the awkwardness dwelling within the situation, she forced out a few coughs before quickly getting things started as they began telling him everything that she had to know involving Warrendale's operations.

"Right, so...I'm sure you know how this place operates. You notice how, the further you are from the center of the neighborhood, the lesser the people there are?"

"Actually, yeah...why is that, anyway?"

"Frankly, I have no idea. Our superior wanted us to have that kind of security - lax at the edge, tight in the heart. You get where I'm going with this, right? I think it's because the outskirts of the neighborhood have very little interest to us, so very little manpower is being used there. He probably did not want to waste personnel, which makes sense."

"So we operate here, within the confines of this road, huh?"

"You could say that, yeah. Just down the street in front of us are where we work in. A fraction of us actually handle the manufacturing of weapons - we outsource others to do our work. Everyone else is kinda here to patrol the place. Security has intensified even more after the vigilante messed up our drug operations beyond recovery...I guess he just wants to make sure that the vigilante can't make her way into the grounds."

"It's kinda unwise to leave her with so much space, though...what if she's here already? And what if she's hiding by the neighborhood borders? Wouldn't it make us kinda vulnerable?"

"Hm...you do pose a fair point, but even if she does show up here, she'd still have to deal with the security within this road. Besides, she doesn't know where we even operate in to begin with, so she'd have to struggle for a while, which will give us time to catch her in the act. From there, we'll finish her off! Easy peasy!"

"Tch, easy for you to say...I remember when someone said that with that same air of confidence..."

"Erm...well...this is a lot different, okay?"

"Right...is there anything else I need to know? I still don't know where we actually operate in, chum."

"Uhh...well, you see those four buildings up ahead, in front of you? That's where we work in. Right now, we're currently at the intersection that has this street connected with the Evergreen Road. Just keep walking straight, and from there, you'll find this auto part shop - that's one of the two buildings where we manufacture our weapons. And up ahead will be this funeral home which has been cleared out so that we can store our weapons. At the very end of the street, over at Ashton Avenue, there will be a tire shop. That's the second spot where we manufacture our firepower. And just behind that tire shop, over at Brace Street, you'll find this one mosque - only mosque you'll find in this street. That's where we store the weapons from the tire shop. Did you get all that?"

"Funeral home, auto part shop, tire shop, mosque...that's it, right?"

"That's right. Keep in mind that, depending on the day, the people who are working on those weapons will tend to switch places between the tire shop and the auto shop. They do it rather frequently too - like, once every two to three days. So keep that in mind if you choose to join them instead of choosing to guard the storage units. Anything else you wanna ask?"

"What are they making and storing, anyway?"

"Eh...I wouldn't know. I'm just a guard here, man. If you wanna figure out, then you gotta ask the people who are actually working there. What's the matter? Scared something will blow up in your face?"

"I've been through worse, you know."

Her response was more than enough to make the goon laugh as they quickly regained their composure before attempting to wrap up the conversation that they were currently having with Jaguar.

"Anyways, hope things turn out well for all of us. The last thing I need is another earful again...make sure you keep yourself vigilante. Who knows, the fugitive may be walking among us right now, but I wouldn't know for sure. But hey, that's our job, right? To try and find her, even if she's disguised or not."

"Mhm."

"Right, I'll catch you on the flipside, then. If you need any help, just ask around."

"Got it. Thanks for the help."

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Blake could be seen waiting within her motel room, her mind clearly filled with doubt and confliction - she was thinking about Jaguar's assistance, and admittedly, her paranoia left her wondering if she even wanted to help her at all. What if she wanted to double-cross her? Maybe she planned on outing her to the rest of the Pathfinder so that she could regain Fleurie's trust? Surely there had to be more than just revenge in the mix, no? Maybe she did not want revenge at all. It was hard for her to come to a definite answer, which was why she was left so shaken in the first place. Perhaps it had something to do with her being inactive at the moment - every second of every day, she was always occupied or busy with something. She was always keeping herself on the move - no matter the time, no matter the occasion. Maybe she wanted to be constantly distracted for a reason - to call her mentally sound would admittedly be somewhat of a lie, because mentally, she was rather shaken.

Her mind was constantly plagued with these intrusive thoughts that always messed with her mind, and because of this, it also messed with her emotion as well. This was a problem she always possessed, even before she was murdered and brought back to life in the form of a semi-robot. If only she could remember why she always had these sour thoughts that lingered within her conscience...

However, her zoned-out state was broken by the sound of a motorcycle horn as she snapped back into reality in an instant - with her mind now fixated on the noise, she immediately looked out the window to see the source of the noise. Sure enough, she saw Jaguar waiting outside of the motel whilst remaining on her vehicle. Knowing that this was her cue, she got herself out her room before heading downstairs, and once she was out of the building, she made her way towards the woman as she approached her before speaking up once she got close enough.

"I see that you're back. Nothing bad happened, I hope?"

"Not as far as I know, no."

"Right, so what do you got for me?"

"Okay, so there's four buildings for you to focus on. Two storage areas, two manufacturing areas."

"Just like Brightmoor, huh..."

"Just like Brightmoor. And just like the drug storage spots, the weapon storage units are guarded practically 24/7. I don't know when the weapon manufacturing begins or ends, though. I didn't think to ask the operating hours. Your targets are on the same street."

"...I'm guessing you're talking about West Warren."

"Bingo. There's four buildings you need to keep in mind of. An auto shop, a funeral home, a mosque, and a tire shop. You don't really need to know the names - they're the only ones on that particular stretch of asphalt. Need me to repeat it for ya?"

"Nah, I got it. Now we have to think of a plan to infiltrate these spots..."

"If I'm gonna be a part of this plan, then maybe I can sneak my way into the storage areas. I don't know how to go around handling the manufacturing spots, though."

"I'll think of something. But for now, we'll make do with what we have. We can't afford to mess this up."

"Heh, as if you had to say that."

"I'm sure you know what happens if we fail."

"Mhm...I know. I know..."