Chemical Mixtures

Mark hated the smell of the meth lab. The mix of chemicals never agreed with him, but he didn't need it to agree with him, only the people they peddled to. So long as it worked for them, he could keep getting paid. Simple enough. A friend he owed a favor to had to bail on guard duty here today, so Mark volunteered to cover for him. Easy enough; it wasn't one of the main labs, only about four chemists and one other armed guard. The job was simple: Keep the mask on so you don't inhale anything nasty, sit near the back door in case anyone tried to sneak in that way, shoot anyone who tries to disrupt the operation, but most likely just sit and wait until evening to come and collect some cash. Easy peezy, lemon squeezy. A casual glance at his watch showed he only had an hour left until they were gonna close up shop today; an uneventful day at one of the smaller labs, as always.

It was best to start small.  He was alone today after all.  The target would be lightly guarded and ripe for the picking.  Jet Timere knew.  He knew the place well.  He knew when they would be working.  He knew when they would be leaving.  He knew exactly where the guards would be.  How did he know?  Because he had worked with them before.  They were the lackeys of Oz.  His former companions.  Former.  Not that he cared to begin with.  He always thought them too passive.  Too organized.  Too complacent.  It was a relief to him when Valerie, the Witch, stood forward.  Calling out their lazy leader for falling foolishly into stagnation.  It was East Diamond after all.

No, that wasn't it.  Not just East Diamond.  That's how it is everywhere.  How it truly is.  Most people try to hide it, or deny it, or ignore it.  But Jet Timere could see the truth.  And it was only a matter of time before that facade of a world came crashing down.  The countdown was starting, and it was beginning with this.  

Jet had his hood up as he neared his destination.  His platinum blonde hair was a dead giveaway.  After all, his former companions should be familiar with him as well, so he had to be careful.  He couldn't reveal himself.  At least, not quite yet.  He slowly walked through the alley with his target to his left.  There were no doors here, so why would anyone be guarding it?  Jet placed his palm on the wall of the building.  Set. 6.  He then continued down the alleyway, leading towards the front of the building.

He casually walked up to an unassuming door he knew to be the front entrance.  He picked up a small rock from the ground and held it in his palm.  Set. 5.  He placed the rock into his pocket, and softly knocked on the door.  He waited patiently for a response, humming a simple tune.

A knock on the door caused Mark to furrow his brow. He looked over to the other guard he was with, who seemed equally confused. The chemists looked nervously at one another. Mark stood and drew his pistol, holding it down, but still ready in case things went crazy. The other guard opened the door and squinted at the intruder. "Who the hell are you?" He asked in a gruff voice, his body blocking vision of the rest of the shop, but the smell would certainly be hitting Jet from this distance. The guard had his own pistol hidden behind the door, but given Jet's familiarity with this line of work, he would surely know that. "If you're a buyer, you're at the wrong place. Three blocks down that way."

Wall: 5
Rock: 4

Jet kept his hood up, obstructing his hair and eyes.  He talked slowly and rather carefree.
"Buyer?  Oh, buyer!  I see.  Yes, well, I suppose that might be nice, but..."  Jet pulled out his pockets, "I have no money!"  Jet gave a little laugh as a small rock fell from his pocket onto the ground.  Jet stared at it for a moment, as if in thought, or what could appear as wondering how that rock got there.  "Well..."  Jet held his palms up as if shrugging and gave a light kick to the rock.  It tumbled past the guard and stopped under one of the tables.

"I wouldn't say I'm a buyer.  More like a seller.  But!"  Jet held out his index finger as if stopping the guard from interrupting, "I will cut you a deal.  Because what I sell is free! Ya know, for old buddies."  Jet flipped up his hood a bit, revealing his face and showing some of his hair without letting the hood fall off completely.  Jet gave the guard a moment, "Surprise!  Happy to see me?  Probably not."  Jet laughed.

By this time that guard had most likely taken up an aggressive position.  Either way Jet tried to hold him up again, "Nooooow, I know what you're thinking.  'Oh, its Jet, that traitorous bastard that left with the Witch' or something, right? Exactly what you were thinking?  I thought so.  Weeeell, after some time with her, I've realized just how crazy she really is.  Soooo, I wanted to sneakily walk back to you guys and give you some intel on her."  Jet gave the guard a look over again.  If he hadn't already pulled the gun from behind the door, Jet could easily tell he was holding it there.  "Here, as a measure of good faith,"  Jet reached behind him and pulled out his knife, sharp end towards himself, "here, my only weapon.  You saw me turn out my pockets right?"  Jet smiled innocently and held out the knife for the guard to take.  Before he grabbed it, Set. 3.

As soon as the guard saw who it was, he immediately stepped back and shouted, "MARK! Problem!" as he pointed his firearm at Jet. Mark, immediately reacting, let out a sharp whistle to the chemists. "Start packing up. If things start heating up, bail." The chemists quickly gathered around the tables, turning off fires, throwing raw ingredients back into their containers, packing up what equipment they readily could.
Mark drew his pistol and held back a good distance from the door, but still with a clear line of sight if the door. He recognized Jet; quiet kid, but somewhat off-putting. He kept his eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold.
The guard narrowed his eyes as well, but took the knife from Jet, slipping it into his jacket pocket. "You want back in? Why come here to this lab? Why not, oh, I dunno, someplace where one of the lieutenants, someone who could actually do something with your info, is? You know they never piss around the small labs."

Wall: 4
Rock: 3
Knife: 2

"Why did I come here?"  Jet laughed as if the guard had said that in jest.  "Well, of course I'm not gonna go to one of the big bases.  There's so many people there, I'd be dead on the spot before I got near anyone.  Besides, its not like this has to be done immediately.  It's not as if you are stuck here all the time.  Once I give you the info you should be able to pass it riiiight on to the big boss.  You can keep me away from the lieutenants so I don't assassinate them," Jet moved his fingers as if using quotation marks. "That's sure to be the first thing they think I'd do."

"As for getting back into Oz, I fully expect to receive due punishment for my behavior, it was a rather unstable time for me, but still.  However, I realize the Witch is someone that needs to be stopped.  She is sure to target Oz, no?  I can help you find her before she can pull anything."  Jet looked around, as if a bit nervous.  "If you don't mind, could we head inside?  I'm worried about who else may be listening.  You shouldn't have anything to worry about right?  Two guns pointed at me at all times, and you have my only weapon.  Unless you need to pat me down first?"  Jet gave a joking smile and patted the sides of his coat.

The guard nodded, glaring at Jet. "Yeah, I'm not taking any chances with one of you defectors. Arms out." He ordered, gesturing with his gun. When Jet complied, the guard quickly patted him down, checking to make sure he didn't have anything on him. After he did, he leaned past Jet, looking up and down the street to see if there was anything out of the ordinary; no other cars, no people, no nothing. "Mark. Check the back. Better safe than sorry." With that, he roughly pulled Jet into the lab and gestured to a chair in the corner of the strong-smelling shop. "Sit down while I figure out what exactly is going on." Mark lowered his gun and made his way to the back of the shop, keeping a weather eye on Jet as he did. He opened the back door and glanced up and down the street, checking to see if any of the Witch's reinforcements were coming. "So what exactly did the Witch do to make you come to your senses?" The other guard asked, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out his cell phone to call one of his officers.

Wall: 3
Rock: 2
Knife: 1

Jet followed as instructed into the lab and was directed to a chair in the corner.  "Offering me a seat? Aww, I feel like one of the gang again already!"  Jet plopped down into the seat in a rather relaxed manner, arms hanging behind the back.  The guard asked Jet a question and pulled out his phone.  "Hey, it's rude to be on your phone when talking to a guest you know.  And I haven't even told you anything yet.  What are you gonna say?  'Oh, hey, bossman, remember that one guy?  Well he may have some information, but I don't know what it is yet.'"  

Jet rocked back in his chair, teetering on the edge of falling over.  "Well, if that's the case I'd better get started then.  So, what did she do to make me cooome to my senses."  Jet held up his finger, "Well, my friend, it's not so much what she did do, but what she's going to do.  Just continual talk about causing chaos.  She is rather indiscriminate.  Most of the time.  She really has it out for Oz, though.  But, while she has the utmost intention of destroying Oz, she's gonna be attacking eeeeverywhere."  

Jet sat his chair back down and leaned forward.  "And, she has a super with her.  He goes by the name Countdown.  Quite a zealot, that one.  Very dangerous."  For perhaps the first time Jet looked serious.  "So, it'd be best to go straight for the head.  Avoid the super if possible.  The Witch is hiding out in Jadetown.  She knows it's a place you can hardly touch her, while she gives out orders."

The guard glared at Jet as he spoke. "A super? That's new info. Thanks for filling us in. The rest, though." He pointed the gun directly at Jet's forehead, only a few feet away. "Sounds like bullshit. Valerie hiding out and giving orders instead of sitting where she can see the chaos unfold? You forget, Jet, most of us have worked with the crazy bitch. You expect me to believe that she leaves Oz and is all of a sudden a genius? Yeah, no. Not falling for it." He grinned and pulled the hammer back on the revolver. "Any last words before I paint the wall with your brains?"

Wall: 2
Rock: 1
Knife: 0

Jet just looked at the ground for a moment, in complete silence.  It started with a single giggle.  Then two.  Then Jet burst out into laughter, leaning back in his chair again, one hand on his face.  He took a deep breath and gazed at the guard through his fingers.  "Guess I could have come up with something better, couldn't I.  Honestly, I'm quite disappointed in myself.  Guess that's that then.  We've his the zero.  But you know, you did ignore a piece of advice I gave you."  Jet pulled his hand from his face and pointed his index finger at the guard, thumb up, as if in the shape of a gun.  "Didn't I tell you to avoid the super? Bang."  He flicked up his wrist, and just as he did, the knife exploded in the guards pocket.  

Being so close, the impact hit Jet as well, knocking back his chair.  But he was ready for it.  He recovered, sprinted for one of the setups and quickly touched it with his palm. Set. 3.  He then turned to face the other guard, Mark, who had probably been momentarily stunned by the sudden explosion, bringing up his finger again and pointing it right at him.  He pointed his other finger at one of the chemists.  Jet's smile was wide as he faced them down.  "Sorry, but looks like time is up, boys."

The guard's arm was blown clean off and his ribcage torn open from the blast originating from his pocket; he was dead in an instant. From where he was checking outside, Mark jumped when he heard the blast, running back in. He froze as Jet pointed his finger at him, raising his gun to match. "Don't you try anything, Jet. I'm a crack shot and you know it." He warned, narrowing his eyes. "Stand down and I'll take you in. Brother to brother." As much as Mark hated Valerie's betrayal, he blamed her for that, not those she lead away. Jet was still a brother to him; all brothers were allowed leniency.
The chemists all reacted with some degree of fear as Jet pointed a finger at them; most stepped back with a start, one dove underneath the table, and the last froze like a deer in the headlights. They thought it was him creating the explosions; none of them knew the true nature of his power.

Chem Set: 2
Wall: 1
Rock: 0

Jet stopped and stared at Mark for a moment, then a smile turned up on his face.  "Ah, yes, yes.  Mark, of course, of course.  It'd be bad of me to try dealing with you and your gun.  Always an impressive one.  Well, peaceful resolution is the best, of course."  Jet began slowly lowering his hands, fingers maintaining their form.  "Really Mark, you certainly know how to handle a situation when it counts. -is what you hoped I'd say."  Jet's left index finger was now aimed towards the table near some of the chemists that had the rock underneath.  Jet again mimicked a gun firing with his hand, "Bang."

The rock under the table exploded, sending debris flying and a cloud of chemicals wafted up from the explosion.  This time Jet was sufficiently far away to not get affected by the explosion blast, but he made sure to cover eyes in his hood and his mouth and nose in his coat to avoid the chemicals.

Mark was not luckier than the chemists, three of whom were sent flying by the blast and didn't seem likely to get up, but not as lucky as Jet was. The chemicals sprayed directly into his face, a sharp stinging in his right eye. He let out a cry of pain and dropped his gun from it, staggering backwards. His mask was still on, so he wasn't inhaling anything, but his eyes burned. He covered his face, screaming in pain and loudly cursing at Jet.
The fourth chemist had been knocked near Jet by the blast of the explosion; he took some time to stir, but he slowly got onto all fours, ears ringing and head throbbing.

Chem Set: 1
Wall: 0

Jet looked down at the chemist at his feet as he attempted to get himself up.  A wicked smile crept across Jet's face.  He grabbed the chemist by the shoulders and helped him to his feet.  He faced the chemist towards him and lightly dusted him off.  Jet then looked right at the chemist with a mix of sincerity and insanity.  "My, what rough shape you're in.  Tell you what, I'll let you go.  Why? Because it's more fun to watch you run than to just kill you while you're down."  The chemist was probably confused by these actions, or still a bit dazed from the explosion.  "Well, what are you waiting for."  Jet gave the man a hard slap on the back, pushing him towards the front exit.  Set. 3.  "Hurry along now.  And make sure you run, or I'll come after you."  He said that in an innocent voice and with a smile, giving a small wave as if seeing off a good friend.  

Jet then turned towards the wall.  "Well, I guess I over prepared a bit.  I don't really need an alternate exit.  But hell with it."  Jet pointed his index finger at the wall leading to the alley. "Bang."  The wall blew out, leaving a hole large enough for Jet to move through.  "It's more of an exciting escape this way."  Jet finally looked over to Mark, still writhing in pain on the ground.  He then looked over to the chem set he placed a bomb on.  It would go off soon, so he should leave quickly.  The explosion itself should cause the chemicals to set off, making a small fire at best, blowing out the insides of the building at worst.  

Jet walked over to Mark and crouched down, watching him for a moment and the picking up the gun.  He looked it over in his hands, examining it quite thoroughly.  "Ya know Mark, it would be so easy to kill you with this gun right here you pointed at me.  But that would be rather dull don't you think?  This small, tiny, minuscule piece of iron that comes out of a bend piece of metal can kill so easily.  It's almost anticlimactic.  And I'm not in it for the killing anyway."  Set. 3.  Jet tossed the gun off to the side towards the back of the room, well out of reach of the two.  "So I'll give you a chance.  Do you have the will?  Do you have the capability?  Do you have the fire left in you to make it out alive and keep living?  I certainly hope so."  Jet stood up and walked over to the new exit he had made in the wall.  "I look forward to seeing you again, Mark."  Jet hopped through the hole and into the alley.

The chemist didn't need any further encouragement than that as he stumbled, still dazed from the explosion, to the front door, moving to run back home.
Mark, however, seemed to have different priorities. He made his way to the hole in the wall, forcing his left eye open as he looked around, trying to look around for any sign of where Jet ran off to. He let his mercy get the better of him here; he wouldn't be making that mistake again, and if he could, he was going to make sure that he was going to make Jet suffer for his actions today. Behind him, another explosion went off, sending him sprawling out of the building and into the alley, where he quickly lost consciousness.