Gods Among Men Burnley

Saarai

Lord of Bondage and Pain
Benefactor
Burnley is Gotham City's central district, a buffer between the Diamond District and Otisburg, Gotham's northernmost district.

Burnley is home to Gotham's financial district, where Von Gruenwald Enterprises, a pharmaceutical research company also heavily involved in the biodefense industry, has its headquarters.

Located in south Burnley are the Gotham Tap Room and Club 539, fronts for rival crime bosses Philip "Black Mask" Roarke and Harvey "Two-Face" Dent respectively.
 
Last edited:
Rain was coming down hard on Gotham, but that didn't deter the False Face Society goons from getting their job done. Box after box, each filled with guns, were being loaded into the back of a catering van.

Mama Rosita's was the name on the side of the van. Mama Rosita's was an Italian restaurant, it was that restaurant where the boxes were coming from. It was a front for Black Mask. It served spaghetti with a side of illegal firearms.

"Where's Mauricio? We're almost done here." One of the gangsters asked, "Bathroom, I think?" Another answered, gesturing towards the door they were bringing the boxes out of.

The first gangster began his journey towards the door, but he didn't get far before he was dropped by a bullet. Gunfire rang out from the end of the alley, several men with assault rifles charging towards the van.

Black Mask's gangsters scrambled, some taking cover and returning fire on the attackers. "We need help!" One of the gangsters screamed at the top of his lungs, "Hey!"
 
Mauricio is a man of respect. He is a man that got to where he was in the Society because he knew when to give respect, and how much to give. The goons under him are people he gives only a little bit of respect to, but it wasn't because of anything they did. It was because he didn't know them that well. Not once did they ask him to go out for a drink with them. Not once did they take the time to hold a conversation that didn't involve them talking about some poor schmuck that they robbed or some kind of moment that boosted their egos and allowed totem to paint themselves as some sort of big shot. He and they were familiar with each other, to the point of being acquaintances, even. But none of them were friends.

That being said, when the gunshots and the shouting started, Mauricio didn't rush all that much. If they wanted to make something of themselves they have to know that he ain't gonna cover them all the time. Still, the shipment was obviously in danger, so he had to help defend it. He found cover beside the door, and pulled out his firearm. He took a moment to find the timing between the sound of machine gun fire, and then opened the door. He fired five shots, and only four hit anyone. The first two hit one of the opposing gunmen in the chest and neck, while the rest were aimed at another. One bullet missed and made a hole in the ground, but the last two managed to hit a man's gun and arm.

The opposing gunment started shooting at their new target, and Mauricio had to duck back into the cover of the building.

"Who the hell is shooting at us?!" he exclaimed over the sounds of gunfire.
 
"It's Gotham City, anyone could be shooting star us! Probably Dent's people!" A mobster shouted to Mauricio, firing off a few shots to drop one of the attacking gunmen.

Even still, they were outnumbered and outgunned. Backup couldn't arrive fast enough to save them.

"We need to leave the shipment. Don't need to die with it!"

Someone had to tell Black Mask he lost a shipment. That was as good as dying right there in the alley if you said the wrong words.
 
Mauricio didn't like the idea, since Black Mask wasn't the kind of guy you tell bad news to. But this wasn't going to end well for them if they stayed. The mobster came out for cover again, and fired off two shots before the clip was spent. He got back to cover, and started thinking. He had a few ways to handle the problem, but they were by no means a solution. It was a pain in the neck, and he'd have to call in a few favors, but it gave them a chance to get the guns back, as well as get back at these no name gunners. The only problem was explaining this to Black Mask.

"Alright, leave it!"
 
"I'll keep you covered, Mauricio. Go!" A gangster shouted, unloading on their approaching rivals. Unfortunately, he only had a pistol and theven trash can he hid behind wasn't going to last long.

Eventually, it was going to look like Swiss cheese and him along with it.

"I'll be right behind you." He said, watching as others in their crew fled or barely clung to life. They were caught off guard.
 
Mauricio dashed back into the building with whoever was left. He didn't who these guys were yet, but they were not going to get away with this. If he wouldn't make sure of himself, then Black Mask certainly would. The latter of which is something that Mauricio wanted to avoid if at all possible. The place had several entry and exit points, and the one they were trying to get to was the one with a bunch of cars parked outside. Still, he couldn't just go and run there with the hope that these guys wouldn't have more waiting.

"Come on, let's get to the roof! They might be waiting for us outside"

Yeah, if these were any sort of professionals, they'd have that covered too, but it would be a much easier time to fight through them to escape than it would be fighting these guys on two fronts when they could barely handle fighting them on one. Mauricio loaded another clip into his pistol, and prepared for the worst.
 
The last of Black Mask's gangsters followed Mauricio up to the roof. With any luck they could hide out or use the higher ground to take a few of their attackers out with them.

"They're going to take the shipment." One of them said, "We can't let them do that. The boss is going to be pissed!"

"Go and be a hero if you want, I'm allergic to bullets, myself." Another joked, adding a little levity to the situation.

"How did they even know to find us?"
 
"Everyone, shut up!"

Mauricio was glad the gunmen didn't follow. It gave them time to regroup. Still, these goons were ask My questions and freaking out. It didn't help them, and they were getting on everyone's nerves. He needed to think.

"Alright. We can still get the shipment back. I have a few friends that can help us keep track of them. What's more important at the moment is who we're dealing with here. Anyone of you have any ideas?"
 
"It's gotta be Dent. That burnt faced fuck is escalating." One of the gangsters answered, "I say we escalate ourselves. I know a guy that can get us those yellow rings." He added.

The other gangsters liked the idea, but it came with risks. Escalating that much meant that it wasn't just cops and FYI agents who came knocking.

Supers, the Green Lanterns, they had to get involved.

"They're driving off in the van. Call your friends." Another said, peeking down to the street. "They'll probably torch the van when they get the shipment out."
 
"First of all, we putting on no yellow rings. At least not without the Boss' permission. Secondly, I am gonna call my friends, but the van's not gonna make it, if they torch it. We chase after it, we're dead. I want you all to go and get yourselves better guns. We can't take these guys on with peashooters. I want you all to meet me behind that diner where Yestertoys used to be. We can't save the van, but we can save the shipment. Hell, maybe we'll find something more."

Mauricio was right. It wouldn't matter who he called up, they're driving away with the van. He can call up a guy to keep an eye on them with the cameras all over the city, but they ain't reaching there before they finish unloading those guns. Not unless they all wanted to get blown away. The important were the guns that was stolen, though. So that'll have to do. Now if he Dent's guys as well as he did, then they won't go down that easily. Especially with those guns. He'd have to call in a few more favors than he'd like.
 
"You heard him. Let's go. We got some bodies to drop." One of the mobsters said, looking down to see their attackers leaving.

The other gangsters were quick to start moving when heard tires burning out. If they were going to get the shipment back they needed to act fast.

"Get your crews together! And don't say anything to anyone."
 
As the others left, Mauricio looked down. This was going to be a very stressful day. He had his plan. First, he'd need to get eyes on the van. They were driving around on the streets, and if it was one of their rival gangs, then they'd bring it somewhere in the city. A city with a few cameras on the street. Even if a camera didn't catch it, someone would have to have seen it. You don't exactly miss a car with bullet holes in it. If he found out where the guns were, he'd then need to call in some favors. He knew a few crack shots that could help out. Of course, this'd be more than just a simple favor, so they might ask for a little something extra. Either way, he'd need their help. After that, he'd have to go to one of his stashes, and bring in some better firepower. He didn't want things to turn into a firefight, but he doubt the guys they're up against are gonna be all that talkative. Finally, he'd have to get a van for everyone to get in so they could drive up to where they needed to be. It would also help with packing up the guns if they torch the other van.

With all that in mind, Mauricio took out a cell phone. It wasn't anything new or expensive-looking. In fact, it would be considered ancient by the youth these days. It was a large phone that needed some big batteries to work, but it still worked. He dialed a number in, and called up a hacker friend on the guy's own cell phone, of which they probably had many. He'd need them to hack into the cameras in the city to keep tabs on the shipment.
 
Somewhere in Gotham sat a man in a dark room filled with computers. Sometimes he didn't know if it was day or night.

He didn't care.

When a call came in he barely took his eyes off of his computer monitors to look at his phone. With the push of a button the call was answered.

"You've reached The Calculator. If you have this number you clearly need some criminal help. What can I do for you?" Calculator asked.
 
"I'm a busy man, so I'll make this quick. I need you to keep tabs on a van moving around in Gotham. I need you to hack into the cameras and find out where it's going. It's a Mama Rosita's van with a ton of bullet holes in it. You can't miss it."

Rushing through what he himself wants was a rude thing, but Mauricio was on a time table, and stuff like this wasn't going to be easy. Still, just to be polite, as 'men of business' like them have to be every now and then, he spoke again to the Calculator.

"I know that we've yet to discuss the matter of payment, but this is something urgent, and I am prepared for almost whatever you name your price as."
 
"We'll discuss payment if you make it out of this alive. I imagine you're in a rush." Calculator said, typing away at his multiple keyboards.

He was checking every street cam, every smartphone with a camera he could find in city.

Finally he spotted the van. It had been through hell. Mauricio wasn't lying about the bullet holes. The van was Swiss cheese.

"I found your van. It's heading... south, sticking to side streets. I can keep an eye on it, but I charge by the hour." Calculator told the mobster.

"Crime doesn't pay for itself."
 
Last edited:
"I understand that. I'll call you again when I no longer need your services. I'll transfer your money then and there."

This was going to cost much more than the gun shipment could possibly earn him, but it wasn't about the money he'd make. It was about the money Black Mask would make. Specifically the money that he wouldn't make if this shipment didn't get delivered. If the boss gets upset, then heads are going to roll, and Mauricio would prevent that if he could.
 
After his meeting with Bruce, Aries had a few more whiskeys before he headed back out to his bike. Sure, he probably shouldn't drink and drive, but he had a pretty high tolerance for alcohol and he would just be extra careful. Tugging on his helmet, he started the cycle up and pulled away, heading down the street. As he made his way to the hotel, he thought about everything that had happened and couldn't help but wonder if Wayne would even look at the flash drive. Even if he did, would the millionaire... or billionaire even call him? Refusing to let his buzz be diminished by negativity, the male forced himself to think about his sister and how proud of her he was. It wasn't long before he reached the hotel. Pulling into an empty parking spot, he shut off his ride and swung his leg over the side of it.

"Maybe I'll hit the bar inside the hotel. No... better not. Promised Nicci I would transfer funds into her account and I'm running pretty low at the moment." Shaking his head, Aries headed into the hotel room, removing his helmet as he walked. Shoving the keys into his pocket, he hummed on his way to the elevator, hitting the button for the 7th floor. Once reaching the correct level, he moved out to room 770, keying himself into the room before stepping inside, knowing he wouldn't be able to afford the place much longer. Letting the door shut behind him, Aries locked it up with a heavy sigh, moving into the room, flicking the lights on before placing his helmet onto the table.
 
A knock came to Aries' door not long after he entered the room. "Mr. Cyric?" A man on the other side of the door asked loudly, "If you're awake, or actually here, my name is Morgan Ducard. I work for Mr. Wayne." He continued.

"I come bearing news. Good news." Morgan told Aries.
 
Barely having any time to himself, Aries was caught off-guard by a knock on his door. Figuring it was housekeeping or something, he was even more surprised to hear that it was someone that worked for Mr. Wayne. Immediately his mind started running through a plethora of different scenarios, almost sure that he was going to be told to never contact Bruce again. However, while he was halfway through the different outcomes of this conversation, he was pleased that it was good news. Moving quickly to the door, he unlocked it and slid open the door, belatedly realizing he hadn't even looked through the peep hole. Hopefully this individual truly did work for Wayne and wasn't a random robber. Immediately recognizing him, Aries nervously slid his hand through his hair and stepped out of the way, motioning for Morgan to enter if he so desired.

"Ah, good news is always welcome." He managed, trying to keep from letting his anxiety flare.
 
Back
Top