Liberator walked through the dark streets and alleyways of Florence. While the city was well kept and clean, the hero couldn't help but see the dirty parts. As they walked by, they saw a business owner give a package to a couple of shady looking fellas. The cops were very chill and lack, even when an obvious drug dealing was happening right in front of them. An elderly lady watched them with narrow suspicious eyes as did everyone else.

Okay, that may have been because they were walking in public in their costume, but that's because a hero's job was never finished!

Ignoring more stares from the public that may or may not have been mafiosos in disguise, the hero entered a dark alley. It was night time and that was the perfect time to do suspicious things. They walked up to a rusty metal door and gave it a shave and a haircut, two bits. It's that one knock that everyone instinctively knows but doesn't know the name of.

There was a pause before a hatch on the door slid open. Beady eyes peeked out, bouncing everywhere before settling on the wrapped figure.

"Who are you and what do you want?" His voice was raspy and quick, but the Liberator's was raspier and quicker.

"Ya don't gotta know who I am, and I want a damn drink!" they all but growled. The person behind the door narrowed their eyes before they clicked their tongue. The vigilante rolled their eyes before reaching into their pockets. They produced a coin and flipped it through the gap.

"Ah! Yes, yes, please come in!" the hatch slid closed. Multiple locks and bars were heard moving before the door finally opened. Slouched over and acting grumpy, the Liberator walks in. They glanced at the bouncer who was a short man with crooked teeth. He gave them a wide smile that somehow had far too many teeth.

"Piss off, Mort," they growled as they flipped them another coin. The bouncer grew excited like a squirrel and snatched the coin midair. He eyed it and cleaned it, accepting the bribe to stay quiet about the new arrival.

The Liberator walked through what looked like an abandoned warehouse before approaching a bald man with a beard. They wore a gold chain necklace with a pendant similar to the coin they gave to the bouncer.

The bearded man looked at the tattered vigilante before frisking them. His big manly hands lightly padded them, taking note of the blades and the backpack. Once satisfied, the man nodded and kicked a crate revealing a trapdoor.

"No trouble." He plainly said before opening the hatch. Cool air spilled out of a dark stairwell. Liberator nodded, recalling nothing about procedures had changed. They walked down the stairwell, the bearded man closing the trapdoor.

It was dark, very dark, but the vigilante was used to it. They walked down the stone steps, their feet never missing a slab. After a few moments, light began to illuminate the dark, and the Liberator was presented with an underground club. There were flashing lights and music playing. Tons of people danced and laughed. There were naked strippers of men and women, all of them expertly dancing on their poles. One could see infamous villains milling about as well as a few famous heroes too!

The vigilante frowned, they hated clubs like this. It seems while the entry hadn't changed, the lobby did. It used to be nice. A quiet calm place like that of a hotel or an office. They supposed appearances needed to change to hide the truth.

Walking through the mass of people, some naked, others barely dressed, Liberator made their way to the back. A topless man wrapped an arm around the vigilante, laughing as he was obviously drunk and high.

"HEY MAN! YOU WANNA HIT?" He offered a boof to the hero, the joint stinking of something that was most definitely not weed. They growled before shoving the junkie off, sending him into a threesome that soon turned into a foursome.

Liberator soon entered a doorway with colorful beads hanging. The music grew softer and the yells and cheers of the club soon faded. The hero walked down another set of stairs, passing by two bouncers who paid the hero no attention.

https://youtu.be/hNtP8zJFL2M

"Now this is better." The vigilante came upon a nice quiet bar. There were windows, but those were just to illuminate the room and the stained glass. There were wooden tables set about, and people quietly drinking as they played cards. At the bar, a white haired man was cleaning a mug. A jukebox played softly as jazz filled the room.

"Yo," the hero sat on a stool. "I'll have uhhhh... gimme a glass of milk."

The white haired bartender gave a look at the person. A sneer appeared on their face as they leaned on the table.

"Don't tell me you're one of those goody two shoes that don't drink?" the man all but sneered at the new arrival.

"I can hold my drink!" the hero felt offended, "It's just alcohol hasn't been kind to my family. And I gotta be somewhere, so y'know."

They showed off the bracer with the grapple hook. The bartender raised their head in understanding. They reached under the table and produced a jug of milk.

"I understand," they poured the vigilante a cup, "I don't drink myself."

"Really? I thought you'd have to if you were gonna serve drinks to everybody." Liberator reached for the cup, but the man held it away. They looked up and saw him rubbing his fingers. They sighed and passed a bill.

"Well, I have had one drink of every beverage we have to serve." he took the bill and slid the cup to the bandaged woman. "But after that, not a single drop of alcohol touches my lips."

"So how do you know if yer drink's taste good?" they took a sip of their cup, sighing in content as it was whole milk.

"Please, I like to think I know what I'm doing." the white haired man grabbed a couple of limes. He sliced them in half. He poured a liquor into a shaker followed by the juices of the limes. He tossed a few ice cubes and began shaking. Without breaking eye contact, the bartender shook the can vigorously.

They then pulled a glass out and expertly poured the liquid out. They dropped a new ice cube in the cup and put a strawberry with a tiny umbrella. A woman then walked up to the bar and took the cup.

"Hmm hm! Delicious as ever Infohazhard!" the woman slid a 100 dollar bill to the man. "Take it as tip~."

"Thank you madam." the man took the bill and cleaned up his mess. "So, what can I help you with?"

"Hm, I'm looking for someone." Damn, this milk was fine!

"Aren't we all?" the bartender gave a small smile as if to mock the hero.

"Heh, heh, ain't that the truth." Liberator glanced up at the man. "But I ain't looking for love, doll. Looking for a group of mercs that recently robbed a bank."

"And what would I happen to know about that?" the man kept a straight poker face as the antihero pulled out a knife.

"I dunno, the word is you know everyone and everything 'round these parts. They all had animal masks, so I'd assume they'd stand out quite a bit."

"Hm, do you really want to do that?" Info Hazhard eyed around the bar, noting that every patron had their guns and blades ready. One of them even had lightning cracking around their fist.

"Depends, do they really wanna do that?" Liberator stared at the bartender with hard eyes. It was then Info Hazhard took note of the man's eyes. While the wrappings covered their face pretty well, the man could see bags under the anti's eyes. Their exposed mouth revealed lips that were a bit too torn up in a certain way.

And then the eyes. Infohazard was an information broker. And he was a hard person to break. He had gone through several brutal interrogations and torture sessions and had never broken. His lips were locked as tight as the prison of Rock Bottom.

But these eyes were very familiar. Only people who had power or a will to rival gods could present a dominating aura so subtly. So Infohazhard knew better than to deny an old customer their request. Even if he did not recognize this customer.

He raised a hand and all the patrons lowered their arms and went back to their business. Info cleared his throat, still maintaining his poker face.

"Please put that thing away." The bartender produced another glass and began making a drink for a customer that was coming their way. "It will cost you, miss... ter?

"Liberator," the antihero sheath their knife before finishing their milk. They reached into their bag and produced a coin. They slapped it down on the table before sliding it to the man.

Info accepted the coin and took a glance at it. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized it markings on it. There is a type of currency the underground world uses. Bronze, silver, gold, and finally platinum coins with a special brand marked on each of them. The first three were money that any criminal, mafioso, gangster, villain, or antihero could use. Platinum was reserved for the elite. This is what Liberator had offered.

"Thank you for your patronage, sir." Info didn't know if this brat was the kid of some elite who wanted to do hero work. Or if they just stole these coins from a gangster. In the end, it didn't matter to him. He just needed to service this... not so fair lord.

"They are known as the Zoologists." the man finished making a martini for a customer. "They're a relatively new mercenary band. They have had a spree of robberies of banks, armories, and high end jobs."

"Are they working under the Grey Knights?" The Liberator slapped a bill on the table. They reached out for a bottle of whiskey and popped off the cork.

"Not directly no," Info offered a glass to the antihero. "I believe they have been commissioned to take a few hits on some higher ups in the city. Willing to pay quite the coin for it."

"Hmm, do you know who specifically?" The bandaged man poured himself a glass. Info dropped a couple of ice cubes in the glass for them.

"I can produce a list, but that will cost you." Three silver coins were offered. He took them silently. "As for their whereabouts, I believe I heard down the grapevine that they were in the west side of Brookhaven."

"That's where the abandoned docks are..." They let out a hum before gulping the whiskey. They downed the cup in a few swallows before slamming the cup down. They poured another glass, chewing on the ice. Info dropped another two for them.

"If you can draw up some names and info, I'll pay for them." Liberator gulped down the booze just as quickly and slammed the cup down a bit harder.

"Of course, my lord." He went for more ice, but the vigilante just began chugging straight from the bottle. In a few seconds, the entire bottle was gone. The Liberator slammed the bottle down, the glass cracked. They stared out into space before they frowned and mumbled something intelligible.

"Not even a buzz..."

"If there's any important info, just write it down with the files." Flipping a bronze coin on the bar, Liberator stood up perfectly as if they had not just finished a bottle. They took a breath and began to walk out.

"Thanks for the milk, Inko." they waved and the bartender's eyes widened at the sound of his true name. They eyed the back of the bandaged man before shaking their head. As long as they paid, he did not mind.

Sitting in a dark booth alone, a black haired woman watched the peculiar figure walk out. Red eyes sharp yet curious. She finished her drink and left a tip before getting up to follow.

~ ~ ~

The Liberator left through another exit the underground club had. As they walked down an alleyway, the woman from before followed from a distance but closely. She stayed quiet and made sure to hide behind corners and people walking by.

As the Liberator turned a corner, the woman did as well and found the antihero was gone. She frowned before beginning to eye the area. A few footsteps, and a fire escape with barely visible handprints on the ladder. The woman sighed before she climbed up the fire escape.

As she got to the top a hand suddenly grabbed and yanked her. She felt the world spin before she felt her back slam against a wall. A knife stabbed right next to her head as did a boot on the other.

"Mind telling me why yer following me?" The woman looked up to see the so called Liberator glaring down at her with narrowed eyes.

"I dunno, do you treat everyone like this?" she glared back at the vigilante.

"Only the ones I don't like following me." The antihero stared at the woman who looked up at them with nothing but disdain. They sighed before yanking their knife out. They surveyed the area, making sure there wasn't anyone else spying on them.

"A polite one aren't you?" the woman stood up and dusted herself off.

"Nice boob window," Liberator sheath their knife once they determined no one else was watching them.

"Thanks," the woman reached into said boob window and pulled a cigarette. They lit the cancer stick and took a drag. Liberator watched the city from above, keeping their senses keen should the woman do something.

"Whaddaya want?" they eventually asked.

"Overheard you and Infohazard talking about those animals." The woman walked up next to the antihero. She peeked over the edge, watching the cars and people go by.

"What about it?"

"I don't suppose you're heading over to the west side right now, aren't you?" She took a drag and blew out a puff of smoke.

"And if I am?"

"Well, I want in," The two turned to each other. Liberator furrowed their brow before they snatched the cigarette and tossed it. The woman frowned.

"Smoking's bad for you." The antihero eyed the woman up and down, examining her attire and how she dressed. She wasn't eye candy, they just needed to psychoanalyze the chick.

"Take a photo, it'll last longer."

"Why do you wanna come with? Last I heard cops weren't really fancied in Brookhaven." They stepped away from the ledge.

"Yeah, well, first of all, I'm a private eye. Second, Brookhaven isn't the worst place for a detective to end up." A hard look appeared in the woman's eyes.

"Okay, but why do you wanna come with me? Surely you can just waltz on into Brookhaven and arrest these ne'er do wells?"

"Oh, don't be an ass," the woman pulled out another cigarette, "I ain't too keen on arresting scum like them. If it were up to me I'd have them all on death row."

Liberator swiped the cigarette from the woman and tossed it. She frowned again with a glare.

"So you think I'm a merc or something? I ain't gonna go on a killing spree just cause some dame flashes her eyes at me."

"No, I never said you were gonna kill them. And if you're not a merc then what are you?" the antihero didn't answer, "Oh my god, don't tell me you're one of those heroes that never kills?"

"Oh please, I'm not a pretentious jerk with my head up my butt." Liberator took out some gum and offered it to the woman. She declined and went for another cigarette.

"Then what are you? Some kind of green hero turned antihero?" Before she even had a chance to put it in her lips, the bandaged freak grabbed her wrist.

"What is your problem?!" she growled.

"Smoking," they flicked the cigarette away. "is bad for you. Have some gum, it's raspberry flavored."

The vigilante stuck a gum wrapper in the woman's hand before letting go. The woman just sucked her teeth before tossing the gum in her mouth. She gave it a few chews before she realized it had nicotine. She guessed she could work with that.

"And for your question, I don't like labels, but I am a hero. And I will not kill unless it is deserved or necessary."

"Well, mister necessary, these mercs kidnapped the daughter of a client of mine. And they want her back, it's my job to get her back. I need some muscle to find out where she is."

"You seemed to track me down quite easily, why not find her yourself?"

"Because it's a mercenary base in the abandoned edge of Brookhaven and I am just one lone frail woman who needs a big strong hero to help her~!" the woman grew dramatic as she spoke. She twirled and placed a hand on her head as she seemingly fainted.

"How do I know this isn't a setup?" Liberator tossed a gum into their mouth. They couldn't taste the nicotine, but they just wanted to chew on something. "I go with you and all your cop buddies shoot me down?"

"Please, if I wanted to set you up, I'd put more effort." the detective stood up.

"Hmm, and how do you suppose we find this girl?" Liberator couldn't help but be intrigued by this woman.

"You leave that up to me," she leaned on a wall, "I don't wanna brag, but I'm a pretty good tracker."

"Okay doggy, we'll go to the docks and find your owner. Just know, if this is a setup, I will kill you." they threatened. They actually wouldn't, but she didn't need to know that.

"Oh I know, the camera feeds at the National Bank proves it." She pulls out a couple of images of the bank incident they were involved in. "I'm actually glad you're not a green kid, I need someone who knows how dirty this city is and to show they're not afraid to get dirty."

"If you knew what I was capable of, then why'd you ask me all those questions?" Liberator looks at the photos. Ew, they looked weird from that angle.

"It's always good to question things you already know. And I needed to ensure you weren't just some trigger happy antihero." She put the images away, "That's my job, dear, to question and investigate."

The woman pulled out a slip of paper and offered it to the hero.

"Meet me at that address, midnight. I'll expect you." she went to climb down the building. "Name's Jacqueline by the way, private investigator."

~ ~ ~

It was raining, it was soft but soon began to pick up and pour. Jaqueline made sure to take routes she knew wouldn't attract attention. Despite the disorder and chaos in Brookhaven, word got around faster than you'd expect. So if the homeless or local children saw a somewhat nice car drive through their neighborhood, it wouldn't take long for the higher up to realize a target was presented. Even if her car was a rusty bucket of bolts.

As the sleek black car pulled up to the abandoned docks of the west side, her headlights revealed a chain fence. She frowned as she'd have preferred to have her car inside, but she had no choice.

Just then a figure landed near her car. The woman reached for her gun, priming it. If it was a gangster then she'd need to bail. The woman held her breath as she lost sight of the figure. She eyed around her car before a voice popped up near her.

"Yo."

Bang!

"Whoa?!" Liberator flared as a bullet nearly took their head off. "Sheesh! Do you greet everyone like that?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jacqueline yelled, prayers to god. "Who the hell just sneaks up on someone like that?"

"Uh, excuse me? You asked me to meet ya out here! I was waiting for hours when a black car shows up where we agreed to meet. I thought you said you were expecting me?"

"I didn't think you'd be here already? What did you fly here?"

"No, I took the bus. My grapple hook ran out of air and I didn't have any coins for a pump."

Jacqueline pinched the bridge of her nose, already on her last nerves.

"Okay, fine! Just can you help me jump this fence?"

"Why?"

"Do you not see the chain and padlock? Unless you have some tools, I'd suggest we jump the fence." She gestured to the gate. The hero hummed before taking a closer look at the padlock.

"Ah, see here, you're using a Master Lock™ model 176 you can open it using a Master Lock™ Model 176." Pulling out another padlock, the vigilante smacked the padlock with the padlock. It popped open as if it was barely secured.

"Whoa, that's... worrying. For the company I mean." She'd have to remember to change brands later. Jack went to enter but the bandaged hero locked the padlock. "What are you doing?"

"If I teach you how to do it, then you'll be able to do it when I'm not around." They offered the second padlock to the detective.

"Are you serious? We don't have time for games."

"If you won't do it, then I'll leave you." Liberator threatened before offering the lock again.

"Ugh, fine!" snatching the lock the woman smacked the padlock, but it didn't open. She frowned before she beat it again, but the lock still did not open.

"No, no, no. Not like that, like this." producing another padlock the vigilante cleared their throat before reciting.

"You are using a Master Lock™ Model 176. It can be opened using a Master Lock™ Model 176." They then smacked the padlock and it opened like before.

"Okay you did it, let's go," Jaqueline grumbled only for the hero to lock the gate again.

"You gotta learn how to do it, Jacky. Come on, do it like I do it." Taking the woman's hands they recited their spiel and smacked the lock. And it once again, popped open.

"How are you doing that?" Jacky smacked the padlock again and again, but it still didn't open no matter what.

"Ya gotta say the words, Jacky. Remember, you are using a Master Lock™-"

"I know it's a damn master lock model 176, dipshit!" she yelled, ready to tear this guy's face off.

"But you're not saying it correctly!" Liberator then pulled some puppy eyes, looking up at her. It would have been cute if their face wasn't disfigured. "Come on, just try it? If it doesn't work then I'll pop it open and we go in, okay?"

Jacqueline sighed. Great, she leaves the force, goes to prison, and becomes an investigator just to be arguing with a moron. Where did she go wrong?

"Fine! But you better keep your promise!" Oh god, what was she? Five? The woman cleared her throat as she stared at the lock.

"You are using a Master Lock™ Model 176. It can be opened using a Master Lock™ Model 176." She then bonked the padlock and it opened without fail. She stared at the lock as if it betrayed her that it worked.

"See? Told ya it'd work!" The Liberator kicked the gates open and waltzed in. "Come on, bring your car in! We don't want the denizens of Brookhaven stealing your tires!"

Jaqueline just stared at the padlock in her hands before she shook her head and walked to her car.

~ ~ ~

The detective and vigilante snuck through the darkness of the docks, they had passed through warehouses and empty shipping containers, searching for any signs of the mercenary band. Jacqueline was keeping an eye peeled, her ears sharp, and her footsteps quiet. The Liberator on the other hand was humming a tune aloud, mumbling about nonsense, and walking loudly.

"I wonder if the moon's real..." they mumbled as they stepped in a puddle of water. They took notice and began childishly playing in it.

"Would you quit it?!" Jack was just about ready to pull out her gun and pop a bitch.

"But I'm bored!" the hero whined like a child. "I'd be much faster if I just ran ahead and found these guys."

"Yeah, probably, but how many gangs are using these docks as hideouts, that's why we need to methodically search for any tracks." Lord, she felt like she was talking to a child. It was then the clouds moved, shining moonlight on some markings in the ground.

"Tracks like that?" They pointed to the ground.

Jaqueline suddenly crouched low like a tiger, she crawled towards the marks her nose sniffing as if she were a bloodhound. There she licked the ground and tasted the dirt.

'It's always the cute ones that have a few loose screws...' Liberator couldn't tell if this was attractive due to how the woman was leaning down or disturbing with how she was behaving. Oh, she just took another lick, so they'd stick with disturbing.

"Tire tracks. Relatively fresh, about six hours. There's an oil trail, tastes like diesel. Which is odd, most cars are now electric."

"Diesel, huh?" Liberator squats down. They dragged a finger through the oil and gave it a taste before cringing... What? I never said they had all their screws.

"Ugh, most diesel engines need to have ultra-low sulfur amounts, but bleh!" they dug into their bag and downed a bottle of apple juice. "There's way too much sulfur in this."

"That either means they're using outdated fuel or they're producing it themselves." Jacqueline stood up, popping her neck.

"Hmm... come on," without warning, Liberator snatched the woman by her coat. They began scaling the side of a building like a monkey. The woman yelled and demanded to be dropped.

"What the hell is your problem you insane sociopath?!" the woman yelled at the hero before she saw a light in the distance.

A copious amount of smoke was being produced from one of the lit warehouses. In the distance, Jacqueline could see trucks and vehicles going into the structure.

"You see 'em too, yeah?" The Liberator hung from a lamppost with a single hand. The investigator blinked at the grip strength they had.

"Yeah..." turning back to the warehouse. She tried to estimate the amount of people there were, but couldn't tell. Perhaps she could do some recon and determine the layout before getting an actual hero to get these mercs.

"Okay, let's go." Huh?

Jack didn't get a chance to think before she was thrown into the air. She screamed as she flew up. She cried in panic, flailing her arms before she began to fall. But right before she hit the roofs she was caught.

"Ha ha! Ya good?!" Liberator laughed as they ran across the rooftops of the warehouses. They vaulted, leaped, flipped, and sprinted across as Jacqueline held onto them for dear life.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU REALLY ARE INSANE!" Jack held as tight as she could. The hero leaped off a building and used power lines to zip across a gap.

"Ha ha yeah..." After expertly crossing the distance in several seconds, the two stuck to a power line. Liberator hung off of it like Tarzan. The woman on the other hand clung to the back of the monkey, frozen stiff. Her teeth chattered as she swore she didn't almost piss herself.

"Ah dang, it's not them." The woman's head snapped to the side. She eyed the men and women entering the warehouse. She took a closer look and saw that they were actually gangsters. She sneered as she nearly died only to come across a false lead.

"Welp, we better take care of them anyway."

"We? We?! I'm sorry, are we speaking French now? There ain't no we. These aren't the guys I'm looking for. Just a bunch of gangers and thugs."

"Yeah, but they're criminals."

"Are you deaf? In case you fail to remember, I'm looking for the Zoologists. You know? The mercenaries that have kidnapped the girl?"

"Okay, but look!" Liberator pointed at one of the cars that just pulled in. It was a van and from the looks of it, they had plenty of people in it. The only problem, they weren't gangsters. It was full of kids. From young adults and teens to kids barely even ten years old.

"They got kids, Jacky, kids. Who knows what they're gonna do to them."

"Most likely indoctrinate them into their gang. Raise them up so their loyalty lays with the gang when they're adults."

"That's terrible, we gotta stop them."

"As I said, I don't speak French dumbass. And besides, there's like thirty of them. There's no way we can we can take them on alone. Even if we were to call the cops, they pussy out the moment they ask where to show up."

"Still, that doesn't mean we can't try." They turned to the detective. "That's what being a hero is about, Jacky. To dive into danger when no one else is willing. Firefighters rush head first into burning buildings, police officers respond to crime, and EMS will try their damnest to help anyone. At least they're supposed to."

"Well, newsflash, the world doesn't work like that. Now if you would kindly set me down, I can get to work on finding actual criminals."

Liberator frowned before they dropped down. Jacqueline felt her breath hitch before they landed.

"I expected better Miss Jaqueline," Liberator hopped onto the pole, "If you follow this path down, you'll make it back to the main road where you left your car. Stay safe, Miss."

And with that, the vigilante scaled the pole before running off. Jack stared at the fool before she reached into her pocket. Pulling out a cigarette and lit it before taking a drag. What did she care? If the moron wanted to go and die, then who was she to stop them.

"Halt! You've violated the law!" she heard the hero shout from the distance. "Now we can do this the easy way or-"

They didn't get to finish as the thugs all opened fire on the moron. The gunfire ran for a few moments before stopping. Jack sighed. Another dead fool. When were these 'heroes' going to learn? You can't just wave around your name thinking it'll do something.

As Jack walked away the sound of gunfire returned. She paused as the sounds of people shouting and yelling could be heard. Soon more gunfire was heard as a stray bullet zipped by her.

That dumb hero couldn't still be alive, could they? Maybe they were blasting his corpse? An explosion then erupted as the windows shattered. Guess that hero was tougher than she thought.

Still, it had nothing to do with her. Jack continued walking. She didn't need another bullet accidentally hitting her. As the detective continued walking, she couldn't help but replay those last words the Liberator had said.

"I expected better." she frowned. What did they know? It's not like they had a filthy past they were trying to get rid of. They were just some goody two shoes that thought stopping crime would solve everything.

'But didn't he expect better as well?' her own thoughts betrayed her. Her mind flashed back to younger years. A young girl with wide innocent eyes watched a murder inside a closet. Isn't that why she joined the force? So that she could make a difference? So that she could help people?

But where did that get her? Betrayed by her comrades and thrown in the pits for being nosey. But isn't that what good people did? After all, he went snooping around too.

'And it got him killed,' Once again her thoughts betrayed her. She took a drag of her cigarette before growling. Damn it! Why couldn't she drop it?!

Jacqueline's feet turned her around and began walking back to the warehouse. The gunfire was still as strong and the people were shouting and yelling. Another truck pulled in and more gangsters dropped down.

"Damn it all to hell." flicking her cigarette, Jack whipped out her revolver and began running towards the scene.

~ ~ ~

https://youtu.be/tnAoq3_6f5M

"Die you freak!!" a tattooed man yelled as he unloaded his magazine at the Liberator. The vigilante dodged and weaved between the terrible shots before he ran out of ammo. Faster than he could react, the man received a twin kick to the chest. He flew backward and fell into some wooden crates that fell on him.

"He's right there!" a woman with hot pink hair shouted. A couple of thugs ran up and aimed their guns.

"Your mum gay!" the hero shouted before leaping high into some scaffolding.

"My ma is a respectable woman!" the pink hair chick shouted as she sprayed her uzi. The shots were very great and accurate as they all missed the bandaged person. They scaled and crawled through the scaffolding with the agility of a weasel before leaping away.

A rolling drop threw the hero into a group of men who all had machetes and crowbars. The group and hero stared at each other for a moment before they rushed. A macho man raised his machete high in the air but wasn't fast enough as he slammed it down on nothing.

"Think fast chuckle head!" a one-two-three hit combo! Sent the macho man stumbling back. A skinny looking dude came in with a knife and jabbed at the hero.

But they hopped, skipped, and dodged between thrusts before snatching the dude's arm. With a twist, they held the guy backward before throwing him at another man.

A rather unsightly man swung his pipe knocking away the skinny dude. He threw his pipe at the hero, but they caught it in midair. Without missing a beat, they swung and delivered a concussion at the balding bastard.

Blood and teeth spilled out before the hero kicked the bastard down. They then jerked their pipe, blocking the blade of a machete. The macho man from before swung down his machete with feverous rage. The rusted pipe cracked and Liberator countered.

With a move that only a master martial artist could do, the hero locked the much bigger man's arms and managed to flip them on their back. The wind was knocked out of Macho's lungs as well as his consciousness with a kick to the head.

"Shoot that son of a bitch!!" The Liberator dove into a roll as bullets tore up the wall and crates behind them. Never slowing down, the hero ran across the warehouse as the men tried to shoot them down.

"Flashbang!" tossing one at the offending gunmen, they were all blinded by a flash of light. Liberator seized the chance to rush them. Pulling out their grapple's cable, they leaped above a man and wrapped his throat.

They swung that man into a group before snapping the cable like a whip. The hook left a terrible gash across a man's back before he had his ankles broken and landed on his face.

"Where are you!" the pink haired woman fired randomly, hitting her own men. She didn't care as long as she got the bastard.

"I am The Liberator!" The hero ran up some scaffolding as gunfire followed her. The pink haired woman screamed as her gun misfired. Smoke spewing in her face.

Unfortunately, her aim wasn't as good as she believed. As soon as her eyesight returned, Liberator came in for a flying punch. A crack was heard as it sent the woman flying away. Whether or not she was alive, didn't matter to the antihero. Anyone willing to sacrifice their own men was scum.

They looked down at the men who were bleeding out. While they didn't much care for human traffickers, she wasn't going to kill them. Let them suffer their consequences.

A man groaned as he got up. He shook his head and saw the hero gathering their cable. Thinking quick they pulled out their rifle and cocked it. The noise caught the antihero's attention and they turned but were too late-!

Bang!

The thug blinked as he felt a coldness in their back. He dropped to the ground as Jacqueline revealed herself with a smoking revolver.

"Jacky!" Liberator smiled at the woman who saved them. "You came! See, I knew there was some good in you!"

"Don't get the wrong idea punk!" the woman picked up the rifle. "I didn't do it for you! I can't in good conscience leave these kids in the hands of these thugs."

"No, you came for me!" Liberator smiled before the woman aimed the rifle at them. They went to snatch the gun but the woman fired and shot a man from behind. They turned to see the man yelling as his shoulder was bleeding.

"Aw, I'm happy to see you too, darling!" Liberator grinned as the investigator groaned. More men then began appearing, most of them holding guns.

"You're not killing them?" the two took cover as Jack opened fire on them.

"If I can help it, but I don't mind popping a few skulls. I have no mercy for human traffickers." Liberator took a pistol and began taking shots. They made sure to aim for nonlethal spots like the arms, legs, or shoulders.

"I'm out!" Jack ducked behind a crate as the gang fired at them. A pistol was slid to her and she took it.

"You better not shoot me!" Liberator pulled out the katana from their backpack. He had never really used it during her time as the Liberator. She had just bought it from a guy in the mall, but he could see Jane had sharpened it very nicely.

"Let's see how well you do." Whether it was a master crafted sword folded one hundred times or just a rusted piece of scrap, sharp metal was still sharp metal.

Liberator leaped onto some metal shelves and ran above. They leaped off, knocking the shelves down, and landed on a thug. They drove their blade through the thug's hand, before kicking their face and leaping off.

They swung at another thug, the blade leaving a gash across his chest before getting a smack in the face with the hilt. A woman tried to raise her rifle, but a quick jerk of the hand and she had her fingers sliced off.

More and more people turned to attack the vigilante, but Liberator moved too quickly or was too nimble for them to get a good shot. The antihero swung their blade with an expertise that only a master could have. They cut and slashed specific points on the body that would not kill the thugs but would leave them on the ground bleeding. While it did not take much skill to kill someone, it did take skill not to kill them.

Jacqueline watched with wide eyes as Liberator took down the men and women who approached them. It was like a dance of crimson with how the antihero moved. Squirts of blood spilled out into the air like ribbons a dancer would use.

From the corner of her eye, Jack saw a pink haired woman getting up. Her face was bleeding and smashed in, but she still stood. She pulled out a gun that looked a bit more sophisticated for the average gangster and cocked the slide.

Jack wasted no time and fired her shots at the chick. Pink flinched as the shots missed her. The chick turned to the detective and yelled something before turning her machine gun at her.

"Oh shit," Jack abandoned her cover as it was reduced to nothing by the gunfire. The woman ran as she fired her pistol. Wood, plastic, and thin metal were torn into pieces as Pink unleashed an entire box magazine of 50 cal. How she managed to maintain her aim wasn't really a question because she still missed all her shots.

"Just die you, stupid cop!" The sound of a click was heard as the gun ran empty. The woman's eyes widened at the sound. She tried to reload but didn't know how to remove the magazine.

"AY!" Pink looked up, only to get a pistol thrown at her face. She held her already bleeding face before Jack lunged at her. With a well placed kick, she sent the chick on the floor sprawling.

"Maybe aim better, you dumb bimbo." The detective turned to see Liberator deliver a flurry of slashes that left a man riddled with lacerations. The antihero turned and looked around to see multiple bodies lying on the floor. Blood painted the floor, but it didn't seem like anyone was dead.

"Wow, you're pretty handy with that thing." Jack watched her step as she approached the vigilante. No fatal injuries, just disabling attacks these goons can recover from.

"Heh, well I don't wanna brag, but I am an expert swordsman." With a twirl, Liberator cleaned the blood on the katana before sheathing it. "I trained quite a bit."

"Ooh, let me guess. While I was partying, you studied the blade? While I was having premarital sex, you were mastering the blockchain? While I wasted my days in the gym in the pursuit of-"

"You've had premarital sex?" Liberator flipped a guy on his back so that he wouldn't drown in his blood.

"I-" Jack's mind blanked, "What's it to ya?!"

"Well, you're the one who said you banged before marriage. Then again, I'd be a hypocrite if I judged you."

"Ha, see?" the detective smiled victoriously before her ears caught up with what the antihero said. "Wait, who the hell would sleep with you?!"

"Hey, I'm attractive...! I think?"

As the two argued and bickered, the pink haired woman from before came to. Her face was still messed up, but she was still kicking.

'Who the hell are these, bitches?!' she cursed as she slowly crawled through the scattered bodies and debris. She just needed to get to the box the boss sent them! They were supposed to use it on the kids they got, but screw that! She was gonna screw these bitches over!

As the two blabbed their mouths away, Pink managed to sneak into the shadows. She stumbled her way through the darkness before she hit the truck. The noise echoed through the warehouse, but it was too late.

"You hear that?" the two turned to a truck. The noise of a door opening before slamming close confirmed someone was active. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Glass shattered as a canister rolled toward the duo. Sensing impending danger, they pulled their weapons out as the pink haired woman stumbled forward.

She was coughing and wheezing, a puff of pink smoke coming out of her mouth. She fell to her knees, clutching her throat as she fell unconscious. The detective and antihero looked at each other before Jack gestured to Liberator to check on her.

"Wha? Why me?"

"Because you're the one that wanted to come here in the first place." she reasoned. "And besides! You saw that pink shit coming out of her mouth! What if she's a super?"

"Ugh fine, but you better not give me CPR if I end up like her." The vigilante walked towards the woman.

"Please, I wouldn't even do chest compressions on you." Jack trained her gun on the woman's body, ready to fire should this obvious trap happen.

"Hey, you good?" Liberator poked the chick with a boot. No reaction. They cringed as they obviously knew it was a trap, but they had to check. Flipping the woman over, Liberator was presented with a cloud of pink gas.

"Son of a gun! I knew it!" Liberator stumbled back as Jack took a shot, but hit the antihero in the leg instead.

Pink flipped onto her feet as she let her mouth agape. A cloud of pink spewed out, fogging the area. The two backed away as Pink hid.

"Jacky?"

"Yeah?"

"I told you so."

The woman rolled her eyes and shot a bird at them.

"I can probably guess you're flipping me off, but I can't see. My eyes are freaking burning." The woman turned to see the vigilante's eyes were very much swollen and red. Tears and yellow fluids spilled out as they blinked rapidly.

"Uhhhh, are you okay?"

"No," they resisted the violent urge to rub their eyes. "It burns... so much..."

"Boss said to use this shit on the kids, but screw that!" the woman laughed as the sound of a gun being loaded was heard. "People like me deserve power! And power has a name!"

"PINK POISON!!" gunfire was unleashed on the two. They dashed away behind cover but the antihero smashed into a beam.

"Aha ha ha ha! Where are your samurai moves now, hero?" Pink Poison's laugh was cut as she gagged. She hurled, horked, and hagged before she spat out a pink glob of sludge. She wiped her mouth before continuing fire.

"Shit! Hey, 'hero'!" she turned to the bandaged woman and saw him scratching their eyes out. She rolled her eyes. Heroes, useless as ever.

The woman returned fire but couldn't get a proper aim through the smog. And from the looks of it, the cloud was getting bigger.

"Ah! Stupid gun!" Pink growled as she ran empty. She tried to reload but still didn't know how guns worked beyond point and shoot.

Seizing the chance, Jack ran to Liberator and snatched him by the scarf. She dragged her until they were behind cover.

"Thanks, but I... Still. Can't. See!" Jack turned to the vigilante and nearly screamed. His face was red and the skin all scratched up. The bandages were gone, but so was the skin.

"Oh my god!" Jack closed her mouth as bullets whizzed by them.

"Where are you?! I know you're still here!" the smell of bleach hit the two's noses. Jack held her breath and covered her eyes.

The cloud of pink enveloped the two but soon passed by. Jack took a whiff of the air, making sure the smell of chlorine was gone. She let out a sigh before turning to the vigilante. And she had to hold a scream in as they looked even worse.

"You're eyes...! They're bleeding." True to her words, the Liberator's eyes were beginning to bleed. It looked like they were crying blood.

"I'll be fine, I have a high pain tolerance." SWEET MOTHER OF GOD IT BURNED SO BAD!!! "But we gotta take that chick down. Think you can get a shot on her?" SANTA MARIA, HIJO DE DIOS!!!

"Can't, she's got a cloud of that poison around her." She checked her revolver. "And I only got three shots left."

"Hmm, okay. I have a plan." WHY GOD?!? WHY DID IT HURT SO BAD?!? "You draw her attention, and I'll take her down. Got it?" AHHHHHH!!!!!

"Can you even see?" Hell, could they even stand?

"Don't worry about me. While you were partying I studied the blade." The antihero stood up and pulled out their katana. They made a clicking noise with their mouth and tapped the ground before running off.

"Swear to god..." Pulling the hammer, Jack ran out. She held her gun out, hoping to find the stupid bitch. The smell of chlorine hit her and she immediately backed up.

"HEY YOU PINK HAIRED BIMBO!!" she yelled. She jerked down as shots whizzed by her.

"I found you, you bitch!" Jack fired aimlessly into the cloud of pink. She fired two shots before the gunfire returned. Bullets sprayed without aim as the woman laughed her ass off.

"Come on, you damn cop! Think you can just waltz into Brookhaven?! We'll eat your ass and spit you out like shit!" Jack hid behind a crate, the wood being chipped away. She flinched as a hole appeared near her head. She cursed under her breath before a swinging light above caught her eye.

Gritting her teeth, Jack popped out and fired her last shot. The bullet whizzed out and she managed to hit one of the cables. The light swung before the other cable snapped and it fell. Pink Poison stopped firing and looked up to see the light falling right at her-!

Crash!

And smash right next to her. Glass and metal exploded as Pink Poison screamed and flinched. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see she was unharmed.

"Aha! Stupid bitch! You missed!" the woman laughed like a maniac before someone tackled her from behind.

"Shut your trap!" Liberator and Pink rolled across the floor before they stopped. The sound of struggling was heard as the two wrestled. Once the smog faded, the antihero had the woman's neck under their foot and her arm bent in a way that shouldn't bend.

"Where are the children?" the woman just spat curses and profanities only to get her head smacked on the ground. "Where are they?!"

"Damn it! They're in the... friggin van." Satisfied, Liberator stomped on the woman's head knocking her out.

"You didn't kill her," Jack sighed stretching her back. She sighed as she got a couple of pops.

"She is defeated, no longer a threat." The Liberator threw the woman on their shoulder. "I can toss her in a cell."

"Yeah, until she escapes." Jack rolled her eyes. Of course. Stupid heroes and their stupid code. "Not to mention she had powers now. So now she's even more of a threat."

"I know." the hero tied up the woman before setting her with the rest of the fools. "But I-"

"What, 'can't kill her in good conscious?' Grow up. It's ideals like yours that keep this rotten cycle going. As long as you have villains that escape you'll never go out of the job."

"Jacky,"

"No, no. I get it. Defeating villains gives you purpose. It's not like the death penalty is legal anymore." The Liberator walked towards the van. There was a bolt and lock, but it was a Masterlock™ so it was easily dealt with.

Opening the van revealed a handful of children that all turned to the hero. They all stared with wide eyes. The vigilante held their breath as they realized they had no idea what to do with these kids. They couldn't take them to the nearby police station, they were all involved with the gangs. Florence's officers were a no-go either. Liverpool? But that was on the other side of the city. Crap...

"Problem?" Jaqueline walked up. She put a hand on her hip as she eyed the brats. Poor things, young adults to kids barely even twelve taken from their families.

"Hey there!" Putting on the face, the hero hopped into the van and squatted. "Don't worry, I'm a hero and I'm here to rescue you! Do you know anywhere we could take you guys?"

The children stayed quiet as the hero forgot that their face looked like they had been mauled by an animal. The hero frowned before Jack growled.

"You're scaring the piss out of them!" she pulled them aside. "Look, I can call a contact and have some people take them somewhere out of Brookhaven. An orphanage or something, you just... take that chick to prison."

The two looked at the pink haired woman who was knocked out. Liberator turned to the children who flinched at the sight of them before the hero sighed. They could kick butts, but they couldn't help people in the way that mattered. It looks like they still had a long ways to go before they could call themselves a hero.

"Okay Jacky," they threw the chick on their shoulder, "You make sure you get them somewhere safe. And I'll take her to the proper authorities."

"Sounds good."

"Jacqueline," The detective turned to the hero. They looked at her with a determination in their eyes. "I promise you that I will become a better hero. And I look forward to working with you more."

And with that, the hero ran off. Jack watched as they leaped onto several crates and trucks before scaling onto the roofs. The investigator sighed and took a cigarette before lighting it.

"Are we going home?" one of the older kids asked.

Why was she left babysitting?

8,534 total words excluding Disclaimer and Author's Note.

Yay! We have a new chapter this week! And it looks like the Liberator's job is not done. Where are these 'Zoologists'? Who have they kidnapped? And how is the Liberator farring after getting poison blasted right in their face? We'll have to check on them afterward!

And this detective seems to be made of harder stuff than she lets on! I can say for certain we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Let's just hope our hero can be a good influence on her jaded worldview.

Also, the last chapter was kinda sad. What with Rocky's dad getting Uncle Ben'd. Hmm... here's a good boy to make up for it!

Don't worry, he's a stinky bastard man.