Inverted AU Character Intros: 2/7
A JSE Fanfic
[These are intros for the versions of the guys for my Inverted AU! Inverted is a reverse-morality story where the good guys are bad and the bad guy—Anti—is good. These intros should help newcomers understand just how the dynamics work :) This one is for Inverted!Jackie.]
Why was it that the city was always empty when you needed it to be full? No matter where the man looked, all he saw was long, dark streets hemmed in by tall, dark buildings. It wasn’t that late! Nevertheless, nobody was out.
His feet pounded against the asphalt. Every so often he’d look over his shoulder, panting. His pursuer was fast, insanely so. But he had to outrun him. He had to push every last ounce of speed from his body. He couldn’t afford to be caught. The streets twisted and turned, and he twisted with him, taking a left turn, then a right, doing his best to lose his pursuer. Until finally, he glanced behind him and saw nothing.
He slowed to a walk, then fully turned around, scanning the street. In the light from the street lamps above, he could clearly see that nobody was there. Relieved, he laughed. He couldn’t believe he’d really outrun him. What luck! Still smiling, the man turned back around and set off at a leisurely pace. He turned a corner…
And got slammed into the nearest building wall.
“No!” he shouted. The pursuer had caught up with him. How, he didn’t know. And he didn’t have time to figure it out either. He pushed his attacker away and started to run again.
“Oh no you fucking don’t!”
He was yanked back by the collar of his shirt and slammed against the wall again. This time, the attacker held him there by the throat, squeezing just tight enough for him to notice, but not enough to cause serious damage. Yet. He grasped vaguely at the attacker’s hands, to no avail.
“I heard a rumor that your boss was planning something big tonight.” The man could see the merest outline of his attacker’s face, hidden as it was beneath a hood and mask. “So you’re gonna tell me what, exactly, that is.”
“I-I don’t know,” the man wheezed. “That’s above my-my pay grade.”
Slam. The man saw stars. “Bullshit,” the attacker spat. “Even the lowest grunts gossip, and you’re higher than them, enforcer. So tell me what I need to know.” He started to increase pressure on the man’s neck, to the point where he could almost feel every individual fiber of the attacker’s gloves.
“You…think…” he choked. “I’m gonna…tell you…anything? I know…what you’ll do…”
The attacker stared at him wordlessly. Then he relinquished his grip. The man collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. His attacker took a few steps backward, and for a second he thought he would finally leave. Then the boot came crashing down. He fell fully to the ground.
“Come on,” the attacker cajoled. “Make this easier for you.” Another impact. “It doesn’t have to be this way.” He was lifted to his feet, only to be be knocked down again by a fist. “You’re really gonna make me do this, huh?” Thunk. “Oh, look. I dunno who leaves bricks lying around, but—” Bash. “You’re being unreasonably difficult.” Crack. “I just need a location. Or a name. And you can make this stop.” Snap. Something broke.
This went on for far longer than it should have. And then…
“Alright! Alright!” The man cried out. “I’ll tell you what you want to know!” He’d never been trained for this. Nobody had thought there would be a situation where it would be needed.
“There we go!” The attacker said cheerfully. He knelt by the man, who lay on the ground. “Well? What dya got?”
“I don’ know everything the boss is planning,” the man panted. “But I do know that there’s a club on Greene…a few of the higher-ups are gathering there tonight, starting midnight. They’re getting guns and ammo for something… please. That’s all I know. Please just…” It always amazed him how this guy could go about and call himself a hero. Would a hero make someone beg?
“Hmm…I see.” The so-called hero stood up. “Thanks for your help. I know where I’ll be for the rest of the night.” With a lazy stretch, he turned and walked away.
“W-wait,” the man almost didn’t want to chance it. But he couldn’t move on his own. “You’re-you’re gonna leave me?”
He stopped in his tracks. “Yeah, that’d be a pretty shitty thing to do,” he considered. I’ll call a friend to come pick you up.” He waved a lazy hand. “I’m sure you’d both appreciate it.”
A chill went through his blood. “N-no…” It was too late. The hero was on his way.
Hours later, the morning news broke with the dawn, carrying with it a startling story. A building at 56 Greene Avenue had caught fire. Early reports said it was arson, with several starting points for the flames, all along the perimeter. Eleven people had been trapped inside, and six more had barely made it out, covered in burns. Police were still looking for the culprit, though one cop was quoted as saying it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, considering all casualties were part of a local gang. Many citizens thought that statement harsh.
But when Jackie watched the news story, all he felt was a sense of pride for having done his job successfully for another night.