Streets of New York

[Mir]

New York City
Brooklyn

The warehouse was non-descript. A few blocks removed from what was turning into a glitz and glamor of the Barclays Center area, the warehouse and docks of Brooklyn were still in use, just at a much reduced rate. But business was still conducted from time to time. The building was rather large, maybe cavernous would be a better word. There were rows of containers and a small ship was in the middle of offloading. There were various containers still on the ship, but one in particular that was being saved for last.

Meanwhile outside of the warehouse, a small black compact car pulled up. A tall African American woman even by men’s standards stepped out of the passenger side.

It was a miracle she had been able to fit her frame inside of the vehicle in the first place.

The driver stepped out, another woman, this time a blonde Caucasian. The taller of the two wore a black leather trench over a black leather tube top and black leggings, whereas the other had allowed more color into her palate, wearing a mix between dark gray and dark red.

“Do we know whether everything is in place?” The taller one asked. “I don’t want to have to get in that damn car of yours and drive all the way back here.”

“We’re here once every few weeks anyway.”

“That’s not the point. You need a bigger car.”

“Everyone needs a bigger something, pal.” The other said. “Look, let’s just see how they’re doing.” She added as she started walking to the warehouse.

The taller woman grimaced and followed.

Stepping into the warehouse, they observed the workers and what they were doing.

A man in a raincoat came up to them, an apprehensive look on his face. “Glad to see you’re here.” He said. “I was starting to get worried.”

“We’re always on time.” The blonde said. “Now, did it arrive?” She asked, and he nodded. “Let me see the manifest.” She said and he handed her a clipboard. Looking the paperwork over she nodded a few times and then looked over at her companion. “It’s all here.” She said.

“The containers from Star City are going to be arriving by rail soon in Newark.” The taller woman said. “Do you have the space prepared for them?”

Confusion came over the man’s face. “We’re not supposed to receive those, I don’t think.” He said. “That’s the warehouse in the Bronx.”

“I knew that.” She said. “I’m making sure you know.”

“Oh, uh…yes..well, I do.” He said, with a smile on his face, seemingly pleased he’d passed whatever test he had inadvertently stumbled into. “What does he want with all this stuff anyway?”

The blonde gave him a look. “What do you mean?”

“Copernicus Holdings is an import export business. But it specializes in pharmaceuticals.” The man said. “These are…” he trailed off as the African American woman stepped towards him.

“Are you opening the containers?” She asked.

“No, we’re just leaving them, just as asked.” He replied, a little bit of fear coming into his voice.

“Then don’t worry about what he wants them for.”

[Cazzik]

John F. Kennedy International Airport

She walked briskly through the sea of travelers, making her way to the front exit of the airport. She had only her carry on so once she was off the plane it was easy enough to leave the airport behind. The New York air felt good as she walked through the doors, stopping just out front on the sidewalk. It was crisp and cold. It was city air. She had just finished visiting an old friend of her mother's in the countryside of Spain. It was beautiful out there but she was at home in an urban jungle, even though this wasn't her jungle. She had to change her flight itinerary at the last minute. Originally she was destined for Star City, but something came up and her acquaintance? Friend? Partner? Whatever he was, had called her and needed her in New York asap.

She wasn't sure what she would call Green Arrow at this point. Definitely more than an acquaintance, after all, she knew he was really Connor Queen. They weren't really friends, though. Partners, to her at least, seemed to transcend friendship and since they weren't quite there she wasn't sure that was a correct label either. Regardless, she was spending far too much time rolling the topic around in her head. She pulled out her phone and sent off a text to Connor - "Just landed. I'll be in touch."

She threw her single duffle bag over her leather jack clad shoulder and put out her hand to hail a cab. Hannah Lance, the Black Canary, was back in New York and she had work to do.

[Mir]

Newark, New Jersey
Oak Island Yard

The two women sat in their car waiting. In front of them, the rail yard was still operating, despite the moon being in the night sky. Work needed to get done. The African American woman stepped out of the car, to stretch her legs.

“When are we getting word?” She asked. “We’ve got places to go.”

“Jade, it’ll be fine.” The dirty blonde haired woman replied from inside the car. She was drinking from a milkshake. “Look, the shipment gets here in a few minutes. Can I at least finish my milkshake?” She asked.

Jade looked over at her. “Cut the shit, Britt.”

Britt rolled her eyes, putting the drink into the cupholder before getting out herself. She straightened her leather jacket, shutting the door. “Fine, fine.” She said, holding her hands up. “When you see the containers, we’ll check that everything’s there and then we’ll be on our way.”

“This is the second Star City shipment. The other half is already in storage. I want this done and over with.” Jade said as Britt’s cell phone buzzed. She watched the other woman check it and then hold it up. “Good, let’s go.”

They entered the rail yard, moving through the cargo areas and heading to one of the rail yard sections. The workers were unloading the different container sections from the train that had arrived in Newark from Star City by way of Chicago.

Jade signaled they wanted the doors open on their container. The doors opened and inside were various crates, all with different markings. But one constant. “Star City” was stenciled on all of them.

Britt smiled and indicated they wanted them opened too.

[Cazzik]

She liked the night, especially when there was a full moon. There was something peaceful in the light of the stars. She sipped her coffee out of a paper cup as she sat in the cold air, watching the front of the small warehouse waiting for her prey to show up; a man named Rodney Charles Jacob, better known on the streets as Jitterbug. He was a low level criminal that always seemed to know more than he should about everyone else's business. She had utilized him for information in the past when she had called New York home. It had been some time, but she was willing to bet he still called this shit hole his base of operations. He was a creature of habit.

As the old, beat up sedan pulled up to the front of the building she let a sly smile grace her beautiful face as she sat her paper cup down and zipped her leather jacket up. She made her way out of the shadows and approached the driver from behind, making sure she was silent as she did so. Hannah watched as the man fumbled for his keys to the door of the warehouse, "Hey there, Jitterbug."

The man jumped and dropped his keyring simultaneously, betraying the level of shock he felt. He whirled around, his eyes wide, "Yo, Detective Lance? I thought.....," he scratched his scalp, "I thought you left New York or something."

She nodded and smiled, "Relax, Rodney. I'm not a detective anymore and I'm not here to bust you for whatever's in there." She motioned towards the rundown building. "I just need some information is all."

Jitterbug composed himself and looked around to make sure no one saw him talking to her, "Yeah? What kind of info?"

"Stolen tech coming out of Star City. What do you know?"

He shrugged, "Jitterbug don't know nothin' about no tech."

Hannah sighed and cracked her knuckles, "Like I said, Rodney. I'm not a detective anymore. I have no issue with getting the information I need by any means necessary. My preference though, is to keep it civil. But the choice is yours, Rodney. Just remember, I've always been fair with you."

He sighed, "Yeah, okay. You've been good to ole Jitterbug over the years. I don't know much. Some shady dude called the Designer or some shit. Gathering old super tech in Star City and sending it to the Big Apple. I don't know nothin' about the buyer, though. For real."

Hannah frowned. She had heard of the Designer before. Some super criminal hellbent on being the crime lord of the west coast. Connor may know more. "You know where they're bringing in at?"

Rodney smiled, "Oh yeah. Jitterbug got you!"

[Mir]

Bianca Carson adjusted her jacket against the chill of the wind. She stood, solitary, amidst a field of various tombstones. She knelt, placing the flowers at the gravesite. She had been out only a few days but the trip back to New York City had taken much of her time. As she looked at the gravestone, she wondered what the world was coming to. The time upstate had been long and difficult, but she was ready to turn over a new leaf. She owed it to the person sleeping in front of her.

Her uncle had been a good man, who had done his best to try to take care of her and her half-sister Jade. But they thought they were grown and could do no wrong. They thought they could do whatever they wanted. They had quickly found out that wasn’t the case.

Running afoul of the law was one thing. It was something else when you had your family beside you. That was what Bianca had thought when they’d first gotten pinched. However, she’d soon found out that blood was only as thick as blood when the good times were around. That’s how it was for some at least.

For others, when the times got tough, it meant they abandoned you. They let you take the fall for something both of you had done.

In hindsight, it made sense. After all, this was how it had been growing up. Jade had always been willing to let Bianca take the blame for things. Bianca had always been willing to do it thinking Jade would take it the next time.

That’s how sisters thought.

When the prison doors had slammed shut, that ringing noise had been the wake up call she had needed in her life. She knew she had needed to make a change.

What she hadn’t thought was that her uncle would have died while she was in prison and that she would not have been granted a temporary release to attend the funeral. That had been two years ago.

This was the first time she was able to visit her uncle’s grave. If there had been anything to reinforce the idea of don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, that had been it. And for what? Sure, what they’d stolen had amounted to grand theft. What they’d done to get it had amounted to breaking and entering. They’d definitely run from the cops and had tried to evade.

In exchange, she hadn’t been here for her uncle when he’d gotten sick.

She’d missed too much.

She couldn’t says she was sorry.

She could only do her best to make amends.

Her next stop was Harlem.

[Cazzik]

Newark, New Jersey
Oak Island Yard

Jitterbug had provided Hannah with the address to at least one of the areas the stolen tech was being brought in; a railyard in Newark. She trusted his intel. After all, she had utilized him for several years during her tenure with the NYPD. During that time he had proved to be a very reliable source. She had parked her motorcycle, a black Indian Scout, several blocks down. It was a nice bike and she had literally just bought it after arriving in New York. She didn't need any super heroics scratching it up. She'd be damned before she started taking a cab everywhere. She removed her helmet and let her long blonde hair cascade down over her shoulders.

She quickly, and quietly, made her way to the railyard. Jitterbug's intel was proven correct. She saw several vehicles and even more people walking around. Most of them were armed. Unless you're doing something shady there really isn't any reason to be gathering in an obscure freight hub with a small army under the cover of darkness. Kind of sends up a red flag. Super Hero 101. She crept around some of the shipping containers, trying to get closer to the action. There seemed to be a concentrated gathering further down and she wanted to know what they were looking at.

Silently she began climbing upward, making as little noise as humanly possible. She was a phenomenal combatant, and her Canary Cry made her even more dangerous. That said, she counted a lot of guns in the area and she certainly wasn't bulletproof. Once she confirmed this was the delivery site she was sneak back out and contact Connor. They could formulate a plan at that point. From the roof of one of the shipping container she peered over the heads of the larger group. It was dark, and hard to see but one of the flashlights skimmed over a crate with bold letters that said Star City on it. She nodded internally. This was the location.

As she turned to start creeping back out of the shipyard someone yelled out, "Hey! Who the hell are you?!"

She bowed her head, "Well shit." It was time to run first and fight if necessary.

[Mir]

Britt's head whipped around when she heard someone yelling in the distance. "What was that?" She asked.

"Fuck if I know." Jade said, looking over her shoulder as well.

She looked back at the crates from Star City. "These are good to go. Get them packed up and get them out of here. Or at least get them hidden." She said.

"It's probably nothing." Britt said, jumping down from one of the crates.

Jade shook her head. "I don't care what it is, it's not supposed to be happening. Not while this stuff is here." She said, and reached into one of the crates. She produced some kind of rifle. Pressing a few buttons, she activated it. The weapon hummed and lit up as she grabbed another one and handed it to Britt. "Yes, you need this, don't argue with me." Jade added, before Britt could say anything.

The other woman rolled her eyes, but accepted the rifle.

They were some Queen Industries products or something like that.

The two women started walking in the direction of the person who had yelled. "It was some woman, I think." The guy said. "Looked like a blonde, the hair was a giveaway."

"We'll find her." Britt said.

[Cazzik]

Hannah rolled into a summersault as she landed onto the asphalt below. The high point advantage wasn't going to do her any good now that everyone was looking up there. Gunfire erupted in short spurts and she could hear bullets ricochet around her as she quickly made her way through the maze of shipping containers. She turned a corner and spotted two armed gunmen and swiftly started to backtrack only to find more gunmen behind her. She sighed, "Fight it is, I guess. Too bad for all of you."

The Black Canary darted forward, incapacitating the first thug with an uppercut to his jaw, breaking it. She brought her right leg up quickly and jammed the sole of her boot into his partner's throat. Both men went down and she connected a final kick to their faces, two birds one stone. She began running through the maze again, heading in the direction of her bike and taking out opponents that got in her way. They weren't exactly professionals, easier dispatched than she had originally anticipated.

She could see the main gate up ahead. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of cover past where she was currently at. She could hear more footsteps coming up fast; a lot more. She took a deep breath and prepared to make the final run and before she could take that first step there was a blinding light and a loud boom. Hannah Lance was thrown into the shipping container next to her. It took her a moment before she pulled herself up and shook off the hit. Just in time to take a fist to the face. Hannah hit the ground again but rolled away from her new opponent. She jumped up as quickly as possible before another attack came.

"You can take a punch. I'll give you that. Let's see if you can take two!" Hannah easily dodged the assault and broke the man's arm at the elbow before delivering her own to his nasal cavity, dropping him instantly.

"Come on out, Bitch!"

Hannah unzipped her leather jacket and slipped on her titanium knuckledusters before stepping out from the safety of the now half destroyed shipping container. There were multiple gunmen standing behind two women, a blonde woman with a large, smoking rifle Hannah couldn't identify and an African-American woman, very tall. The blonde tossed the rifle to her partner, "Damn, that thing has got some oomph!"

She then turned to Hannah, "I don't know who the hell you are but you've stepped into some shit that doesn't concern you," Jade rolled up her sleeves one at a time, "and now I'm going to make sure you don't ever step in anything again."

She ran at Hannah and threw a massive right hook. Lance sidestepped the blow and watched as Jade's hand crushed the side of the already destroyed container. Hannah frowned. This chick was a metahuman. Lovely. Hannah moved with lightning reflexes, delivering three consecutive punches to Jade's face. The metahuman woman stumbled backwards, clearly unprepared for Lance's retaliation or her knuckledusters.

Hannah smiled and wiped the blood away from her mouth as she looked at all of the thugs in front of her, "You don't know who I am? Listen up and I'll give you a little hint."

The Black Canary let her metahuman vocals do the rest. Guns exploded and eardrums ruptured as powerful sonic waves flooded out from her mouth. Before anyone could recover their adversary and her bike were long gone.

[Mir]

They were back in their car.

After the little skirmish, the two women had settled everyone down and had gotten the final parts of the shipments taken care of. Things were going where they needed to go. Britt was sitting in the car, staring at the cheeseburger in her hands. Despite the fact it was still night out, she had a pair of sunglasses on, covering the growing black eye.

“So we gonna talk about that?” Britt asked after a few more moments of awkward silence.

“No, we are not.” Jade replied.

“I mean, it can’t be the first time we got beaten up.”

“Maybe you’ve been beaten up before, but I haven’t.” Jade said, her eyes getting dangerous.

Britt remembered that her friend, if she could call her that, had a very interesting and colorful past. There was definitely something there, but Britt was in no mood to pull on that thread. “My ears are still ringing.”

“Mine are too bitch.”

“You think we’re going to catch some hell for this?” Britt asked, getting her phone out and starting to scroll through it. “I haven’t gotten anything yet from Alexei.”

“I’m sure that tightwad is going to be all kinds of annoyed. But nothing got lost, nothing got stolen. In the grand scheme of things, he should be happy. This is why he wants us out here.” She said. “But one of us is going to have to tell him what happened.” She added.

“Not it.” Britt said.

“I knew you were going to say that.” Jade said. “I’ll do it. I got something to talk about with Alexei anyway.”

“Oh yeah?” Britt asked, tossing the trash out of the window and starting the car. “What about?” She asked and Jade remained silent.

Sorry I asked.

==-==

Jade walked into the offices of Kochey Imports not too long after. By then, the sun was starting to peek out over New York City. Here, in Manhattan, the city was already moving, people were already doing their thing. She headed up to a mid level floor and walked into the office itself. While she was a common person to see, she still stuck out like a sore thumb. Not only was she taller than the average woman, she didn’t dress like any of the people in this place. They were all wearing business suits.

She was still wearing what she had on last night. In her hand was the phone that was buzzing with text messages coming in, fast and furious.

Not bothering to knock, she walked into Alexei’s office.

He looked up from the desk, where he had been sitting, phone in hand.

“What the hell is going on?” He asked, rising. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you and Britt. What happened at the docks?” He asked.

“You know what happened. Some blonde bitch showed up and tried to wreck the place.”

“Did she take anything?” Alexei asked.

“Me and Britt are fine, Alexei, thanks for asking.” She said. “No, she didn’t take anything. That’s why you pay us.” She said.

“Good.” The relief was evident on his face. “All those shipments have homes they need to get to and I don’t want to be the one to tell him that something went wrong.” He said. He sat down, rubbing a hand on his forehead. He smoothed over his red tie. “Well, what are you here for then?” He asked.

She dropped into the chair across from him. The room wasn’t too big, but it was dominated by pictures of Alexei’s family. Weird thing, being in import and export and being a front for shady people. You were giving people too many targets to know about. She looked over at one of the pictures. Alexei’s two daughters were there, playing on a swing set in some kind of backyard.

“I want to talk to him.” She said, bringing her eyes back to Alexei.

He immediately started to protest.

“I don’t even get to talk to him.” He said. “You know that.”

“Then I want to talk to whoever it is you talk to.” She said. “As soon as possible.”

He sat back in the chair and regarded her. “What’s wrong?” He asked. “Is it the money? Did the blonde have you spooked?” He asked.

“No, but I want to know when he’s going to honor his part of my deal.”

[Cazzik]

SOMEWHERE OVER THE MIDWEST

"Okay, well, I'm en route now. Glad you didn't get too scuffed up," Connor said as he glanced out the window of his private jet.

"You're en route? All three of you?" Black Canary's voice prodded from the other end of the call.

"What? No, of course not. It's just me. I left the girls at home. Someone needs to keep an eye on Star City while we're gone."

There was a moment of silence before Hannah Lance responded, "So, you're telling me you left two teenage girls to protect an entire city without any backup? Albeit, they're very capable teenage girls, but teenage girls nonetheless."

Connor leaned his head back in his chair, now looking at the ceiling of the jet, "I feel like you're questioning my judgement call here. They'll be fine! Nothing will go wrong. They know not to bite off more than they can chew. Besides, this little group is called Team Arrow, remember? And I'm the leader so I made the call."

Hannah's tone was audibly annoyed now, "At no point did I ever agree to be part of 'Team Arrow' and you sure as hell aren't my leader. Got it?"

Queen put his hands up in surrender even though she couldn't see him, "Okay. I hear you. We'll put a pin in this topic and revisit it later. No worries."

"Whatever. I don't have the energy for this right now. When will you be here?"

Connor responded, "A few hours. I'll meet you at my penthouse. I have gear there. We can compare notes and make a plan. Sound good?"

Hannah nodded as she spoke, "That'll work.....oh fearless leader." The phone call ended and Connor smiled to himself. Annoying the mighty Black Canary was something he truly enjoyed doing. The only thing better was watching her crack some skulls. She was like an artist. He went back to looking out the window. New York City, Green Arrow was on the way.

[Mir]

Jade sat down in the Chinese restaurant. Located in Brookly, the place was making an economical use of something that even in Brooklyn was difficult to come by: real estate. Wood walls, yellow table tops. The place had been clearly built back in the day and was older.

Like most things in New York, if it wasn’t broke, you maybe put some new paint on it and called it a day. Life here was about getting the most usefulness out of things before they broke down and needed to be replaced. And you didn’t replace until they absolutely needed it. This place didn’t need to it, judging by the foot traffic.

The restaurant was bustling pretty quickly. She had her back to the counter, waiting. Jade was trying to figure out why she was meeting with a middle man, instead of the guy at the top. But that was something she was going to get resolved and quickly. While a few people waited for their orders, she thought back, with embarrassment, about how she had been handled, and rather efficiently, by that blonde bitch a night ago.

The grip on her sunglasses tightened, straining the strength of the metal frames. No one was allowed to do that to her. Not if she could help it.

She was still fuming about Alexei being a dick about getting her a meeting when the person she was meeting with walked in.

The guy sat down at the small table, across from her.

“Hey there, how’s it going?” He asked.

“Pretty fucking not good.” Jade replied. “Why am I talking to you?” She asked.

“Uh, well, because I’m the guy who sat down here, if I had to guess.” The guy replied. “Listen, I’m not trying to get into a fight with you. Don’t shoot the messenger. Or beat the messenger up. We both know you can.”

“Fine.” She said, biting the word out. “What’s the message?”

“We appreciate all the work you and Britt have been doing over the past few years. You’ve been paid well and-”

“The first thing out of your mouth should have been whether or not my deal is going to be honored. You guys said you would help my sister out in jail and keep her protected. In exchange, I would work for you guys.”

The guy put his hands up in self defense as the waitress came over and put a plate of beef fried rice in front of Jade and a can of soda. He shook his head when the waitress looked over at him. He watched her leave before turning back to Jade. “Yeah, and I would say we’ve held up our end of the bargain.”

“Cut the shit. That was only one part of the bargain, pal, and your boss knows it.” She said. “I want what’s due to me. Especially after last night.” She added.

“I’m sure we can figure something out.” He said. “Tomorrow night, there’s an auction in the city. Up near Central Park. You know, nothing too big. My boss is going to be there.” He said and she lifted an eyebrow. “No, no, not him.”

“Another middleman.” She said, glowering.

“Sure, but the middleman who can actually give you the answer you’re looking for.” He said, rising. He pulled out his wallet and looked at the fried rice and the soda, before pulling out a twenty and dropping it on the table. “Business meeting.” He said with a grin. “It’s on us.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She said.

He paused. “You know, we did hold up that end of the bargain.” He said. “Your sister just got out, and she was safe while she was in.”

She blinked as he walked out, finally experiencing something that could distract her from what had happened last night.

She’d completely forgotten.

[Cazzik]

Hannah Lance stepped off the elevator into Connor Queen's penthouse apartment in New York City. She looked around, taking it in. The place was very industrial, clearly not used for actually living in, though there was furniture. She could hear metal on metal and walked in and around the corner where she found Connor working out on a salmon ladder. She put her hands in her pockets and cocked her head sideways. He dropped down from the bar when he realized she was there, "You like what you see, Pretty Bird?"

She shrugged, "I didn't hate it. But then you opened your mouth and ruined the whole thing. Put on a shirt and let's talk business."

Connor smiled and laughed to himself as he pulled on a gray t-shirt. He wiped the sweat away with a towel and let it hang around his neck while he walked over to a fridge. He pulled out a bottle of water and gestured to Hannah. She shook her head in reply and he shut the door and opened the bottle, taking a long drink of the cold beverage, "What took you so long? I thought you'd be here when I arrived."

Hannah took her jacket off and tossed it onto a chair, "I had stuff to do. Had to find a suitable hotel since it looks like we're going to be here for a bit."

Connor set the bottle of water down after taking another long drink, "You could've stayed here. Plenty of room."

Hannah gave him an annoyed smile and shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea." Again, Connor smiled at her but nodded in agreement, "Okay. Fair enough. What did you learn about our new friends?"

"Not enough. They're bringing in stolen tech via the docks. It's not all coming from Star City. I saw crates labeled Wayne Enterprises and Stark Industries. And they've got muscle. At least one meta human. She's strong," Hannah continued to speak as she found a bar stool at the kitchen island and sat down, "I don't know who they are or what they're doing yet. But they had a lot of cargo. Whatever they're up to, it's big."

[Mir]

Bianca was sitting in a living room, feeling a bit unsure of herself, and a bit uncomfortable. Once she’d gotten back to Harlem and had spoken to one person, people had started coming out of the woodwork. Everyone had been welcoming and wanted to speak with her. There was something about it that warmed the heart. But there was another side of her, the side that had dealt with trying times over the past five years. Away from everyone, locked in a cage. She had developed parts of her personality that allowed her to survive. Now she had to try to tighten down on the very things that after almost two thousand days, had kept her alive.

But here she was, trying.

A few old neighborhood friends were in the house with her. They had selected Rosemary Carter’s house, since she had the largest living room. She watched people she had grown up with, at different ages. There were older people and people her age. It had turned into a bit of a party almost, and someone was talking about dragging their barbecue down the block and lighting it up.

Which, that seemed like a bit much. She sighed, smiling at people.

A man came and sat down near her. She knew him. Mac, she remembered, after a few moments.

“Hey there, Bianca.” Mac said. He gave her a small smile. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

This question had been posed quite a few times. Honestly, she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond. She knew the answer she was supposed to give, but it didn’t really describe the thoughts going through her head, the emotions running through her heart. She shook her head slowly.

“I don’t know, Uncle Mac.”

“I get it.” He said, the smile widening. “I remember what it was like for me.” He said.

She was confused for a moment, before she realized what he meant. “I don’t remember you doing a bid.” She said.

“It was short.” He replied, looking at the table. “I didn’t go away for as long as you did. But I went through it. The worry and all that. Then I got out and it felt as though I could do anything I wanted. Ran into some roadblocks but enough about me. The point is I understand what you’re going through.” He said.

She smiled.

“Thanks, that means a lot.” Bianca looked around the room. “I’m still so surprised so many people came out.”

“You’re one of us.” He said. “You may have done time, but you’re part of this community.” He said and laughed as someone walked around handing out a plate of food. “Whether you want to be or not.”

She laughed with him.

“I know it’s early, but do you have plans?”

“I have to check in with my PO, all that kind of stuff. Get myself a place. Get a job.” She said. “Just try to figure out life, I guess.”

He nodded, running a hand over his jaw. “I know someone who could use some help.” He said.

“What…what kind of help?” She asked, uncertain.

“Nothing like that, girl. I wouldn’t put you in any position like that. I remember when your mama took care of me when I got out.” He said. “Nah, nothing like that. There’s an auction dinner thing tomorrow night. Down near the Park.” He said. “You know how the rich people get. I’m sure they could use another hand on the catering team. Probably just something for the night, but it’s money in your pocket.” Mac said.

She thought about it. “Sure. I don’t have anything to wear though.”

“Don’t you worry about that. I’ll let him know, he was looking for help and wanted to see if I knew anyone.” Mac said. He pulled out a little notepad and wrote a phone number down. “Give me a call in the morning, I’ll tell you all about it.”

[Mir]

Park Avenue Armory

Bianca stood on the corner of 66th and Park, hands on her hips. She was still unsure about all of this. She looked over at the entrance, facing Park Avenue. She didn’t know too much about the Park Avenue Armory, but what she did know was that rich people went here. There were art installations and theater shows here. Not her crowd at all. However, she could definitely use the money. Walking up towards the entrance, she saw there were already ushers standing outside, checking tickets. One of them regarded her with a mild look of disinterest.

She definitely was not wearing clothing that fit in for anything like this.

“Do you need help?” The man asked.

“Uh, yeah,” She said, stepping up. “I’m here as part of the catering team? I wasn’t sure where to go.”

“Oh sure. Back around the side on 66th.” He said, gesturing to her to go back the way she had come.

Bianca nodded and started backtracking, cursing herself in the process. Of course they wouldn’t be using the main entrance, who would do that? She went back around the side and spied a side entrance that was being used for a delivery. Walking up, she saw another staff member and introduced herself. She was quickly whisked inside and into the Armory and found herself in some kind of a kitchen area. Bianca introduced herself to some of the people, including the person Uncle Mac had told her about.

Given a change of clothes, Bianca squared her shoulders and got to work. There was a lot to do before the actual dinner started.

==-==

Jade Carson walked up the steps of the Park Avenue Armory and was quickly ushered inside. Her name was on the list. That was how these things went. She didn’t bother to ask anyone if she was supposed to be there. She belonged in whatever room she wanted to be in. She hadn’t been to the Park Avenue Armory before but she knew the basic layout. The big hall, formerly the drill hall when this had been in military use was where the dinner was happening. But that wasn’t where she was headed.

She took the stairs and headed up to the second floor. Jade unbuttoned the black suit she was wearing as she took the stairs, two at a time. On the second floor, there were a few different people milling around, different parts of the staff.

Taking it all in, she looked around and saw the man she had spoken to in the Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn.

“What’s the schedule?” She asked, walking up to him.

He was on his phone and sighed as she reached him.

“Don’t give me that.”

“What?” He asked.

“You heard me, what’s the schedule?”

“The schedule,” he said, putting the phone away and giving a quick once over to the room to see if anyone was paying attention, “is for you to enjoy yourself at this dinner and we will find you.”

“That’s not my schedule.” Jade said, with just enough teeth in her voice she hoped he got the message.

“I understand that you’re frustrated but these things go the way they go for a reason.” He said. “The big guy wants things done a certain way. None of us are more important than him, not even you.” He said. “Go back to the party, and we’ll find you.”

[Mir]

Bianca was making her way around the room, holding a tray of something or other. She honestly hadn’t paid much attention to what was on the table, she was more concerned with not tripping over herself. She had never been a graceful person, but she could move when she needed. Thankfully, she wasn’t being asked to do too much. Just be quiet, move around the rooms, offer people whatever was on the tray. That was something she could do.

Her eyes took it all in. She wasn’t sure what the artwork on the walls was, but it belonged to the armory and Bianca could tell it was old which meant it probably was valuable. That’s how these things usually worked right? She came across an older woman with her husband and they smiled and thanked her as she served them, the first thanks she’d gotten.

Turning, she saw someone who didn’t look out of place, but didn’t quite look like he fit in.

A tall man. Bianca was tall, for a woman. Around five seven from what the prison records had said. But he was much taller than her. She eyeballed him as being over six feet by a few inches. He was dark, looking like he was from the Pacific islands. He had long black hair that was wrapped up in some kind of a bun on the back of his head. His eyes, a dark brown, were rivaled in their sharpness by his jawline, which had a smattering of stubble.

He wore a black suit along with a black dress shirt. There was no tie.

She felt an instant attraction, the registering of an aesthetically pleasing person in front of her. Bianca’s eyes narrowed as he stayed away from everyone else, keeping whatever was going on around him firmly in the camp of “mystique”.

She headed over into his area, holding the tray.

He saw her approaching and held up a hand, waving her off. She turned and headed away, because it was the polite thing to do. There were two sets of elevators near him and she continued on towards those. The first was the regular one, the second the service one. She took the service elevator, getting into the doors as the doors to the first one opened.

She didn’t see the white haired black woman walking out of them.

==-==

Jade was still annoyed. Get back to the party and we’ll find you? Ridiculous. They were on her time. She wasn’t on theirs. Just because she worked for them, they thought they could order her around. Her sister would have laughed at her and pointed out that that’s exactly what that meant.

She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, much like she had when she’d gotten out of the Chinese restaurant in Queens, the other day. She had done her part to help keep Bianca safe. Her sister was out. Had been out apparently. But she hadn’t reached out to her. Then again, Bianca hadn’t reached out to her either. So what was the big deal?

“You look lost.”

Her eyes opened and she saw a tall Samoan looking man near her. He looked like he was security. There was an edge to him, but the rent-a-cop just bothered her. Not because of the edge, but because he was going to be someone else, wasting her time.

“Luckily, I’m not,” She said.

He smiled.

“Ms. Carson, right?” He asked and her eyes narrowed.

“How do you know my name?” She asked.

“I was wondering what table you’re sitting at tonight. Maybe you could join mine?”

If her eyes could narrow further they surely would have. “Why would I do that?”

He gave a small smile. “I think we both know some of the same people. Might be I can help with why you’re here.”