\u201cI\u2019m just warming you up, pal,\u201d Tommy sneered. \u201cI\u2019m going to go to work on you, nice and slow. And when you\u2019re bleeding out and crying for momma, me and the boys will gut you like this little fishy here and stick you up on one o\u2019 these meat hooks and leave you for the cook to find.\u201d Doug leant in, conspiratorially.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust between you and me, Tommy. If I did cry for me ol\u2019 mater to turn up, I\u2019d be bloody worried about her actually making an appearance. If she wasn\u2019t six feet under, bless her soul, she\u2019d go to work on your pansy arse!\u201d<\/p>\n
This was met with more fish to the face. Doug snorted some of the fish slime out of his nostrils and spat on the floor. He eyed the various implements on the crate nearby. A bone saw, a fishhook, a bread knife, a skewer and a potato peeler; in other words whatever the suits had managed to find in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
The Dalminettis had taken over the ship\u2019s conference room and its adjoining kitchen, where they had paid off the catering staff and made Doug their guest in the walk-in refrigerator, removing his jacket and tying him to a chair to keep company with Tommy and a couple of other suits while the rest of the mob relaxed in the main room. On the plus side, the cold had hardened Doug\u2019s bleary alcohol-damaged senses to the point where he was mostly sober.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey Tommy, getta loada me!\u201d one of the suits in the room said. Doug groaned. The man had put on his jacket over his own suit jacket and had one of Doug\u2019s unlit cigarettes in his mouth. \u201cOim fucking Doug McCracken, big badarse, \u2018cor love a duck apples and pears!\u201d the suit mimicked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a fucking cockney, arsewipe!\u201d growled Doug. Tommy clipped him across the face with the palm of his hand. Being mostly numb from the cold, the blow wasn\u2019t effective. Doug spat on Tommy\u2019s immaculate right shoe.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh motherfucker<\/i>,\u201d said Tommy. \u201cTake five, boys. This is going to get messy. Ignore any screams or noises, it\u2019ll just be me taking care of our friend here.\u201d The other suits left them alone in the cold room with only the hanging meat and crates of food for company. Tommy threw the fish to the side and grasped the fishhook in his hand. Doug couldn\u2019t see any way out, shifting in his seat against the ropes. With guards on all the doors, his arm bound and no obvious way out, he sighed. Might as well go out the way he did everything \u2013 with obnoxious sarcasm.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, why do they call you \u2018Big Boy\u2019 anyway?\u201d he asked. Tommy grabbed his crotch with his hand and thrusted his hips forward a couple of times.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeed I say more?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Ironic nickname, is it?\u201d chortled Doug. He felt sudden warmth behind him, and tried not to grin more than he was already. Tommy walked towards him, fishhook prepared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what? I didn\u2019t even like Big Jimmy that much. I\u2019m just going to torture the fuck out of you because you\u2019re an arrogant smug sonnovabitch and I don\u2019t like you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a shame,\u201d replied Doug. \u201cI was warming<\/i> to you. In fact I\u2019d say that you light a fire in me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Tommy reached back and brought the fishhook in an arc towards Doug\u2019s shoulder. Doug pushed all his weight away from it against the ropes and flopped out of the chair, the ropes shedding around him. The hook buried itself into the back of the chair, and Tommy was suddenly aware of a knee in his gut. Doug followed it with an uppercut, launching Tommy across the room.<\/p>\n
The chair was burning with green flame. Doug grabbed it by the seat and hefted it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, have a seat. I\u2019ve kept it warm for you!<\/i>\u201d announced Doug, skidding it across the floor on to Tommy, who flailed and howled as the flames brushed his skin. With two large strides, Doug moved low across the floor, grabbing the dropped fishhook in one smooth motion with his hand. He leapt and brought it down with a dull crack<\/i> into Tommy\u2019s skull. There was drool and twitching, Tommy\u2019s body reacting to the dancing flames consuming his clothes as blood welled across his temple.<\/p>\n
Using his foot for leverage, Doug hauled the fishhook out of Tommy and jiggled it about a bit in order to discard some of the blood and skull stuck to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight,\u201d he said, walking up to the door and rapping on it with the fishhook. It opened casually, and on the other side was the cockney McCracken. Taking a look at Doug in front of him, speckled with blood across his face and looking evil, and then seeing Tommy cooking on the floor while flailing around, eyes rolled back in their sockets, the unlit cigarette drooped in his mouth and then succumbed to gravity, cockney Doug\u2019s gaping mouth no longer supporting it.<\/p>\n
\u201c-the fuck?!\u201d was all cockney Doug could say, without the cockney.<\/p>\n
![\"Doug](\"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/MercsTale_Cockney_Doug.png\" "\\"Doug")
<\/p>\n
\u201c \u2018ullo me old choina, oim Doug McCracken,\u201d said Doug menacingly. With a swift motion of his hand he slit the neck artery of fake Doug with his hook, who clasped at his throat and gurgled as he fell to his knees.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh fucking hell mate, don\u2019t bleed on the jacket!\u201d swore Doug, tossing aside the hook and trying to unclothe the dying man against his will. A suit walked in to the kitchen and saw the bloody sight in the back.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, what the hell-\u201d was all he could offer before a large bang and gunfire sounded off in the conference room behind him. Doug looked up, having managed to pull the jacket off of the suit bleeding out at his feet. He shook it off a little to remove some of the blood and addressed the suit who had just walked in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t worry about me, mate,\u201d he announced loudly across the kitchen while slipping on his jacket. \u201cSounds like my mates are shooting up your lot. I\u2019d go check on them!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d said the suit absent-mindedly, drawing his 2<\/a><\/sup>Gat™ from inside his jacket and turning his back on Doug to rush back to the conference room. Doug slipped a sharp knife out from the knife rack next to him on the kitchen counter and deftly flung it at the leaving suit. Spinning through the air, it fell low and caught the suit in the lower spine. With a howl the suit fell to his knees, hands trying to reach the knife in his back. Doug lit a cigarette as he strolled along the kitchen, pausing to remove the knife from the suit\u2019s back and kick him in the face with the heel of his boot.<\/p>\n \u201cNah, just kidding. You should always worry about me, mate,\u201d muttered Doug to the unconscious goon as he searched the man\u2019s pockets, finding a flick-knife and a fat wallet. He stuck the knife into his boot, pinched the money out of the wallet and stuffed it into his jacket pockets, tucked the suit\u2019s Gat™ into his belt and armed himself with the kitchen knife. Puffing on his cigarette, he kicked open the doors to the conference room.<\/p>\n Judging how the majority of the Dalminettis were hiding under the conference table clutching at their eyes, Doug concluded that Blaise\u2019s first move had been to throw a flashbang grenade into the room. Those that had recovered from being temporarily blinded were shooting over the table, towards the far end of the massive piece of furniture.<\/p>\n There were five dead so far. The first was sprawled across the table with heavy burn marks across his face. Doug guessed that he had opened the door to the hall and had received a fire blast to the face for his troubles. Blaise must have then thrown the grenade and set to work with her pistols. The second corpse lay prone by the kitchen door, over the third corpse. They both sported a bullet wound to the head, one bullet having passed through the temples of the second corpse and into the third\u2019s forehead. The fourth corpse had a single bullet wound through his throat. The fifth must have had time to draw a gun as his right wrist had been blown apart and a bullet had been shot through his chest, piercing a lung. In the time it had taken to inflict the damage, Blaise had entered the room and had taken cover down the far end of the ten foot long conference table. Gratin must not have been as concerned with the fight as he had simply walked into the room and had taken to leaning in the corner with his back pressed firmly against the wall, his spirit shield glowing softly around him. He was currently chanting quietly to himself.<\/p>\n The remaining Dalminettis were cowering behind the end of the table closest to the kitchen\u2019s door. They were oblivious to Doug\u2019s presence as they were concentrating on not getting shot by using suppression fire to keep their pistol-wielding attacker at bay.<\/p>\n Gratin shook his head as if he were awakening from a trance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is done,\u201d he told the end of the table the Dalmenettis were shooting at. Doug heard it say \u201cgreat\u201d just as the Dalminettis ran out of bullets, their guns clicking furiously.<\/p>\n Blaise popped up from the end of the table wielding her dual pistols and fired off two shots. They each hit separate men as they were trying to get back into cover, the first was hit through the left eye, the other between the eyes. Blaise gave Doug a curt nod and ducked again, the Dalminettis managing to reload and recommence their fire.<\/p>\n \u201cShit! She got Georgie and Vic!\u201d a panicked member of the group cried.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know, Paulo!\u201d another man said. Doug recognised him as the black suit from earlier he\u2019d chucked up over.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re droppin\u2019 like flies!\u201d Paulo continued.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know<\/i>, Paulo!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Oh, we found McCracken up top! Let\u2019s mess him up and send Alfie and Vekowski some pictures so they know what they\u2019re missin\u2019! It\u2019ll be a laugh!\u2019\u201d Paulo said in an exaggerated impression of the man in black.<\/p>\n \u201cShut up Paulo!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFuck you, Angelo!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think Paulo might have a point, lads. You did bring this on yourselves,\u201d Doug interrupted with a smirk, attracting their attention.<\/p>\n \u201cShit-\u201d was all Angelo could utter before Doug buried the kitchen knife in his ribcage. The other Dalminettis turned just as Doug casually removed the Gat™ from the waist of his trousers, laughing as he sprayed automatic fire along the line of cowering gangsters. As smoke rose from the fresh, twitching corpses, the Gat™ clicked to signify it was empty. Doug tossed it aside as he strolled down the length of the suddenly quiet room towards his friends.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s your head?\u201d he asked Blaise as she climbed to her feet. Blaise tucked the pistols into her holsters and closed her coat, frowning at him. There were six o\u2019 clock shadows under her eyes, each one looking as if they could do with pressing the snooze button another fifteen times.<\/p>\n \u201cPounding, but I\u2019ll live,\u201d she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear in order to keep it out of her eyes, \u201cI see that you\u2019re doing fine, all things considered. And here I was fearing the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t realise you cared so much, Love,\u201d Doug japed.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t get the wrong impression, McCracken. We came to bail your arse out because we need someone on the team to act as blaster fodder and you\u2019re the only guy dumb enough to volunteer,\u201d said Blaise, her mouth cocked upwards in the corner as a cheeky sneer.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I love you too,\u201d smirked Doug.<\/p>\n \u201cOh sod off, you annoying arsehole,\u201d joked Blaise with a smile. She was glad to see he was alright.<\/p>\n Doug looked at the mage and gave him the finger gun. \u201cNice trick with the fire back there pal. Must\u2019ve taken some concentration to cast it through the wall. I hate to break it to you though, but you missed the guy by about a metre. You set fire to the chair I was sat in!\u201d<\/p>\n The mage stepped forward from the wall he was leaning against.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not miss,\u201d stated Gratin. Doug raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. Gratin smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyway!\u201d said Doug, changing the subject, \u201cThis has all been fun and games but we should all get some rest. Who knows what else the day has in store for us?\u201d He looked at Blaise, who was searching around the room as if she was trying to pinpoint something.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Red?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cJet engines,\u201d said Blaise. Doug looked around and was suddenly aware of the noise. It had been a low-lying groan on the edge of hearing for the last five minutes, but slowly the noise had grown and grown. Right now it was making itself comfortable in the vast expanse of the conference room.<\/p>\n \u201cPassing aircraft,\u201d suggested Doug.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2019s it circling the ship, then?\u201d asked Blaise.<\/p>\n The fish caught Doug across the side of his face, a cold moist collision across his flesh. The warmth of his breath caused clouds of condensation around his mouth, and he shivered without his jacket to protect him from the cold. He chuckled as the fish came back across the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[32,47,31,58,33,82,51],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-mercenaries-tale","tag-blaise","tag-dalminetti-mafia","tag-doug-mccracken","tag-gifelle-arms-weapons","tag-gratin","tag-the-dalminetti-airship-massacre","tag-tommy-big-boy-bellarico"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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