The meeting was set for midnight.
Cliche, perhaps, but Judas felt it was thematically appropriate. He and Commissioner Doyle were currently parked on the far end of the remains of the old boardwalk, their backs to the sea. A necessary handicap, Judas had said, and a show of good faith. Of course, Doyle had no idea what he was talking about, and as always his acid reflux was acting up. Judas couldn't blame the man for being tense, seeing as police were seldom welcome in Lowtown on a good day, but it was all the worse for the commissioner as his first visit following his wife's death. This night promised to be very difficult for Doyle, Judas knew, but it was hardly the casino man's concern. No, Judas had much bigger fish to fry before he was fried himself.
Just then, there came the sound of rumbling engines as a convoy of limousines, an old coup de ville, and a swarm of motorcycles came into view. Judas flashed the headlights a few times, signaling his presence, and then he started to step out. Doyle, already hyperventilating at the sight of the criminal army swarming down on them, was likewise rising and going for his gun, but Judas touched his shoulder.
"Stay here." he instructed. "You are to be a witness, not a participant. This is for me to handle."
Doyle scowled and started to rebut, but Judas had already shut the door and was marching towards the line of villains and cutthroats as they disembarked from their own vehicles. Judas strode with his usual confidence, his expression a mask of nonchalance and quiet strength as the three heads of Lowtown's criminal aristocracy moved into view. Ledger and Velvet he already knew, but the third was a fresh face. He was a young man in his mid to late twenties with a dark complexion and dreadlocks. While he was dressed in the usual grunge typical of the Serpents—a plain white wife beater's shirt and jeans that were more holes than pants—there was a keen intellect shining in the young man's eyes and a cruel looking knife hanging from his hip. If memory served, this was Coils, Andy's subordinate and the closest thing to a second in command he would allow for his operation. Whether he was making his play for power or simply trying to keep the Serpents going was up in the air, but at least it was something to work with. All of the criminal heads assembled, save Velvet, looked upon Judas with an ounce of confusion and a dollop of vitriol. It was amusing, really. After all, Judas was the face of Uptown, the land of lights and wasteful indulgence, which was completely antithetical to Lowtown, the septic tank of broken dreams.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Judas boomed for all to hear. "Let me open by thanking you for coming all this way. I imagine it was quite the jaunt, and a detraction from your regularly scheduled debauchery and criminal wanton. But if you will lend an ear and a moment of your time, I assure you it will be worth it."
He heard a scoff to his left, and he eyed Coils. The young man's arms were crossed, and he had a permanent sneer on his clean shaven face.
"This chump ain't much different from the last guy that got us all together. Typical rich dude with cheap sounding talk."
"I do nothing cheap, young man." Judas said, his tone even but hosting a bite. "I'd advise you keep all comments till after the lecture. I assure you there will be a test."
Coils rolled his eyes and looked away, though his question definitely made the others suspicious. Judas watched their eyes carefully, minding a few that were palming their weapons. He cut his gaze back towards Doyle in the cop car, who looked to be between a heart attack and an aneurysm. Best to get to the point, he wagered, as he resumed his speech.
"You're probably wondering why I chose this location for this little interlude. The shortest answer I could offer is that it is a place of beginnings. After all, this is where you all got your start."
He turned to Ledger.
"You were...what, fourteen when you used to man the dunking booth right about where you're standing down, Mr. Wallace Cleaver? Your daddy still calls you Wally, right?"
Ledger's brows jumped, if only for hearing someone use his actual name for once. Judas then turned to Velvet.
"Ah, you I remember very well, Madame Lusamine. The greatest 12-year-old fortune teller in four counties. There was hardly a thing you didn't know what with your resplendent ear for detail, and your fast fingers for back pocket filching."
"Flatterer." Velvet giggled with a small grin.
"Then there was the rabble." Judas went on, looking to Coils. "A veritable band of misfit pickpockets and handout chasers that were more nuisance than threat. Unlike today, of course."
Coils remained silent, though his arms had dropped to his sides, and he gripped the handle of his knife. It was a big bowie, now that Judas had a better look. The man had a love for the classics that Judas could respect.
"In many regards, this was where you were born, or perhaps awakened, and all thanks to a baptism of fire. A fire that breathed new life into the city as we know it now. A fire that reforged me into the man you see today."
Ledger skewed his face as he took off his hat and dabbed at his forehead. He had only been a high schooler when the fire burned everything to the ground. His father had lost the use of his right hand just trying to help people out. Coils was feeling something similar. Two of his best mates had been crushed under some falling debris and one drowned when one of the ferris wheel's carts crashed onto the deck sending him into the water. Velvet, on the other hand, had her head tilted back as she recalled the event with nostalgia rather than melancholy.
"What's this about, Mr. Scarlett?" Ledger asked. "You and your casino have only been in town for about ten years. To my knowledge, this is the first time you've ever actually set foot in Lowtown, much less stood on this boardwalk."
"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, Wally." Judas said with a wag of his finger. "I, like you, was but a humble denizen of this very peer. I went about my day to day in the muck and the mud, literally penniless and my eyes forever perched towards a sunrise that offered empty promises. Like you, I felt I was owed more, but I knew better than to defy my status quo. After all, you can only get away with so much, and without the proper chips you can never safely gamble. That is, unless, the house decides to work with you rather than against. Tell me, does anyone remember the Lost Pier Fortune?"
He paused for the silence, spying some familiarity with the term especially from Velvet. No doubt, she had been waiting for this day, eager for the news and the havoc it would raise. Anyone that had lived in Lowtown since the fire had heard the story. Allegedly, all of the businesses associated with the pier, from the hotdog venders to the ferris wheel, had all been insured by the same company. As the story goes, all of the money which would have gone to the families associated with what was lost had been coalesced into one big enormous pool, which vanished without fanfare. There was no real evidence to prove this, of course, as the fire had destroyed any and all traces of documentation. Still, the rumor mill was churning at a break neck pace, and every Tom, Dick, Harry, and Madison was dedicated to finding that money. It's what turned Lowtown into Hadestown as bruisers like Andy Coska busted up anyone with a clue and business minded folks like Ledger secured assets to properly search for. Velvet took another puff from her pipe while wearing a knowing grin. But none were more astonished than Doyle. Having been unable to sit any longer, he had quietly slipped out of the car, up the pier, and hid behind a barrel. He was looking at Judas with new eyes and a hole burning through his stomach.
"I assure you that the fortune is, or rather was, very much real." Judas said with a proud smile. "I have been its proud owner these odd twenty years, and I have put it to a great use. I direct your attention to uptown, where I built my grand tower and used my influence to shape the surrounding landscape. But that is only the obvious change I brought about. No, it's the more subtle change that I relish, and it is for that change that I have brought you here. In truth, it's less change, and more of a sowing of a great harvest. A harvest I have come to reap."
"Get to the point!" Coils snapped, his bowie now drawn and flashing in the lamp light.
"Yes, please, sir." Ledger chimed in, only barely remaining civil. "Just what are you prattling on about? If such money existed, I am positive I and my men would have found it by now."
"But you did find it, Ledger." Judas said matter-of-factly. "Or, rather, a portion of it was given to you. After all, how were you able to buy third avenue and the lower west side?"
Ledger jumped back, shocked. He had been approached by a figure long ango offering money with which he had bought a number of properties in Lowtown. It was how he had managed to build his network and it was the backbone of his operation to this day. He'd long forgotten the man's face, but surely..."
"I give good consultation, don't I?" Judas chuckled. "It was fun playing the role of loan shark and real estate agent. I'm still amazed you never realized they were one and the same, even after you paid me back what you were given over a hundred times over."
He looked to Coils and Velvet.
"The same is said of your respective groups. I was selective with my targets, ensuring you all had Lowtown split up all nice and even. The only thing I didn't have to do was pit you all against each other. The lovely thing about roommates is that if you draw a line across the room, they'll swear the other side has more. While you fought for literal table scraps, I was dining on caviar. A truly marvelous bit of stress relief after a long day of counting my, formerly your, money."
The crowd was now deathly silent. Many knew the stories, or at least heard rumors. It was one of the worst kept secrets in all of Grummsdale. A lone figure what had been working in the shadows and made their lives possible. None had wanted to believe it, especially not back at the Carnation Cougar. But as they looked to the man before them, both Ledger and Coils were tensing hard with an unbearable dread. At last, Velvet threw back her head in laughter.
"That's right, boys and girls. The stories are true. While you squabbled and prided yourselves on control, you were all merely the unwitting lieutenants of a greater mastermind. The great Slumlord himself."
A fresh ruckus erupted from the crowd. It was as though the boogeyman had just walked out of the closet, stirring up a cornucopia of emotions. Most of the Serpents were screaming threats and making accusations that it was a lie. No uppity uptown fat cat who wore a thousand dollar suit could be the actual Slumlord. Ledger had called a quick conference with his most trusted, forming a huddle as they discussed the possibility. Their conclusion: it made a frightening level of sense. As for Doyle, horror had been replaced by a toxic hatred. He had started to come into view, only to jump back when he was nearly spotted by a Serpent. Instead, he made his way back to the safety of the passenger seat of the car, though his eyes never left Judas' back as he fantasized wedging a knife into it. Eventually, Velvet signaled her car where her girls, Rose and Burgundy, were seated, and Rose honked the horn, quieting the masses. Once silent, Velvet fixed Judas with a catty expression.
"Your anonymity was your greatest strength, Judas, so the fact you've finally exposed yourself must mean you've screwed up royal. So, let me hear it. What delicious drama have you dredged up to the point you would waste your one and only trump card?"
"Not drama. Merely a remapping."
He reached into his coat, and he took out a tiny, bronze ball. He dropped it unceremoniously, and three, insect-like legs popped loose to catch it before it bounced. Its top half opened in a spiral, and a light was shot upwards to reveal a three dimensional recreation of Grummsdale in its entirety. Above the image was the words "Operation: Shake up". With bowie knife still swinging in his grip, Bowie stepped forward and inspected the map before shooting a suspicious look towards Judas.
"Ok, Dr. Spock, you got my attention. What the heck am I looking at, and why should I care?"
"I'll explain." Judas said.
He tapped the image with a finger, and it changed to an earlier version of the town when Lowtwon was still thriving with the boardwalk and Uptwon was less urbanized. A moment later, a virtual fire destroyed the boardwalk.
"Nearly twenty years ago, certain individuals decided to stake a claim to this city and help bring it to a new age of brilliance. To do this, they set certain assets into place through the use of insurance companies which would reap an enormous reward in the wake of a terrible catastrophe. A catastrophe you all know well."
Doyle had left the car again, now standing several feet away from Judas and peering around him for a better look.
"However, these individuals are rather attached to their privacy, so they needed an agent. One who could take their operation and become its face and front. Someone with their own ambiguity and street smarts. To those of you with waning mental faculties, that would be me."
The image changed again, now looking like the city as they knew it now with a diseased looking Lowtown and a glitzy Uptown. Midtown, however, had remained perfectly the same throughout.
"The next stage was simple. Using the capital provided to me, I was to establish a personal base of operations and build upon our future goals as I saw fit so long as I held my operations within the limits of Uptown."
"Why Uptown?" Coils cut in, his tone venomous. "You already destroyed it, so why not build it up from the ground up?"
"Why, then you wouldn't exist my dear boy." Judas chimed back. "The idea was something of a pincer maneuver; a means of sowing chaos and keeping people despondent. While I was driving people mad with greed and pleasure, you were scaring, and scarring, the rest of them with anarchy and violence. It created a very unique atmosphere which tended to push people into the middle, creating a community of victims just trying to stay alive."
This made Doyle stiffen, and suddenly his ulcer had become heartburn. Or, perhaps, his heart was simply burning with a steadily rising anger ready to boil over. He wasn't even sure when he had drawn his gun, but now that it was in his hand he had started moving again.
"Of course, there was always the threat of intermingling." Judas went on. "Keeping you all relegated to Lowtown and not expanding your borders until I was ready was like watching my daughter running around with scissors. Easily managed, but no less of a heart attack. Fortunately, I had a man, or shall I say woman, on the inside."
Velvet raised her hand up high, prompting everyone to look her way in disgust and hate.
"Most fun a girl could possibly have!" she tittered wickedly. "Why watch soap operas when you can direct them in real life. Andy was definitely my favorite toy, though. Nothing like an angry wall of meat that you can throw around at people and watch the fireworks."
Coils was suddenly upon her, grabbing her arm and readying his knife.
"You sick little witch! I knew you were using the boss for something, but I didn't think you were such a..."
Velvet's arm suddenly twisted in a way it shouldn't have, and suddenly she was behind Coils, using her arm in a backwards chokehold as she pulled him close.
"Never seen a quadrupole jointed woman, have you?" she whispered into his ear. "Your boss was far from the brightest, not that you need me to tell you. How many of his messes did you have to clean up? Well, now that he's in the hospital, I suppose it's different kinds of messes you're cleaning for him now."
She untwined him and shoved him to the ground before joining Judas' side.
"But what about the Carnation Cougar?" Ledger piped in. "You brought us all together, or at least had Vinny the Skinny do it."
"And as I expected you all went berserk and split up even further." Judas said. "If things were going the way I was wanting them, it would have inevitably been formed into a grand gang war that would rise from Lowtown, spill into Midtown, and be a right mess that the police in their greatest force would have to clean up. Lots of shooting, lots of dying, it would have been a fun watch to be sure."
He heard the hammer of a gun click behind him. Judas breathed a low, soft sigh, and he turned his head to see Doyle, his body trembling as he held his pistol in both hands. It was like watching a pile of jello act like a rottweiler and looked just as comical.
"Do put that away, commissioner. Just because you are an idiot doesn't mean you should act like one."
"It's your fault!" Doyle roared in a raspy sob. "You did this! All of this! It's your fault!"
Judas rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Doyle, good job. You demonstrated a rare ability to listen. I'll give you a cookie when we get home."
"She's dead because of you!" Doyle snapped. "You promised me! You promised me revenge! That we'd..."
"That we'd rebuild Lowtown into the paradise your dearly departed wife believed it could be." Judas finished. "Yes, I said, and to a degree meant, all of that. Never once did I say you were going to survive the whole thing. Not in the original draft of this little story I've written, at least."
Doyle's trembling faded, and he willfully marched over to Judas, resting the barrel of his gun against Judas' forehead.
"If I am going to die, then I'll be taking you and this skank friend of yours first before gunning down as many of these putrid pieces of Lowtown filth until..."
There was a blur of movement, and Doyle suddenly screamed as he grasped his arm. His gun fell to the wayside, and the assembly could now see a long, bleeding gash on the man's arm from the outside of his thumb to just below the elbow hinge. With a flourish, Judas cleaned his switchblade and returned it to his pocket.
"Velvet dear, tend to the buffoon for me if you would. I must finish my lecture."
Velvet offered a mock curtesy before walking over to Doyle as Judas turned back to the crowd. The very angry, heavily armed crowd.
"Now then," Judas said nonchalantly. "Where was I before I was rudely interrupted?"
"The part where we all kill each other because of your stupid plan." Coils said tersely.
"Well, it's not entirely my plan." Judas deflected. "I am but one part of a much greater whole. Besides, even if none of outright died in this projected gang war, the earthquake would have ceratinly killed you."
"Earthquake?" Coils started to ask, only for the model of the city to suddenly shake.
This time, there was sound—a horrible cacophony of crackling foundations, people screaming, and buildings giving way. Everyone watched the model as Midtown and Lowtown caved in on themselves and became like sinkholes. Everything and everyone fell in, including the trolley line as rampant fires spread across the landscape. Only Uptown was spared and remained serene, albeit lightly shaken. Slowly, the masses looked back up to Judas and his knowing smile.
"That can't happen." Coils finally said, though there was an uncharacteristic squeak in his voice. "You can't...there's no way you could..."
"I can't, no." Judas replied. "But my benefactors certainly can. I set the model for what the future town looks like with my work on Uptown, and then we lay the foundation, so to speak, for the rest of the town."
"And this would be after you had us all kill one another." Ledger hissed while motioning to his men. "I admired your gold, Mr Scarlett, but your brass seems to shine more."
"Thank you for noticing." Judas said cordially. "But, of course, I wouldn't be telling all of you this unless if I still planned your demise. I'm afraid my operations have changed, and now I need your help."
"And why should we help you?!" Coils hissed. "You ask me, we're all within our right to rip you apart, piece by piece, and sew you back together with dull needles."
"I won't fault you for that." Judas said. "If vengeance is your currency, I'm ready for the check. Best to die at your hands before the city in its entirety is destroyed at the end of the month."
A fresh pause. Even Doyle had stopped wailing and crying. Judas let the silence last for a few more minutes, and he then he cleared his throat.
"Here's the meat of it. I was given fifteen years to set this little drama into motion, and by the end of this month—five years ago—I'd have been ready to ring the final bell. But there was a snag. One essential piece of the machine vanished in transit. The rest had been sent to me bit by bit so I could study the thing properly, learn how to wield it. But without that last piece, the whole contraption was useless. My benefactors weren't charmed by my explanation, but they granted me five extra years. No, that grace period nears expiration. If I fail to deliver, every trace of them will be scrubbed from this city. And by 'scrubbed,' I mean there won't be a city, or anyone left to miss it."
And boom went the powderkeg.
All at once, the pier was bursting with noise as the Serpents screamed and ranted in rage while the Bills slunk back in revolted horror. Coils was screaming obscenities at Judas, accusing him of lying while waving his bowie knife. Ledger was conversely trying to settle his men, but a third had ran for their cars and drove off into the night to either flee the city or simply find a place to hide. Even Velvet had lost her smugness as her girls joined her next to the now fetal position Doyle. Burgundy was a sobbing mess, begging her "momma" to tell her it wasn't true. But Velvet's knowing eyes only filled her with greater despair. Rose, for her part, was trying to console the babbling commissioner, more for her sake than his. After several long moments of panic and rage, Judas drew a revolver from his coat and fired three times. Once more, there was silence, and once more he was in control.
"I can understand that this news is troubling. Believe me, I've dealt with it these last five years. Time is short, so I no longer have the option to be lax. If this is going to work, then we must all unite, and this time I mean it. All of Lowtown must rally under a singular banner if we wish to survive the coming storm."
Coils sneered at him, marching over and looking him dead in the eye.
"Just like that you think we're gonna follow you? It's your fault we're in this mess!"
"If not me, my benefactors would have chosen someone else. Grummsdale was always their target, whatever their reason. But they did choose me, and clearly I'm the only one they're interested in. So the choice is yours. Help me complete my plans, and you will live to not only see the future but help mold it. Run away, and I assure you that your death will be long and painful. My benefactors do not like loose ends, and they've knives far sharper than yours."
Coils scowled, and he turned to Ledger. The finely dressed fellow had his arms crossed and his eyes closed in deep thought. No doubt, he was thinking over the alternatives and looking at a number of angles that might could lead to something better. Eventually, he opened his eyes.
"The Lowtown Legion. They're part of this too, correct?"
Judas nodded.
Ledger sighed, and he tilted his head back to look at the stars.
"It all sounds like something out of a bad comic book my nephew would read, but I can't say that I don't see the lines drawn. The bombings around the city, the Legion's attack on the bazaar, the minimal police efforts as of late: you're clearly into something big. So this threat of yours might as well be genuine."
He turned back to what colleagues he had left.
"The Bills have already offered their services to the Slumlord, even when we didn't believe he existed. Money is our blood, and we need it to survive. It's just business."
The finely dressed men all exchanged glances, and then they looked back to him with a collective nod.
"It's just business." they chimed in unison.
Ledger turned back to Judas.
"Count us in, I suppose. Though I want the better parts of this agreement in writing."
"I have my secretary writing it up as we speak." Judas said, shaking the man's hand.
Coils remained indignant, staying back though his weapon was sheathed.
"I don't shake with anyone, but..."
He shot his own crew a look, who were looking more like cowardly kittens than savage snakes. He sighed irritably.
"I suppose I agree with all of this, as stupid as it is. So what exactly are we supposed to do? Find this part?"
Judas nodded.
"Unfortunately, to this day, I do not know what the device looks like. However, I know someone that does."
Ledger hummed a little tune, and he looked about the pier.
"I had noticed an odd absence. Namely the Dock Boys. Something tells me Mr. Salts and you are having a disagreement?"
"The worst." Judas growled. "For those fifteen years I was building my empire, I relied heavily on the Dock Boys. Nothing comes into this city from the water without their direct governance, and for those fifteen years they were as faithful as christmas."
"Until they weren't." Coils huffed.
"Precisely." Judas replied. "For whatever cause, when the time came for the L.A.N to arrive, it miraculously disappeared. More than that, any and all money I had given him up to that point was returned. I at first wrote it off as some sort of error, Salts has always been a decent criminal, but my every attempt to speak with him these last five years has given me pause. I could never deal with him directly, not without risk of bungling my operation any worse than I had, and I was trying to make do without the device."
"But now that time is short you need help finding him and figuring out what he know." Ledger said with a nod. "I'm amazed Velvet hasn't found him yet."
"She's been looking, though I suspect she already knows." Judas grumbled, shooting the woman a side eye. "It's why I need your help, Ledger. Salts and his boys won't leave Lowtown. Their stubborn pride won't allow it, especially if he's hiding the L.A.N like I suspect. Mind you, I want him alive."
"Hence why you're not asking me?" Coils asked with a hint of offense. "Might I remind you the Serpents outnumber the Bills fifty to one?"
"All the more reason to turn you loose." Judas said with a smile. "Into Midtown where you may sow chaos and confusion to your mad little hearts' content."
Coils cocked his brow, but then he understood.
"The Midtown Knight. You want him distracted."
"And you want vengeance, I'm sure. After all, he laid poor Andy low. Can't make your group look all that good if your leader was bested by a punk in a tin suit."
Coils hated it, but the man had a point. Many of the youngbloods what had joined recently had already been stirring up a stink. Several were trying to form alliances and little sects with the intention of taking over the gang. None of them had been stupid enough to approach Coils yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. There needed to be an example.
"You let me worry about him, then. I'll slit the little popper's throat and nail his carcass across the Lowtown Cathedral."
"I'd rather you didn't do that." Judas said, utterly revolted. "I'm a practicing catholic, you know."
"Didn't know. Don't care."
Those were Coils' last words on the subject, and he turned to leave, signaling his men to do the same. Ledger took this as his own cue to depart, leaving Judas a card with his personal phone number for future updates. Soon, both factions were departing, leaving Judas alone with Velvet, her girls, and the still babbling Doyle. He turned about, and he marched over to the fetal commissioner. With a swift yank to the lapel, he had him back on his feet, and he slapped him three times across the face.
"Enough with the water works, commissioner. I need you."
Doyle was still mad with grief, but through a pout he managed to glare at Judas.
"Killed her." he croaked. "You...killed her. Might as well...have been...your hands..."
Judas gave him another sharp slap with the back of his hand, his knuckle actually busting Doyle's lip and making him bleed.
"Your wife was a delusional idealist that thought she could heal a broken world." Judas said venomously. "If she hadn't been so stupid, she would have realized that the world isn't broken. It's just in need of some control. That is what I have promised you, Doyle, and I keep my world. Now enough of this blubbering, there's work to be done."
Doyle spat in Judas' face, managing to get some blood in his eye.
"I won't do it! I won't help you! I won't..."
By now, Judas was done. With a flash of motion, his switchblade now found itself buried in the commissioner's gut. The poor man tried to scream, but Judas covered his mouth while his own parted with a devilish grin.
"Shhhhhhh. Don't be sad, Doyle. I am sending you to see your wife."
He paused.
"On second thought, given all you're culpable of given your connection to me, I might be sending you the opposite way. Toodles."
Eventually, Doyle went still with one final gurgle as his eyes rolled back. Judas then dropped with with an unceremonious plop. Rose screamed and rushed to the fallen commiosner's side. Against all hope, she checked his throat, but her heart shattered as the truth was made clear.
"You killed him." she croaked as she looked up at the unapologetic Judas. "You...you didn't have to do that."
"I don't have to do anything, my dear." Judas said as he fetched a cigar from his lapel and lit it. "I simply do as I like, and only if I can get away with it. Thanks to your mother, that'll be a breeze."
He looked to Velvet, her own sinister grin returning.
"I trust no one will find this for a day or two?"
"Already have the narrative set up. Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Judas, you handsome little psychopath, I might just be in love."
Judas huffed at that.
"I only ever loved one woman, Velvet, and never again."
With that, he marched for his car, stepping on Doyle's corpse for added cruelty, and before long he was making his way back towards Uptown. There was much to do the next couple of days.