the usual suspects

The wind whipped at his jacket as he struggled with the zipper. Taking a few more steps, he began questioning this course of action. The cold wet snow slapping at his face over and over, he wished he could turn around, home was so close and his destination so far.

He trudged on. The ground seemed to hit harder on his soles with each step. This was a march for the ages, he would not be denied his goal. Adjusting his collar, he shivered away what cold he could and secured himself from further onslaught.

As his fingers froze his nerves steeled. More than just his pride was riding on this trek. His mission was simple yet impossibly important.

Squinting through the snow and rain he thought he caught a glimpse of something. It looked like a man hiding in the shadows, as he checked again though, the figure disappeared. He shrugged it off as a cold induced hallucination.

He rounded the corner where the ghostly figure had just been. Just to be sure, he took a longer look around before proceeding onward. As he paused, he was blindsided. Turning slowly as he fell he caught a glimpse of the demon tormenting his mission. The lights went out as his head slammed into the icy sidewalk.

Coming to, moments later, he found his pants were wet and his head felt like it was about to explode. Curling his fingers slowly into a fist he tried to stave off the pain creeping from his frozen appendages.

A hand reached down through the winter hell and he instinctively grabbed hold. Pulled to his feet, he found himself finally face to face with his shadowy foe.

"You fucking douche bag cock sucker!" he shouted, punching his assailant on the shoulder. Recognizing his enemy as one of his oldest friend, Bad Boy Bob, his anger melted away.

"Tony, dude, didn't mean to hit you that hard, my bad" slurred Bob in response. When he drank, Bob tended to run his words together and would occasionally click his teeth when he spoke.

"Come on, you just signed up for this mission" Tony replied. He would never puss out and admit that he might have just lost a few seconds of consciousness to the unforgiving concrete below.

Over the previous few hours everything had picked up a significant dusting of slushy snow. Tony reached into his pocket and dramatically pulled out his keys. With a pump of his fist and a click of the alarm button, his car alerted him to its exact position in the gloom.

Making a mad dash across the remaining dozen or so yards to the car, Tony reached the car a half step ahead of Bob. That half stepped proved crucial because he jumped in and slammed his finger down on the power lock, leaving Bob to freeze in the icy prison outside.

"That's for knocking me down, you piece of man-bait!" Tony triumphantly shouted while pressing his middle finger hard against the passenger window right in Bob's face.

Revving the engine, Tony hoped to heat the car faster as he cranked the heater to the 'cremate' setting. Finding a suitable song for the adventure, he finally unlocked the door. Bob had suffered enough ... for now.

"Listen up and listen well, my friend" Tony almost cooed as the heat started pumping faster. "This is the most important journey we could possibly hope to be on today, maybe even the most important journey of your life. Not mine, and you've been recruited because you're a dickhead. The objective closes its doors in less than ten minutes and they've proven time and again that we can't fuck around with these people" He sounded like a general leading his platoon instead of just his half drunk buddy from childhood.

Bob glanced quickly at the clock on the dashboard and a light seemed to cut through the cloudy haze in his head. He knew where they were going.

Racing down the icy streets, Tony's hands and feet moved almost independently along the wheel and pedals. He was possessed. He had a mission. He would not fail. They were going along and making good time, they were actually going to make it happen. He was happy that he was so comfortable making this trip as he had been drinking as well and the roads were not at their best.

Yanking on his emergency brake, he came to a dramatic stop as the car slid fantastically around on the unsalted and vacant parking lot ice. They came to a halt not so much in an actual parking spot, as a good place to get out and dash for the door.

The lights were still on, they were in business. They'd made it with maybe a minute left on that quickly ticking clock. Bob tripped as he stepped on to the curb and Tony kicked the door open, not even pausing for his fallen friend. Bob would make it, after all, he'd pulled himself out of tougher spots before.

"You know what we're here for, asshole!" Tony barked at the clerk. "Don't try and pull that 'we're closed' bullshit on me again."


Jogging to the back, Tony grabbed the usual suspects. Nikolai and Vladimir, who both hung out at the Banker's Club with Admiral Nelson. Yes, this would be a great night.

They'd done it. These two saviors of Saturday night. These knights of honor and justice. Tony were exalted and enshrined for the rest of the evening. They laid waste to their enemy with seconds to spare.