Red lights could eat her dust, she had an appointment to keep!

..or, at least that's what she told herself as she sat impatiently at a red light, with a butt-load of cars lined up behind her and on either side. The dark haired woman tapped her fingers on the headlight of her ride, short nails clicking on the shiny red paint, and she huffed loudly. It would figure, that on the day she really needed to be on time, she'd hit every damn red light on the way.

Marvin had gotten in touch with her again, to set up an appointment. She was supposed to meet him in some family restaurant, out in the open because 'Slinking around in the dark makes me feel like a rat', or so he had said. Honestly, it made her feel a little nervous. She couldn't pinpoint any real reason... so maybe it was just her nerves. All she knew was she had prepared herself as best she could with what little weaponry she had. Her pepper spray was strapped securely to her belt, her taser sat snugly in her purse, and she had her newly acquired knife stuffed into her boot, under her jeans. The light flashed from red, to orange, to green, and Megan shifted back into place on her seat. The meeting place was only a few blocks away from her now... but she was running a few minutes late. With a glance over her shoulder, she merged suddenly into the lane on her right side, earning a honk and a few angry hollers from the guy behind her. A few minutes later, she had her bike parked and she was sitting and staring up at the building before her.

Marvin had chosen a sub shop.... of course. The twenty four year old glanced back toward traffic, which was crawling lazily to a stop behind her. Another red light. People stalked down the sidewalk on her other side, most to involved in their phones or conversations to pay attention to the woman scowling at them. The feeling in the pit of her stomach wasn't gone... and she was having hardcore second thoughts. On one hand it was completely irrational, and silly. There were a billion voices in her head telling her that this was ridiculous and stupid. But there was just one whispering to her, cooing about what an adventure it would be, and that it would end all of her problems. Trent was more or less a stalker. She could go to the cops, get restraining orders and move from place to place... but there was no real way to prove how much of a danger he was. Her lips pursed and she pulled her helmet off, hanging it from a handlebar as she climbed off her bike and slipped into the sub shop.

Inside she was assaulted with odd smells and elevator music, not to mention very bright florescent lights. Blue eyes squinted, eyeballing the line of people waiting to order in front of her, before she scanned the area. The place was busier than she has expected, but thankfully not packed. She spotted a familiar jet black head of hair, lounging off in one corner with his elbows on the table, and a sub held in his hands. He was chewing heartily, and nodding at another figure. Megan approached cautiously, tucking her hands into the front pocket of her red hoodie. "...Sorry i'm late. Traffic was a b%@*#." Marvin stopped chewing, arching one perfect eyebrow her way, before he reached for a napkin and dabbed at his mouth. "Ah! My dear, I was beginning to wonder if I had given you the wrong time, please, pull up a chair."

What am I? A retriever, now? Vicente grumbled as he say back, leaning his chair in the sub shop, watching his latest contact gnaw like a beast on a submarine sandwich.

It was obvious that he did not like the man. He smelled of pastrami and vinegar and mixture of all that was just completely repulsive to the older assassin. He wanted nothing more than the slit the man’s throat, but he knew he needed to keep contacts alive, as much as he did not like them. Vicente was still new to the city and that meant that he needed to earn as much money as possible with any jobs he could get his hands on. That was why this killer was now pretty much hiring himself out for any smaller leg work he could get in.

Killing for the crime boss Falcone was fine, but it was always better to have contingencies to fall back on when needed. That was why the man did whatever jobs came his way so he could collect the money and keep it stored.

Still though, there had to be something more dignified than simply being a fetcher! But…for now he did not have the time to look. He to meet his client, a young woman who needed to find someone. Seemed to be the standard story these days.

Leaning back in his chair, the older man, dressed in jeans, a tight black shirt and an open, buttoned up shirt above that. He idly chewed on a toothpick between his teeth his teeth as he waited for this young lady to show up. So far she was late, which already irritated him. If anyone was going to hire him for something, they better damn sure be on time. He had no tolerance for people who are late.

>> "...Sorry i'm late. Traffic was a b%@*#."[/color]

About. Damn. Time. Vicente thought to himself, his back turned to the whoever this woman was. But there was something strange. Her voice was familiar. That nagging, irritated voice that made his skin crawl. Why did he know it?

>> "Ah! My dear, I was beginning to wonder if I had given you the wrong time, please, pull up a chair."[/b]

Vicente only then finally set his chair back to its normal stance and turned to face the young lady he would be working for. Immediately his eyes narrowed and his fist clenched. Those bright blue eyes, that sarcastic look on his face. It was only the quickest of incidents but he quickly recognized her. She was that insane brat that got into a fight at a bar and nearly had the cops beset on him! She then followed him and was so irritating that he had to throw one of his knives at her!

A soft growl on his lips, Vicente sneered as he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. This…should prove to be interesting.

Stealing a chair from next to Marvin, Megan flipped it around and plopped into the seat. The twenty four year old rested her arms on the back of the chair and her chin on her arms, casting one long look over her shoulder... just for paranoia's sake. "Naw... s'my fault. Didn't account for traffic... so, everything's done and ready then?"

Marvin set his sub down, wiping his ring clad fingers with a napkin as he nodded softly in response to her question. Megan eyed him, not letting his shiny smile fool her for a second. She had already fallen for that trick, and had spent the better part of a night scrubbing her hand clean because of it. "Everything is ready, yes... I have my share, and our friends share-" He motioned toward the man who's arms were crossed- her tracker, she assumed. "-is secure, safe and waiting for the job to be done." The man shot her another sparkling, bleached smile, winking one dark eye her way, and she responded by wrinkling her nose and drawing her hood up over her bleached hair. She turned her attention away, to the other sitting at the table. He looked familiar... and it took her a moment to figure out why. Suddenly, the knife strapped to her calf was burning. She remembered him alright... and the complete lack of entertainment he had provided. Sure, she had gotten a nice shiny knife out of the deal, but she had still been forced to wander off alone, with nothing to keep herself busy. Marvin shrugged in response to her cold shoulder, "...Now, there were a few things I wanted to ask- don't worry, I won't take up much of your time." He leaned back in his chair, smoothing his hair back with one hand while he crossed one finely clothed leg over another. "I know that we had little time to talk the last time we met, but you never did inform me of why you needed my help. Call me curious, or nosy if you will... I just happen to like knowing my clients personally."

Megan's newly pierced bottom lip twitched down slightly. She could feel a scowl forming... It seemed that Vicente wasn't the only who who's nerves were being grated on by dear old Marvin. "...Don't take this the wrong way, but... I'd prefer to not get personal with you. I paid you to do a job, and last time I checked that job didn't involve getting to know me, or why exactly it is that I need you, right?" icy blue eyes clashed with striking black ones. She saw his smile tighten just a little bit in the corners, and the feeling of dread in her stomach grew a little bit heavier. Marvin wanted to pretend to be friends... play the nice card, and she didn't know why. She wasn't going to give up her information willingly.. not when the guy creeped her out so much. Mr. Creep himself, though disappointed, was fine with this. He had only been nice... to both of them really. If they wanted to be grumps and rude, it was no skin off his nose. He'd just have to find his fun some other way... "Alright, alright..." He raised his hands in surrender, and motioned toward the silent man across the table from him. "No more questions. Why don't we introduce ourselves instead? Then we can all go our merry little ways."

Megan glanced at the other man again, the knife throwing one, and couldn't resist smirking a little. "...We've already met, actually."

Vicente locked eyes with the young lady who entered and she locked eyes with him. It was apparent that she remembered him. A casual grin crept across his face. She was irritating as hell but at least she had the smarts to know to run off when someone threatens her with a knife. So, she was the one he was going to be working for. That was fun. He wondered what exactly it was that she was going to have him look for. Thankfully he had good contacts already so he would not have to work with her for long. Besides, if she gets uppity, he could always threaten her with a knife again.

Still the silent sentinel, he remained quiet, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the exchange between the blue eyed girl and the greasy smelling man whom had contacted him…

>> "...Don't take this the wrong way, but... I'd prefer to not get personal with you. I paid you to do a job, and last time I checked that job didn't involve getting to know me, or why exactly it is that I need you, right?"

>> "Alright, alright...No more questions. Why don't we introduce ourselves instead? Then we can all go our merry little ways." [/i]

>> "...We've already met, actually."[/color]

Vicente grinned, actually grinned, showing off his pearly whites and nodded. “We did. She good and getting her butt handed to her in a fight.” The old assassin smirked as he adjusted his shirt, sat forward towards the table and nodded to Marvin. “Listen. You made the meeting, you have my money set up, I believe it’s time for you to walk away, especially considering that I solely work on a confidential basis.”

His dark eyes watched man closely, begging him to argue the point. The truth was that Vicente was not the type of man that simply followed his employer around like some obedient attack dog. The people he worked for knew of his reputation, they knew he was reliable, but they also knew to stay out of his way, especially when he had a certain tone in his voice. The gossip through the underworld community already knew of his attacking crime boss Wayne in front of all his flunkies for mouthing off in front of him. Because of that, everyone knew to at least stay on the assassin tolerated side.

“So,” Vicente said with a nod. “Why don’t you take off and get ready to transfer my money when I get the job finished for this nagging little chicken here?” He said, referencing the blue-eyed girl. “After all,” he turned back to the girl with a smirk. “Its obvious whatever she is going through, she wants to keep it quiet.”

Nagging little chicken?! Hmph! Megan felt quite brave when it came to that particular night... considering the fact that most other fights ended with her escaping without laying a finger on the other person. She shot a tired glare at the smirking man, and buried her nose in the fabric of her arms.

Marvin looked from one two the other, arching a brow. He had contacted by chance someone who had already met the client? Or, maybe, the older man had tracked her down before hand? The tension behind his smile strengthened, but he kept his lips shut... for now, and let the man speak. What he heard was an underlying threat, and a very clear message to high tail it out of the man's space... before something were to happen. Marvin stared back, long and thoughtfully at the man, while tapping his fingers on the table. The rest of his sandwich was long forgotten, he took to leaning back in his chair gain, stroking the stubble on his chin, until Vicente was finished. It was clear that he was unwanted... by both parties. "Ah, well.. who am I to stand in the way of a job?" Rising from his seat with a grace that most men didn't posses, he rolled up what was left of his food into a napkin and palmed it. "Charlotte, may you find whatever it is you are seeking." He inclined his chin with a little polite bow, before turning his eyes to the man he had hired. "Good hunting to you, Sir. We shall be in touch." He slid his chair in quietly, then turned and sauntered toward the exit, tossing his trash away as he left.

Megan made sure her eyes were fixed on him until the moment he exited the building. Through the window, she couldn't see him out on the sidewalk... but a youth in his twenties strode past and winked at her, nodding his head to some beat that his headphones were pumping into his ears. From under her hood, she scowled, turning back slightly while keeping her eyes on the window. "I don't trust that guy for a second..." Not as far as she could attempt to throw him."...you guys know what to do." She muttered, without really thinking. The back of her hood wiggled for a moment, before five good sized jumping spiders crawled out from the depths of the fabric. "I want three of you out at all times, keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.. The other two, stick by me." The spiders took a moment to separate into groups, before tumbling down her body and off in different directions. With a sigh, she turned back to face the un-named man... the man her knife had once belonged to. Her plopped her chin in her hand and frowned at him, while her spiders radioed in with little bits of useless information, like what some guy was eating and how many dead flies were trapped in the light fixtures over head. She sighed, feeling even more tired.

"It figures... that karma would stick me with you." Maybe she'd manage to piss him of enough to send another knife flying her way, so she'd have a neat little set. Or, said the more sensible side of her mind, maybe you can not goad him into sending sharp objects sailing at your head. Just an idea. "Anyway, I take it you've already been informed about who i'm looking for? Adonis?" Surely Marvin had told him... the man seemed like the type who was incapable with keeping his mouth shut. Her hood wiggled again, and she hissed mentally at her children to keep still. She had a pretty large batch with her this time... just in case.

Marvin was smart enough to get the hint that he was not wanted. Before Vicente knew it, the man was making the excuse to leave and separated himself from the table, carrying the remains of his sandwich with him. The older assassin arched and brow and watched the man skitter off. From the corner of his eye he could see that the blue eyed girl was doing the same thing. Apparently that was one thing that they had in common, a distrust of certain, if not all, peoples. Maybe he could get along working with her just fine after all. At least that is what the irritated man would tell himself as he turned his attentions back to his new client.

The girl looked frazzled, paranoid, as if she were trying to escape from something. He was not surprised considering who it was that she was looking for. Only those people who were truly desperate and terrified go to a butcher like him.

But…whatever. He was not being paid enough to care. Nor would he if he was.

>> "It figures... that karma would stick me with you…Anyway, I take it you've already been informed about who i'm looking for? Adonis?"

Vicente smirked slightly and nodded his head. “Adonis. Hard to find man.”

The assassin nodded as he took a more relaxed position in his chair and watched her closely. He did not know the reasons that she was going to a man like Dr. Adonis, nor was he going to pry. That was her own prerogative to do so. If she were that desperate to get away from someone then that was definitely the person to do it.

“But…I got him.” the man nodded as he cracked his neck to the side and watched the spider-mutant closely. She was willing to go through a lot to get away from someone. Part of him wondered what was behind this need to be completely different. “You can see him tonight, if you like. But you need to move fast. The man changes locations often. Not surprising considering his failures and the fact that the police are searching for any and all information on him.”

The assassin sighed as he picked up a glass of water that he had ordered earlier and took a long sip of it. While on the job, the man rarely drank, since he needed to keep his senses sharp. Though there would be no killing tonight, the place that he was going to be taking this girl to was going to be plenty dangerous. He needed to stay sharp…at least until he left. After all, the client only needed to be shown where Dr. Adonis was. There was nothing in the fee about him having to hold her hand all the way to man’s presence. It was a simple enough job.

Vicente shrugged and grinned. “Are you ready?”

The way this guy said the doctors name made her skin crawl a little. Like he knew the guy, and everything he had ever done. Which, apparently he did. "The sooner the better. I hate waiting." Megan, thy middle name is impatience.

Wait..

Waitwaitwait, Failures? Oh, that totally helped with her nerves and the ever growing pit at the bottom of her stomach. Not only was this man wanted by the cops, but he also had a poor success rate, it seemed. Megan sighed, and covered her eyes with one palm. "...So.. this guy makes a lot of mistakes, huh?" Great, just peachy... She found herself rethinking everything again. Let some monster do a hack job on her face... or spend the rest of her life running. A tough choice... Thankfully she was far too lazy to spend much more time running and she had already paid a lot of money into this little adventure. She couldn't turn tail and run away now...

"... I'm ready. Let's get this over with." She rubbed at her temples for a moment longer, before standing from her chair. Blue eyes determined, she knocked her hood back and turned to slink off toward the door. Her children were still chattering on, informing her of random things. No one who looked familiar, and no one who looked suspicious... just the usual dead beats that hung around inside shops and the regular people who waltzed around outside.

"...Are we driving or are we walking? I've got a bike..." Eying him over, she took in his size and snorted. "... but you're a little bit big for it." Joe had been able to squeeze onto it, but she recalled how awkward it felt sitting behind him with half of her tush sticking off the back of the seat. Her bike would fit him it it had to... but she'd probably be squished up against the handle bars, which would make driving hard.... Not to mention how silly it would look. Ragged looking, hooded blonde poking about on a bike with a badass made of muscles clinging to her seat. She would have laughed and suggested it, if she were in any other mood.

>> "The sooner the better. I hate waiting…So.. this guy makes a lot of mistakes, huh?"[/i]

“Only to those who don’t pay him enough or he finds irritating.” Vicente shrugged as he leaned back in his chair a bit more.

Arms crossed over his massive chest, he could not help but look the girl over. Why was she doing this? Was she trying to get away from someone? It would have cost her less money and pain to simply have used to funds to hire someone to kill whoever her albatross was. But whatever the case the girl had decided to go the hard route. She was going to turn herself over to a maniac, a butcher who made his living praying off the insecurities of the week. There was still more that he could have told the girl about him…but he was not being paid enough for that information…

>> "... I'm ready. Let's get this over with."[/i]

Vicente nodded. The sooner he could get out of here the better. He founds the woman’s very presence to be irritating, even if she did have a firm body and attractive looks. She was not a night’s diversion, though, instead she was a client that needed to be shown where to go. Simple as that.

Slipping out of his chair, the very tall man, peered down at the young woman and motioned for her to lead the way outside. As she did, he trailed behind her, eyeballing anyone that dared to so much as look at him. Vicente liked to meet in public places, but they tended to also prove to be liabilities. Many people saw your face and given a certain set of circumstances, could become blabbermouth witnesses. Vicente knew how to deal with people like that, but it tended to prove to be a hassle.

A step out into the cool air of the night and the old assassin glance over at girl as he mentioned that she had a bike. That was nice and all but if anyone was going to be doing the driving tonight, it was going to be him.

>> "...Are we driving or are we walking? I've got a bike...but you're a little bit big for it."[/i]

“Driving,” was all he said as he nodded for her to follow and led her off to the side.

A couple of steps and both Vicente and the girl found themselves in front of a large, black Harley motorcycle parked against the sidewalk. It was a black beauty, well maintained with shiny chrome accents and handles and emblems. Across the gas tank was written a signle, ironic word, “Predator”. Anyone who know of the assassin or what he did would have found that statement humorous…

As he climbed onto his bike, Vicente waited for the girl to climb on. It was time for her appointment with Dr. Adonis.

“Well…Megan Rova, I sure hope you’re up for this,” he grumbled as he kicked started his motorcycle, hard, revving the engine with screamed to life like a suddenly agitated beast. He knew that it probably would be shocking for the girl that he knew her full and real name; none of that Charlotte business. “By the way, I hope you have your piggy bank ready…Adonis costs a LOT of money…”

With that he leaned the bike onto its two wheels, revved the engine once again and charged into a drive for Dr. Adonis’ offices for the night…

Irritating?

She was good at irritating. Not paying enough too, considering the amount of free things she managed to weasel out of people. But... she really had to find out how much the guy cost first, before worrying about that. After eyeballing her scooter for a few seconds, she followed after him. There was nothing more she could really do.

His ride was a beauty... not the kind she herself would ever drive, (mostly because of how beastly it was) but the kind that still made you drool a little and gawk. Like most actors... When he hopped onto the Harley, a shiny one at that, she bit back a comment on over compensation. It probably wouldn't do to insult the person driving you off to some unknown place, where no one knows where you are. Still... she had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying anything as she climbed on behind him.

Just as she had the last time she had ridden back seat on a bike, she anchored herself by looping her arms around his waist. She didn't know where he was going to be driving her to, so she sent out a silent call for her children to follow her- however they could. She was sure that she'd more than likely lose contact with them, even if they managed to keep up. A small price to pay, considering the little army she had hiding in her hair and hoodie, and the batch she had incubating across her back. The two that she had told to keep close to her scrambled across the sidewalk, dodging the feet of pedestrians like pros. They clambered up the back wheel of the Harley, up onto the seat, and secured themselves on her back.

“Well…Megan Rova, I sure hope you’re up for this,”

Megan stiffened, blue eyes going wide, and stared at the back of the guys head in surprise. He knew her name... and not just the first part. Her whole name. Bastard probably knew even more about her than that. One long string of violent curses flew through her thoughts, matched by a slightly panicked expression. The engine roared to life, and she shot a glance at the people walking past. Thoughts of running surfaced quickly, and she squished them back down just as fast. She wasn't about to let some nosy jerk scare her away... not with being so close.

“By the way, I hope you have your piggy bank ready…Adonis costs a LOT of money…”

He pulled away from the curb and she clung tighter to his middle, her spiders copying her by hunkering down with all eight legs clinging to the fabric of her sweater. Instead of looking around with her current disgruntled expression, she rested her forehead on his back. This sort of thing was exactly why she didn't play with most of the people she knew. They either tried to get to know her through annoying friendly chats, or they just knew to damn much already. That's why she liked Roach so much, now that she thought about it. He never asked stupid questions about how she was feeling, or about her past. "... How much do you know about me...?" She phrased it bluntly, a question... but not a question, raising her voice enough so that he could hear her over the noise of his bike, without shouting in his ear.

There was only so much he could know... he name, her place of work.... possibly even where she lived, or both places. She wasn't all to worried about facts like that though... names and numbers and such. It was the side she had kept hidden that she was worried about. She had been rather good at keeping her secrets actually secret... save for spilling the beans once, to her newest roommate no less.. but this was the shady side of new York she was dealing with. There was no telling what kind of dirt he had on her, and that didn't sit well with Megan. She was all the more aware of where her various weapons sat on her person... just in case she had to whip his knife out and stab him with it. All sorts of paranoid thoughts crept up on her, as she attempted to burn holes in the back of his shirt with her eyes. What if this was a trap? What if she had unwittingly fallen into his web again, and Mr. muscles was taking her straight to him? She stopped herself as she started to inwardly rant about how Adonis was probably a cover name, and Trent had planned the whole thing. From the postings online, to the boy she had paid in the alley, to Marvin himself. Though her ex was crafty, more than she liked to admit, he wasn't that crafty...

"Just who are you, anyway?"

>> "... How much do you know about me...?"

“Enough,” Vicente responded quietly. The man was silent for the most part, but when he spoke, his voice did have a low rumble that radiated throughout his body. With a grin he continued to stare off at the road as he spoke again. “You’re doing this because of that man that’s been following you, si?”

Vicente had done his hope. When he was contacted by Marvin, the assassin had realized learned everything he could about the girl. The only thing he did not have was a picture of her. He learned her name, her address, etc. but also found out that she was complaining about a man that was stalking her. Though he was not entirely sure if he was the reason that she was seeking out Dr. Adonis, he took a stab in the dark. There were hundreds of reasons as to why someone wanted to change their looks that drastically; escaping a stalker just happened to be at the top of the list.

Eyes scanning the horizon, Vicente rode his bike, moving into an obviously dilapidated and bad part of town. The homeless people on the street were ragged and looked dangerous while several thuggish looking people were glowering from the shadows at the passing bike. Had he stopped, he was sure that they would have attempted to rob him of it. Had he left the girl here, she would more than likely be dead within the hour. But none of the empty, hollowed out buildings seemed to have the slightest affect on Vicente. It was as if he had seen this type of thing all the time. He showed no fear, only focused intent as he drove on.

>> "Just who are you, anyway?"[/color]

The little chicken spoke up again. Vicente didn’t reply at first. He needed to keep maneuvering through the bad neighborhood, seeking out the location. Dr. Adonis was a hard man to find and those that did find him, never spoken about where he was, or where he was going to be. It took a lot of persuading and knife-twisting to get the information…but Vicente got it. It was only when he found and turned down the correct street that he responded…

“Someone you don’t want to screw with.” Vicente grumbled in response. As he slowed his bike, moving down a street he knew he was on the right track. “Here we are.”

Slowing down to a crawl, the assassin pulled up to a sidewalk and stopped. Between an abandoned deli that smelled of rotting meat and a condemned apartment complex, Vicente nodded down to the alleyway. It was pitch black, with only the smell of sewage and trash wafting out. There was a suspicious dripping sound coming from the blackness, one that sounded too thick to be water; blood maybe? The mind can put the most horrific scenarios to life. A rustle echoed before a discarded, yellowed newspaper flew out from the alley like a bat flying into the night.

Vicente shrugged.

“Down there, chica.” he said. “Go inside the alley, you’ll find a steel door on your right, knock three times and slip a twenty dollar bill under the door. One of his assistants will show you the way.” He waited for her to get off his bike, his task done. All that was left was for him to head back to Marvin and collect his money. He wondered if she would survive at all. “Via con dios.”