Wolves

0

Ray Wong opened the door to his modest one-bedroom apartment. He looked through the cupboards and the refrigerator and sighed. He went into the sparsely decorated living room and plopped down on a leather loveseat. He picked up the remote control from the small wooden coffee table in front of him, turned on the television and immediately turned it off again. He put his feet on the table, looked up to the ceiling and sighed. He felt bored and unfulfilled. He then stepped back out of his apartment and into the cold, crisp autumn air.

Thirty minutes later, Ray was playing pool in the rear of a dive bar against a young Asian man in his 20’s, about Ray’s age. They bet almost twenty on a game of 8-ball. Ray saw the man’s frustration as he missed the 8-ball. Ray made a tough bank shot to seal the win.

Ray held out his hand. “Okay man, you owe me $20.”

The man drank picked up his beer and nodded his head while drinking.

“Come on man, twenty bucks. That’s what we bet and I beat you.”

“Bullshit. Let’s play again.” the man said.

Listening intently was the man’s friend Russell, standing almost 15 feet away. He was with a large group of mostly young men and a few scantily dressed young women, late teens to early twenties. One man from the group took a step towards Ray and his friend, but the man watching held out his hand as if to stop him. The approaching man stopped dead in his tracks.

Ray then said, “I’m not fucking around. Give me my money.”

The man then grabbed a pool cue and attempted to swing at Ray. The man was quick and almost cat-like, but Ray was faster. He ducked and then lunged forward to punch the man in the midsection. The man bent over in pain and then Ray delivered an ax-kick to the back of his head. Another man from the group immediately charged at Ray and was greeted with a side kick to the jaw. More men from the group attempted to converge on Ray. Russell then held up his hand, “Wait.” The group stopped.

Russell approached Ray and they surveyed each other.

“You’re good. You’re not here with any friends?” Russell asked.

“I don’t need any friends.” Ray shot back defiantly.

Russell reached in his front jeans pocket and pulled out a pack of Marlboro Reds. “Everybody needs friends.” he said as he offered Ray a cigarette.

1

Captain Fulton sat pensively at his desk. Sitting in the chair in front of his desk was Deputy Inspector Thomas Leonard of the 13th Precinct. “Are you sure that we’re the right ones you need? This is more like the Detective Squad’s jurisdiction.”

Leonard rubbed his forehead. “Adam, how long have we known each other?”

Fulton smiled. “Are you trying to give me an ultimatum, Inspector?”

“No. I just need a big favor. This kid they took is like family. Me and his father have been friends for longer than the cops in your house have been alive. Just do me this favor Adam. If I give it to somebody that I don’t know, they’ll do a half-assed job.”

Fulton thought for a minute. “I’ll do the best that I can and so will my guys. You know I will. Just give me the file.”

“I owe you big time for this Adam.” Leonard dropped the manila envelope on Fulton’s desk. Fulton walked Leonard to the front of headquarters and gave his friend a brotherly embrace.

“Please find these people, Adam.” Leonard turned and opened the door of the navy blue unmarked Chevy Impala.

Fulton waved and smiled at his long time friend. A plainclothes cop walked out of the building and lit a cigarette. Fulton turned to face him.

“Hey Sal, give me one of those will you?”

2

Russell and Ray walked through the crowded downtown district. They walked into the laudromat and towards the counter. The young woman behind the counter gestured for them to go into the back room. Once outside the door, Russell knocked and the voice behind the door told them to come in. An elderly Asian man seated behind a desk facing the door greeted them with an apprehensive look and then reached into the desk drawer and presented a manila envelope, never taking his eyes off of Russell.

“Go ahead. Take it.” Russell instructed Ray while also fixing his gaze at the old man. Ray took the envelope.

“Let’s go.” Russell said.

“What was all that about?” asked Ray.

“In time my friend. I’ll take that package from you later. In time. Are you hungry?”

“I could go for something.” said Ray

They walked into a guadily decorated Chinese restaurant. The hostess, a beautiful twenty-something smiled at them from behind her podium and shouted abrupt instructions in Chinese. The waiter, a middle aged man, immediately approached Russell and Ray and showed them to a table. Russell then ordered in Chinese. The waiter wrote on a notepad as fast as Russell spoke and almost ran to the kitchen.

“Do you speak any particular dialect?” Russell asked Ray.

“No. I was born here and my parents never took the time to teach me. They were too busy working.”

“That’s a shame. You should really be closer to your roots.”

“Judging from the looks of it, you look like the mayor of Chinatown.”

“No, just a regular working stiff.”

At that moment the waiter brought them two bottles of beer and several appetizers. He never made eye contact with Russell nor Ray.

3

Captain Fulton eyed Ray from behind his desk and smiled.

“Unbelieveable. The infamous Russell Lee falls right into the hands of  my best guy, without him even trying.”

Ray smiled. “I’m your best guy, Cap?”

Cpt. Fulton smiled back. “You are now. You realize what you have?”

“Known gang leader, extortionist, burglar, pimp and not-so-garden variety devil-worshiper.  The last part is the only thing that really bothers me.”

“Why is that, Wong?”

“Devil-worshipers are usually those rebellious kids in high school who spray-paint churches and tombstones. Lee is way too sophisticated for that.”

“During his last stint in Rikers Island, it was reported that he spoke in front of Bloods, Crips, Aryan Bros. and the Muslims. He even went so far as to ‘annex’ splinter groups from the aforementioned gangs and formed a so-called ‘nexion’.  It was reported that he never spoke of Satan, but of family, honor and numinousity.”

“Yeah, he spoke about family a lot with me. Mostly traditional stuff that I’ve heard before. He’s smart though. He doesn’t do anything illegal in front of me, sir.”

“We didn’t expect him to make this easy.  My point is that I really need you on this one. There’s a kid named Mark Porter that’s very important to a friend of mine. This cult’s got him brainwashed. Your priority is to get him out. If you can bust Lee foe anything, then by all means. But I need that kid back.”

Ray frowned as he comtemplated what Fulton had just told him. Risk himself going deep cover for a personal favor?

“I know that this is a little unusual, Ray.” said Cpt. Fulton. “And I’ll justify this operation at all costs. I need this, Ray.”

“Yes sir. I’ll take care of it.” Ray said reluctantly.

Captain Fulton smiled. “I know you will Ray. I know you will.” 

Ray walked out of Cpt. Fulton’s office slowly and into his car. He thought of Russell’s thoughts on family. The family that made money for the sake of supporting each other and their ‘ceux sang.’ In Russell’s eyes, everyone outside the family was either profane, a “10 Percenter” or both. Ray even knew who Mark was. He was a newbie who had just joined, but was already moving onto Adeptship within the Family rather quickly. Ray would be next, Russell said.

“Financial independence.” Ray remembered Russell saying to him.

4

Mark sat nervously in the dimly lit living room of the large house that Russell drove him to. Russell said that Mark is a Disciple now after proving his loyalty through the ordeals and participating in “Fedding”/ taking care of business through the  education of the ignorant, profane rivals. 

Then Mark smelled a mixture of perfumes in the air. Then Mark heard the sound of heeled shoes on the hardwood floor approaching and an attactive Asian woman in her 20’s walked into the living room and sat on the chair opposite from Mark. She was dressed in only a silk robe and high heeled stiletto shoes. She smiled at Mark. Mark smiled sheepishly and shyly looked down.

 More heel sounds and a beautiful blond-haired green eyed 20-something woman walked into the room. She was dressed in an S&M leather outfit complete with a whip which she masterfully snapped above Mark’s head as she walked in. She took a place next to the first woman and looked at Mark. She flicked her tongue and Mark gulped.

Russell walked in and smiled at Mark.

“Stand up, Brother.”

Mark stood and Russell gave him a bearhug, almost taking away his breath. Yet, there was a genuine feeling behind Russell’s hug.

“I’m going to take you to meet Eve later.” Russell shoved a cold bottled beer in Mark’s hand. “Right now, I’m throwing you a little party, Brother. Choose one of these fine Sisters.”

Mark looked at the women. He then opened the beer and took a long drink, almost finishing it. He smiled at Russell with adoration.

“Wow, dude.” Mark whispered. “I’m…wow.”

Russell laughed. “Go ahead Brother. We’re all Family. Go have your party.”

Mark felt a lump in his throat. He walked towards the two women and put an arm around each of their shoulders. Russell laughed as they led Mark upstairs.

5  

The room was filled with the smell of cigar and cigarette smoke. Almost filling the room was a large round oak table. Around the table sat Asian and Italian men in expensive suits drinking expensive liquor. The lone woman, Asian, in her mid-thirties, sat at the head of the table. She had a lovely alabaster complexion yet her eyes rendered a cunning, ruthless demeanor. She surveyed the laughing men and held up her hand. They obediently stopped talking and looked toward the woman with respect.

“I want to thank you gentlemen for being here tonight. I am also proud to announce record profits for this quarter. ”

“Fuckin’ bitch…” growled an Asian man seated two people from her on her right.

All of the men turned their attention to the source of the outburst with shock on their faces.

“Boss Chang.” Eve addressed the disgruntled gangster. “I have an open door policy as I have stated before. I prefer for anyone who has an issue to discuss it with me in a private manner so that we may come to a resolution. Now Boss, since you have apparently chosen to air your grievance in a public forum, what seems to be the problem?”

Boss Chang didn’t look up. He guzzled his glass of scotch.

“I was the boss of the largest conglomerate back in Hong Kong. Now I am reduced to this.” he growled.

“You are still a Boss. This is a merger of resources, human and otherwise which proved to be more profitable.” Eve smiled gently at Boss Chang.

“I don’t want to work for a fuckin’ bitch!” Chang exploded and threw his glass against the opposite wall.

Eve smiled and stealthily jumped on the table. She bent over, took off her stiletto shoe and plunged it into the right eye of Boss Chang seemingly in one motion. He fell back on the floor. Eve pulled a .22 caliber pistol from her garter belt and shot Chang in the head. Eve stood on the table with her pistol pointed in the air.

“I don’t have a problem with anyone taking an issue with my management ability. But don’t ever doubt me because I’m a woman. Your profane minds still believe that this is a man’s world but you forget that it was a woman who birthed civilization. Anyone have a problem with anything that I can’t help?”

Eve’s bodyguard/Temple Guardian already had his .45 caliber trained on the other Bosses’ muscle while another had an uzi trained on the seated Bosses.

“Good. Now we can discuss business.” she said as she leapt from the table to retrieve her shoe from Boss Chang.

6

Cpt. Fulton grimly looked at Detective Doug Bravo as he handed him the black and white glossy photo of Eve.

“This goes beyond Russell Lee. It looks like this lady here, Eve Aquino is the real leader of this Nexion.”

“Eve of Destruction?!?” Bravo exclaimed. Esoterically, Bravo was the “criminal informant” for Eve, collaring rival drug dealers so that Eve was free to annex new territories as she wished.

“Yeah. I’m thinking of pulling Wang out and possibly calling in a favor from some Feds I know.”

“With all due respect sir, we wouldn’t look good doing that. The Feds ain’t gonna be interested in pulling that Porter kid out. Them college boys would just be interested in taking down the ‘Boss of Bosses.’ I’d just have Wang pull Porter out and not mess with Lee or Eve.”

“Mother Eve.” Fulton said grimly. “Yeah, you’ve got a good point there. I don’t want Wang taking any unnecessary risks.”

Doug pondered his relationship with Eve. Crime Boss and Temple Mistress. The Sinister Feminine Principle Incarnate. It was almost synergy, the way that one needed the other. Doug himself wasn’t a Disciple, but his time would come soon enough especially with the earnings that Eve had made last quarter because of his information.

“Yeah. I’ll leave Ray in there. He reports to me everyday now anyway. First sign of problems and he’s out.”

7

Ray sold almost all of the cold bottled waters at the busy intersection. He had bought cases of water at the discount supplier and put them in a large cooler of ice and sold them for $1 each. Russell told him that the ABC Rite was to set the Disciple along the Sinister Way and to prove that it was entirely possible to be financially independent from the Profane. Ray was to split the proceeds from his ordeal with his two witnesses and their leader, Mark.

Ray thought back on the other recent ordeals that he participated in. He and his witnesses had ‘Blood Opfered’ a crack dealer, someone of Ray’s choosing. They had also burglarized the home of an unemployed slacker who was collecting social security benefits fraudulently. Russell had told him not to feel bad. These were people who lacked true character he explained. 

The past few days had made Ray’s head spin. He remembered what his assignment was but he had never in his life felt that he was alive until now. The excitement, the exhilaration, the vitality of Being.

He knew that Mark was there under his own free will. Mark was a new ‘Disciple,’ respected among his peers even though those peers were Disciples for some time already.

Ray also felt a sense of family with Russell and Mark. He somehow felt “safe” with the matriarch figure Eve. It was as if everything was going to be okay because she said it was.

It was almost like a roller coaster of emotions because he hated himself for what he felt was being hypocritical.

Before Ray had undertaken the Rite, Russell approached him and said, “I know that you’re a cop, man. Even if you arrest me, you’ll never forget us, you’ll want to claim this because we’ve given you a real sense of family. Those cops are just your family during work hours, Brother. Even when you hang out off duty, all you do is talk about work. You’re never free. Consider this as going opposite and beyond. This is your personal quest to evolve my friend. To exult in life and go beyond the boundaries that the Powers That Be put in front of us. To quest and to die questing. No one cares about what you believe in philisophically. You complete what awaits and you’ll have your Family with you for life. We are now Blood. Forever starts today, Brother.”

That night that Ray had completed the ‘Business’ end of the Rite, he laid on his bed and thought of everything. He got up, reached into his pocket and threw his badge in the garbage.

-Nexion 352, Order of Nine Angles-