It was a hot night in the Bronx. The kind of night bad men wait around the corner. Paxton walked down the street, hands in his pockets, duffel bag on his back. He had recently founded a team. He wasn't the kind of man to work with other heroes, but he knew that one man has his limits. The Children of the Damned could be strong, vigilant and incorruptible. He was on his way to meet a new member who went by the name of Decoy Elite. He had met him briefly before, a freelance assassin with the power of illusion. Longshot had never actually met him in person, always a decoy. This time, he swore to come forward for real.
Longshot considered this an initiation, he was going to teach Decoy to fight without his tricks and the two were tracking down a kidnapper. At 4:32 P.M. on Sunday, August 8th, eight year old Sylvia Saint was taken in a white van out front of her school. The police had given up the search and pronounced her dead with such carelessness. Together, Longshot and Decoy would find the kidnapper with what leads Longshot had and fill in the blanks with info from local criminals.
He ducked into an alley and unzipped his bag, putting on his costume, his arrow quiver, his mask. Then he pulled out his bow and held it at his side. He could sense a shadow creeping over his head. He looked up to see the shape of a man against the moonlight. "Come on down, Decoy." he said, "We've got work to do."
The Prestige: Longshot & Decoy Elite
Decoy walked up to Longshot, no costume to his name except for a trench coat and a mask currently held in his hand. Decoy's face was probably the strangest thing about him, it was very recognizable and yet you could never quite figure where you'd seen it before. This was, like most things with Decoy, a trick. Decoy's illusion powers were actually a form of low level telepathy, and with this telepathy he could make himself unrecognizable or even unseen to anyone around. Luckily for Longshot he wasn't using his powers at full force. "Okay, let's get on thing strait here." Decoy said loading his gun. "I'm not a goody two shoes kind of guy, I don't use arrows and I aim for kill shots. You want this mother to live, then you'd better catch him before I do." Decoy quickly put on his ski mask, ready to strike. "Oh and if I get shot, I swear I'll turn you mind into mush in a second."
"Okay, let's get one thing straight here." said Decoy, "I'm not a goody two shoes kind of guy, I don't use arrows and I aim for kill shots. You want this mother to live, then you'd better catch him before I do.Oh and if I get shot, I swear I'll turn you mind into mush in a second." Decoy put on his black ski mask. Longshot nodded, "Okay, here's my rule, you are not allowed to fight with decoys tonight. This is to train you to handle situations without your powers." he said.
Longshot reached into his coat and pulled out some pictures. "I've gotten conformation that Sylvia has been taken in order to be sold to the highest perverted bidder. This is an organization that sells weapons, drugs, and recently started auctioning children to pedophiles. The sale takes place at 10:30." He pulled up his glove and looked at his watch, "That gives us two hours and twenty minutes. The place will probably be guarded."
Longshot fired the cable from his gauntlet and zipped up to the roof above, signaling for Decoy to keep up.
Decoy has no real gadgets and thus had to do things the hard way. He climbed up a nearby fire escape, cursing all the way. "This was the worst idea, just the worst." He grumbled to himself as he finally reached the top of the roof. "So Sylvia we've got two hours to break into this building, beat the crap out of hordes of guards, and then get the girl and run before the pedos arrive?" Decoy asked. "No wonder people think you heroes are idiots." Decoy didn't like this situation at all, while Longshot did seem to know what he was doing this whole thing went against Decoy's biggest rule. Heroes are idiots, don't listen to them. And yet here he was, not only listening to a hero who didn't even have any powers but also agreeing to join him and his little rag tag group in order to protect the world. There was only one reason why Decoy was willing to do all this, one reason to break all his rules and even risk retaliation from his assassin allies from the Order of The Black Hand. That reason was that deep down Decoy Elite was a good person, and he hated that.
Decoy followed close behind Longshot as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. The night air batted against his face, adrenaline began to flow, giving him the edge he needed to move fast and quiet. Finally, he came to a stop and looked across the street, down at a supposedly abandoned apartment complex. He looked closely and saw light peeking through the edges of the plywood covering some of the windows. He looked at the entrance to see three men holding uzis. Up on one of the balconies were four more. He and Decoy had to take them out without giving them a chance to worn the others.
He glanced over his shoulder at decoy and whispered "I'll hit 'em high, you hit 'em low." He then shot a cable to the building next door and swung around, landing on the balcony the floor above the guards. He quietly stepped up to the ledge, jumped down the side of the balcony, climbed onto the deck behind the guard and put his hand over his mouth, delivering a direct punch to a peripheral nerve in his lower back. As the guard drifted into unconsciousness, he set him down gently and signaled for Decoy Elite to attack the men below him. "One down," he thought to himself, "Three to go."
Decoy cursed to himself, clearly Longshot was insane. Decoy didn't know how Longshot was able to jump from roof to roof without tiring one bit and now he was attacking random guards. Decoy sighed to himself as he jumped down, landing in a dumpster with a quiet thump. He quickly screwed his silencer onto his gun and waited for the first guard to check the dumpster for the source of the thump sound. The guard arrived as planned and Decoy gave him a quickly shot to the head before he could react. "I may not be a fighter, but I'm still a good shot." Decoy mumbled to himself as he jumped out of the dumpster and headed towards the next to guards. He quickly threw a can, which he'd gotten from the dumpster, behind his back. He then ducked around the corner as another guard came his way to investigate the sound. Decoy waited till the man was around the corner and then he pop a few shots into his chest. The last guard was looking nice and nervous at this point, he'd be calling for help soon. "Time to strike", Decoy thought to himself. He quickly jumped out at the guard and fired a few shots. One shot clipped the man's leg and he fell over in pain. "Fuc-" Was all the man was able to get out before Decoy ran up and sent a bullet right into his face. "We really should have brought some kind of coms." Decoy mumbled as he lifted up his mask halfway and pulled out a cigarette. "How am I suppose to tell him I'm done?" Decoy sighed as he looked over his blood work, a lit cigarette in his mouth.
He squeezed his fingers under a plywood sheet covering a window and slowly jerked the nails out. He set the plywood aside and jumped into the apartment. The shag carpet was brown, most likely white when it was new. The walls were covered in so much dust, the paint job might as well have been grey. The entire room still lingered with the stench of cigarettes. Longshot looked at the door at the end of the dark room, light peered out through the crack in the bottom. He pressed his ear up against the door and heard men conversing with each other, moving back and forth, then he heard a more faint underlying sound, the whimpering of a young girl, bound and gagged. "Sylvia." he whispered to himself.
He tried to distinguish the voices and counted two men. He readied two arrows and burst through the door, no one was there except the girl. She looked up at him, fear in her eyes which sparkled with tears. He put back the arrows and lowered his bow. "It's okay, sweety." he said in a warm and gentle voice, "No one's gonna hurt you." He reached out, ready to cut her free when suddenly, two massive, powerful hands were about him. He was lifted off the ground by his neck and brought in front of the masked face of his old enemy, Ox. His black and white mask, his red eyes, his muscular frame distorted beyond human by the drugs Horizon gave him, he was one of the two former colleagues of Longshot ordered to kill him. "Hello, Paxton." he snarled and with a ferocious roar, he threw Longshot agianst the wall. The plaster and drywall fell away and Longshot smacked into the concrete then fell on his hands and knees. He looked up at the shadow standing over him, not Ox, this one was tall, lean, he wore a leather trench coat and sunglasses, katanas and other blades hanging from his belt, he glared down at Longshot with a smirk on his face. Then, with a powerful kick, his boot smashed into Longshot's chin and he fell flat. "Don't worry, Pax." said the man called sting, "We already handled those kidnappers of yours in a way the law never could. We knew this was a case the new, goody two shoes, you couldn't resist. So we took over the operation, just waiting for you to come in to save the day." Sting reached down and ripped off his mask, revealing his hideous, scarred face. "Ha ha ha! Oh damn, man!" he laughed, "I guess the side effects were worse then they said. We get the pill to keep us beautiful every day. Look at you man, you're nothin'."
He instructed the less intelligent Ox to laugh with him while Longshot, fire in his eyes lunged forward and punched Sting in the kneecap. With a loud pop, Sting cried out in pain, then wrapped both hands around his knee and violently jerked until it popped back in place. He unsheathed one of his swords and raised it, ready for a killing strike. "That's gonna cost you your head!"
"I could hear you from a mile away. Make sure to lay them down gently after you take them out or someone will hear. Now go to the staircase and meet me on the third floor." Longshot said and then he was gone. Decoy sighed. "I' could hear you from a mile away." He mumbled as he entered the warehouse, his gun at the ready. "He couldn't hear crap, he just got done first that's all." Decoy checked around, spotting a few nervous guards. But why were they so nervous? Decoy wondered. They should be feeling horribly confident, it's not like they knew about their dead buddies outside. The only reason they'd be afraid is if there was something inside the building they were worried about... Decoy cursed and climbed up the wall towards the third floor. This was very, very bad.
"Ha ha ha! Oh damn, man!" One of the big guys laughed, "I guess the side effects were worse then they said. We get the pill to keep us beautiful every day. Look at you man, you're nothin'." Longshot's face was not a pretty sight, covered in hideous scars it would probably make a normal person sick. Luckily for Decoy he was an assassin and thus had seen worse. He hated fighting big guys, they had a habit of not going down even when shot. Decoy grinned under his mask as a plan formed in his mind. "Whoever's giving you those pills must be ripping you off." Decoy commented as he walked into the center of the room, smoking a cigarette. "Because you all seem like some ugly mothers to me. I mean, seriously, no wonder you've got to grab girls off the street. No whore would get anywhere near you two."
Decoy came into the apartment, running his mouth giving Longshot a moment to grab a knockout gas attachment, turn it on and throw it onto the ground between them. A gray cloud of gas spewed everywhere, Ox and Sting got a faceful and Longshot jumped to his feet, grabbed his mask, bow and arrows and ran out of the room with Sylvia. "Follow me!" he shouted and ran out into the hallway.
He broke down the door into another room, opened the door and told Sylvia to go down the fire escape and go to the police down the block. She left and Longshot, instead of waiting for Decoy, ran back out into the hall with an explosive arrow. Decoy was standing in the hall when Ox came charging out of the room after him. He lunged forward, ready to take down Decoy. With Ox's weight and strength, he could easily kill Decoy with a tackle. Longshot aimed and fired his arrow, praying that the explosive force of it would knock Ox out and keep him away from Decoy.
Fire filled the hall as the arrow exploded. Decoy disappeared, it seemed it was a fake the entire time. "I have one rule, don't use your powers" Decoy said mockingly as he popped up behind Longshot. "Yeah, I'm totally not listening to that crap." Decoy tossed Longshot a ski mask. "Here, I brought an extra. Don't worry about the guards down stairs, they're....busy."
"Bow down to Lord Oronus!" The Demon screamed at the guards, fire bellowed from it's mouth. One of the guards actually fainted. The Demon had appeared out of nowhere, demanding that the guards give in to it's power. It was all very distracting.
"So, what's the plan now?" Decoy asked Longshot. "There's still one big guy coming after us and he doesn't look like the type that goes down easily."
Longshot wrapped his arm around Sting's neck and dropped down, pinning him to the floor. With his free hand, he reached for an electrical arrow attachment and pinned it to Sting. Suddenly, a massive electric current ran through Sting and he fell unconscious.
He let go of his enemy and looked at Decoy Elite. "You idiot!" he shouted, "What did I tell you?! Never mind, let's just get out of here before they wake up." Longshot led Decoy to the fire escape and onto the roof. He put his mask back on and looked looked out over the city. He sat on the ledge and sighed, "They're never gonna leave me alone."
"I'm the idiot?" Decoy asked. "You're the one who A) told me not to use my freakin' powers and B) forgot to mention you have a freakin' rouges gallery. Why do you hero types always have a rouge gallery anyway? Oh yeah, it's because you never kill anyone so they can just come back and try and kill you again." Decoy complained. He noticed how sad Longshot looked and sighed. "Listen, I know I don't seem like it, but I know my way around and I can tell you one thing. You need to explain all this. Seriously, I can't work with you if you've got enemies that I don't even know about. So who were those guys and what did they want?" It dawned on Decoy Elite just how secretive he'd been with everyone he worked with, no one knew who he was or what his face really even looked like. Maybe it was time to give a little trust. Decoy removed his mask showing his true face. It was a very average looking face, not too good looking and not too ugly. He stared at Longshot. "I just gave you more information about myself then most, so now you give me some info."
Longshot looked athe Decoy Elite, his mask removed. His true face was nothing special, but enough that he could envy. "I just gave you more information about myself then most, so now you give me some info." he said. Longshot sighed and explained his past and his relation to Ox and Sting. "I was raised in a group of assassins called Horizon. They gave us performance enhancing drugs. Made us faster, more alert. Some, like Ox, were given a drug that was pretty unstable. He's incredibly strong but damn stupid too. I'd been killing since I could remember and I had had enough. In the middle of the night, I left. Unfortunately, they never told us that the drugs have side effects. They slipped meds to counteract them in our food, but once I left..." he pulled off his mask,showing Decoy again what he had been forced to call his face, "No good deed goes unpunished. I've been hunted by those two ever since."
He pulled his mask back down over his face. "I started the team because I can't bear the weight alone anymore. All the crime in the world, all the evil. It's too much." he stood up and faced Decoy, but as he did, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble and Ox pounded through the roof, jumping up in front of them. Longshot fired an arrow which went less then an inch into Ox's chest. He growled and punched Longshot in the gut. The air felt like it was sucked from his lungs and he fell off the roof, cascading towards the ground. At the last second, he fired up a cable that hooked into Ox's shoulder, stopping him seconds from his death.
He stared with rage and determination at Ox and began to yank on the cable. "If I'm gonna die tonight..." Longshot growled, "I'm taking you with me!"
"If I'm gonna die tonight..." Longshot growled, "I'm taking you with me!" Decoy cursed as he stuffed his mask on. He needed a plan. He picked up a tile from the roof and chucked it at Ox. "Hey big and ugly!" He yelled. "I thought you were stronger than that!" He picked up a few more tiles and began chucking them at Ox, they probably didn't hurt Ox but they had to be pissing him off. "You think you're so tough! You can't even handle one freakin' guy! You're pathetic!" Decoy goaded Ox, ready to strike whenever the big beast of a man attacked him.
Longshot could hear Decoy yelling up above, probably pissing Ox off. He ignored the possible broken rib and started to walk up the side of the wall. Ox turned around as best the bolt and cable in his shoulder would allow him and he stared at Decoy. He stomped one foot on the ground and ripped out a massive chunk of concrete. "Time to die, little man!" he shouted. Suddenly, Ox felt someone poking his shoulder and he turned around to see Longshot standing there. Before he could do anything, Longshot's fist slammed into his face. Hardly noticing, he slapped Longshot and sent him flying and he landed on the edge of the roof. The massive madman turned his attention back to Decoy. "Where was I?" he said and hurled the large chunk of concrete directly at him.
"Where was I?" Ox said hurling a huge chunk of concrete at Decoy's position, but Decoy was no longer there. "You were dieing." Decoy said savagely. He'd rushed next to Ox while Longshot had attacked. He grinned from under his mask. "You can't beat me, it's like I was made to beat you. You're stronger than me, more durable, and probably a better fighter." Decoy said stepping closer to Ox. "But there's one thing you lack that is needed to fight me, intelligence." Decoy stepped closer and closer, unafraid. "You're too stupid for your own good Ox, you're so stupid you don't even realize how screwed you really are. Let me give you an idea." Suddenly the entire roof burst into flames. Fire surrounded Ox, circling him like sharks to a raft at sea. "Welcome to hell Ox." Decoy said as his mask began to change, becoming more and more demonic looking with ever second. "You see, I don't have to kill your body. When killing your mind is so much easier." The fire slammed at Ox, all seemed lost for the muscled fool.
The illusion was perfect. It was so easy for Decoy to effect the minds of those less intelligent then himself. Decoy rushed to the ledge, helping Longshot up. "Hurry up and help me figure out just how to kill this thing." He said as he pulled Longshot up.
Longshot could hardly stand, his legs buckled beneath him. "He can't be killed." he said. "But I know what to do." He left Decoy's grasp and limped toward Ox who screamed and writhed as though he were burning. Suddenly, Ox got to his feet, ignoring the psychological pain and saw Longshot walking in the flames, taking a clumsy fighting stance.
He began to run towards Ox and jumped up on his back, grabbing an explosive attachment and sticking it on his chest. Longshot then backflipped off his back right before it went off. He quickly scooped up his bow and fired two arrows in his knees and two in his elbows. Ox, disoriented by pain and irreversible psychological damage, doubled over and fell off the roof, crashing through one balcony, bouncing off the next and smacking face first into the pavement.
Longshot breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed as though it was over. As if the night air carried him, Sting suddenly loomed behind him, sticking two fingers into the cut in his arm. Longshot cried out in pain and dropped his bow. Grabbing Longshot by the belt holding up his quiver, Sting hoisted him in the air and looked him dead in the eye. "You think you've won here? Huh? You think your budy's mind games work on me? Well, here's a nice challenge for you, smart guy..." he hissed, "There are four bombs on every corner of this building, all on different levels. They all go off simultaneously in forty five seconds. Good luck." and with that, he dropped Longshot and jumped acrobatically off the roof, trying to drag Ox away from the building.
Longshot turned to Decoy, they looked at each other for a moment before making a mad dash for the ledge. There were less then fifteen seconds on the bombs now.
Decoy jumped off the roof, screaming like a mad man as he slammed towards the ground. He felt the heat of the explosion behind him as he slammed into the concrete. "Ow!" Decoy yelled getting up. "That was not fun! I am not made for that kind of stunt!" He looked over at Longshot. "So, not bad for our first outing. I think I might have broken a few ribs but hey we won." He sat down, staring at the flames. "Oh, I had a Decoy lead the girl out when we were attacked, so she's fine. A little scared, but fine."
Longshot struggled to his feet and got clear of the falling debris. Decoy explained to him that he had used an illusion of himself to lead the girl to the police station. "Good." he replied, "Good work. And thanks for the help with Ox. Come on, Let's get somethin' to eat." he shook off the ash and rubble on his coat and slung his bow over his shoulder, patting Decoy on the back.
He ducked into the alley and put his costume and bow back and changed into his street clothes. His scarred and disfigured face was nothing he prided himself in showing, and now Ox and Sting knew what he looked like under the mask again, but it was easier then walking into a diner in full costume with a quiver of arrows. He signaled for Decoy to follow him. "Come on, I'm buyin'."
Decoy sighed as he trashed his mask in a dumpster, he didn't even need the thing. Decoy briefly wondered why he wore the mask, maybe it reminded him of his old hero days from so long ago. Decoy shrugged and followed Longshot. "You're paying? Sounds good to me."
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