metalogs | [Closed] Dividing my head and my heart

Entry tags:

[Closed] Dividing my head and my heart

Who: Jason

reneger and Accelerator

levelshift
What: Just some totally normal, well-balanced people having a totally normal meeting in a totally normal back alley.
When: Mid-July.
Where: The back alleys of Central City.
Content Warnings: Mild physical torture, discussion of a minor acquiring and using weapons (knives, guns). These two talking about almost dying and really dying.

[It's late at night in Central, and Accelerator has found himself down a back alley in one of the sketchier neighbourhoods of the city. It's a place he's pretty familiar with by now, so he isn't giving off any signs of discomfort. Also, he isn't alone.]

Come on, this isn't fucking hard.

[There's a guy with a bloody nose, probably in his mid-to-late twenties, slumped against the wall of a building on the ground, groaning. He's clutching his arm, which is twisted in a few different places. Accelerator is standing in front of him with an exasperated expression. It's kind of a funny scene, this big guy being loomed over by a skinny, albino-looking kid with a crutch in one hand, his other one casually shoved in the pocked of his jeans. The light on his choker is glowing red.

Stalking people isn't something Accelerator can say he specializes in, but he knows enough to have picked up on this loser being a part of some shitty Central gang. Hardly an upstanding member of society, though more of the two-bit criminal variety than some evil mastermind. Which is fine, he has to start somewhere and someone on the low rungs of a gang makes the most sense.

He sighs, raises a foot, and plants it on the goon's chest. Technically there's a couple of centimetres between the sole of his shoe and the guy's chest, as that's where his ability kicks in, but that's a minor detail. All Accelerator has to do is gently press his foot downwards and do a few quick calculations, amplifying the vectors behind the motion to increase the pressure. His automatic reflection prevents the guy's body from closing that tiny distance. It's simple, but effective.

The guy starts flailing a little, and then there's the crunch as a rib cracks. He yelps loudly, looking like he's on the verge of passing out. Accelerator, still looking thoroughly annoyed, rolls his eyes at getting reaction instead of anything useful. He doesn't press down any further, but he also doesn't move his foot, maintaining that pressure on the cracked rib.]

Goddamnit, the last guy was less of a wuss. You people are a pain in the ass, you know that?

[The first one had actually passed out from the pain, and the second one hadn't known anything. Apparently 'third time's the charm' is just wishful thinking.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( jason's considered central city the other jason's turf, since he'd fallen out of the sky. the kid's got his own gangs settled in here, his own mob enemies, and he's clearly been working his way through doing what jason todd does best: overtake the underground, kill all the assholes who take shit too far, control crime so it doesn't get out of hand. as another jason todd who has also pulled the same exact shit, he can respect that. given he can't exactly kill his double, and he's got family lurking around dark corners, jason's opted to let him be. mostly. which also means keeping to their bargain: jason stays out of junior's business, junior stays out of his.

but that doesn't mean he avoids central city entirely. he's got his own shit to figure out here. a hoard of robins to follow, various other leads he's been tailing. normal people things. which clearly also includes finding weird scrawny little kids antagonizing grown men in alleyways. it almost reminds him of damian.

and jason's approaching from behind, cotton hood of the thin sleeveless hoodie he's wearing under the leather jacket (is it summer and too hot for layers? absolutely. that's not stopping him) pulled up over his hair and red domino mask barely visible under it. he's careful to keep his steps audible, instead of going for a silent approach. jason's armed, modified glocks strapped onto his thighs and anyone who knows what to look for would see the knife holster at the small of his back, among the several hidden knives and various other weapons he keeps in his jacket, strapped to his boots, his belt--because one can never carry too many toys, can they? he knows he looks threatening enough without the silent batman approach. so jason doesn't bother with it. )

If you're wanting to torture answers out of someone, I can give you a few better ways to do it than that. ( just as an fyi. ) You're gonna knock him out at this rate.

[Even with the sound of footsteps behind him Accelerator doesn't bother turning around and seeing who is approaching. It's a bad habit he's picked up thanks to his reflection - who cares about an attack from behind when (almost) everything will bounce off of you and back at the attacker? - and he hasn't really broken it in this universe.

He does look over, eventually, at the sound of the voice, his expression shifting to one of boredom. The guns get noted (which, rude, how the hell did this guy get two of them?), as does the leather jacket (very cool).

Logically speaking, some sketchy guy approaching him in a dark alley and offering commentary on how he's trying to pull information out of someone is suspicious as all hell, though Accelerator doesn't look worried. He can at least guess this guy isn't Alliance, as an Alliance superhero would be trying to stop him.

So that's one positive. He knows there's a general rule about avoiding Alliance members to prevent major incidents, and that doesn't look like it'll be an issue. Of course, the guy could be Society, whom he is also trying to avoid in regards to his goal, but he's a little less concerned about one of them interrupting him.

He looks back down at the thug. It was only a rib crack, there's no way his lung is punctured or anything, but he still looks like he's in a lot of pain.]

I'm all ears, but if you're only joking about suggestions you can fuck off.

[He's so nice.]

Fingernails are a classic. Pull 'em off one by one, slowly. If you get to ten and they don't say shit, you could always move on to toes. Or teeth. I always liked teeth. They're not gonna get those fuckers back in, so not only have you made them cry for their mommies, but you've also cost them a lot of money in dental bills.

( actual advice, see? he can be helpful. jason props a hand against his thigh, tips his head to the side as he eyes the kid's. . victim. definitely could be in worse shape, but broken ribs aren't a joke. he would know: jason's gone crime fighting with several before. luckily, not something he currently has to worry about. )

You lookin' to get something specific out of him? 'cause most these ground floor losers don't know shit.

( and, well, if he can get a kid to stop fucking around with low level cronies to avoid him getting the hard hitters, jason'll lend a hand. he always did have a soft spot for ruffians, and he knows damn well how fast this could go south for a kid that small, regardless of whatever ability he's got under his belt that is keeping his foot just barely up off the guy below him but still keeping the pressure on him. that looks fun.

but that's something they can dig into later. )

[Wow, shit, that is some honest-to-god actual useful advice that is undeniably very, very horrible and also exactly what Accelerator is looking for. Especially the dental bills thing, now that's thinking creatively.

He hums thoughtfully, considering all of this.]

Right, Americans have to pay for that on their own.

[He pulls his foot back and leans down over the thug, addressing him.] What do you think? Tooth or fingernail? [Look at him, giving this guy a choice in the matter! The question is accompanied by a grin that looks more like a slash across his face than anything pleasant, and the guy whimpers and recoils back, babbling that this new guy is right, he doesn't know anyone.

Accelerator doesn't have any kind of preference, nor has he fully committed to actually doing either of those things. He's just doing this for the intimidation factor, as indicated by the fact that he's dropping the smile pretty quick as he straightens up and glances over again to answer that question.]

I'm looking for a piece of shit that'll sell a handgun to a kid. I had to start somewhere.

A handgun, huh.

( considering the amount of guns jason had stolen off of the mob earlier, and the amount he still has in storage--a handgun isn't an issue for him. this kid wouldn't even be the first kid jason's handed over a gun to. that doesn't mean he's going to hand over fun toys to some brat who decided to torture a lackey in an alleyway. jason doesn't interrupt the kid's threats, doesn't move any closer, lets him keep antagonizing the poor guy with cracked ribs. he'll be fine. probably.

in the meantime, jason reaches for his gun holster and pulls out one of his glocks. double checks that the safety is on without looking at it. )

Can you even handle the recoil? You're so small.

( about the same height as tim, but significantly thinner. jason could probably snap him in half if he really wanted to. )

Let your pal there go. He's not gonna give you shit.

[Accelerator's face twists into a frown at the question (for good reason), though after a moment he does take a step backwards, focusing entirely on the new guy and the gun he's getting out. The guy, looking between them briefly, grabs onto that opportunity for dear life, scrambling to his feet and clutching his arm to his chest as he races out of the alleyway.

... What a dumb question to ask. He hates that he knows the answer to this. It's a little embarrasing.]

I'd be fine.

[If they were talking about something bigger than a handgun, like a shotgun, the answer would unequivocally be no, he most certainly cannot handle that much recoil. He learned that back home when he used one against the Hound Dog unit in the recycling facility. The recoil from a handgun is still a concern, especially when he isn't planning on using his dominant hand, but it isn't going to knock him over like that did.]

What's the gun for?

( he's still holding onto the glock. they're--lighter than his favorite firearms, but the 1911s also have limited recoil and the heavier frames comes in handy for smoother aim. glock should be fine to hand over for target practice, at least, but he isn't handing it over just yet. especially considering what the kid managed without a weapon, while on a crutch.

good for him. butt also: bad news for everyone else if he's planning on being a dick with it, which it doesn't even look like he'd need. whatever that ability was seems like enough to cause damage on it's own. )

[That's a much more reasonable question. Accelerator's eyes move down to the glock, and while he's fairly confident he could steal it right then and there, that isn't how he wants to go about things. It'd be easier, sure, but he can't say for certain it won't be a pain in the ass in the long run.

And since things don't appear to be shaping up for a fight, he reaches up to hit the switch on his choker, so he doesn't waste the battery. The light changes from red to green, and he's back to leaning a little on his crutch for support rather than relying on his own two feet.]

A back-up weapon. This fucking universe is dangerous enough to warrant it.

[He's learned putting all your eggs in one basket is stupid, especially when that basket only has a thirty minute time limit.]

I know it doesn't look like it, but I do actually need the crutch.

You look like you're twelve an' about to fall over on your face.

( the collar is different. and not a question he's going to ask. some things are meant to remain unknown, and jason has a gut feeling that's one of them. and there's some things that should wait until names have been exchanged--like what the hell this kid is doing beating up goons looking for guns when he looks like one stray breeze could knock him over. probably works to his advantage; being underestimated can come in handy.

jason looks down at the gun in his hand, then--flips it around by the trigger guard. holds it by the barrel, grip out to the kid. )

Disassemble it. Feel free to try an' shoot me, but know you're not gonna get very far and that's a very, very bad idea.

( especially when he's being so helpful. it'd be a real shame to ruin his good mood. )

Edited 2023-07-14 01:59 (UTC)

Fuck you.

[Just putting that out there!

He offers no explanation for his choker, though he does take the gun. While he's only used firearms once before in his life he's at least done some reading up on the subject since then, and to his credit he doublechecks the safety is on before examining it.

Well, sure. Disassemble it, right there in the alley? Why not? At the very least, he'll get some practical experience with the structure, beyond just reading about it in a book.

There's a beat before Accelerator steps back, letting his back hit the wall of the building, before removing his arm from the cuff portion of his crutch and sinking down to the ground. This'll be easier to do with two hands, and he needs somewhere to put all the pieces.]

Does that happen to you often?

[He's never actually taken a gun apart before and never even held a handgun, but he isn't Academy City's top student for nothing. He'll remove the magazine first, rack it to check that it's empty, then start disassembling the gun methodically, memorizing all the details as he goes.]

( he sinks down, and jason takes a step in closer. puts a hand on his hip and leans in to watch the kid--fiddle with the gun, because it becomes obvious very quickly that he has no idea what he's doing with it. )

Getting shot at? Plenty often.

( with all sorts of fun shooty things, even. jason waits a few more moments, watching him take out the magazine and start to take it apart, before he interrupts. )

I can see why you resorted to fucking up thugs in alleys. You don't know jack shit.

( and jason's dropping down into a squat on the ground in front of him, weight resting on the balls of his feet and elbows resting on his knees. keeps some distance, he's not an idiot, and he's not going to invade some weird kid's space. )

Hand it over, we've got a lot of shit to go over before you get to play with one of those.

[Considering this guy has two visible guns strapped to himself and has no problems approaching violent situations in alleyways, Accelerator believes he gets shot at pretty often.

He scowls silently at the insult, though he does hand the gun back.]

.....

[Hold up, 'go over?' The hell?]

What's the catch? [Is he going to get gun lessons for free from a total stranger?? Not that he's opposed to learning, but nothing in life is free.]

You don't get one 'til you know your piece like you know your own hands.

( jason's met plenty of kids who ran around swinging guns around like that was just the thing to do. because it was, in crime alley. either you armed yourself or you were fucked. jason'd stuck with tire irons and knives; guns were harder to get ahold of and more likely to get stolen right out of his grubby little fingers. but he gets the whys, and he also gets how shit of an idea it is to hand someone, especially a kid, a weapon without making sure they knew it backwards and forwards. )

An' it's one that fits you, 'specially with that crutch. ( can't give a scrawny brat a 44 magnum and expect him not to fall over the moment he shoots it. ) And you prove to me you're not gonna be an idiot with it.

[All of that is perfectly reasonable, though all of it benefits himself. Which, obviously, is great for him, even though they're in America he didn't expect this whole process of "finding a gun that works, learning to use it, maintaining it" to be easy.

But....]

Sure, but what the hell do you get out of it?

[That seems like a lot of time and effort to spend on someone.]

Less mess for me to clean up later.

( less thugs looking for some white haired kid, less kids wandering around with shit they don't know how to use. jason doesn't spend a lot of time in central city anymore, but he does visit frequently enough that taking this on won't be an issue.

jason holds out a hand, palm up. hand him back his mess of gun pieces, thank you. )

A SIG P220'd probably do you better. Single stack magazine, frame mounted decocker, a little heavy but easier to handle with one hand. You can drop it and it won't fire, and the recoil isn't bad. I can fix the weighting.

[That answer has Accelerator clicking his tongue unhappily, though he doesn't push the subject. There's no way that's a fair trade in his mind, and while he can agree to it right now he figures he'll need to bring it up again soon. He doesn't want to get caught up in some stupid sketchy deal that's going to go south if he can help it.

Which seems like it'd be inevitable, because the only other option is that this is just a kind gesture and the thought of it being that makes him feel sick.

He's going to reassemble the gun (much, much faster now that he's broken it down once) before handing it back.]

I want to try out a few first. And if you're gonna make any modifications, I want to know exactly what they are.

( he's a quick learner. taking apart a gun is usually easier than fitting the pieces back together, which means this kid should pick it up pretty quickly. jason takes the gun back once he's done with it, and shoves it back into it's holster. reaches into his jacket after, to pull out a piece of paper and a marker. scrawls a phone number onto the paper. )

Keep off the streets for the next week. Seven days from now, text me an address for a safe location with enough space to fuck around in. I'll bring a few options. We'll figure out what'll work for you, an' go from there.

( the paper gets held out between his index and middle fingers. )

If I hear you've been making waves, the deal's off. You got a name?

[Sounds like a plan to him! Though, laying low for a week... that might be a little complicated, depending on this guy's preferences.]

Accelerator.

[He doesn't reach for the paper quite yet.]

I won't go looking for more firearms dealers, but I work for the fucking Society and I'm not going to tell my boss I need a week off from doing any crime. And I'm not taking any time off from screwing with any Arcadian guards.

They let kids into the Society? How inclusive.

( terrible. terrible and shitty, who the fuck wants to encourage kids to get into that kind of crap? jason doesn't say any of that, doesn't let the little grin on his face fade in the slightest, because it pisses him off, but he's not bitching at accelerator for it.

also leads into the question of what accelerator's goal is here, with his shiny new toys, but jason can figure that out later. he's got time. )

Leave the gangs alone. Fuck with the guards all you want long as you don't get caught--'cause I'm not gonna chase after you. ( he would. that's irrelevant. ) Don't get fired. You can call me Red.

[It certainly sucks, though it's served Accelerator well enough, so all he can do is shrug.

The rest of that he nods at. It's all very reasonable, so barring any unforeseen circumstances like the guards suddenly getting aggressively hostile towards Starfallen, there shouldn't be any issues.]

Sure, Red. [He's got no idea if that's this guy's actual name or some nickname or something else, but it doesn't really matter to him. Whatever someone wants to go by is their own business. Besides, he isn't one to talk, it's not like Accelerator is actually his name.

He'll reach out to take the paper with the number on it.]

Guess I'll see you in a week.

( it's not even a full moniker, because some asshole who goes by red hood has been making waves in central city's underground, and they opted to make a deal: junior gets to keep the hood, jason'll stick to the domino mask, and they won't get in each other's way. and now that jason's burned heron, he's fresh out of fake names. considering his usual default when he gets caught is john doe, him sticking with half of the one he's been carrying around for years isn't--surprising. or it shouldn't be. and accelerator won't know jack shit about any of that if he hasn't been really digging into the gangs, so it's all irrelevant anyway.

he takes the paper, and jason pulls his hand back to shove his palm against his knee and uses it to push himself up to his feet. the week gives him time to go through his stash, to go find other pieces that might work, but it also gives him time to stalk the kid and figure out what his deal is, so. it works out well. )

See you in a week.

[One week later, and Accelerator has successfully kept his head down. It wasn't that hard, honestly, outside of this whole firearm thing and any crimes Chaos Gate assigns him, he doesn't have much interest in getting involved in whatever gang nonsense is going on in Central. Instead, he's spent that time doing more research on handguns (now knowing things like the assembly of a SIG P220 and what the hell a frame mounted decocker is), and looking for an appropriate area they can use.

Eventually he finds an abandoned warehouse, one that's free of any human occupants in an area of Central's industrial district that's out of the way and generally pretty empty. The walls are thick and have few windows, making it fairly soundproof. There's some old machinery, but it's easy enough for him to move it out of the way and make some space on the main floor, which he does with little effort. Once he's sure it'll work, Accelerator texts the address after the week is up.

He'll arrive a bit earlier than the appointed time, having made his way over by public transit and walking rather than using his ability. It'd be easier, sure, but there's no point in wasting battery when he isn't in any kind of rush.]

( a week later, and jason's gathered some of his own favored toys, stolen a few pieces from junior, as well as nicked some off of the shit gangs in new york. he's been slowly making his way through their crowd, winning over a few lackeys and beating the shit out of others. snagging shit from them in order to take them apart and figure out what'll work best for some scrawny little brat is clearly a great use of his time--it's not like he has better shit he should be doing. he's keeping his head down, after the jailbreak and everything he'd gotten into before. at least this keeps him temporarily occupied.

there's a massive duffel bag thrown over his shoulder as jason pulls in his bike through the door of the warehouse. he still has a domino mask on over his eyes, still the same jacket as before, but the hood's not pulled up and over his head. what's the kid going to do if he manages to ID him as heron? report him up the line to the society? he doubts they give a fuck.

jason keeps his guard up, one hand hovering close to one of his own pistols just in case this is a set up. because it's not paranoia if everyone is generally out to get him, and this is no different. once no one does come out at him guns blazing after he's inside, he kicks down the bike's kickstand, and takes a look around. )

For a secret hide out, this sure is dusty.

[Luckily, there is no set up and no ambush, just one (slightly tired) skinny esper. Accelerator notes the duffle bag, but his attention focuses on the bike for a bit.

Sheesh, is this the third person he's spoken to who knows how to drive one of those things? He doesn't even know how to drive a car. Maybe it's an American thing, he's never really thought about it before. Either way, it's very extra, to show up on one of those.

(Also kind of cool, but that's hard to tell that from his scowly expression.)]

Ah, should I have picked somewhere cleaner for your delicate lungs?

[Ah ha ha, he's so funny. He turns his gaze to the duffle bag. Actually, now that he's looking at it, that thing is huge. Should he be concerned? He isn't, but he's bulletproof in esper mode, so.... A normal person would probably be concerned.]

Did you bring a whole fucking arsenal with you?

( because his lungs are so delicate, yes. jason snorts, but doesn't offer it a real response. because the real response would be something close to i started smoking when i was half your age and my lungs are fucked enough who the hell knows how i'm still breathing, but none of that really needs to be voiced.

so jason opts to instead lug his duffel bag across the warehouse onto the closest table, and gently drops it down on top of it. reaches for the zipper to start shifting through it. nothing's loaded, because that'd be stupid, but the ammunition for each of the guns is inside the bag along with the guns themselves. )

You said you wanted to play with 'em, didn't you? Hard to do that if you don't have a good selection to go through.

( so he starts taking out the guns, pairing them up with their magazines on the table for ones that do have magazines. he raises each gun, naming them for accelerator as he goes through them. ) Your SIG P220, ( which gets sets on the far end of the table, so he can keep going through them. ) SIG P320--this one doesn't have a safety. Beretta 92FS, they're accurate and extremely reliable but the grip's a little big, and they're a little dated. Ten rounds, 9mm. The safety's backwards in comparison to most guns. Glock 25--this one has pretty low recoil since it uses a straight blowback design, but it's illegal in the States. Might wanna keep that in mind if you go running 'round with it. Smith and Wesson Sigma 9F. It's a little top-heavy but reliable. Another ten rounds.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Timeskip!

no subject

no subject

no subject