Shakedown (Woof)

Jake nodded, they needed to move. He didn't need to wait to see if Red would come sooner then the boy wanted. Not that Red seemed to care, because with a flash as the two teens made it to the door, signaled that Red had arrived and caused Jake to turn, his eyes closed to try and limit the remaining flash of light that was caused by the older mans teleportation.

And it only gave him a second to throw his wings in front of him to stop the red energy wave from colliding with him, fresh, new pain surged from his wings however and he slid back, his feet cracking into the ground as he braced himself on the floor, gasping with pain from his wings, feeling as if they were melting, which in fact, they were.

Moments after, Jake uncurled his wings as the father of Lucas spoke, demanded. And frankly, Jake wasn't sure he disliked the leader of Belarus as much before as he did now. So what Lucas could do what he could, didn't mean anything. "Lucas.. Ah.. Go..." Jake huffed out as his wings curled into the skin of his back, slowly, burning till they did, and even burning a short while longer, but the burn slowed and died down.

Only then, on the other side of the store, a chair of shadows vanished as the tall man stood from it, taking off his melting jumper, leaving him in a well tailored button shirt and trousers. With a small sigh, he lightly kicked at a melting chair that had collapsed under him, before turning to Lucius. "Mr Alba. I'd like to have a chat. Boy. I apologize, but leave now." The tall man stated as he stepped towards Lucius, mists of shadows rising all around him.

Jake, taking the mans words, grabbed at Lucas's shoulder with a light grip, taking a step back all the while. "We should.. go..." But before he could take another step, a wall of shadows would rise in front of the two teens, separating the two teens from the two adults.

The tall man would lower his hands after the wall, placing them on his hips as he looked Lucius up and down, sighing once more. "Mr Al- Lucius. Been a while. I'd ask what it is you are doing to your son but I've seen and heard enough. Despite your wishes, he wishes to leave. Let him do so. For I do not wish to cause any more damage then you have already done to this establishment." Pulling out a flip phone as he talked, the tall man would dab three digits before chucking the phone to one of the nearby, injured customers, before looking back to Lucius, a slight frown on his features.

"I should kill you where you stand, Marcus," Lucius said, showing no hint of surprise. Perhaps he was shocked, but regardless, his fury overshadowed it. This fiend standing in his way didn't help matters. This is someone who had brutally beaten Lucas in front of him, and now he was acting as if he were some hero. It was utter nonsense.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Jake scurried out of the building. Lucas' plan was to run, but he wasn't quite sure where. The idea was to just get away, basically. Anywhere was better than inside that restaurant.

"You have a lot of nerve, I'll give you that. Standing in my way to someone you tortured just to make me suffer? Give it up, Shadow. You're no hero, and I'm done with your endless cycle of life crisises," Lucius said, moving forward as if Shadow wasn't even there. He wasn't playing around, and would indeed end Marcus if need be.

"You have no right to involve yourself with my son, and I have every right to take him back to his home. Out of my way, or suffer the consequences." Lucius placed his hand on Cora Zen's hilt as he spoke. The gem in the center glew a brilliant red, indicating an offensive mode. The dictator was ready for a fight, publicly or not. He could clean up the paper work after he sent Shadow to the morgue.

When they got outside, Jake would grab ahold of Lucas and jump, taking the two to the roof, and there, he'd keep jumping and running, he'd attempt to get the two of them away from that store as far as he could. "These hoodies should still protect our location, right? I'll just keep jumping till we can walk. You point me where, and then we can stop and just... Take a break." Jake said midst a jump and landing, pausing a moment to give Lucas time to breath. Wondering who the hell that other guy was to do that, with his apparent history with Lucas.

Sighing, the tall man would loosen the tie around his neck and take it off, looking uninterested in a fight, mostly looking uninterested at Lucius's words. "For starters, pick one. Shadow or Marcus." He started, lowering the shadow wall so that anyone well enough to walk could escape, for even he was unsure how his would go.

"Second. I owed the boy that much. Otherwise, I've been following the three of you since the beam to the sky. And don't think it was because of you. I don't have time for you. It's the other boy, and then it became your boy." He finally stated, giving Lucius a rather serious look, his eyes darting to the sword at the armored mans side, before back to the helmet, attempting to look the other man in the eyes.

"Mr Zaapiel has a contract on him, family looking for family. Well, he also has a few grudges from demon fractions in Chicago and New York but I chose the girls. I can't have him dying to you and from what I've seen of the boy. It was ether likely. Or not. He's dangerous, and young, but he acts before he thinks. For now however, I've got an appointment with someone and then a certain black market deal to look after. Money is money. So. Are you going to disappoint me and attack, continuing to show why a dictator like yourself should stay in his owned country, or am I gonna leave and you, continue a fruitless search for a boy who does not want you. By now the kid should be long gone with him, he is rather fast with that jumping." He finished, shadow like mists continuing to rise around him, ready to be called upon and used to strike, but his hands were kept by his side, as the tall man took the pose of a businessman then someone having a normal conversation, for he had business to get too, and his job, was mostly done here. All except the rather angry man in front of him.

Exasperated, Lucius rolled his eyes. It was always the same with Shadow. He'd try to turn over a new leaf, maybe gain a perspective, but in the end everything he did was aimless and nonsensical. Lucius didn't care for one minute about this kid's ramblings. He was trying to act like the heroic, or at least the reasonable, party. The truth was he didn't know what he stood for today, yesterday, or tomorrow. It could change on a dime, and Red wasn't interested.

"Go on and on about your reasons and justifications for doing what you're doing. Go ahead, explain to me what new convictions you've come up with this time until you're blue in the face. None of it will convince me that any of this false identity of yours means anything. You're not a good person, Shadow, and you never will be. You aren't a person at all, in fact. You're a walking vessel for your latest train of thought. Nothing about you is concrete, so I couldn't care less what drivel comes out of that demented maw," Lucius said, drawing his blade. If Shadow wasn't going to leave, he would need to be dealt with. Sure, Lucius could just chase after Lucas and Jake, but that wouldn't solve the issue. Marcus would cause issues if he wasn't handled rightly.

"And no, I don't think I will pick one. You don't seem to be able to yourself, after all." Lucius gave no indication of his next move. In fact, unless you were a mind reader, there was really no way of knowing beforehand what attack the dictator was about to make. With a thought, he telepathically activated his Selective Pulse Generator. This device was designed to send out a pulse in all directions that threw things with tremendous force, but one that would only affect specific things. Instead of his usual routine, where Lucius would use it to disarm or separate a group of individuals, the Rise Head targeted a one square inch area on Shadow's head.

Without even a slight movement, the situation would go from a casual conversation to a fight. The pulse would be sent out at blinding speed with no warning, but nothing would be knocked away. The force just seemed to pass everything by. That is, except for that small section of Shadow's head. The entire force of the pulse would affect just that square inch, and unless Marcus got out of the way of the pulse entirely, he was getting a hole through the head. The force behind this attack made a fifty caliber rifle look like a squirt gun. It's cut straight through a bank vault door like butter.

The tall man would sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose when Lucius started his loved speeches. Was he always like this? The tall man wasn't sure, he just knew he was wasting his time here... Well, not exactly, the longer he kept the angered man here, the longer the boy had to move Lucas far away from here, which meant that Lucius here couldn't kill the boy and his job was secured. Normally he'd have thought payment... But this was a unique job.

But Lucius truly didn't seem himself, not when the tall man was the one who really didn't want to fight, for he was sure the last time they met, Lucius truly was a good person. Not now, not with that sword drawn. "Well, actually, my name is-" The tall man made a attempt to correct Lucius, for he did have a name, only the next second everything went silent besides thunk of air and blood, a hole was inside the tall mans head, and a mere second after he began to fall backwards, slack, without motor function.  

Right till those mists of shadows became solid and all stuck the tall mans body, not hard enough to do anything, but enough to pin him in place mid fall, and seconds later, another pillared from the ground into his back, righting him as the final bits of skin healed, his face still slack for a bit, but eventually, the tall man looked as if he was as fine as before the attack, only with a lot of blood everywhere.

"Ow... My name. Is Marcus, but I prefer Shadow when on the job. Seeing our history, fine, both or one. Up to you." He finished, rubbing the center of his head with a wince, before waving the solid shadows away back into mists. "And I don't know all bout what you just said. I explained why that kid can't die. Well, why I don't want him to die. And I never said I was a good person. I kill people. Regularly. And I get paid to do it. And I will continue to do so, money is money." With a final sigh, he tapped the ground with his foot, a void opening up and a scythe shooting out of it, which the tall man caught with practiced ease.

Only he then dropped it, the weapon vanishing along with every bit of summoned shadow vanishing alongside it, with a shrug, he'd step towards Lucius, before remembering the sword, and taking a step back. "We both know I can leave whenever I want. But I don't want to leave like that. I want you to smarten up. Leave, go chase the boys, who as I said, are long gone or realize that and go home. Because for the final time Mr Alba. I don't have time for you. This, this is all you, wasting your time and mine... Sure. Before, by now I'd be attempting to have one of those... Ideology fights with you, and failing. But no, you have your reasons for becoming what you are now, I am sure, and I don't care." He finished, his hands by his side, waiting, cause he could wait all day, and unless the man wanted to melt him to a skin pigment like he had attempted all those months ago, nothing would move him from his spot.

This was a stalemate, fundamentally. Lucius could only hope to disable Shadow if he poured out a large amount of power, and that would probably cost the city a block or two. Shadow, well, shadow couldn't really hurt Lucius. The dictator had too many options and it would just result in senseless destruction either way. The same could be said of the conversation. Both men were obviously bored, and they didn't seem to want to see each other. This was over, but Lucius wasn't backing down.

"You're right, this isn't about me, and this isn't about you. This is about my son, and this is about whoever the other kid is. Instead of doing this, how about we both take our kids and be on our way? I'll deal with my business, and you deal with yours? I'm sure you wouldn't protest that, unless this really is about me," Lucius said, sheathing his sword. His guard certainly wasn't down, but he was done fighting, and he was done arguing.

"I know for a fact you have the power to subdue Jake, so do so. You can keep him out of harms way while i take Lucas far away from the one that brutally tortured him only a year ago. If that other boy is your concern, be concerned with him, not my son," Lucius said as an alert appeared on his HUD. Lucas' position was being updated through the use of cameras, other technology, and informants, and the latest triangulation just came in. Lucius once again knew where they were.

"If you really have no time for me, you'll stop wasting it standing in my way."

Jake would finally pause for a moment, landing on a roof and looking, looking and looking, only, parts of him wanted to keep moving, others wanted to hide and mostly, he waited for Lucas to direct him, only, Lucas seemed silent. "Ahhh. I can't keep jumping... Wait. No I got it now." He'd go where Lucas took him, he walked up to the younger boy again, frowning. "Lucas, we can use the subways again, when someone like Red is chasing you, cameras become. Far more obvious then I ever thought. We could use the subways again, only. Step outside mid the ride, if you get what I mean, if we need to, we can wear something over the jumpers to make them less obvious, or I can... Well. I can get you out of Chicago in a second or so.. Come on dude. You good?" Jake had to know Lucas was good for this, he was doing this for the younger kid, for his friend.

The tall man remained where he was, nodding as Lucius spoke, only silently disagreeing on everything. Because the smart man actually didn't know what it was the tall man wanted, and he wasn't even sure that he wanted to tell him.

But least of all, he didn't seem bored, rather, indeed, he seemed focus on what it was he was doing, waiting for the other man to yield. "Hold up..." The tall man pulled out yet another flip phone, with what looked like something taped to it, paper with a word, personal. Opening it up and calling a number, he waited a small bit before being answered. "Doctor... I'm going to be missing our appointment. You have a good day." He hung up right after and put the phone away, before placing his attention right back on Lucius.

"You mistook the reason why I don't want him dead. Someone is looking for him, when we're done here, I'm going to contact her and then lead her to him. Her wants. She doesn't want a leashed mutt, so to speak... Got to say, from what I've seen, the kid is... Weird. Powerful. Could be more powerful then me in time. Maybe even you." Finished, he then narrowed his eyes at Lucius, clicking his tongue as he looked around for a chair, only to find them all melted... Right.. When were the police going to get here?

"And can you stop saying I 'tortured' your son. I put a line in his way and he ran into it. If I remember. You sicced him on me, a rage filled monster that didn't care if it was attacking me or you. I don't want to say that is torture, but that is up to you to decide." He said, thinking about sitting, only to pause... Could those two escape? They had done so easily enough before, but that was before, when they were less obvious. Now, jumping like that kid did, they'd be obvious. And Lucius could..

He tapped the ground with his foot again, yielding no results, and he did it again, only this time, he sighed. "Stupid Scythe... Mr Alba. Mind staying right where you are. Till I can tell the boy is safe, I'd prefer you stay here. Or give up."

"It's pointless. Running is pointless. There Isn't any beating him. People try, Jake. They try to outrun him, they try to outfight him, and they try to outsmart him, but he just keeps coming back, better then ever. Lucius gets what he wants—he always has. The only way to win..... Is to change what he wants," Lucas said, sighing. He stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets, and then walks over to the edge of the roof they had found themselves on. He sat down, huffing and puffing a bit. You could tell he was tired.

"I don't know, maybe i went about this the wrong way. Seems like I only made him less reasonable by running," Lucas said, dangling his legs over the Chicago streets below. "Maybe we do need to talk, but this time we need to stop trying to win. That's another trait we share, we're always trying to win, and i hate it."

Lucas contemplated this a moment, looking off into the distance. The sun was going down, and a golden hue had overtaken the sky. It was truly beautiful, and he couldn't deny that. No, he couldn't reject it like everything else he seemed to share with his father. Why was that?

"I think you should go. This Isn't about you, and I'm sorry you got roped into it. I'll be fine. Dad, despite his terrible ways, wouldn't hurt me, but he'll hurt you. I need to talk to him straight up, for better or for worse," Lucas said, looking back to Jake with slightly watery eyes. He truly hoped his friend would listen, but the boy had a hunch that he wouldn't.

Meanwhile

"I don't care about your reasons—I care about my son. You're acting as if you have some right in this situation that I don't. The bottom line is that if you don't get out of my way, and by extension don't interfere, then countless people will get caught in the crossfire. I don't care about Jake in the slightest. Stop acting like this is about him," Lucius said, not backing down. As for why the cops weren't around, well, that wasn't hard. A hefty paycheck to the area's closest departments assured this conversation wouldn't be interrupted for some time.

"I think you may be overestimating your position in this negotiation. I will go where I please, and I will give up when i please."

The tall man would look to the roof, slowly shaking his head. Was he was deranged again? Or was Lucius so thick in the head. The tall man couldn't decide, both could be right. Both could be wrong. Letting out a small hum, groan, complicated noise created by this complicated situation, he finally stopped everything. Eyes shifting down on Lucius. Fine. "Fine." Letting the word out, he sighed, chewing on his lip. This man... For all the swings the Tall man had gone though to get here, did Lucius match... Or had the man gone though more.

"Your right... I can't really stop you. Seeing as you're here still, I guess the teleportation thingy you love so much isn't ready yet, but it will be... Fine. Find your son. Do your thing. Live this life you have made for yourself Lucius. Cause at this point it's a little crazy to look at from the outside..." With that, the Tall man would begin walking towards Lucius, yet, not exactly, more, past him, stopping only when he was close enough to touch the man, yet not making any move to do so.

"But. Harm the boy. That's fine. Kill him. And I won't be happy. A certain girl won't be happy. And Lucius. For all the times we 'fought.' The next time. The next time it will be only until one of us dies. No stops, no craziness. No feelings. You're an entity that will simply have to be dealt with... But till such day may arise. You have a rather excellent day." Finished, the Tall man would move to the exit, a small frown on his face as he wondered. Wondered and wondered.

"Don't be near anyone. I was polite to these people. But I am a murderer. And I will kill whoever I need too." A mutter, loud enough to be heard, but one he more said to himself. Lucius kept calling him a hero. Kept saying things about crossfires... The tall man didn't care for that. Cause he was indeed a murderer. It was his job sometimes. And not once, would he care about it.

Meanwhile

Jake looked at Lucas, and thought hard about it, thought... Very, very long about it. Well, if long was at the most, a minute, a good, long minute, of time that could have been spent getting him away.

Yet what Lucas said. It made sense. It made sense because Jake was use to it. He always butted into these things, always included himself, because he was a friend to the person that needed it. And he knew what it was he was doing by butting it. He had dealt with so much because of it, stuff he hadn't needed too. Broken limbs, breaking friendships... New friendships.

All this made him want to see her. But that was unlikely, and even so, it would take a long time to get to New York. Sighing, he looked to Lucas with a frown. Hands patting his new jumper. Something he was going to keep if it scrambled the intelligent mans tech. Well, the tracking part of it.

"...Lucas... Hmm... Okay... Yea... I'll go. But. Here." He'd walk over to the younger boy, giving him contact details, a number he tried to keep, because he had it for someone else, might as well for more. "You ever need my help for something... Call me. Okay? And be careful. He didn't seem like a good person back there. And I know you're smart. Smarter then me. But that doesn't mean you know all his moves. Despite being father and son, you're both still human... Well. As human as you can be. Hmm. I guess that also means he can't know yours. If that trick at the church wasn't enough. Stay good man. I'd hate to see you be evil. Seriously. Adorable face like yours and a evil mind. You'd be scary. Red would not even compare, let me tell you." Trying to smile reassuringly as he joked despite the situation, for himself and Lucas, Jake took his steps back, keeping his eyes on the boy for as long as possible, before turning and jumping away.

He couldn't stay, not with the idea that he could be used by Red, not with the fact he couldn't hide because of the obscene number of cameras. But also because he had to put faith into the kid. Faith that he'd come though. Otherwise. He wouldn't be a very good friend.