A Dangerous Meeting

Nine was not bothered in the slightest by the long silence that filled the car, every moment of it enforced her opinion. When he finally spoke his answer...honestly, to some degree surprised her. She didn't show it, of course, keeping that hard, cold stare. Eventually, she looked away. Her phone buzzed and sparked up. Her eyes quickly darted over the words and she let out another breath, looking back up to Dan.

"We're almost there. Be ready to act. Remember. This is more of a test than anything, but if you fail it does have real consequences for us. Besides...this is a scum bag hero. You should be able to show us your hate for them through this man." She didn't say this with any tone of reassurance, it was all rather matter of factly.

It would be a few minutes more when the limo came to a halt. They'd be parked in front of an alley, dirtied with trash and muck. At the far end of the alley, there would be an abandoned apartment building, a man with a skull cap and bat leaning against it. The man would stare at the car for a few moments, narrowing his eyes. This kind of car in this neighborhood was not a common thing and the fact that it was stopped...

Inside the car Nine nodded at Dan. "Alright. Get to work. I'll be sure to clean up any mess you leave behind." And with that, she opened the car door and waited for the man to exit.

Without a word Dan grabbed the wine cooler and stepped out of the car leaving the door open. Generic Goon #3 looked at him with narrowing eyes as the yellow suited man approached, ice chest in hand.

"The fuck, you want?" The goon snarled. It was a good snarl that made Dan imagine the goon had spent hours in front of the mirror getting the lip curl just right.

"Torrent in here, yeah?"

"He ain't seeing no one today. Fuck off." He gestured with his bat...menacingly.

Chuckling with a slight whimsical tone. "That's unfortunate...All this beer is going to go to waste then, might as well let you have it."

Dan smashed one of the fancy looking wine bottles into G.G. #3's face sending a spittle of blood from his mouth. The goon collapsed into an unconscious heap as DANGER DAN! stepped over him still cradling the cooler under an arm.

Opening the now faded, white door he saw a a group of G.G.s playing Poker. 'Seriously how cliche is this gang? Whats next, they all have nicknames?' A awkward moment passed as both groups looked at each other before G.G. #1 dumbly asked.

"Who the hell are you and where the fuck is Blaze?"

Dan rolled his eyes as he ripped out and loosed another 2 bottles before the goons started at him. Throwing the now empty-less chest at G.G. #7 he flipped their card table as the last 2 were getting up, pinning them. It wouldn't stop them for long but would buy Dan some breathing room as he dealt with the other 3. 2 of them drew knives while the bigger of the 3 pulled out some brass knuckles. A reasonable person would panic, having been outnumbered and out knifed, but DANGER was what Dan was all about and with a yell dove straight at them. Laying atop one of the knife goons he rained down upon them. He was the dentist and all of them had appointments with his fists. All the while he was being stabbed and bludgeoned repeatedly as the now toothless goon's friends tried to get Dan off him but there was no stopping the Destroyer of Dental Fillings.

The two that were pinned by the table must of got up as Dan was finally hoisted into the air and tossed threw the front window.  Not missing a beat Dan grabbed a handful of glass shards, crushed them up, and threw them. The goons shielded the eyes which gave Dan an opening as he bull rushed into the group of them, toppling them over.  Slamming the bigger goon's head into the floor as he begun to wrestle between the 2 remaining. They shouted as they tried to get him in all sorts of arm bars and choke holds but Dan had no sense of self preservation and constantly pushed his body past the point of dislocation and muscle tearing. A frantic minute later he rose alone admits the fallen no worse for wear.

Unfortunately all the commotion gave the rest of the gang ample chance to get ready and Dan was left looking down a firing squad of 3 gunmen. Normally, the baddies would say a sort of one liner or take him to the boss. The reality was only a barrage of lead that, admittedly, staggered Dan, but by the end he was left standing amidst shell casings and smoke. The goons all had a look of fear in their eyes as they repeatedly heard the emptying "tap tap" of they machine guns. With cries of terror they dropped their weapons and bolted for the emergency exit.

Alone once again DANGER DAN! looked up the winding stairway shouting. "Torrent! Your lackeys have failed. None of them could pose a DANGER to the man of DANGER himself! I know you're up there, so come down! Either you come down or I will show you the true DANGERS of heights when I get up there!" Not the most classic of villain speeches, but he was still pissed off at Nine.

Nine watched as Dan proceeded forward. She doubted that he’d be able to even get through the first guard, especially since his hands were full, holding the cooler. But then he began to work and she lofted a brow. He wasn’t bad. Far better than she had expected, though it still left a lot to be desired. He was loud and obnoxious. Yes, there was a good pace to it, but it’d do him no favors in the long run. She had also taken the subtle route, stealth was her tool, and this man was the furthest thing from it. Even if he could take the damage it didn’t mean anything if the objective was not completed.

Regardless, even if he would not do the job up to the standard they expected at Chimera she still had her job to do. Hell. He may even decide to quit because of it. But it’d be better to cut the loss now and just drag his ass back to base by force. But, she’d have to see. He surprised her once, perhaps he’d do it again.

Nine reached down under her seat and pulled out another, much longer, suitcase, a better sheen to it. With a small grunt she lifted it up and exited the car, moving across the street and to an abandoned apartment building. It was perfectly in line with Torrent’s ‘base’ and more importantly, the window where she’d get a good sight on the inner happenings. With a jostle of the door, she was in the building and slowly began to make her way up where she could get to work.

Back in the upper part of shaggy apartment that Torrent’s gang called a base the ruckus was just starting to settle. During the first encounter Torrent had expected his crew to be able to handle whoever broke in. It was probably some vagrant, a stray homeless man looking for work and trying to act tough. If it was someone tougher Blaze would probably be more than enough to handle whatever threat came their way. These things were usually quickly sorted. So, he kept to his ‘work’. Really, he was just hanging on a couch, watching a basketball game. He had bets on it anyways with the two others who remained up with him.

Then it came. The shout from Dan. The taunt. The goad. What the fuck were his men doing? Torrent quickly sat up from the couch, a glare in his eyes as he stared at the two remaining men. How many were down there? How many got taken out? He had a bunch of his boys out in the city, peddling drugs and raking in dough. If these were the last three…maybe, just maybe he’d have a hero on his hands. If that was the case he’d have to take them out. He couldn’t let his credibility hit the gutter. He had a good thing going. He couldn’t let some gleaming hero ruin it all for him.

So, with a motion of his head the two men got up and three began their way down. Torrent’s hands were already converted into a watery mass, ready to strike whatever was on the other side of the door. However, as soon as he reached that level and the door was opened…he hadn’t expected some motherfucker decked out in a yellow banana suit. It wasn’t obviously a banana suit but that’s the first thing that went into Torrent’s head. He looked angry, but confused by the sight of Dan.

“What the fuck?” He grunted out.

Torrent was a large man, around 6’4 in height. He had broad shoulders, tattooed with a wave like pattern. Gold chains, of course, and a bandana over his head. The other two were just as strong, though a bit smaller in stature. With another motion of Torrent’s head, the two goons charged forward, both raising a fist to strike at Dan. Torrent, for now, just watched, wanting to see exactly who this guy was.

The two goons collided with Banana Man and thanks to their stature they managed to overpower the yellow man, one held his arms at his back while the other hammered away with vicious fists encased in brass. While nothing in the world could harm Dan, he was still only human...Like many a hero, he would find himself at the mercy of the villain, awaiting their monologue, but....DANGER DAN! was no hero and thus he did not fight fair.

As the goon in front of him grabbed Dan's head and reared back for a knee that would most certainly kill a normal man DANGER DAN! lunged forward as best as his constrained form could, swinging his head down directly into the path of the knee with all his might. A sickening crunch as indestructible bone met the very much not so joint followed by a cry as the goon collapsed gripping his now shattered knee.

Following the blow Dan jumped up while rearing his head back catching the other goon in the jaw sending him tumbling back unconscious.

And so both the would-be hero, and would-be villain stood there for a moment before Dan spoke as he brought out the shock gauntlet Nine gave him. "This is the point where the hero would give you a speech about confessing to your crimes, to do the right thing. But...Well, no one here is a hero are they? You may have fooled others, but I know. You're nothing but a lie giving people false hope as you rob them. I at least am honest about it....I'm going to break your legs." The shock gauntlet let out an audible crackle as it activated.

Torrent glared at the banana yellow suited man and spit on the ground. From outside, using the X-ray setting on her visor Nine could see inside the building. She let out a disappointed sigh and shook her head. Dan had given away the gauntlet's abilities which would no doubt make Torrent cautious. The freaking idiot. It wasn't over yet, though. He'd still have a chance to shock Torrent and disable his abilities. When that happened...well, for the time being Nine just leveled her rifle, aiming it Torrent. She was readying her shot for when the moment was right.

Back inside with the glaring Torrent...his glance shifted down to the gauntlet and smirked with a mild sense of amusement. "What?" He said in a deep tone, "You gonna zap me with that bug zapper? Think cause I'm made of water that's gonna win you the fight? Get real, you freak. You ain't even gonne get to touch me, let alone get close enough to." And with that Torrent quickly raised his hand and in a matter of seconds a ball of water was spinning in his hand, growing, growing, growing in size until it was the size of a wrecking ball. Regardless of what Dan was doing he'd point his hand at him and send the massive ball of water hurtling towards him in an intense torrent, like raging river. It'd be enough to knock a body builder to the ground, he could only imagine what it'd do to a toothpick like Dan.

He was sure it would tear into him. He was sure to disconnect the ball from his body though, he didn't want to get zapped after all. No...he'd play the long con. Keep this guy at distance. He would spit on the ground after the blast, shaking his head. "If you're still alive after that shot I'll give you one chance. Back down or get drowned. I ain't gonna play no games with you, freak."

The large ball of solid water slammed into Dan, knocking him into the wall leaving a Dan-shaped dent. While Dan sunk to the ground all he could think of was that Miley Cyrus song. 'I came in like a wrecking ball." He wasn't exactly a big fan of Miley, but she did have a few catchy singles. What was he doing again? Oh right, was busy flopping on the ground with a wet *Thwap*. He tried to stand but the shock glove was on when he was doused and found himself dealing with muscle spasms for a few moments.

Dan was thankful that Torrent didn't just encase his head in a ball of water while he was paralyzed. He may be indestructible, but he needed to breathe. Rising as he dealt with the last spasms of current he began to laugh.

"Your goons have already shot, stabbed, and beaten me, and yet I'm still standing. You really think you can hurt me? I'm invincible." Dan charged at Torrent hoping to tackle him like a linebacker. All he needed to do was get a grip and the results would be shocking.

Torrent saw the goofy little man charge forward. Damn...he wasn't much at all. Sure he could take a hit and that in itself was sort of impressive, he'd be a fine addition to the team, but it wasn't worth it. Plus, having a loon like this in his gang would only lose him street cred. He would have to think of a better plan, more than just wash him away, he would have to figure out some way to actually damage him. But he needed another moment to think, another moment getting tackled would give him, so...

With another lift up of his water hands, he balled them together in a massive watery fist and slammed it down to the ground. The impact would shake the building some and cause the concrete floor to crack and shudder. There was a massive splash of water which shot out and came at Dan like a wave, threatening to wash him back if he wasn't quick enough to dodge out of the way.

"Little man, you better stay down before I sink you at the bottom of the sea!"

And there was...that's what he'd do next. He'd drown the little guy...

The wave crashed into Dan with the force that could rupture organs and shatter bones sending him head over heels to the ground. Not a moment was wasted as Dan once again stood against the onslaught even as still pooled around his feet. Looking around he grimaced as he was back to where he started.

'This is bullshit' Dan thought. No matter how hard he fought, no matter how many times he gets back up, he will always be hilariously outgunned by actual Supers. This dumb ass can create water from nothing and does nothing with it except to make himself look better. Torrent could purify water for millions if he wanted to. He could help stop floods instantly saving thousands, and yet he chooses to hang out in some shitty abandon apartment, lying to people. No matter how hard Dan tried, even his best effort is nothing compared the half-assed attempts of these "Heroes" who can easily help the world while Dan couldn't even help himself. Powers were so unfair.

Mindlessly charging at the fake hero is doing nothing here and both could see that. It was only a matter of time before Torrent managed to pin him and drown him in a puddle. Dan needed to do something extreme...Could he collapse the building? No, didn't really have the means to cause that sort of damage. Use one of the goons' guns? A good idea if they didn't unload everything into him before running away. His only real option here was the gauntlet, but using it was easier said then done seeing how he couldn't get close to Torrent to actually use it. He was sure he could overload the gauntlet by smashing it while turning it on, but the shock still needed to connect. Looking around he saw a long length of chain one of the goons must of been carrying around. It didn't seem overly long, but the length should make it...It had to or Dan was going to drown.

The length of chain clinked and rattled as Dan rapped one end around his arm and begun to slowly swing the other, building up momentum. With any luck the chain will pierce any water Torrent brought up and wrap around the fake hero. Grunting Dan sent the chain darting towards his watery foe.

Useless.

Everything this man was doing was useless. He had a relatively impressive superpower, one that would've served him well, but...as Torrent watched the desperate yellow fool try and fight against the endless, gushing streams of water he knew that this man was completely useless. There was so little that he could actually do against him and the way he talked. He was a freak, not worthy of even being part of the gang. He was just desperate to survive at this point, lashing out however he could against him.

It was almost funny how far the difference was between them.

Almost. If anything, he thought it was annoying. Annoying how, despite being so outmatched, he tried to fight back. Annoying that, even has he was getting thrashed around by the torrents of water, he searched for a weapon to try and hurt him. Even without his watery body Torrent was more durable than most. He was a built figure, years of street fighting and exercise having paid off. Even without a power, he could've beaten this man. Part of him wanted to. It felt beneath him to even show off his almighty power.

He wanted to demonstrate that. He wanted demonstrate that even without making body shift into water that Dan had no chance of beating him. So he let him grab the chain and swing it against him. He let the chain thwack into him and cause only a mild pain, one that would not even utter a reaction as it wrapped around his chest. He grinned wickedly at Dan, shaking his head, stopping the riptides he was throwing at Dan and resting his arms at his side.

"You know. You might've been able to do something against a normal person with that. Maybe even a low level hero. But against me, anything you do is useless. You've got nothing on me." He raised a watery hand and waggled his finger at Dan, "You know. If you give up now, I may just let you walk away with your life. It's been awhile since I've managed to burn off this much steam against someone before they just are taken out. So, I suppose I owe you that much. So...get going. I'm done with you. No attack you can use will ever effect me."

"I'm done with you. No attack you can use will ever effect me."

Time froze as DANGER DAN! lost himself down memory lane. He remembered  the other kids and their sneers and insults. How they would target him because he was smaller and weaker than everyone else on the playground. He remembered the many times his mother was holding an ice pack to his swollen eye. He'd like to remember how for every black eye he got that the other kids got worse, but reality is harsher. Despite being bigger, stronger, and older, they would gang up on him leaving him hardly a chance to defend himself as they pinned him down. It was never a fair fight to begin with. Looking at the smug face of Torrent he found the familiar expression of ridicule. How could it be that after all these years that nothing has changed. For all his power DANGER DAN! was still just that little kid who could do nothing against the bigger kid.  

Steeling himself for his most DANGEROUS deed yet, DANGER DAN! activated his shock gauntlet at maximum output and brought his chain-wrapped fist down into it. A sound akin to to a flash-bang deafened him while a he felt the torrent of sparks and bolts of electricity nip and bite at him. He let out a scream as his vision was blinded by whitish blue light.

After the flash of whitish blue light there would be smoke. Smoke? No, this was steam, the product of water that was heated to its boiling point. The entire room was filled with the thick hotness of the aftermath of Dan's attack, and in the wake of where Torrent had once stood defiantly, had stood against Dan, was his body, limp, though the occasionally movement of his chest suggested that he was still alive. Alive, but...in incredible pain.

The so called hero was defeated, his goons down, and hopefully the rest of the gang would collapse soon after. Torrent's body after the attack, still steaming, would be completely solid, no signs of his watery form. In this state he was basically just human. A simple human like any random person you could pick off the street. And that was just what Nine needed him to be. Anything else would've been a failed mission overall.

A long moment would pass. Perhaps silence, or any sort of dialogue that Dan had prepared, filled the air. It wouldn't be met by any kind of reaction regardless of what filled the steamy air. Not at first at least. When that long moment had past, regardless of what was done in it there would be a strange sound. A gunshot, the cracking of the cement as the bullet passed through the wall, the whoosh of air, the crunch of the skull as it traveled into Torrent's head, and finally the pop as part of it exploded outward onto the floor.

The target was done, the job was done, and Nine headed back to the car which was now parked outside Torrent's base. There she would wait and see if Dan would join her for a ride back to the base.

A long and weary groan escaped Dan's throat as he regained consciousness. It wasn't a groan of pain, after all, nothing could hurt the most DANGEROUS man alive. No, this was the sigh of a tired soul, exhausted from the many struggles that life constantly threw at him. With shaky feet and even shakier vision, he stumbled as the last of the electrical current left his body.

He had done it, he had won. He had fought against an enemy far stronger, far more experienced, and with an outright better power, and still, Dan won. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he was still nothing. He fully knew that Torrent easily could have turned into water and let the chain pass harmlessly through him, and yet he stood there and laughed. Dan had won, but only because no one ever took him as a serious threat. The worst part was that they were completely justified in their assumptions. Dan, after all, could do nothing but stand and watch behind invulnerable eyes, and they could do whatever they wanted to him or anything he cared about. Powers can be so unfair.

The explosion had launched The Duke of DANGER across the room and as he crossed the room he could see only steam. Stopping next to the collapsed form of Torrent he suddenly felt a cold numbness. Right before him was Torrent, or rather, the corpse of the man. His death was apparent as the right half of his face was blown clean off, leaving a smear of bone and blood on the floor. Collapsing to his knees The most DANGEROUS of Dans ripped off his mask and vomited.  How could Dan of been so reckless with his gambit? Torrent had been active for years and suffered far stronger attacks then Dan's. Was he weak to electricity? Was that his Achilles Heel? An overwhelming sense of guilt and grief overtook the yellow man. He was now a murderer, a monster. He has been an active villain for the past 5 months but he never crossed the line. All of his crimes were smash and grabs or publicity stunts. Not once was anyone every killed or badly hurt...Until now.

As he sat there next to the fake hero his mind raced with countless other things he could have tried, could have done so that Torrent was still alive, and yet, he knew he made the only choice he possibly could. If only he had the help from Nin-- With Nine. It occurred to him why he did any of this in the first place. He was with Nine for this, but where is she? He felt a sense of dread as he looked closer at the hollowed remains of Torrent's skull and noticed fragments of a bullet. Gritting his teeth he rose and stormed out of the once flooded building.

There, parked just outside was the limo and more importantly, Nine. Dan shook with rage as he flung open the car door to Nine's seat and glared behind his mask.

"You killed him! You fucking killed him and you sit there as if nothing happened! He was down, down and fucking out, and you fucking killed him!"

Dan brought his fist down on the roof of the car with all his rage and left a sizeable dent.

Nine was already sitting in the car by the time Dan had made his way out, stomping and angry like a child, at least in her opinion. He was going to throw a tantrum, she had expected it. He was a coward after all. The question, though, was how was she going to deal with it? Isaac had needed Dan for some reason and having him witness a murder was also part of the plan. See what he was made of, if he actually could take it. Also, Torrent had to die regardless, but it was also a test. It seemed, however, that the test had failed majorly. Dan wasn't the villain they thought him to be, another disappointment she could add to his list. At this rate she'd need an entire chronicle to keep track of them.

As he pounded the roof and snarled his words at her she looked at him with a vague sense of annoyance. She gave a shake of her head, eyes never leaving his gaze (although his gaze couldn't rightly be met). "You have no idea what you're talking about, now get in the car before you get us both shot. And if you haven't noticed I can't take bullet fire like you can." She was setting up the lie, a slight tone of anxiousness in her tone to hint at actual worry. She wasn't, but that's what she would lean into. "I didn't take any shot, I have been here the entire time keeping a lookout. Now hurry up." She urged again, casting a glance over her shoulder at the building. "The sniper will be adjusting their position and potentially aiming to take you or I out."

If he was the dunce that she expected him to be he'd buy that. Of course, she was an expert liar. Her tone never hinted at hesitation and showed tones of worry and anxiety, real emotions that would be felt and seen in this situation, at least by a woman like her. The only downside was that he knew that she killed people. He didn't know that she was a sniper and she had left her gun in the trunk in a steel case. She was at least clear in that regard.

"I said I'd clean up any mess you made and meant that, that's the only reason I'm still here waiting to get you the fuck out of here so you don't get taken by whoever the hell that was. Now, please, get in the car so we can get out of here."

As he stared down at her, listening to her every word, he tried to detect even the smallest hint of deceit, and yet, he found none. She seemed completely genuine in her worry about there being a sniper around and to a lesser extent worried for Dan himself. Taken a moment, Dan tried to repressed his rage, but he could only get it down to a seething bitterness.

Torrent wasn't a good man, he was a bully that pushed others around just because he lucked out and got one of the "good" powers. Still...He didn't deserve to die, and despite knowing that Torrent didn't die to Dan's own hands, he still felt dirty.

DANGER DAN! didn't say a word as he gave one final appraising look at Nine and slowly sat in the dented limo. Any attempts at conversation would be a non-starter as Dan almost vacantly stared out of his passenger window. He'd like to believe he was keeping an eye out for this "sniper" but in reality, he probably lose it if Nine tried to ask him what happened. As the car drifted off into the night all Dan could wonder about is whether he could of done something to save him.