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Black Mantis and Winter Snow
“Black Mantis and Winter Snow”
9/5/1972.
I.
Hanako Surakazawa was gasping desperately for breath as the strange boy called Bane yanked her into a dead-end alley. They had been running along narrow side streets and across vacant lots until she felt like her heart was going to burst. Ripped-open plastic garbage bags stank in the hot summer air and flies buzzed. The building next to them seemed to have barely survived a recent fire and the one tiny window had its glass broken out. The boy shoved an unmarked door inward and pulled her inside. He leaned back against the door as if to prevent anyone from getting in after them and pressed an ear up against the splintered wood to listen. They were standing in a cramped space at the base of rickety worn-down stairs. A single naked light bulb hung on a wire dangling down from the ceiling.
Now that she had a second to catch her breath, Hanako got her first real chance for a good look at the boy who had been making her race around Manhattan. He was certainly no older than she was, fourteen at the most. Maybe five feet ten, thin but in a wiry muscular way like a high school runner. Bane had unkempt black hair that had not been cut in some time, a narrow feral face and a pair of cold grey eyes that made her wince every time she met their stare.
Everything he wore was black... sneakers, jeans and T-shirt with a sleeveless denim vest left open. Even considering his age, there was something unsettling about this Bane. Maybe it was the intensity in those pale grey eyes under heavy black brows.. Hanako thought of her own modest outfit of dark blue pleated skirt and long-sleeved white blouse, and she worried that she must look like a little kid. At fourteen, not an inch over five feet tall and without much of a figure yet, with her long black hair up in a ponytail and no makeup at all, Hanako thought she must look like a child.
But why was she worried about such a trivial matter? "Who ARE you? Why are you dragging me all over? What happened to Uncle Ken? Where are we anyway…?"
"Stop!" he snapped at her, raising one imperative finger. "Maybe you don't realize it yet, girlie, but your life is in real danger. And because I'm helping you, so is mine.".As she took a deep breath and started rattling off questions again, the strange boy clamped a hand over her mouth. "Quiet. We need to get going in a second. Bane is my name, Jeremy Bane. I work on the fringes of the badlands as a courier or interceptor. The Black Mantis asked me to get you to them safely."
Hanako pulled his hand away from her face. "Don't ever do that! What happened to my Uncle Ken? Is he all right?"
"I doubt it," Bane said. "Those were Winter Snow goons that grabbed him. If I hadn't got you away, those men would be abusing you in ways you never heard of." Seeing her about to speak again, he quickly said, "Your uncle worked for Winter Snow. My source tells me he was selling them out to the Italian mob so he had to be wised up."
"What?! That's crazy. My uncle works in real estate. He has nothing to do with gangsters."
"You were kept in the dark. Winter Snow is a bad bunch, 'Fuyu-Yuki,’ it means snow so cold it lasts all winter... They deal in drugs and sex slaves and dirtier rackets than those. The Black Mantis has started trying to chase them outta the city."
"The who?"
That tense face looked as if every muscle was taut as wire. "Look, we have to beat it in a moment. Black Mantis is a Wing Chun school. They’re not involved with crime except maybe to rent out their hall for illegal gambling on Saturday nights. Black Mantis is all Chinese and Winter Snow are Japs, so naturally they hate each other."
"Don't say ‘Jap,’ that's insulting. We are Japanese.”
"Yeah, whatever.' The boy held up a hand for silence, cracked the door open a fraction of an inch and took a quick peek outside. He grabbed her by the wrist again and pulled her out behind him into the alley. Hanako dragged her feet snd tried to resist but this boy was much stronger than he looked and he almost lifted her off her feet without trying.
Out in the hazy summer sunlight, his pale eyes stood out vividly under heavy black brows as he glared around suspiciously. "Stay behind me," he growled.
"Why should I go with you? I don't know you. I’m going to scream for help if you don’t let me go."
Bane scowled. “Not an hour ago, you saw me knock down that big goon who pulling you into the van. Right now, those guys would be softening you up and believe me, they’d enjoy it!”
Even as he spoke, an Asian man in a tan business suit stood up from behind a mass of debris leaning up against a grimy brick wall. He was blocking their only exit. ''So, little Dire Wolf,'' he laughed as he held up a stiletto with a. long narrow blade.
≤lj-cut text="the rest of the story"≥II.
Hanako had no clear idea what happened in the next few seconds. There were two sharp cracking noises and the attacker was bent over from the waist. The boy was gripping the back of the man's head with both hands and his upraised knee was buried in the center of the man's face. Then Bane was shoving the unconscious man down to the filthy alley floor and finishing him with an unnecessarily hearty kick in the ribs. It had all happened way too fast for her to comprehend. Hanako had been watching the sudden burst of violence from only a foot away and she still had not been able to follow it.
As she gawked, Bane straightened up, examining the attacker’s stiletto. He thumbed its edge, hefted it for balance and tossed it from hand to hand. Seeming satisfied, he stowed it in an inner pocket of his best. Catching Hanako's appalled stare, he explained, ''Might come in useful.’’
''I don’t understand,’’ she blurted abruptly. ''You’re just a kid. How did you do that? You beat up a full-grown man. It’s not possible.’’
His smug smile was insufferable. ''Yeah, I’m a little bit quicker than average. Bad boys always underestimate me….and by then it’s too late.’’ He took her arm again and tugged her around the unmoving bulk on the ground.
‘’Wait, is he alive? Is he going to be okay?’’
''Not my problem either way,’’ Bane said as they emerged back on the street. It was just after five on a Friday and both pedestrian and auto traffic were at peak. Hanako saw many passers-by give the two of them a glance but no one seemed inclined to intervene. New Yorkers were infamous for minding their own business, especially since she did not seem afraid or injured, merely agitated. ''I should scream for help,’’ she told him. ''I’ll call for a cop!’’
'Nah. If you were gonna squawk, you would have done it by now. Be honest, you’re realized I’m the best hope you have of staying alive. Come on, down in that subway.’’ They had reached Seventh Avenue.
The station was packed to the point of being stifling and Bane steered the two of them to be surrounded by harmless old white ladies who were least likely to be Asian assassins. As the train screeched into the station, he got Hanako jammed in within a group of excited grandmothers ready to shop.
''I hope you know where you’re going because I sure don’t,’’ she complained as she grabbed a metal loop to hang onto.
''Yeah, we’re on the D train. We should get off at Grand Street.’’.
The train rumbled and swayed alarmingly. Studying Bane's sour expression, Hanako asked, ''What was that he called you… the Something Wolf?’’
''Dire Wolf. It’s a dumb nickname someone called me and it stuck. Could be worse. There are tough guys named Goosey or Fresh Meat, I guess Dire Wolf’s not that bad.’’
''It sure fits you.”
Was that they barest hint of a smile? “So, Hanako Surakazawa, huh? You're not from Japan yourself, right? You were born here?”
“Yes, of course. I am second generation, what we call Nisei. About my father being a criminal, who could you possibly know about that?”
“Because I’ve been on the outskirts of the underworld the past few years. I hear things.”
“Listen, you said you were taking me to a Chinese martial art school. What makes you think I’ll be safe there?’’
For the first time, a bit of the hard edge faded from the boy’s voice. ''Because Sifu Yuan will be there. He’s okay. He backs up whatever he promises.’’
''You don’t know the Chinese like we do,’’ she scoffed. ''You can't trust them. They're thieves. They're dirty. I bet this Yuan is just using you….’’
Bane gave her a glare from those pale eyes that stopped her short. ''Goddam, World War II was over almost thirty years ago. When are you guys gonna let it go? I hear the same crap from Yuan’s students about you Japanese,’’.
That was enough to start her crying. Her delicate features wrinkled up and tears poured down her face. ‘’I want to go home! I want to see my uncle. Where is he? Did those men hurt him?’’
Now everyone on that car was watching them. Trying without success to make his voice gentle, the young Dire Wolf said, ''We’ll find out about your uncle soon. Right now, you're safest with me. You can understand that, right?’’
She continued to bawl, more as a relief of tension as she realized she was not going to be killed in the next few minutes than from grief.
''Look, turn off the faucets before I shake you,’’ he said in a low menacing voice. ''You better get a grip. We’re getting off at the next stop, you understand?’’
Hanako wound down to frequent sniffling. Digging through her pockets, she found some tissues and blew her nose. ''Where’s YOUR family, Jeremy? Why are they letting you run all over instead of being in school?’’
“What family?” he snorted. “I’ve always been on my own. These two old drunks used to let me sleep on their floor if I stole enough to pay for a meal. But as soon as I was twelve, I was out of there. Come on, we have to run again .”
III.
Back on crowded streets with the constant honking of horns and chatter all around them, the young DIre Wolf could not drag her along as rapidly as he had been doing before. This was a great relief to Hanako's. Even though she had wisely chosen sensible flat shoes that morning, her feet hurt.
The neighborhood was filled with restaurants and tiny shops which sold gifts and souvenirs. At the corner of Mott Street was a narrow door with a frosted glass panel, the words BLACK MANTIS SCHOOL appearing over some Chinese ideograms and a stylized outline of that predatory insect. Babe pulled the door open and hauled her in after him.
In a tiny foyer, with stairs straight ahead and a janitor’s closet to their right, they pop pop encountered a stout Chinese man in work clothes. He had been lounging on a plain wooden chair and he jumped to his feet with a growl. “You again. I’m still not happy about seeing a white face here.”
“Well, get used to it,” Bane replied just as gruffly. “Teacher asked me to bring this girl here for safekeeping. If you’ve got a problem, that’s your tough luck.”
The guard thrust his face closer to Hanako and made a point of sniffing loudly like a dog. “And what is THIS? Now you are so insolent as to bring a Japanese bitch here? Oh, even for a Gweilo, you are a fool!”
“Tell you what, Pao,” said Bane softly, “Let’s show this girl some of your kung fu. You throw the first punch.” The DIre Wolf was standing in a relaxed pose with his open hands down by his side. “Go for it.”
The man hesitated, back up a step and got out of their way. “You know Teacher has forbidden any fighting outside Kwoon.”
Without speaking further or looking back, Bane brought Hanako up the creaking ancient steps. As they reached the second floor lading, he said, “It beats me how you guys can tell each other apart that way. Unless you talk, I can't pick Chinese from Japanese from Korean. How do you do it?”
Ignoring his question, the young girl breathed, “He was terrified of you. What kind of kid are you?”
“I’m just me,” Bane answered. At the open double door before them, he dropped down to the hall and pulled off his sneakers to place the next to two pairs of dress shoes against the wall. Without hesitation, she did the same and they walked across the polished pine floor of the Black Mantis School.
Thin hard mats were rolled up under the windows overlooking Canal Street. On a small stand was a bronze gong with a round striker on a cord. Assorted weapons were stored in open racks on the far wall….the wide-bladed Butterfly knives, staffs and Spears, even two of the seven-foot tiger forks.
Even though an office door was visible in the corner, Sifu Lam Yuan was seated kneeling on the floor and watching them enter. He did not seem intimidating, a short stout man with a pleasant moon face that was split horizontally by a thick white mustache. The eyelid fold was very pronounced and made his expression difficult to read. He raised himself up slightly in greeting, using only his leg muscles. The round head inclined and straightened.
Bane responded by clasping his open left hand over his right fist and bowing from the waist. Without any hesitation, Hanako also bowed quite low from the waist and held that pose for a few seconds.
“Your manners are appreciated, MIss Surakazawa,” the teacher said solemly. “Please,” he gestured at the space in front of him. Both Bane and Hanako lowered themselves carefully to their knees.
“My Dire Wolf,” said Yuan. “As always, you do not disappoint me. You have brought me the child safe and untouched even with Winter Snow fighters searching the streets.”
“Thank you, Teacher.”
“And for you, young lady, I am pleased to deliver good news. Your uncle is alive. I spoken with him over the telephone. His superiors gave orders that he be shaken up and humbled but left unharmed. His contacts at City Hall are valuable enough that they want to retain him.”
“I do not wish to question my elders but it… is so hard to believe. My Uncle Ken is a gangster? The thought makes my head spin.”
Yuan spoke gently. “Such is life. If it may be comforting, your uncle kept his Winter Snow affairs from your awareness. I understand your parents died when you were an infant. Ken Surakazawa did the best he could for you.”
Raising his head, Bane studied the old man’s impassive face. “Excuse me, Teacher. What should be our next move? I was expecting gang war with the Winter Snow.”
“That will come soon enough, Jeremy. We are expecting Black Mantis warriors to be arriving soon. Some are being sent from the home center in Hong Kong. For the moment, I think it is only prudent to maintain the quiet before the inevitable storm.”
Bane could not complete repress a disappointed sigh.
“Ah, you enjoy conflict and bloodshed a little too much. Dire Wolf! You are well called that.” Yuan turned his thoughtful eyes on the young girl. “Jeremy is the first white student I have accepted. Tradition decrees that our style be taught only to full Chinese. I have received death threats and challenge for doing this.”
“You know I’m grateful,” Bane said. “All I knew was some boxing from Mahoney’s Gym. Even a little Wing Chun makes all the difference.”
Quite easily, Sifu Yuan rose to his feet. He could not be more than two or three inches over five feet in height. “Soon I must ask our Jeremy to escort you to the Winter Snow stronghold. Until then, may I suggest you rest. There is a couch in my office you should find bearable.”
“Wait, just the two of us?” squeaked Hanako. “Sifu, we are just kids. Can’t some of your students go with us?”
“That would lead to immediate fighting. Our Dire Wolf is neither Chinese nor Japanese. He is, how would you say it, neutral? I must go make arrangements now. Please remain here until I return.”
When Yuan had risen, Bane had promptly leaped up himself, with Hanako doing the same a second later. The young Dire Wolf inclined his head and said, “Certainly.”
After assuring them that he would arrange for food and tea to be brought up shortly, Yuan laced on his shoes and left. Hanako sagged as all the adrenalin faded. Running all over Manhattan and going through terror and worry had exhausted her.
Noticing that Bane was scrutinizing her, she decided to be bold, “Jeremy, seriously, how do you know this man is being honest? How do you know he isn’t just playing you for a tool?”
“I don’t,” the Dire Wolf answered at once. “But then I don’t trust anyone in the world.”
IV.
Going into the tidy office with its framed photographs and shelves of trophies, Hanako had stretched out on the black leather couch. She hardly had buried her face into a cushion before she was asleep. Bane watched her relaxed breathing for a few seconds before going back out to the training hall. He checked that the windows were locked and peered warily out at the street two stories below. Then he decided he might as well get some rest himself.
Sitting on the polished floor, he leaned back against the door so he would be instantly awakened by anyone trying to get in. He had always been able to snatch short naps under any conditions. From what little he remembered of his childhood, he had been like a feral creature of the streets that lived the same as wild creatures of green jungles. Bane seldom wondered why his memories back before the age of ten were so fragmentary and vague. The mystery didn't trouble him and he was usually too busy simply surviving.
Slightly over an hour later, the boy gave a start and woke up. He glared around in a crouch, ready for fight or flight but nothing seemed wrong. Bane got up completely refreshed and feeling ready for another full day's activity. He had no idea why he was so different physically from everyone else. Not only did he just require three or four hours sleep within twenty-four, he was more than twice as fast as a normal person. He always had been. His earliest memories involved shoplifting and being so quick that no one ever saw him do it. This was another mystery about himself that the boy seemed oddly incurious about. It was just the way he was.
Taking a quick glimpse to find Hanako deeply asleep, Bane snuck out to the bathroom in the hall to urinate. He scoured his hands and face with hot soapy water and hurried back to the training hall. Where was Sifu Yuan? What was happening out on the streets with the two gangs? Bane heard footsteps out in the hall and flashed over to stand beside the closed door. In his left hand, the stiletto he had taken from the WInter Snow assassin appeared as if it had always belonged there.
When the door opened, he relaxed visibly. It was Hsieh, one of the senior students. About thirty, with a shaved head and an eagle tattoo on his forearm, Hsieh was Yuan’s unofficial deputy. The man was carrying a large white paper bag that smelled of hot spicy meat and he held a cardboard tray with two styrofoam cups in its spaces.
“Hah! Dire Wolf, here is lunch. Teacher asked me to bring this for you and the Japanese girl. I remember the one time a few of us ate after class that you ordered pork fried rice and you ate enough for two. So here is double portion and some mu shu pork for your friend.” He placed everything down on an end table that held a white phone and the Chinese language newspaper THE WORLD.
“Glad to see it,” Bane said as his stomach rumbled. “Hsieh, what's going on? Where is everyone?”
“I only know the winds of trouble are blowing hard,” the senior student said. “My grandfather used to tell me scary stories about Tong wars in the old days. They seem to be coming back in style.”
At this point, Hanako emerged from the office, rubbing her eyes and rolling her shoulders. “Oh,” she observed happily, “food!”
Hsieh grinned and bowed reflexively. “As much as I would love to stay and chat with your jailbait friend, I do have to show up at my job. Talk to you soon, Dire Wolf.”
“Thanks again, older brother.” There were three simple chairs for guests against one wall, and Bane grabbed one in each hand. He was always starving. One price for his heightened reflexes and voluntary movements was a metabolism that burned calories at a furious rate. Before he plopped down on one of the chairs, he noticed the uncomfortable expression on the girl’s face. “WHAT?” he snarled with one hand already clenching the bag of food.”
“Don't yell at me. I need the ladies’ room…”
“Oh. Fine, come in.” He escorted her out into the hall and stood guard outside the bathroom door. She seemed to be taking forever but he realized his judgement was influenced by the fact he was ravenous. When Hanako came out, she looked so relieved and freshly scrubbed that some of Bane’s usual sourness softened. They returned to the office and dug into the take-out as if there were never be any more ever made. Both were growing adolescents and they had spent much of the morning galloping around city streets, so very soon the last grain of rice and the final flake of spring roll had disappeared.
Hanako wiped her mouth daintily with a napkin and sighed. “So much better. I feel back to normal. Except… things aren't normal, are they? Jeremy, what’s going to happen?”
“You know as much as I do at this point. Maybe more.”
“And what is THAT supposed to mean?”
“You say you didn’t know anything about your father being tied to Winter Snow but I only have your word for that. Don’t give me that hurt puppy look,” he said. “Pretty faces don’t work on me!”
“Oh. You think I’m pretty?”
“Of course you’re pretty. So what?”
The conversation might have proceeded in unpredictable directions if the sound of the door unlocking hadn’t interrupted them. Even though he knew it was probably SIfu Yuan, the young Dire Wolf was up and on guard instantly.
Something about the old man’s posture alarmed Bane. “Teacher? What’s wrong?”
“You have eaten? Good. Please, both of you sit before me.” Yuan went to his usual place in front of the weapons racks and sank to his knees. Bane and Hanako got down side by side in front of him and waited.
The Wing Chun master gazed down at the floor as if he could not best to face the two teens. “My Dire Wolf...Miss Surakazawa… the situation has taken a dreadful turn. Instead of returning this young lady to her father, we are now faced with an exchange of hostages. No, do not speak. The leaders of Winter Snow believe that we have abducted Miss Surakazawa, possibly for a ransom. Not an hour ago, their andssassins kidnapped my only grandchild, the son of my son.”
Despite himself, Bane exhaled sharply. “Well, this is gonna be tricky.”
“Several phone calls have been made,” said Yuan. “We will meet in the parking lot of Worldwide Imports down by the docks. I will drive you but I myself must wait in the car, as will the Winter Snow leader, Hotaru, wait in his .”
“This is horrible. So unexpected. I am deeply sorry, Mr Yuan,” Hanako mumbled in barely audible tones.
“It is surely no fault of yours, miss. We must leave you. I know I can rely on Jeremy's courage but I must ask you also to be brave, child.”
“Of course, sir. I will do my best.”
As they all rose to leave, Bane thought he caught the strangest exchange of looks between the young Japanese girl and the old Chinese man. But for the life of him, he could be certain what it meant.
V.
Near the Battery, in a district crowded with warehouses and lots full of trucks and buses, a three story building of time-worn red brick sat on its own side street. The parking lot was almost empty, with two delivery trucks by the loading Bay. Off in the far corner, within sight of the East River, was a gleaming black Lincoln Continental with purple-tinted windows. Standing at the driver’s side was a huge Asian man in a full chauffeur uniform including billed cap and front-flap jacket. He watched behind mirrored sunglasses as Yuen drove into the lot in his grey Mercury Marquis.
As Sifu Yuen backed into a spot on the opposite side of the lot, he repeated, “If everyone follows protocol, I am certain there will be no complications. Miss Surakazawa, are you ready?”
“I don't think so...no, no, I will be fine. That little boy’s life depends on me.”
“Time to rock and roll then,” said Bane. He got out of the front passenger seat and waited for Hanako to step out beside him. “You’re not as scared as you seem,” he told her.
The girl tilted her head quizzically but did not have a chance to ask what he meant. The Dire Wolf took her by the arm for the hundredth time that day and began to march her across the lot.
Seeing this, Hotaru’s chauffeur helped a child from the back seat of the Lincoln. This was a boy about five or six, dressed in a dark blue school uniform with white dress shirt. Yuan’s grandson. The Winter Snow man began half-dragging the boy, who seemed unresponsive and detached.
“Looks like they drugged the kid,” Bane muttered into Hanako’s ear.
“I’m glad. Maybe he won’t remember most of this.”
The two pairs slowed as they neared each other until they were standing just beyond arm’s reach. Bane and the driver were glaring at each other with barely contained hostility. Hanako stepped carefully over to stand next to the chauffeur, then gently pushed little Yuan forward a few paces. The Dire Wolf reached out and grasped the boy by both shoulders as gently as he could.
With painful care, Bane began backing the child up away from the driver and Hanako, keeping his attention on the man. After he took a few more steps, he saw the Japanese girl turn on her heel and start toward the Lincoln. Giving the young Dire Wolf a final cold stare, the chauffeur went to accompany her. At the same time, the little boy stumbled and nearly fell on his face. Bane helped the Yuan grandson up. Behind him, he heard the distinctive click of a safety being released.
VI.
Bane shoved the boy roughly away to one side, dropped to his fingertips and toes, and wheeled around on the asphalt to drive one foot up hard into Hanako’s lower abdomen. All the air rushed out of her lungs. Even as she was falling to her knees, the flat Walther P-22 was wrenched from her grip by Bane. Only a tiny fraction of a second had passed. The Dire Wolf whirled up on one knee and extended his arm with the gun aimed… not at the chauffeur but at Sifu Yuan behind him.
The Chinese teacher had left his car despite his saying he would not. When he saw that black end of the barrel pointed directly at his line of sight, he cringed and let a thin throwing dagger clatter to the ground.
"Yeah and what were you planning on doing with that toothpick, Teacher?” Bane asked in an ominously subdued tone. He swiveled his head to see that the driver was gaping at him with mouth hanging open.
“Go on, get her out of here!” the Dire Wolf yelled. Seeing that Hanako was still conscious although doubled up in pain, he told her, “For your own sake, don’t ever let me see you again! Driver, I’m close to putting holes in all your foreheads. Get moving right now.”
There was nothing incongruous or surreal about a boy in his mid-teens threatening a grown man twice his size. Bane’s voice was solid with determination. No one there had any doubt he was on the brink of firing.
Turning his attention back to Yuan, he found his instructor was holding the grandson protectively with an arm across the child’s chest. Bane moved a few feet to one side so he could keep an eye on both Yuan and the Winter Snow party. When the driver had gotten Hanako almost to the car, he gave more attention to his Sifu.
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Winter Snow actually kidnapped your grandson first. You were desperate to get him back. So arranging a trade seemed like your best chance.”
Yuan could not meet those pale grey eyes and he lowered his head miserably.
“Winter Snow was never going to punish Surakazawa for anything, were they? No! Their soldiers were trying to protect him from ME! Because I wasn’t rescuing his daughter, I was abducting her. You were using me to do dirty work, Teacher.”
Bane gestured with the gun at Yuan’s car. “Go on, put the kid in the back seat. Be damn glad he’s here and would see whatever I was intending to do to you. That’s all that’s keeping you safe.”
“Jeremy, I am so deeply sorry--”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear it.” Bane thumbed the safety back on the Walther and jammed it into the back of his belt where the vest would conceal it. “Get going. Don’t ever show up within my sight again.”
Watching the big boat of a car roll out of the parking lot, the Dire Wolf bent and picked up the knife his former teacher had dropped. He had seen it before and he thought he would keep it. The gun and the stiletto, though, had to be gotten rid of. He knew a guy in Queens who would buy them. But all this was only a vague flicker in the back of his stunned mind.
Bane started walking without knowing where he was going. He made a few random turns at corners and found himself in a better neighborhood with shops and eateries. Finding a deep recessed doorway next to an antique store that was closed, he wearily dropped down where he was partially out of sight.
It was hard to think clearly. Nothing seemed to matter. What was the point of trying so hard to survive? Where did it get him? For the longest time, he squatted there in mute misery and wished the pain would ease up. Not for the first time, Bane wondered why he couldn't cry. People said it was a great way the body released sorrow. He dimly wondered if Hanako would really have shot him. Or did she intend to take him prisoner to be brought to her father’s stronghold? The White Web would have immediately crippled him to pay him back for beating up two of their soldiers. They had lost face.
That reminded him that he had confiscated everything in the fallen Winter Snow man’s pockets without noticing what they were. He dug into the two outer and two inner pockets of his vest. In addition to a cheap wallet, keys which he had no use for and a pack of cigarettes which were also valueless to him, Bane found a roll of bills held by a rubber band. Not expecting much, he found with a rare thrill of hope that they were a few twenties and six fifties. Four hundred and forty dollars as he counted them. The Dire Wolf nodded thoughtfully. Some solid meals and maybe a clean decent place to sleep for a few nights. The heavy fog clouding his thoughts lifted slightly. Earlier that day, all he had was three dollars and some change.
Even cold comfort was better than none at all.
8/6/2017
9/5/1972.
I.
Hanako Surakazawa was gasping desperately for breath as the strange boy called Bane yanked her into a dead-end alley. They had been running along narrow side streets and across vacant lots until she felt like her heart was going to burst. Ripped-open plastic garbage bags stank in the hot summer air and flies buzzed. The building next to them seemed to have barely survived a recent fire and the one tiny window had its glass broken out. The boy shoved an unmarked door inward and pulled her inside. He leaned back against the door as if to prevent anyone from getting in after them and pressed an ear up against the splintered wood to listen. They were standing in a cramped space at the base of rickety worn-down stairs. A single naked light bulb hung on a wire dangling down from the ceiling.
Now that she had a second to catch her breath, Hanako got her first real chance for a good look at the boy who had been making her race around Manhattan. He was certainly no older than she was, fourteen at the most. Maybe five feet ten, thin but in a wiry muscular way like a high school runner. Bane had unkempt black hair that had not been cut in some time, a narrow feral face and a pair of cold grey eyes that made her wince every time she met their stare.
Everything he wore was black... sneakers, jeans and T-shirt with a sleeveless denim vest left open. Even considering his age, there was something unsettling about this Bane. Maybe it was the intensity in those pale grey eyes under heavy black brows.. Hanako thought of her own modest outfit of dark blue pleated skirt and long-sleeved white blouse, and she worried that she must look like a little kid. At fourteen, not an inch over five feet tall and without much of a figure yet, with her long black hair up in a ponytail and no makeup at all, Hanako thought she must look like a child.
But why was she worried about such a trivial matter? "Who ARE you? Why are you dragging me all over? What happened to Uncle Ken? Where are we anyway…?"
"Stop!" he snapped at her, raising one imperative finger. "Maybe you don't realize it yet, girlie, but your life is in real danger. And because I'm helping you, so is mine.".As she took a deep breath and started rattling off questions again, the strange boy clamped a hand over her mouth. "Quiet. We need to get going in a second. Bane is my name, Jeremy Bane. I work on the fringes of the badlands as a courier or interceptor. The Black Mantis asked me to get you to them safely."
Hanako pulled his hand away from her face. "Don't ever do that! What happened to my Uncle Ken? Is he all right?"
"I doubt it," Bane said. "Those were Winter Snow goons that grabbed him. If I hadn't got you away, those men would be abusing you in ways you never heard of." Seeing her about to speak again, he quickly said, "Your uncle worked for Winter Snow. My source tells me he was selling them out to the Italian mob so he had to be wised up."
"What?! That's crazy. My uncle works in real estate. He has nothing to do with gangsters."
"You were kept in the dark. Winter Snow is a bad bunch, 'Fuyu-Yuki,’ it means snow so cold it lasts all winter... They deal in drugs and sex slaves and dirtier rackets than those. The Black Mantis has started trying to chase them outta the city."
"The who?"
That tense face looked as if every muscle was taut as wire. "Look, we have to beat it in a moment. Black Mantis is a Wing Chun school. They’re not involved with crime except maybe to rent out their hall for illegal gambling on Saturday nights. Black Mantis is all Chinese and Winter Snow are Japs, so naturally they hate each other."
"Don't say ‘Jap,’ that's insulting. We are Japanese.”
"Yeah, whatever.' The boy held up a hand for silence, cracked the door open a fraction of an inch and took a quick peek outside. He grabbed her by the wrist again and pulled her out behind him into the alley. Hanako dragged her feet snd tried to resist but this boy was much stronger than he looked and he almost lifted her off her feet without trying.
Out in the hazy summer sunlight, his pale eyes stood out vividly under heavy black brows as he glared around suspiciously. "Stay behind me," he growled.
"Why should I go with you? I don't know you. I’m going to scream for help if you don’t let me go."
Bane scowled. “Not an hour ago, you saw me knock down that big goon who pulling you into the van. Right now, those guys would be softening you up and believe me, they’d enjoy it!”
Even as he spoke, an Asian man in a tan business suit stood up from behind a mass of debris leaning up against a grimy brick wall. He was blocking their only exit. ''So, little Dire Wolf,'' he laughed as he held up a stiletto with a. long narrow blade.
≤lj-cut text="the rest of the story"≥II.
Hanako had no clear idea what happened in the next few seconds. There were two sharp cracking noises and the attacker was bent over from the waist. The boy was gripping the back of the man's head with both hands and his upraised knee was buried in the center of the man's face. Then Bane was shoving the unconscious man down to the filthy alley floor and finishing him with an unnecessarily hearty kick in the ribs. It had all happened way too fast for her to comprehend. Hanako had been watching the sudden burst of violence from only a foot away and she still had not been able to follow it.
As she gawked, Bane straightened up, examining the attacker’s stiletto. He thumbed its edge, hefted it for balance and tossed it from hand to hand. Seeming satisfied, he stowed it in an inner pocket of his best. Catching Hanako's appalled stare, he explained, ''Might come in useful.’’
''I don’t understand,’’ she blurted abruptly. ''You’re just a kid. How did you do that? You beat up a full-grown man. It’s not possible.’’
His smug smile was insufferable. ''Yeah, I’m a little bit quicker than average. Bad boys always underestimate me….and by then it’s too late.’’ He took her arm again and tugged her around the unmoving bulk on the ground.
‘’Wait, is he alive? Is he going to be okay?’’
''Not my problem either way,’’ Bane said as they emerged back on the street. It was just after five on a Friday and both pedestrian and auto traffic were at peak. Hanako saw many passers-by give the two of them a glance but no one seemed inclined to intervene. New Yorkers were infamous for minding their own business, especially since she did not seem afraid or injured, merely agitated. ''I should scream for help,’’ she told him. ''I’ll call for a cop!’’
'Nah. If you were gonna squawk, you would have done it by now. Be honest, you’re realized I’m the best hope you have of staying alive. Come on, down in that subway.’’ They had reached Seventh Avenue.
The station was packed to the point of being stifling and Bane steered the two of them to be surrounded by harmless old white ladies who were least likely to be Asian assassins. As the train screeched into the station, he got Hanako jammed in within a group of excited grandmothers ready to shop.
''I hope you know where you’re going because I sure don’t,’’ she complained as she grabbed a metal loop to hang onto.
''Yeah, we’re on the D train. We should get off at Grand Street.’’.
The train rumbled and swayed alarmingly. Studying Bane's sour expression, Hanako asked, ''What was that he called you… the Something Wolf?’’
''Dire Wolf. It’s a dumb nickname someone called me and it stuck. Could be worse. There are tough guys named Goosey or Fresh Meat, I guess Dire Wolf’s not that bad.’’
''It sure fits you.”
Was that they barest hint of a smile? “So, Hanako Surakazawa, huh? You're not from Japan yourself, right? You were born here?”
“Yes, of course. I am second generation, what we call Nisei. About my father being a criminal, who could you possibly know about that?”
“Because I’ve been on the outskirts of the underworld the past few years. I hear things.”
“Listen, you said you were taking me to a Chinese martial art school. What makes you think I’ll be safe there?’’
For the first time, a bit of the hard edge faded from the boy’s voice. ''Because Sifu Yuan will be there. He’s okay. He backs up whatever he promises.’’
''You don’t know the Chinese like we do,’’ she scoffed. ''You can't trust them. They're thieves. They're dirty. I bet this Yuan is just using you….’’
Bane gave her a glare from those pale eyes that stopped her short. ''Goddam, World War II was over almost thirty years ago. When are you guys gonna let it go? I hear the same crap from Yuan’s students about you Japanese,’’.
That was enough to start her crying. Her delicate features wrinkled up and tears poured down her face. ‘’I want to go home! I want to see my uncle. Where is he? Did those men hurt him?’’
Now everyone on that car was watching them. Trying without success to make his voice gentle, the young Dire Wolf said, ''We’ll find out about your uncle soon. Right now, you're safest with me. You can understand that, right?’’
She continued to bawl, more as a relief of tension as she realized she was not going to be killed in the next few minutes than from grief.
''Look, turn off the faucets before I shake you,’’ he said in a low menacing voice. ''You better get a grip. We’re getting off at the next stop, you understand?’’
Hanako wound down to frequent sniffling. Digging through her pockets, she found some tissues and blew her nose. ''Where’s YOUR family, Jeremy? Why are they letting you run all over instead of being in school?’’
“What family?” he snorted. “I’ve always been on my own. These two old drunks used to let me sleep on their floor if I stole enough to pay for a meal. But as soon as I was twelve, I was out of there. Come on, we have to run again .”
III.
Back on crowded streets with the constant honking of horns and chatter all around them, the young DIre Wolf could not drag her along as rapidly as he had been doing before. This was a great relief to Hanako's. Even though she had wisely chosen sensible flat shoes that morning, her feet hurt.
The neighborhood was filled with restaurants and tiny shops which sold gifts and souvenirs. At the corner of Mott Street was a narrow door with a frosted glass panel, the words BLACK MANTIS SCHOOL appearing over some Chinese ideograms and a stylized outline of that predatory insect. Babe pulled the door open and hauled her in after him.
In a tiny foyer, with stairs straight ahead and a janitor’s closet to their right, they pop pop encountered a stout Chinese man in work clothes. He had been lounging on a plain wooden chair and he jumped to his feet with a growl. “You again. I’m still not happy about seeing a white face here.”
“Well, get used to it,” Bane replied just as gruffly. “Teacher asked me to bring this girl here for safekeeping. If you’ve got a problem, that’s your tough luck.”
The guard thrust his face closer to Hanako and made a point of sniffing loudly like a dog. “And what is THIS? Now you are so insolent as to bring a Japanese bitch here? Oh, even for a Gweilo, you are a fool!”
“Tell you what, Pao,” said Bane softly, “Let’s show this girl some of your kung fu. You throw the first punch.” The DIre Wolf was standing in a relaxed pose with his open hands down by his side. “Go for it.”
The man hesitated, back up a step and got out of their way. “You know Teacher has forbidden any fighting outside Kwoon.”
Without speaking further or looking back, Bane brought Hanako up the creaking ancient steps. As they reached the second floor lading, he said, “It beats me how you guys can tell each other apart that way. Unless you talk, I can't pick Chinese from Japanese from Korean. How do you do it?”
Ignoring his question, the young girl breathed, “He was terrified of you. What kind of kid are you?”
“I’m just me,” Bane answered. At the open double door before them, he dropped down to the hall and pulled off his sneakers to place the next to two pairs of dress shoes against the wall. Without hesitation, she did the same and they walked across the polished pine floor of the Black Mantis School.
Thin hard mats were rolled up under the windows overlooking Canal Street. On a small stand was a bronze gong with a round striker on a cord. Assorted weapons were stored in open racks on the far wall….the wide-bladed Butterfly knives, staffs and Spears, even two of the seven-foot tiger forks.
Even though an office door was visible in the corner, Sifu Lam Yuan was seated kneeling on the floor and watching them enter. He did not seem intimidating, a short stout man with a pleasant moon face that was split horizontally by a thick white mustache. The eyelid fold was very pronounced and made his expression difficult to read. He raised himself up slightly in greeting, using only his leg muscles. The round head inclined and straightened.
Bane responded by clasping his open left hand over his right fist and bowing from the waist. Without any hesitation, Hanako also bowed quite low from the waist and held that pose for a few seconds.
“Your manners are appreciated, MIss Surakazawa,” the teacher said solemly. “Please,” he gestured at the space in front of him. Both Bane and Hanako lowered themselves carefully to their knees.
“My Dire Wolf,” said Yuan. “As always, you do not disappoint me. You have brought me the child safe and untouched even with Winter Snow fighters searching the streets.”
“Thank you, Teacher.”
“And for you, young lady, I am pleased to deliver good news. Your uncle is alive. I spoken with him over the telephone. His superiors gave orders that he be shaken up and humbled but left unharmed. His contacts at City Hall are valuable enough that they want to retain him.”
“I do not wish to question my elders but it… is so hard to believe. My Uncle Ken is a gangster? The thought makes my head spin.”
Yuan spoke gently. “Such is life. If it may be comforting, your uncle kept his Winter Snow affairs from your awareness. I understand your parents died when you were an infant. Ken Surakazawa did the best he could for you.”
Raising his head, Bane studied the old man’s impassive face. “Excuse me, Teacher. What should be our next move? I was expecting gang war with the Winter Snow.”
“That will come soon enough, Jeremy. We are expecting Black Mantis warriors to be arriving soon. Some are being sent from the home center in Hong Kong. For the moment, I think it is only prudent to maintain the quiet before the inevitable storm.”
Bane could not complete repress a disappointed sigh.
“Ah, you enjoy conflict and bloodshed a little too much. Dire Wolf! You are well called that.” Yuan turned his thoughtful eyes on the young girl. “Jeremy is the first white student I have accepted. Tradition decrees that our style be taught only to full Chinese. I have received death threats and challenge for doing this.”
“You know I’m grateful,” Bane said. “All I knew was some boxing from Mahoney’s Gym. Even a little Wing Chun makes all the difference.”
Quite easily, Sifu Yuan rose to his feet. He could not be more than two or three inches over five feet in height. “Soon I must ask our Jeremy to escort you to the Winter Snow stronghold. Until then, may I suggest you rest. There is a couch in my office you should find bearable.”
“Wait, just the two of us?” squeaked Hanako. “Sifu, we are just kids. Can’t some of your students go with us?”
“That would lead to immediate fighting. Our Dire Wolf is neither Chinese nor Japanese. He is, how would you say it, neutral? I must go make arrangements now. Please remain here until I return.”
When Yuan had risen, Bane had promptly leaped up himself, with Hanako doing the same a second later. The young Dire Wolf inclined his head and said, “Certainly.”
After assuring them that he would arrange for food and tea to be brought up shortly, Yuan laced on his shoes and left. Hanako sagged as all the adrenalin faded. Running all over Manhattan and going through terror and worry had exhausted her.
Noticing that Bane was scrutinizing her, she decided to be bold, “Jeremy, seriously, how do you know this man is being honest? How do you know he isn’t just playing you for a tool?”
“I don’t,” the Dire Wolf answered at once. “But then I don’t trust anyone in the world.”
IV.
Going into the tidy office with its framed photographs and shelves of trophies, Hanako had stretched out on the black leather couch. She hardly had buried her face into a cushion before she was asleep. Bane watched her relaxed breathing for a few seconds before going back out to the training hall. He checked that the windows were locked and peered warily out at the street two stories below. Then he decided he might as well get some rest himself.
Sitting on the polished floor, he leaned back against the door so he would be instantly awakened by anyone trying to get in. He had always been able to snatch short naps under any conditions. From what little he remembered of his childhood, he had been like a feral creature of the streets that lived the same as wild creatures of green jungles. Bane seldom wondered why his memories back before the age of ten were so fragmentary and vague. The mystery didn't trouble him and he was usually too busy simply surviving.
Slightly over an hour later, the boy gave a start and woke up. He glared around in a crouch, ready for fight or flight but nothing seemed wrong. Bane got up completely refreshed and feeling ready for another full day's activity. He had no idea why he was so different physically from everyone else. Not only did he just require three or four hours sleep within twenty-four, he was more than twice as fast as a normal person. He always had been. His earliest memories involved shoplifting and being so quick that no one ever saw him do it. This was another mystery about himself that the boy seemed oddly incurious about. It was just the way he was.
Taking a quick glimpse to find Hanako deeply asleep, Bane snuck out to the bathroom in the hall to urinate. He scoured his hands and face with hot soapy water and hurried back to the training hall. Where was Sifu Yuan? What was happening out on the streets with the two gangs? Bane heard footsteps out in the hall and flashed over to stand beside the closed door. In his left hand, the stiletto he had taken from the WInter Snow assassin appeared as if it had always belonged there.
When the door opened, he relaxed visibly. It was Hsieh, one of the senior students. About thirty, with a shaved head and an eagle tattoo on his forearm, Hsieh was Yuan’s unofficial deputy. The man was carrying a large white paper bag that smelled of hot spicy meat and he held a cardboard tray with two styrofoam cups in its spaces.
“Hah! Dire Wolf, here is lunch. Teacher asked me to bring this for you and the Japanese girl. I remember the one time a few of us ate after class that you ordered pork fried rice and you ate enough for two. So here is double portion and some mu shu pork for your friend.” He placed everything down on an end table that held a white phone and the Chinese language newspaper THE WORLD.
“Glad to see it,” Bane said as his stomach rumbled. “Hsieh, what's going on? Where is everyone?”
“I only know the winds of trouble are blowing hard,” the senior student said. “My grandfather used to tell me scary stories about Tong wars in the old days. They seem to be coming back in style.”
At this point, Hanako emerged from the office, rubbing her eyes and rolling her shoulders. “Oh,” she observed happily, “food!”
Hsieh grinned and bowed reflexively. “As much as I would love to stay and chat with your jailbait friend, I do have to show up at my job. Talk to you soon, Dire Wolf.”
“Thanks again, older brother.” There were three simple chairs for guests against one wall, and Bane grabbed one in each hand. He was always starving. One price for his heightened reflexes and voluntary movements was a metabolism that burned calories at a furious rate. Before he plopped down on one of the chairs, he noticed the uncomfortable expression on the girl’s face. “WHAT?” he snarled with one hand already clenching the bag of food.”
“Don't yell at me. I need the ladies’ room…”
“Oh. Fine, come in.” He escorted her out into the hall and stood guard outside the bathroom door. She seemed to be taking forever but he realized his judgement was influenced by the fact he was ravenous. When Hanako came out, she looked so relieved and freshly scrubbed that some of Bane’s usual sourness softened. They returned to the office and dug into the take-out as if there were never be any more ever made. Both were growing adolescents and they had spent much of the morning galloping around city streets, so very soon the last grain of rice and the final flake of spring roll had disappeared.
Hanako wiped her mouth daintily with a napkin and sighed. “So much better. I feel back to normal. Except… things aren't normal, are they? Jeremy, what’s going to happen?”
“You know as much as I do at this point. Maybe more.”
“And what is THAT supposed to mean?”
“You say you didn’t know anything about your father being tied to Winter Snow but I only have your word for that. Don’t give me that hurt puppy look,” he said. “Pretty faces don’t work on me!”
“Oh. You think I’m pretty?”
“Of course you’re pretty. So what?”
The conversation might have proceeded in unpredictable directions if the sound of the door unlocking hadn’t interrupted them. Even though he knew it was probably SIfu Yuan, the young Dire Wolf was up and on guard instantly.
Something about the old man’s posture alarmed Bane. “Teacher? What’s wrong?”
“You have eaten? Good. Please, both of you sit before me.” Yuan went to his usual place in front of the weapons racks and sank to his knees. Bane and Hanako got down side by side in front of him and waited.
The Wing Chun master gazed down at the floor as if he could not best to face the two teens. “My Dire Wolf...Miss Surakazawa… the situation has taken a dreadful turn. Instead of returning this young lady to her father, we are now faced with an exchange of hostages. No, do not speak. The leaders of Winter Snow believe that we have abducted Miss Surakazawa, possibly for a ransom. Not an hour ago, their andssassins kidnapped my only grandchild, the son of my son.”
Despite himself, Bane exhaled sharply. “Well, this is gonna be tricky.”
“Several phone calls have been made,” said Yuan. “We will meet in the parking lot of Worldwide Imports down by the docks. I will drive you but I myself must wait in the car, as will the Winter Snow leader, Hotaru, wait in his .”
“This is horrible. So unexpected. I am deeply sorry, Mr Yuan,” Hanako mumbled in barely audible tones.
“It is surely no fault of yours, miss. We must leave you. I know I can rely on Jeremy's courage but I must ask you also to be brave, child.”
“Of course, sir. I will do my best.”
As they all rose to leave, Bane thought he caught the strangest exchange of looks between the young Japanese girl and the old Chinese man. But for the life of him, he could be certain what it meant.
V.
Near the Battery, in a district crowded with warehouses and lots full of trucks and buses, a three story building of time-worn red brick sat on its own side street. The parking lot was almost empty, with two delivery trucks by the loading Bay. Off in the far corner, within sight of the East River, was a gleaming black Lincoln Continental with purple-tinted windows. Standing at the driver’s side was a huge Asian man in a full chauffeur uniform including billed cap and front-flap jacket. He watched behind mirrored sunglasses as Yuen drove into the lot in his grey Mercury Marquis.
As Sifu Yuen backed into a spot on the opposite side of the lot, he repeated, “If everyone follows protocol, I am certain there will be no complications. Miss Surakazawa, are you ready?”
“I don't think so...no, no, I will be fine. That little boy’s life depends on me.”
“Time to rock and roll then,” said Bane. He got out of the front passenger seat and waited for Hanako to step out beside him. “You’re not as scared as you seem,” he told her.
The girl tilted her head quizzically but did not have a chance to ask what he meant. The Dire Wolf took her by the arm for the hundredth time that day and began to march her across the lot.
Seeing this, Hotaru’s chauffeur helped a child from the back seat of the Lincoln. This was a boy about five or six, dressed in a dark blue school uniform with white dress shirt. Yuan’s grandson. The Winter Snow man began half-dragging the boy, who seemed unresponsive and detached.
“Looks like they drugged the kid,” Bane muttered into Hanako’s ear.
“I’m glad. Maybe he won’t remember most of this.”
The two pairs slowed as they neared each other until they were standing just beyond arm’s reach. Bane and the driver were glaring at each other with barely contained hostility. Hanako stepped carefully over to stand next to the chauffeur, then gently pushed little Yuan forward a few paces. The Dire Wolf reached out and grasped the boy by both shoulders as gently as he could.
With painful care, Bane began backing the child up away from the driver and Hanako, keeping his attention on the man. After he took a few more steps, he saw the Japanese girl turn on her heel and start toward the Lincoln. Giving the young Dire Wolf a final cold stare, the chauffeur went to accompany her. At the same time, the little boy stumbled and nearly fell on his face. Bane helped the Yuan grandson up. Behind him, he heard the distinctive click of a safety being released.
VI.
Bane shoved the boy roughly away to one side, dropped to his fingertips and toes, and wheeled around on the asphalt to drive one foot up hard into Hanako’s lower abdomen. All the air rushed out of her lungs. Even as she was falling to her knees, the flat Walther P-22 was wrenched from her grip by Bane. Only a tiny fraction of a second had passed. The Dire Wolf whirled up on one knee and extended his arm with the gun aimed… not at the chauffeur but at Sifu Yuan behind him.
The Chinese teacher had left his car despite his saying he would not. When he saw that black end of the barrel pointed directly at his line of sight, he cringed and let a thin throwing dagger clatter to the ground.
"Yeah and what were you planning on doing with that toothpick, Teacher?” Bane asked in an ominously subdued tone. He swiveled his head to see that the driver was gaping at him with mouth hanging open.
“Go on, get her out of here!” the Dire Wolf yelled. Seeing that Hanako was still conscious although doubled up in pain, he told her, “For your own sake, don’t ever let me see you again! Driver, I’m close to putting holes in all your foreheads. Get moving right now.”
There was nothing incongruous or surreal about a boy in his mid-teens threatening a grown man twice his size. Bane’s voice was solid with determination. No one there had any doubt he was on the brink of firing.
Turning his attention back to Yuan, he found his instructor was holding the grandson protectively with an arm across the child’s chest. Bane moved a few feet to one side so he could keep an eye on both Yuan and the Winter Snow party. When the driver had gotten Hanako almost to the car, he gave more attention to his Sifu.
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Winter Snow actually kidnapped your grandson first. You were desperate to get him back. So arranging a trade seemed like your best chance.”
Yuan could not meet those pale grey eyes and he lowered his head miserably.
“Winter Snow was never going to punish Surakazawa for anything, were they? No! Their soldiers were trying to protect him from ME! Because I wasn’t rescuing his daughter, I was abducting her. You were using me to do dirty work, Teacher.”
Bane gestured with the gun at Yuan’s car. “Go on, put the kid in the back seat. Be damn glad he’s here and would see whatever I was intending to do to you. That’s all that’s keeping you safe.”
“Jeremy, I am so deeply sorry--”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear it.” Bane thumbed the safety back on the Walther and jammed it into the back of his belt where the vest would conceal it. “Get going. Don’t ever show up within my sight again.”
Watching the big boat of a car roll out of the parking lot, the Dire Wolf bent and picked up the knife his former teacher had dropped. He had seen it before and he thought he would keep it. The gun and the stiletto, though, had to be gotten rid of. He knew a guy in Queens who would buy them. But all this was only a vague flicker in the back of his stunned mind.
Bane started walking without knowing where he was going. He made a few random turns at corners and found himself in a better neighborhood with shops and eateries. Finding a deep recessed doorway next to an antique store that was closed, he wearily dropped down where he was partially out of sight.
It was hard to think clearly. Nothing seemed to matter. What was the point of trying so hard to survive? Where did it get him? For the longest time, he squatted there in mute misery and wished the pain would ease up. Not for the first time, Bane wondered why he couldn't cry. People said it was a great way the body released sorrow. He dimly wondered if Hanako would really have shot him. Or did she intend to take him prisoner to be brought to her father’s stronghold? The White Web would have immediately crippled him to pay him back for beating up two of their soldiers. They had lost face.
That reminded him that he had confiscated everything in the fallen Winter Snow man’s pockets without noticing what they were. He dug into the two outer and two inner pockets of his vest. In addition to a cheap wallet, keys which he had no use for and a pack of cigarettes which were also valueless to him, Bane found a roll of bills held by a rubber band. Not expecting much, he found with a rare thrill of hope that they were a few twenties and six fifties. Four hundred and forty dollars as he counted them. The Dire Wolf nodded thoughtfully. Some solid meals and maybe a clean decent place to sleep for a few nights. The heavy fog clouding his thoughts lifted slightly. Earlier that day, all he had was three dollars and some change.
Even cold comfort was better than none at all.
8/6/2017