Cold Fortune

Square pegs.

"Get out of there, that's an order!" The scream in his ear came from his new partner, a Lieutenant named Daniels, or something.

"What was that, I didn't copy, must be some interference." The man stood and in a short dash gained entry into the abandoned house through its back door. A front roll later and he was pressed against a grungy wall that at one time might have been beige, or maybe taupe. Now it had the stains of a thousand nightmares caked on it. So much so, that no one could tell its original color.

"I told you to get out of there, we have the enhanced SWAT team coming to pick up the pieces of this shit storm, a storm I might add, you created." He chose to ignore that last barb. He didn't have time for a verbal sparing match with a green recruit that had an overinflated sense of her authority and importance. Not when he had places to be and people to kill.

This particular target had been on his board for almost a year now, one Marcus Brando. A supreme low life who trafficked in anything that would make him money. He hadn't been very far up his board until the word spread that he was beginning to traffic in girls, and the younger the better. That put him instantly into first place in his scum of the year competition.

"Ezekiel Fortune, it you're not out of that building before SWAT gets here, I'm going to have them count you as one of the hostiles, now move your ass."

"Lieutenant, please, language. A young lady such as yourself shouldn't use such words. It shows a lack of proper upbringing, and you'd do well to remember, I don't answer to you." His whisper had just died when the sound of booted feet thundered down the house's single stairwell.

With a grace that belied his two hundred and fifty pounds, Ezekiel glided froma the wall to the side of the base of said stairs, not making a sound while traversing the ten feet from where he'd been seconds before. With skill born from hundreds of hours of practice, his left hand drew a pistol from a holster on his left hip while his right hand reached over his shoulder to draw an arms length of steel from his back scabbard. The foot steps stopped on the final step, slowly a head poked its way around the corner. A mop of scraggly brown hair followed by a pair of dark eyes.

Ezekiel's blade shot forward, buried itself in the man's neck and with a dull crack. A second shove sent it out the back of his spine. After a few seconds of frantic struggle the man slumped forward, his life's blood pouring down the swords blood grove, to splatter on the floor. With a quick jerk, Ezekiel yanked his sword free, letting the now lifeless body topple to the dirty tile floor.

The sword in his hand trembled, the blade seeming to shiver in his grip.

"Quiet down, you've had your meal, now lets just get this done." Creeping up the stairs, the sound of gun fire came to his ears. The sound covered his ascent to the second floor.

* * * * *

"Captain, he's at it again. He won't take my orders, he acts like he's six, his cow boy actions are going to get some of our people killed before this is finished." Lieutenant Daniels exploded, her long blonde hair threatening to escape her pony tail.

"Lieutenant, you know why I gave you this detail? Because you are the only one I have that can possible keep up with Easy. That and there is that little detail of being caught out of uniform, in a broom closet at the Christmas ball last year."

"Sir, that was a misunderstanding. There was nothing going on in that broom closet at all, I was drugged and you know it."

"And that's supposed to make everything better. You're a police officer in this precinct. How in the world was someone able to drug you in the first place?" The man standing before her thundered loud enough for every other officer in the street to notice. Several began to snicker loud enough for Nancy to hear. Which of course made her already red cheeks flame even brighter.