Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
VIOLENCE WARNING: The two stories in the Savage Gang saga, and especially the second story, involve a gang practicing extreme violence toward everyone — women, the elderly, the protagonist, etc. I am placing this warning on all chapters, including those without such violence, so you can choose whether to continue.
CHAPTER 2
Two men waited for Maximus Savage in a rectangular room, one seated on either side of a conference table. The man to the left, Rocco Lynch, was almost as large and intimidating as Savage, with a bald head and a thin scar running from his left eyebrow to the center of his skull. His eyes were set deep in his head, with prominent, dark circles underneath them. Across from him sat Benjamin Drummond, a thin man with glasses, blonde hair, and a bony, boyish face.
A rectangular ceiling light shone down on the table, and added to the sunshine coming through five small windows near the ceiling. The room was bland like all the others in this place, with drab industrial carpeting and white walls, and a large television on one wall. Decorating was not high on the Savage Gang’s priority list.
Maximus Savage marched through the doorway, whistling as he thought of the agony in Chief Rando’s eyes a few minutes earlier. Lynch and Drummond rose as the gang leader entered. As Savage lowered himself into the chair at the head of the table, he pulled off his hard, rubber-like half mask, revealing a close-cropped haircut with a snake outline cut into it.
“Did you kill Chief Rando yet?” Lynch asked.
Savage snorted. “No. I’ll be damned if I’m letting him off that easy. We’re hauling his ass somewhere where he’ll wake up every day for the rest of his life, hating himself for not doing what we told him to do.”
The youthful man with glasses looked up. “Don’t you think you should discuss this with me, first? What if he — ”
Anger flashed across Savage’s face. “No, I don’t need to check with you, Benjamin!” the gang leader snarled.
As Drummond cringed away from his outburst, Savage took a deep breath. He shouldn’t have exploded at the poor bastard. Benjamin Drummond was one of his two most-trusted advisors, along with the other man at the table, and he was the brains behind the gang’s activities. He shouldn’t fear voicing his opinions.
“Benjamin, you always give me good advice, so don’t sweat it. Keep your opinions coming. But don’t worry, I ain’t going to do something stupid. People don’t escape where Rando is going, and nobody’s gonna know if he’s dead or alive. They might speculate, but that’s okay. The folks in Roanoke will think he’s either died some nasty death, or we’re beating the shit out of him every day. That’ll make ’em cooperate, because they’ll know it could happen to them if they don’t.”
“We’ve already gotten their attention,” Lynch, the big man, said. “We just got a report from our men in Roanoke. The police down there are standing down, after Rando’s disappearance. And with the FBI reassigning its manpower to deal with us in bigger cities, we should have free rein there for a while.”
Savage grinned. ‘Free rein’ meant the freedom to steal millions, with the police looking the other way. If the police resisted when the gang moved into a city, the gang targeted police officers and their families to send a message. The police in Roanoke, Virginia, had been slow to get that message and step aside, so the gang had escalated its tactics. The escalation culminated in the kidnapping of Chief Rando.
“Do you agree, Benjamin?” Savage asked, in part so the man would feel valued.
“Y… yes,” Drummond said. “The FBI’s efforts in Roanoke will be weak. They’re focusing their efforts on bigger cities, and they’re on the defensive. Roanoke is small enough so the federal government won’t take drastic measures, such as using the U.S. military. They would have to take some extreme measures to do that, such as invoking exceptions under the Posse Comitatus Act and other laws.”
Savage’s eyes glazed over as Drummond spoke, and he said nothing. Drummond continued.
“I’m sure they’ve seen how little success the National Guard has had, in the states where the governors have called them up,” the small man said. “They’re not really suited for this kind of thing. Plus, bringing in federal troops would be a political landmine.”
“Yes, yes, it would,” Savage replied, fighting back a yawn. “That’s what is great about a country like this, where people disguise their selfishness and greed, painting it as a righteous thirst for freedom. People would get pissed off if the government sends in the military, unless the Savage Gang is at their own front door. Then it would be okay. What they really mean by ‘Don’t tread on me’ is ‘Tread on everyone else but me.'”
“Yes,” Drummond concurred. “As much havoc as we’ve caused, statistically it hasn’t affected most people, so they won’t care. The threat we represent would have to be much worse for the U.S. military to get involved. We can walk that line without crossing it. For now.”
Savage nodded. So far, Benjamin had been correct about how aggressive the gang could be in its expansion efforts.
“I knew those shits in Roanoke just needed a little education,” Savage said. “But enough about Roanoke. How are the numbers?”
Drummond lifted an iPad from the table and tapped the screen, sending an image to the large television on the wall. The graphic listed several cities in one column, with dollar figures in another column.
“These are just the very basics,” Drummond explained. “I have a complete report ready for your iPad, which breaks down each income stream — money laundering, gambling, drugs, protection and extortion, bank heists, theft, our fighting competitions, and so on.”
“Anywhere we’re coming up short?” Savage asked.
“I don’t know about Cleveland,” Drummond replied, using his finger to highlight a number on his iPad, and display it on the television screen.
Savage scowled and nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “Cleveland could be doing better. Who do we have running the show there?”
“Len Daniels,” Drummond answered. “He claims he has a big hit set up for next week, but I don’t believe it.”
Savage frowned. Drummond didn’t like Len Daniels, but the young man would never fabricate numbers to orchestrate Daniels’ removal.
“Have him here by tomorrow,” Savage instructed. “I want to talk to him, face to face.”
Drummond nodded. Everyone in the room knew this was not good news for Daniels. Being summoned to see Savage meant, at best, you got a severe tongue lashing and received threats of bodily harm. At worst, if your transgressions were severe enough, you ended up dead.
“Let’s talk about where we’re gonna expand to next,” Savage said, turning to Lynch. “How is the training for the newest recruits coming?”
“It’s coming along at the normal place,” the brutish man replied. “If we identify our next city now, and get an advance team there soon, the new recruits will be ready by the time we’re ready to move in with a full contingent. We can do the usual and mix the new guys in with some of our seasoned members.”
“We talked about some cities last week,” Savage said. “Have you had time to dig into ’em?”
Lynch nodded. He picked up his own iPad and tapped the screen, taking over the display on the television. The screen showed a photograph of a city, taken from across a river. Savage could see a dome, similar to the dome on the Capitol Building in the nation’s capitol, surrounded by a few large buildings.
“Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,” Lynch noted. “The state capitol, and an interesting target for a few other reasons.”
“Why’s that?” Savage asked, leaning back in his chair.
“There are more banks than you’d expect. And, since it’s the state capitol and a tourist spot, there are various exhibitions that bring in items of significant worth. For example, there is a classical music event coming up, where a performer will use a Stradivarius violin worth over a million bucks. There’s also an upcoming art exhibit at the capitol, with some pieces that have major value.”
As Lynch spoke, Drummond looked like he had sucked on a lemon. This didn’t escape Savage’s notice.
“What’s bugging ya, Benjamin?” Savage asked.
Before responding, Drummond looked across the table at Lynch, his gaze uneasy, as if worried about retribution from the muscular man.
“Go ahead, Benjamin,” Savage said, casting a warning glance at Lynch.
“Harrisburg will be a very risky place to operate,” Benjamin said, his voice quiet.
Savage raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?” he asked. He already knew the answer, but couldn’t display any sign of concern to his men.
Drummond tapped on his iPad, taking back control of the television.
“Her,” he said, nodding toward the screen.
The screen showed a photo of a young woman with blonde hair hanging a few inches past her shoulders, and wearing a shimmering one-piece minidress. It was a vibrant sapphire blue color, with a short white skirt. Her legs glimmered in translucent tights, and her white ankle boots were as pristine as the white of her skirt and her white gloves, which extended to her elbows. The hint of a diamond necklace peaked out between the collar of her dress. Two small white decorative buttons, covered in the same fabric as the dress, adorned either side of the collar.
The woman was stunningly beautiful. Brilliant blue eyes looked directly at the camera. The photograph was a candid shot, evidenced by the three men, all wearing hoods, sprawled on the ground behind her. She possessed a slender, petite figure, and had striking features with prominent cheekbones. Her stomach was flat, and she had nicely formed breasts, proportional to her body. Her legs were fantastic — thin but not scrawny — and both her arms and shoulders were toned without being too muscular.
Savage studied the photograph for a few moments. Of course he recognized the woman — everyone did — but he didn’t want to appear to be too impressed with her in front of his men. “Sapphire Angel, right?” he asked. “The bitch that’s been all over the news in the last year or so? A real-life superheroine, they’re saying? What’s her deal?”
Drummond nodded, and a had a confused look on his face. “If you don’t know, she’s been quite the sensation. It’s been about sixteen months since her first appearance. As you may have heard, she is very powerful. Four months ago, she took down a military contractor in Colorado that was committing treason, by selling technology to terrorists. Before that, she saved the President from assassination and helped avert a nuclear disaster. And she’s taken down many gangs, drug dealers, and other criminals. In the last four months alone, she’s almost single handedly cleaned up that city.”
Lynch scoffed, waving his hand. “Most of it is hype from the media. They’re just looking for a story, I’m sure.”
Drummond looked at Lynch, shaking his head. “I have seen footage of this girl in action with my own eyes, taken by bystanders and posted online. She is not to be trifled with. She will not be afraid of us.”
Now it was Savage’s turn to scoff. It was important for him not to be too impressed with the superheroine, for appearance’s sake. “Look at her,” he exclaimed, pointing at the image. “She’s hot, yeah, but she’s just a tiny thing. How tough can she be?”
“Have I ever given you bad advice?” Drummond asked. “Sapphire Angel is trouble. Pick up any publication and you’ll see.”
“She is also an opportunity!” Lynch interjected. “If the stories are true, she’s decimated the gangs in Harrisburg. Their members are in prison or in hiding. That’ll make it much easier for us to establish ourselves, without the usual pushback from the local gangs.”
There was no reply from Drummond, who shook his head. Savage stared at his two advisors, drumming his fingers on the table until movement in the doorway caught his attention. In the doorway stood Larry Oberkfell, a middle-aged man in a dirty white lab coat, with wiry brown and gray hair sticking up from his mostly bald head. His eyes darted back and forth, for no apparent reason. He carried a briefcase in one hand.
“Come in, Larry,” Savage said, motioning for the man to enter. The man walked to Savage’s side, his eyes still jumping about, and set the briefcase on the table.
“Are you s-s-sure about this, sir?” Oberkfell stuttered. “This has not been fully tested yet.”
“Just do it, doc,” Savage snarled.
The man nodded, made eye contact with Drummond, and opened the briefcase. As Drummond frowned and shook his head almost imperceptibly, Oberkfell retrieved a bottle from the suitcase, along with a needle and syringe. He took the needle and syringe and stuck it into the bottle, withdrawing liquid into the syringe.
Savage stood, and with no embarrassment, lowered his pants to expose a buttock. The man plunged the needle into Savage’s backside and withdrew it a moment later. As if nothing had happened, Savage pulled up his pants and sat down, and the man who had just injected him packed up the briefcase and headed for the door.
After Oberkfell departed, Savage turned back to Drummond and Lynch.
“Here is what we are going to do, and why,” Savage began. “First, we ain’t letting one girl fuck with our expansion plans. That would send the wrong message to our men, if they ever found out. It would tell ’em that we’re weak and we’re scared. So we’re gonna expand into Harrisburg.”
Lynch looked pleased, as the hint of a smile crept onto his face. Drummond bit his lip, looking down.
“But here’s the deal, Rocco,” Savage said, turning to Lynch. “We ain’t taking any chances, in case this superhero chick is something special. You’re gonna be in charge in Harrisburg. Leave tomorrow and get things set up. You can have your pick of men, including Smash.”
All the members of the Savage Gang were formidable fighters, but Smash was on another level, and perhaps was the only one who could equal Lynch as the third most lethal fighter in the entire gang, behind Smash’s brother and Savage himself.
“I want them shitting their pants in that city as soon as possible,” Savage continued. “Do the usual stuff we do in a new city. Once you’re set up there, no dicking around. Get started, with a high impact target. And then get a few hits under your belt so we can size things up. Then we’ll get a full contingent there for you, when the new recruits are ready, so we can own that city. If Sapphire Angel gets in the way in the meantime, destroy her.”
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
Well.........shoot.
First off, great job describing the physical setting of the scene. I could picture it accurately in my head!
Maximus Savage, Rocco Lynch, Benjamin Drummond, Larry Oberkfell......lots of intriguing villains once more! I’ll admit, if I were you, I’d have a lot of trouble keeping track of everyone. I have enough complications with my own stories, haha! The Savage Gang seems to be a lot more methodical than I first thought. I took them as the type to just burst into a city and start harassing people from there, but no; they’ve got a whole strategy and everything. Savage picks a rep and has them move into the target city with a group of contingents (a mixture of veterans and recruits), then observes whether or not the police get involved. And.....if they do get involved, they escalate their efforts, like with Chief Rando. Interesting......
It’s only the second official chapter, and my opinion has already changed from seeing them as just big muscle men to actual legitimate masterminds. They’ve got most, if not all, of their bases covered; they keep their operations small enough that the military can’t legally get involved, while also keeping the police population under their fist.
Their thoughts about humanity disguising their selfishness and greed with a “righteous thirst for freedom” was also eye-catching. What a way to view things......I’ll say that much. The Second Amendment does grant us the right to bear arms, yes, but that could be used against us if an unstable individual were to go on, say, a shooting rampage, for instance. But the whole thing with the military being sent to peoples’ doorsteps was a little sketchy; people would question why law enforcement is being sent to their house when they did nothing wrong, but if there is an actual threat present (i.e., the Savage Gang), then the civilians actually WOULD be happy to see the military. In short, there’s no need for authorities to get involved in someone’s life if they don’t have sufficient evidence to convict them of a crime or if that “someone” is not in any immediate danger.
I want to know what the heck that substance was that got injected into Savage’s butt. I wouldn’t have had the guts to withstand such a thing......my reflexes would’ve sold Oberkfell a swift kick to the testicles before that needle will even make contact with my skin. It has to be something beneficial and not inhibitory, right? Otherwise Savage wouldn’t have applied it to himself? Guess we’ll see later!
You’ve certainly also built up this “Smash” character to be a formidable fighter. Is his brother named “Grab”?
Anyways, I’m driven to see how Sapphire deals with these guys. Drummond seems like more of an advisor than a fighter, so she’ll probably capture and interrogate him. Rocco Lynch is going to Harrisburg to start the settlement efforts, so I’m guessing he’ll be the main threat for right now? One thing that the Savage Gang didn’t count on, though, is that Sapphire Angel has this neat thing called “plot armor”, where she literally cannot die unless the author (i.e., yourself) writes it so. Personally, it’s now not a matter of “Will she win?”. It’s “How close can we get her to losing BEFORE she wins?”.
Off-note, but I also can’t wait for the supposed “supervillain” in Book 5. They’d make a neat change from the parade of well-built businessmen.