The alarm on Jack's phone went off.
Jack picked it up and eyed the flashing screen, "I need to get some hydro. I can't function at my peek without it." He face planted back into his pillow as he flicked his thumb along the phone's surface to turn off the alarm. He laid there for a while then rolled over, "To get the hydro, I need to get a job." He sat up and wandered into the bathroom, washed up, then came out wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He looked at his shoes and instead opted to put on his sneakers, while he continued muttering to himself, "I need to get some fresh clothes. This second hand store crap is not going to cover it." He pulled on his leather jacket and zipped it up halfway. He examined his reflection, "I look like a hobo. You used to be number one in the northeast, goddamn it." He pointed at his reflection, "Get your shit together. Second place is first loser."
Slipping out of his apartment, he headed down to the bus stop, before taking the long ride out to Brooklyn. It took the better part of an hour. He arrived at his destination, but was a bit put off by its appearance, "Well..." He remarked staring at it, "I suppose I should be happy something is here at all." Before he preceded to walk into Marie's Original Pizza.
The bell rang as the door opened. Even if the name was different, most of the details were the same. Nobody was in the front room except for the kid behind the corner. If you looked in the back, the usual bouncer was sitting in a chair parked in front of a door that was where the person Jack was looking for should be. Although the genders and faces were different, the purpose of both remained the same.
Many of the pictures on the wall were the same, but some of the personal shots had changed. He didn't know who the woman in all the shots was, except that she was replacing where his old boss, Tony, used to be featured. This bore well for Jack's job prospects. Now if he could only put his money where his mouth was about to take him.
A young Italian looking woman was behind the counter. She looked up, puzzled by Jack's presence, "Hey, sweet cheeks. You lost?"
Jack shook his head and came walking right up to her, putting an elbow on the counter so he could lean in, "Actually, I was wondering if Tony owned the place."
She pulled her head back and squinted, "It's ah... Marie's Pizza." She pointed at the name on one of the menu's on the counter.
Jack nodded, "Yeah. Didn't think it'd be the same guy." He stepped around the corner and started walking towards the back door. The girl was shocked, "Hey! What the hell you doing?" The large woman by the back door suddenly stood up and turned to face Jack while striking a relaxed, yet defensive posture. She was ready to act, but clearly didn't see Jack as a threat.
Jack held up a hand, "Here for the game." He put a finger to the side of his head, "Uhhh... Reflection Rake Quart... City? Yeah. That was it."
The cashier and the bouncer both looked at each other, then the bouncer squinted at Jack, "There's no game right now, and that was last week's pass phrase."
Jack held out his hands to the side then said, "Sorry. It's been a rough week. I need to talk to the boss. Was hoping to get some work, maybe relax with a couple hands." He held up his hands over his head and spun around, "Wanna check me for a wire?" He leered at the bouncer, who was a rather gnarled looking woman. She resembled a brick shithouse and had a face to match.
The cashier came walking up behind Jack and looked surprised that he apparently understood proceedure by the fact he held out his phone to her over his shoulder. She took the phone and backed off, "You been here before?" She asked rhetorically as she eyed the phone, "You get it back when you leave."
The bouncer smirked as she stepped up to 'check out' Jack. She definitely took her time patting him down. She ended with a sold grope of his crotch and a leer. Clearly she was trying to get a reaction from Jack.
Jack just let out a little 'Ooo' sound and smirked at her, "So what religion am I?"
The bouncer looked puzzled, "How would I know?"
That remark took Jack off guard and he looked from side to side, "Uhh... If I was Jewish I'd be circumcised?" He pointed at his crotch, "That's the joke."
The Bouncer backed off, "Uhh... didn't know." She shrugged, "Wait here." She almost went in back then paused, "Wait. What's your name, anyways?"
Jack replied, "Everyone calls me Jack Trades." He paused the added as an afterthought, "If a Jack Trades is already here, I'd like to meet him."
The bouncer squinted with one eye, "Who'd have a name like that?" then shook her head as she left, only to return a minute later, "Marie will see you."
Jack gave the bouncer a two finger salute, "Thanks, Love." The bouncer gave him a wink and a smack on the ass as he walked past. Jack let it go with a chuckle.
Stepping into the back involved walking through a room full of women lounging around the kitchen of a pizzeria. Jack walked past all of them to go to the second Walk-in freezer. It had an 'OUT OF SERVICE' sign on it. It opened to reveal a stairwell. Down he went into the basement past two more thugs. They had a family resemblance to the first. One was smoking a cigarette. She took a long drag and let it out slow as Jack walked past. Both made no effort to hide the fact they were checking out his behind as he walked past. Jack thought about messing with them, but didn't want to waste time when there were deals to be made.
The basement had a smokey haze hovering over everything. The room was set up like a gambling den with roulette, twenty one, and several poker tables. Not much was happening. Then again, nothing really got going until after sundown. In the center of the room were four women playing poker. The stakes didn't look serious. They dressed in a style that could be best called early American expensive slob. The clothes were pricey, but they obviously didn't put a great deal of effort into looking nice. Unlike everyone he had passed so far, these four looked like they were someone important. They gave off an aura of strength. You could almost smell the meta coming off them.
As Jack approached, one leaned back and looked at Jack. She appeared to be on the older side, but still physically fit. Short black hair and dark eyes examined Jack by looking him up and down, "So... I hear you want a job. You're not usually the type to warm my bed but I can't say I don't like what I see."
Jack smirked, "I'd like to talk to the boss." He looked at the other three, "So which one is it...?" He settled on the youngest one who looked familiar to Jack, "I'm guessing you."
The older woman looked offended, "What makes you think I'm not in charge?"
Jack pointed at the young one, "Because Tony runs this place in my universe and he always told us that someone else needs to greet new people so nobody knows he's the boss." Jack held up his hand like a finger gun and pointed at the older woman, "So they shoot the wrong person if it's a hit."
They all sat up. The young woman put down her cards and silently stared at Jack. Nobody said anything. Jack looked at the young lady and smirked, "Plus, I think Tony was banging someone like you, but I never got her name over there. So it was Marie." He shrugged, "Who knew?"
They all looked at each other, then Marie nodded, "Yes. I'm Marie." She scratched her chin, "I've banged a few Tony's, so I can't help you there." Jack reached over to grab a chair from another table and pulled it over to sit next to her, "Don't care." He rolled his hand in the air, "Strange super villain shit happened. Got sucked through a portal to your universe. I used to be a Bill Collector for Tony. I worked for Redline, but... that doesn't seem to exist here, so I figured I'd just come to the head office... as it were."
Marie held up a finger and made Jack wait until the hand was over. Marie won. She stood up and slowly walked over to an unmarked door. Everyone else got up and followed. Jack did as well. They filed into a small office. Marie got behind the desk. The other three took up spots around the room. Jack sat down in the chair in front of the desk. He paused then wiggled the chair, "Heh. This one wobbles too."
Marie leaned back and steepled her fingers, "You knew last weeks pass phase. You apparently have some idea about who we are and what goes on here..." She looked at Jack, "You're looking for work?"
Jack nodded, "Yup. Standard recovery fee. I charge twenty percent to the debtor, I get twenty percent of the fee you send me to collect. I can wave the extra twenty to the debtor if I choose. Sometimes giving a 'discount' greases the wheels." He glanced around, "Also... hoping you can get me in contact with a fixer." He started counting off on his fingers, "Need a burner, brass knuckles, butterfly knife, a pistol would be nice, but I'm kinda broke at the moment." He gestured to his foot, "Snub nose with an ankle holster would be nice."
Marie nodded and gestured off to one side while she feigned seriousness, "Would be nice."
Jack paused then leaned back, his face losing all emotion, "You don't seem to be taking me very seriously."
She was quiet for a while then pointed to one of the other women in the room, "Shirley gets twenty twenty." She pointed at another, "Bendetta gets twenty twenty." She pointed at Jack, "You? You don't look like much." Jack smirked and held up a finger.
Nothing happened.
The alarm on Jack's phone went off.
Jack picked it up and eyed the flashing screen, "I need to get some hydro. I can't function at my peek without it." He face planted back into his pillow as he flicked his thumb along the phone's surface to turn off the alarm. He laid there for a while then rolled over, "To get the hydro, I need to get a job." He sat up and wandered into the bathroom, washed up, then came out wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He looked at his shoes and instead opted to put on his sneakers, while he continued muttering to himself, "I need to get some fresh clothes. This second hand store crap is not going to cover it." He pulled on his leather jacket and zipped it up halfway. He examined his reflection, "I look like a hobo. You used to be number one in the northeast, goddamn it." He pointed at his reflection, "Get your shit together. Second place is first loser."
Slipping out of his apartment, he headed down to the bus stop, before taking the long ride out to Brooklyn. It took the better part of an hour. He arrived at his destination, but was a bit put off by its appearance, "Well..." He remarked staring at it, "I suppose I should be happy something is here at all." Before he preceded to walk into Marie's Original Pizza.
The bell rang as the door opened. Even if the name was different, most of the details were the same. Nobody was in the front room except for the kid behind the corner. If you looked in the back, the usual bouncer was sitting in a chair parked in front of a door that was where the person Jack was looking for should be. Although the genders and faces were different, the purpose of both remained the same.
Many of the pictures on the wall were the same, but some of the personal shots had changed. He didn't know who the woman in all the shots was, except that she was replacing where his old boss, Tony, used to be featured. This bore well for Jack's job prospects. Now if he could only put his money where his mouth was about to take him.
A young Italian looking woman was behind the counter. She looked up, puzzled by Jack's presence, "Hey, sweet cheeks. You lost?"
Jack shook his head and came walking right up to her, putting an elbow on the counter so he could lean in, "Actually, I was wondering if Tony owned the place."
She pulled her head back and squinted, "It's ah... Marie's Pizza." She pointed at the name on one of the menu's on the counter.
Jack nodded, "Yeah. Didn't think it'd be the same guy." He stepped around the corner and started walking towards the back door. The girl was shocked, "Hey! What the hell you doing?" The large woman by the back door suddenly stood up and turned to face Jack while striking a relaxed, yet defensive posture. She was ready to act, but clearly didn't see Jack as a threat.
Jack held up a hand, "Here for the game." He put a finger to the side of his head, "Uhhh... Reflection Rake Quart... City? Yeah. That was it."
The cashier and the bouncer both looked at each other, then the bouncer squinted at Jack, "There's no game right now, and that was last week's pass phrase."
Jack held out his hands to the side then said, "Sorry. It's been a rough week. I need to talk to the boss. Was hoping to get some work, maybe relax with a couple hands." He held up his hands over his head and spun around, "Wanna check me for a wire?" He leered at the bouncer, who was a rather gnarled looking woman. She resembled a brick shithouse and had a face to match.
The cashier came walking up behind Jack and looked surprised that he apparently understood proceedure by the fact he held out his phone to her over his shoulder. She took the phone and backed off, "You been here before?" She asked rhetorically as she eyed the phone, "You get it back when you leave."
The bouncer smirked as she stepped up to 'check out' Jack. She definitely took her time patting him down. She ended with a sold grope of his crotch and a leer. Clearly she was trying to get a reaction from Jack.
Jack just let out a little 'Ooo' sound and smirked at her, "So what religion am I?"
The bouncer looked puzzled, "How would I know?"
That remark took Jack off guard and he looked from side to side, "Uhh... If I was Jewish I'd be circumcised?" He pointed at his crotch, "That's the joke."
The Bouncer backed off, "Uhh... didn't know." She shrugged, "Wait here." She almost went in back then paused, "Wait. What's your name, anyways?"
Jack replied, "Everyone calls me Jack Trades." He paused the added as an afterthought, "If a Jack Trades is already here, I'd like to meet him."
The bouncer squinted with one eye, "Who'd have a name like that?" then shook her head as she left, only to return a minute later, "Marie will see you."
Jack gave the bouncer a two finger salute, "Thanks, Love." The bouncer gave him a wink and a smack on the ass as he walked past. Jack let it go with a chuckle.
Stepping into the back involved walking through a room full of women lounging around the kitchen of a pizzeria. Jack walked past all of them to go to the second Walk-in freezer. It had an 'OUT OF SERVICE' sign on it. It opened to reveal a stairwell. Down he went into the basement past two more thugs. They had a family resemblance to the first. One was smoking a cigarette. She took a long drag and let it out slow as Jack walked past. Both made no effort to hide the fact they were checking out his behind as he walked past. Jack thought about messing with them, but didn't want to waste time when there were deals to be made.
The basement had a smokey haze hovering over everything. The room was set up like a gambling den with roulette, twenty one, and several poker tables. Not much was happening. Then again, nothing really got going until after sundown. In the center of the room were four women playing poker. The stakes didn't look serious. They dressed in a style that could be best called early American expensive slob. The clothes were pricey, but they obviously didn't put a great deal of effort into looking nice. Unlike everyone he had passed so far, these four looked like they were someone important. They gave off an aura of strength. You could almost smell the meta coming off them.
As Jack approached, one leaned back and looked at Jack. She appeared to be on the older side, but still physically fit. Short black hair and dark eyes examined Jack by looking him up and down, "So... I hear you want a job. You're not usually the type to warm my bed but I can't say I don't like what I see."
Jack smirked, "I'd like to talk to the boss." He looked at the other three, "So which one is it...?" He settled on the youngest one who looked familiar to Jack, "I'm guessing you."
The older woman looked offended, "What makes you think I'm not in charge?"
Jack pointed at the young one, "Because Tony runs this place in my universe and he always told us that someone else needs to greet new people so nobody knows he's the boss." Jack held up his hand like a finger gun and pointed at the older woman, "So they shoot the wrong person if it's a hit."
They all sat up. The young woman put down her cards and silently stared at Jack. Nobody said anything. Jack looked at the young lady and smirked, "Plus, I think Tony was banging someone like you, but I never got her name over there. So it was Marie." He shrugged, "Who knew?"
They all looked at each other, then Marie nodded, "Yes. I'm Marie." She scratched her chin, "I've banged a few Tony's, so I can't help you there." Jack reached over to grab a chair from another table and pulled it over to sit next to her, "Don't care." He rolled his hand in the air, "Strange super villain shit happened. Got sucked through a portal to your universe. I used to be a Bill Collector for Tony. I worked for Redline, but... that doesn't seem to exist here, so I figured I'd just come to the head office... as it were."
Marie held up a finger and made Jack wait until the hand was over. Marie won. She stood up and slowly walked over to an unmarked door. Everyone else got up and followed. Jack did as well. They filed into a small office. Marie got behind the desk. The other three took up spots around the room. Jack sat down in the chair in front of the desk. He paused then wiggled the chair, "Heh. This one wobbles too."
Marie leaned back and steepled her fingers, "You knew last weeks pass phase. You apparently have some idea about who we are and what goes on here..." She looked at Jack, "You're looking for work?"
Jack nodded, "Yup. Standard recovery fee. I charge twenty percent to the debtor, I get twenty percent of the fee you send me to collect. I can wave the extra twenty to the debtor if I choose. Sometimes giving a 'discount' greases the wheels." He glanced around, "Also... hoping you can get me in contact with a fixer." He started counting off on his fingers, "Need a burner, brass knuckles, butterfly knife, a pistol would be nice, but I'm kinda broke at the moment." He gestured to his foot, "Snub nose with an ankle holster would be nice."
Marie nodded and gestured off to one side while she feigned seriousness, "Would be nice."
Jack paused then leaned back, his face losing all emotion, "You don't seem to be taking me very seriously."
She was quiet for a while then pointed to one of the other women in the room, "Shirley gets twenty twenty." She pointed at another, "Bendetta gets twenty twenty." She pointed at Jack, "You? You don't look like much." Jack smirked and held up a finger.
Nothing happened.
