Fire Versus Ice

Montgomery Barrington walked the factory floor, looking over the machinery, talking to his employees. Barrington possessed several manufacturing sites among his interests. He regularly checked them, going over their performances, checking to see if things could be improved.

He and his secretary were familiar sights among the people he employed, management and labor.

Monty, as he was called by most everyone who knew him, enjoyed these inspections. It gave him a peek into their lives, allowed him to check on the welfare of his company beyond numbers. He was aware that his companies would pass into other hands after he died but he planned to do whatever he could to keep everything running as smooth as possible.

That was why Barrington and his secretary were present when the Ice Needle attacked his factory.

Monty stood by a press, talking to an operator. His secretary, Miss Carlyle, had remained in the office, going over performance reports. A sudden chill wrapped the financier. He looked around, surprised by the drop in temperature.

The wall at the far end of the room collapsed under a heap of ice. A man stood there, clad in blue and white, holding some kind of fire arm. His blank of a face turned left and right. He fired the pistol at the machinery, and the employees who stood closest to him as he advanced into the room. Little needles hit and froze the air into ice around the struck targets. Misses into the floor created a sheet of ice on the tile.

"Everybody get back." Monty shouted to make himself heard. "Head to the doors at the other end of the room."

Monty shoved the press operator down the aisle to illustrate his point. The man gathered colleagues to him, marching them away from the machine room. Needles of ice sprayed the room as the intruder advanced. He paused when he saw he and Monty were the only ones there.

"What do you want?" Monty looked around for a weapon to use. "There's no money here."

"I bet your company will pay big to get you back." The round oval of a mask hid his face, but he seemed to be smiling as he leveled the gun at the financier. "You're the brains of this whole outfit."

"No one will pay a ransom." Barrington didn't put up his hands. "You're wasting your time."

"I'll take my chances, rich man." The ice man squeezed the trigger on his pistol.

Monty jumped out of the way. The needle missed, passing to the side as the financier jumped behind cover. The ice man ran forward, ready to fire again. He was surprised to find that his quarry had vanished in the few seconds it took him to get around the blocky piece of steel.

Sirens cut the air, making him look up. He could fight it out with the police, or get away and try again later. He decided to make his escape.

The ice man adjusted his firearm as he ran toward the hole in the wall. He started firing in the floor in front of him. He used that to slide along at twice the speed of a running man. He had a car beyond the fence he could drive away in.

Monty got to his feet, brushing the dust of ice off his suit as he looked after his new enemy. He would have to do something about that.

Montgomery Barrington was glad when the police were finally gone. They tended to be overprotective of people like him and less inclined to protect those with lesser wealth. Only his assurance that he would hire a guard got them off his doorstep.

"What are you going to do?" Miss Carlyle stood to one side, pen behind her ear.

"We have a suspect in this Ice Needle." Monty went into his bedroom, dropping his jacket and tie on the bed. "We should look around for him. I don't feel like waiting for him to wreck another of my factories looking for me. The damage he did today will keep 8^th Street closed for a while. I can't expect my people to work with a hole in the wall in the main work area."

"You think he'll hang around?" Miss Carlyle sat down in one of the easy chairs as her boss changed clothes.

"Maybe unless he decides that he can try his scheme on someone else." Monty's voice seemed to change in mid-syllable. "I would rather not give him a chance."

"Where do we start?" Miss Carlyle knew the real reason her boss didn't want police protection was because of his own secret, a secret she shared.

"I thought maybe at the scene of the crime." Monty came back in his sitting room wearing his red and gold Kid Fire gear, mask pulled down over his face. His hair had changed to a fiery red, had seemed to have caught fire as it moved on its own. "It's been hours. The police should have vacated long ago."

"Let me slip into my suit." Miss Carlyle went in his bathroom. She came out a few minutes later dressed in a pink form fitting suit and mask. "Let's go."

"We'll take the secret stairs." Kid Fire gestured to his office. "Maybe the Ice Needle is watching the building."

"Certainly the cops are." Stripstream walked into the office. "I might have to make an appearance on the street. They might start talking."

Kid Fire went to his desk and activated a switch under the top. A wall with a picture of his apartment building opened. An open space leading down to the basement descended down through the walls to the basement. An outer door opened to an alley behind the building. When Monty had started as Kid Fire six years before, he had put the shaft in to protect his identity.

He owned the building, rented apartments out to others. He didn't want someone mad at Kid Fire coming back and doing something to the people he was supporting because they knew who he was.

Kid Fire dropped down the shaft, flame performing as a slide to slow him down as he fell pass apartment after apartment. He landed lightly in the alcove set aside for that. He stepped aside, heading for the outside door. Stripstream stretched down from his office, thin as a ribbon.

"I got my coat." Stripstream pulled her mask down, wrapping the coat around her costume. "Let's pretend I'm going home."

"I'll meet you at the factory." Kid Fire smiled. "We'll look around at the site, then see what we can find around town."

"Do you really think he'll try again?" Miss Carlyle paused at the outer door. "The police will surely be watching your place."

"Something is behind this." Kid Fire waited for her to leave first. "Ice Needle doesn't seem smart enough to attack on his own. He's more of a robbery/theft kind of criminal, not a mastermind."

"I'll look into your business rivals tomorrow." Miss Carlyle stepped out into the night, and walked away from the secret exit after making sure the alley was empty. She went down to the corner and turned, heading back toward the front of the building.

Kid Fire stepped out. He closed the door, locking it behind him. He pointed his hands down at the alley floor. Flames lifted him up to the roof of the next building. He jogged across and jumped. His fiery bursts propelled him along like a rocket to his gutted workplace.

He landed inside the hole in the wall and walked across the room. The attack played out again in his mind's eye when he reached the other side of the room.

A kidnaping, or something else?

Joe Baur looked at the gear spread out on the bed of his room at the Woods Apartments. Everything looked good, ready to go. He should have tried harder to grab Barrington. Now his money was at risk.

He couldn't get the second half of his payment if he couldn't deliver the millionaire. And he needed that money if he wanted to retire in comfort.

He had been on the job for a few years, clashing with the Ringbearer, Johnny Shield, and others. His nest egg had evaporated while he was in jail. He needed to make up that money.

Barring capturing Barrington, he would have to wreck the interests that made the millionaire money. He had wanted to strike at the head of the organization. Now he might have to think about other targets to complete his job.

The risk of police interference had gone up also. He didn't want to clash with the law on what should be his last job. It was bad enough they knew his name and face and probably had lookouts on the street. His risk assessment told him to get out of town.

Joe started donning his equipment. The first thing he could do was check out Barrington's apartment. The police would be on guard. He would have to look out for them while he checking the place over. He doubted Barrington would go home, but he might leave some clue to where he had hid out.

Unless he didn't hide out.

Some people were like that. A threat made them dig in stubbornly. They would rather fight it out. Barrington might be one of those people.

Joe fitted his featureless mask in place. He went to the window and stepped out on a fire escape running down the side of the building. His steps clanged on the bars as he headed to the roof. His car rested miles away, hidden near a junkyard for destruction if the police got too close.

He didn't want to lose his wheels, but he wasn't too attached that he couldn't drive it in a crusher and get another one.

Ice Needle jumped over to the next roof. Using his gun for a slide left a trail right back to him. That was the reason for the car in the first place. On the other hand, he could build a bridge across to other buildings that would fall where they would melt where no one would find them.

Leave no footprints were words to live by.

Ice Needle worked his way across town until his car was in sight. He looked around. No one seemed to be on the street, no concealed watchers, no change to the car as far as he could see. He dropped down, and got behind the wheel.

He would check Monty's place first. Then he would start making the rounds of the businesses. Eventually he would find the millionaire, or wreck his operations trying.

Then he could collect his money and hit the road to somewhere there was no extradition back to the United States.

Ice Needle drove across town carefully, neither too slow, nor too fast. That was what cops watched for more than anything. Too slow meant you were having control issues like you had drunk too much. Too fast meant something was up with the car. Staying in that marked zone meant you were abiding by the law.

He pulled his car around to the back of the building after scoping it out for police watchdogs. A couple of cops sat across the street in front, drinking coffee. Neither looked alert enough to stop him. No one watched the back.

I wonder if anyone is upstairs.

Ice Needle got out of his car, and built a pile of snow to a window that could be Barrington's. He froze the window, and broke it out gently. He made his way to the door, ready for anyone who might try to take him. A check of the number revealed he was in the right place. No Barrington.

Ice Needle looked around, found a note saying the man was going down to his factory. He smiled behind his mask. The millionaire must have thought he was going to give up. The mercenary went to the window and slid down his ramp to his car.

He could almost smell Rio.

Kid Fire walked the floor of his factory. He had gone over the attack again and again. No matter how it played out, he came to the same conclusion. Wrecking the place was just as good as taking him out of there.

Why?

That allowed him to limit his list of suspects. He only had a few competitors who were ruthless enough to send someone after him. Out of that group, only a few lived in town. He could check them out while he waited for Ice Needle to make his move.

He couldn't wait for the man to look for him unless he got desperate. Then he would have to set some trap in public. That was never a good idea.

"What do you think, Kid?" Stripstream descended from somewhere, her body flattened behind her.

"We are dealing with a tool." Kid Fire looked around. "I don't know if we should wait for him to try again, or look for him. Both have drawbacks. I am inclined to search, but wonder if it would be easier to set something up for him to attack."

"Being live bait won't be easy even with the cops and me looking out for you." Stripstream drew herself together. "He might get by us, and you won't be able to wear the suit."

"I'm aware of that." Kid Fire looked around the wrecked room. "We can't let him wander loose. A lot of our people are out of jobs for a while, no matter how we try to shift them around. Our production center is down until it's repaired. The problem is I think the attack was planned to shut the factory down, but not by Ice Needle."

"And only a few people would want that." Stripstream nodded, understanding his reasoning. "There's no way to know unless we catch him in the act, with Ice Needle."

"Then we set the trap and bag him." Kid Fire nodded, looking ahead. "We'll need publicity for the event. Maybe some kind of charity like the Salvation Army. It could work. We'll have to let him capture me, of course."

"I don't like that." Stripstream crossed her arms. "That's way too dangerous."

"We have to lure our enemy out in the open." Kid Fire walked to the hole in the wall. "Anything else leads to other Ice Needles showing up to try and extort me."

"I don't like it but I don't see any other way to do things." Stripstream tapped her foot. "How do you want to do it?"

"We'll set up a party and invite everyone we know of to attend." Kid Fire looked out through the hole at the night sky. "We'll have to notify the radio and television people so Ice Needle will know."

"Maybe that will stop him attacking any other business if he knows where you'll be." Stripstream nodded. "I'll call the gossip people for the papers tonight from the office."

"I'll call the chief and tell him we'll want security." Kid Fire took in a deep breath, stepping back to reality. "Let's get started."

"I'll make the calls from upstairs." Stripstream started stretching toward the door to the other parts of the factory.

"I'm heading home." The costumed millionaire smiled. "The switchboard will let him know where I am calling from. It might be good to handle that from the apartment."

"I'll call when I have the news people ready." Stripstream reached under the door and vanished as her feet slid after the rest of her body.

Kid Fire went to the hole, and looked at the grounds down to the fence around his property. No one was about. He stretched out his hands and took to the air. He steered toward his building, already planning to land on the building across his alley and look out before dropping down to the basement entrance.

Kid Fire landed on the rooftop as planned, looking down in the alley. He saw what looked like a pile of snow leading up to his apartment window. He frowned as he rocketed across. The window had been broken out.

Maybe Ice Needle had decided to visit his apartment while he was out.

That would be marvelous.

Kid Fire looked around, fire power ready to go. The villain had come and gone. Luckily he had been out with his costume and equipment. That would have been disastrous if things had been found to link Monty and Kid Fire together.

Blackmail was the least he could expect.

Kid Fire looked around again, making his plan. He could not let the police know his place had been broken into and he had not been home. They would want to know where he had been. The snow outside was a dead giveaway.

He went to the window, looked out. He was glad he had been able to brick the facing windows over so no one could see what he was about to do. He reached outside with his hands. A flash of fire melted the snow bank down and away from his window. He spotted the water heading for the sewer drains after a few seconds of work.

Now for the next step.

He grabbed the phone in his office and called the Mayor's home. He needed police for his scheme. He couldn't hope the commissioner would bend to his will. The mayor had been elected through his help. He hoped the man would help him with his plan.

"Mayor's residence." Mock's pleasant butler voice belied his utter disregard for others. "His honor is unable to come to the phone."

"Tell him it's Monty Barrington." Kid Fire smiled. "I would like to throw a party for the city and I need his help."

"Mr. Barrington?" The butler's eyebrows going up could be felt over the line. "I heard you were having difficulties."

"Everything is coming up roses." Kid Fire looked up at the ceiling, wondering if he was going to have to talk to the mayor in person. "Can I talk to the mayor?"

"He's not home, Mr. Barrington." The butler sniffed. "He went to the opera."

"Would you give him my message?" Kid Fire got ready to hang up. "It would mean a lot to me."

"I will be glad to do it, Mr. Barrington." Mock hung up the phone.

Kid Fire put the receiver down. He wondered what he could do for plan B. He at least had to call Miss Carlyle to warn her about the break-in.

He dialed the ruined factory, letting the phone ring. He felt relief when his secretary picked up.

"I have called the gossip columns, and about six hotels looking for a ball room." Miss Carlyle's voice said she was enjoying what she was doing. He didn't know how much his wallet could stand.

"I left a message for the mayor." Kid Fire slipped his mask off. "I had someone show up here. I'm thinking about going for a walk and seeing if he's still in the neighborhood."

"Be careful." Miss Carlyle hummed slightly. "Do you want me to book you into a hotel until this is over?"

"I was about to suggest the same thing for you." Monty had no doubt that if Ice Needle would show up at his place, he would go for Monty's assistant to get leverage.

That's what he would do.

"Got it." The secretary tapped something where she stood in the office. "What about the radio and television people?"

"I'll handle it tomorrow." Monty scribbled a note down on a piece of paper. "I'll talk to you then. Don't go overboard with the hotel."

"Whatever you say, chief." Miss Carlyle's laugh came to him before she hung up the phone.

Monty had some other places he could go. He had made it a point to build safehouses that weren't connected with his financial empire. It made keeping his two lives separate a lot easier from his point of view.

Still, he had a few things to do.

The first thing he needed to do was call his building's janitor. It wasn't too late, and Monty knew the man was married. Someone should be there to answer the phone. He talked to Jenkins for a few minutes, telling him his window had broken while he was trying to get some air. The janitor said he would look at it in the morning when he came to work. Monty thanked him and hung up.

He cleaned the glass up and threw it in a trash can for disposal when he thought about it.

Monty put on a roomy suit and coat over his Kid Fire disguise and headed out. Miss Carlyle would have things in hand for the morning. He needed a walk down to his club to let word get around about the impromptu soiree.

If his unknown enemy was among their numbers, maybe word would reach Ice Needle and forestall any more attacks on his empire. It was a gamble, but the best he could think of at the moment.

Maybe it would throw the mastermind off too. How many people planned a party when they knew someone was out to get them?

Monty walked out of his building, waving at the cops sitting in a car across the street. He had twin pangs of annoyance and gratitude, but simply smiled as he started down the street looking for a cab.

He hoped they didn't get in his way when he needed to act. Ice Needle would be hard enough to stop without setting a would-be bodyguard on fire.

Monty saw a cab rolling down the street and waved it down.

Monty Barrington walked into the Mosely Gentlemen's Club with a smile on his face, and a scheme in his brain. He hated being a moving target, but he needed to try and shake his unknown enemy.

He wanted the man behind the attacks, not just the tool.

Otherwise he would have to deal with the next assassin who might not be as sloppy as the freezing mercenary.

"Hello, Mr. Barrington." Charlie the bartender smiled as he whipped up some exotic brew for a visiting officer from Britain. He handed the glass over as the man puffed on his pipe, shaggy eyebrows matching a generous mustache. "Here you go, Commander."

"Thank you, my good man." The Commander handed over a bill as a tip and took his drink to a chair beside the fireplace.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Barrington?" Charlie got a clean glass off the rack to put Monty's drink in.

"I'm throwing a party." Monty sat down on the bar stool, making sure he could see the rest of the room in the mirror behind the bar. "I want to hire you and anybody else you can get to tend bar for it. I'm still looking at a place though so I don't know what the arrangements will be yet."

"That's nice, Mr. Barrington, but the club frowns on moonlighting." Charlie poured beer into the glass. "I don't want to get in trouble."

"Is Abernathy here?" Monty didn't touch the glass. He wasn't in the mood to drink. "I'll get his okay right now."

"I think he's in the library." Charlie nodded past where the Commander sat. "I don't think he'll go for any private party."

"I'm hoping to appeal to his basic humanity." Monty winked as he got up and started ambling toward the reading room as it was called.

"Good luck with that." Charlie watched the millionaire walk off, shaking his head.

Monty walked into the library. His eyes always went to the books first, yards and yards bound and put in rows on the shelves of dark wood lining the room. Then he looked at the occupants, putting on a smile when he saw Clayton Abernathy, the administrator of the Mosely.

Monty walked over, bending down to make himself heard without raising his voice. The reading room was off limits to the wheeling and dealing that sometimes went on. That was probably why Abernathy liked to spend his time there.

"Can I speak with you for a moment outside?" Monty looked around, hoping to look like he was respecting the silent rule instead of checking on anyone who might be checking on him. "I have something in the works and I need your help."

"By all means." Abernathy put aside his book and gestured for Monty to go ahead of him.

As soon as they had adjourned to the public room, Monty laid out the idea of a charity ball and how he would like to use the club staff for that one night. He wanted all the club members to attend and wanted help spreading the word.

"I will have to take up your proposal with the board members, Barrington." Abernathy frowned. "I don't see any objection except some of them will propose you pay them out of your pocket for your ball."

"I can do that." Monty smiled, his mission accomplished in the back of his mind.

Joe Baur picked up his phone. Only one person had the number. So if he wanted to get paid, he had to at least try to say he was doing something.

"Go ahead." Baur waited. He didn't want to give anything away over a phone line. Anyone could be listening.

"There's going to be a party thrown by our friend." The voice sounded uppercrust somehow. Baur pegged it in a high middle age range. "I want you there to do what we discussed."

"Where?" Baur scratched his nose. Barrington was throwing a party after someone tried to snatch him in public. He must have nerves of steel.

"I don't know yet." The voice couldn't keep the irritation out. "He's still setting it up. He asked to use people from the club as staff."

"I'll wait for an address then." Baur looked up at the ceiling. A public place like that would need to be cased first. "Give me time to look over the grounds."

"I'll call as soon as I know." The voice hung up.

Baur put the phone down, thinking about the information. He might be a mercenary but he knew something wasn't right. Even his employer saw that. No one planned a party when someone was after them.

They planned a flight out of town to get away from the guy trying to snatch them.

Baur put on regular clothes after stashing his costume. He had driven around Barrington's known places since the factory. He had missed him every time. Why hadn't he said something about his busted window?

There were starting to be too many mysteries about Barrington. That could lead to complications. Complications could lead to being arrested.

Baur looked around his rented room. He made sure that nothing could lead back to his exposure. He didn't want anyone to report his hideout to the cops. By now they had to be scouring the city for him.

Baur checked the charge on his gun before leaving. He put a match in the door to serve as an alarm before locking up and heading down to his car. A drive around might give him a clearer perspective.

Maybe he could catch up with his elusive quarry and follow him around with a chance for a grab.

Maybe he would find out where the party was going to take place so he could prepare for his next raid.

Barrington was strange.

Baur visited the apartment building, driving around to the back again. He looked up at the window he had broken the night before. Someone stood up there putting in new glass. His pile of snow had melted overnight. He frowned. As cold as it was that night, the pile should have still been there.

He got out of the car and looked around. Something else bothered him. There didn't seem to be enough windows in the alley. He checked the walls closely. There were spaces, but bricks had covered them over.

He had the feeling he was missing something.

Baur got back in the car and drove over to the wrecked factory. Maybe Barrington was there. If not, he would check around until he needed to get home to wait on the phone call. His employer would try again if he missed the mercenary.

Baur had an idea a lot of money sat at the bottom of this. Barrington practically supported the city, poured whatever he made back into it. The only people who had a stake in taking him were others that he had crossed making his fortune.

Barrington's companies would still run fine without him around. A ransom made sense, but how much. Whom had the say so in that case? Barrington didn't have any family, almost no personal life, was very rarely seen on the town.

Baur's own stake was enough to retire on if he could pull it off.

He drove to other businesses owned by Barrington. The man stayed away from windows. He kept watch for a few minutes in front of each one before moving on. He scowled, then checked his watch.

Where could the man be?

Baur decided to head back to his rooms. He hadn't come up with anything new, and it was no point fretting about things he couldn't control. If he was lucky, the boss might have found out where the party was going to be held so he could at least case the place.

Baur parked his car out of the way when he got back to his rented place and headed up to his temporary quarters. All he could do now was wait for his chance.

Hopefully it wouldn't be long.

Miss Carlyle smiled at her boss. It was the kind of look that said everything was in place. Mothers the world over gave the same kind of look to their little boys.

"It took some doing but the club people and suppliers came through like aces." She smoothed the front of her own dress down. Her costume was on underneath, concealed by the old-fashioned style she had chosen.

"The question is will he go for it." Monty Barrington fiddled with his bow tie as he waited for the door man to allow them inside the hall he had rented for the ball he was throwing. "Some of our contractors want to know if we can still deliver their orders with one factory down."

"Seems to be a bit risky for just a business practice." Miss Carlyle looked around, keeping an eye out as they walked to the door. "Almost like something you would expect from gangsters."

"If he destroys enough, we could lose our holdings." Monty waited for her to step inside before he did. "No one will want to do business with a company under attack by a masked menace."

"We'll get him." Miss Carlyle examined the lobby, nodded approvingly at the decorations as they crossed the rented space. "The question is will he try inside the dance, or after while we are trying to get out of here."

"He'll try inside where he has a lot of targets to keep any security busy." Monty paused at the door of the ball room to assess the battlefield.

"The police will be all over the doors." Miss Carlyle walked to the center of the room. "I don't think he will use them to get in."

"That ice gun can punch through walls." Monty looked around as he walked out to join her. "I think he will use that to his advantage."

"The outside wall is that one." The secretary pointed at the left-hand wall. "You think he'll try to come through that."

"Maybe." Monty went to where he could face the room of tables and chairs. He could already see he would need to make some alterations to include the possibility that their man would come through the wall.

"I'll get some of the waiters in to move things around." Miss Carlyle walked toward the door.

"I'll look around for other exits we might need." Monty checked the doors at the back of the room. He found himself in a prep area for the workers. Doors leading off that section went to the main lobby and a servant/ freight door at the back of the place.

Five potential doors meant five ways that Ice Needle could use to get in without exerting himself. Monty didn't see that. He would want to surprise the police he would know was in residence and the only way to do that is to punch a hole through a barrier that no one could expect.

Monty would with his Kid Fire equipment.

He returned to the ball room. Miss Carlyle had gotten the caterers to move most of the tables away from the suspect wall as well as put a large screen there supposedly for decoration. When the time came, the band would get in front of that screen and the dancing would start in the middle of the floor. Some of the tables would be moved out if necessary.

It looked like everything was as ready as they could make it.

"What do you think, Monty?" Miss Carlyle stood at the back next to the podium that had been provided.

"I think this is going to be trickier than I thought." Monty shoved the podium out through the back door. "We are looking at a battle in a crowd of bystanders with a mercenary who might switch to other tactics if we don't stop him. The only good thing is we know he will be here to try to pick us up."

"I think it's time for you to attend to your guests." The assistant smiled. "Put on your best face."

"Always." Monty tried on a smile. "How's that?"

Miss Carlyle nodded in approval. She faded to the back door, trying to blend into the background as Monty went to talk to the first of his guest to arrive. She wondered how long they would have to wait before Ice Needle crashed the party.

Miss Carlyle watched as each guest was seated, spoken to, and introduced to others. Monty greeted each one personally with a smile and a handshake. Which one had hired Ice Needle to attack the factory, to attack her boss? Whom had the most to gain?

They weren't getting away with it. That was a guarantee she made herself. They were not going to ruin everything that Barrington had built up.

Joe Baur made sure his mask was in place before he pulled the needler. He had looked at the hotel earlier while people were unloading food and drinks. One wall faced the outside of the building that led to where he had to go. That would be his entrance to avoid any cops who might be on duty trying to protect Barrington.

He pointed the needler at the wall, checking his watch. He should be right on time. Pulling the trigger sent a spray of crystal spikes into the brick. The cold stakes spread across the surface of the wall, lowering the temperature below what the blocks could stand. That made the facing brittle and easy to break.

Baur changed the setting on the needler once he was sure the ice had did its work. He pulled the trigger again. The giant spike punched a hole into the ball room just like he planned. Now to step two.

Barrington was on the stage, hands gesturing in the middle of a speech. He looked over at the new hole in the wall. He ducked back behind a curtain on the stage. The guests started to stand up and get in Baur's way to the stage.

Step Two of the plan meant getting access to the rich man. That meant making sure no one could get in his way.

Baur fired a row of needles to act as a wall. The sudden eruption of ice separated the room with a diagonal veil as he ran toward the stage. He spotted Barrington's secretary going the other way but paid it no notice.

As long as she wasn't fleeing in the same direction he was moving, he didn't care. He planned to put a wall up behind him as soon as he got to where Barrington had run off.

Baur found a door behind the stage. He fired at it, not trusting it to be unlocked. The spike punched a hole in the door near the knob. One hand yanked on the door, the other holding the needler steady. Barrington had gone ahead. He could hear movement in the next hall, room ahead.

Baur blocked the door with a wall from his ice gun. It would take hours for them to get through. By then, he would be gone with Mr. Moneybags right under the noses of the police department. He could call the papers and rub it in while he was carrying out the rest of his scheme.

First he had to take his target. Then he could gloat.

Baur moved forward, needler ready. He had it set to trap any man-sized target that got in his way. It wouldn't earn him any money if he drove a spike through his hostage before he got the pay off.

"It's over, Ice Needle." A man in a gaudy red and orange costume stepped into view. "I want to know who hired you, then the police will take you away to jail where you belong."

Baur fired without hesitation. He had a weapon, the weapon was ready, and he didn't like jail. That was enough for him. He didn't know where Barrington was, but he wasn't going to let some masked mook get in his way when he was so close.

The ice needle reached for Kid Fire, primed to spread into a solid block when it hit. He raised his hands in a defensive gesture, heat flaring from the gauntlets he wore. The crystal melted away before it could do any damage.

Baur pointed and held the trigger down. He ran behind the spray of needles, hoping to hit with at least one. Suddenly his prospects for getting paid looked dim.

Kid Fire held his hands up in front of his body, flame sliding him backward as it melted the glassy projectiles. He felt trapped in the narrow hall with a charging bull bearing down on him. He needed room to move.

He might have miscalculated the battlefield.

Baur kept moving, blasting ice needles along the walls and ceiling when he was a little off target and didn't send one right at Kid Fire. He spotted a side door that must lead to the rest of the hotel. If he could make it to that, he might be able to get some leverage to get the hero off his back.

Innocent bystanders were great for that.

Kid Fire sent a blast of flame at Baur, trying to prevent him from getting through the exit. The continuing spray of needles stopped the countermeasure as the rain of ice kept him moving away from the mercenary. Sheets inches thick covered the surfaces of the room where the needles had hit. Baur yanked the door open and stepped through, pulling it closed behind him. A blast closed it for however long it took for Kid Fire to get through.

Time to get out of there.

Ice Needle used the needler to spray the hotel floor in front of him. He slid down the icy sheets toward the front door. He concentrated on escaping. Another chance at Barrington would come. The trick was escaping capture.

He kicked himself for not expecting some masked meddler to show up and ruin the job. He should have been more cautious about the set up and tried somewhere else.

No use crying over spilt milk.

Baur adjusted his weapon to spray spikes. He took aim at the front door and windows, and fired. Gleaming needles blew the glass out on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. It saved him the time to open a door with Kid Fire somewhere behind him.

A fiery blast missed his head as he skated toward freedom. The mercenary half turned and fired blindly behind him. He didn't care where the projectiles went as long as they kept Kid Fire out of his way.

Baur heard a roar behind him. He changed course toward the nearest bystander. It was time he got some leverage to use against the do-gooder. Then he could take his time leaving, maybe do a trade for Barrington.

The millionaire had a reputation for altruism and philanthropy. He would agree to a trade in a heartbeat.

The potential hostage saw the white and blue costume sliding toward her, exotic gun pointing at her. She turned to run. Baur had picked a woman for being easier to control and a natural play for sympathy.

No one wanted a woman hurt.

Ice Needle stepped off the slide, and looped an arm around the woman's neck. He yanked her around, misting gun not quite touching her face. If he pressed the barrel to her flesh, it would freeze together. Kid Fire paused at the development, glowing hands raised as he dropped to a halt. His half mask didn't hide his grim expression.

"Give up, Ice Needle." Kid Fire kept his hands raised, but knew any blast he fired would catch the woman too. "I know you're working for someone. Give me his name and I'll arrange a smaller sentence for you."

"This is what's going to happen." Baur pulled his hostage behind the front desk, his arm locked around her neck, the gun pointed at her face. "I'll trade this lady for Barrington, and then we'll leave before the cops can dig themselves out. Otherwise I might have to do things to this woman that will last until she dies. And she'll want to die."

"As soon as you do anything to her, I will set you on fire." Kid Fire took a step forward. "We have a stand off at the moment. You can't leave with her, and I can't turn you to ash. On the other hand, I have plenty of time. The police will be here to shut you down in a matter of minutes. You can't wait that long if you want to escape. Give me the name of your boss, and I'll let you leave free and clear. That seems like a fair exchange to me."

"I can't do that." Ice Needle tried to scan the room without taking his eyes off Kid Fire. "I'll be out of work. I think you should back off."

"There's nowhere you can run." Kid Fire took a step forward. If the crook turned the pistol on him, he planned to blast away and hope to miss the hostage. "Give it up."

Ice Needle pulled the hostage to a door behind the counter. He glanced inside, glad to see it was empty. Time to make his next move. He stepped inside the office, holding his captive in front of him like a human shield. He pushed her forward as he slammed the office door closed.

Kid Fire rushed forward. He pulled the woman out of the way. One gauntlet sent a blast of fire at the door to knock it down. The hero was not surprised to find something held the door up from the other side.

He braced himself and cut loose with both hands. The double blast punched a hole through the wooden barrier and the wall of ice beyond. He ran up, peering through the puncture he had made. The sound of flying ice spikes made him drop back away from the hole. He waited, listening.

Kid Fire grimaced. He raised a hand to let fire wash away the rest of the ice barrier in his way. He had an idea that the villain had already escaped by knocking a hole in the wall like he had with the banquet room. It was best to make sure.

Kid Fire nodded when he saw the hole in the wall. He ran over. Ice Needle had already used his ice gun to form a bridge to the roof of the hotel. The mercenary could go anywhere from there to escape. Still, the disguised Barrington had to try to reel him in.

Kid Fire headed for the roof, using his fire blasts to shoot him upwards like a cannonball. He touched down with a puff of dust and gravel. His enemy had fled across one of two ice bridges that had been erected to other buildings. Both roof doors had holes punched in them by the spikes Baur preferred to use.

Kid Fire hopped across to each of the buildings. Neither one had a trace of ice inside the stairwell leading to the roof. Barrington shook his head, admitting that he had been foxed somehow. He decided to get back inside and resume his civilian face before he was missed.

The hero made his way back down to the ball room. He used his gloves to melt the ice that held the room in white captivity. He noticed that Miss Carlyle had not appeared when he had returned. He would look for her when he was done bailing out the commissioner and mayor.

Stripstream leaped across an alley. The jump was made easy by using her legs like giant springs. The stretching from her suit allowed her to travel faster than a car rolled. She paused, looking at her quarry below.

It had been so easy.

The moment Ice Needle had attacked, she had dropped her other identity and used a vent to get outside the hotel and watch for him. Monty had hoped to stop him before he escaped. In case her boss couldn't, she was plan B.

It always worked.

The villain battled Kid Fire, got scared, fled the scene. Usually they used a car. They usually forgot about the sidekick. That made it easy to locate their base and take them by surprise.

They almost never saw it coming, which made it easier taking them down.

Stripstream liked hanging back. Her suit let her fight more effectively, but she didn't like to get that close. Monty could do that with his flaming fists. And being downplayed allowed people to forget what she could do when she wanted to stretch a muscle.

And Stripstream could do a lot.

Below Ice Needle got out of the car. He had changed clothes from his costume and mask to a cheap suit and white shirt. A bruise marked his face from something. He headed into a rundown hotel across the street from where she stood looking down.

Now she had to find out which room he was in so they could take him down.

Stripstream glided down to the street on a stretched out body. She took cover by the door, looking at her man walking up the stairs. The counter man looked after him with a shrug.

Probably saying "How you doing?" Probably getting told "Mind your own business."

Stripstream stretched across the lobby, letting her body flatten to a thin sheet as she reached for the bannister on the wooden stairs. She wrapped her extenuated fingers around the bottom rail and secured her grip. She waited until the counter man turned to a small radio behind him before pulling herself across the lobby floor by compressing herself. She stepped out of sight of the counter as soon as she was her normal configuration.

Stripstream looked up the stairs. Ice Needle still walked on the risers. He had passed the first floor heading for the second. She glanced at the lobby. Everything seemed quiet for the moment.

Stripstream waited at the bottom of the stairs until she heard the mercenary stop moving on the staircase. She extended her arms up to pull herself up to the first floor. She compressed her arms pulling her body up in silence. She spotted the closing door on the third floor after extending her neck. She grabbed the railing up there and pulled herself up to the third floor.

She paused before cracking the door open.

Ice Needle stood at the door to his room, putting the key in the lock. He opened the door and went inside. Maybe he was home for a while.

Stripstream headed back downstairs. She repeated the crossing of the lobby, but used the lamp pole outside the door as her anchor. She needed to call Monty and get him rolling after her. They had prearranged a phone number to call when she was done scouting.

Stripstream hugged the building to avoid being seen from the windows above until she was out of sight. Then she took to the roofs to keep an eye on the car Ice Needle used while she looked for a phone booth to use. The effort would be wasted if he packed up and left while she was looking for a place to call Monty.

Finally she spotted a blue booth on the corner. She extended her hands and neck so she could talk without leaving her rooftop. From a distance, it would look like three lines descending from somewhere else to the phone booth. She dropped in her nickel and dialed the number.

"Barrington." Monty sounded relieved over the phone.

"He stopped at a hotel across town." Stripstream gave her boss the name and address. "I have to get back on watch in case he leaves. He's driving a black chevy."

"I'll be there as fast as I can." Barrington hung up the phone.

Stripstream pulled her neck and arms back in. She sat down in a spot to keep both hotel and car in view while being virtually invisible from lower floors. Hopefully they could wrap this up tonight and she could soak in her tub at home. She doubted that Ice Needle would tell them who had put him up to the kidnaping. They would have to think of some other way to get the brains of things.

Stripstream waited in her vigil for perhaps ten minutes before Kid Fire dropped into view a couple of roof tops over. He bounced across to her as she stood up, brushing her pink costume off.

"He's on the third floor of the hotel." Stripstream pointed at the black car among the others in the lot. "There's his car. How do you want to handle this?"

"I'll go over and roust him out." Kid Fire looked at the neighborhood. "If he gets away, you follow him until he stops again. I'll get back to the phone for your call."

"Maybe I should roust him, and you follow." Stripstream shook her head. "All right, we'll use the old reliable."

"If it makes you feel better, we can probably get whatever number he called from the person running the hotel switchboard." Kid Fire smiled.

"Then let's get this show on the road." Stripstream waved him on.

Kid Fire used his gauntlets to blast over to the hotel's roof. He entered a window next to the fire escape. He used the stairs to get down to the third floor. If they got Ice Needle, maybe that would lead to the mysterious brain behind the attempts on Monty Barrington, his other face.

He had no doubt it was somebody at the club.

Using a cut out spoke of money, and a reason to hide their identity. Involving yourself in a kidnaping was a dirty tactic some of the more ambitious financiers would continence if the money was right. Taking over the Barrington holdings might make it worth someone's while.

He went to the room number that Stripstream had given him. Time to ask the man himself.

Kid Fire blasted the door down with his fire power. He stepped into the room. Ice Needle held a phone to his ear, looking at the broken wood, eyebrows climbing up his forehead. The hero smiled. Total surprise was nice to have.

The mercenary threw the phone at the surprise visitor. One hand clawed for the ice gun under his arm. Surprised or not, he wasn't going down without a fight.

Kid Fire raised both hands. A beam shot out of his gauntlets after he had braced himself. The phone veered off to crack against the wall. The rest of the force hit Ice Needle in the chest. It threw him back against the far wall to smash halfway through the sheet rock wall.

Kid Fire charged across the room. This had to be the last time. That meant preventing his enemy from punching an exit and escaping. He wasn't looking over his shoulder the rest of his life, waiting for Ice Needle to show up again.

The mercenary had time to look up before a heavy hand punched him in the face. Everything went black for a second. Then another hand came around from the other side. That time the light definitely went out before he could do anything to protect himself.

"Are we having fun yet?" Stripstream peeked in around the fragments of the shattered door.

"The first thing we have to do is turn him over to the police, then try to trace back his boss." Barrington frowned under his half mask. "I might have made a mess of things."

"I'll go down and talk to the switchboard." Stripstream pulled back. "Maybe they kept the number he called for billing."

"Right." Kid Fire took the ice gun, stowed it in his belt at the back. He grabbed Ice Needle's hands and tied his wrists together behind his back with his own belt. He didn't want to take chances this close to the end of the game. "Let's go down and see if the police will be happy to see you."

Kid Fire hooked an arm under Ice Needle's armpit and half walked, half-carried him to the steps. People peeked out in the hall at the excitement. The masked man waved, giving them assurances that the trouble was over. He helped the mercenary down the steps, one at a time.

Stripstream had a note, and the counter man, in hand. He didn't look happy about the hand around his neck, but Kid Fire noted his eyes averted hastily from her legs. If his partner noticed, she concentrated on the important part.

"You were right." She almost jumped up and down in glee. "He called several times to the club."

"It gives us a link." Kid Fire started toward the exit. "We still don't know who he called."

"That should be easy to find out now that we know he did work for someone else." Stripstream felt her smile slip. "Maybe handsome here could tell us what was said."

"I don't know." The counter man tried to draw out of the noose gripping his neck. "The only time I heard anything, it was for some commander. I hung up before I heard what else was said."

"Thank you." Kid Fire took his burden to the door. "We'll turn our catch over to the police, and you won't see us anymore."

Stripstream released her grip and followed her partner out on the street. Sirens spoke of the sudden arrival of prowl cars. The heroes thought the mayor had kept the police department on high alert after what had happened at the supposed ball. Ice Needle had made a fool of the security arrangements. That didn't look good for the commissioner.

"You know who this commander is, don't you?" Stripstream looked up and down the street. A number of pedestrians were heading indoors in response to the warning call roaring closer.

"There are several commanders at the club right now." Kid Fire checked his prisoner, satisfied the man was still dazed. "I just find it an interesting coincidence that one just arrived before Ice Needle made his first attempt."

"What's the plan?" Stripstream smiled. He always had a plan. They just didn't always work.

"I would like for you to get over to the club and look around to see if the new commander is there." Kid Fire let Ice Needle slump to the sidewalk. "Then I want you to watch him until I get there."

Stripstream nodded, and headed cross town with a pull of her arms to get to the roofs.

Kid Fire handed Ice Needle over to the patrol unit that arrived thanks to his phone call. He told the policemen that he had trailed the villain to the hotel and arrested him. The police would have to gather any other evidence if they wanted the charge to stick.

The patrolmen took the villain, cuffed him, and put him in the back of the patrol unit. The ice gun went in a bag to preserve fingerprints. Then they locked that up in the trunk. One cop stayed with Baur, while the other went inside to talk to the clerk.

The two wouldn't be alone long. Backup sounded sirens as it descended from all directions.

Kid Fire didn't wait for the operation to set up so Baur could be ground down under the wheels of justice. He had places to be.

The disguised Barrington blasted across the sky, heading for his club. He turned over ideas to use against the commander. Nothing came to mind as workable. Using Baur had cut him off from all blame unless Baur turned on him for some reason.

Kid Fire didn't see that happening.

He should try to get the lay of the land before he tried to gather evidence. Except for the phone calls, there was no link to the club. Without a link, there was no way to touch the man legally.

And Barrington wanted to throw him behind bars.

Kid Fire landed on the club roof. He looked around before descending to an open window far removed from where he sometimes stayed if he had a meeting that ran late. Temporary quarters were always available to members in good standing like he was.

Barrington went to his quarters, glad the hall was empty. He stepped inside and waited. Sooner or later, Stripstream would start moving again. His room had a window that looked out on the quiet street in front of the stodgy concrete and brick building. He would see her if she left along the street. Otherwise, he would wait on her phone call.

Eventually the news that his catspaw had been captured would come back to the commander. That would give him three moves as far as Kid Fire could see. One was to hire someone else to carry out Baur's plan. Someone with money could afford that option as long as he and his new pawn never met.

The second option was to flee. The plan had failed. There was no more point in sticking around.

Barrington liked that as the most likely, but admitted to himself it was more than a little cowardly. He would never do that if he could still get the job done. How willing the mastermind was to stick around would be the ultimate factor in that.

The third option was to grab a gun and try by himself. Barrington thought only an exceedingly desperate man might try something like that. And could he be made to do that in such a way that the evidence would be enough to shut him down?

Barrington was willing to try and set up a trap to see how willing the commander would be to take a shot at the prize.

His own options were just as limited and relied on what the commander would do when he found out about Ice Needle. He was tempted to go down to tell the man himself. That would almost be worth looking at the man's face when he heard the news.

The phone rang gently on the nightstand by the bed. The temporary quarters held a bed, a writing desk, a phone, and a chair. That's all some guests needed.

Anything more desired meant the members had to drive to a hotel and check in as a guest instead of staying in the historic edifice.

The phone rang. Barrington hesitated to pick it up. It could be anybody checking on the room. He decided he had to after a moment. Only Stripstream would be calling the number. Anyone else he could hang up on.

"Hello?" He should have listened first before speaking.

"It's me." Stripstream's voice hovered just above a whisper. "He's here. It looks like he's checking out."

"Follow him." Kid Fire thought, trying to piece the puzzle together. "We need to see where he's going."

"I'll call in when I know where he's going." Stripstream hung up.

Kid Fire put his receiver down. It looked like he was stuck waiting again. He had a feeling the commander was heading for the airport. He wondered about it, but decided it was better to check the man's room after he was gone.

Maybe he had overlooked something.

Barrington hoped he had overlooked something. Otherwise, the man was gone out of their clutches, no matter if Ice Needle talked or not. Then they would have to start over and try to figure some way to get the man back in town, with enough evidence to take him in.

That could be a tall order.

Barrington sat on the bed for a moment more. Then he went to the door and peeked out in the hall. He knew where the guest quarters were for people who were only tangentially members of the club. He might as well take the time to investigate while he was waiting on Stripstream.

He needed something he could use to get an advantage.

Commander Robert Bragg knew when a job was in the pot. He had an infallible instinct for it. The attempt at the hotel had failed. Sooner or later, Baur would tell them he had been hired to take Barrington. Then it would only be a matter of time before someone checked the club.

He planned to be out the country by then. He hated to report a failure to his employer, but he didn't see any hope of seizing Barrington's fortune without the man himself. It was better to face facts than waste time trying to find out what he had overlooked in his planning.

Commander Bragg hailed a cab, got in the back, and gave directions to the airport. He already planned to fly South, then catch a connecting flight to London. That would give him an idea if he was being followed by the authorities. He could not allow anyone to know who he worked for if he wanted to live.

The price for failure was high.

The commander had been a sailor for Her Majesty's Navy during the war. He had walked the deck many a time, looking for the U-boat that would send his ship to the bottom. His years of service had netted him a ribbon, and a small pension. He had retired to London, trying to stretch the government check into something usable.

That was when he had been hired to carry out tasks like the one he had just failed in. The first contact had been an envelope shoved under his door. A deposit to his account earned his loyalty. He had moved higher and higher in the organization, steering clear of trouble.

Now he had a blemish on an otherwise spotless work record. He didn't consider trying to save his operation. He was at the point it was better to cut losses than keep trying.

Baur would talk eventually. He would do it to avoid a long prison sentence. Maybe that was what was sending the shivers through Bragg's neck hair. He calmed down and looked at the city moving outside his window. He still had time to get out before the police closed in on him.

Commander Bragg paid the driver off at the airport, and started toward the terminal. The next plane leaving would have him sitting on it if he could help it. He heard a rush, and thought of jet engines. He looked up and saw Kid Fire descending from the sky. The navy man decided to try and blend in and use the crowd around him as cover.

Kid Fire dropped in front of the terminal doors, scattering everyone trying to get inside the airport. He held up a hand, fire running along the fingers. Everyone stopped, which made Bragg stop.

At least he doesn't know what I look like.

Commander Bragg looked around for a way out of the crowd that would take him pass Kid Fire and into the airport. He had a firearm that he had planned to dump in the trash as soon as he had his ticket. He didn't want to pull it when he had no chance of being able to use it effectively.

"Give it up, Bragg." Kid Fire waved some of the pedestrians out of his way. "I know you hired Ice Needle. I know you came to the airport to fly home. I don't know why you wanted to kidnap Monty Barrington, unless the reason is ransom. I told the police everything. They probably shut the airport down as soon as I outlined the evidence I gathered. You're going to jail."

Bragg decided he had nothing to lose by taking a hostage. He couldn't expect his employers to bail him out. That would tip their hand so that Barrington and this grinning hero would know whom was behind the attempt to shut down Barrington Enterprises. He grabbed a woman, pulling the Webley. He put the muzzle to her head, grabbing her around the neck.

"Don't move and you will come out of this all right." Bragg's move cleared the crowd away from him and his captive. "I want you to move away from the door, Yank. Otherwise, I will have to use this. None of us will like that."

"Give it up, Bragg." Kid Fire pointed his fiery hand at the commander. "The moment you pull the trigger, I will put you down. It's a stalemate. Once the police get involved, you're going to get hurt if they decide she isn't worth letting you go."

"I don't think so." Bragg urged his hostage forward. "I think you will let me go before the police get here. You heroes have soft hearts."

"I'm not letting you pass." Kid Fire kept his gauntlet pointed at the commander.

Pink rope wrapped around Bragg, jerking his arm out of line so he couldn't shoot the woman. He felt the world turn around, then he hit the airport wall with dazzling speed. Dizziness prevented him from getting up before a mace hit him in the back of the head. He decided that blacking out was the best he could do at that point.

"I thought you were going to wait." Stripstream had an arm around the hostage, holding her up.

"I found this in the commander's room back at the club." Kid Fire held up a piece of paper in a plastic bag. Traces of ornate hand writing revealed Ice Needle's hotel and room number. "I thought it was best to pick him up and let the police decide what they wanted to do with him."

epilogue

They met at the Raven's Roost Club within sight of the Tower of London. The club was almost as old as the ancient prison that towered above the blocks around it. Bricks and wood had suffered fire and bombing but had come through barely scratched.

There had been more trouble putting in indoor plumbing according to the owner.

They had a room at the back of the place with access to two exits. They preferred that so they could leave by different means, and to keep their connection as hidden as possible. It was well known they traveled with entourages, so a change of appearance and some care allowed the meetings to take place under relative cover of ordinariness.

They bought a pitcher and privacy as they settled in their haunt. They didn't have much to discuss. The primary reason they were together was Monty Barrington.

"How do we stand on the Barrington matter, Moss?" The speaker, Ted Thorne, stood apart from the others. He was the visionary of the group.

"Bragg used a cut out for the operation." Ron Moss shook his head, sipped his beer. "There won't be any blowback on us."

"The impact on Barrington's operations so we can buy them?" Thorne looked at Neary, their financial genius.

"Minimal." Neary lit up a pipe, watching the smoke drift up from the bowl in a pungent wave. "If anything, his stock has risen with the quick defeat of our efforts. Plus another attempt will point the finger at our own companies."

"How will that impact on our plans, Reynolds?" Thorne frowned at the last man of their group, buried in paperwork as if he didn't have a staff of accountants at his beck and call.

"Without being able to use Barrington's holdings, our growth will be stunted in a few years." Reynolds checked some graphs he had drawn by hand. "I would have to say we will be held to this hemisphere for an unknown amount of time until we can amass enough to buy him out."

"So the plan is to wait, gradually expand, and employ our resources to chip at Barrington until we take over his company and resources." Thorne clapped his hands. "We'll discuss specifics at the next meeting, gentlemen."

"There is one more thing, Thorne." Moss sipped from his cup again. "Bragg reported interference from a vigilante that seemed protective of Barrington. We'll have to take him into account in our future endeavors."

"I take it you want to sanction this vigilante?" Thorne looked at the other members of the board. They nodded at the sentiment.

"He is a factor in the equation, and he has to be removed." Moss kept his relaxed pose in his chair. "Otherwise he will show up whenever we try to move forward with our schedule."

"Do it, but don't use any of our regular assets." Thorne nodded. "We're having too much trouble with these masked vandals to allow one from across the ocean to come back to us."

"No problem." Moss nodded. "I'll put the word out."

"Discretely, Moss." Thorne held up a finger. "We don't want our dealings to become public notice."

"They won't." Moss sipped again. "This Kid Fire will never know we hired people to take care of him. I will make it clear that it should look like regular crime."

"If there is no more business, I think we should disperse until next month." Thorne went to the door. "Remember secrecy is our security."

Thorne used the nearest exit, heading down an alley, and toward the nearest bus stop. He preferred riding in anonymity among the other Londoners. It made him feel like a god among mortals knowing that any decision could change every life around him like a thunderbolt from on high.

Moss, Neary, and Reynolds waited five minutes each before they left the little room. Moss went last, enjoying his beer as much as he could before he left payment for the room on the table and walked away from the club.

Moss rolled the list of free lancers available in his mind. He needed to send someone in as a goat so that he could watch this Kid Fire in operation. Once he had enough information, he could send someone in to get rid of him.

Then they could focus on getting rid of Barrington.

Moss liked to drive himself. He found his car waiting for him in its space. He got behind the wheel, still thinking about how his organization should deal with this sudden obstacle. There were too many factors without enough information. He didn't want to lose any more men dealing with this problem.

Moss had more dealings with the masked men that had decided to deal in their own brand of justice than his colleagues. He knew that once involved, they would rip at anything that smacked of corruption until they were satisfied with their pound of flesh.

He was not going to give Kid Fire the chance at him no matter how much the masked American stood in the way of their future growth.

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