The Strike of the Union - vol. 1

Coffinstrike stops enjoying his breakfast for a moment. He seems genuinely impressed with your attitude. At least as far as you can pick up from a man whose face is still half covered up by a mask. "That is a good way to live. If more people acted like that then there wouldn’t be a lot of need for my services in this world."
"Nothing against your neighborhood, Union, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have a good reason." He brushes some crumbs off his hands and slides them back into his gloves. After finishing the last of his coffee, he slides his mask back into place as well. "My business here is personal. International assassins," he too uses air quotes, "tend to end up with a lot of enemies. I heard some rumors floating around that some of those enemies managed to find out who I am when I’m not wearing the mask.

"In order to get to me, those people are planning on taking out people that are close to me. I have my doubts that they actually found out anything, but I’m not willing to take that chance. So I came to town to intercept the package and see what they have for myself."

Coffinstrike sighs. It is difficult to get a read on him while his hockey goalie like mask is on. You are able to pick up on his frustration mixed with a hint of amusement. He taps a finger on his knee a couple of times as he thinks about how to respond. "You’re real good kid. Real good. If I spent some time I’m sure I could get the answer to the first question. Maybe even the third. The second one casts a pretty wide net though and I’m already running on fumes. You got a real bright future ahead of you. Strong frame to go along with that sharp mind. Crowfall is lucky to have you."

He claps his hands together. " Well... you caught me." He mockingly holds his hands out like he is ready to be cuffed. "Tell me one thing though. When did you switch out the files? Earlier today? Yesterday? Don’t tell me it was any longer than that."

"Shit.

You ever read Working by Studs Terkel? It's just interviews with all these people talking about their jobs, the parts they like and the parts they endure, and the random shit they think about and do on the job. It's great. He interviews police officers and sex workers and farm workers and factory workers and office workers, you know, really covers the gamut of jobs. Gives you a deeper insight into the work lives of these jobs that we take for granted or assume we understand, but you can't really know what its like unless you do the job.

I was really hoping that you were on the up and up, because the 'assassin protecting his loved ones' would be such a typical Hollywood story. And selfishly I was hoping to get a look behind the scenes of an international assassin's life and see what most people never see, like a chapter from Terkel's book.

At least we've had a nice chat, huh? I mean, I may not be a fan of your profession but I respect that you're dedicated to your trade and you've put in the time to master your craft. So thanks for the coffee break.

But what makes you so sure I switched out the files? Maybe I BURNED THEM!"

He shouts the last words as he flings the coffee at Coffinstrike and leaps forward to grab the assassin.

If I get too close the knives are coming out but if he gets away and disappears that would be worse; he can follow me and learn my real name, find my family, or just wait until I fall asleep from exhaustion. Even if he just decides to avoid me and get a duplicate list
he'll kill people. I've gotta grab him and not let go and hope I can subdue him before he kills me.

Coffinstrike sees the attack coming at the last second and brings an arm up to protect his face from the hot coffee. You are able to wrap your arms tightly around the assassin before he is able to grab a weapon. You are confident in your own abilities but it almost seems like he didn’t even try to go for one. Surprisingly, there is very little fight in him at all and it takes almost none of your considerable strength to keep hold of him.

"Burned them? I highly doubt that. You’re a clever lad so you have to see why I won’t fall for that. You said that you didn’t have much time to look through them. Burning them without knowing the names and location would put all those people at risk. I know you wouldn’t do that. Alright. I guess we’re doing this the hard way."

"Freeze! Drop the weapon and put your hands in the air now!" It takes a second to realize where you are. Coffinstrike is gone. How is that possible? You were holding him not more than 1 second ago. You blinked and now you are back on the docks and the only thing in your hand is a 9mm pistol.

Blue and red lights cast your shadow onto the ground where the two thieves and the crooked security guard all lay dead. They each received gunshots to the head, execution style. A dozen cops behind you continue to scream orders while you try to make sense of what is going on.

You spot the briefcase everyone has been after tonight. It is laying on the ground about feet from the corpses. The briefcase is open but the only item inside is a copy of Studs Terkel’s ‘Working.’

What just happened?... police are behind me so they might not have seen my face... my mask. DON"T TURN AROUND!

Did Coffinstrike knock me out somehow.. then track down and capture the thieves... bring us all to this location, murder them, frame me, and call the cops? That makes no sense...why go to all that trouble? Why track down the thieves at all? How is all this supposed to lead him to the list?

How did he repair my clothes? There are no bullet holes and these are the same clothes? It's like I never got shot in the first place... oh shit!

What if he slips through time when he "disappears"? He wanted to know when I switched the lists so he could go back in time before I hid the files! That's why he killed the thieves, he was here when they arrived. Damn it! They were sketchy guys but they didn't deserve to die!

Okay, take a breath...what do I do now? I can't get detained by the cops because there is probably no evidence to back up my story. So I gotta get rid of this gun and get away from here without letting them see the mask.

The Union slowly lifts his hands above his head and begins to crouch down as if he is surrendering and about to kneel on the ground, but when his knees are close to the ground he pushes up quickly into an Incredible Hulk style leap that carries him up and over the nearest stacks of containers.

When he lands he crushes the 9mm pistol into tight steel ball and vents his frustration in an epic toss in the direction of the ocean.

Even if someone finds that hunk of scrap and figures out it was once a gun, there is no way they can shoot a bullet for a ballistics match.

The Union has a home field advantage at the docks and he easily eludes his pursuers and slips off the property by jumping the fence.

Okay, if I did travel back in time with Coffinstrike and the thieves are here now, then that whiny mobster might be waiting for them at the parking garage. He was supposed to bring the list to Coffinstrike and after he failed then I bet Coffinstrike traveled back in time to the garage to find out why... but that means that the mobster has a connection to Coffinstrike and might be able to give me information. If he is at the garage...

The Union travels as quickly as he can to the parking garage hoping to change his luck tonight.

You see the large white cargo van parked down the street from the parking garage the second you turn onto the street. They’re here!

You sneak your way into the parking garage and see a very angry looking whiney mobster pacing back and forth. His sedan filled with bodyguards is behind him, with two of them standing near the rear of the vehicle. The mobster checks his watch and shakes his head. "Where the hell are those numbskulls! Remind me to slap them silly if they ever actually get here," he grumbles to his bodyguards. The one that you talked out of fighting last time you were here rolls his eyes. He has had enough of taking orders from this wannabe gangster.

Since the thieves and crooked security guard have yet to arrive, the cargo van is still parked down the street. It hasn’t yet moved up to block the exit. This leaves you alone with the mobster and a small contingency of guards. One of which you know is none to keen about his employer.

Okay, they're here and not going anywhere yet. Take a deep breath and think through the situation; this is more complex than just punching gumbahs.

Just like Mom taught me to play cards, what cards are in his hand? what cards are in my hand?

What is his secret Ace? He can manipulate time. Why is that a secret? Why does the world think he is sneaky when he is really just manipulating time? Why hasn't anyone else who traveled through time with him already let that cat out of the bag?

... either he doesn't usually take others through time with him, or he usually kills them when he does, or they usually don't remember.

If it was just that he doesn't take others with him he could have waited until I let go to travel through time; even if I turned him over to the police he could just time travel out of his empty cell or the back of the vehicle. So he wasn't worried about taking me with him.

It isn't easy to kill me but he didn't even try. He just called the cops to mess with me, and if I hadn't remembered what happened that would have totally confused me. So yeah, people must usually lose their memory when he takes them through time.

But I remember, and I don't know why, but I might be the first ever to know his real power.

So my Ace card is that I know his secret power and he doesn't know that I know.

If I bust these errand boys and Coffinstrike hears that the Union showed up at this parking garage tonight he might figure out that I know his secret. He could go back in time and try to change things again - and that might be even worse. I can't let him realize that I know his power until I have a chance to actually stop him.

I'll sit tight for now and if I can follow these guys without being seen that would be another good card in my hand. If I know where to find them later I can track down the hit list through them.

Coffinstrike said ""Tell me one thing though. When did you switch out the files? Earlier today? Yesterday? Don’t tell me it was any longer than that."

Is there a limit to how far back in time he can travel? Was he hoping that it was within his window? Or does he just need a point of reference to avoid arriving too early and twiddling his thumbs?


The Union carefully and quietly sits down to wait out the mobsters. He memorizes the license plate and listens to conversations hoping to hear some detail that can be used to track these guys later. He spends time watching the mobster intern and the disgruntled henchmen to be familiar with their faces.

The mobster in training gets more and more visibly angry with each passing minute. After 10 minutes this starts to bubble into terrible anxiety. Even a distance away from the man, you can hear him muttering about how screwed he is, how he’ll never be trusted with another job ever again, and worries about how he is supposed to show his face in town again if he screws this up. His guards try to maintain their composure but when the mobster has his back turned they cannot help but snicker at his predicament.

Eventually the van pulls up and a man shouts, "What’s the hold up?" The mobster cannot form an intelligible reply so one of the bodyguards informs the van that the delivery guys are a no-show. The passenger in the van doesn’t seem to be worried about it. "So we gonna beat the snot out of those Reynolds brothers and find out where the briefcase is?"

The mobster’s eyes light up. "That’s a great idea!" Everyone piles into the sedan. You already know where they plan on going. They are always talking about the Seadog Pub. They practically live at the place. If someone wants to find the Reynolds Brothers, that is the first place they would stop.

As the mobster-clown car sedan pulls out of the garage, the Union dashes out the pedestrian door and starts running through alleys and on side streets to the Seadog Pub in an effort to reach the bar first and unseen. His strong legs turn each stride into a long jump that multiples his running speed and before he really has a plan formulated he arrives in the alley next to the bar.

He peeks around the corner but the mobster sedan is nowhere to be seen, so he steps back into the shadows, peels off his mask and strolls into the pub.

The Seadog lives it up its rowdy reputation. You have to push past distracted patrons to even get through the door. People are standing on tables and spilling their drinks all over the place as two men appear to be in some sort of wrestling match on the ground. It probably started as a fist fight but neither man is sober enough to even stand, let alone land a punch.

After a bit of searching you manage to spot Wes Reynolds in the corner. He is talking to a waitress and has his arm blocking her escape. It is painfully clear that she has no interest in the conversation.

So far there is no sign of Bobby Reynolds or the mobster and his guards.

Bobby is probably one of the drunken wrestlers... or he's in the can

Stephen works his way to the corner, taps the waitress on the arm and says
"The bartender wants to talk to you." while gesturing back towards the bar

then he does a double take at Wes Reynolds and says
"Hey! You're Bobby Reynolds! I've seen you around the Hiring Hall with your brother right? Put 'er there." and offers his hand.

Wes turns when you tap him on the shoulder. The waitress uses the momentary distraction to duck under his arm and hurry away. She locks eyes with you and mouths ‘thank you’ before disappearing into the crowd.

Wes looks annoyed first, but this washes away with another chug from his bottle of beer. He accepts your hand for a shake. "It’s Wes actually. Bobby’s my brother." He studies your face and after a minute there is finally some small level of recognition. "Oh hey, your Stephen Wetblanket, I mean Westen, right?" He laughs like he made the best joke of all time. "What the hell are you doing here? All the guys say you wouldn’t know how to party if your life depended on it."

As an indication that he is not offended, Stephen offers a big smile and Wes is too drunk to notice that it never reaches his eyes.

"Either my days must be numbered or the guys are full of shit!"

the truth is that after the 'incident' alcohol doesn't seem to have any affect, and bars are incredibly boring if you're stone sober

"What are you drinking? Let's have another round."

Wes’s eyes light up. "Well if that’s the case, then I’m drinking top shelf, baby!" He pulls you along with him to the bar and orders a couple of shots and another beer. He slides one shot of vodka over to you just as his brother joins the group.

"Who’s this guy and where’s my sh-- Hey Stephen! What the hell are you doing here?" Bobby asks.

A slight commotion brings your attention to the front door. The mobster in training has arrived but only brought one bodyguard in with him. It is the one that refused to abandon him during the fight that got erased from time. The guard shoves another patron out of his boss’s way as the duo makes their way through the crowd. It does not look like they have spotted the Reynolds brothers yet.

Stephen keeps his eyes on the mobster intern and slides his shot over to Bobby while he says

"I'm here to unwind, it's been an exceptionally shitty night and it ain't over yet. What the hell are those guys doing in the Seadog? Suits like that stick out like sore thumbs in here."

Bobby slams down the shot without question before both brothers follow your gaze to the mobster. "Oh crap!" They say in unison. They lock eyes for a minute and the silence seemingly says everything they need to.

Wes reaches into his pocket and pulls out a one hundred dollar bill. He slams it to your chest and says, "Stall that guy for us and they’ll be more where that came from." The brothers take off toward the back exit. On the way, you can hear Bobby chastising Wes, "I told you not to trust that stupid security guard to get the job done."

Stephen pockets the cash and starts working his way towards the mobster ranting loudly in his best imitation of slurred drunken belligerence.

"Hey! Wha'are youse doin' here in a shiny shoot!?! Thish ish a blue cower bar and no shoots allowed!"

He staggers through the crowd directly towards the junior mobster, gesticulating towards the front door with a total absence of coordination.

The mobster rolls his eyes and his bodyguard steps up between you and him. "Keep your distance, pal." A couple nearby patrons notice the exchange and jump in.

"He’s got a point. What are you doing in here?"

"Daddy cut off your allowance so you got to slum it down here with people that actually work for a living?"

"We don’t have any of that imported crap, so save yourself some time and get back in your Lamborghini."

This last gentleman actually gets right up in the mobster’s face. You can see the fear in his eyes. The bodyguard wastes no time shoving the drunk man to the floor. That sets the whole bar off.

The bodyguard is punched by four separate people within a span of 2 seconds. The mobster cowers low to the ground with his arms over his head. Within 10 seconds the bar loses its unity and everyone starts wailing on each other over minor grudges, real or imagined.

Out the front window you can see Bobby and Wes taking off. Wes looks back at the chaos inside with a smile on his face.

The rest of the bodyguards outside don’t seem to notice the Reynolds brothers. They are hurrying out of the sedan and into the bar to help their boss escape.

Since the mobster is cowering on the ground with his head covered, Stephen grabs the bottom of his suit coat and pulls it up over his head and steps on the coat tail, pinning the mobster's head and shoulders to the floor.

Stephen quickly checks the suit pockets and then pants pockets until he finds the mobster's wallet. He stuffs the wallet down the front of his pants and then staggers towards the back of the bar. He doesn't push violently or hit any of the bar patrons, and he does nothing to defend himself from the melee either. When he is shoved or punched or a bottle breaks over his head he tries to "go with it" and blend into the crowd.

When he reaches the back of the bar he staggers down the hallway to the bathrooms and storage area looking for a door to the alley.

Okay, I have the mobster's wallet so I have his name and probably his home address. I can track him down later, and if I need a back up plan then the Union can drop in on the Reynolds. Now I need to get somewhere safe and quiet so I can make a plan to defeat a time travelling super assassin. Why couldn't this happen to a smart hero like Lilith or an experienced hero like the Warden?