The night air blew through the open window, ruffling the curtains gently as he entered the apartment. The Black Recluse moved the curtains only a little more than the night wind as he entered. He might have been mistaken for a slight breeze, or a stray shadow. He was very quiet for a big man, even for a much smaller man. Which was why he was so surprised when the lamp came on.
Illuminated in the pool of yellow light cast from the floor lamp was a woman, smoking on an old couch. She had long, slim, legs and the kind of body that made men very aware that they were male. Her long blond hair cascaded over one end of the couch. She looked up at the ceiling, and blew smoke out in a long slow, controlled breath. "How'd it go?" She asked.
The unearthly figure by the window stood still for a time. Starring at the woman. His impassive face betraying nothing of any meaning in that gaze. After a while he moved further into the room. "Good. They showed up, just like you said they would."
The wall opposite the couch was covered wall to wall with bookshelves. The Recluse moved to this, and slid one hand under a particular shelf, which briefly glowed, and then the entire bookcase slid back reveling a hidden closet. The recluse took off his coat and hat, and then pulled off his mask.
The man beneath the mask was handsome, if unremarkable. He had a square jaw, large brown eyes and brown hair. He took off the pale blue gauntlets that were coiled around his wrists and placed them on a shelf before running his hands though his hair. To the woman on the couch he said over his shoulder, "You gave me a lot more warning than usual. The publishing a newsletter these days?"
The woman smiled an ironic smile in her little smoke cloud. "There was a lot of controversy about shaking down Svenson's. It's a landmark. Been around since World War II. A lot of people believed that they should give it a by."
The man laughed, low and deep "Maybe we should get downtown declared an historic landmark, then Scali will be out of business."
The woman sat up, and stubbed out her cigarette. "I don't think it works quite that way. Besides, they went for it anyway. Scali is not a sentimentalist."
The man turned back to the closet, and pulled his shirt over his head. "Any other news about Scali's operation?"
"No. Don't expect so much advanced warning next time. This was a one time thing. How many of these extortion attempts have you busted up anyway?"
"This is the sixth. Second time I've gotten that little rat-faced guy. He had no new information. I've only seen two major enforcers, I don't think stopping these shakedowns is going to provide me with anymore information about Scali's organization." He sat down, stripping off his combat boots and the metal coils that were warped around his calves. "We need a new strategy."
The woman stood, stretched languorously. "What we need is some sleep. I'm not waiting up on you again, Kurt. Next time I'm either with you, or I'm never talking to you again."
Kurt stripped off his slacks. "That will make for some awkward situations, Aubrey, since we're roommates and all."
Aubrey smothered a grin behind her hand. "Yeah, and we're never faced witht hose situations now. Kurt! Modesty."
Kurt grabbed an old bathrobe from the hidden closet, and put it on. "Sorry, modesty wasn't much of a value where I grew up."
"Hey, I don't mind. Really, I don't. I'm just afraid you're going to pull one of these little social faux pas in public."
"I doubt I will. We received extensive training in 'blending' in basic training. Sometimes, I just forget; but only around you."
They looked at each other for a moment longer than they should, just a shading into uncomfortable. "Anyway, good night, Kurt. Try and get some sleep will ya?"
Kurt looked away from Aubrey. I'll try. I've got class tomorrow, and since I have nothing else, I'll try and keep extortion in the Old City to a minimum tomorrow night."
The two of them went down a hallway, when they reached the end Kurt went into the room on the left, Aubrey into the room on the right. As each drifted off to sleep, each wondered, not for the first time, at how oddly quiet the night seemed.
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