C҉R҉O҉W҉ | ᴍᴄᴜ x ᴍᴀʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

XIV - 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐭

POLICE LIGHTS FLASHED in the distance, their red and blue hues cutting through the darkness. Officers moved, creating a perimeter around the chaotic scene.

"Hell of a mess." Barry muttered, adjusting his coat against the cold, "Looks like a war zone."

Jon trailed behind him, holding a flashlight and a notebook. He glanced around, his curiosity piqued by the scene.

"I've never seen anything like this." Jon said, his voice filled with a mix of awe and apprehension.

Barry grunted in response, his focus on the tied-up henchmen groaning in pain on the ground. He moved closer, inspecting the rough knots and the looks of terror etched on their faces. The henchmen were scattered around, some leaning against crates, others sprawled on the wet ground.

"We're gonna have to piece this together." Barry said, his tone matter-of-fact, "Start by talking to these guys. See if we can get any useful information."

As they moved through the scene, Barry and Jon exchanged glances with the other officers, who were equally bewildered. The henchmen's faces told stories of a night gone horribly wrong, but none of them seemed eager to speak.

Barry's eyes fell on a particularly bruised henchman, who was clutching his side and wincing in pain. He knelt down, his voice firm but not unkind.

"Who did this to you?" He questioned.

The henchman looked up, his eyes wide with fear.

"A-A monster." He mustered, voice trembling.

Barry scoffed, mixing with a bewildered chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure your boss told you not to try any of your supply—"

"WE'RE NOT ON DRUGS!" The man exclaimed, professed in sweat, "Y-You think we're crazy?! You think all of us would take the same thing?! There's a monster out there! It was like. . . a-a shadow!"

"A shadow?" Jon echoed, jotting down notes, "What do you mean?"

The henchman shook his head, his voice trembling.

"I-I don't know. . . I-It was too fast. Too strong. . . We didn't stand a c-chance."

Barry exchanged a glance with Jon, both of them processing the information. Jon quirks his eyebrows, shrugging. Barry shakes his head before looking around the area.

"Well, one hell of a job. But it won't mean a thing if we can't tie it go Giovanni."

The henchman hesitated, glancing around nervously.

"H-He. . .he's tied up too. Over there, by the main."

Barry and Jon followed the henchman's gaze, moving towards the main warehouse. The large structure loomed ahead, its lights flickering. As they approached, they saw Giovanni, the notorious crime lord, bound and gagged, his eyes filled with a mix of rage and fear.

"Well, I'll be damned." Barry muttered, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight, "Never thought I'd see the day."

Jon stepped closer, his flashlight illuminating Giovanni's face. Antonio shuts his eyes out of instinct.

"Looks like someone did our job for us."

"Indeed." Barry nodded, his mind racing with the implications. Then suddenly, his face drops, "Shit."

Jon furrowed his eyebrows, "What?"

"His damn consigliere." Barry realized, looking out the window to see he was not tied with the rest. He rubs his temples out of frustration, "Lorenz. . . all of this will be of no use even if we tied it with Giovanni. Operations can still play."