Somewhere to Belong

End Game

Up in the afternoon sky the sun shone brightly as gray storm clouds slowly rose over the horizon, down below the sound of police sirens wailed in the distance. Peering through the darkness that shrouded him, the tainted toon watched as cars passed by his position until one caught his eye. A beautifully sleek silver 1940’s Packard, with a black cloth covered roof, on the sides of the car a spare tire in a blended cover. In the passenger side seat Sumi glanced out of the window as he watched the city streets zoom by, in the driver’s seat Quill watched the road casting an occasional glance toward her sore companion. As the car slowed to a stop in front of a little music shop, the tainted toon smiled.

“TTTTTTTTuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeee……sssssshhhhoopppp………” Hissing, Pete disappeared around the corner of the alley when the familiar sounds of sloshing ink echoed around the quiet alleyway.

“SSSSSSSSSSSiimmmmmeeeooonnnnn…….” Watching in silence the tainted toon smirked seeing his master’s bright red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

“Bring them to me...Do whatever you have to...”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“What took you so long!?” Cragen exclaimed as Cross’s feet touched down on the quiet rooftop, waving a friendly hello he ignored his brother’s temper.

“’Ello Cragen! How’d that date with Dixie go?” Winking the fallen angel chuckled lightly for a second before Cragen grabbed his collar.

“There’s no time for that!! The city and the entire police force are on high alert!”

“Calm down Cragen."

“I CAN’T calm down!! Who knows where that tainted toon could be! He’s a danger to the entire town!!”

“Alright alright, you need to calm down. Being all uppity won’t do you any good if you can’t think straight.” Rolling his eyes Cross grabbed his brother by his shoulders and forced him stop stand still, as Cragen took a few deep breaths he closed his eyes for a second and sighed.

“You’re right…thank you...I need to calm down and think things through.” Turning around he ran his hands through his hair, glancing over the edge of the building he scanned the area for any sign of the toon.

“Alright Cragen what do you know?” Turning back toward his brother Cragen crossed his arms over his chest.

“What do YOU know Cross?” Cocking a brow the man waited patiently.

‘If he’s going to get information from me then I need some from him first.’

“Alright I’ll tell you what I know…but I need information from you as well.” He smirked.

“Deal."

“Alright, what I know is that this ‘tainted’ toon is made up of the same compounds and chemical mixtures a friend of mine had an interaction with during his time at his home studio ‘Black Light Studios’ under the supervision and care of a man named Simeon.”

“Wait your contact’s from that hell hole?!” Cragen exclaimed making the angel flinch slightly.

“Y-Yes…Anyway…We have come to believe that during the fight we had when we rescued Cayne, we assumed that he was killed in the fire. When in actuality he was not and his body had somehow come into contact with the same chemical mixtures that were used on Cayne during his time there. Somehow the fire must have interacted with the chemicals in such a way that it allowed Simeon to survive but only as the inky mess that he is now. We also assume that the toon that is walking around ‘stealing’ ink from everyone must have been a companion of Simeon’s after the fact……..There is that enough for you?”