Shadowbreath: The New Avenger

Chapter 14

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Joey Genovese threw open the door to the workshop with a deafening echo and stormed in with Luca, Marco, and Angelo hot at his heels. The Tinkerer must have been able to pick up on the combined fury and desperation his men were putting off because he fumbled with whatever alien weaponry he was building and rose to his feet shakily. "B-boss!"

"How long will it take you to build something strong enough to break into the Avengers Compound?" Joey barked, stopping short of the workstation and knocking his ring against the metal so that it resounded across the walls surrounding them.

The Tinkerer's nervous eyes flickered back and forth between Joey and his crew before swallowing thickly. "Now that I have the Arc Reactor...maybe a week?"

Not acceptable. His Asset was being held by the fucking Avengers. Iron Man took what was his, and he would get Alexandria back. His life depended on it. Joey took a calming breath and curled his fingers into fists. His voice dipped low, and he managed to channel all of his frustration in a menacing tone that left no room for debate. "You have three days."

The man nodded slowly and dipped his gaze towards Joey's chin out of respect. Smart man. Ever since two of Angelo's soldiers had returned to the mansion without Shadowbreath, the entire Family had been on edge. When his Captain confirmed that Alexandria was being held at the Compound, Joey had personally thrown the two soldiers into the Fold, meant only for the Asset, and strung them up. They didn't survive the ten thousand volts of electricity he pumped through the iron manacles.

Joey stalked back up the stairs and turned down the hallway. He waved off his crew, motioning for them to give him some privacy. He took a deep breath and dialed a number on his phone, dreading who would be on the other line. The line clicked through, but the greeting was silent as ever, so Joey gave his report quickly. "Sir, my team will move to re-acquire the Asset in three days. I can assure you that our timetable has not been compromised."

More silence. Joey rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. When he called last time to inform his superiors of their loss, Richter threatened to come to New York personally and settle things himself. That...would not be good. Horrible really, and would most likely end with most, or all, of his family dead.

When his superiors lost the Winter Soldier two years ago, they approached Joey when they heard through the grapevine that he was in possession of a deadly Enhanced individual, one that didn't even need to be brainwashed. It was Richter who gave him the idea of becoming capo di tutti capi and the Five Families' new business direction. As long as he kept Alexandria in line and out of the hands of the government and the Avengers, he could keep his life at the top. Now that the Asset had been taken from him, his entire empire threatened to crumble beneath his feet. His superiors would retrieve Alexandria if he did not, and when they got their hands on her...well, Joey had seen footage of the Winter Soldier's programming. It was not a pleasant process. Not that he particularly cared for Alexandria's comfort, but Joey didn't want to see ten long years of work and preparation go down the drain when they wiped her brain and took her for themselves.

Three days, and then everything could go back to normal.

"I will not fail. Hail Hydra." The line went dead.

A noise sounded behind him, and Joey spun around in a blink of an eye to find Marco staring at him in horror, mouth opening and closing as if not able to form the words that were flashing through his head. Shit. Joey sighed loudly, and suddenly felt as if he aged ten years in the last thirty seconds. "Oh, Marco. I wish you hadn't heard that."

As his Advisor's hands moved towards the waistband of his pants where he kept his gun, Joey had his own weapon out and pulled the trigger without hesitation. There could be no hesitation if he was to keep his secret. The clean shot nailed the center of Marco's forehead, leaving a perfectly round wound. His longtime friend, Advisor, and Confidant dropped heavily to the ground, taking Joey's secret to his grave.