004. DIABOLICAL BLOKE

✎ S1E1 ⇢ ˗ˏˋ PART 4 , 2019

| "THE NAME OF THE GAME"

     *Ring...Ring...Ring*

Dean awaited his turn in a training room, with Crimson Countess, Black Noir, Mindstorm, Swatto and the TNT twins. To fight against Soldier Boy, who was currently fighting against Gunpowder. Dean stood in confusion, he knew the names of these people, yet he didn't know them...except Black Noir. He knew who Soldier Boy was also yet it felt like something was blocking him to know more.

Dean felt like, he had watched and controlled someone else through their eyes. His vision felt like he was seeing through a camera lens, the outer sides are darkened while towards the middle, was clear as a glass cup. He soon shifted when hearing a cracking sound.

"If you can't lay a single hit on me, why the hell on you even on this team? Fuckin' pussy. Don't know why I put up with you- don't know why I put up with any of you." He sees Gunpowder on the mat, face full of blood. Leaking from his nose, multiple cuts on his face and bruising formed around his eye. Crimson entered the ring and gets beside gunpowder to help him up.

"Oh come on, he can handle himself, goose." Dean sees Crimson give a furious look at Soldier Boy.

"We're just training...why are always like this?" Crimson's voice rose in anger as she spoke.

Dean sees himself entering the mat and slowly walks up to the three.

"Watch your fuckin' tone with me." Before Dean can get to them, Black Noir entered and blocked Soldier Boy from advancing towards Crimson and Gunpowder.

"Ben, stop." Black Noir tells him.

"Get outta the way before you get fucked up." Soldier boy demanded.

Tension filled the air before Black Noir spoke. "No!"

Dean saw Soldier Boy sigh. "I told you." In a matter of seconds Soldier Boy has Noir on the ground, punching him till his head is fully in the mat. Dean ran up behind Soldier Boy trying to get him to stop. Every teammate is yelling at Soldier Boy to stop as well.

"Ben stop, he's learned his lesson!" Dean tries to pry Bens' hands off Noir. The strength difference between Dean and Ben is noticeable. Ben can overpower any of them in a matter of seconds.

"Dean get off of me, I don't want to hurt you." Dean watched as he felt himself try continuous times to get him off, not regarding what Ben told him.

Ben huffed in annoyance."For fucks sake." Dean felt pain in his face and his vision fading. He felt himself laying fully on the mat. Ringing started to go off in his ear. The last thing he sees is Ben picking his body up before everything goes black.

*Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

RING...

RING...*

Dean slowly opens his eyes, realizing what had just happened was just a dream...was it? It felt vivid and real to him. He rubs his eyes and sits on his bottom on his bed. He closes his eyes once more to catch any sleep he could, the ring he heard in his dream went off again. Opening his eyes from the interruption, he finds his phone going off on the bedside table. Grabbing it, the screen read, Hughie calling. Looking at the time before answering, it read, 9pm. He only slept for a few hours, it was good enough for him.

Hitting accept, he puts the phone to his ear. "What's going on Hughie?" His voice raspy and husky.

"Hey Dean- oh are you going to sleep? Sorry for waking you up, I'll just call you later."

Dean rubs his face with his other hand and lets it rest on his lap. "No, you're alright man. Just- what'd you call me for?"

"Right um, I just wanted someone here with me at my work. It's pretty lonely at night here," He hears Hughie laugh. "I probably sound like a loser, don't I?"

"Nah, you don't. Work gets lonely." Dean shakes his head at Hughie's' self-esteem. Silence beckons between the phone line. Dean grunts as he stands from his bed. "I'll be there Hughie. I got nothin' better else to do. Send me the location?"

"Alright- see you Dean."

"See ya." Dean hangs up the phone and walks to his drawer, wondering what to wear to meet Hughie at his job.

════════════════════════════

Dean looks at his phone as he crosses an intersection, following the directions Hughie gave him. Before walking out of his small apartment, he put on a grey hoodie, black pants and wore white shoes. Once getting to the other side of the sidewalk he pulls up his hoodie. Due to it getting colder, he lets out a breath. He then puts his phone back in his pocket.

His ears soon pick up on another set of feet coming up behind him. Stops for a few seconds to determine if they stop as well...they do.

Maybe it's just a coincidence, sidewalk isn't just for me... Dean thought as he started to walk again.

He listens for the footsteps; good thing it's not packing of people at 10:00pm on the sidewalks or else hearing for these distinctive footsteps will be harder than usual.

Almost at the door Dean gives one last glance behind him and sees a stock figure behind a wall. Half of the body seen and the other blocked by the wall, which led to an allyway. The only light that lets Dean see the figure is the streetlight next to them. But where it's positioned causes the face to be fully darkened out. Dean decides it's time to head inside, he may be a superhero, but he can be a pussy at times. And probably because he has no fast-healing factor or invincibility like his brother, John.

The door makes a ring sound as Dean opens it. He sees Hughie alongside a wall that has products of wiring. Dean makes a whistle sound to catch Hughie's attention. It works and Hughie turns around and sees him. He smiles and timidly walks up to Dean while Dean looks around the place. "You made it." Hughie says.

"Well duh buddy, I told you I come." Dean walks to the counter where the cash register is placed and sit on top of it.

Hughie gushes with a smile and looks down. "Right, that, that you did..."

"So what exactly do you do here?" Dean leans on his palms that are rested on the counter behind his back.

"I just- it's just uh selling hardware for anything. Computer, tv's, speakers..." Hughie talks as he goes back to work. Nodding, Dean takes in the information.

"Hey, what type of music do you listen to?" Dean asks out of the blue.

Hughie pauses his movement and looks back at Dean. He lets out a quick laugh. "That's random but uh, I been listening to a lot of Billy Joel recently."

Dean was suprised, he rarely finds someone who listens to him. "No shit? Me too."

Hughie eyes expand. "Really?"

Dean nods then starts to sing, We Didn't Start the Fire, off key. "~Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide, foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz..." Dean sees Hughie smile at his failed attempt to sing.

"Come on Hughie, I know you want to sing it." Dean gestures with his eyebrows wiggling.

"Dean, if I wanted to sing I'd be on Americas got talent or some shit like that. Nice try," Hughie gave Dean a smug look.

Dean rolls his eyes. "What Debby downer you are. That's fine, I'll just continue to sing." At that, he sings off key to the song, making Hughie laugh. 

Hughie stares at Dean and lets out a longing sigh. "Thanks dean- for a lot actually. During all this crap going on, you've been keeping my mind off it...thank you." He interupts Deans failed attempt at singing.

Dean smiles at Hughie. "What are friends for?"

The moment gets interrupted when a man in all black walks in the store. Dean stays in place, and he sees the man looking directly at him. The man gives him a harden gaze as if he knew who Dean really was. The man kept his gaze on him until he goes to an aisle and grabs a teddy bear.

Hughie coughs and heads towards the customer. "You interested in a nanny cam? 'Cause we're actually running a special on that. Um, it's a pretty popular bear. There's cameras in the eyes."

The man voice was husky and deep as he spoke. "Tell me, how many nannies shake their babies?"

Hughie stands flabbergasted and gives a look at Dean. Dean shrugs his shoulders with his eyebrows scrunched up. Hughie looks back at the man. "Uh, I'm sorry?"

"You know, a good...hard shake, like..." He demonstrates by giving the most outrageous shake ever to a stuffed toy. "Like tryin' to get ketchup out of a bottle. One percent? Less?"

Hughie seems at a loss for words. "I-I don't really know."

"Funny that. They sell a billion dollars' worth of that shit worldwide. Goes to show you, doesn't it? The bollocks people will believe if you get them scared enough." The man sets the teddy down and walks aside where Hughie stood. Giving a glance at Dean once more when saying the last sentence.

"Cool, cool. Um...Is there anything I can help you with today, or...?" Dean watches as the man started to get closer to Hughie. Dean gets his powers ready to help Hughie if the man tries anything, disregarding if Hughie found out his identity.

"I'm not gonna piss you about, Hughie. I heard what happened to Robbin." When hearing the man talk about Hughie's dead girlfriend, Dean quickly got off the counter and slowly approaches from behind.

"I'm-I'm-I'm sorry, who are you?" Hughie ask, more alert.

Dean decides to speak up. "You alright there, Hugie?"

Hughie looks behind him and makes eyes contact with Dean. "Yeah- yeah I'm good."

"She wasn't in the street. She was one step off the fucking curb. And you didn't take the pay-off."

Oh Shit.

Dean heard about this when walking past a room where Stillwell was talking with A-train about it.

From hearing about Robbin, Hughie gains confidence and stand up to the man. "Yeah. I said, who the hell are you? How do you know that?"

"Name's Butcher. Billy Butcher." Butcher handed Hughie his credentials, showing he was part of the FBI.

FBI...The hells the FBI doing here...why just one guy...?

"Listen, I was thinking that, uh, you and me should have a little bit of a chat." Butcher pauses and looks at Dean. "And uh your good ol' buddy there too mate."

Dean and butcher share a knowable look at each other. Both knew right then and there; they knew who Dean was. "I need a one-on-one with you, son."