[REND] 17.3 - Steering Into Trouble

Overdrive

Overdrive found it difficult to drive as his eyelids trembled and his heart raced. A sudden honk almost made him jerk the wheel hard to the left. A scream crept up from deep inside him, yearning to release the rage at the bullshit pile of bad luck dumped on him today. But he kept his damn mouth shut, worried that he might offend the person next to him.

He wanted to inject inhibitors into his bloodstream to numb his body, but he also wanted to stay alert. At the first sign of danger, he was going to—Nothing!

He was already sitting next to danger! Not a couple of feet between them. Even if he replaced all the blood flowing in his body with stimulants and strength-enhancing chemicals, he couldn’t escape.

Inhibitors, it is. He imagined coolness flowing through his veins, though the inhibitors didn’t work that way. As calmness set in, he forced himself to think about how to get out of this scrap alive. He had been in much worse situations. In contrast, he wasn’t beaten up or chained—he was very much alive and could talk his way out of this. Surely, a monster could be reasoned with.

The Adumbrae, calling herself Red Hood, rode shotgun in his brand-new Porsche 911 Cepat. She absentmindedly scratched the stitching of the full-grain leather covering the door. He paid a great deal for it to be custom-made.

Then she reached up at the ceiling—she had told him to put up the roof earlier because the wind messed her hair—and scratched it. The scritch-scritch sound her nails made Overdrive grip the steering wheel tighter.

Glancing up, he saw distinct lines on the light leather. “Uh…” A sound escaped his mouth despite himself.

“What?” Red Hood asked, her voice muffled by the face mask covering her mouth and nose, as she lowered her arm. Without her hoodie, she looked smaller than in their first encounter. She looked at him with innocent eyes above her mask, an effective disguise for an Adumbrae hiding among people.

“No-nothing…” Overdrive shook his head as he faced front again. “Are you, uh, comfortable?”

“Kind of. It’s my first time in this sort of car. The angle of the seat is just weird. So low. But I’m fine with it.”

“That’s good… good,” Overdrive said, not knowing what to reply. Fortunately, the Adumbrae didn’t say anything more. She returned to checking her phone, waiting for the signal she told him about. She had promised to let him go if everything went well.

As if Overdrive didn’t have enough shit to deal with on his plate. Shitty fucking plate full of shit. He didn’t need an Adumbrae threatening to kill him. How did it get to this?

Earlier, Overdrive sent Tommy Gee and Biter to report to Jim Ambrose that they had problems filling the order for warm bodies. To be accurate, his subordinates talked to one of Jim Ambrose’s guys at Eve, the stuck-up manager of the place. Overdrive knew that Jimmy Ambrose wouldn’t be at the club until late at night, when the rich people started their creepy rituals and depraved nonsense. It was a subordinate-to-subordinate meeting. Overdrive didn’t want to show his face unless necessary—he needed to protect some of his status and wouldn’t allow one of Jimmy Ambrose’s guys to chew him out.

But Overdrive also wanted to immediately know what happened during the meeting. A call wouldn’t cut it for him. He wanted to look at the faces of Tommy Gee and Biter to check if they were lying to him about how… badly… it had gone.

Overdrive expected them to fuck it up but was too chicken to go himself. He parked a block away from Eve, eyeing the place while waiting for his men to exit.

That was when Red Hood popped right outside his car like the scariest jack-in-the-box in the history of humanity. At first, he didn’t recognize her, thinking she was some random teenage girl interested in a guy with a car like his—it wouldn’t be the first time that happened. But when she spoke, the night she barged into his castle returned to him.

Red Hood reminded him of his offer to help.

“Ye-yeah! I’ll help you with anything,” Overdrive blurted back then. There was no other reply. “Anything within my abilities,” he quickly clarified as Red Hood rounded his car and jumped into the passenger’s side.

“Oh, I think this is very much within your abilities,” she said. “I need help with two things, actually. One, a ride to the docks. This car will do it. And, two, someone to stay here and press a button. Call up one of your guys.”

“I have someone nearby.”

And so, Overdrive tasked Tommy Gee and Biter with Red Hood’s second request. He had wanted only one of them to stay near Eve and the other to accompany him to the docks—he didn’t want to be alone with an Adumbrae—but neither of them wanted to. He thought of threatening them, but didn’t want to look like he had no control over his subordinates in front of the Adumbrae. He had promised her that they’d fulfil her request.

“If you’re wondering what that button does,” Red Hood said, “I guess it’s only fair to tell you. It’ll make something go boom at Eve.”

“What!” Overdrive and his men exclaimed simultaneously.

“Don’t worry,” said Red Hood. “It’s going to be a minor blast. No one’s going to get harmed. Maybe. Press the button when I say so, and then off you go. I just need a distraction for what I’d do at the docks.”

“Wha-what are you going to do there?” Overdrive dared ask. He had to know what he was getting into. Would Red Hood use him as a ‘distraction’ too? Some kind of human shield at the docks? “You mean the area controlled by Big Marcy, am I right?”

“I’m going to mess up the place. Didn’t you say that you’ll help me if I want to do something about Big Marcy?”

Overdrive slowly nodded. He did want to get back at Big Marcy, but he didn’t imagine that he’d be on the front of whatever it’d be. He should be safe in his base while he orders men around to bring about Big Marcy’s downfall.

It turned out that Red Hood had a different idea.

Overdrive guessed that she might’ve been observing them for some time now, gauging if they’d betray her, like reporting her to Big Marcy. Or maybe track her down or something. If they moved in any way against her, she’d return to their base and wipe them out. Overdrive constantly reminded his men to act as if they were being watched. And he was damn right!

When Red Hood saw that Overdrive and his gang didn’t do anything, she became comfortable enough to ask for help. Or maybe… this was another test. It had to be. She didn’t need their help for something as simple as pressing a button and going to the docks.

Red Hood's showing up was proof that this was an elaborate scheme. That was what Overdrive’s gut told him. She also probably got one of his guys to talk. Was it Biter? Tommy Gee? Somebody else? How else could Red Hood have known their plans? She planted the bomb at Eve at the same time they were going there.  

She wants to ensure my loyalty, Overdrive thought as he drove. This was what the schemes of an Adumbrae looked like, and he was wrapped up in it. Scary shit.

There was no way Jim Ambrose would let Overdrive and his men live if he knew their part in bombing Eve, even if it turned out to be a small explosion, and what shit may go down at the docks. It’d be something big over there. That metal-dicked bastard wouldn’t accept any explanation.

What could Overdrive say anyway? That he was forced by the Adumbrae? Jim Ambrose would tell him that he should’ve fought back and died like a man. Overdrive was really fucking trapped.

He was also where he wanted to be. Hell, being the henchman of an Adumbrae was acceptable. Better serve under a monster than a fellow man who was as bad as a monster.

“Excuse me, Ms. Red Hood—”

“Just ‘Red Hood’ is fine.”

“Uh, yeah, Red Hood. Should I tell my guys to press the button?” Overdrive hoped that made him appear eager to help.

“Not yet,” she said, looking at her phone. “I haven’t received word from my guys that it’s a go.”

Overdrive narrowed his eyes. This Adumbrae commanded an organization. He shouldn’t be surprised by this. Red Hood was quite powerful and had been an Adumbrae for some time already. She was a Complete Manifestation and probably a Tier Two, at the least. He bet that she neared Tier Three, but not quite there yet, or she would’ve flattened the docks without the need for distractions or planning. The fake Adumbrae and augmented dudes guarding the place posed somewhat of a threat to her.

It was a good thing that she wasn’t Tier Three, or she wouldn’t need his help. A plan clicked in his head. He should make himself useful now and enjoy the benefits when Red Hood becomes stronger.

Or would she simply eat him when that time came?

I’ll offer up Big Marcy and the fucking Tea Party first. Then, he’d dip before Red Hood decided to take a shot at becoming a Purple Bloom. This was the right path. Big Marcy was on the losing side.

“Can we trust them?” Red Hood asked. “The two guys you left back there.”

“Ain’t no way they’re betraying us, I swear a million times. They’ve been with me since way back. Brothers, almost.”

“How’s Gorilla—um, I mean to say, how’s that guy who tried to shoot me? The one whose gun exploded? Huge guy that looks like a gorilla.”

Overdrive gulped. Would Red Hood ask him to kill Chewie to prove his loyalty? Was she still angry at what happened? “He’s… Uh, he got himself checked. Dunno what happened after that because he’s useless to me.” He didn’t tell the truth that Chewie was recovering at his home. Overdrive even visited him yesterday.

“Ah, check up on him. See how he’s doing.”

“I’ll try… if I can find him. Probably went somewhere else to get treated. He got records, you see. Criminal records. He wouldn’t just show his face at the hospital.” Overdrive needed to move the conversation away from Chewie. “You know, Teflon is fine and—”

Red Hood’s phone beeped. She read the message. “Hmmm, they got there earlier than expected. We’re like five minutes away.” She shrugged. “Okay, time to bomb the place. Tell your guys.”

“Got it.” Overdrive then called Tommy Gee to press the button. “Take a vid and send it to me, got it?”

There were several seconds of silence in the car after he ended the call. Red Hood tapped her fingers on the armrest, humming a tune to herself. Was that the song of the Phoenix Wings TV commercial? Then a horrific thought came to Overdrive—did Red Hood eat humans?

He had offered to find her bodies, but she refused him. However, it didn’t mean that she didn’t eat people; she probably had her own subordinates find her food. She could also be the type of Adumbrae that only ate other Adumbrae to hasten their growth. Those were rare because Adumbrae didn’t show up everywhere.

Red Hood is going to the docks! How could he realize it only now? She was going to feed on the Adumbrae manufactured by Mark and Big Marcy! She aimed to become stronger fast, strong enough to defend against Big Marcy’s counterattack.

He was getting tangled up in something huge.

His phone vibrated. “Red Hood, ma’am. Here’s the explosion.” He slowed down the car as he showed her his phone. A car in the parking lot of Eve exploded. The blast underneath it was strong enough to send it flipping into the side of the building. The fireball swallowed a couple of nearby cars.

“Oh, that’s bigger than I expected,” Red Hood nonchalantly said. “Good job for your guys. Buy them a chocolate cake later or something.”

“Yes, I will,” he answered, wondering if ‘chocolate cake’ had a deeper meaning. Was it the Adumbrae trying to mimic human behavior? It probably knew that cakes were for celebrations.

“We’ll see if that’ll panic the guys at the docks a bit or what. We’re getting near our destination. You know that Big Marcy’s place is there, right?”

“I do, yeah,” Overdrive replied. “But they won’t allow me past the—”

“We’re not going there. Head to the border of Big Marcy’s compound near the water.”

Overdrive nodded. He turned into a parking area of cargo trucks, hoping to hide the car from the view of Big Marcy’s men patrolling the whole length of the twelve-foot-tall chain-link fence. He parked as close to the water as he could. It seemed like Red Hood was going to swim.

“Okay, then,” Red Hood said. “Thanks for the ride. I was going to give you money for gas, but you’re probably rich with all your illegal stuff.”

“I’ll find a spot to wait for you,” Overdrive said, not sure how to respond to her. “While you finish your… business. But I can’t stay here.” He looked around. “My car’s sticking out like an undercover cop in Marsh Row. Everyone knows everyone there, you see. I’ll find a spot further away—I’m not leaving you, Ms. Red Hood,” he quickly added. “It’s just—”

“You better leave before the party starts. Well, it’s not actually a party. A dying party, I guess. You don’t want to be one of those who’ll die… do you?”

“No, no! I don’t want to die. I’ll leave; I’ll leave. Yeah! And I’ll follow up on the assignment you gave me.”

“What assignment? Oh, about Kelsey and Red Island.” She held up a finger. “Since you know sketchy places, can you suggest an area where I can destroy things without disturbing anyone? Sometimes I just went to release my pent-up strength, you know? I can’t exactly do that at Marsh Row.”

“What about New Hope? There are—”

“Nope. Not there. I’m strong enough to bring down a building. Someplace not so open.”

Overdrive scratched his chin, thinking of an answer. Red Hood probably wanted to hide underground while transforming. “Ah, I know! The bunkers!”

(Author's Notes: I wanted this chapter to be in Overdrive's POV so we can have a ton of misunderstandings about who Erind really was. I find the scenario entertaining. It also sets up a bigger role for the gangsters in the future. Of course, Overdrive will spread the legend of Red Hood and her organization, hoping to one day join it.

The next chapter will be back to Erind's POV. We have reached 4k followers on Royal Road. To celebrate, we'll have a bonus chapter tomorrow, Thursday. We'll still have our regular release on Friday. A huge thank you for your support. REND couldn't grow without your help. Onwards to 4.5k. We'll show RR that a story like REND can become big.)