(January 8th, 2030)

  A pack of five odd figures marched through the sewers of Neo York, the renamed amalgamate Super City of New York City, Jersey City, Hoboken, Newark, Yonkers, and Elizabeth.

  At the back of the group, a bipedal chimeric amphibious creature swam through the filthy water like a torpedo. This beast, Mega-Jaw, had a mouth full of large, serrated, carbon gray teeth stuck in an uncanny smile. Jogging on the walkway beside Mega-Jaw was an athletic eight-foot woman with white hair, gray skin, and red eyes. The skin of this zombie-like woman, Patchwork, was decorated with dozens of wraparound stitches. Just behind those two, a puddle of rust-red slime slithered on the cement. The lower half of the slime creature, Dissolve, was utterly amorphous, while its upper half was in the shape of a bald, expressionless young man.

  Ahead of those three, the only fully human ones flew over the sewage on electricity. Literally riding a lightning bolt as if it were a skateboard, a messy blond-haired, blue-eyed teenager, with a supermodel’s face and physique, raced down the sewer. This was the group’s leader, the evil spirit called King Chaos, who was possessing the body of Issac Turner. Riding piggyback on Chaos was a boy-goliath with more than a half foot on him and matching hair and eyes. This was Doug Turner, or Prince Anarchy, Issac’s little brother. His face was mangled, and his broken arm was in a sling.

  These freaks were the Council of Chaos, the world’s first Super Crooks. Each of them wore at least some scraps of prison uniforms and stolen clothes, except for Dissolve. They had broken free from Gehenna Prison days ago and had been surviving by climbing in and out of the sewers to gather info and food.

  “We almost there?” Anarchy asked as he rested on his brother’s shoulders.

  “Just around the next corner,” Chaos assured. “No more sewer dinners, Tiny. And we’ll get you patched up.”

  “Thank fuck,” Anarchy sighed trustingly.

  While Chaos was soothed by Doug’s faith in him, the voice of Issac had something to say on the matter. Don’t let him talk like that. I raised him better.

  Yes, I did. Chaos retorted smugly as he enraged his mental prisoner. But he’s a big kid now, and we’re in the scary real world. Besides, he’s already got a body count. You seriously care if he’s cussing, control freak?

  You… You don’t get to-.

  Ha! I can do whatever I want, Partner. I’m King Chaos, and you’re the sad little boy who couldn’t do shit without me.

  For a moment, Issac was mournfully quiet until he spitefully stated. You can’t sing. I can. Doug’ll notice.

  Properly pissed, Chaos snapped. Shut it. We’re here.

  The Council then rounded a corner, only to run into a gate blocking the entire pathway.

  As the group screeched to a halt, Doug grunted and asked in discomfort, “Why’d we stop? Just break through. You’re strong enough, right?”

  “I could. But that wouldn’t be a good idea, Anarchy,” Chaos replied as he floated them down to the walkway. He then pointed to a metal box built high on the wall with a small, unlit bulb.

  “Wassat?” Doug questioned.

  Elegantly, Chaos cracked his fingers, closed his eyes, and told Doug, “An alarm. It’ll go off if we just bust through. So, this’ll be a good chance to try something.”

  The King then took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and pointed a palm at the alarm. After a second, the box sparked, smoked, then fell apart.

  “Haha! Yes! I knew it!” Chaos cried in jubilation as he jumped jovially.

  Impressed and baffled, Doug asked, “What’d ya do?”

  Flipping his messy hair, Chaos smirked and snapped his fingers as he answered coolly, “I realized, if I can control the electricity my body produces, then I can probably control all electricity. And now that that’s handled…” He then turned to look at his minion trio, who were waiting with mindless patience. “Dissolve, melt the bars.”

  With a gurgling grunt, Dissolve slipped around Chaos and Anarchy. Chaos had hoped Dissolve would create tendrils to melt each bar at its base. Instead, the brain-dead blob walked through the fence and burned a hole with his silhouette.

  As the swagger deflated from him, Chaos thought. I gotta give these guys brains sooner than later.

  You think they won’t turn on you the second they can think? Issac grumbled.

  Piss off!

  Shutting Issac out, Chaos sighed and told his group, “Okay, that works, I guess. Let’s go, Council.”

  |X|

  Inside a warehouse along one of Neo York’s docks was the operations of Ben Jim. He was a middle-aged man with a fit-fat physique and wizened yet hardened eyes. His operations controlled sixteen percent of the drug traffic in Neo York, and he was currently in his overlook office, staring out the glass window as he watched his boys in hazmat suits prepare the newest product that the supreme crime boss, Mr. Ravage, wanted on the streets. No name for it yet.

  However, the fact that Ben and the other crime bosses across America had anyone to answer to but themselves was something they preferred to keep on a need-to-know basis.

  To Ben’s shame, he was the son of the Coffin Maker, one of Neo York’s biggest Crooks from the 70s to early 2000s, who made a killing on the illegal drug market.

  Coffin Maker had taught Ben everything he needed to know about running the family business, even helping his son create a Crook persona, Jaundice Jack. However, ever since he was a child, he found his father’s Grim Reaper-like costume ridiculous, and he was no more favorable about the zombie-like getup his dad had made for him. As such, Ben convinced himself he felt no shame when he put one between his father’s eyes fifteen years ago and took over the empire.

  Under Ben’s leadership, the Coffin Family had more than tripled its value. However, Ben also had dealt with five times as many attempted coups in his fifteen years of power as Coffin Maker ever did in his entire career. In fact, just last week, Ben had beaten to death one of his lieutenants after the man had tried to poison him.

  The costume gets their respect so long as your actions can cash the check your outfit writes. You feel mythical to them. Like an untouchable monster straight outta myth. They’ll never cross ya. Ben recalled his father’s words from when he tried to convince Ben to wear his Jaundice Jack costume.

  Nonsensical, of course. The insubordination was simply a side effect of the expanding empire. At least, that’s what he insisted on believing.

  Before Ben could reconsider his life choices, he felt his factory shake. Odd, especially since he’d had the place earthquake-proofed to ensure no toxins leaked out by mistake. He didn’t get long to consider what the source of the disturbance could be before it revealed itself.

  Exploding from the men’s break room came four monsters wearing tattered prison uniforms: A ferocious lizard/fish man, a zombie-like woman, a pulsating pile of red slime with a person’s face shaped into it, and a strikingly handsome young man who soared through the air as his body was engulfed in electricity.

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  The four quickly rampaged and, in a minute, had massacred Ben’s entire work force, bashing brains in, cutting men apart, and melting them with acid and lightning. A few gunshots were fired back in desperate retaliation, but it was as if these abominations didn’t even notice.

  After the initial shock wore off, Ben realized who these monsters were. They were the Council of Chaos, the world’s first Super Crooks, and the Shining Darkness’ henchmen. He’d heard on the news that the Super Mask had busted his cronies out of Gehena a few days ago.

  But what could they be doing here? Did the Shining Darkness send them to take him out? But why would he do that? Ben had never even encountered the Shining Darkness, and even if the Super Mask was expanding his efforts to Neo York, Ben was far from the biggest fish in the pond.

  Once all Ben’s workers were dead, he saw the one called King Chaos had gone into storage while the others went off to sweep the building, came out with an XXL hazmat suit, went back through the hole in the wall he’d come from, and finally returned with someone the suit barely fit. Like a kid in a candy store, Chaos then inquisitively picked up one of the bricks of crystal product from the line, tore it open, and tossed a handful of the stuff in his mouth, easily a lethal way to consume so much of that stuff at once. As he chewed on the product, Chaos seemed to be considering its flavor before he swallowed.

  For any mortal man, they should have dropped dead in seconds. As for the freak Ben was looking at, he simply twitched briefly before shrugging and tossing the brick over his shoulder.

  Ben then felt his stomach drop, but mind clear of shock, when Chaos stared directly up at him and smiled like a school boy.

  Despite having witnessed bullets’ uselessness, Ben grabbed the Glock 45 from his belt and stumbled away from his office window just as Chaos rocketed through the glass.

  As Ben unloaded all eighteen rounds at an unbothered King Chaos, the young Crook smiled softly and threw a gas mask and a pair of safety goggles at Ben’s feet.

  While Ben desperately pulled the trigger of his empty gun, Chaos addressed him in a powerful yet charming tone, “You’re gonna want to get those on before the fumes get in here.”

  Despite the insanity of the past three minutes, Ben knew personally that King Chaos’ warning needed to be heeded. So, as he frantically put the safety gear on, Chaos went to retrieve the man in the snug hazmat suit. At the same time, Ben heard more screams and gunfire in the other rooms of his facility, before Mega-Jaw, Patchwork, and Dissolve smashed his doors down.

  Even with the blood covering them, aside from Dissolve, who had Ben’s most loyal lieutenant flailing and melting inside of him, all three stood like statues while Chaos returned. None of them reacted at all, even when Ben stood back up.

  Once Chaos ensured the man he'd carried was unharmed, he approached Ben and pleasantly said, “Hey there, Ben. So, I’m King Chaos, and this is my building now. I need you to transfer full control of the facility and its functions to me. After that, you can go.”

  Ben tried to say something back, though even he wasn’t sure what it would’ve been, but Chaos interrupted in the same happy tone, “Oh, and don’t try to pretend you’ll have any backup here soon. I picked this place because I know it’s isolated. All the other structures on this dock are just shells you use for storage. And there’s hardly even a skeleton guard out there.”

  Flabbergasted, Ben barely thought to ask, “You… You’ll let me go?”

  “Yeah. You’ve got plenty of other facilities in Neo York. What’s one lost building to a man like you, eh? Honestly, I just want the lab.” Chaos’ voice was youthfully charming in such a way that Ben almost forgot the slaughter he’d just seen this teen commit. With a backhanded wave, Chaos gestured Ben toward his desk and told him, “Come on. Let’s at least get the industrial fans on full blast. We need this place ventilated if my brother’s gonna help me work. And you’ve only got so long before the fumes get into your pores.”

  Once again, Ben knew he needed to follow Chaos’ directions for his own sake. Rushing to his computer, he opened the facility’s system controls and turned on the ventilation fans.

  “Okay. The building will be clean in a few minutes,” Ben said as he looked up to stare at Chaos. However, unearvingly, the Crook was already behind Ben, with a hand on his chair.

  “Thanks, Ben,” Chaos said as he leaned down and spoke into the crime lord’s ear. “So, do you have your passwords written down or memorized? If the ladder, just tell ‘em to me and I’ll remember them. Oh, and I’m not letting you leave until I know the passwords are real, so save me the trouble and just give me the real ones.”

  Remembering his fear from seconds ago, Ben opened a cupboard in his desk and pulled out a notepad where he had his passwords for all the facility’s functions written.

  “Here they are,” Ben said quietly as he handed the pad to Chaos.

  “Low tech? Well, whatever works,” Chaos replied cheerfully as he took the notes. He then shoved Ben’s chair aside, with him in it, knocking him over and nearby the monsters. While Chaos got to work on the computer, he told Ben with earnest derisiveness, “See ya around, little man. You’ll be handy when I’m running this town.”

  As Ben got up, a little sore, it all struck him at once. A gang of Crooks, clowns in costumes, had stormed and stolen his place in minutes. The fact they were missing their costumes at the moment didn’t change the fact that Ben could feel the ghost of his father laughing or shaking his head at him for losing to the very thing he always considered a joke. And what? This punk kid was just gonna let him live to entertain himself another day? Did he think this business was a game? No! This couldn’t be taken lying down, or Ben would lose any respect he’d worked and killed to claw together in the underworld.

  As Ben panted with rage, he suddenly kicked his chair away and yelled at King Chaos, “You- You stupid brat! You think you can get away with this!? Do you know who I am!? I swear, you mess with me again, and you’re dead!”

  During Ben’s tirade, Chaos had been toying with his computer. Once Ben had finished yelling, Chaos stood up straight, stared at him, and tilted his head with perplexed wonder. He looked at Ben as if Ben had been speaking another language.

  This made the older man feel as if he’d gotten a leg up on the brash brat. However, just as the freshly emboldened Ben was about to ask if Chaos could hear him or not, the Super Crook pointed a finger at Ben as a lightning bolt flew from it at his face.

  |X|

  Once Chaos pumped Ben with enough electricity to pop his head like a hot dog in a microwave, Issac remarked. That was… surprising. Good on him.

  Gotta admit, I’m impressed by the brass balls on the guy. Chaos retorted cordially. I assumed he’d book it. It’s why I ordered the brainless trio to tear him apart the second he tried leave after I was done with him.

  Chaos then made a show of flinching and recoiling, before he frantically checked himself, seemed relieved, and exclaimed, “Guys! I’m still alive!”

  While Doug laughed at his brother’s antics, Chaos composed himself and dismissively ordered, “Dissolve, take care of the body.”

  Once Ben’s remains were gone, the King had finished memorizing the floor plans and resetting the warehouse’s security. However, when he decided to check Ben’s email just in case it could be useful, he noticed how many urgent-marked messages he had from a ‘Mr. Ravage.’

  Well, that looks juicy. A good read once we’re settled down, eh? Chaos joked with Issac.

  Disturbed, Issac replied. You’re fucking gross. Like, did you seriously down those drugs just cuz you were curious?

  Hey, you’ve never had any drugs, so neither’ve I. I wanted to know if I’d like them… But my healing factor made ‘em duds. Besides, it’s my body, I’ll do what I want. Chaos answered with smarm intended to piss Issac off. A huge success, as the possessed boy started cussing his evil clone out.

  Amused, Chaos saved and shut down the desktop computer, handed it to Patchwork, and told Anarchy, “Alright, Tiny, you’re gonna have to stay in that Hazmat suit for about another half hour, just to be safe.”

  Disgruntled, Anarchy complained while trying not to tear his protective shell, “What? But he said it’d only take a few minutes.”

  “I know,” Chaos retorted paternally. “But he could’ve been B.S.ing us. We’re just playing it safe, is all.”

  “Mmrrr- Fine,” Anarchy pouted out. “But I can’t promise I won’t rip this thing before then.”

  Work fast, Chaos! Issac snapped in between profanity.

  In agreement for Doug’s sake, Chaos told his little brother, “Alright, bud. We’ll work quick. C’mon, let’s get down to the lab and start jerryrigging stuff. I’ll whip up a new healing drug for ya. Then you can start putting a new suit together from what’s lying around while I upgrade our minions’ brains.”

  You should sing, ‘The Boys are Back in Town.’ It’s appropriate and one of Doug’s favorites. Issac taunted as the Council of Chaos followed their King out of the office.

  Confronted by his one shortcoming compared to Issac, Chaos’ stride faltered as he thought back. Shut up. I don’t need to sing to work like you, Partner.

  Doug knows I love to sing when I work. He’ll notice you don’t. Issac snickered.

  Briefly, Chaos glanced back at Doug as he waddled awkwardly in his hazmat suit, before he told Issac. I’ll figure it out. I’m better than you in every way.

  With stark determination, Chaos marched down the hall and ran through the formulas in his head for the one hundred fiftieth time to improve his minions to shut out Issac’s taunts.