Chapter 2: The Talent
June, 14th 1940, A group of young men run through the alleys of Gotham. From a young age, children learn the ways of the street. Be tough, take what you want, and don't get caught!
Currently, a group of boys around fifteen or sixteen years old are running frantically!
"Run Chip, can't let the Benito brothers catch us, they work for "Shakes!" The boys continue to run and evade the Benito brothers.
The Benito brothers catch up, but they lose the boys when someone interferes. A foot stuck out and tripped Freddy Benito, the oldest and biggest of the bunch. Freddy crashed into the ground face-first. He pushed up from the ground in anger.
"Who tripped me?!" He yelled. Freddy's face got scraped when he fell. There was a track mark with blood flowing out. He stopped yelling in anger and retreated in fear when he saw a young man come out from behind some boxes.
"Talent!" Freddy and the others yelled.
"Hey 'ya Freddy, boys," the young man "Talent" only looked to be around sixteen, but he was dressed in a suit and smoking a cigarette. His fedora was raised slightly making him look like an all-American likable boy. If not for the cigarette and the look of danger in his eye he would look harmless.
"Hey 'ya talent, how's it goin'?" Freddy got up and seemed a foot shorter.
"You boys know you got a job for Shakes tonight, right?" Talent took a drag on his cigarette.
"Sure, we knows we was just havin' some fun with dem brats." Freddy spoke quickly.
"Yeah, just a little fun, huh. That don't seem so harmless, less of course you boys get yourselves hurt, pinched by the cops, or anythin' that puts you out of commission for tonight. How you gonna explain to the boss his thing don't happen cuz you was 'just havin' some fun with dem brats?'" Talent waited for a response.
When no one said anything, Talent threw his cigarette on the ground and mashed it out with his foot. He sharpened his eyes as he looked at the Benito brothers and their friends.
"Better watch out, you mess this up and you might be hearing from 'ol Butch." Talent watched as the Benito brothers and their friends turned pale when they heard that Cyrus "Butch" Gold might have some words with them.
"We won't screw up talent, honest, we'll go home right now and wait for tonight. No need for Butch!" The boys' backs were drenched in cold sweat.
"You can go," Talent said. Freddy gave a subservient smile and turned to run away with the others.
Talent watched the boys and lit another cigarette.
"Hey ya' Tommy," Talent said as he turned his head to see a man around twenty creep out from the shadows.
"Or should I call you Hush these days, hmmm?" Talent grinned at the man.
"You've got some ears hangin' from that bell of yours. No one else hears me comin'." A tall good-looking young man with a solid jaw thick black hair and a build like Johnny Weissmuller.
No one took Hush lightly, but Talent always seemed to be an exception. He acted like there was nothing to fear, but to others in the underworld, Hush was feared like the Grim Reaper. He wore a light gray suit with a matching fedora.
"You gotta have good ears on the street, you taught me that when I was a kid," Talent smiled back at Tommy. He was one of the few people other than the big bosses who got to call him by his real name.
"You ain't that snot-nosed punk from back in the day. You're makin' a name for yourself, but you're with that small-time hood Shakes. Why don't ya' come and work for Mr. Manfredi?"
"Why would I work for Mr. Manfredi when he's got you?" Talent laughed.
"Well, he won't have me for much longer. I'm leavin' the states," Tommy said.
For the first time, Talent looked surprised. "What are ya' talkin' about?"
"I always told you, didn't I, these streets are too small for me. I finished my studies at Harvard and did my time as an intern. I got things startin' in Germany.
I don't know when I'll be back. Mr. Manfredi wasn't so happy hearin' about me leaving, but I promised him a new talent," Tommy smiled at Talent.
"Me? I'm just a young punk startin' out, why would he want me?" Talent asked.
"Because you got "talent," you're a natural at this life, and you could be a boss someday. So, why not use you now and not let you grow?" Tommy laughed.
"Hah, you think I want to be under someone's thumb?" Talent gave a disgusted look.
"Do you think I'd put you into this if I thought Manfredi could keep you under his thumb? Didn't we have a dream of our own, to make our own Crime Syndicate? Only thing is that none of us know what we're doin'." Tommy said.
"What yer sayin' is I use Manfredi to learn the ropes, make some connections, and then it's our turn?" Talent said with a smile.
"That's right, I'm going to Germany to train with Die Grösshorn Eule, it's German for the Horned Owl. He's like a one-man army.
When Manfredi heard, he offered to pay my expenses. Nothin' like a trained assassin to have on the payroll," Tommy grinned for a moment before his face became stoic once more.
"You joinin' them Nazis?" Talent asked with a frown.
"I'm usin' the Nazis, I heard they have their hands on some nice things. Training plus treasure is two birds with one stone," Tommy said.
"That sounds just like you, but these ain't some bums you're dealin' with. What if they come after you?"
"You think they can win this war? Hitler's crazy and paranoid. I just know he's gonna poke that bear (Soviets) one of these days, and then that'll be it."
Talent looked at his friend with a confident smile, "You take care of Germany, and I'll take care of Gotham," he said.
"You ain't ready for the Bat, though, wait for me and I'll take care of him. Just quietly get stronger." Tommy said.
"Alright, I already know the Bat belongs to you. What do I gotta do to join Manfredi?" Talent asked.
"Deliver the goods you're stealin' tonight to us. We're goin' ta take care of Shakes. Some of your boys might die." Tommy indicated with his eyes the ones who just left.
"What's it matter to me, thems boys is useless. Sacrifices for our Crime Syndicate."
Both Talent and Tommy smiled.
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