Clyde is a leader

The gang has grown and mainly consists of Fatboy, a close friend of Clyde’s, Sam, Vic, Leroy, Tom and Sally, the lady amidst them. Well over seventy children and teens joined up at this time. The numbers of recruits only climbing. Fatboy personally was saved from being imprisoned and lynched. Sally and Sam have a thing going on, of course, they literally could not keep their eyes off each other from the first instance of them meeting at a bar the gang visited. Then there is Sam’s little brother John, there are others of course, some regulars, some preferring a more hands off approach, all identifying with Clyde. The Broken Wings gang, each with their own backstories. 

 

 It had taken a while for Clyde to build a gang that he deemed loyal and even more time to gain a foothold in the underground and the currents of politics and families that flowed tumultuously in each of the towns. 

The free society is pervaded by corruption and supposed powerful individuals, who owed their strength to their shady corporate dealings and extensive links to the underworld. All in control of the top corporations rising up and establishing factories and schools under their control. Controlling what was learned and creating sheep to serve them. 

 

The police and the families are in connivance to keep others down, exploiting the market and using the gangs for blackmail, murder, exploitation and economic manipulation. Those who defy being either killed or set up. All of this, known to Clyde, or atleast, having been  found out. 

 

He formed his gang and named them “Broken wings”, they nicknamed him “Crow, the Popboss” based on his ability to make rapid fire decisions and dynamic ability to adapt to conditions and situations as they arose.

 

He began his campaign to steadily erode the power of the families and bring down the corrupt system, his first target were the politicians, the buck began with them, the policies and orders circulated from within their ranks which concealed the major numbers of the families and the Capas of the various gangs. It was really unbelievable, most gangs had Capas who were placed as powerful government officials, the state of the economy was still truly dismal with such fiends in place.

 

 Many towns were split and run by individual gangs that answered to one Capa. Removing those gangs and the Capa, meant that whoever did so, could keep that town for themselves. That, Clyde did. 

 

 His foray into targeting the politicians soon escalated into a gang civil war in which the rival gangs fought to first isolate the town from others and then gain absolute control over the affairs of the underworld and inversely the real society. The upheaval continued. He began going after the Caps, first going for the most powerful, it was an unexpected strategy and it yielded great dividends.

 

 They raided a steam powered factory which was the hideout of a powerful Capa known as Fernargo Dourjuban. The success itself had been based on a quite lucky interception of a messenger who couldn’t quite hold his drink against Fatboy and spilled out secrets once made pliable enough by generous mugs provided by a gang member. Broken Wings acted quickly on the information as the Capas were known for changing locations randomly to reduce the possibility of being attacked or discovered.

 

This particular Capa being quite intelligent, had guessed just what Clyde might be up to and began sending out assassins to take down Clyde, a combination of luck and quick thinking on not a few occasions were the only thing that kept Clyde’s head still solidly attached to his neck.  These attempts caused Clyde to intensify the search and the break came soon after.

 

 Passing the falls that cascaded over massive walls, Clyde and the gang arrived at the steam factory. Cracking the locks took some special skill which certain members of the broken wings possessed, the battle in the factory was brutal and Clyde soon found himself isolated and fighting to the death with the giant bodyguard the Capa had in his employ. A large Russian, known to many as Hercules the ice throng. Clyde’s quick thinking pointed to the fact that a steam factory would have hot high pressure pipes filled with steam and the seams might be weak and pliable to force.

 

 Manoeuvring the fight close to one of those meant taking some hits and he was bleeding in a number of places by the time he got the position he needed, all he had to do was dodge a blow, the powerful blow hit the seam and it split, then widened rapidly, blasting out a jet of boiling, high pressure steam down on the bodyguard, he actually boiled to death, unable to see where Clyde was or the railing that lead him  to a steep drop into the abyss of accumulating falls.

 

Now able to join up with the rest of his gang, they dispatched and tied down the rest, then interrogated the Capa himself, vital information involving Capa movements, rank, planned meetings and possible links to the death of his father were all what Clyde learned. The most important meeting was coming up soon at Strong Crow town and there, part of the gang headed. 

 

Blinking twice over, Clyde stopped spacing out. He couldn’t believe it. There was no way. He found Bonnie in Strong Crow of all places.

 

His eyes remained glued on her, unable to advert them. Her eyes held onto his just the same. Her beauty, the same face and being he fell for long ago. Clyde couldn’t help but tip up his hat and laugh when she asked him what he was doing in such a place. 

 

He had the choice to tell her the truth right out, but chose not to.

He merely told her “Cleaning shoes, can’t you tell? This right here gives the prettiest shine” Clyde riddled the bottle he had. In reality, he was in the area gathering information on the police rounds and the politicians. Blending enabled him and the others, access to information that was gleaned from conversations, activities and studying reactions. All of that, was kept to himself. 

 

 He had been having quite a lovely time with the distinguished gentleman who seemed to be a warm individual. 

 

The elderly fellow swatted Clyde’s hat, prompting Clyde to tear his eyes from hers and return to the job at hand, polishing the shoes until he was satisfied at how it looked, through it all, he could feel her eyes transfixed on him, watching him like a cat desiring fish. 

 

“ It’s him .. it really is .. him “She bit down on the ridge of her lip.  

 

Seeing the young man was about done, the old man flicked a coin to Clyde, it was about three times what he should be paid, grinning widely, Clyde nods at the man as he leaves and then turns to Bonnie where she sat patiently.

 

“Do my eyes deceive me? Tell it isn’t so” She reached out and grasped Clyde’s shoulder, then placed her hand on his cheek. She looked up to how tall he had gotten. 

 

“ You’ve grown in the years I haven’t seen you “ Her hands went to his soft hair, her small fingers brushing below the hat he had on. Her fingernail circled Clyde’s hair and relished in the fact it actually was the young man she adored. He had trimmed the sides to a certain degree, she noticed. 

 

 “Did you get adopted?” She jumped to a very heart wrenching question right away. 

“About that…” Clyde figured he wouldn’t be able to lie to her of all people. It was the same Bonnie that read him years ago, who saw the faulty human darkness in him even when all he showed was positivity outwardly.

 

Their talk lasted a while, allowing them to catch up on how things had changed. Clyde was very indecisive of telling her everything that had happened. “No, I wasn’t adopted. That adoption place .. was connected to trafficking, “

 

“Oh gosh .. Did everyone make it out okay?” 

“I took those who wanted to leave, “  Is all he said.

“Caesar..” She thought to herself. 

She knew there was more. She could tell he was keeping back and recalled their chat in the orphanage of everything he had gone through in the past. He had told her of everything he did as if professing his sins to an angel.

 

 Now, what was different? Why wasn’t he telling her anything? Was she not the same angel to him? This pegged her, what was the big mystery? She reached out, tugging him closer. 

She knew it wasn’t as pretty as he attempted to paint it at that moment. Clyde’s eyes weren’t on her. This being one trait she noted, that he’d do whenever he was avoiding speaking to her about uneasy times. At least, that’s what she thought at first. Observing him, it seemed he was watching out for someone or surveying something.  

 

 Bonnie turned her head, in the direction he was staring. She noticed Caesar, who was still searching for her. He was accompanied by another officer. Her heart leapt, thinking of the fact that he’s an officer and his motives, she was sure something would happen between them if the two crossed paths. 

 

As expected, Clyde stood up when he spotted Caesar. She staggered up, afraid that Clyde would go towards him but rather, Clyde turned his back and told her that they’d chat another time but she wanted to know why he was in Strong  Crow in the first place. 

 

Caesar hadn’t seen them yet. Letting the policeman see him at this point would be detrimental to his plans, he couldn’t stick around. In a single hop,  Clyde jumped over the bench, tipping his hat down to cover his eyes, he slipped his right hand to his hip, where he concealed his pistol and went off on his way. Bonnie followed after him. 

 

Clyde walked fast onto another corner street and kept his hat down, telling her to keep away but she latched onto his arm and made him promise to visit her. She was in the area, she told him. She wouldn’t let go if he didn’t promise to see her. With little choice, Clyde reluctantly agreed, arranging a meeting point.

 

 She let go and Clyde disappeared into a crowd, as Bonnie turned away and saw Caesar, staring her way. He tipped his hat, her way as a hello and she shook  her head, avoiding eye contact. Bonnie walked off, deciding to return home.

 

The whole way home, Bonnie couldn’t contain her excitement at having actually crossed paths with Clyde again after so many years, she giggled the whole way there and spent the rest of that week waiting eagerly to see him again at their agreed upon meeting place. 

 

 Each day went by, she grew sadder, she wanted to see him and hoped that he’d come earlier but he didn’t. “ Does.. he even like me anymore?” “ He does .. I’ll see him, he wouldn’t ever break a promise “ 

 

On a weekend evening, the house was especially rather quiet and anyone just coming in would assume that it was empty. It was not, Bonnie was in her room, she was not feeling up to going out that day.

 

She would not have overhead the conversation; she had been going to the kitchen to get something to eat when she caught hushed voices coming from the anteroom. No workers were around, so who could it be? She quietly moved in to investigate.

 

“…… really worried about him, he has high chances of getting in the way of the meeting we got planned, “

 

“He hasn’t been caught yet? Those lousy rats found their way here too …. Guards have to be placed on those trains, why hasn’t Lucario been told of this?! Come on! “

 

“I don’t want anything going wrong, the bounty hunters I sent out have been largely disappointing, they report he moves like a smoke and there is no concrete information on his location, this so called ‘Popboss’ has become a thorny issue I do not like, it needs to be solved”

 

“Well, he’s here with those other rats isn’t he?”

“Put more officers on patrol”

“It’s not that simple”

 

The voices move towards the entrance and Bonnie scampered out of sight, the little she has heard baffling her. Who is this Popboss and why does her father want him gone? She asked herself worried.