{A few days before Ultimate Carnage 6}
The bell above the door chimed as Mac Bane pushed it gently open. He pauses briefly to make sure it’s the right place. The sign on the door reads, “Witch Dagger Ink.”, a broad smile blossoms on his face. He removes his hat and smiles at the proprietor known to the Carnage faithful as “Silvio”. “Hey Sil, I decided to take you up on that offer of coffee and conversation...if you have time that is.?”.
Silvio looked up from the til he was closing and beamed. “Hey! Yeah, dude, I was just counting out for the day. How are you doing?”
Mac had a presence about him. He was the kind of person who could walk into a room and put you at ease. Honestly, he was the kind of guy who could shift the whole tone of a room one way or another just by being in it. Silvio liked that about the cowboy; admired it.
Mac smiled easily at Silvio, this was a young man that was easy to like, that made him feel at ease here in this amazing tattoo parlor. This was foreign territory for Mac, not that he was uncomfortable but respect goes a long way with this old guy, and Silvio had been that and more. “I’m good Sil, how’s things here? By the way, your shop is amazing!” Mac had spent a lot of hours under the gun so to speak so he was thoroughly impressed with the design and layout of what Silvio had done.
“Thanks! I was really lucky getting this space in Baltimore, so I’m trying to make the best of it.” Leaning forward on the counter, his eyes gleamed with curiosity. “Don’t mean to be nosy, but I’d love to see some of your work. The closest I got to seeing anything, we were kind of...occupied with beating the tar out of each other.”
It was always fun to check out new artwork on people. Silvio wasn’t the sort who believed every tattoo needed to have some deep significance behind it, but learning the motivations behind committing something permanently to the skin was always interesting. Mac smiled at the curiosity of the younger man and complied. He took off his jacket revealing a sleeveless shirt. Mac often went sleeveless to show off the sleeves that he’s had for years.
“This one here on my shoulder, I got that in Kandahar.”, he pointed to the characterization of the honey bee firing a machine gun.
“Fighting Seabees.” He smiled, then he pointed to the red asian style dragon that circled his arm.
“My wife who died a few years ago, she insisted on that one.” “Funny too, people called me that for a while, The Dragon. He shakes his head and goes on showing the rest of his sleeve to Silvio.The stone fortress behind the dragon was one of his favorites, it always reminded him of how hard he defended his home. Below that just at the elbow was a patch that resembled leather sewn into the skin. On his forearm was the skull symbol that he used representing his old faction, “The Suicide Saints”. It was a wrap job that had been done by his old friend Myke Adams.
“Nice!” Silvio said, beaming as he took in the artwork. “Let me know if you ever need touch-ups.” He looked thoughtful, drumming his fingertips on the countertop. “Sorry if I’m wrong but you guys do construction, right? I remember reading something like that when I was studying the Merchant Marines.” Mac smiled at the comment.
“We did construction on forward operations, it was pretty intense at times but that’s all ancient history. We used to laugh about us being special forces without actually being special forces. Anyway, though, that was a long time ago. I’d love to have you either touch these up or possibly do some new ink for me sometimes. I’ve got something special in mind but I need to get it designed first. If you feel up to it, I’d gladly commission you to do the work.”
The younger man nodded, grinning.
“Any time!” he said. “You got something in particular you want?” He laughed briefly, shaking his head. “I think I’m going to end up putting art on half the roster at this point. Honestly, it’s pretty flattering.”
In his spare time or when he was doing warm-ups, Silvio would sometimes think of his fellow roster members and scrawl down something inspired by them. All the stuff he’d made while thinking about Mac involved Western imagery; usually in sunset tones or shades of turquoise.
“Well, you do magnificent work, so I’m glad to have you do the design and the ink. Plus, you’re a good man Silvio. I was thinking about a back piece, to cover some old work.” Mac digs out a rough sketch that he had hand drawn earlier, a black heart punctured and surrounded by barbed wire. “I was thinking of something like this but I’m more than willing to consider anything you might come up with.”.
“Aw, shucks, you’re gonna make me blush to my bones, cowboy!” Silvio said, feigning a swoon. As Mac pulled out the art, though, he shifted into business mode, leaning over and examining the art, nodding slowly. “This is a good design; clear and with the right kinds of colors for a cover up.” He glanced up at Mac with a little smile. “Is it a significant design or something that just looks cool?”
Now it was Mac’s turn to smile, “It’s significant, well to me and Amber it is. I was trying to come up with something that symbolizes us as a couple. I thought this was pretty good but I needed a master of the art to check it out and let me know.” You could tell that Mac kinda wants this level of acceptance from Silvio. He knows the work that Sil has done and to say he’s impressed would be an understatement. Silvio is a master craftsman, both inside and outside the ring. Although Mac secretly hopes he likes the design, he believes that Sil will be honest and not tell him what he wants to hear.
“It’ll look nice. It’s got a good shape for going on the back; should fit the contours well,” Silvio said, looking Mac up and down and taking some mental measurements. “Like I said, good colors for a cover up, and also thematically appropriate for what you do in the ring. All around, I think it’ll work well. Were you looking to get this done soon? Happy to do it any time, but just keep in mind there’s a healing period and you’ll have to be careful of any ring work you might be doing while you’re on the mend. Last thing we’d want is for scarring to happen. You’d probably be good to go after about two weeks with proper care, give or take.” Mac nods in acceptance.
“Then you should let me know what day works best for you. I’m free for about a month or so. Amber will require some supervision while she heals.”, he laughs as he finishes that sentence. He knows his future wife has zero patience.
There’s a sudden BANG from upstairs--most likely a door being slammed open. It’s followed by a rough, raspy voice shouting down the stairs.
“I HEAR A CARNIVOROUS CACOPHONY!”
Silvio startled, glancing between the door and Mac.
“Uh...you, uh...wanna...say hi to the roommate while you’re here?” he offered with a sheepish smile.
Mac grins, “I’d love to say hello to my favorite carnivore!” The big Texan wasn’t kidding, he had a fondness for the big fella, mostly because of respect between two people who don’t pretend to be something they aren’t.
He'd be saying hello regardless; there's a heavy weight on the stairs, followed by the appearance of the wild-eyed, muzzled Lab Rat King emerging into the studio. Barefoot and dressed only in fatigues and a skintight tank top, his attention focuses immediately on Mac with a low growl.
“Has the carnivore come for a taste--?”
“No appetizers yet!” Silvio said quickly, ducking into Zane’s line of sight. Ever since 100, Big Guy’s protective instinct had been notably ramped up when it came to the tattoo artist. Apparently not being able to break up the pin during their tag title match was something the ‘monster’ considered a personal failing. Silvio just hoped he wasn’t going to go doing anything like bringing in dead birds and mice and laying them on his pillow in some act of contrition.
Then again, if it was just birds and mice, that’d probably be a blessing.
The mutant’s eyes snap to Silvio at the sudden sound of his voice. A split second later, he looks… dizzy, or disoriented, falling into a breathy silence as he appears to blink some kind of fog out of his eyes.
"Easy big fella, there's a lot of people in this business I'd love to hurt but Sil is not on that list. Just here for a consultation about a tattoo." Mac beamed a smile at Zane hoping he would see it as a friendly gesture and not a threat.
“We’re all good here. Just business,” Silvio assured Zane. “And, yeah, the needly, inky variety, not the punchy pinny variety.”
King looks between the two men with an air of confusion for a moment; his hands twitch and then relax as he looks down at them. With some… apprehension, he looks at Mac, and then to Silvio with a questioning expression. I’m here now. Is it ok if I talk?
Silvio gives him a tiny nod of affirmation. If Zane felt comfortable doing so, Silvio figured Mac was a safe person for him to, ‘behave,’ around.
Zane nods in reply, his massive shoulders sinking a bit. His eyes return to Mac. The wild glare is gone; instead, there’s a mark of something deeper there. Something thoughtful and cautious.
“Sorry,” he says, his voice a low, gentle rumble uncharacteristic of his usual growling. “I’m a light sleeper…”
Mac, at first, is shocked by this change in demeanor. He blinks, looking back and forth between the two. “Excuse my jaw hanging down like that but, what just happened? I mean, I’m glad for it, that there’s something deeper there.” He shakes his head for a moment, “Thank you for your trust, both of you. I had a feeling….based on past experiences….” Bane sighs and then digs a photo out of his back pocket. “I hate to even ask this question but, Zane, do you know this man? His name is Johnny Webb.” He says as he places the photo down on the counter.
Zane, with a furrowed brow, leans over to look at the photo.
Silvio glances between the two of them before looking at the photo, brow knit. Returning his gaze to Zane, he speaks gently.
“Ring any bells?”
For a moment Zane looks a little helpless, his eyes flickering to Silvio. “You know I haven’t got many bells left to ring, Leon.”
Mac catching the clue, looking between the photo and Zane also lowers his voice and softens it.
“I should explain. I was in special forces, the construction battalion or the fighting seabees is a more common term. during many operations. I had to fight men similar to you Zane. That man in the picture, he was responsible for deploying them in specific areas around the world. He was picked up by joint forces of NSA and Homeland Security today. He’s wanted for war crimes and other things. If he’s even remotely responsible for the way you are today, we need to know that. If I can help you reclaim your life, let's do that.”
The mutant looks stunned for a moment, his throat working. After a beat, his eyes searching as if skimming his own thoughts, he just shakes his head.
“Mac… I’m sorry, but my memory is… absolutely shot. I’m only able to hold onto a lucid thought around Leon. Otherwise I’m… well, you know what I’m like.” He looks up, his scarred mouth pulled into a frown. “I don’t know this guy… only one name I can remember. Rose. Don’t know if that rings a bell for you.” He cocks his head, revisiting an earlier comment. “You’re saying you’ve seen other people like me…?”
Mac gives him a gentle and apologetic smile, “That’s okay, I’ve fought people that were similar. People who had been genetically modified or through experimentation. A private sector company called Military Response Systems. That was the name they used at the time but that was back in the nineties.” Bane’s brow furrows as if trying to recall some long forgotten detail. “I’ve not known anyone by the name of Rose.”
Zane looks a little bit disappointed for just a moment, a tentative hope for just one more clue slipping through his fingers.
“I know that must be why I’m like this… or at least, something like that. Whoever did this to me… they might be looking for me. I don’t know. Silvio’s been kind enough to give me a safe place to sleep.”
Mac looks between the two men, giving them each a smile. “Silvio is a good man, honestly, you don’t meet many people like him in this business. We will continue to dig and try and figure out where this all started. Although it’s important to me to make certain they don’t do this to anyone else, it’s just as important for you to have your life back.”
Zane appears to be a bit stunned that more than one person cared as much; it’s hard to think of himself as anything beyond a shell. He’s quiet, ruminating on his confused gratitude.
Silvio nodded, feeling sick to his stomach as he listened to Mac and Zane. The idea that there were other people out there like his roommate? Ones that might be plucked out of their lives to suffer for the sake of inflicting suffering on others? He felt that same little righteous spark ignite in his chest.
“Can we do anything?” he asked, glancing between the pair. “Because the only way I could think of getting these people out into the open would be to draw them out…” He glanced at Zane, brow furrowed. “And I know you’re already risking a lot just letting yourself be seen like this. If we were going to make you some kind of, ‘bait,’ we’d need to make sure we’re ready if the people we’re trying to attract come calling.”
“There’s someone I need to find first,” Zane answered, scratching his neck and looking down. “I don’t know who, exactly… but I can’t shake the feeling that once I find her, everything will start to make sense.”
Mac looked at Zane and then back to Silvio and then back again. “Let’s hope this lady finds you soon. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
“I appreciate it; really.”
Zane looked toward Silvio’s studio space, then back to the pair, a bit hesitant.
“If you’re working… mind if I stay and watch? It’s just nice… the quiet in my head.”
Silvio smiled gently and looked at Mac. “What do you say? Get some ink to close out the year?”
A huge smile blossomed on his face, “I can’t think of a better way to close it out. I certainly don’t mind you hanging out in the studio with us Zane. It’s always nice to get a chance to speak with my peers away from the ring.”