Natasha Burkova - The Penalty Box
The older man was quite pleasant and even overpaid for what was a free drink. Natasha gave him a polite nod as he departed, taking a mental note that Benito and Purge were going to be involved with the Community as well. Important information. One of the young men at the bar reached out to the bill that Benito placed on the counter the second that the front doors closed. Natasha had her back turned to him but she could sense the movement.
"стоп!" she ordered with a strict tone, surprising her subordinates and making them all freeze in shock.
"Do not touch it." Now she finally turned around and approached the bar.
"His boss is a supervillain whose power has to do with bacteria. He may have been a cape himself. Use gloves and put the bill in a container.""Why is that? Are you going to give it to the cops?" the middle-aged man behind the counter asked, already crouching down to search for gloves behind the bar. In his motions he accidentally bumped the shotgun that was hidden underneath the counter, causing it to clatter on the floor.
"Shit." After placing the weapon back where it belonged he continued rummaging through the shelves.
"Yes. I'll have it examined to see if it was tampered with. Just in case. It pays to play safe." As the man put on a pair of gloves and procured a zip-loc bag, one of the young men spoke up again.
"If we're supposed to play it safe then why did you invite them in? I've heard some stories about the Italians on the east coast. They'll be bringing capes, too..." This young man immediately felt as if he had made a mistake. It was one thing to question a decision from someone higher-up than himself, but his tone had come off aggressively and Natasha was known for not taking any back talk. He froze in place as the blonde woman finally switched her gaze from the $100 bill towards this man.
She kept an intimidating glare into his eyes. The tense silence felt like a thousand years to the man as he stared into the blue eyes of a woman who's killed men for less than what he gave her.
"That is the point," she said first, initially making the man flinch before realizing that she was actually answering his question.
"They will be bringing new business. New people to work with. If they don't try anything funny then everyone can stand to benefit. But even if they do get out of line and start hurting our industry... then we can initiate a hostile takeover and seize their assets. It would be a fight they cannot win, even when they import their capes. Our capes are stronger.""Like Sonika?" the man behind the bar mentioned with a chuckle, sealing the $100 bill within the plastic bag.
"Yes, like Sonika." Natasha motioned for one of her guards to take the bag. The bald man promptly placed it within a hidden pocket on the inside of his jacket and stood to the side. It seemed that Natasha's entourage expected to be leaving shortly.
"Tell Alexander to call Nick when he finishes with the restroom. I have an important shipment coming today and I don't want any of the kids going to the warehouse. Tell him to tell Nick to send them home." The man behind the counter briefly wondered why she couldn't just call him herself but it wasn't a question worth bringing up. Instead he just sighed.
"Da. I'll call him myself instead. Alexander takes too long anyways," he responded, already pulling out the wired phone receiver from under the counter. He set it on the bar and picked up the phone, taking a brief moment to remember the order of buttons he had to press to get Nick's number.
For the first time since she entered the bar, Natasha had a brief smile on her face. The key word being
brief. Her stern expression returned as she walked away from the employees at the bar. The moment her heels began clicking against the floor the rest of her armed guards stood up and began walking with her.
"Goodbye." Her farewells were also short and to the point, giving the members of the bar a sort of wave of dismissal with the back of her hand as she walked out the front doors. By this point Benito had been long gone, so Natasha did not get to see what kind of vehicle he was using. It didn't matter much as the security cameras probably got it, depending on how they were set up. Natasha was yet to use them and didn't know what kinds of angles they covered but she hoped they were placed properly.
"Alright. Let's go to the station before we go back to the warehouse."
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