The dining room of the Hilton Hotel had been rearranged at DiMambro’s request so the press conference could take place. Reporters from all over the media had gathered there awaiting the arrival of DiMambro. He did not keep them waiting much longer. Flanked by two men in black suits he seated himself at the top table. After adjusting the main microphone he began to speak.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, as you all know my name is Giovanni DiMambro. A lot of you think I am nothing more than a crook, but I am a businessman. I have come here to England to take on the post of Chief Executive of the Orsine Foundation, which from now will be known as the DiMambro Foundation.”
One reporter raised his pencil.
“Mister DiMambro, there are several criminal charges outstanding against your Foundation, most notable the charges relating to the attack on the Docklands Power Station. Is your company still willing to answer these charges?”
“My company is willing to answer any charges and pay any fines that may result from any convictions.”
A television reporter then put forward her question.
“Giacomo Orsine, before he was killed by the Black Squadron, used the Foundation as a front for his crimes.”
“Which is something I will not be doing.” interrupted DiMambro. “The Foundation will no longer be involved in any illegal activity whatsoever. In fact I intend to branch out into other areas such as transport and the media. You never know, I may be paying some of your wages soon!”
“What about Anglo-Force and the Police? The rumour is that the Police have formed a special unit to combat any possible threat from you, and that Anglo-Force are very concerned.”
“The Police will have no threat to deal with, and as for Anglo-Force, I now wish to make a statement directed to their chairman, Captain James Watt. Captain Watt, I know that our two organisations have had a…’strained’ relationship in the past, but I want to change all that. I would like to speak to you personally Captain Watt, to let you know that I harbour no ill feelings against you and Anglo-Force.”
“Do you think we can trust him?” asked Pendragon, watching the broadcast while pouring himself a drink.
Watt did not reply. He just continued to watch DiMambro on the television.
“Well I don’t!” said Katrina. “I’ve read the files on your last encounter with his ‘organisation’. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him!”
“He may be sincere though.” said Watt.
“And he may be wanting to stab us in the back!” said Pendragon. “I say we don’t trust him.”
“Which would further tarnish our image.” replied Watt. “On the other hand, how would it look if we were seen to consort with a known criminal organisation? Either way we can’t win!”
Watt got to his feet and walked towards the door.
“I need time to think. I have to get out of here.”
“I’ll come with you.” said Katrina.
“No.” said Watt. “I need to be by myself.”
Watt then disappeared from view. Pendragon could tell that Katrina was getting very worried about her husband.
“The strain is getting to him.” she said. “Sometimes I think that he’d be better off without his powers, and without Anglo-Force!”
It wasn’t long before Watt was flying over the streets of London, his thoughts on the events of the past few weeks. He was beginning to wonder if it was all worth it. He began to yearn for the days when he was nothing more than a charter pilot working on the route between Voltania and Heathrow. As he was deep in thought he failed to notice a man garbed in a red costume standing on a nearby rooftop calling out to him.
“Hey fella! You look as if you need a friend!”
Watt hovered in mid-air as he saw the familiar figure of John Clark, the Jet, standing in front of him.
“Clarkie! What are you doing here?”
“Hey, I may be working freelance but this is still my town you know!”
Watt landed next to Jet.
“I saw the broadcast too.” said Jet. “I can tell you’re worried.”
“How? I haven’t said a word.”
“Us old flyboys get to pick up a thing or two during our travel!”
“So what do you think? Should I meet up with this DiMambro character? He does seem pretty sincere.”
“On the outside he does. You forget Jim, when Anglo-Force was reformed a couple of years ago I went undercover inside Orsine’s operation. He would have sold his own granny if he could have made a couple of quid! And from what I’ve seen of DiMambro he’s not much better! I say give these blokes a very wide berth!”
“But id I don’t it could harm Anglo-Force’s image. It would be implying that we don’t trust anyone anymore!”
“From what I’ve heard not many people in the government trust you anyway! I’ll give you this piece of advice Jim. If you do decide to work with DiMambro then meet on your terms, not on his, yours. You dictate proceedings, and meet in private, not in full view of the world!”
The next morning Watt sat in his office taking sips from his coffee cup at regular intervals. IT was while he was doing this that he had a knock at the door. A few seconds later Solo entered with an envelope in his hand.
“Paul! Where have you been over the past few days? I was beginning to wonder where you’d got to.”
Solo handed Watt the envelope.
“What’s this?”
“It’s my letter of resignation Jim. I’ve been offered a post in the Police Force as head of the new Special Crimes Unit. They want us to keep an eye on DiMambro and his boys, as well as a few other things.”
“And when did all of this happen?”
“A few days ago. I would have discussed it with you Jim but you’ve been rather busy what with all this Cyberdine thing and all.”
Watt opened the envelope and read the letter.
“So why has this Special Crimes Unit been formed? Whose idea was it?”
“I’ll be honest with you Jim. Simon Kennedy offered me the job because he says the government doesn’t quite trust Anglo-Force anymore. He made it clear, however, that he has the utmost faith in this organisation.”
“So that’s why this special unit has been formed. It would be nice if the government could tell me some of these things sometimes!”
“I don’t want to leave like this Jim. Cyberdine are only prosecuting those involved in the attack on their plant, and as I wasn’t involved I won’t be prosecuted.”
“Bailing out of the sinking ship eh? Alright, your resignation is accepted.”
Solo then left the office leaving Watt to his thoughts. To him it seemed as if everything was falling down around his ears. Perhaps now would be the time to take action he thought.
Once again Watt flew over the city of London, but this time he was looking for someone. He soon found Jet in exactly the same place he found him before.
“I thought I’d see you again soon.” said Jet.
Watt landed on the ledge next to him.
“You say you know how DiMambro’s Foundation works.” he said. “I want your help Clarkie. DiMambro wants to meet with me, and he wants me to give him a call. What do you say about giving him a call tonight?”
“Jim, it’s nearly midnight!”
“Our Giovanni claims to be a legitimate businessman, and most businessmen work into the early hours, so he should be working tonight!”
Watt then took to the sky.
“Come on! Last one to the Orsine Foundation tower is a rotten egg!”
Jet soon took off after him.
“I always knew there was a small boy in you somewhere!”
They flew to the other side of London where the headquarters of the now-DiMambro Foundation was located. Together they landed on the roof. They began to look around.
“Surprising.” said Jet. “I thought someone would have come out to greet us.”
“There may be someone waiting for us inside. Come on, let’s go down via the fire exit.”
They soon descended into a long metal stairway until they came to one of the floors. Again they were surprised when the floor seemed deserted.
“This is way too easy!” said Watt.
Watt was correct, but it was going to get considerably less easier a few seconds later. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, two large men appeared. One was carrying a boomerang that looked like it was made of metal. The other, with spiky blonde hair, wore black gloves with razor-sharp claws on each finger.
“Look here Claw! Looks like the boss was right! It’s that Captain geezer!”
“It doesn’t matter Boomerang! We will soon deal with them!”
The one called Claw suddenly lunged forward, talking a swipe at Watt as he did. He did not move out of the way quickly enough and the claws cut into his red and black uniform, tearing a huge hole into it. He looked down at the freshly-made ventilation then unleashed a blow, sending Claw flying against the wall. Boomerang, meanwhile, hurled his weapon at Jet and was surprised when the scarlet speedster moved out of the way very quickly. The boomerang returned to it’s owner and was again hurled at Jet, but this time the hero caught it. This surprised Boomerang, who reached into his denim jacket to take out another if his weapons. But before he could do anything he found himself nursing a bruised jaw, courtesy of Jet, who had quickly unleashed the debilitating blow. He then unleashed a kick to his mid-section, sending him flying against the wall next to his unconscious comrade. He then dusted his hands.
“As I said.” said Watt. “This is way too easy!”
“If these are the goons protecting DiMambro and his interests then I’d file for bankruptcy if I were him!”
They continued on their way.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, as you all know my name is Giovanni DiMambro. A lot of you think I am nothing more than a crook, but I am a businessman. I have come here to England to take on the post of Chief Executive of the Orsine Foundation, which from now will be known as the DiMambro Foundation.”
One reporter raised his pencil.
“Mister DiMambro, there are several criminal charges outstanding against your Foundation, most notable the charges relating to the attack on the Docklands Power Station. Is your company still willing to answer these charges?”
“My company is willing to answer any charges and pay any fines that may result from any convictions.”
A television reporter then put forward her question.
“Giacomo Orsine, before he was killed by the Black Squadron, used the Foundation as a front for his crimes.”
“Which is something I will not be doing.” interrupted DiMambro. “The Foundation will no longer be involved in any illegal activity whatsoever. In fact I intend to branch out into other areas such as transport and the media. You never know, I may be paying some of your wages soon!”
“What about Anglo-Force and the Police? The rumour is that the Police have formed a special unit to combat any possible threat from you, and that Anglo-Force are very concerned.”
“The Police will have no threat to deal with, and as for Anglo-Force, I now wish to make a statement directed to their chairman, Captain James Watt. Captain Watt, I know that our two organisations have had a…’strained’ relationship in the past, but I want to change all that. I would like to speak to you personally Captain Watt, to let you know that I harbour no ill feelings against you and Anglo-Force.”
“Do you think we can trust him?” asked Pendragon, watching the broadcast while pouring himself a drink.
Watt did not reply. He just continued to watch DiMambro on the television.
“Well I don’t!” said Katrina. “I’ve read the files on your last encounter with his ‘organisation’. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him!”
“He may be sincere though.” said Watt.
“And he may be wanting to stab us in the back!” said Pendragon. “I say we don’t trust him.”
“Which would further tarnish our image.” replied Watt. “On the other hand, how would it look if we were seen to consort with a known criminal organisation? Either way we can’t win!”
Watt got to his feet and walked towards the door.
“I need time to think. I have to get out of here.”
“I’ll come with you.” said Katrina.
“No.” said Watt. “I need to be by myself.”
Watt then disappeared from view. Pendragon could tell that Katrina was getting very worried about her husband.
“The strain is getting to him.” she said. “Sometimes I think that he’d be better off without his powers, and without Anglo-Force!”
It wasn’t long before Watt was flying over the streets of London, his thoughts on the events of the past few weeks. He was beginning to wonder if it was all worth it. He began to yearn for the days when he was nothing more than a charter pilot working on the route between Voltania and Heathrow. As he was deep in thought he failed to notice a man garbed in a red costume standing on a nearby rooftop calling out to him.
“Hey fella! You look as if you need a friend!”
Watt hovered in mid-air as he saw the familiar figure of John Clark, the Jet, standing in front of him.
“Clarkie! What are you doing here?”
“Hey, I may be working freelance but this is still my town you know!”
Watt landed next to Jet.
“I saw the broadcast too.” said Jet. “I can tell you’re worried.”
“How? I haven’t said a word.”
“Us old flyboys get to pick up a thing or two during our travel!”
“So what do you think? Should I meet up with this DiMambro character? He does seem pretty sincere.”
“On the outside he does. You forget Jim, when Anglo-Force was reformed a couple of years ago I went undercover inside Orsine’s operation. He would have sold his own granny if he could have made a couple of quid! And from what I’ve seen of DiMambro he’s not much better! I say give these blokes a very wide berth!”
“But id I don’t it could harm Anglo-Force’s image. It would be implying that we don’t trust anyone anymore!”
“From what I’ve heard not many people in the government trust you anyway! I’ll give you this piece of advice Jim. If you do decide to work with DiMambro then meet on your terms, not on his, yours. You dictate proceedings, and meet in private, not in full view of the world!”
The next morning Watt sat in his office taking sips from his coffee cup at regular intervals. IT was while he was doing this that he had a knock at the door. A few seconds later Solo entered with an envelope in his hand.
“Paul! Where have you been over the past few days? I was beginning to wonder where you’d got to.”
Solo handed Watt the envelope.
“What’s this?”
“It’s my letter of resignation Jim. I’ve been offered a post in the Police Force as head of the new Special Crimes Unit. They want us to keep an eye on DiMambro and his boys, as well as a few other things.”
“And when did all of this happen?”
“A few days ago. I would have discussed it with you Jim but you’ve been rather busy what with all this Cyberdine thing and all.”
Watt opened the envelope and read the letter.
“So why has this Special Crimes Unit been formed? Whose idea was it?”
“I’ll be honest with you Jim. Simon Kennedy offered me the job because he says the government doesn’t quite trust Anglo-Force anymore. He made it clear, however, that he has the utmost faith in this organisation.”
“So that’s why this special unit has been formed. It would be nice if the government could tell me some of these things sometimes!”
“I don’t want to leave like this Jim. Cyberdine are only prosecuting those involved in the attack on their plant, and as I wasn’t involved I won’t be prosecuted.”
“Bailing out of the sinking ship eh? Alright, your resignation is accepted.”
Solo then left the office leaving Watt to his thoughts. To him it seemed as if everything was falling down around his ears. Perhaps now would be the time to take action he thought.
Once again Watt flew over the city of London, but this time he was looking for someone. He soon found Jet in exactly the same place he found him before.
“I thought I’d see you again soon.” said Jet.
Watt landed on the ledge next to him.
“You say you know how DiMambro’s Foundation works.” he said. “I want your help Clarkie. DiMambro wants to meet with me, and he wants me to give him a call. What do you say about giving him a call tonight?”
“Jim, it’s nearly midnight!”
“Our Giovanni claims to be a legitimate businessman, and most businessmen work into the early hours, so he should be working tonight!”
Watt then took to the sky.
“Come on! Last one to the Orsine Foundation tower is a rotten egg!”
Jet soon took off after him.
“I always knew there was a small boy in you somewhere!”
They flew to the other side of London where the headquarters of the now-DiMambro Foundation was located. Together they landed on the roof. They began to look around.
“Surprising.” said Jet. “I thought someone would have come out to greet us.”
“There may be someone waiting for us inside. Come on, let’s go down via the fire exit.”
They soon descended into a long metal stairway until they came to one of the floors. Again they were surprised when the floor seemed deserted.
“This is way too easy!” said Watt.
Watt was correct, but it was going to get considerably less easier a few seconds later. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, two large men appeared. One was carrying a boomerang that looked like it was made of metal. The other, with spiky blonde hair, wore black gloves with razor-sharp claws on each finger.
“Look here Claw! Looks like the boss was right! It’s that Captain geezer!”
“It doesn’t matter Boomerang! We will soon deal with them!”
The one called Claw suddenly lunged forward, talking a swipe at Watt as he did. He did not move out of the way quickly enough and the claws cut into his red and black uniform, tearing a huge hole into it. He looked down at the freshly-made ventilation then unleashed a blow, sending Claw flying against the wall. Boomerang, meanwhile, hurled his weapon at Jet and was surprised when the scarlet speedster moved out of the way very quickly. The boomerang returned to it’s owner and was again hurled at Jet, but this time the hero caught it. This surprised Boomerang, who reached into his denim jacket to take out another if his weapons. But before he could do anything he found himself nursing a bruised jaw, courtesy of Jet, who had quickly unleashed the debilitating blow. He then unleashed a kick to his mid-section, sending him flying against the wall next to his unconscious comrade. He then dusted his hands.
“As I said.” said Watt. “This is way too easy!”
“If these are the goons protecting DiMambro and his interests then I’d file for bankruptcy if I were him!”
They continued on their way.
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