Match 22770 Tombstone vs. Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice

[JohnnyChany]

THE GANGLAND WARS: Part 3

 

CONTINUED FROM PART 2

 

The thing about desperate people is they start talking like gamblers holding winning cards. And standing there near the frozen exit of the Iceberg Lounge, listening to “Nora” work on Jay, Lark, and Raven, I realized all three women had already mentally packed their bags. The only question left was whether they would leave quietly.

Lark leaned against the icy wall near the exit; arms folded tightly beneath her white service jacket. She was the toughest looking of the trio, short black hair, sharp cheekbones, and eyes that looked permanently unimpressed by humanity. She spoke up.

"So, let's say we jump ship," she said. "What exactly happens next?"

Nora smiled softly. “Opportunity."

Jay rolled her eyes. "You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

Nora crossed one long silver-gloved leg over the other.

"Madam Masque rewards initiative. She values ambition."

Raven narrowed her dark eyes. "And your implication is that Penguin doesn't?"

Nora actually laughed at that. "My dear, Penguin values ownership."

That line landed hard. I could see it on their faces. Lark especially. She tried to hide it, but I had already noticed earlier that she was the most restless of the three. Too ambitious to spend forever carrying cocktails and threatening drunk gamblers.

Jay spoke again. "If we came over, what would Madam Masque actually want from us?"

Nora tilted her head. "What do you want?"

The three women exchanged looks.

Raven answered first. "I'd like my own operations."

Nora nodded approvingly. "Reasonable."

Lark smirked. "I'd like a bigger cut."

"Also, reasonable."

Jay uncrossed her arms slowly. "I'd like people to know who I am."

That answer lingered in the air for a moment. Nora smiled at Jay.

"There it is."

Jay frowned slightly. "What?"

"Ambition."

The blonde woman stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"You girls are wasted here,” she stated. "You're bodyguards. Waitresses. Managers. Fixers."

She gestured around the Lounge. “But none of this belongs to you."

And under Madam Masque?" Raven asked.

"Under Madam Masque," Nora replied., "talented women rise quickly."

Jay glanced around carefully before speaking. "So what? We'd spy on Penguin for her?"

Nora scoffed immediately. "Oh please. You three are far too valuable to waste time as common snitches."

That compliment practically melted any lingering tension.

Lark grinned. "I like her."

Jay nodded. "Yeah... me too."

And that was the exact moment all four women noticed me standing there. The tension had immediately returned.

."He's heard too much," said Jay. Her hand moved toward the pistol beneath her coat. "We should eliminate him quickly."

I raised both hands immediately. "Now hold on…"

Raven interrupted calmly. "He's the guy who came in with Influence. Honestly, taking him out would probably be the last favor we could do for Penguin"

That made my stomach tighten considerably.

Raven continued. "I'm pretty sure Penguin planned on either killing him and Influence or roughing them up real bad to smooth things over with Hammerhead after Big Boy's failed hit."

Jay and Lark started moving toward me. Slowly. Professionally.

Then Nora raised one of her elegant hands in the air to stop them. “Wait."

The trio stopped immediately. Nora studied me thoughtfully, then smiled.

"I have a better idea."

I didn't like that smile any more than I liked the gun in Jay’s hand. I wondered if it was going to be some kind of torture.

Nora gestured casually toward the Lounge entrance. "If anyone sees the three of you leaving together tonight, questions start immediately."

Lark nodded slowly. "True."

"But," Nora continued, "if one of Big Boy's goons drags you out against your will..."

Understanding spread across Raven's face. "The heat goes on Caprice."

."Exactly,” said Nora.

Jay grinned. "That's actually clever."

I cleared my throat nervously. "You want me to do what?"

Nora turned toward me fully.

"If you're interested in walking out of here alive at all, you'll cooperate," Nora threatened.

Thinking about the conversation I overheard between Penguin and Influence, II cooperated immediately.

Did you drive here?" Nora asked me.

"Influence drove."

"Hm."

She glanced toward Penguin's office. "I don't imagine Influence will be needing the car anytime soon."

That sentence sent another unpleasant chill through me. Then she asked if knew how to hot-wire it.

I nodded carefully. "I do."

"Good."

Nora stepped closer until I could smell expensive perfume beneath the cigarette smoke in the air

"Here's what happens next. You're going to knock me to the floor."

I blinked. "What?"

"So these lovely ladies have an excuse to drag you outside."

Jay, Lark, and Raven quickly picked up on the plan being laid out by Nora.

Jay smirked. "Then we'll pretend you're overwhelming us."

“You’ll ‘kidnap’ us,” Raven added:

Lark laughed softly. "Oh, this is getting fun."

Nora continued. "Then you drive them to the Velvet Mirage and we will rendezvous there."

I frowned. "The what?"

"A private theater club in the Theatre District. Very discreet."

Of course it was. Everything around Nora seemed designed to sound seductive and dangerous simultaneously.

I still wasn't sold on this plan.

I protested. "I don’t know, this sounds insane.”

For the first time all night, genuine irritation flashed across Nora’s face. Her eyes hardened instantly.

"You had better knock me down quickly before I come up with a new plan that doesn't require you."

The room suddenly felt even colder. I realized then that beneath the beauty and charm, this woman was absolutely terrifying. So I obliged.

I gave her a convincing shove. Nora let out a dramatic cry and crashed elegantly onto the polished floor.

Jay immediately grabbed my arm. Raven seized the other. Lark moved in front, drawing her pistol theatrically.

"Move!" she shouted loudly enough for nearby patrons to hear.

People turned. It was perfect. As they dragged me toward the exit, Raven discreetly slipped a crowbar she kept in her coat into my hand.

Jay leaned close to men after we exited the lounge.

"Don't hit me too hard," she whispered "Or it'll be your last mistake."

Lark smirked at me over her shoulder. 

"Whatever you try to do to me, sweetheart, I can take it." Her eyes glimmered mischievously. "I'm not afraid of the rough stuff."

Even in the middle of this insanity, part of me fell a little in love with her right there. What can I say? It was a little cliche, but I liked tough women who may also be a little unstable. 

Outside, the freezing air slapped me across the face. The parking lot shimmered with rain and neon reflections.

The women shoved me dramatically against the car. I swung the crowbar hard against the vehicle beside Jay's head. She spun and collapsed convincingly. Raven ducked as I smashed another car window nearby. Glass exploded everywhere. Lark charged theatrically and I slammed the crowbar against a parking meter beside her. She hit the pavement dramatically. Anybody watching would've thought I was a one-man wrecking crew. In reality, I never touched any of them. 

I glanced around nervously while loading them into the car. Nobody seemed to be paying attention. Or maybe everybody in Penguin territory had learned not to notice things. I put Jay and Raven in the back. Lark climbed into the passenger seat. Then I crawled beneath the steering column and hot-wired the ignition. The engine roared to life. We pulled out into the frozen streets of Penguin territory.

For several seconds, silence filled the car. I looked sideways toward Lark. She still appeared unconscious. Truthfully, I couldn't stop looking at her. Even pretending to be unconscious, she looked dangerous. And beautiful. Then suddenly she sat upright and jammed a pistol in my face.

 

 

"Don't get any ideas."

I nearly swerved into a light pole.  At the same moment, I heard two metallic clicks behind me. Jay and Raven now both had guns pointed at the back of my head as well

"Eyes on the road,” Raven commanded."

The first thing I learned about driving through Gangland with three-armed women pointing guns at you is that silence gets heavy fast. My hands stayed tight on the wheel. Raven's pistol remained aimed calmly at the back of my head while Jay lounged beside her with her gun resting casually across one knee.

Only Lark seemed remotely relaxed. She had one boot up on the dashboard and her pistol lowered slightly, though not enough to make me feel safer.

Jay finally broke the silence "We should probably ice him once we're clear of Penguin territory."

I nearly drove onto the sidewalk.

Lark sighed dramatically. "Oh, no we can’t have that."

Jay glared at her. "What?"

Lark gestured toward me. "I'm really liking not being the chauffeur for once. And Nora specifically said all of us are meeting up."

Raven agreed. "If anyone followed us from the Lounge, we still need him as the fall guy."

That quieted the conversation for a moment.

Jay leaned back with an annoyed sigh. 

"Fine." She glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "But only because I'd rather not disappoint the new boss."

The phrase “new boss” lingered in the car. Just like that, Penguin had lost three of his most trusted women in a single night. And somehow, I was now driving them deeper into the Theater District while pretending I wasn't terrified. I decided maybe conversation would improve my survival odds.

"So..." I started. "How'd you all end up working for Penguin anyway?"

Jay regarded me with suspicion. "Why are you being nosy?"

"Because I'm trying not to think about how close I came to getting my legs broken tonight." I joked.

Lark smirked faintly.

I continued. "Look, I came to Gangland chasing something bigger. Same as everybody else. Thought working for Big Boy would be my shot."

That seemed to soften things slightly. Maybe because they recognized the tone, the hunger, and the disappointment.

"I was a bartender in Gotham." Lark replied. "Penguin owned the club. One night some idiot tried grabbing me."

A small smile crossed her lips. "I broke his arm in three places."

Jay snorted. "She really did."

Lark shrugged. "Penguin liked that. He said women who can smile while hurting people are valuable."

Honestly, that sounded exactly like Penguin.

"He brought us to Gangland because he said we'd all be building something bigger here,” Lark continued with a soft laugh. "Turns out I mostly still just drove him around and carried drinks in colder buildings."

Jay spoke up next. "I worked security for underground gambling rooms in Gotham. Penguin saw me crack a guy's jaw with a champagne bottle during a raid "He promised influence. Respect. Bigger operations." She looked down at the pistol in her hand. "But mostly it's still babysitting rich creeps and intimidating debtors."

Raven was quiet the longest. When she finally told her tale, her voice sounded almost thoughtful.

"I was already a killer before Penguin found me. I handled problems for smaller crews in Gotham. Quietly." She met my eyes briefly in the rearview mirror. "Penguin appreciated discretion."

I believed her immediately. Everything about Raven felt controlled, precise, and dangerous.

"He brought us all here because Gangland was supposed to be different," she said. "But after a while, it was clear..”

"Things stayed the same," Lark finished.

Jay sighed. "We got stagnant."

It may have been presumptuous, but I felt like I understood them perfectly. That's what Gangland could do to people. It attracted dreamers with criminal ambitions and slowly turned them into simple employees. Which explained why Nora's pitch had worked so well. She hadn't offered money. she offered movement.

We crossed beneath the glowing arches that were landmarks of the Theater District. The area felt completely different from Penguin territory. The Iceberg Lounge was elegant and cold; the Theater District was seductive.

Old cinemas lined the streets. Jazz clubs spilled music into the streets. Velvet curtains framed nightclub entrances while actresses, smugglers, thieves, and wealthy degenerates drifted through the district to partake in its varied entertainment options. Everything looked beautiful, and everything looked fake.

The Velvet Mirage sat tucked between an abandoned opera house and a nightclub called The Red Veil. The building itself looked discreet from outside. Which in Gangland usually meant horrifying things happened inside regularly. We parked in the alley behind it.

The moment I stepped out of the car, Jay jabbed her pistol against my back. "Keep moving."

Inside, the Velvet Mirage looked like a forgotten luxury lounge from another era. Red velvet curtains. Golden chandeliers dimmed low. Jazz music drifted in softly from somewhere unseen. The women kept their guns trained on me while we waited. 

Then, several minutes later, Nora arrived. She entered through the rear hallway wearing the same silver gown and fur stole.

"So, when do we meet Madam Masque?" Lark asked.

Nora stopped walking. Then she laughed softly.

"My dear..."

 She reached up slowly and peeled her face off. The rubber disguise came away piece by piece until the blonde beauty vanished completely. Underneath was Madame Masque with her gold mask and black hair cascading over one shoulder.

"Holy hell!" gasped Jay.

Raven looked genuinely impressed.

The smile on Lark’s face also appeared genuine. "You recruited us personally?" 

Madame Masque placed the false face carefully onto the bar. "Of course."

Her voice sounded smoother now. Somehow even more confident.

"I wasn't going to trust the recruitment of talented women like yourselves to somebody else."

The trio visibly loved hearing that. I think she meant it.

Raven gestured toward me. "What about him?"

All three women turned to look at me again, Madame Masque studied me thoughtfully for a long moment.

"We should keep him,” she said plainly.

That caught everyone off guard, including me.

"Seriously?" Jay wondered.

Madame Masque nodded. "I'm always open to adding useful people to my ranks."

Her masked gaze moved over me casually.

"Besides, he's easy on the eyes." Madame Masque continued smoothly. "At least compared to the disfigured mugs Big Boy usually surrounds himself with. I believe that makes him look better just by comparison."

Lark laughed loudly at that.

More importantly," Madame Masque said, "he made the smart decision under pressure. I can use people like that."

"What about Big Boy?" I asked. “He’s my boss.”

Madame Masque chuckled softly. "If you think you can make it back to the Warehouse District tonight, you have my blessing."

That didn't sound encouraging.

She continued: "It would simply bring more heat onto Caprice territory, and you'd be walking into a warzone."

I thought about that for exactly three seconds. Then I nodded respectfully.

"Thank you for this opportunity. You won’t regret it. I’ll work hard and do whatever you need me to do.”

She gestured toward me while addressing the trio. “See? He has a knack for making smart decisions quickly."

Personally, I thought she was mostly keeping me around as a disposable scapegoat until she was ready to reveal the trio's defection publicly. But honestly? That was still better than my alternatives. Even without the looming gang war, returning to Big Boy after abandoning Influence and accomplishing absolutely nothing seemed like an excellent way to get buried in wet cement. So I decided survival was the better career path.

I then asked the question that had been eating at me since overhearing the conversation between Penguin and Influence in the Lounge.

"You think Hammerhead's gonna go after Big Boy right away?"

Madame Masque tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hammerhead will absolutely be involved in the chaos about to explode in the Warehouse District."

That didn't surprise me. But the next part did.

"Just not as directly as you think."

I was confused. She walked slowly toward the window overlooking the Theater District.

"When you're playing a game with this many powerful people, you must always be aware of every piece on the board,” she mused. “To think, if things go south for Caprice, that district will be trading one ugly mug for another. The new guy in charge would fit right in.”

At the time, I had absolutely no idea what she meant. But it became very clear over the next few days.

 

 

I found out that I indeed had been spotted leaving the Iceberg Lounge with Jay, Lark, and Raven. I wasn’t recognized personally just as a grunt who worked for Big Boy. Penguin, absolutely furious over the perceived kidnapping, was convinced Big Boy orchestrated the entire thing. 

He responded violently. Very violently. Influence never left the Lounge. Penguin literally had him encased inside a massive block of ice while he was still alive, at least initially.

With Influence gone and Flattop missing after the failed hit on Hammerhead, Big Boy suddenly found himself down two major lieutenants in a single night. For the first time in years, the Warehouse District looked vulnerable. And someone had been waiting patiently for exactly that moment.

Tombstone had arrived in Gangland the previous year looking to carve out territory of his own. Unfortunately for him, all twelve territories were already claimed. So, Tombstone adapted. He worked as hired muscle for Hammerhead as he had done in the past, occasionally for Kingpin too. All while quietly building his own crew in the shadows. He was waiting and preparing. And now? Now Big Boy looked weak.

In Gangland, weakness was like blood in shark-infested water. When a new player wants to seize territory, the smart move wasn't charging in blind. The smart move was getting permission from neighboring bosses first. It keeps the conflict localized and keeps business stable. It also ensures a peaceful transition if the coup succeeds.

Tombstone needed approval from Hammerhead, Penguin, and Two-Face. Hammerhead agreed immediately. In fact, he enthusiastically suggested Big Boy as Tombstone’s target to gain a territory. Penguin, now enraged at Caprice for multiple reasons, also approved. That left only Two-Face. And after the flip of a silver dollar, Two-Face gave Tombstone his blessing too.

Just like that, Big Boy Caprice's territory officially went to war. Now everything depended on whether Big Boy could survive the coming storm. If he crushed Tombstone's coup attempt, many of the other bosses, outside of Hammerhead, would see him as resilient, dangerous, and worth respecting. He could work out his conflict with Hammerhead without interference from the other crime lords. However, that remained one hell of a big "if."

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Tombstone
Read more about Tombstone at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Comics Links: Wikipedia: Tombstone Marvel.com: Tombstone SpiderFan.org: Tombstone

Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice
Read more about Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice at Wikipedia
Official Site: Tribune Content Agency Links: Wikipedia

[Boratz]

I'm really loving this crime war territory arc! Keep it up!

[Culwych1]

A great arc. Interesting to see where it goes next.

Even with the loss of his lieutenants, Big Boy has more than enough resources, goons and experience to hold off Tombstone in my opinion. Especially if Tombstone has had to rely on his own resources to fund this rather than a solid organised territory that he owns. Most likely someone has already sold him out.

[leroypowell3]

You did everything you could to get me to vote against my dude Tombstone. 

[SSJRuss]

Tombstone does have a rough hill to climb here. I do like an underdog though.

This was a great read!

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Venom 2009
5.00 - Boratz
5.00 - Culwych1
5.00 - SSJRuss

FPA Calculation:
4 Total Votes cast
20.00 Total Combined Score
20.00 / 4 = 5.00 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Tombstone: 7
Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice: 2