2.11 – The Junkyard Tiger

Aurora finally arrived above the general indicated area and began to take in the sprawling junkyard. Her eyes were drawn toward the ‘small’ refinery nearby, finding that it was actually quite huge. A number of small temporary office trailers were set up in the area, but nothing jumped out like the hulking processing facility. Re-scanning everything more carefully, she didn’t see the minivan sitting anywhere in the open, but that wasn’t a surprise. The only people to be seen out and about were the workers in the junkyard.

The hero decided that it’d be a good idea to start by finding this “Chan” person. Looking around for what looked like the head office, she spotted it after some scrutiny and steered towards the building to land quietly along the shady side to change her look. Through thinking about how to hide her wings, she discovered how to do so when she thought about her costume.  Every glamor she’d made so far had accounted for the wings, but since she didn’t want them visible this time, she was instinctively able to preclude them. From there, she tested creating a dress, making it a deep red shade and making sure to close the back entirely across her shoulders. It was quite a strange feeling to automatically know how to do magic like this without ever having practiced, as though the information was in part supplied to her or that her intuition was very much on the mark.

Her excitement deepened and she was eager to jump into action, but her silvery hair was very much a problem. Even though hardly anyone knew her yet, the uncommon color would make her stand out in a way that wouldn’t work for the undercover work she planned. Puzzling over what color to go with, she decided to match the dress and then tweaked the dress’s color to better coordinate. This ‘Ronnie Chan’ was probably a man, so she decided it wouldn’t hurt to make sure her bosoms were displayed for effect without being overly suggestive.

With the disguise operation completed, Aurora confidently walked around the corner towards the front door and entered, accompanied by the jingle of a bell installed on the door’s frame. Inside there were three people working at desks. They looked up at the sudden clatter and they all smiled, seeing only a beautiful woman and no threat.

After a moment, one of the three men who was sitting at a desk with strong Chinese features smoothly addressed her, “It unusual for someone very well-dressed visit my office.” He slicked his hair while speaking, “You looking for parts of some kind... or you need some… hmmm… other work done?” He chuckled.

Aurora didn’t quite know what he meant by that, so she ignored it with a playful smirk. “You’re the proprietor? Ronnie Chan?” Her smile didn’t falter.

“Yeah, that’s me. How may I help?” He smirked.

The other two men moved to either side in a flanking maneuver, their eyes watching Aurora mostly with disdain, but a fraction of concern was starting to show. Apparently, they had a healthy dose of suspicion even where a lovely lady was concerned.

Despite their attempt to intimidate her, Aurora continued to smile sweetly as she looked right back at the guys with a total lack of concern. Her calm demeanor only seemed to irritate them further.

“Excellent!” Aurora winked. “I’d like to talk to you about an individual called ‘Blue Max’. Would you happen to be the leader of those goons who perform these so-called blimp robberies? It’s not just that though. I’d also like to talk with you about a certain power suit that’s said to be hidden somewhere in the area. I’ve never seen one outside the movies. Those things are straight out of sci-fi. I’d love to see it.”

Ronnie’s face turned sour and he harshly spoke in Chinese. Aurora had no idea at all what his words meant, but they couldn’t have been anything positive what with the ‘rub her out’ look on his face.

“You leave, rude girl,” Ronnie said, punching his fist into his other hand. A translation would have indeed been a moot point given how much louder actions were speaking now. The tension in the room escalated as the two henchmen pulled out brass knuckles, but Aurora stood her ground, her eyes locking onto Ronnie's with unwavering confidence.

“Rude girl? I think I’m only being upfront.” She bounced and snickered. “So are you the leader, Blue Max? Or are you one of their lackeys, Chan? Hmm, though you might have a point, maybe I should be even MORE upfront.” Aurora smirked and let her disguise fade. To add to the effect, she let her wings erupt from her back and let them spread wide for effect. Light flashed, illuminating the room as the men backed off with shrill cries.

“I’m here for some information, Chan. Even if you aren’t the ringleader… I’m sure you have something I could use. If you want me to prove how tough I am, just go ahead and let your boys here attack me.” She grinned mockingly. “Either way, none of you are leaving this room.”

Chan rubbed his eyes and glared. “Ha, some little girl with flash bulbs wants to intimidate Ronnie Chan?” he said and gestured to his men to attack. “Get her, I said!”

Aurora instantly sheathed her body in her shield as the man who approached expertly punched at her face. The technique seemed deadly and he had brass knuckles on to boot. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have been able to counter a martial artist’s speed, except… she didn’t need to.

He wailed on her field. “Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-haaaaa-hrrrrmph.” He cried as he pounded at Aurora’s barrier. Yawning, Aurora smiled at the other man. In response, he charged and tried to grapple her which she countered by changing her shield to the capsule variety and the man went flying as though he’d bounced off something.

Well, he kind of did.

He hit a filing cabinet causing the drawers to fly open, causing papers to fly out in every direction as he put a big dent in it.

The first man discarded a brass knuckle to pull his pistol and took aim at her. Aurora nodded, having expected it to escalate. The capsule variety would stop bullets flat, not reflect them, so she wasn’t worried about ricochets. She very much preferred that someone didn’t get hit by a stray bullet. He fired a few times on the superhero and watched the projectiles flatten on contact and fall to the floor, clicking on the wood floor.

Finally getting the idea that she was unassailable, Ronnie put up a hand. “Wait. All right, you’ve proven that you’re a real superhero. What makes you think I know anything about this ‘Blue Max’ person?” It looked like he decided to stop playing the ‘Chinese-English accent’ card.

Aurora smiled amiably. “A little bird told me this place is an ideal base for their crew, or is something close to it anyway. A certain distinctive van was junked here and the exo-suit in question runs on a very particular type of fuel which just so happens to be attainable right over there. Even if you’re not Blue Max himself, your connections with the Triads are well known. So, I figured you might know something, whether you’re collaborating or would be willing to throw the competition under the bus, so to speak. It’s convenient, really. What do you think? Do you know anything that would get me out of your hair?” She shook her head to punctuate the words, tossing her lovely tresses.

Ronnie’s face contorted with frustration. “Well…” He shrugged, trying to mask his unease. “I don’t know what these ‘Triads’ things could be. Some old legend about descendants of Shou-Lin fighting against the oppressive Manchu regime and nothing else, I think.” His expression was still dark as he tried to stall for time.

“Regardless, if you can give me some more details on this ‘Blue Max’, maybe I know someone who knows him.” He grinned and waved to the seat before his desk. The remaining goon who was unharmed put his gun away with a sour expression.

Aurora tilted her head in assent and sat graciously. She told him about the type of fuel being produced next door, how it was refined, as much about it that she’d been able to commit to memory. She stuck to simple details, things he’d know something about perhaps and from her viewpoint weren’t particularly risky to share. From there, she described the getaway minivan’s coloration and its license plate number.

“Ah… you see, I’m afraid as a simple junkyard owner, I don’t know much about such scientific nonsense, but your story about a minivan, that rings true. I had a rude gentleman looking to buy it the other day. Even offered him a fair deal, but he was terribly insistent and I believe he might’ve stolen it from my lot.” He chuckled and nodded to agree with his own story.

Aurora watched him carefully, sensing he was skirting around the truth. “If I were to help you find this individual, I assume he would be brought to justice. Is this correct?” Ronnie asked, his tone oozing faux innocence.

Aurora nodded. “Without a doubt.” She flashed him a grin. “He’s pulled some pretty major shenanigans. I imagine the sentence will be fairly steep.”

“Then let me look at my information,” he said, watching Aurora while carelessly flipping through a Rolodex. A very outdated way to keep tabs on client information, but it was effective, if not dramatic, nonetheless.

“Ah… here it is,” he said as he pulled out a card. “I believe my employees may have spotted that van a few yards over, near that refinery. It’s a utility shed shared by the landowners - family friends of mine you could say. Said landowners have placed great trust in me, since Ronnie Chan is most trustworthy, and I happen to have the keys right here. Do you need one?” He opened his desk drawer and produced the key.

“And should you find this gentleman, please advise him that one does not make demands of the Junk Tiger.”

Aurora grinned, accepting the key. “I’ll be sure to tell him that.” She nodded. “Thanks for the information.”

As she turned to leave, Aurora caught the faint smirk on Chan’s face, indicating he was still underestimating her. She exited the building and cannoned off into the sky immediately and turned towards the refinery next. She didn’t want to get TOO close to it yet though. If there was a chance that she could steal away the exo armor without any fireworks, that would certainly be a great deal less trouble than fighting it.

The sprawling expanse of the refinery loomed before her, a complex maze of pipes, storage tanks, and utility sheds. Aurora scanned the area, her keen eyes searching for any signs of the minivan or the gang members. She hovered high above, considering her options and formulating a plan.

If Chan’s information was accurate, the utility shed could be the key to finding the exo suit. With a deep breath, she began her descent, aiming for a discreet landing spot where she could observe without being seen. Her mind raced with potential strategies to neutralize the suit without drawing too much attention.

The challenge was clear: she needed to act quickly and decisively, ensuring the success of her mission while minimizing the risk of a confrontation. Aurora’s heart pounded with anticipation as she prepared to make her move, her resolve unwavering in the face of the unknown.