Read Online Tales of the Red Panda: The Crime Cabal by Gregg Taylor - Free Book Online Page A

those do-gooders took her down, because she was trying to run
the whole city, without ever taking care of the masked man and his girlfriend.
That’s why this group will succeed where everyone else has failed. Because
before we take care of business, we’ll take care of the Red Panda!”
    There was an excited buzz throughout the crowd. Everyone was clearly in
agreement, but it didn’t seem possible.
    “He ain’t human!” called a voice.
    “I pumped five shots into him once, an’ he didn’t go down,” cried
another.
    “Him? What about her ?” said a
third voice. “He’s tough, but she’s just mean .”
    There was a general murmur of agreement.
    “Oh no!” came a mocking voice from the stage right wings. “Save us all
from the big bad Panda. And don’t make us fight the little girl in the squirrel
suit. Oh boo-hoo…” The voice dissolved into a burble of laughter as the speaker
stepped from the shadows and onto the stage.
    “Who the hell is that?” called a voice from the end of the hall.
    There was an excited buzz, which was quickly drowned out by the drawing
and cocking of firearms.
    “Oooooh, mercy. You’re all tough as nails now, aren’t you?” said the
small man with a wicked grin and a pleasingly round face. “You could pull those
triggers right now I suppose. But that would probably knock my little thumb off
this detonator!”
    The little man whipped forth a bright green apparatus with a large red
button at the top, which he held down with the thumb of his right hand. He
began to giggle as he watched the faces of the assembled mobsters. “You see, the
whole room is wired. I can bring this entire place down on top of you. Nobody
double crosses Kid Chaos!”
    The reaction was immediate.
    “Kid Chaos?”
    “What, that nut job with the bombs?”
    “I thought he was dead.”
    “I heard he was in the psycho ward.”
    “You were both right!” said the little man, beaming with delight at his
own fame. “But I got better!” and he exploded again into laughter.
    Malcolm stepped in to grab back the reins. “Since our new associate has
taken the liberty of introducing himself–”
    “New associate?” came a voice from the hall. “That maniac?”
    “As you say. Not only must we set aside old grievances, old ways and
unite into one super-mob if we are to have a hope of defeating the Red Panda,
but we must also look for new blood, new ideas.”
    A buzz of disbelief ran through the hall. Malcolm ignored it.
    “The sheer audacity of Kid Chaos’ work makes him a force to be reckoned
with, as does the fact that he has tangled with the man in the mask again and
again, and somehow keeps coming back for more.”
    The little man smiled shyly. “Truly, I am a wonder,” he said, and began
quietly disarming his own explosive device.
    “Indeed,” Malcolm continued, his voice stern, “what he has lacked is
proper support and effective long-term planning. He has no sense of the delicate
art of wringing every last dollar from the city.”
    “And you want us to join up with this freak?” It was Henderson again.
    “No, Mister Henderson, Kid Chaos is joining us! His creativity makes
him a valuable member of our team. All of us, working together for a common
goal, can eliminate the Red Panda and the Flying Squirrel, and with no outside
rivals, we can bleed this city dry!”
    The tone of the murmur had changed. Malcolm was clearly persuading
them. Still, one voice bleated its dissent.
    “But Mister Malcolm,” Henderson began, “there’s one thing you haven’t
thought of.”
    “And what is that?” Malcolm glared from the stage.
    “Foot soldiers. It’s true that you got all the makings of a swell
organization here – a lotta sharp guys, career types. But there ain’t a lotta
gorillas left to do the dirty work. You got a few here, and I can think of six
or eight more, but if you’re gonna bring the whole city to heel, we’re gonna
need a lot more muscle.”
    “I think this is where I come