Chapter Text
Jeremy ran briskly down the hallway, carefully dodging out of the way of various people heading in the opposite direction.
He was late. Fuck , he was late. He was going to be in so much shit. He skidded to a stop in front of the door. He smoothed his hair and pulled at the sides of his jacket in an attempt to straighten out his appearance.
"Just walking into a meeting with the bosses ten minutes late Dooley", He whispered to himself, "You're doing great."
He opened the door as calmly as he could.
"You're late Dooley," A voice immediately said, "Again."
"You know what they say," Jeremy answered, turning to face Burnie, "Better late than never."
Burnie sighed while Gus stifled a laugh next to him. He looked around the room. Burnie, Matt, and Gus. This must be serious if all the bosses were here.
"As you may have been able to guess," Matt said, his tone evaporating the joking atmosphere Jeremy had tried to set, "We didn't call you here to catch up and gossip."
Jeremy nodded, he walked towards the large table they had all gathered around. Scattered on it were various photos of gang violence and fights in the streets. It took him a second look to realize what the unifying factor of them all was.
"The Antagonists," Jeremy breathed, not looking up from the photos.
"Yep," Gus said, leaning forward on the table, "Looks like as soon as they saw we were forming a base in Liberty City, they decided they needed one too."
"Now," Matt said, looking to Jeremy, "Here's where you come in. As you know, a Storyteller was supposed to be staying in Liberty City to oversee the forming of the base."
"Geoff," Jeremy confirmed with a nod. He saw Burnie grimace from the corner of his eye.
"Correct," Matt continued, he nodded towards Gus who tossed a thick manila envelope onto the table, "In this is highly classified Antagonist information. Base locations, member's personal information, police and gang connections."
Jeremy could only gape, he opened his mouth to ask about how the information was acquired but was immediately shut down by Gus.
"How we got this information is classified and on a strictly need-to-know basis."
"I'm assuming I don't need to know?" Jeremy asked, dryly.
"Correct," Burnie answered, "What you do need to do, is get this to Geoff. We can't do it electronically because we don't know what the Antagonists have or can have hacked."
"So I'm a runner?" Jeremy asked, "Easy enough, going back to my roots."
"Precisely why we chose you," Gus said, "We've arranged for you to meet with an informant a few blocks away from the bus station on Sax and Vern in exactly three hours. Former Antagonist, should be able to help Geoff with more of the inner workings. You and the informant will bus from Los Santos to San Fierro. From there we've arranged for you and the informant to take a train to Liberty City. All in all, you'll be gone for five days."
"It's important that you stay on track with this mission," Matt cautioned, making direct eye contact with Jeremy, "No stopping, no straying. This is time-sensitive information. Geoff is expecting you to be in Liberty City in exactly five days."
"Jeremy, this is make or break for the Brothers Grimm," Burnie said, grabbing Jeremy's shoulder and leaning in front of him, "If the Antagonists get the territory they'll have the upper hand and we don't know if we'll have the means to claw our way back up. If you're not one hundred percent-"
"I can do it," Jeremy said confidently, "I want to do it. The Brothers are my family, Geoff especially. I'll do whatever it takes and make sure the information and informant get to him in one piece."
"We knew we could count on you Jeremy," Matt said with a smile, his shoulders dropping slightly in relief, "You've got two hours to gather everything you'll need. Once you're done, wait for the informant at the address Hansel will text you. From there it's up to you."
"I promise I won't let you down," Jeremy assured before grabbing the envelope. He quickly left the room and started towards the exit.
It was a quick bike ride home from their base. He entered his apartment and immediately went to the closet, he debated a backpack versus a duffle. He chose the backpack and began packing. The envelope first, in a secret pocket he'd had Geoff sow in for him, then clothes and toiletries. Lastly, weapons.
No need to discreet, he was heading from one crime-riddled shit hole to the next. He didn't think there'd be a need for too heavy of artillery. With that in mind, he settled for two FNP 45's and a bat with nails hammered through it. He had the foresight to wrap the bat in an old shirt before pushing it into the pack nail-end first.
He went a list in his head, triple checking to make sure he had everything he'd need. He slipped on his red jacket before throwing his backpack on and striding confidently towards the door. He checked his phone and saw two texts from Jack
From: Hansel
584 Jordan Avenue. Alias: Akela. Should be in a black jacket and will ask you for a purple pen.
You can do this! We're all rooting for you! :) :) :)
Jeremy smiled at the message, sending Jack a quick "Thank you!! :)". He put the address in Google Maps as he walked out the door. It looked to be a gas station two streets down from the bus station. He pocketed his phone and began the trek into the warm evening.
***
Ryan threw the knife in the air and caught it by the blade, letting out a bored sigh. Why he had to be here so early, he didn't know. It was bad enough he was going to have to spend nearly a week with some Grimm fucker. He pocketed the knife and sighed again.
A direct line to a Storyteller , Ryan reminded himself, Stopping the Grimm from getting vital information . He thumped his head against the brick wall. At least he hadn't had to go too deep undercover, responding to a different codename and having to watch what he said was nothing compared his last few missions. He pulled out his phone and looked at the picture of the kid he was supposed to meet.
The name "Little Red Riding Hood" seemed too appropriate for the kid, all five foot four inches of him. The shock of red hair mixed with his natural brunette only made it seem more appropriate. He was cute though, maybe he could convince him to join the Antagonists after he axed Ramsey. Ryan looked from the picture to the time at the top of his phone. Eight fifty-eight.
He glanced up and caught sight of a red jacket turning the corner and heading towards the gas station. Ryan smiled slyly, pocketing his phone and standing up straight. He locked eyes with the kid, smile turning delighted at the slight hitch of the other man's shoulders.
Red approached the gas station but didn't spare Ryan another glance, instead pretending to fiddle with the ATM. As much fun as it would've been to watch the smaller man squirm, he figured he couldn't play with his food too much.
"Yo, Red," He cut eyes to Jeremy, "You got a pen?"
"Any particular color?"
Ryan fought an eye roll. God, these Grimm had to make everything complicated .
"Purple would be preferred."
He watched as the other visibly relaxed, turning away from the ATM to face Ryan head on. Ryan walked closer, causing Red to back up slightly. This continued until Ryan had him pinned against the ATM.
"You must be Akela," Red said, it sounded like was fighting to keep his voice steady. Ryan planted a hand next to his head and leaned his frame slightly over the shorter man, emphasizing their height difference and the muscles in his arms.
"Call me Ryan," He purred back, grinning.
"Jeremy," Red, Jeremy , replied curtly. Looked like he was gaining back some bravado he must’ve had before their meeting, fighting Ryan's advances slightly. He stood up straighter, "We need to get moving if we're gonna make the ten o' clock train."
Jeremy pushed past him, straightening the backpack on his shoulders. Ryan grabbed his duffle from the ground and caught up with his quick steps easily. They had been walking in an uneasy silence for a few minutes before Ryan decided he had to make the joke that had been on the tip of his tongue.
"So Little Red Riding Hood," Ryan drawled, moving in front of Jeremy and walking backward, "You sure are looking good."
"Wow," Jeremy said in faux shock, "You are the first man to ever use that line on me. Ever. So original."
Ryan had to laugh at that, moving back to walk around to Jeremy's side.
"I think you and I are gonna get along just fine, Red."
"Jeremy," He corrected Ryan. The other man only smirked down at him. This was going to be fun.