S1E1: Take Me to Church Characters: Angel & Bishop. Subject: "I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife..." Location: New York City. Date: Saturday, December 27th, 2014.
He’d knocked, but Warren doubted someone would answer. Problem was… he knew someone was home. He waited a few seconds, arms crossed over his chest and eyes pointed toward the hallway ceiling. Angel knocked again, before he started to guess what kind of stain could have even been above him. “Come on, Barry!” Warren shouted at the wooden door, and then pounded his fist on it even harder. “I know you’re here.” Angel sighed, and then took a step back from the doorway - okay, the hard way then. “What, Barry?” Angel yelled, at the man he knew had probably hid in his bathroom. “You need help? Okay, I’m coming in!” His foot left the floor; hit the door, and the frame exploded in a flurry of splinters near where the deadbolt used to keep the door locked. Warren entered the apartment quickly and was just as quickly greeted by a round, balding little man who seemed to be upset.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Barry screamed, hands up in the air in anger.
“You’re welcome, Barry. I thought I heard you call for help.” Warren explained, and then his hand pressed directly into Barry’s chest. “Sit down and shut up.” The shorter man stumbled backwards into his own living room, and Angel followed. He pointed to a disgusting looking chair, “Sit.” He commanded again and the other man reluctantly sat, but with plenty of time to be in the seat before Warren reached him. Angel stood in front of the man, and sighed when he looked down at the small time criminal – annoyance very clear in his posture.
“Where’s your partner?” Barry asked, while his eyes bounced from side to side – then focused when he noticed the huge police detective outside, on the fire escape. “What the hell is he doing out there?”
“Thought you were going to rabbit.” Warren explained, “Plus, you know – a look out.” Angel told Barry and pulled one of his knifes from underneath his jacket.
“L-look out… for what?” Barry asked, gazed fixed on the blade.
“You know, nobody really knows we’re here… don’t want anybody seeing us. Then we have to make up a story.” Warren told him, and then produced a bright yellow pear from the pocket of his coat. He sliced into the fruit, slowly – so Barry could hear the sound of the skin being pierced.
“W-why not? We’re all friends here.” Barry tried to chuckle it off, but he didn’t succeed.
“Yeah, I thought we were, Barry. I really did. But we found out you lied to us.” He said, cut the pear again and offered Barry a slice. He refused, which didn’t surprise Warren. Barry didn’t look like he ate a lot of healthy things. “You said you didn’t know anything about mutants selling their blood, but we got somebody that says he saw you walking out of that old X-lab we raided last week.” It wasn’t easy to turn mutant blood into a drug, but you could do it with the right equipment, like a mutant meth-lab. Too bad Angel and Bishop hadn’t been able to bust one before everyone and most of the equipment had left.
“They’re lying! That’s bull-“ Before he could finish his sentence Angel’s foot had kicked the overstuffed chair onto its back, and took Barry along for the ride.
“Wrong!” Angel yelled, now from above the other man. His loafer pressed into Barry’s hand and Warren applied gentle pressure.
“What the fuck!?” Barry cried and used his free hand to try and remove Angel’s shoe. “Okay, okay!”
Warren stopped, he even moved away and let Barry get to his feet. “Tell me another lie, Barry, and I’ll let him talk to you.”
As much as Barry probably hated Warren, the thought of Bishop being in the room made the man start to tremble. “Okay, I needed some money… what’s it gonna hurt? If I didn’t, somebody else woulda…”
Warren looked more disappointed than angry, “Names.” He put a slice of pear into his mouth, completely sure he wouldn’t answer right away.
“I didn’t get any, man…” Barry said, with not even a little eye contact made.
Warren sighed, “Alright. I guess I’ll tell Dt. Bishop that you-”
“W-wait… wait.” Barry glanced to the window and quickly decided he didn’t want the mountain of a cop in there. “But this guy… I can’t… you gotta protect me.”
Warren stared into Barry’s beady little eyes and realized he was actually scared, which would be the first time in his career as a professional criminal and snitch. “Or… we can just spread it around the station that you gave this guy up…” Angel countered, tip of his blade pointed at Barry’s face.
“No, please… I…” Barry huffed and puffed, “Come on, man. You don’t get it – you pretty boys with your great mutations… you don’t know what it’s like out here.” He nearly pleaded.
Warren rolled his eyes, not this speech again. He was done hearing about how Barry’s miserable little life was based on the fact that his mutation wasn’t desirable. “What do you even… do again?”
“X-ray!” Barry looked annoyed that Angel couldn’t remember. “I can see through walls!”
“Oh right, that’s why you became a thief.” Angel started, “not because you’re a Morlock living in the sewers because you can’t be seen in public… huh.” Warren’s wrist snapped and the fruit he’d snacked on bounced off Barry’s head. “The name, Barry, who put you up to it?”
“Victor! Victor Creed!” Barry had nearly fallen over again when the fruit hit his bald dome, but regained his balance fast enough to give up that name.
“What?” Angel stared at the shorter man, disbelief on his face. “What did this guy look like?”
“I don’t know, big… toothy.” The snitch explained.
“Scary beyond all reason?” Angel added.
“Yeah, that’s the guy.” Barry confirmed.
“That… doesn’t make sense. Why would he care about a few mutants giving their blood to make X…” Warren wasn’t even close to convinced.
“I don’t know, he didn’t give me a choice… just rounded a bunch of us up – from the pool hall down off fourteenth street.” Barry told him.
“Wait… you didn’t go looking?” Angel questioned, annoyed it had taken this long to get anything.
“Nah, he just told us we were donatin’ one way or the other. They paid us if we didn’t fight too hard.” Barry rolled up his sleeve and showed Warren the bruises on his arm.
“Christ. Okay.” Angel put the knife back in his jacket and rifled through his pocket for a second. He pulled out a business card and handed it to Barry. “Take this to the motel on third, and they’ll give you a room. I’m gonna come see you tomorrow – so stay put.” Warren maintained eye contact until he was sure Barry understood, and then moved to the window. He lifted up the window and put one foot out onto the fire escape. “Oh, and you might want to get your landlord to fix that door.” Angel smirked, and left before he could hear Barry’s brilliant retort.
Warren stood on the metal staircase next to his partner, eyes wide - Angel’s normal expression when he had something important to tell Bishop. “Guess who he says is in town.” Warren started, but couldn’t wait for the larger man to guess. “Fucking Sabretooth.” He didn’t know if Barry was telling the truth, but it didn’t make sense to name the cat-man if he wasn’t involved. Why the fuck would be he involved? “And here I was, looking forward to 2015…”