Jackson Correctional Facility.
Where the most incorrigible criminals in the entire state of Michigan are stored away.
Where a young former gang member sits in his cell, whittling slowly away at his wall, where he keeps track of the days.
His day will come soon.
A prisoner wearing a plaid flannel shirt and a "grunge" hairstyle is chopping his cell's wall with a butter knife. Another prisoner soon walks up to the door of his cell.
"Hey Marks, it's set!"
"What?"
"We have the manpower. All we need now is our leader to take the front."
Marks nods, standing up. With a heavy kick, he kicks the cell door aside, running out of it. Three guards pick up chase. Marks runs to a large group of prisoners hanging around the catwalk. He motions for them to start running toward the guards chasing him, which they do. Marks continues running until he reaches a large hole in the wall, which he jumps through. On the other side, he spots a drainage ditch and scurries through it, under the prison's chain-link fence to freedom. Once outside the fence, he continues running.
In Detroit the next morning, at Motown Heat's office, the Flea and Ramm are crowded around the TV set, watching a news report intently. Cutup, who is running late, is only half into her jacket when she runs into the office.
"What's so interesting? Everybody's glued to the tube!"
Flea turns to Cutup. "This." Flea points at the TV, showing Cutup what the problem is. The news is reporting about the Jackson prison break.
" ... and it is known at this time that only one prisoner has escaped. Prison officials gave us access to this photograph, he is a white Caucasian male, approximately 25 years of age, 6 foot 3 and 245 pounds. He was last described wearing a plaid flannel shirt, a pair of prison dungaree jeans, and a pair of canvas shoes. He is considered armed and very dangerous: prison officials discovered during his time in Jackson that he is a latent super-human ..."
The photo on the screen is of Marks. Cutup suddenly flashes a concerned look on her face. She hurriedly runs out of the office, leaving Flea and Ramm with confused looks on their faces.
Marks has made it into the city. He crosses 10 Mile and jogs into an apartment building. Finding apartment #12, he opens the door and goes inside. A weapons supplier is there.
"Marks! Long time no see, buddy! I'd heard you escaped last night."
"Yeah yeah, what's up?"
"Well, I can get you what you called and asked for, but for a price."
"Come on, you know I don't got any money."
"Well then, there are other forms of trade, you know. I'm sure that Mr. McCordill will understand."
"Mr. McCordill ... you mean, you've been working for Charles Dix McCordill the whole time and never told me?!"
"Of course. You know me I'd never pass up easy money."
"And you know that I'm only freelance."
"I realize that. But, since you don't have any funds, you will have to work for the Yin-Yan Hex for a period of ... oh, I'd say a good four months before you pay off your debt."
Marks is clearly not pleased, but he relents.
"All right, all right."
"Good. I'll get it for you. There's a change of clothes there on the bed."
Soon, Marks has changed his clothes, and is equipped with his new weapons: two large blades which come the length of each of his forearms, and a pair of jet-assisted in-line roller skates.
"You look good, Marks."
Marks looks down on his new clothes, a large Yin-Yan hex on his left breast. "No. I'm not Marks any more. From now on call me ... GRUNGECUT!"
Cutup goes down to the police dispatcher's office, looking for any report of Marks' appearance. Finally, a dispatcher turns to Cutup.
"Detective! Yin-Yan Hex operative spotted burglarizing Maroone Technologies' main office. Description matches Marks, but he's carrying two large blades and wearing roller skates."
"Direction?"
"He's on 9 Mile, headed for Trumbull."
"Get me the motor pool. I want a bike."
On a motorcycle, Cutup heads down 9 Mile, following a trail of slashed tires on the way to find Marks' trail. Finally, she catches up to him, and notices an exhaust trail coming from his skates.
"Stop! Police! FREEZE!"
Marks stops sharply. He turns up and looks at Cutup in recognition.
"Well well, if it isn't Detective Chin, exactly the witch I've been looking for!"
He starts the skates up again, jumping over two cars to get to Cutup. Cutup grabs some of her knives as she jumps off of the bike. Grungecut wrecks the bike when he lands on it, but Cutup is safely away from him, ready with three knives for throwing and her duelling dagger. Her face shows determination.
"I put you away before, Marks. I'll put you away again!"
"I doubt that, Chin. All you've got is those wimpy little knives. I've got the heavy duty stuff!"
Grungecut starts up the skates again, in breakneck speed toward Cutup.
Looking for Cutup, Flea and Ramm finally come down to the dispatcher's office. The dispatcher who gave Cutup the information on Marks turns to the other two detectives.
"She came down here. Looking for that escapee. She had some kind of fire in her eyes. I think it's because she put that guy away three years ago."
"Where was he? Where did you send her?"
"Uhh, Nine-mile toward Trumbull."
"Let's go, Jack. I'll meet you there." Flea jumps out the window of the dispatch office, as Ramm runs toward the motor pool.
Grungecut's first lunge misses Cutup, as she ducks just in time. Like a matador, she manages to slice the underside of Grungecut's arm. Grungecut grimaces in pain.
"All right, now you're gonna get it, stupid slut!"
Grungecut swoops in again, swinging wildly at Cutup, who's crouched low enough to avoid most of Grungecut's attack. Unfortunately, she doesn't anticipate the backswing, as he catches her with a spike on the back of the right blade. She screams, then recovers quick enough to throw her knives. Two miss, but the third catches Grungecut on the right hand. He swings around again, slicing at the air and catching Cutup square in the shoulder. She locks her legs around Grungecut's left leg, bringing him crashing down. The jet assist on the skates dies as he goes down. With his good hand, he pulls the knife out of his injured one, and slices at Cutup with it. Cutup lunges in response, slicing Grungecut's right ankle as he swings a large blade around and catches Cutup in the leg, making a deep gouge.
"Time for you to die, pig!!"
"FREEZE, POLICE!!"
Grungecut turns and sees Flea pointing her .57 custom at him.
"Aw crap, not more cops! Shoot at me and your partner dies!" Grungecut backs up his threat by holding one of the large blades against Cutup's neck. Flea keeps the gun pointed at Grungecut.
"I don't think so. The lady goes free, and you go back to Jackson."
Grungecut presses the blade closer to Cutup's neck. "Oh, I do think so."
Ramm comes up from behind Grungecut and slugs him. Grungecut goes flying across the street, while Ramm attends to Cutup. When Grungecut lands, his face shows more intensity.
"All right, see what I can do now!!"
Grungecut picks himself back up on his skates, and flies toward Flea. Flea responds by firing four shots. Almost simultaneously, Grungecut's hands and feet are turned into bloody pulps (needless to say, the skates are destroyed.). Surprisingly, a medical team jumps to action immediately, before Flea can tend to Grungecut's wounds.
"Where did they come from?"
"I don't know, but they didn't even bother with Jasmine before they went over to him."
As the doors close on the ambulance the team came from, they notice the large insignia on the doors: the team had been sent from the Circle-Point syndicate. Flea fires two shots at the retreating ambulance, but hits nothing. As soon as she stops shooting, Flea turns and starts tending to Cutup's wounds. Finally, after field dressing all the slices, including the large injury on Cutup's leg, the ambulance arrives to take Cutup away to the hospital.
The ambulance carrying Grungecut stops at Maroone Technologies and the medical team takes Grungecut into the building itself. A mysterious woman approaches him once he has been laid out on a table.
"Hello, Mr. Marks. Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am Virginia Maroone."
A look of apprehension appears on Grungecut's face.
"You see, I'm not too happy about my rival Mr. McCordill sending you to steal my files. That makes me very angry, and I choose to take out my punishment on McCordill, using you."
A surgical team enters the room.
"You see, I am implanting you with some prototype technology. This will make you a true superhuman. You will become one of my enforcers."
Maroone begins to walk out of the room, then stops.
"Oh, by the way, your mind will be permanently wiped, and you will have total loyalty to me."
Grungecut screams as Maroone shuts the OR doors. Slowly, a smile crosses her face.