Gunshots rang out through the precinct, and Nick instinctively covered his head and dropped to the floor. He chanced a glance at the doorway, and saw two of the gang members fall down dead. The others were raising their weapons, though, and about to open fire on them; two were trained on Mio, while the other was focused on Nick.

The latter was the one that Nick went after, first.

The gangbanger squeezed off a shot, but Nick threw up a shield of telekinetic energy, and the bullet ricocheted off harmlessly, landing on the floor behind him. Before he could fire off another shot, Nick gathered his energy at his fist and swung at his target with a psychically-charged punch.

The shot connected, and the man fell down, unconscious.

At that moment, the policeman fired off two more shots, and the other two gang members fell down dead.

Nick let the rest of his energy fade and tamper down, until he was just his normal self again. He looked over at Mio, to see if he was okay.

MIraculously, Mio had not been hit.

"What the hell was that about?" Nick asked incredulously.

"I don't know," Mio responded; he was visibly shaking, as he re-holstered his firearm. "They seemed to know you, though."

Nick nodded. "I had a beef with them years ago, but I thought I had it all squared up..."

Mio shook his head. "Gangs around here, they never forget. Even if they say a debt is forgiven, they still feel as though they can come collect at any time."

"I've heard that, but..."

"Didn't think they'd collect on you?"

Nick shook his head and stuck his hands in his pockets. His left hand brushed up against the photograph that Soon had given him, and he remembered the reason why he had come there in the first place.

"Mio!" he said as his friend was walking back to the back of the room. Mio turned around.

"Yeah?"

Nick pulled the photo out, and walked over to Mio. "Soon said that he saw this guy with Kira, a few weeks ago. You recognize him?"

Mio looked at the photograph. He studied it for a moment, then rubbed a faint patch of fuzz on his chin.

"Sorry, Nick," Mio said after a minute, "I can't say I know who this guy is. What I can tell you, though, is that he's dangerous business." He pointed to a barely-visible tattoo on his left wrist. "That signifies he's in a gang called Sun Kyoo Minh. They are not to be messed with."

"I've heard they have some psychics in the group."

"Bleeders, mostly. One or two Shifters, maybe a Watcher from time to time. The Bleeders are the worst they have, but they're trained to lethal efficiency. Even the Pop family Bleeders defer to them."

Nick shuddered as he thought about the scene in the marketplace. It was so long ago, he remembered...

He was surprised to feel a twinge of pain in his heart, as he thought about Cassie. He tried to shake it off. "I need to be thinking about finding Kira's killer, not fawning over someone who isn't even in my life anymore..."

To Mio, he said, "Do you know where I can find these guys?"

Mio pointed to his right. "The bar right over there, the Shiu-Ni Tavern. One of the Bleeders is the manager over there. You might want to talk to him."

Nick thanked him, and asked him if he was alright.

Mio nodded. "None of the bullets hit me, so I'll be alright. I think people might have heard the shots, though, so go out through the back. Wouldn't want you getting involved in all this."

Nick voiced his thanks, and walked to the back and out the back door.

The crisp odor of cigarette smoke hit him as soon as he walked out, and he coughed at the smell of it. He'd never liked cigarette smoke.

HIs cell phone vibrated, and he looked at it. It was Cassie. He thought for a moment, then opened the phone.

"Hey, Cassie."

Cassie breathed a sigh of relief on the other end. "So you're alright."

"Yeah. Almost got shot up by a bunch of gangbangers, but I'll survive."

"I saw it, and I tried calling you, but the service dropped, and-"

Nick cut her off. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm okay, that's all that matters. That, and you saw it before it happened. Just like I said earlier- you are not a failure as a Watcher..."

"I disagree, but thank you... So, any leads on Kira yet?"

Nick remembered their last conversation. "One. I'm fixing to go talk to a Bleeder. He's in a gang, and one of his fellow members was seen with Kira a few days before she died."

Cassie let out a low whistle. "You're actually going to talk to a Triad Bleeder? You have more balls than I ever would, my friend."

Nick wanted to point out that as a female, it would be biologically impossible for her to have balls to begin with, but he let it drop.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm making it," came the response. "I miss you."

Nick smiled. "I've been thinking about that hug I gave you right before we went to take down Carver and his gang."

Cassie laughed. "I remember it. But why have you been thinking about it?"

"I liked it. And not just because I was able to comfort you. I actually liked it."

"I did too," Cassie replied. "I think that's when I-"

The conversation cut out in mid-sentence. Nick looked at his phone, and saw that it had died.

"Dammit..." he murmured. Now, if he got into any trouble, he wouldn't be able to call for any help.

He steeled himself for a moment, before shutting the phone and putting it back into his pocket. He walked to the side of the police station, and out towards the road. He glanced over at the tavern, and grimaced as he thought of what he had to do.

He knew he had to do it, though, so he walked up the stairs, and into the tavern.

The door shut behind him, leaving the night as quiet as death. Though Nick could not know it, that was more than just a metaphor.

It would soon become reality.