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Okay, I have to say this. I f***ed up a few things. First off, I misspelt several canon names. For that, I am sorry. But… man, I had to end that last arc. I was trying hard to end it so that I could move onto this arc. In fact, there was a few things I wanted to do with this arc, but know this… Everyone who travelled with Cole will wind up working with the Third Street Saints.
'Cole McGrath: Electric Gangsta!'
Um… Jac? If you're reading this… I think I broke Hermione…
"This place is sweet," Ino said as she reclined on the seat. "A pool, several bedrooms and a magnificent view. It feels good to be a gangster."
"I'm still pissed that you went off and did a job without letting anyone know," I said. "Guys, this is dangerous business, and you can't just f*** with people when it comes to crime or gang warfare. People can die, you know?"
"They seem very capable," Laura said as she set the cupcakes down on a rack. "But Kinzie does seem like a nice person. Where is she, anyway?"
"She said she'd be here in a minute," Pierce said, before the elevator opened up. There were several boxes, with Kinzie standing next to them.
"Can I get some help here?" she asked, as she started lifting boxes out.
"I don't mind," Elijah said as he took the boxes from her. "So, what are these for?"
"When I checked the security footage, I saw that the Deckers were nice enough to leave my computers alone," Kinzie said. "The Morningstar, however, smashed all of my equipment up, so I had to go and get new components. I've got a friend looking for info about Angel, but in the meantime, I have to rebuild my computers."
"So, that's what these are for?" Gat said as he tossed some small boxes to the side. "Why do you need 4 processors?"
"I'm making 4 computers," Kinzie said. "One for me, one for the living room, one for the storage room and one for upstairs."
"Why do you need 20 monitors?" Aisha asked.
"You know me," she said. "Wait, no you don't… but anyway, I'm a gamer chick, and I only use the best equipment."
"What did you do before you were kidnapped?" Hinata asked.
"Well, before the Deckers framed me, I was an FBI tech specialist and registered gray-hat."
"Wait, you're a fed?" Shaundi asked.
"Not after the Deckers screwed me over," Kinzie said.
"What, did they 'leak' emails about insulting your boss?" I asked.
"Very funny," Kinzie asked. "But it isn't funny when everyone thinks you're moonlighting as a dominatrix or selling secrets to Mossad!"
"Is that what they did?" Elijah said.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't be going to Safeword, then," Zimos said, walking in.
"Mine's 'Tea cup'," Kinzie blurted.
"I guess it isn't my place, Boss, but the plants upstairs are withering," Zimos sang.
"What kind?" Ino said.
"Cannabis, maraijuana, the usual," was the musical reply.
"Well, I'm great with plants," Ino said, before running upstairs.
"Kinzie, how do you expect to set these up?" Elijah asked.
"I'm good with computers," she said.
"What, you're just going to work on them all day and night?" he asked.
"Sleep is forbidden," Kinzie said. "I could use some help."
"Well, I was going to talk to the Boss about something," Elijah said. "People think it's safe to come out now, including customers."
"So, what, you want to deal drugs?" I asked.
"Not drugs," Elijah said. "Memorabilia. Believe it or not, Steelport is a very big town when it comes to the nerd community, and the alien attacks could've damage a lot of memorabilia saved over the years. And since there's no post to sell over the internet…"
"We have a small market of people willing to part their money for Lord of the Rings crap," Pierce said.
"Not just LOTR," Elijah said. "Robot Chicken, Spyro the Dragon, I know a guy willing to pay £15,000 for a signed VHS of Flipper."
"Why that movie?" Pierce asked.
"It turns out I have a stalker," Elijah said in a nervous tone. "Anyway, it's not just stuff signed by me that I have, I have a poster of 'The Dark Knight' that was signed by none other than Heath Ledger himself. Guess the price the collector said he'd pay for it?"
"$10,000?"
"Half a million," Elijah said.
"Then go out there and start dealing," I told him.
"That's the thing," Elijah said. "These guys are mostly around New Colvin."
"The Deckers?" Kinzie said. "There's some serious competition."
"So, I was thinking…"
"You need someone to protect you?" Jack said. "They're biotics, right?"
"Then I'll go," Zimos sang. "Believe it or not, but I know the secret to taking down the Deckers." He then stood up then crashed his cane into the cable shattering it. "Watch this." He then held out this piece of wood, then the table began to reform itself in an instant. "The thing is, if certain spells require verbal casting, we're out of luck."
"Oh, that is so cool," Elijah said as he took Zimos' hand.
"Wait, the DeWynters are witches as well," Jack said.
"So is most of Morningstar," Kira said as he walked in. "I figured out why the dragon is here."
"Shoot," Pierce said.
"The newest attraction at Safeword," Kira said.
"The DeWynters have lost their shit, which is kinda sad," Zimos sang. "You can't control a dragon at all. The only way to get a dragon to obey is torture, and that's illegal."
"How are Wizards trained?" I asked.
"We go to school, dumbass."
"Okay, mount up," I said, causing Zimos to wince.
"DON'T! Say 'mount'," he sang, instantly.
"I guess you don't appreciate 'Giddy up'," Shaundi said.
"Come on, Halfling," Zimos said. "Let's go."
Operation Louisiana 3: Steelport, Here I Am.
"So, how do you want to do this?" I said.
"I drive and make the deals, you watch my ass?" Elijah said as he walked up to a car. "Nice ride," he said, flatly.
"Pimps didn't drive extravagant cars when I was starting up," I said. "Now, it's the opposite, but this car is still my baby." I then threw Elijah the keys. "Don't wreck the paint job."
"Okay," he said as he got in and started the car. "What do you want to sell first? The complete Lord of the Rings collection, signed by the entire cast, or the Flipper VHS."
"Can we hold onto the collection until last?" I asked. "I want to have a look."
"There's one back at the penthouse," Elijah said. "I'll show this funny Easter egg later."
"What is it?" I asked.
"A prank by satellite call," he said. "You have to see it to believe it. Here's the first deal, you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," I said, taking my wand with me as we met with the guy.
"Hey, Bobby," Elijah came out.
"Oh, Mr Wood," he said, excitedly. "I wasn't able to get the exact amount of money agreed, but I got something you may be interested in."
"What?"
"A Nocturne," he said, taking out a sword. "It's a decker blade, made from stainless Japanese Steel and some unknown metal to make it stronger but lighter, especially if you provide it with a power source."
"Sounds good," Elijah said as the guy handed him some money and the sword, before he eagerly ran off. "I can't wait to see how excited he'll be when he realises we shook hands," he said as we got into the car, before we heard a scream for joy.
"I think he just did," I said as we drove off and I checked the money. "Hey, the amount he was short? It was $20."
"Are you serious?" Elijah asked. "Hey, Z, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"I hear you know the DeWynter sisters," Elijah asked. "How?"
"I'm one of the best wandmakers in the whole of America, and they were my first customers," I said. "Hell, I trained under the world's greatest, Garrick Ollivander, himself. He taught me everything about wandlore."
"Wandlore?" Elijah asked me.
"You need to know the secret to making a good wand," Zimos said. "That secret is wandlore, the rules to making a wand. All wizards and witches need to use it. I got into trouble, however, for campaigning against the ban on allowing non-human magical beasts from using wands."
"Give me an example of wandlore," Elijah said as we turned the corner.
"You don't choose a wand," I said. "The wand chooses you. Also, you can't use anyone else's wand and expect it to always work, and wands will even refuse to work on their masters if it means causing them harm or death."
"Sweet," Elijah said as he turned the corner. "Hand me that video game."
"The Two Towers on PS2," Zimos said. "Signed by Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli?"
"Yep," he said as I handed it to him. "Uh oh, deckers!"
"Hurry it up, then," I said, as I started throwing around stunners and bodybinds, capturing most of the deckers and monsters instantly, before Elijah ran back to the car and I got in.
"That was impressive," Elijah said. "Hey, I made $5,000 on that sale."
"Sweet," I said.
"You ready to head back?"
"I think we could make one more sale," I said as I noticed more Deckers following us.
"One of the best wandmakers in the world and you're working as a pimp?" Elijah asked. "And even then, why are the DeWynters special?"
"You think I'm out of the wandmaking business?" Zimos asked. "I'm still at it, I make the wands at my place. And as for the DeWynters… they apprenticed under me."
"So, they were your students?" Elijah asked. "Which one did you sleep with?" I was just silent. "Oh, no…"
"There were two of them!" I said.
"You broke the first rule," Elijah said. "If you do a twin, remember which one!"
"I was drunk, okay?" Zimos said. "And I think getting ***************** would be punishment enough!"
"Here's the last guy," Elijah said. "Hand me the box set."
"Here you go," I said as I got out. "A lot more deckers here."
"Do your worst," he said, before I sent curses out like there was no tomorrow. Soon, he was running back into the car, and had it started before I climbed in.
"Can you teach me at least one spell?" Elijah asked me.
"Magic is genetic," I warned him. "And here's a tip. Don't fool around with a freshly used wand, because then it will explode."
"So, any other reason why you care about the DeWynters so much?" Elijah asked me.
"Well, the thing is…" I started. "The wands I sold them… they were the best ones I ever made. They were champion duellists with those wands, and were also brilliant students. I take pride in providing them with the tools."
"So, then the processor is the brain of the computer," Kinzie said to Aisha as she helped her set up the computers, as well as Hinata and Pierce.
"Hey, you're back," I said. "How did it go?"
"Well, how much does a normal drug deal make?" Elijah asked.
"500 grams makes around… £300,000," Tobias said.
"Well, how about $50,000 and a sword," Zimos sang as the two deposited the payloads.
"Nice blade," Gat said, taking a look. "Not as heavy as I'd expect." Naruto, however, muttered something in Japanese.
"He said," Hinata translated, "that the Deckers had swords like that, and they felt weird when he used them."
"Is there such thing as a biotic sword?" Elijah asked.
"If you make it with Element Zero, which gives biotics their powers, then yes, there is," I said, while Ino came downstairs.
"Hey, Boss," she said to me. "Is it possible to get a few things from a hardware store? If we don't the plants will die."
"What do you need?" I asked.
"Nutrients, compost, a decent sprinkler system," she said. "Basic stuff."
"Well, we got money," Gat said. "Maybe get some groceries while we're out."
"Laura and I will handle the groceries," Aisha said. "Hell, it's been 8 years, I doubt that someone will recognise me."
"And we look the most inconspicuous," Laura said as they took some money. "Oh, can you take the bread out of the oven in 5 minutes?" She asked Shaundi.
"Okay," she said as they got on the elevator and went down.
"hey, Kinzie, how are the computers coming along?" Kira asked.
"I'm still using my notebook, but the other computers are coming along greatly," Kinzie said. "As soon as the liquid cooling systems are in, I'll test them out then install software." The notebook made a quick noise, which Kinzie responded to quickly as she jumped up and checked the notebook. She then held some device she wore around her necklace to the screen, before something shot around her and landed next to her. "Is it bad?"
"The Luchadores put a hit out on Angel," the creature spoke up. "I found him, though. He's at a gym in Carver Island, but the Luchadores are closing in, fast."
"You're a cat," Pierce said.
"Smart, isn't he?" the cat said.
"Well, it we're going for formal introductions, this is my partner, Gatomon," Kinzie said. "She's a digimon, a monster born from computer data."
"Wait, all the deckers have digimon," Hinata said. "How did they get them?"
"I don't know," Kinzie said. "I got my digivice years ago, when it just shot out of my screen."
"Same for me," Kira said. "Too bad the damn Deckers took it."
"So, you have a creature like that?" Shaundi asked.
"Where can I get one?" I asked.
"That's why we started investigating the Deckers," Kinzie said. "I was the operator, Kira was the field agent, entering the digital world made up of computer networks to find out what the Deckers were up to. But you have to worry about Angel."
"On it," I said, just as Kaiden walked over to me. "Come on, pretty boy, we're meeting the new guy now."
"Please tell me we're not going against Morningstar," Kaiden said. "I can't get beat up by those hos again."
"I'll go with you if it will stop your blubbering," Ashley said.
"Alright, how about Gat?"
"I'm busy making sure our toys are in tip-top condition," Gat said. "Why not Shaundi?"
"I'm game," she said, grabbing a handgun. "Do any of you want to drive, or should we take my car?"
"Kaiden and I will focus on biotics," I said. "Ashley, you good for shotgun?"
"I prefer an assault rifle," Ashley said. "But, hey, front seat."
"This is Angel's place?" Shaundi asked. "Looks like a f***ing dump."
"Well, he went a bit crazy after Killbane screwed him over, if what Kinzie said is accurate," Kaiden said. "Damn, there's around 30 Luchadores out here."
"My idea of a good time," I said as we got out. "Kaiden and I'll act as a distraction, Shaundi, you and Ashley head inside and meet with Angel."
"Yeah, when we get through the crowds," Shaundi said. "And what if any Luchadores get inside?" In answer to that question, a Luchador shot straight out of the roof, flew a good 90 feet upward before crashing downward, straight onto their vehicle. "My f***ing car!"
"I think that answers that," Ashley said as she grabbed her gun. "We'll sneak in through the fire exit, but we'll cover you if we need to."
"Got it," Kaiden said as we walked up to the crowd of Luchadores. "I don't think I could throw too many of these guys, we're going to have to focus on splash damage."
"I'm on it," I said, preparing to attack.
"Oh, shit!" One of the Luchadores said as he saw us. "It's Zero!"
"That's Jack to you f***ers," I said, before sending out a shockwave to throw several Luchadores upward, floating through the air and landing a short distance away, unconscious. Kaiden, however, quickly sent out throws at several Luchadores to throw them at their friends, knocking them out. "Wow, 30 guys and they're all unconscious."
"There's more coming," Kaiden said. "Uh oh."
"Hey," I said as Ashley and I entered the room. "Are you Angel de la Muerte?"
"You're not with the Luchadores, are you?" he asked as we walked in. For a guy on the run from the Luchadores, he probably shouldn't wear spandex pants. "They don't let women into the gang."
"How would you know?" Ashley retorted.
"You're wearing purple, not green," Angel responded. "Also, none of you are Conduits, I would've sensed you. Plus, Killbane hates biotics with a passion so your friends would be killed before being let it."
"Strong and smart," I said, walking up. "So, you can sense Conduits… how many more?"
"About 60, plus a brute if I'm not mistaken," Angel said. A crashing noise then rung out as both Kaiden and the Boss crashed through the wall and landed next to us. "You met the big guy, didn't you?"
"What the hell?" Kaiden said, winching whilst holding his head. "That guy…"
"How the hell is he that big?" the Boss said as we helped them up. "Guys, get ready… that thing shrugged off our attacks."
Sure enough, a large guy walked in through the main entrance. And I mean he was big. At least 7 feet tall and built like a tank. Nervously, I aimed my gun straight at his face before firing several shots at it. "Go for the head!"
"More Luchadores," Angel said. "I don't have any guns, but I can take on the grunts."
"Right on," Kaiden said as he lifted up a slot machine and threw it forward, taking out several Luchadores, while Ashley and I opened fire on the big ass… thing in front of us, rolling out of the way as he charged us. I was grabbed by a Luchador who tried to strangle me, but Kaiden used a kick to the nuts to stun him whilst holding the Luchador in the air, before throwing him at the big guy as a distraction. "You okay?"
"I owe you," I said, before pushing him out of the way of the brute that charged us, which crashed into the nearby wall, leaving a dent.
"Do I send the bill to Killbane, or you?" Angel asked, while palm-striking Luchadores left and right, before doing a handstand on a Luchador's shoulders and throwing him away as he came back downward.
"This place is a pig sty, anyway," Ashley said as she smacked a Luchador in the face with her gun, knocking him out.
"That's all of the Luchadores," the Boss said. "What about the ugly duckling?" In response, the guy pushed himself out of the wall, glaring at me while blood dripped down from his face.
"Kaiden, can you throw this into the guy's throat?" the Boss asked whilst holding up a grenade.
"Sure," he said, as he took out the pin, just as the guy was running forward. Kaiden held up the grenade just above his own hand, before pushing his arm forward. The grenade slid into the large guy's mouth, with the lever coming neatly out as it entered. As it kept charging, trying desperately to leave, Angel put his arms out and threw the guy to just level of the first floor, before the grenade exploded.
"8," I said.
"7," the Boss said. "So, you're Angel de la Muerte, then?"
"You're Subject Zero?" Angel asked.
"How do you know that?" the Boss asked.
"Every single one of Cerberus' experiments knows about the girl who destroyed one of their most advanced facilities," Angel said.
"Were you created or experimented on?" I asked.
"I'd rather not," Angel said. "But if you're going after Killbane, I'll gladly help. I can show you the weaknesses in his fighting style as well as identify his top lieutenants. Hell, I could even tell you his dirty little secret if it comes to that."
"What kind of secret?" Ashley asked. "No, wait; don't tell me… he's using his Conduit powers to cheat during matches?"
"Not what I was talking about, but yeah," Angel said. "I did the same while we were tag team partners."
"I have to say, I don't know much about Conduits," I said. "Care to explain?"
"Ray Field radiation," Angel said. "All life can absorb a small about of it, but conduits can absorb this radiation in larger quantities and shape it for different effects. It was originally believed to be a form of Chakra and those who used it could learn Ninjutsu, but that was quickly disproven since it's much more lethal to ninja. The reason biotics are better at fighting conduits is because the mass effect, the power to alter mass and gravity, can neutralise RF radiation, cutting off a conduit from their powers. Magic, however, absorbs mass effect radiation and makes it stronger. And conduits can absorb magic as an alternative to RF radiation, but it takes a while to learn that skill."
"So, wizard beats biotic, biotic beats conduit and conduit beats wizard," Ashley said. "Okay, that could work for us if we start a civil war."
"Not while Loren is alive," Angel said. "Also, you should know that conduits with the same power are actually very rare. Powers are decided by DNA."
"But all these guys have similar powers," the Boss said. "All of them have improved strength and minor pyrokinesis."
"I doubt that any of them are clones," Angel said. "Most were on loan from the First Sons. But…"
"Wait, the guys who caused the Empire incident?" the Boss said. "Perhaps we should look into it."
"Wait, you guys really were locked up for the last month, weren't you?" Ashley asked us. "Empire city was destroyed only a few days ago."
"What?" the Boss and I asked.
"Some giant conduit called the 'Beast' showed up and destroyed the entire city, killing everyone," Ashley said. "The only survivors awakened as conduits if Picus TV is any indication."
"Picus?" the Boss asked. "Never heard of it."
"It's being broadcast out of a Fox News building," Kaiden said. "There's some 17 year old in there called Eliza Cassan, and she asks people to send her news stories by email or on YouTube. I'll show you when we get back there."
"You mind coming?" the Boss asked. "We'll need to talk about the Luchadores, as well as for general safety."
"I hate leaving the gym, but I'll bite," Angel said. "Do we walk or drive?"
"We had a car, but it was totaled when a Luchador flew through the roof," Kaiden said, before Angel led us to the back of the gym. "How did you do that?"
"My power is to expel RF as kinetic energy, greatly altering my own attacks," Angel said. "I can even do it for something in the air, but my blood has to be on it. I can also sense RF, but it's not strong enough to sense non-conduits, and it won't work when I'm standing next to a biotic."
"Hey, I didn't have a choice," the Boss said. "And it's internal, directly attached to my spine. If someone tries to take it out, I'll die."
"Rough," Angel said as he turned on a light. "I'm driving."
"Good," Ashley said. "I don't even have a license."
"Neither do I," the Boss said. "Doesn't stop me."
"Yeah, but you can drive," I quickly said.
"I can't believe I almost got identified," Aisha said as she put the bags down.
"What?" I asked, setting down the shotgun. "What happened?"
"I went to the hardware store and someone saw me, said I looked just like myself," she said, sitting down. "I was just able to get around it, saying that I lost my eye when I was 13, but people keep thinking I'm… well, me."
"Perhaps sending you out was a mistake," I said.
"Well, I did find one thing out," Aisha said. "Rather, I found something." She then set a small memory card next to Kinzie. "Some sort of list."
"I'll look at it later," Kinzie said. "I've just got the last OS installed, these should be ready in an hour." Elijah then stepped out of the elevator, followed by Zimos. "More memorabilia sales?"
"Actually, no," Elijah said. "We were giving out manuals. Apparently, Zimos prints books with his girls in them, gives them to temp workers then lets the people call him."
"Yeah, how often do you get a hard on while staring at the yellow pages?" Zimos sang. "Oh, shit. I spotted a mistake. I spelt 'Jasmine' with a 'Z'."
"Is that all?" Ino asked. "It's not much of a difference."
"Have pride in your work, motherf***er," Zimos admonished her.
"If you want me to, I could regrow your trachea and close that hole," Ino offered. "What do you say?"
"It's a good offer," he sang. "Give me 24 hours."
"Oh, thanks for these," Ino said, before calling over to Shikamaru, who reluctantly helped her with the weed.
"How does she know that much about drugs?" Tobias asked. "She's better than me."
"Well, most of them are ninja, right?" Elijah spoke up. "Perhaps that's how she learnt it."
"Actually, the Yamanaka Clan are specialists when it comes to mind reading, control and interrogation, and use various medicines to help them," Hinata spoke up. "They also run a flower shop in town."
"What do your family do?" Aisha asked. "Or are the Hyuugas complete assholes like Hiashi?"
"How did you-" Hinata tried to say.
"You have similar eyes," Aisha said. "Not that many people have eyes like that."
"How do you know him?" Hinata asked.
"He tried to kill me when someone put a hit on Johnny and Jack," Aisha said. "I just ducked out of the way, and I had to get the eye surgically removed. Johnny, when he caught up to him, tore out his own eye so that I could have it transplanted, except we were incompatible blood types."
"I must apol-"
"You don't need to apologise for him," Aisha said. "Besides, Johnny still has his eye, except he had it pickled." Several people started gagging when they heard that. "Sorry?"
"Perhaps Hinata should take it back to him," Tobias said from the couch, next to Kira. "Maybe give it to him as a birthday gift?"
"Yeah, wrapped in a bandana with a card from everyone's favourite killing maching, Johnny Gat," Kira said. "Let's do it!"
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"I thought you didn't speak English?" Kira asked.
"I've been listening to this CD, and I can just… understand the words," Naruto asked. "So, what are you doing?"
"Sorting through information," Kira said. "I think I can work out some plans to go after the Syndicate." Soon, the elevator opened up, with most of the group walking out, before Angel looked around.
"Wait, Ra-"
"It's Kira," the guy on the couch said. "Long time to see, Angel."
"Kira… got it," he said, as Kinzie entered. "You joined a gang with your cousin?"
"By adoption," Kinzie said, with her finger pointed up.
"I bet you still have that damn Gatomon with you."
"She's searching for some information," Kinzie said. "Oh, Hinata, I've got a patch for that hacking software, makes it easier to break into systems as well as adding a new feature."
"Here," Hinata said, handing her the phone which she connected to the computer.
"You gave her your phone?" Aisha asked me. "Why?"
"Well, she helped us out and…" I began. "I replaced the SIM card, and I haven't gotten a new phone yet."
"Do you have a gym?" Angel asked. "I'd do with weights for a while."
"Just through the door there," I showed him. "So, what are we going to do about sleeping spots?"
"This is an apartment building used by the Morningstar," Pierce said. "I could open up each room for each person."
"Yeah, and Shikamaru could just lounge about every day by the pull with an umbrella," Naruto said. "He's always a lazy bastard."
"Well, at least you're remembering," Hinata said. "Anything else you remember?"
"Not much," Naruto said. "Except… [When the Hokage encouraged me to enrol in the academy]."
"Yeah," Hinata said, before she collapsed.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"Yeah… I've just been hearing… voices in my head," Hinata said.
"Fainting is a common symptom of a mentalist conduit awakening," Angel called from the next room. "She could be hearing someone while awakening."
"I think I can find her," Hinata said. "She's… she's around the port."
"We can try there later," Pierce said. "We should probably tell the town we're in business."
"How?" I asked. "Go around and have Zimos singing, T-Pain style?"
"Well, there are two ways," Pierce said. "We could buy better clothes, open up a few businesses, get some body work done…"
"How are we going to do that?" the Boss asked.
"Well, we just use some of the Syndicate's places," Pierce responded.
"Like the Syndicate would just let us use their places," Shaundi said.
"Well, that's the thing," Pierce said, as he slapped with a few sheets of paper. "They can't do anything about it, since we already have the deeds."
"How the hell did you get these?" the Boss asked.
"There were safety deposit keys out back," Pierce said. "I went to the bank earlier today. So, we can go get some stores and create a small chain. I'm thinking… 'Planet Saints'."
"Sounds good," the Boss said. "Gat, take Hinata and find that girl, I'll go with Pierce to open a store."
"Okay," Gat said as Shikamaru and Ino came down the stairs. "Want to save some girl?"
"Well, I saved the plants," Ino said, as she conveyed the message to Shikamaru, who just shrugged his shoulders. "We're in."
"I'll come as well," Naruto said. "You mind if I take the sword?"
"You're going to need a battery," Laura said before she started cutting some drugs.
"Wait, you'll cut off Hinata if she's a conduit," Gat said.
"Hey, Angel," the Boss called out. "Can you sense Hinata?"
"No, it will take a while before I can sense her," Angel said. "She would need to adjust first."
"Okay, let's go," Gat said.
"So, all we have to do is go and find a store, then buy it," Pierce said. "Hold on… we should probably get this car fixed up, the paint job is damaged and there's no radio."
"Yeah, where should we go?" I asked.
"How about Rim Jobs?" Pierce asked, as I turned the corner. "We can up the torque, add underglow – You love nitrous."
"Indeed I do," I said as I made a turn. "So, we book an appointment or something?"
"No, just drive in," Pierce said. "Usual?"
"Usual," I replied as a guy walked up to the car.
"Hey, how much for a good pimping?" Pierce asked.
"You want that thing pimped?" the guy asked. "It depends. What exactly do you need?"
"We can start with paint, and underglow if we have time," Pierce said. "Then we'll come back for tires and rims, maybe tuning the engine."
"Oh, you mean a complete turnover," the guy said. "I can do that in half an hour."
"Bullshit," I said.
"I'm a wizard, it won't take too long," he said.
"Isn't that a bit stupid, just saying you're a wizard like that?" I asked.
"Yeah, except that the place has wards all over it," the mechanic said. "If you try and attack me, you'll get zapped and killed in an instant. Also…" the guy then leant up to Pierce, who then grinned madly.
"Hey, Boss," he said, excitedly. "Care to spare $10,000 for a surprise?"
"Okay, I'll bite," I said, grinning. "It had better be good."
"So, this is the place?" Gat said.
"Yeah, we've circled the warehouse, and the voice is loudest just around it," Hinata said. "It's a woman's voice I can hear."
"Okay, how are we going to do this?" Naruto asked. "Have one of us enter through the window, while the others wait by the door?"
"We could crash through the wall," Gat said.
"If it's a hostage, they're liable to kill her," Ino said. "[Hinata, use your Byakugan to scout the warehouse]."
"[Got it]," Hinata said, before looking inside. "There's a large number of Morningstar inside there, and one guy is fighting a girl who is holding a crystal…" Hinata then tensed up, as her Byakugan cancelled and she fell to the ground. "The crystal! That's what I've been hearing, but there's some other girl in there. She's around 18-21, I think."
"Okay, a retrieval and rescue mission," Gat said. "Look out, there's someone coming out."
"[Two guards]," I said, looking around the cover. "[They're out for a smoke]."
"How do we jump them?" Naruto asked. "Wait… Perhaps I could create Shadow Clones. [Do they produce chakra]?"
"[Yeah, they do]," Hinata replied. Soon, Naruto was surrounded by several identical clones, all of them grinning.
"Okay, we jump the guards," one clone said to the other, "then we all sneak inside and knock out the guards," another said, "then find the girl and crystal," one more said, "and get the hell back to the penthouse."
"Wait, which is the real Naruto?" Gat asked. "And how did you create all of those copies?"
"I just mould my chakra to copy my form," one Naruto said. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah, there is," Ino said, while pushing Shikamaru's jaw back up. "[Naruto-kun, from all the times I saw my relatives practice that technique, I have never seen them make more than two. How did you manage to create twenty-three of them, as well as getting them to think independently]?"
"[They're not supposed to do that]?" Naruto asked.
"[Congratulations, Naruto]," I finally spoke up. "[In your complete ignorance, you have managed to perform an action that was last performed by the First Hokage, and even then, he didn't do it using Shadow Clone, he used a special technique]."
"…Oops?" Naruto said, dumbstruck.
"Yeah, but Shadow Clones disappear after a single hit," Ino said. "Maybe we could cause a distraction…"
"Like what?" Gat asked. "We pull the fire alarm?" I finally got sick of this, so I grabbed Gat's gun and fired two quick shots to each guard, killing them instantly.
"Put in your f***ing tampons, and let's go," I finally said as we all walked forward.
"You lazy f***er!" Ino shouted me.
"So, this is it," the mechanic said. "You'd be surprised, but you said you were from Stillwater?"
"Yeah," I said. "Why?"
"I got a new guy from there," he said. "He's not in tonight, but he'll be in tomorrow if you want to come back."
"Well, I know a friend who wants her car done up," Pierce said. "I'll take it here tomorrow. Oh, what's your name again?"
"Everyone calls me Lot," he said. "Well, see you around."
"Okay," we said in unison as I drove down the road. "You wanna test it out?"
"Sure," I said before he pushed a button. "Wait… we spent 10 grand on invisibility?"
"No, the invisibility system cost 2 grand," Pierce said. "It's so that we don't get caught." He then pressed another button, as a lever appeared on the dashboard. "Just pull back, and…"
"Okay," I said, as I grabbed it. Carefully and slowly pulling it downward, I almost panicked as I saw that we were slowly rising from the ground. "Pierce, what the f*** is this?"
"It's a flying car," he said. "You're very tense."
"Yeah, because this isn't normal," I said.
"Might as well put on some music," he said as he put the new radio to use. "Hey, I love this song." It was nice, actually. Then he started singing.
"Early in the morning, risin' to the street
Light me up that cigarette and I strap shoes on my feet
Got to find a reason, a reason things went wrong
Got to find a reason why my money's all gone
I got a dalmation, and I can still get high
I can play the guitar like a mother fucking riot"
"Oh, god no," I said.
"Go on," he egged me on. We both sang the next part.
"Well, life is (too short), so love the one you got
'Cause you might get runover or you might get shot
never start no static just get it off my chest Never had to battle with no bulletproof vest."
"Take a small example, take a tip from me
Take all of your money, give it all to charity
Love is what I got
It's within my reach
And the Sublime style's still straight from Long Beach
It all comes back to you, you'll finally get what you deserve
Try and test that you're bound to get served
Love's what I got
Don't start a riot
You'll feel it when the dance gets hot
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got"
"See, you can do it," he said. "How about a solo?"
"Oh please don't," I laughed.
"I already did it," he said.
"Okay," I said, then got ready.
"(That's) why I don't cry when my dog runs away
I don't get angry at the bills I have to pay
I don't get angry when my Mom smokes pot
Hits the bottle and goes right to the rock
Fuckin' and fightin', it's all the same
Livin' with Louie dog's the only way to stay sane
Let the lovin', let the lovin' come back to me"
We both finished the song.
"Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that
Lovin', is what I got, I got I got I got"
"Hey, there's the spot," Pierce said. "It's a local clothing store, but some new duds would be good."
"What, get rid of my clothes?" I asked.
"I'm saying we become more sociable," Pierce said.
"Pierce, I shave my head," I said as I landed the car and turned the car visible. "How are we going to get me sociable?"
"Well, how about a tank top and some make-up?" Pierce asked. "I think you'd look good with black or purple lipstick and eyeliner."
"Yeah, and some sort of thong, maybe even a pair of high heels," I said, sarcastically.
"Well, how about boots engraved with the Fleur-de-Lis?" Pierce said. "Or even a leather jacket?"
"They sell these?" I asked.
"After I bought the place," he said, turning the corner and showing off the store. "Welcome… to 'Planet Saints'."
"Pierce, I thought you were joking," I shouted. "This is just begging the Syndicate to come here."
"Yeah, I know," Pierce said. "Most of our customers are Deckers, actually. I even got staff hired. Plus… all Saints get a 10% discount."
"Okay," I said, just as we were about to enter as a kid in a Decker uniform walked out with a digimon. "Hey, you were that kid from the generator."
"You were the woman who set off the EMP," the kid said. What kind of boy wears eyeliner? Are they all empty shells that cut themselves? Wait, I saw a store around here that does cater for the emo market. In fact, why does he have a British accent? "I'm actually impressed that you somehow kickstarted the power instead of destroy every generator in the city."
"You're a decker, right?" I asked. "It's dangerous to be fraternizing with us, since the Syndicate are after our heads."
"I'm only a grunt," the kid said. "I'm a low ranking member. In fact, I only just got a digivice."
"A what?" I asked.
"It allows deckers to call forth a digimon," the small creature said. "Like me."
"That's enough, man," the kid said. "Look, the only reason I'm here is because this store is the only one that sells the clothes that all deckers wear."
"What clothes?" Pierce said. "We'll order more."
"The one's I'm wearing," he said, as he reached for his receipt.
"The Bleak Line by Cristoph Valkerie," I blurted.
"What?" Pierce asked, as the decker looked at his receipt.
"Nothing," I said.
"Well, if I can, I'll get the other Deckers to come here," the kid said. "They don't have anything against the Saints, it's just what Loren ordered."
"Alright then," Pierce said. "Pleasure doing business."
"Come on, Dorumon," the kid said. "We've got to get back soon."
"Nice kid," Pierce said. "He's not even 17, though."
"I kind of get him," I said. "Just longing to be with someone, belong to a group of friends, that's why people join gangs."
"Yeah, I hear you," he said as we headed in. "How old were you when you joined the Saints, again?"
"God, I was…" I said. "I had to do some digging, but I'm apparently 23."
"You joined at 15?" Pierce asked. "How bad was your life?"
"Horrible."
"Excuse me," I said, walking inside. "There are two dead bodies outside that have been shot."
"And how did you get in here?" they asked. Good, they didn't notice the Naruto clones entering from the windows and sneaking up to them.
"The door was opened, and it seems they were out there for a smoke," I said.
"And how did you know that?" he said.
"Isn't it obvious that there are cigarettes here?" I asked just before the Narutos grabbed them. "Also, I was the one who shot them." The clones then let go of the Morningstar guys and let them fall to the ground. "Okay, this should be quick," I said as the clones ran forward.
"Yeah, it should," Gat said as the alarm blared. "There was a laser there, wasn't there."
"I never noticed," I said as we ran towards cover. "Okay, Ino, there's a large gun up there, on the walkway up stairs."
"On it," Ino called out as she took over the goon's body and started firing into the crowd. Soon, the guards were firing on her, killing the sentry, before one more person fired into the crowd with a shotgun and was killed. "Great, I just jumped into another person after I died."
"That's good, right?" Naruto asked as he created more clones. "I just discovered… when one of my clones are killed, they pass information back to me. We've got snipers here."
"Yeah, but I should've went back to my own body afterword," Ino said. "The sniper is too far away for me to possess."
"I think I can hit him from here," Gat said. "Hinata, you're my spotter."
"Okay," she said as she activated her Byakugan. "Two at the far wall, one on the next walkway." Gat then leant out and fire one shot at the first sniper, then rolled to confuse the other snipers, which he quickly took out. "There's more coming from above, and there are some on the ground floor."
"I found some guns," several clones shouted. They then jumped upward and unloaded on the Morningstar, before being quickly dispersed.
"That's most of them," Hinata called as she ran forward up the stairs. We all followed her up the stairs, with Gat covering us with firepower.
"I found some kunai," I said as I grabbed them. "There are some pouches here as well."
"So, we've got throwing weapons," Ino said. "Okay… Hinata, are there any more people in here?"
"There are reinforcements coming from the entrance," Hinata said.
"Yeah, I figured," I said, just as the smoke bomb went off. "Sleeping powder. That should handle that."
"Good job," Gat said. "How far away is that girl?"
"She's running out of some room," Hinata said as the girl came into view.
"I got this," I said, drawing a kunai and throwing it into her attacker's leg.
"Stay away from me!" the girl shouted as she crawled away from the Mornigstar goon.
"I said, get back here!" he growled. "Give me back the Soul Gem!"
"Soul Gem?" I asked. "[Soul Gem…]"
"[We'll focus on that later]," Naruto said as he jumped down and ran over towards the girl as she ran away from the guy, who just grabbed her leg.
"Get away!" she shouted, before throwing blood at him from a wound on her arm. The man let go of her as he tried to wipe the blood from his eyes and she ran past Gat and Ino, just in front of me, before fainting, whilst Gat had a gun aimed and Naruto had several shuriken out. However, they both dropped the weapons when the man burst into flames before their eyes, before falling to the ground, dead.
"Ino-san," Hinata called out. "[She's lost a lot of blood]."
"[I'm on it]," Ino said, while Hinata looked at the gem. "[Hey, are you okay]?" Ino asked, before the gem started glowing and Hinata went limp. "Hinata!"
"Let's get back," Gat said. "We'll hijack a van then head back to the penthouse."
"Well, it's not much," Pierce said as I came out of the dressing room. "But, hey, it's a start."
"Yeah, it is," I said as he paid for the duds and I looked at a few other items. "Why commercialise the Saints?"
"We can hide in plain sight," Pierce said. "Besides, the games and Shaundi's books got us a lot of fans. Easy revenue."
"You want to trade our dicks in for pussies?" I asked.
"I knew you were a man," he said, causing me to laugh. "But hey, we can't always do illegal shit. We'll be in jail for too long, and Gat is wanted in Texas. They'll execute him in an instant."
"We could always go to space," I said, which he scoffed at.
"Gangstas in Space," he replied. "That is the stupidest plan I have ever agreed to."
My phone then went off as we were just leaving. "Hello?"
-* Your friends just pissed off the Morningstar *- the kid from earlier said. -* They're sending a group to kill you. *-
"Why are you helping us?" I asked. "Wouldn't you be in trouble with the other deckers? And how did you get my number?"
-* The Deckers are fans, they wouldn't mind, and we know what happens when someone pisses you off, *- the kid said to me. -* If it means you don't go on a rampage against us, they'd fully help you if the Luchadores weren't on our backs. *-
"So, take out the Luchadores," I started.
-* The Deckers won't have a reason to mess with you, *- the kid said. -* Also, every decker is a hacker. That's how I got your number. *-
"Okay," I said as we got into the car and turned on the invisibility function. "Thanks for the heads up."
"What was that about?" Pierce asked.
"That kid from earlier?" I asked. "He just warned me about those guys," I said as the Morningstar drove up outside the store.
"So, we should take out the Luchadores first," Pierce said. "Then focus on the Morningstar."
"F*** no," I said. "We take out the biggest problem, which is Morningstar, then we focus on the Luchadores, then the Deckers will leave us alone."
"Alright, then…" Pierce began before looking wide-eyed at the crowd of Morningstar. "What the f*** is that thing?" He whispered to me.
"Oh, shit, there's two of them," I said. "Wait, there's three."
"I can only see two," Pierce said.
"Shaundi and Kaiden killed one earlier," I said, as one of them threw a car out of the way, before I started the car, slowly rising it over the store then flying off.
"Did you see that?" Pierce said. "He threw a car like it was nothing!"
"How many of them are there?" I asked.
"Are they on steroids or something? !" Pierce asked.
"I think they're on 'something'," I said, while Pierce patted over himself frantically.
"Wait, I forgot something," Pierce said.
"I'm not going back there," I said.
"Don't worry, I'll be quick," he said. I reluctantly turned back, setting the car on the ground whilst making it turn visible. We got closer as Pierce climbed up on top, with two SMGs ready. "Drive by!" he shouted, before unloading at the crowd, before I turned the car around and turned it invisible, before flying off. "Okay, I'm good."
"Hinata's fine, it was just touching that gem that caused her to faint," Ino said, before turning to the first girl. "Angel, can you tell if she's a conduit?"
"No, I can't," Angel said. "Why?"
"Then why did her blood burst into flames?" Shikamaru asked.
"I thought you didn't speak English," Aisha asked.
"He's a lazy bastard," Ino said. "He thought that it would mean he could do less work. Don't worry, I'll get back at him quickly."
"Wait, didn't you take my car?" Zimos asked. "Did she bleed on my seat?"
"Yeah," Gat said, before Zimos started swearing after dropping his cane.
"Hey, she's waking up," Ino said. "Hey, are you okay?"
"…Where am I?" she asked.
"We got you away from the Morningstar," Naruto said. "Those guys who were trying to hurt you."
"I… I assumed that much," she said. "But the last thing I remember before I started running from them… was being in a safe house in California."
"You're in Steelport, Louisiana," Shikamaru said. "Do you have a name?"
"…Manuela," she said, while holding her bandaged arm. "But… why am I here?"
"We don't know," I said. "I guess we should try introductions. My name is Shaundi." I then introduced most of the crew as Zimos stopped swearing. "Is there anyone you'd like us to call?"
"Well, I could try my handler if it's possible," Manuela said.
"Your… Handler?"
"I'm under the protection of the CIA," Manuela said. "A madman had a virus injected into my blood. That's why it can burst into flames."
"But… why do they need to protect you?" I asked.
"Someone called Loren wants a sample of my blood," Manuela said. "I don't know why."
"Don't worry," Gat said. "If his boys come looking around here, we'll take them down. It's not like they can get past us, or anything up here."
A toot from outside instantly drew our attention. "What was that?" Ashley asked, before we all ran outside, then looked at the roof. "How the hell did you manage that?"
"What?" Pierce asked.
"How did you get a car onto the roof?" Kaiden asked.
"We flew," the Boss said.
"Don't f***ing lie to us," I said.
"We're not lying," Pierce said. "Look." He then climbed back inside and did something, before the car flew a few feet off of the ground. "We got a flying car!"
We were all speechless, except for Naruto who ran up and checked the car. "Where did you get that?"
"You've been to Lot's place, right?" Zimos asked. "He's a skilled magical engineer. Bet you didn't notice the elves."
"What?" the Boss asked, jumping out of the car before Pierce landed it.
"How do you think he did everything so quickly? He had a lot of help, and House Elves can't be seen by anyone without magic."
"Look, it's late and we all need to rest," I said as we all nodded. "There are rooms downstairs, I'll stay up here and watch over with Gat."
"No need," Zimos said. "I've been working on magical wards all day, in between deals."
"Where the hell is Elijah, anyway?"
"We set up a club down the street," Laura said. "He's DJing while Tobias works the bar and Kira works as bouncer."
"Shit, I was supposed to be there by now," Gat said as he ran off.
"Bouncer?" Pierce asked.
"Yeah," Zimos said. "Plus, my girls are also working there. Easy way to get a lot of money."
"Let's just get some sleep," Naruto said. "We can mess with the Syndicate tomorrow."
"I'll stay up here with you," Kinzie said. "It should take a while to install everything, but it should be fun."
"So, what are you installing right now?" I asked.
"StarCraft 2," Kinzie said.
"You're installing a damn game?" I asked.
"We'll need it," Kinzie said. "I've been goading on the Deckers to a few matches. So, then, we can get a backdoor into their network and find out what they're doing."
"Come to think about it…" I said. "A decker kid went to the store Pierce set up, Planet Saints."
"I thought he was joking," Kinzie said.
"Yeah, he called us later, warning us about a Morningstar attack," I said. "We ended up doing a drive-by instead."
"Wait, what?" Kinzie said.
"Yeah, he said he was a new member to the gang," I said.
"The Deckers don't let in 'New members'," Kinzie said. "And all Deckers are loyal to Matt Miller, the leader."
"Why is that?" I asked, before Kinzie looked around, nervously.
"Every single decker, besides Matt Miller and Sunrise, his direct underling, are fiercely loyal to him because he saved their lives," Kinzie said. "It's because… every single one of them, is a homunculus."
"Kinzie, I have no idea what the fu-"
"They're artificial humans," Kinzie said. "They were created by some mad wizard as a personal army. That's why they can't die. They aren't alive."
"Well, that kid must've been really good at hiding his being fake," I said.
"Yeah…" Kinzie said. "Did you see his digimon?"
"Yeah, I even have a name for it," I said. "Dorumon." Kinzie just shrieked in my ear. "What?"
"That kid you were talking to…" she said, quietly. "That was Matt Miller."
.