I just want to put in this quick author's notes: Each arc should have their own distinct battle and boss themes;
Operation Odyssey :
Battle: Don't Be Afraid
Boss: Force Your Way
Operation Hogwarts :
Battle: Vicious 1915
Boss: Glint of Light
Operation Louisiana :
Battle: Dead Fingers Talk
Boss: Le Gran Luxe
July 22, 6:30AM
"Okay, I have no idea how to play this game," I said as I looked at the screen.
"There are a few tutorials," Kinzie said. "About the first 4 levels, actually. In fact, I roped Kira into an online match."
"What's up?" he called from the next room.
"When this is done installing, we'll create a account then buy the game," Kinzie said.
"I'm going to turn on the TV," I said. "What channel is Picus?"
"Fox News," Kinzie said, before I switched over. "I think she isn't really human."
"Who?" I asked as the anchor came on.
"Hello, this is Eliza Cassan, thank you to everyone who sent me news stories, the first one is from Vatsefukh in England," the girl said, before we started snickering.
"The local London camp which houses refugees from the drophyd attacks were attacked by a total of 12 mountain trolls earlier today, believed to have been lead there by a Death Eater named Bellatrix Lestrange. Lestrange, who was previously held in Azkaban prison before escaping, lead the trolls to try and kill a large number of refugees. The Fudge magical administration, who was supposed to deal with the incident, were quickly placed under fire due to the negligence of their Aurors, although they blamed it on a time of mourning for the previous Minister of Magic, who was found murdered a day or two ago, as causing a build-up of information. It seems that the people that handled the trolls included a Japanese high school student and a teenage wizard. And yes, I realised what I said, stop snickering, Kinzie."
Kinzie screamed when she heard that, before the girl on TV started laughing. "I'm sorry; I was just trying to freak out anybody watching with that name. I did the same thing with the name 'Adrian'. I scared 38 people, apparently. Anyway…"
"I think she's an AI," Kinzie said to me.
"The story about how the drophyds destroyed Mount Rushmore is inconclusive," Eliza said. "I reached out to a drophyd general to ask about the allegations, who was confused as to how I got onto their secure channels. Oh, thanks to the hacker Matt Miller for that. He then responded, saying that the drophyds were not responsible."
"Perhaps it was an idiot with a large amount of explosives," I said.
"Wait… I just got an email here saying that the cause was found," Eliza said. "It seems that… part of the International Space Station fell from orbit and collided with the mountain. Specifically the toilet. May God help all of those poor, poor astronauts."
"Believe it or not, there are actually several toilets on-board for exactly this kind of emergency," Kira called from upstairs.
"What are you doing up there, anyway?" I called.
"Well, I… uh…" Kira began.
"You're using the waterbed, aren't you?" I shouted up. "I called it, f***er!"
"And finally, I shouldn't be saying this, but there is news that Shaundi Rays, the author of the Saints Row novels and main writer for the related games, has been seen around the town of Steelport, Louisiana," Eliza said. "It seems that there are several rumours about why she's here, but one thing is certain about this member of one of the world's most infamous gangs. She has been spotted with several known members of the gangs. So if you see them, get inside, avoid angering them, because Pierce, Shaundi, the Boss and, worse, Johnny Gat, have all been identified. The Saints are back, and they're in Louisiana."
The reaction was… quite impressive to say the least. The screams of panic shook all of the windows as Kinzie stood up in shock. "Did the entire town scream?" Kinzie asked, while Kira ran out of the bedroom, holding the sheet over his body.
"Hey, how do we contact Eliza?" I asked. "Perhaps we could perform an interview."
"What was all that noise?" Elijah said as he came into the room, holding his head. "God, I need some sleep…"
"Did everyone in town just scream?" Angel asked. "What the hell was that?"
"We're on TV," I said, smiling.
"Should the town be that worried?" Elijah asked.
"I'd say they're stupid if they weren't," I replied. "So, how was the club?"
"Well… DJing purists… hate me," Elijah said. "I only just upgraded to vinyl and mixing, but we've got a good techno and electronica crowd."
"We may have to protect it from Deckers," Kinzie said. "I've sent that info to Cassan, so now it's time to learn how to play StarCraft."
"You play StarCraft?" Angel asked.
"You play StarCraft?" Kinzie asked.
"I've perfected using a single Protoss unit in wiping out entire armies," Angel said. "Both Zerg and Terran, StarCraft 1 and 2."
"You've got to show me," Kinzie said.
I was sitting in a room used by both me and Hinata. Shikamaru and Naruto were currently sharing a separate apartment just across from us and I was sharing one with Hinata. I was currently reading The Shawshank Redemption while waiting for Hinata to wake up.
"Where am I?" Hinata asked me, before I set down my book.
"We're in an apartment just below the penthouse," I said, turning to Hinata. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she asked. "But for the entire time I was unconscious… I've been able to speak to the voice."
"So, it's now in your head," I asked, concerned. "Great. What is it saying?"
"It's asking me to check something," she said. "I can do it later though. What about that girl we saved?"
"She's staying just down the hall," I said, just as someone knocked on the door. "Her name is Manuela, actually. It seems the Morningstar wants her because her blood was special." I then went over to this call button then pressed it. "[Who is it]?"
"It's me," Shikamaru asked. "Can you help me? I can't wake up Naruto."
"He's not sick, is he?" I asked.
"No, he's just a very heavy sleeper," Shikamaru said. "Also, that seal that appeared on his stomach? It's glowing bright red, and there's more all over his right forearm."
"We'll be there now," I said as we both got ready. "Come on in, wait in the living room."
"Coming in now," he said as I let him in from the console. "You mind if I switch on the TV?"
"Go ahead," Ino said. "Any good shows on?"
"Good Morning America, but it's been turned into anti-alien propaganda," Shikamaru said. "By the way, did you hear all that screaming earlier?"
"Actually, yeah," Ino asked. "What the hell was that?"
"Picus TV released a story about how the Third Street Saints, the most infamous street gang in the world, was now in Steelport," Shikamaru said. "It seems that everyone screamed in terror. Oh, Johnny? He once said he tried to leave the US until after the statute of limitations on 600 murders ran out."
"Is there a statute of limitations on murder?" Hinata asked.
"Oddly, only in Norway," Shikamaru asked. "It's 90 years."
"Okay, we're ready," I said as we walked in. "Shikamaru… what are you watching?"
"Brazilian TV," Shikamaru said as the scantily clad women danced. "Believe it or not, this is a kid's show."
"What?" Hinata asked.
"[Clockwise]," she said as she shook her body to make little tassels spin. "[Anti-clockwise]."
"I'm moving to Brazil when this is all over," Shikamaru said as he stood up and we all left the apartment, with me locking the door and walking into the other apartment.
"[Excuse me]?" Manuela said as she ran over to us. "[I didn't get the chance to thank you all for saving me yesterday]."
"[It's perfectly alright, Manuela]," Shikamaru said. "[Are you heading upstairs]?"
"[Well, I need to check something, and the only computers with internet connections are upstairs]," Manuela said as she walked away. "[I'll see you up there]."
"[Okay]," the three of us said, smiling.
"You think she's Brazilian?" Shikamaru asked, before we both slapped him. "Okay, stupid question."
"Yeah, I see why you're worried," Ino said as she touched one of the seals, before pulling her hand back. "It's emitting chakra… except that it's red… Hinata-chan?"
"I'm on it," I said, activating my Byakugan. "Weird… I can detect three different coloured chakra, blue, red and green, all coming out from different tenketsu points."
"Are they causing any harm?" Shikamaru asked.
"No, but it seems that…" Hinata began. "The blue is normal chakra, the red is creating a short-range barrier from the skin, only a few metres, and the green is forming the seals to prevent the red chakra from overwhelming Naruto-kun and causing damage to his body."
"Wait," Shikamaru said. "Something is just… wrong."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well, three forms of chakra, all completely different," he said. "I overheard some adults talking about Naruto when I was 5."
"About what?" Hinata asked.
"Was it because of that prank where he turned everyone in the town blue?" I asked. "Although that was actually funny…"
"How did he do it to the ANBU?" Hinata asked, laughing. "And what was with those white pants and shoes?"
"Not exactly sure," Shikamaru said. "One adult was insulting him, saying all sorts of swears, but before he said one in particular, another adult stopped him, saying 'It's forbidden'. What exactly the forbidden 'thing' is, I'm not exactly certain. But I have a hunch…"
"Should we really be talking about this?" Hinata asked. "What if, when we get back to the village, we get into trouble?"
"Live or let die," I said. "What do you think it was?"
"Do any of you know when Naruto was born?" Shikamaru asked. "Or whatever happened to his parents?"
"No," Hinata said.
"Well, I went looking for the information, and I discovered exactly when he was born," Shikamaru said. "He was born on October 10."
"October 10," I said, before Hinata and I jumped back. "Wait, you don't mean…"
"He was born just before the Kyuubi no Kitsune attack, by a few minutes," Shikamaru said. "By sneaking around, I found out that under the Fourth Hokage's specific instructions, no-one was to treat Naruto any differently…"
"Despite being the vessel for the Kyuubi…" Hinata finished.
"And that it was forbidden to talk about it," Shikamaru said. "Also, I know what happened the night Iruka-sensei was put into the hospital. Someone told Naruto that he didn't have enough credit to take the Genin exam, and that he would have to take a make-up test if he wanted to be a ninja."
"That person was Mizuki, wasn't it?" I asked.
"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "The make-up exam was to take something from the Hokage's office and learn the technique on the scroll. Mizuki was hoping that he would be fatally drawn of chakra, or drained enough to be an easy kill. Too bad I was suspicious when I heard about this and reported it to Iruka-sensei."
"So, you hearing a few things can prove that Naruto has a tailed beast?" I asked. "So, you use the fact that you're lazy as a cover."
"No, I use the fact that I'm lazy to get out of work and focus on improving my strategy skills," Shikamaru said whilst grinning. "But the thing is that no-one bothers to pay attention to the sloths."
"Okay, what did you find out about his parents?" Hinata asked.
"Well…" Shikamaru said, nervously. "There is a cover-up, but the person who ordered the information hidden… wasn't the Hokage. I don't know who."
"But-" Hinata said, angrily. "He's punished because he's a victim? Why would anybody do that?"
"They don't see him as Naruto, vessel for the Kyuubi no Kitsune," Shikamaru said, sadly. "They see him as the Kyuubi and feel they have to take out their rage and anger out on him."
"That's…" Hinata said, while her face went red. "THAT'S BULLSHIT! ! !" We all were shocked by that, even Hinata fell over a chair in shock while trying to step back. I helped her up quickly before we stood beside Naruto.
"How did he sleep through that?" Shikamaru asked. "He's… wait, he probably isn't exactly human, is he?"
"So…" I said, looking at him. "How are we going to wake him up?" That question was answered for us as Angel walked in with a bucket of water and dumped it on Naruto who screamed in shock.
"What the-" he began, before Angel put the bucket down. "[What the hell]?"
"[We need to talk, upstairs, in 30 minutes]," Angel said. "[Don't bother about food; Laura's cooking something up for all of us]." He then left, nodding to all of us as he left, as Naruto ran into the shower.
"So, do I have to do laundry?" Naruto asked from inside the bathroom. "I know how… I think…"
"We'll take these with us," Shikamaru said. "We're heading up, don't forget to lock up."
"Got it," Naruto asked. "Wait… what the hell happened to my arm? !"
"We don't know," Hinata said. "Why do you have three kinds of chakra?"
Operation Louisiana 4: Mike Tyson Called
"I have three chakras?" Naruto asked. "Is that normal?"
"Well, having three chakra is normal if you're using separate techniques, but it involves separating out your own chakra," Hinata said. "But the think is… you have separate flames of chakra, all working in tandem. Naruto, do you hear voices in your head?"
"No," he said. "Should I?"
"We don't know," Shikamaru said. "Do you remember anything else?"
"Yeah," Naruto said. "Everyone in the town being blue, for some reason." We all started laughing. "Uh…"
"You did that," I said as he looked around in confusion. "We don't know how."
"Wait… there is one thing I definitely remember… about this… Sasuke…"
"What is it?" I asked, excitedly.
"Well… Sasuke…" he said, as we got into the elevator. "Is actually a girl." Shikamaru just looked at him, Hinata gasped and my smile slowly cracked, all while Naruto looked upward.
"What," I finally blurted out.
"I tried to pull a prank on him when I was 11, but caught him- her coming out of the shower," Naruto said. "And she said…" Horror slowly dawned on his face. "If I let anyone know… aw, I'm going to die now."
"You mean Sakura and I have been fighting over a girl? !" I finally shouted.
"Sakura… Pink-haired girl?" Naruto asked. "The only thing I can remember is that she hits me a lot."
"Well, we're here," Shikamaru said. "This is going to be troublesome."
"Okay, here's how it works," the Boss said. "We're going to split you up between Zimos, Kinzie and Angel, all to learn about the Syndicate's weaknesses, while we go to investigate that alien ship."
"Why?" Laura asked. "Isn't it dangerous?"
"We're more dangerous," Gat said. "We're going to see what weapons we can find, as well as alien tech."
"This is going to end with us levelling a town, isn't it?" Aisha asked.
"Of course not," Gat said. "We're not that bad."
"We'll head over there with Tobias via helicopter," I said. "When Gat, Pierce, the Boss and I get on-board, we'll wait until after we're done to call Tobias back to get out of there."
"So, what do we do?" Naruto asked, cautiously.
"I'll train one of you to be ready to fight the Luchadores," Angel said. "I'll probably need Ino as well."
"I'll check the weed now, then," she said as she ran up the stairs.
"I'm going to need someone who's good at strategy, while also willing to learn how to drive a large vehicle," Kinzie said.
"That would be me," Shikamaru said. "I spend most of my day playing Shogi… It's called 'Chess' in English, right?"
"StarCraft is a bit more complex," Kinzie said. "You not only have different units, but it's in real time, there are no turns. Each unit has its strengths and weaknesses as well, plus roles that they have to fill. Also, you have to maintain your own base."
"Well, I wanted to talk to Hinata, anyway," Zimos sang. "You touched that gem and fainted, right? That's often a sign of a rare and powerful magical ability."
"Yeah, the voice from that crystal is in my head now," Hinata said before Zimos held out his wand. "What are you…?"
"Take it," Zimos sang. "Give it a wave." Hinata took the wand, hesitantly, before flicking the wand. The water in the pool jumped out before landing in a big splash and quickly freezing over, to Hinata's dismay. "I'll have to take Hinata back to my place, so that I can get her a wand."
"So, I'm stuck with the wrestler," Naruto said. "Well, learning how to fight the Luchadores doesn't sound so bad."
"Okay, I'll stay here with Shikamaru and Kira to teach Shikamaru how to play," Kinzie said, as we all left.
"So, it's a good thing we have a helipad here, then," I said as we climbed in. "How are we getting on the alien ship?"
"It's simple," Pierce said. "We get onboard by using a rope ladder if we can't get a good spot to land. As for getting back on, well… now you know."
"As long as I find a laser gun," Gat said. "We could build it into the flying car and blare out 'Rise of the Valkyries'."
"Why not 'Il Dolce Suono' from 'Lucia di Lammermoor'?" The Boss asked.
"You're an opera fan, right?" Pierce asked.
"…No!" The Boss ended up shouting.
"I've heard you singing in the bathroom," Pierce said. "You'd make a wonderful opera singer."
"…Thanks?" She asked.
"I've never heard you sing opera," I said. "Gat, have you heard her?"
"Nope," Gat said.
"Tobias?"
"What do you think?"
"You're going to make me sing, aren't you?"
"Oh, yeah," I said. "I could look up the song if you need music."
"I hate you all."
"So, that's all of the units," Kinzie said. "Do you think you're ready for a practice match?"
"Sure," I said as Kira got ready. "So, what was that about driving a large vehicle? And why am I practicing?"
"Because StarCraft is a very competitive game," Kinzie said. "It's actually the national sport of South Korea. The top players can make 5 actions every second."
"Okay," I said as I started playing. "Kira's the Zerg, right?"
"Yeah," Kinzie said. "You're Protoss. The most common gameplay tactic of the Zerg is the Zerg rush, where the player creates a large number of smaller units and sends them off to fight in one huge wave. The Protoss are best at preventing this, as well as fighting large numbers of enemies."
"So, you have to prevent the enemy from creating so many units, then," I said. "You gather minerals and vespene gas in order to create buildings and units?"
"Yeah, exactly," Kinzie said. "Wait, what are you-"
"Watch," I said with a smile, while listening for Kira's reaction.
"OH MY GOD! !"
"Do you think I could take a decker now?" I asked.
"Okay, here's the place," Zimos said as he showed me the back room of the 'carwash'. "I make every wand in here, then take them to my store in New York." He then reached for one wand, took it out of its box then handed it to me. "Give this one a try."
"Okay…" I said, flicking the wand, causing a nearby vase to break.
"Probably not that one," Zimos said as he fixed the vase with his own wand. "Don't worry, you're not the first. I've only seen a person get their wand on the first try only once. The worst was this English kid, Vinnie, I think, 4 years ago. He went through 94 wands. Try this one."
I then flicked the next wand, causing the entire collection to fly around before Zimos got me to set the wand down. "No, no, definitely not!"
"I'm sorry.."
"It's fine," he said before flicking his wand and causing most of the wands to float back. "I wonder… Try this wand."
When I took the wand, it immediately glowed around me, causing several withered plants to grow into beautiful bouquets as well as causing a torrent of wind to flow past me. "Wow…"
"Hinata, girl," Zimos said to me. "That was one of the first wands I ever made, over 30 years ago. The last of the first three wands I ever made, and I'm giving it to you. This wand is special to me. Make good use of it."
"'Rose Quartz'?" I asked. "That's the word etched onto the handle."
"Rose Quartz, Kyanite and Jade," Zimos said. "All of different lengths and made of different woods, but are all sisters due to what is used as the core. Dragon heartstrings that have been exposed to a specific substance. Dust form element zero. And from what I've heard, you broke Jade."
"The DeWynters own the other sisters?" I asked.
"Well, they own one more," Zimos said. "And besides… I'm the only person who can repair wands on either side of the Atlantic."
"So… they'll have to come to you to fix it," I said.
"Exactly," Zimos said. "Now, we'll get started on a few basic spells, in order to help you start duelling."
"The thing about the Luchadores is that their enhanced strength hits you like a car," Angel said as he, Naruto and I stood on the side of the road. "You have to be quick but powerful if you want to take them out quickly. Take the semi, coming down the road. It's slow but powerful, while the motorbikes are fast and weak."
"So, is this philosophical?" I asked. "We just watch as you describe it?"
"Not exactly," Angel said. "This is a physical test."
"You want me to run back and forth while dodging traffic?" Naruto asked, as Angel walked up to him.
"No," he said, before pushing Naruto in front of aforementioned truck, sending him flying down the road.
"What the hell was that? !" I asked, yelling at him.
"Believe me, if I didn't take precautions I wouldn't have done that," Angel said as Naruto kept getting hit by cars. "I asked Zimos to create a potion that would soften the blows he takes, and I have you here to heal him up."
"Oh, so you… push him in front of a damn car," I shouted. "Angel, are you completely crazy? !"
"Yes," he said, calmly as Naruto stood up.
"Relax," Naruto said. "I'm fine." He was then hit by a car and sent flying, landing back on the road. "Jesus, do the Luchadores actually hit this hard?"
"Oh, they're much worse," Angel said as Naruto kept getting hit, flying over the interjection. "Did you hear something?"
"What about Naruto crying in pain?" I asked.
"No, I heard somebody else just there," Angel said. "Strange."
"What the f*** is wrong with you? !"
"Okay, you're in the match now," Kinzie said to me. "Keep him going while Gatomon data-mines the Decker servers."
"On it," I said, gathering minerals and vespene with my units. "Should I try taunting him? Make him think I'm new?"
"Sure," Kinzie said. "Just draw out the match for as long as you can."
"Kay," I said while putting on my headset. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
"A Japanese player?" the girl on the other end said. "How did you get online? StarCraft 2 isn't sold out there."
"I'm living in the US," I said while creating units and adding an extension to one of my buildings. "A friend showed me the game and I thought… why not?"
"So, you're new?" the girl asked. "It's considered common courtesy to agree on a build time, when we create units and building while gathering." Kinzie nodded enthusiastically while Kira watched from over my shoulders. "How about… 5 minutes?"
"Sounds good," I said. I chose to play Terran to show I was new at the game. "That would explain the angry shouting during the last match."
"What happened?" the girl asked.
"I created several SCVs and sent them to his base while he was gathering minerals in the far-away corner," I said. "He was furious…"
"Well, most players are," the girl said. "They often play on a specific schedule for creating units and buildings because it's often the way they know from experience. How long did the match last?"
"…4 minutes," I said.
"Wow, what's your APM?" she asked.
"What?"
"Actions per Minute?" she asked.
"I don't exactly know," I said. "I can do… three a sec?"
"You've gotten through that one," Angel said. "Knowing the pain of the fight."
"No shit!" Naruto shouted as I healed him. "What's next?"
"The heat of the fight," Angel said. "The very flame between two people as they clash, the feeling of exhaustion that overwhelms the weak."
"I'm not letting you set Naruto on fire while he's running on a treadmill," I told him.
"Relax, all I want you to do is put this outfit on then get on the quad," Angel said, which Naruto hesitantly did, before stopping just before the helmet.
"I smell gasoline, what are you planning?" Naruto asked.
"You're wearing flame retardant clothing," Angel said. "This will protect you while you drive down the road, while you and the quad are on fire."
"What?" Naruto asked. "What the f*** is wrong with you?"
"You have 1 minute to get from here to a car park with a purple flag," Angel said as Naruto put the helmet on. Angel then poured gas over Naruto, who started up the quad as Angel lit the match. "Good luck," he said before throwing the match away, setting Naruto on fire before he drove down the road. "Perhaps I should've warned him about the Luchadores."
"What the f*** is wrong with you?"
"Okay, you've picked up the disarming spell, but there are others you'll need during a duel," Zimos said. "Now, we'll try a stunner."
"How come your staff doesn't sing anymore?" I asked.
"I just turned off the Auto-Tune," Zimos said. "Now, do you see that target? I want you to say this spell. Stupefy."
"Alright," I said, preparing my wand. "Stupefy." A beam of light shot out of the wand and hit the target, forcing it to fly back.
"Use the disarming charm after the stunner to make it easier to take a person's wand," Zimos said. "Do you want to keep practicing?
"Yes, I would," I said, as I went back to an aiming stance. I decided to try something new. Letting my chakra flow to my hand as I would normally do so for a Jyuuken strike, I raised my wand up and waited for the dummy to be ready. "Expelliarmus!" The spell shot out like a river running through a dam, only flowing around me.
"Hey, girl, what did you do?" Zimos asked me, amazed.
"I just… used my chakra to boost the effect," I said, as I moved my hand, seeing the spell moved with it. Turning back to the target, I gestured my arm to force the spell forward, causing it to collide with the dummy, knocking it straight into the wall while also blasting it to pieces. I fainted shortly after.
"You shouldn't try something so risky," Zimos said after lifting me over to the couch. "You completely exhausted yourself. You may not be so lucky next time."
"Sorry…" I said. "So, I guess there's more to learn, then…"
"You don't just learn those spells," Zimos said. "It takes a few weeks, actually. I wouldn't have expected you to take so quickly."
"Well…" I said, smiling. "I've got some good equipment."
Tobias slowly flew over the ship as we took a look below. There was nothing down there except for a few heavily damaged drone crafts and a few fish that must've gotten stuck by a huge wave as it crashed. Tobias eventually lowered down enough for us to jump out of the helicopter before we got ready to head in.
"So, how do we actually get in the craft?" Gat asked.
-* I don't know, look for a window, *- Aisha said from the other end of the radio we were using. -* Oh, wait, it's probably bulletproof… would there be a door on the roof? *-
"Why would there be a door on the roof?" Pierce asked.
"Maybe we could find a hangar," the Boss said as she ran forward. "Guh… I hate fish…"
"Okay, what if we have to split up?" I asked.
"I go with Pierce," the Boss said. "Shaundi, you and Gat go with each other."
"Got it," we all said.
"Wait…" I said, leaning down and putting my head onto the hull or… whatever the outer shell of a spacecraft is called. "Guys, I can hear gunfire."
"There's someone already in there," Pierce said. "Do you think it's the Syndicate?"
"It's possible," Gat said before shots rang off the hull and we got behind cover. "Luchadores!"
"What are we going to do?" I asked the Boss.
"It's simple," the Boss said. "I hit some with biotics, Gat shoots them with a shotgun, you stay away with an assault rifle while Pierce covers with an SMG."
"What if they get too close?" I asked.
"Yeah… I didn't think about that," the Boss said.
"I'll call Angel," I said.
"Good idea," she said, before sending out a biotic shockwave while I reached for my phone.
"Hey, Angel, I-"
-* Shaundi? *- Naruto said. -* You've got to help me! Angel is crazy! *-
"What did he do?" I asked, just as I heard a roar and a scream. "What was that?"
-* That was the tiger, *- Naruto said. -* He stuck me in a car with a f***ing tiger! Oh, shit… Greenpeace? The tiger's not the one in danger here! *-
"Oh…" I said. "Well… good luck with that."
-* Wait, Shau- *- I had already hung up.
"What happened?" the Boss asked me.
"Angel got his hands on a tiger," I said. "He put it in the same car as Naruto."
"He's seen the Hangover, hasn't he?" Gat asked.
"Okay," I said, before running to back cover while Pierce covered me and Gat took out a Luchadore with a shotgun. I then aimed the assault rifle at several of them and fired into their heads, killing them instantly. "We'll handle this eventually."
"Yeah, we should," Gat said, before a large explosion ruptured the hull. "What was that?"
"I think it was an explosion," Pierce said. "Maybe it was a bomb, maybe it was a fuel tank, I don't know."
"Like aliens would use gas," Gat said.
"You'd be surprised," the Boss said. "That takes care of the Luchadores… but I don't think it's only them."
"We should be careful in case of Morningstar," Gat said. "Stunners hurt like a bitch. And when they try and Splinch you…"
"Splinch?" Pierce asked.
"It's when they teleport next to you and grab you, intending to teleport you to somewhere else without a limb," Gat said. "One of them tried to do that yesterday, but some psychic old man ended up killing the guy."
"Guys, the tide's going to rise," I said. "If the water gets too high up, we won't get anything out of there and we'll likely drown."
"Oh god," I said as I just avoided crashing into a few cars and the tiger hit me with his claws. "Hey, I'm not happy about this either!"
I skidded around one corner as the Greenpeace car pulled up next to me. "[Stop the car and get out of the vehicle]!" the man ordered.
"[I can't]!" I shouted back, while the tiger started swiping at me again. "Well, if you want them to go away, you tell them! I'm shackled to the wheel!" The tiger then started roaring at the truck as it began to pull away. "Well, that actually went pretty well…" I slowly trailed off, as I saw the large hill that lead to the billboard. "No…"
The car flew through the billboard as the tiger and I crashed onto the ground and sped away, before I turned the car around one final bend, as the tiger hit me again. "What is your problem? I'm a victim here as well! Now if you hit me one more time, we are going to the vet to get you neutered!" The tiger went wide-eyed when I said that. "Oh my god, Angel knows what he's doing! Look out!"
I hadn't noticed when we drove into a butcher's shop, but the car eventually slowed down. Nice enough of Angel to include airbags. The tiger, however, groaned in pain as it slowly stood up and licked my face. "Yeah, you're sorry. Can you get me some help or bolt cutters?"
"Naruto?" Ino asked as she ran inside. "Are you okay?"
"I'm attached to the wheel," I said. "Care to help?"
"So that's what the bolt cutters are for," she said as she ran forward and helped me out. "Where did he get a tiger? Steelport doesn't have a zoo."
"I think I have an idea," Naruto said. "There's a number on the cat's collar." Ino took my phone and called the number, speaking quickly as I sat down outside as the Greenpeace vans past me, completely oblivious to what happened in the store. "God, they're idiots…"
Suddenly, I was standing, looking around wildly. I was on edge, but I wasn't entirely sure why. I then gripped my arm, which felt sore before going back to normal. Nervously, I walked back inside to see Ino scratching the tiger's back ears. "I contacted the owner, he'll be on his way now to pick up Tiny to take him home. He's very well behaved actually, all he wanted was some meat… are you okay?"
"I felt something weird outside," I said. "It felt like… I was dying…"
"Wait, you felt Killing Intent?" Ino asked. "I hardly picked it up. Perhaps it was sent purely towards you…"
"Yeah… I wonder…" I said, before I felt it again then saw a vision of… "Get down!" I jumped straight towards Ino, knocking her down as a kunai hit the wall. "That kunai… it was meant for you!"
"Oh god…" Ino said. "I… I hardly noticed anyone…"
"Yeah," I said as Tiny walked over and licked Ino to calm her down. "I don't know why I picked it up so quickly…"
"Wait," Ino said, putting her hand next to my face. "Those markings… the whiskers… they're changing."
"How?" I asked.
"They're becoming more jagged," Ino said, before lifting my sleeve up. "Those seals on your arm are growing."
"You think it may have been triggered by fear?" I asked. "I was actually kind of scared that you'd die… that, and the little ride I took with Tiny here."
"Do you know Hinata has a huge crush on you?" Ino asked me.
"Not exactly," I said. "But now that you mention it…"
Soon, a car pulled up outside. Ino then nervously stood up. "That's probably Tiny's owner. [Mr Tyson]?"
"[Yeah]," a black man with a lisp and a wicked tattoo said as the tiger ran over to him and started licking him wildly. "[How did you find him]?"
"[My friend there was handcuffed to the wheel of the car and was forced to drive around town with your cat in the passenger's seat]," Ino said. "[Tiny should be a bit shaken up, but if he's kept away from any convertibles]…"
"[Thank you]," the man said. "[If you need any help, here's my number]."
"[Oh… I'll only call in an emergency]," Ino said as the man led Tiny away.
"Who was that, exactly?" I asked.
"Mike Tyson," Ino said. "World famous boxer. Disqualified from one match because he bit a man's ear off."
"What?" I asked. "Well, you should probably head back to base. I'm going to call Angel."
"Hell no, I'm not splitting up," Ino said. "Wouldn't that mean that one of us would be killed for drama?"
"Okay," I said as I took out my phone. "[Angel, where are you]?"
"[I see you've passed the last test]," he said.
"[Answer the damn question]," I said.
"[My gym, taking some equipment back to base]," he said.
"[Don't. Move]."
"It's so weird, being in here," I said as we walked forward. "But… what's with all the pipes of water?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Pierce said. "Those aliens are fish. They need to get around the ship. Why there are walkways is beyond me."
-* Well, have you seen their boss' broadcasts? *- Aisha asked. -* You can only see them on the old aerials, but sometimes on digital TV as well. Kinzie showed it to me earlier. *-
"Well, what does he look like?" the Boss asked.
-* A really ugly bug… *- Aisha said.
"We've got Deckers," Gat said as we got behind cover. "They're pelting us with biotics!"
"I tried shooting them, but the bullets bounced off," Pierce said.
"Damn, they're using barriers," the Boss said. "I'll focus on taking them down, you shoot them after."
"Got it," I said as the Boss sent out biotic attacks to stun the Deckers. "Wait, where are their digimom?"
"What?" Pierce asked.
"They have Familiars, where are they?" I asked, just before a large fish monster appeared. "Well, there's one…"
"We can't fight them," Pierce said. "Boss, your call!"
"F***… we have to run!" the Boss said as we ran over towards a nearby door. Pierce opened it as we all ran through before we closed the door. "Damn, this place is already flooded."
"And that's not all," Gat said as several creatures appeared out of the water. I got behind cover and fired at them, killing two of them instantly while the boss took out a large wave using biotics. "Okay, we should probably hurry."
"Wait… Luchadores, Deckers… the Morningstar are probably here," the Boss said.
"Then we'll take a few hits for you," I said. "Just stay behind us."
"You know I hate that," the Boss said as we went deeper in.
Ino and I entered the gym to see Angel moving a few weights and training dummies into a truck. "A fucking tiger?" I asked, angrily.
"If you're fighting anyone where the outcome is death for one of the combatants, especially the Luchadores, you have to be ready for anything," Angel said as he threw a weight into the back.
"A FUCKING TIGER? !"
"Don't lose the message in the training," Angel said.
"What the f*** is wrong with you?" Ino asked.
"I know it may not be the safest, but-"
"No shit," I said, angrily. "Do you know that everyone is trying to kill me? Did you arrange for someone to kill Ino and me as well? Because someone threw this at me after that little Sunday drive."
"I had no idea about that," he said as he looked at the kunai. "But you still learnt something. You learnt the meaning of true pain, the feeling of the burn on your body when you're exhausted and you mastered your pain. The four lessons that I had to teach you."
"That's three, dumbass," Ino said.
"The fourth lesson was one that goes beyond what I could teach you in the conventional manner," he said. "Know what you're getting into before you act."
"Wow, that actually makes kind of sense," I said. "But that doesn't answer the question… who tried to kill us?"
"And where did you get that awesome tattoo?" Angel asked.
"Yeah… it just grew on me," I said. Suddenly, a large explosion erupted outside, causing us all to hesitate. "What was that?"
"It sounds like a World War II era tank," Angel said as we all ran outside. What we saw was… well…
"Shikamaru?" Ino asked, angrily. He was driving a tank down the road, blowing up cars and causing all kinds of damage, while being shot at by the Deckers and Luchadores. He was also… dressed as Adolf Hitler. "[Are you completely insane]? !"
"Ja, mein Führer," Shikamaru shouted back to us as he fired straight at a Decker car. "Scheisse… I missed."
"Hey, this looks like a generator," Gat said. "And there's the CIC."
"The CIC?" The Boss asked.
"The Central Intelligence Centre," Pierce responded. "It's the part of the ship where the captain co-ordinates everyone during a fight as well as pass information to the other ships. Why it's in the middle of the ship and not higher up…"
"Damn it," I said as I looked around. "Guys, we didn't enter from the top of the ship, we entered from the bottom."
"Are you saying the ship has capsized?" Gat asked. "Then where the hell is the armory?"
"Hey, I can see the bottom of the river bed," the Boss said. "And there's more digimon out there."
"They'll probably try and blow the glass," Pierce said. "They'll try and drown us if possible."
"Actually, the screens are completely bulletproof," a voice said from behind us. We all aimed at the general direction, expecting a fight. What we got was a two-foot tall robot with green eyes, holding his hands up. "Um… I am unarmed."
"Hey, it beats 'Take me to your leader'," the Boss said. "You work for those fishy-bastards?"
"No, my friend and I were captured by the drophyds," the robot said. "He's currently being kept in a cell, in cryogenic storage. Please, I need your help."
"Well, saving an alien does sound pretty cool," Gat said. "Although, I have to ask… do you know where the armory is?"
"You wouldn't be able to even pull the trigger," the robot said. "All of the weapons are coded by the drophyd's DNA. I've been trying to hack the main gun since this ship entered the solar system. That was… 13 local days ago? In fact…"
"This is Earth," I said, quickly. "Look, this ship is underwater and we have no idea when the tide comes in."
We were all thrown about violently when the ship started moving. "Oh, that's bad, isn't it?"
"Guys, I can hear water rushing in," the Boss said. "Something breached the sides. Where's the brig?"
"It's at the bottom of the ship, just over the hangar," the robot said.
"We came in that way," I said. "I'll call Tobias to pick us up. You all focus on fighting."
"Okay, that handles the fencing company," Kinzie said, walking up.
"You stole a tank whilst dressed as a notorious war criminal to destroy a couple of pieces of wire?" Ino asked, angrily. "For f***'s sake, that's overdoing it!"
"I know," Shikamaru said as he peeled off the mustache. "It was her idea."
"Not that damn costume!" Kinzie said. "Although, it was a fencing company, in both uses of the term."
"I'm still learning English," Naruto said.
"[It was a fence installation company that was involved in money laundering for the Deckers]," Ino said. "[Where did you even get that costume]?"
"[There's a store down the street called 'Let's pretend']," Shikamaru said. "And Kinzie got me the tank after I shot up a warehouse whilst dressed like Godzilla in a clown costume."
"Another fencing company?" I asked.
"[No, pottery]," Kinzie replied in Japanese, to all of our confusion. "I'm… I'm from Japan. I just use make-up and I had a friend use magic to make me appear Caucasian."
"Why?" Angel asked.
"The Deckers know my old face," Kinzie said. "I went into hiding to take them out."
"What did they do?" I asked.
"They used a computer virus to put my brother into a coma," Kinzie said. "Hey, you've seen Gatomon, and the Deckers with their digimon."
"[I actually believe you, but I'm scared about asking for specifics]," Ino said.
"Ever heard of 'The World'?" Kinzie asked. "An MMORPG was released for the sole purpose of creating an AI called Aura, but CC Corp, the distributor, knew fully well that the game could put people into comas by absorbing their minds into the game. So, a friend and I made sure that the game doesn't hurt anyone again. … I'm not allowed back in Japan."
"What did you do, exactly?" Angel asked.
"A friend and I set fire to a CC Corp building on the eve of 'The World R:2', the next iteration of the game after the servers for the first were destroyed by an insane employee," Kinzie said. "The reason the FBI were willing to let me join is because they've been trying to get The World shut down ever since 50 American players went brain-dead. And those fat-cats over in CC Corp think they can control it… It put their entire administration staff into comas."
"Does this have anything to do with the Deckers?" Ino asked.
"Actually, yes," Kinzie said. "They got their hands on the Black Box, the code that powers the game and makes it so dangerous. We were investigating the Deckers when they used it on my brother. So, now I have to get into the Decker usenet and free my brother."
Soon, we heard a heavy creaking from the harbour as we saw the alien ship beginning to capsize. "Uh… Shikamaru-kun…" I began. "What direction did that stray shot go?"
"It went…" Shikamaru said, before pointing at the ship. "Oh… shit..."
"We've got to get a boat and save the crew," Ino said.
Hinata then pulled up on the riverbed with a large boat with a gun on it. "I saw something hit the ship and breach the hull, we've got to get over there!"
"I just said that!" Ino complained before jumping into the boat. "Where's Tobias?"
"He's on his way but the Syndicate have air support," Hinata said as I tried to get in the boat. "We're trying to save 4 people, there isn't enough space on the boat."
"Then why is Tobias going in?" I asked.
"He's the one taking them out of there," Ino said. "We're there in case we have to save his ass."
"Yeah, good point," I said as the two sailed out. "Oh, [be careful! We still don't know who tried to kill you]!"
"[What]?" Hinata, Kinzie and Shikamaru all asked, as the boat set sail for the ship.
"Well, after I went driving around with a tiger," I said, scowling at Angel, "someone threw a kunai and it almost hit Ino. I was just barely able to push Ino to the ground."
"[Do you have the kunai]?" Shikamaru said, before I held it out. "Hm… [This is bad]."
"[What is it]?" Kinzie asked.
"[I recognize this knife]," Shikamaru said. "[Naruto… this knife was made in Kohona. Our hometown]."
"[Someone from our home tried to kill us]?" Naruto asked.
"Wait, Naruto… those markings on your face are beginning to glow," Angel said.
"Yeah, come to think about it…" Shikamaru said, as I had another bizarre, violent vision, only aimed at all of us. "It seems to be-"
I sweeped down and knocked everyone to the ground as someone flew overheard with a pair of claws, just barely cutting a few threads of Kinzie's hair as we all hit the ground. I quickly stood up and drew my Nocturne and blocked a strike aimed at Angel, as I got a good look at our attacker. But he seemed to be in heavy armour… and in pain.
"Damn, another one?" Kinzie asked as she got up and aimed a stun-gun at the attacker. "It's a human under mind-control. I can free him, but I need a clear shot, someone has to hold him down." Angel then grabbed the attacker and tried to hold him down, but he managed to slip out of Angel's grip and held a kunai at Angel's throat.
Without thinking, I made several slashes onto his back, before smacking him over the face with the blade as Angel threw the attacker away. Watching as the mask fell to the ground, Shikamaru took out the kunai he had and was ready to throw it. "Who the hell is this guy? He's fast." Then, when the last of the mask fell off, he almost dropped the kunai before regaining his grip. "[What the hell]? Kiba?"
"[What]?" I asked, as I saw the attacker standing up. "Kiba-san?" I was then beginning to remember him as I saw his face. The times that Shikamaru and I hung out with him, just lazily watching as the sun set. He's my friend. And he's being made to kill us. I'm going to kill Loren. "[Kiba-san, I know you can hear me. We're going to help you, but until then, I'll kick your ass if I have to]."
"[…Go ahead…]" he said as he lunged at me. Without thinking, I summoned several shadow clones who threw themselves and held him down as I went and caught him in a neck hold.
"Kinzie, hurry," I said as she ran up and held a taser to Kiba's chest, firing it off to cause him to contort. He lashed out and took out most of my shadow clones, but I still held onto him, before he went limp.
"This is going to hurt," Kinzie said as she grabbed the kunai from Shikamaru and ran over to the unconscious Kiba, and pulled back several layers of armour. "Damn, they've stitched it in. Angel, call Zimos, ask him if he knows where we can find a Healer to stop the bleeding."
"What bleeding?" Shikamaru asked before Kinzie plunged the dagger into Kiba's chest. Kiba shot awake, before Kinzie ripped this device from his chest and threw it away while Angel made a call. Zimos then appeared in a flurry of purple feathers.
"…Really?" Kinzie asked, annoyed. "I've seen Apperation before but that's absolutely ridiculous."
"Well, I managed to get a powerful healing potion, so quit your bitching," Zimos sang. "…What the hell happened here?"
"The Syndicate installed a mind-control device onto his chest," Kinzie said as she held it up to show us. "Since I now have it, I can easily back-trace the signal and find the others, if needed."
"Damn, girl," Zimos said as he poured the drink into Kiba's mouth. "You cracked most of his ribs."
"Don't blame me," Kinzie said. "I wasn't the one who screwed it in place. Come on, we've got to get him to a safe place."
"…I'm scared of you…"
"Okay, this is the holding cells," Pierce said, looking around. "So, what's your name, anyway?"
"My model number is JX-0461," the small robot said. "But most of my friends call me 'Clank'."
"Nice name," I said as we looked around. "So, this 'Ratchet' guy, what does he look like?"
"He looks like a cat," Clank said.
"Found him," Gat said as he readied his gun and was prepared to smash the glass before Clank jumped up.
"Wait," he said. "If you smash the glass, the cryogenic freezer will overload, covering the whole city. I can open it, but doing so will take time."
"Is it possible to carry him out?" I asked. "Get Tobias to fly his ass to the penthouse?"
"I'll check," the Boss said as she took out her radio. "Hey, Aisha, you there?"
-* I heard the entire thing, *- Aisha said. -* It will take a while, the Syndicate sent attack choppers but Ino and Hinata are covering Tobias. Also, Tobias has his own attack chopper so he can fight a few off. *-
"Not again," I said. "Remember what happened last time?"
"This time, we're not trying to steal a giant vault from a bank," the Boss said.
"What?" Clank asked.
"Do you have access to Earth telecommunications?" I asked. "Look up 'Third Street Saints'. Especially in the news."
"…I'm afraid to even think about it…" he said as he put one hand to a chin. "Wait… is it true that Johnny Gat killed well over 6,000 people?"
"Actually, it's much closer to 12,000, with the statute of limitations," Johnny said.
"Johnny, for the last time, there is no statute of limitations on murder," Pierce said. "Look, how are we going to get him out of here, and how long until the power runs out?"
"The power should take… adjusted for local time, 18 Georgian months," Clank said. "And the unit has its own mobile transportation built in. We just need to stay away from water."
"The ship is flooding," the Boss said. "Okay, I'll clear the way with Gat, Shaundi and Pierce, help Clank get this thing back up to the hangar."
"Will do," we said as he hacked a few nearby terminals and allowed the small storage unit to float. "Okay, I'll… Drive, Pierce, cover me."
"Well, since I can hear gunfire, the Boss and Gat are already handling most of it," Pierce said. "I'll create a few pathways."
"What do you mean 'someone tried to imbed a kunai into your skull'?" I asked as Ino shot down a few helicopters and Tobias flew in overhead. "That's kind of a big deal."
"Naruto saved my life, actually," Ino said. "He picked up the killing intent and just dived to knock me out of the way."
"How did he pick up the killing intent if it wasn't aimed at him?" I asked.
"We both know the answer to that," Ino said, just before I launched over a Morningstar boat. "Besides, picking up killing intent around you is possible, just harder. By the way, the Deckers…"
"What?"
"What is it that they're wearing?" Ino asked. "I mean…"
"I know," I responded. "Neo-cyberpunk went out of style 10 years ago."
"What?" Ino asked me.
"It was insanely popular after the release of Ghost in the Shell, Shadowrun and Snow Crash, all of which are emulated by the Deckers," I said. "By the way, from what I found out, it seems that the Deckers took something from each of those stories."
"What, exactly?"
"The name 'Decker' is the name of a character class that specialises in fighting using computers," I said. "They're also skilled swordsmen and use motorcycles to get around, like the main character in Snow Crash."
"Then what about 'Ghost in the Shell'?" Ino asked.
"Do you see those tanks on the side of the river?"
"What the hell are those things?"
"Tachikomas, but they're usually friendly until you attack whoever they're protecting," I said. Just then, the radio blared.
-* [Girls, the mission's changed], *- Aisha said on the radio. -* [We've got a package now, and it involves someone who's cryogenically stored. Don't let anything happen to it]. *-
"[Yes, Ma'am]," we said before we sailed over to Tobias and Ino waved to him, telling him to get closer.
"You think this is going to be easy?" I asked.
"Not a chance," Ino said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Okay, the Syndicate are retreating," Gat said. "Is that good?"
"Hey, there's an earpiece here," I said, running over and picking it up.
-* Objective complete, *- a voice said in a French accent. -* We have secured the warp drive and mass effect core. *-
"Boss, what the hell's a mass effect core?" Gat asked me.
"It controls gravity, making it heavier or lighter, sort of like large-scale biotics," I said. "But Cerberus has a ton of that shit."
"Maybe because they're special?" Gat asked.
-* We'll have these at headquarters before the end of the day. *-
-* Put Loren on the line, *- another voice said in a light Irish accent.
-* Who is this? *-
-* Cerberus Operative Richards, *- the voice said. -* Put him on the line or else I'll have to get involved in this operation. *-
-* I'm already on the channel, Xavier, *- Loren said. -* And may I point out that you have no obligations to get involved with the Syndicate's actions. *-
-* You knew that Subject Zero was here, *- Richards said. -* You're also directly responsible for bringing her here. I'm the only one who works on the Zero assignment! *-
-* You're getting a little worked up about this, *- Loren said, smugly. -* You need to calm down, relax, or do you want a repeat of the ICARUS assignment? *-
-* What the hell is that supposed to mean? *-
-* I mean that if you hadn't tried to kill ICARUS, you wouldn't have had to spent a year in a Turkish prison, *- Loren said. -* How are the haemorrhoids? *-
"Seriously?" Gat asked. "You've been running from these morons?"
"Believe me, there are worse in Cerberus," I said as Shaundi and Pierce came up with Clank. "So, it seems that the Syndicate are retreating, but we've got another problem."
"It's not big, is it?" Shaundi said as Tobias came down.
"We've got another Cerberus operative in town," I said.
"Wait, Cerberus, the intergalactic terrorist cell?" Clank asked. "Why is there a member here?"
"Cerberus originates from this world," I said. "Pierce, Shaundi, get in, take the guns."
"We're on it," they said as Gat and I attached the cryogenic pod to the helicopter as a boat came over towards us.
"Gat, get in the boat and cover us from below," I ordered.
"Anything you say, Boss," he said as he jumped down and the boat pulled away.
"I guess you want to ride in the chopper?" I asked Clank.
"I'm not abandoning my friend," he said as Shaundi helped him in, as I finished attaching the pod and I climbed into the helicopter.
"Aisha, is Kinzie there?" I asked over the radio.
-* She just got here with Naruto, Shikamaru, Angel and a patient of theirs, *- Aisha said. -* I'll get her now. *-
-* Hello? *-
"Kinzie, I've got a high-tech radio, and I need you to access the frequency," I said. "It's frequency is-"
-* 190.27, *- She said. -* Surprised? *-
"No, impressed," I said. "What, do you know-"
-* The radio model is a 2.21α CODEC, commonly used by military personnel, *- Kinzie said. -* The 2.12 model was used during the Shadow Moses incident 4 years ago. Wow, there's a heated argument. You want to listen? *-
"Hell yeah," I said as I picked up an RPG.
-* Well, what about that whore of a daughter of yours, *- Loren said. -* Is she still dating that boy you tried to hitch her to? *-
-* That is it, *- the other voice said. -*I am taking over right now! All active personnel, I don't care who does it, I want Subject Zero dead, but recover the god damned body! *-
"Is that bad?" Pierce asked.
"We're going to have to fight," I said as I got into position. "Okay, Kinzie, can you tell me when we're in trouble?"
"Well, get to the penthouse and we won't have to deal with any problems," Tobias said. "We've got some anti-air missiles installed."
"You're a street gang and you're this heavily armed?" Clank asked me. "Even in three galaxies, I have never heard of this!"
"Whoa," Tobias said. "Where did you get the robot?"
"Tobias, are you stoned?" I asked.
"No," he said. "A little... A lot..."
"You are in so much trouble when we…" I started before several helicopters flew at us. "Guys, get ready!"
"We're on it," they said as they started firing at the helicopter.
-* The Saints are in sight, *- a voice said over the radio. -* Subject Zero is confirmed to be on board, as well as 4 members. They're also carrying a cryo-pod. *-
-* Capture that pod, and kill all of the Saints, *- the operative ordered just before Gat and Ino started firing from below.
-* Relax, Boss, we've got your back, *- Hinata called back. -* Also, that voice in my head says she has a message for you. *-
"This is a strange planet, isn't it?" Clank asked.
"Yeah," I said as I shot down a helicopter. "You should probably be grateful that we don't have space travel. Well, not one that everyone knows about. Also, don't watch our porn. Like... ever."
-* Boss, stick to the rivers until we're close enough to HQ, *- Gat said. -* We're safer together until then. Someone get a truck ready to get us back there and to take the cryo-pod. *-
-* I'll be waiting, *- Naruto said as we flew over a bridge.
-* What is their payload? *- the operative asked.
-* Not entirely certain, *- another voice said. -* Holy shit, it's a live lombax! *-
-* Capture the lombax, his DNA is valuable, *- the voice said.
"What does he mean by that?" Clank asked.
-* I just heard what he said, *- Angel said. -* One of the projects Cerberus worked on required lombax DNA, I don't know why? *-
"So, they would know where any other lombaxes are?" I asked.
-* I doubt it, *- Angel said. -* Nobody knows exactly where the lombaxes disappeared to, but there have been one or two sightings. *-
-* Get those tachikomas to open fire on the chopper! *-
-* Tachikomas are exclusively defensive structures, *- a British voice said. Soon, several of the Syndicate helicopters were shot down by a few missiles. -* What the bloody hell? *-
-* How about some air support? *- Elijah said as he came onto the radio. -* I'll cover you with the attack drone, just don't f*** up. *-
"When did you grow a pair?" Shaundi asked.
-* Last night when someone jumped me, *- Elijah said. -* Believe it or not, I learnt to fight on set for a movie about football hooliganism. *-
"Yeah, I actually saw Green Street Hooligans," Shaundi said. "It was a really shocking film."
"What about Kaiden and Ashley?" Pierce asked. "What are the two soldiers up to?"
-* Like we'd leave you hanging, *- Ashley said as a large truck drove past, firing a huge gun at a few helicopters. -* Seriously, how the hell does the Syndicate afford all of this shit? *-
-* This isn't just Syndicate anymore, *- Kaiden said. -* Weren't you listening? A Cerberus operative took over. *-
-* F*** *- A missile just barely hit us as Tobias swooped into the streets. -* Hinata, Ino, get back to HQ. Tobias, drop the payload down with Naruto, we'll cover you on the streets. *-
"With one gun?" I asked. "That's a bit risky."
-* We've got an attack drone, as well as some back-up, *- Ashley said. -* Fly Girl, you there? *-
-* I'm already on my way, *- another voice said over the radio. -* Heads up, there are VTOLs after you. *-
"Thanks for the heads up," I said as I opened the helicopter door and grabbed a winch. "Pierce, stay here and cover us with the big gun. Shaundi, you're with me."
"On it," she said as we both descended. Naruto grabbed one of the handles on the cryo-pod and pulled it over to the truck-bed, then used several belts to secure it. "Okay, we're unhooking the pod from the helicopter now, we just need to… what is that?"
"I think it's a giant," I said.
"No, it's a troll," Zimos sang, appearing in front of us in a small explosion of feathers, carrying a rocket launcher.
"Why is it dressed as a gimp?" Shaundi asked.
"Hell, I'm just as confused as you are!" Zimos then aimed his RPG and fired it at the troll, causing it to fall over. "Shit, I only knocked it out. Are you almost done here?"
"We're unhooked," I said. "Naruto, you can fire a gun, right?"
"I'm better at throwing kunai and shuriken," he said.
"There's a big gun on the back of this truck," I said. "Shoot everything that isn't our helicopter or one of us."
"The troll's back up!" Zimos called out, trying to put a rocket into his launcher as I opened fire. It barely affected it. Soon, the machinegun on the helicopter shot into the troll, causing blood to shoot all over the street.
"Pierce, you're meant to be on the big gun," Shaundi said.
-* That wasn't me, *- Pierce said.
-* Since the control for the gun was digital, I thought it would be best to… commandeer it, *- Clank said into the radio, before giving a small chuckle.
"Shaundi, drive the truck back to HQ," I said as I shot back up. She then disconnected her winch which shot back up as I got inside. "We'll cover you by air. They're after me, remember?"
-* Just be careful, *- she said. -* It's not just you in that chopper. *- She then drove onward, down the street.
"Hey, Fly Girl, follow that truck and make sure it isn't attacked," I said into the radio.
-* You got it, *- she said as she flew overhead and we went over the streets, shooting down more helicopters.
-* Have you regained sight on the Saints yet? *- the operative asked.
-* They're in the air now, *- a voice said. -* Payload is missing, I repeat, payload is missing. *-
-* Damn! *- the operative said. -* Take down that helicopter with whatever you have! *-
-* You've just cost me half of my men! *- Loren shouted. -* This operation is over! Not only is it too high-profile, but it has cost me billions of dollars and credits! *- There was a large argument between the two, before…
-* That's enough you two! *- a third voice said on the channel.
-* What? *- Loren asked, confused. -* Sir, what are you doing on this channel? *-
"Kinzie, get me a line to that channel," I said.
-* You do know this is risky, right? *- Kinzie asked me.
"Of course it is," I said. "I'm going to give them a piece of my mind."
-* Loren, you should've informed Richards about this, *- the man said. -* Richards, you can't directly interfere with another operation. Besides, we put the Zero operation to rest for a while until after you handled the mess with Bertrand. *-
-* Sir, Bertrand has already activated HIVE, *- Richards said. -* I've been gathering resources to get to New Marais, let alone take him out! *-
-* I'm onto that already, *- Kinzie said.
-* So, you thought you could waste your time with a whore in Safeword, *- the man said. -* Wise up, Richards! This already cost us severely in Down! You just cost Cerberus several of our most important resources! *-
"If you want to lose more, we'd be willing to take them," I said into the radio.
-* I take it this is Jacqueline Nought, *- the man said.
"So," I said, sitting down into the radio. "You're the Illusive Man." That caused most of the people to look at me in shock, as Tobias flew up towards the penthouse to drop us off. "What, surprised?"
-* No, I'm actually quite impressed with Miss… Kensington's level of skill," the Illusive Man said. -* Since I can hardly trust these two, I'll have to extend an invitation to meet, personally. *-
"Why the f*** would I want to meet you?" I asked, angrily. "You kidnapped me at birth, tortured me until I was 15 then sent an assassin after me. So let me tell you something, Timmy, if you come near me, or any of my Saints, I will find you, then I will rip off your dick then RAPE YOU WITH IT! Kinzie, cut the line!"
-* Done, *- she said as we jumped out of the helicopter.
"You do know," Clank said as we got out, him hovering out with a retractable helicopter blade, "that you declared war on an organisation that single-handedly created a sun? Even by intergalactic society standards, that's a bit far."
"We can take them," I said. "The thing about humans is that we have perseverance in our blood. You just can't kill us off."
"Hey, we just got back," Ashley asked. "Why is there an alien in a f***ing freezer?"
"Do we want to know?" Kaiden asked.
"Do you think he's willing to join?" I asked.
"I doubt it," Kira said as he looked over from the balcony. "It seems that the Saints have a few fans in Steelport, all asking for help of course. I'll give out the assignments when we can. Also, Shikamaru took a friend back after Naruto knocked him out. The Syndicate installed mind-control onto him."
"So, where is he?" Pierce asked.
"He's in Naruto and Kiba's room, right now," Manuela said. "I want to help you. But I don't know how so…"
"I'll ask for your help if we need to," I said. "Hey, that package…"
"Already in the storage room downstairs," Ashley said.
"Clank, get your friend out of there," I said.
"It will take me at least 6 hours," Clank said.
"Kinzie, help him."
"I'm not that good," she said as she walked off and Zimos and Angel walked over.
"Boss, I found something that could excite you," Zimos sang.
"You want to get under Cerberus' skin?" Angel asked. "Well, how about into their Southern US facility? The entrance is under this very building!"
"Sounds fun," I said, rushing for a grenade.
"We shouldn't destroy it," Angel said. "We're going to need it, especially if we're going to get a friend to help."
"And why do we need him?" I asked.
"He could help us activate conduits to help take out Morningstar," he said. "He's also much better at explaining Killbane's dirty little secret."
"Superpowered gangsters," I muttered. "I like it."