Plan of Attack

Quick note: Okay, so I changed my mind a tad. This is a prelude to the next one. Enjoy!

SAINTS' HQ

Hours had passed. The four Saints called for a meeting. Vince had Shaundi, Pierce, and Johnny with him and called for Oleg and the DeWynter twins. The meeting took place in the living room area of the penthouse with the big glass window overlooking the pool, the helipad, and the rest of Sunset Park.

Others had attended like Aimee, Saint Rocco, Lucy, Tony, Precious, and Dave, along with other Saints soldiers. With them still having Josh Birk, to keep the actor occupied a bit, Lucy and Precious dropped him off over at Angel's gym in Bridgeport. Besides, with Josh wanting to keep himself in shape, he could either work out in the penthouse gym or with Angel. But Vince didn't want him knowing of his plan, nor did the ladies really want to deal with the actor. So they made their decision. The only other options were to have him keep Kinzie company, and the young woman could use some company despite her claims of not liking people. Also to leave him with Zimos, and he sure could have some of his ladies keep Birk busy, definitely. But Birk may be in for a surprise when he works out with Angel.

Vince stood before everyone, who sat down on the couches while Pierce, Johnny, and Shaundi stood next to him, while Oleg and the twins stood nearby.

"Okay, everyone," Vince said. "I called everyone here because we have been discussing a way to take care of STAG. We have finally taken down the Deckers. We thought that we took care of the Morningstar, but with Loren having his own problems with STAG as well, because they're not just focused on us, we decided that we need to lead them to us somehow. We've been getting word that they've been looking for us in Salander, Carver Island, New Colvin, and of course, around here."

Aimee raised her hand. Vince said, "Aimee, what is it?"

"Well, Boss, I think that they haven't looked hard enough," Aimee said. "After you stole one of their jets, all of us managed to get out of here and to other places, but it had only been about a week after we left that we came back."

Vince said, "Well, Pierce and I talked about a plan that we could try to go after them. Pierce, do the honors."

"It's obvious that those STAG motherfuckers aren't as smart as they think," Pierce said. "They had their chances when we stole their computer, or when we got Josh Birk. It ain't been that long since we did that, either. So we think we should try to have them come to us."

"How will we do that?" Viola said.

"Don't worry, I got that part covered," Vince said. "But in the meantime, we need to set some traps for when they come to us as well. Johnny here can handle stuff from the other rooftops with a rifle and a rocket launcher. Ain't that right, Johnny?" He said turning a bit towards Johnny.

"Shit, Boss, as long as we got the drop on those assholes, I know I got this," Johnny said.

Kiki added, "Okay, so what do we do?"

"You and your sister can look out the windows in the observation deck," Vince said. "Both of them overlook the north and south sides of the building. I'm sure STAG will be hitting us with everything they got."

"There's a bit of a problem there," Viola said. "STAG will get their whole fucking army on us. Snipers, jets, tanks, it's going to take a lot more than guns to take them down."

Viola was right. That day when STAG first came to Steelport, they were on the Saints like that. Most of their N-Forcers just came in and their operatives started firing away, not even taking time to consider the lives of any civilians that were close by. Even the day that she and Vince went to kidnap Birk, the STAG soldiers fired away at them, even at civilians in the crossfire. Some other civilians were smart enough to stay on the floor to avoid gunfire, but some others weren't as lucky.

But what she said hit Pierce. "I got it. I know a way to fuck with them some more."

Vince and the others turned towards Pierce.

"What? What do you have in mind?" Vince said.

"Well, I know I'm going to need help on this," Pierce said. "I was thinking that we can set up some traps when they get here."

"What do you have in mind, comrade?" It was then they turned directly where they heard a Russian accent, as Oleg looked directly at his comrades.

"I would like to hear your plan, Pierce," Oleg said. "Maybe I can help."

"Well, big man, we go get some bombs and set up some traps on the streets," Pierce said. "That way when they think they got the drop on us, that's when we set off the fireworks."

Everyone in the penthouse smiled at this idea. It seemed as if Pierce really had this down.

"Sounds like an exquisite plan, my friend," Oleg said.

"Hey, there's a reason I got the upper hand on you at chess," Pierce said. "Don't you forget it."

"You were lucky, I can still beat you," Oleg said.

"So what else can we do?" Shaundi said. "It seems like you all have this down, but what about the tanks or even the fucking jets?"

Pierce responded, "You let me figure it out. I think I got something down."

"Okay, now what about Birk?" Shaundi said. "If he even tries some shit…"

"He won't do shit," Vince said. "Besides, I have my eye on him and he's bait for this."

"Then can we kill him?" Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, we've been over this," Vince said. "We'll see what we can do about him, but right now, we do not alter the plan. Besides, I had told you that I cleared up some shit with him. He hasn't done anything like get physical with you, has he?"

Shaundi looked right at Vince in his eyes. As annoyed as she was in the presence of this actor, she had to abide by this. Vince knew that Josh had it bad for Shaundi, but if he had told him to tone it down, and at most, not lay a hand on her or get too pushy, then there was no reason to inflict harm on the actor. After all, she was falling for Vince, and she had to listen to him somehow.

Shaundi sighed. "Okay, but if he touches me, I may have to hit him."

"Fair enough," Vince said. "But nothing more, you got that?"

"Yes," Shaundi said. As reluctant as she was to go with it, she had to remember that what Josh had done had nothing on getting abducted by Veteran Child. That was a traumatic experience itself that she couldn't focus on her tasks for about a week. But that was only three years before. Even then, she saw that Vince was a more calm and professional type. Birk was just an actor who was in love with himself. It didn't seem he wanted to harm Shaundi in any way.

"Anyway, I got another few calls to make," Vince said as he walked away a bit towards the gym that was right next to the living room area. The first person he called was someone he hadn't check in with lately.

"Hello?" the autotuned voice said.

"Hey, Z, what's going on?" Vince said. "Hey, I was wondering, have you seen STAG rolling by at all lately near Espina or Rosen Oaks, especially at Safeword?"

"Oh, baby, those cats ain't no good," Zimos said. "All that's been going on is that my babies be on the lookout, and our crew looks out for them. As long as my ladies are safe, we ain't got to worry. Our crew handles those motherfuckers."

The autotune in Zimos's voice changed a bit the more he talked, as if he enunciated how things were going in the area. Given Zimos's expertise in his profession, he had to make sure that no harm would come to any of his ladies in the corners, as well as other parts of Steelport. Even for Safeword, the Saints kept the place guarded enough that no STAG soldier would even storm the place, especially with people there wanting to get their freak on. It also helped that he got a cut in the ownership of Leather & Lace, at least the location that was in Camano Place.

"I got you on that," Vince said. "I just wanted to make sure you're safe. How's Luz doing?"

"Lady's been all right my brotha, we been keeping her fine ass safe," Zimos said. "Are you sure you don't want me to take care of her my way?"

"Z, you got to keep it in your pants sometime," Vince said. "But really, keep her ass safe. Some heavy shit's about to go down soon. Just make sure she doesn't come out here soon."

"No sweat, my brother," Zimos said. "The big Z's got ya covered in that department, ya know what I'm sayin'? I'll make sure my ladies and our people keep an eye on the streets, ya dig?"

"For sure, Z," Vince said. "Talk to you soon."

There was another call to make. It was someone who Vince planned on seeing soon, as he wanted to shift his focus on another gang in the Syndicate before finishing them off completely.

"Hello?" A deep voice said.

"Angel, how's it going over there?" Vince said.

"Things are going fine, I'm whipping that Birk guy into shape," Angel said.

"What are you having him do?" Vince said.

"The basic stuff, driving a car with a tiger, punching beehives, and other combat moves," Angel said.

"Shit, Angel, are you serious?" Vince said.

"It's like I told you, you need to work out your mind before working out your body," Angel said. "Birk's got some moves, especially if he's on some TV show, but he needs to know that there's more to it than working out your body."

"Well, after what you put me through, I get it, even though I dealt with the toughest criminals out there before," Vince said. "Anyway, I will be by soon. You and I need to talk about taking on the Luchadores some more."

"You know where I'll be," Angel said.

"Talk to you soon," Vince said. One more call to make and quickly made the call.

"Hello, Boss," A female voice said.

"Kinzie, I'm going to need your help," Vince said. "I need you to run some surveillance on STAG for me."

"No problem," Kinzie said. "Oh, I almost forgot. I've also been looking at some info on that sniper. Do you want to know more?"

"Soon, but not now," Vince said. "I need you to look all over town for STAG. I have a plan and I may need you to look all over."

"Got it," Kinzie said.

STAG PR CENTER

Inside the boardroom, Temple and Kia sat there next to the telephone. Temple made a call to the one person who was mainly in charge of this whole operation with the Special Tactical Anti-Gang Unit – Senator Monica Hughes. Temple made the call on the phone until a female voice said hello.

"Yes, I would like to speak to Senator Hughes," Temple said.

"Certainly, may I ask who's calling?" the operator said.

"Tell her it's Commander Temple of the STAG Unit," he said.

"Hold, please," the operator said. A little ditty was played as Temple sat there, with Kia standing near him in silence, looking at him with some a touch of impatience in her eyes.

After a minute, the ditty stopped and a different female voice said, "Hello, Commander Temple. Have you found Josh Birk yet?"

"Senator Hughes, we have been searching all of Steelport for him, but the Saints have been hard to find," Temple said. "I'm telling you, if you authorize the Daedelus, then we can eliminate both the Saints and the Syndicate soon."

"Not sure about that," Senator Hughes said. "All that matters is finding our spokesperson and then you can take down the gang element of Steelport. When the plan succeeds, you can turn your focus on Stilwater."

"What if they already eliminated the actor, ma'am?" Kia said, causing Temple to look right at her and signal her with his head shaking.

"Well, find out if they did, and then you proceed with your job," Senator Hughes said. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, senator," Temple said, begrudgingly.

"Okay, we'll talk soon, bye bye," Senator Hughes said.

As soon as the call ended, Kia said, "Permission to speak, sir."

"Granted," Temple said.

"I know that I spoke out of turn just now, but you got to consider the possibilities of the Saints' motives," Kia said. "We are dealing with a big crime syndicate and a gang making a name for themselves in Steelport. So why don't we just go in shooting? I have a feeling that they already killed Josh Birk."

"Kia, with all due respect, I want to take down the gangs just as badly as you do," Temple said as he started to get up from his chair. "But we have no evidence that stated that Birk had been killed. It hasn't been too long since he was kidnapped."

"Cyrus, you're forgetting that the Saints also stole our supercomputer, as well as killed some of our men out there after stealing one of our jets," Kia said. "They have proved to be a bigger nuisance than we envisioned, sir."

"Kia, you think I don't know that?" Temple said. "And why are you addressing me by my first name? I am your superior and that is a violation of protocol."

"Sorry, Commander Temple," Kia said. "It's just that you and I had our…moments. I don't regret a thing and I thought maybe you had seen me in a different light than before."

"Kia, I don't regret anything, but let's just keep that between us," Temple said. "Besides, at this moment, I'm still your superior and whatever happened between us, let's keep that as our secret."

"Yes, sir," Kia said. "But I will say this – Sergeant Steiner has been keeping us up to date. I think he might know where the Saints are."

"Good," Temple said. "I'll contact him soon."

SAINTS' HQ

It was dusk, almost getting dark. Shaundi changed into a small purple bikini with the bottoms having strings tied at the sides, as well as her top having strings tied around her neck and on her back. She went into the hot tub by the pool to go relax.

In that time, both Viola and Kiki had changed into black bikinis as well, except they were going into the pool, as the water had been heated so that they wouldn't freeze from the cool weather after getting out. However, their purpose was different as they wanted to swim a few laps in the pool to keep themselves in shape. With their swimsuits being the same color, it would be hard to tell those two apart, until one of them spoke, at least.

While Shaundi relaxed in the hot tub, a man came up to her, fully dressed, and knelt right before her. Shaundi looked up and sighed at the sight of him.

"Birk, what the fuck do you want?" Shaundi said.

"Hey, I just wanted to talk, that's all," Birk said. "I know you are annoyed every time I try to talk to you, but I just want you to know that my feelings for you are real and that maybe I can ask…"

Shaundi sighed in blatant annoyance. "What?"

"If you can marry me," Birk said. "Will you marry me, Shaundi?"

"Hold up, are you fucking kidding me?" Shaundi said.

"No, I'm serious, will you marry me?" Birk said. "I would be a great husband to you."

"No, you can't be serious about this," Shaundi said.

"I am serious," Birk said.

"Look, whether you're serious or not, no, I will not marry you," Shaundi said. Although she did not deny that Birk was indeed a handsome man, the way he approached this showed that he didn't really know how to talk to women. Probably some good signs that he hadn't had much time to really interact with women, at least in that way.

"Excuse me," Shaundi said as she popped herself from the hot tub and stepped onto the floor, dripping water as she grabbed a towel and wiped herself off a bit and wrapped it around her.

Meanwhile, the twins looked on as this happened. Most of the time, Kiki and Viola kept a serious demeanor, but this time, they got a good chuckle out of this.

As Shaundi went into the penthouse, she found Vince lying in bed watching some entertainment show where a reporter was interviewing an attractive blonde actress named Jenny Jaros, who had been on a hit TV show and was now getting her debut role in a film. Vince looked up with an "oh shit" look on his face as soon as he saw who stood before him.

"Whoa, Shaundi, what's up?" Vince said.

"Birk, he tried to propose to me," Shaundi said.

Vince put his right hand right over his mouth as he wanted to laugh.

"You think this is funny?" Shaundi said.

"No, no, I just didn't think he would go that far," Vince said. "Look, I'll go talk with him. Where is he?"

"Last time I checked, he was out by the pool," Shaundi said.

"Look, play nice for a bit, we're going to hit STAG soon," Vince said. "I'll be back."

As he walked out of the room, Shaundi said to herself, "not soon enough."

Vince walked towards the patio area and at this point, the twins were now in the hot tub while Birk tried to talk to them as he sat in a chair next to them. Viola didn't seem that interested, but Kiki listened to what he was saying.

Wow, this guy doesn't waste time. Vince thought. He proceeded to walk out into the patio area.

"Hey, Josh, I need to talk to you," Vince said.

"Hold on a bit, man, I'm in the middle of a conversation," Birk said as he turned towards Kiki. "I'm just saying that showbiz is hard work. Acting is much harder than you would think. I think maybe the training I did earlier helped with my fears a bit. I think I've seen the light."

Birk turned his attention towards Vince. "Hey, Boss, what do you need?"

"Oh, nothing, I'll tell you later," Vince said.

Was Birk flirting with one of the DeWynter sisters? Viola was clearly not going with it, but Kiki seemed to be going with it. Whatever the case was, maybe Shaundi was about to be a happy woman soon.

Vince walked back to his room as Shaundi sat in there, with the TV still on. She looked up as Vince walked through the door.

"So what happened?" Shaundi said.

"Ah, don't worry about him, at least not right now," Vince said. "All I got on my mind is what we will do tomorrow with STAG."

"Well, if you really want to get your mind off things," Shaundi said as she stood up. "Maybe I can help."

Shaundi undid the towel wrapped around her, causing to drop, revealing her shapely bikini-clad body and did a gesture to have Vince look at her body.

"Don't you want some right now?" Shaundi said.

As much as Vince would like to, to him it was not the time. Sure, he loved what he saw, but right now he had other things in mind.

"Not right now, I need to plan our shit out," Vince said.

"No problem," Shaundi said as she leaned towards his face and the two kissed each other.

Meanwhile, on top of one of the towers in Loren Square with the gigantic screens that say "Steelport" on them, two STAG operatives sat there. One was Sgt. Steiner, who didn't have his helmet on and had his gray and orange armored suit. The other was a male STAG operative, helmetless as well, but had a pair of binoculars. Steiner looked through the scope of his rifle.

"I think we found our guy," the STAG operative said.

"Good, good," Steiner said.

"Ready to fire, sarge?" the STAG soldier said.

"When he comes out, I will," Steiner said.

A voice on the transceiver started talking. "Steiner, this is Commander Temple. Have you found the Saints yet?"

"I sure did, commander," Steiner said. "You want me to take him out?"

"No, stand down," Temple said. "We will take them down ourselves soon. Do not fire your weapon, that's an order."

Steiner sighed. "Yes, Commander."

"Great, we will talk again really soon, be here at 0800 tomorrow," Temple said. "Don't be late."

"Roger that," Steiner said and looked to his fellow STAG soldier. "Norton, Commander Temple wants us to abort. We need to meet with him at 0800 tomorrow."

"Got it, sarge," Norton said and put away his binoculars. The two STAG soldiers got on their Specters and flew away.

Author's note: And that's a wrap, at least for this one. So yes, I did a prelude to the next chapter.

Okay, regarding Birk and Shaundi, I wanted to put more of that in there. The part with him talking to Kiki just came at me and I didn't initially plan it. Not sure if I will pair them up, but not opposed to it either.

The part when I had Vince call the other high-ranking members of the Saints, the only one who would likely take part in it is Kinzie, as Zimos and Angel probably wouldn't really have much of a role in taking part in the next mission, although that doesn't mean I can't put them in. In the game, Zimos was never seen again after "The Ho Boat" until you get one of the endings, and even I didn't like that he had no lines.

Yes, you saw that I made a reference to Jenny Jaros, aka Princess Kwilanna from the "Gangstas in Space" DLC. Let me just say that I recall doing a story with her involved a while back and I was initially going to have that be a multi-chapter story but I lost touch with it and I did that a long time ago. I might go back to it, but I don't know, or do something else because I liked her as a character. I wrote her as a brunette but I think it would make more sense if she was a blonde. Her character was rather bubbly and I can imagine that under the makeup that she was a blonde with blue eyes. First I had Tammy Tolliver appear, who was in the Genki Bowl DLC. Then I had Jimmy Torbitson appear, who was in "The Trouble with Clones." Finally, I made a reference to Jenny Jaros, but even I'm not sure about having her appear, but never say never. I won't say what the idea would be. If you want to know, just ask.

And no, I'm not planning on doing chapters of the DLC, just letting you know.

As for the part with Temple and Kia, I wanted to make a note about how Kia has her own motivations and reasoning. The part with Temple and Kia making a note about a sexual relationship, that's a reference to both in the game when using one of the voices, Kia makes a note about those two having had relations. It was even stated in one of Temple's audio logs in Saints Row IV.

Next up, I am just going to say it, STAG Party! Stay tuned.