GG's New Member

by Z-ro

When the last mission comes to an end, Jules finally tells Gum and Beat the truth about Z-ro's name, while Z-ro kills the last of his demons. please read and review

3. Race against the past

Chapter 3 race against the past

Beat came running into the garage in a dead run, both Cube and Slate followed. Beat feared Yo-yo would start teaching Z-ro some of his non-too-popular practical jokes. When Beat found out who was the one screaming all he could think of was, God damn it, Yo-yo couldn't you have chosen someone with a sense of humor? Piranha's glare had murderous intensions. She had finally, after a few minutes, tracked down Yo-yo and Z-ro laughing on the roof and both were cowering but still snickering in a corner outside Gum's room.

"Piranha if you're going to kill them, can you at least tell me what they did?" Beat relaxed after her face-flushed scarlet, a hard thing to accomplish given the dark tone of her skin. Yo-yo and Z-ro couldn't stop laughing and when they heard what Beat asked they laughed harder. Cube and Slate were tempted to laugh along but sagely decided that they shouldn't.

"These idiots got into my personal stuff." She looked back at the boys. Her glare hardened and she almost snarled when she continued. "My really personal stuff."

Beat just said, "and?" His voice had a ring of a father to it.

Piranha mistook the tone in his voice as boredom and assumed wrongly that he knew and just wanted her to say it out loud. She gritted her teeth and vowed to get back at them all. "Piranha I really have no clue what was going on. Are you going to tell me, or curse me under your breath?" Beat smiled smugly and picked up both boys, one in each hand.

"Well-" She took a deep breath and said, "They went into my draws where I keep all my expensive stuff. You know the stuff that I buy from over seas?"

Beat nodded and Cube covered her mouth correctly assuming what had happened. Slate tapped Cube's shoulder to ask, "What drawer is she talking about?" Cube just elbowed his ribs and waved her hand to shut him up.

"And?" Beat asked quietly.

Piranha shook with rage, "They took my cherry candied underwear!" Yo-yo and Z-ro laughed harder both no longer able to suppress tears.

Beat still didn't get it. "Why is this so funny?" He looked behind the boys. It was Potts.

Z-ro said in between deep breath's "Potts- he - ate - them."

Piranha screamed and charged at the two kids. Beat promptly dropped them both and caught Piranha as she was just in arms reach of the two kids that lost her 7800 yen worth of her boy-friends birth day gift. "Piranha they'll pay you back. I'll make sure of it." It was his turn to glare and both Z-ro and Yo-yo stopped their chuckling where they stood.

Z-ro gave a cough and said, "Sorry Piranha we were just going to pretend that Potts would eat them, we didn't think he would wonder into my room and actually seek them out for his dinner." Yo-yo snickered and Z-ro laughed again. Slate shook his head and said, "This is way too much info for me. God I don't think I'll be able to eat candy for a while." after Slate left, Beat picked up both Yo-yo and Z-ro, both feeling very young at the moment.

Cube calmed down Piranha and Beat was left alone with the youngest GG's not much younger than him really; Yo-yo was only fifteen, barely. "Z-ro," Z-ro gave a slight 'ehe' to his name. "Don't you have a job to go to?" Beat dropped him and Z-ro ran out the door, thankful for not getting anything worse than that.

Beat turned when Z-ro was gone and dropped Yo-yo, "And you..." Beat looked down at him making himself feel really old. "Just don't get caught next time." Beat promptly rapped Yo-yo's head and told him to hide from Piranha for a while. Yo-yo smiled and left.

It was finally Tuesday, the day of the challenge. For some strange reason it turned into a big sporting event as all of the gangs came out to witness what would most likely determine the outcome of this gang war. All the GG's, Stone Tears, Love Shockers and all of the other minor gangs that numbered two or three members throughout the smaller sections of Tokyo-to came to view what would most likely decide the fate of all of Tokyo-to. Professor K was even there in person, in an unmarked helicopter floating over the suburbs of Benton-cho. Somehow he had gained access to the restricted air space. All rudies free and gang-related alike listened and the alleys of Benton-cho echoed Professor K's broadcast.

Beat looked at the course ahead of him. It extended all across Benten-cho. Roofs, Sewers, and the Train Tracks made up the race path. "It still is a bit weird." Z-ro was more than a little nervous at all of the people who were watching him. Word spread fast that he was going to be in the challenge and many people curious about him lined the streets. Beat and Slate told him to relax. When that didn't work, Slate showed him a ridiculous dance to get the jitters out of him. Beat thought to himself, am I insane? This kid barely knows the turf yet, but somehow I know he can do it. It will end in another stalemate if I was with any of the other GG's. Beat looked at Z-ro and gave him a self-assuring smile. Yeah if anyone can beat these guys at a strait out race, it would be him.

Beat and Z-ro waited for the other two that they were to race against. There was a sudden burst of music. Both looked to a high wire. "Looks like they are trying to make an entrance." Beat looked to the two Stone Tears coming their way. "Z-ro, that big guy is Chisel. Careful, he is a real bastard. He is the one that beat down Garam." Z-ro studied the goatee and the rest of the gang attire Chisel wore. "He is the nastiest guy of the group. I think the Stone Tears would not be half as bad as they are if he wasn't the leader." Beat quieted when the two Stone Tears landed next to them. All Stone Tears had a rock shaped like a tear on their left ear. Chisels' seemed to dangle loosely.

Chisel zoomed in on Z-ro and marched right up to him glaring down at the boy Chisel thought as little more than prey.

"This is it? This is the rudie you're going to entrust tha fate of Benten-cho too?" The big guy towered over Z-ro. Z-ro wished he could curl himself up into a ball. The big guy began to laugh hard. "Your gonna trust a race to a kid whose balls haven't dropped yet?" Chisel grabbed the kids' head and squeezed, crushing Z-ro's hat. With one arm Chisel lifted him up until they were eye level with each other. It only emphasized the difference between them.

Z-ro glared at the goateed man and said with sudden courage. "Watch it, or you'll be sportin singed peach fuzz low life." Z-ro forced his foot as hard as he could into the elbow joint and Chisel promptly let go. He grinned, showing no signs that the blow hurt him. Beat smiled at the comment. Then glared at the leader of the Stone Tears. A warning that he would have given if the Stone Tear leader had threatened any of his GG's.

The big guy smiled and said, "Humph maybe they have."

"Chisel, Z-ro and I are going to race, and you?" Beat gave an apprehensive glance towards Z-ro. For all of his bravado, Z-ro was still quite scared of the big guy. I got to stop thinking him older than he is; Z-ro is still just a kid.

Chisel smiled as he said, "Me of course and Jeanne," Chisel slapped Jeanne on the back, Silphie gave Chisel an almost evil glare. She completely ignored her Chisel and glanced at Beat before locking eyes with Z-ro, it was a race solely of her and him. "She is much faster than the rest of us. I was having her wait until we got a public race like this so you can have the public humiliation you deserve."

Beat smile correctly understanding the resentment. "Your just mad that we tagged your friend ten times in the last challenge."

Chisel raised his arm to punch. Beat moved back catching Chisel's punch in mid-air. Then there was a sudden sharp spark that made Chisel yelp. Chisel looked to the ground where Z-ro sat. Z-ro was checking the wheels of his skates and said, "Oops, sorry these jets have a mind of their own." He smiled his most innocent smile and slid the blades back on. It was the only thing from turning this race into a free for all.

Every time I think that that kid is too young, he does something right, it proves that he is a true GG. Beat nodded to his gang. All glared across to the Stone Tears who showed up as soon as Z-ro kicked Chisels arm. "GG's scatter." All of the GGs' scattered to the length of the race as well as the Stone Tears. Neither gang trusted the other. "Chisel, this is going to be a fair contest. You hurt any of my GG's and I will make sure I hunt down every one of your God damned clan." If any of the GG's had heard the threat, they would want to die under his breath. Beat's eyes narrowed through his goggles. Jeanne heard the threat and flinched, she knew that Beat somehow could if he wanted to. She turned as she heard laughter, scowling at the idiot that Chisel was. "Yeah, sure, whatever Beat." He emphasized the casualness of the threat with a sudden shove. Beat gritted his teeth and grabbed Chisels arm. Veins' in Beat's arm suddenly bulged from forcing Chisels arm to stop. He still glared at the leader. "This is to be a fair race." was all he said. He let go of Chisels' arm. Chisel rotated his wrist as if having Beat holding it hurt him. Beat looked at the bruises that were showing on his tanned skin and smiled. It had. He thought in satisfaction.

Z-ro fixed his wrist guards and nodded to Beat. They lined up, waiting for Jeanne and Chisel. Chisel handed one of his men his stone rod and rolled to the front line. Jeanne moved up her bust. They were on the verge of bouncing out if she pulled off a good grind. Z-ro averted his eyes. When Beat saw Z-ro's bright red face, he knelt down to him and said, "Don't worry about being embarrassed. She wears those clothes to distract guys like us. All right? Just ignore her and concentrate on our race." Z-ro nodded.

Z-ro's face contorted at something, "Guys like us?" Beat looked at the girl with a stupid grin on his face and Z-ro chided him trying to hold his own snickering.

Professor K was on the airwaves judging the race himself. Beat never heard of this done, echoing what Professor K did for Z-ro. Beat shook it off, it was probably because the Stone Tears were a national gang.

At Professor K's word the Race was to start.

ALL RIGHT YOU CATS AND KITTENS! IT IS TIME FOR THE RACE OF THE DECADE BETWEEN THE GG'S AND THE STONE TEARS!

The echo of the broadcast was deafening. All rudies where listening in. Z-ro didn't need to have his radio then. He could hear the broadcast clearly by just standing in that spot from the sheer number of people there.

ALL RIGHT STONE TEARS, GG'S, READY SET GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

With that the race lifted off. Z-ro could barley hear his breathing over the sounds of people cheering and yelling. Z-ro took the higher route on the phone wires where he was most comfortable. Beat was beside him on the rooftops of the residential district of Benten-cho. Chisel yelled at Jeanne to get closer to Z-ro. Z-ro felt the sudden bounce of the wire he was on and saw it was the girl with the hanging cleavage. Z-ro forced his eyes away and began to concentrate on winning this race. He jumped off of the wire and prepared to slide into a water duct that was a short cut barely big enough for him.

Chisel saw Z-ro jump and new instantly what he was aiming for. Chisel sped up to where Z-ro would have landed and body checked him before he could slide into the tunnel. Z-ro gave out a yelp.

Beat was horrified as he saw Z-ro being hit to the ground off the roof headfirst. Time slowed down and Beat decided in that moment that this challenge was over and Chisel was a dead man if Z-ro did not turn up all right. Beat rushed to Chisel, his intentions murderous. He did a quick turn to Z-ro still falling before falling out of sight and in a rare instant, Z-ro and Beat locked eyes. Z-ro pleaded in that instant for Beat go on.

With Chisel at a complete stop, Beat past him with all his strength, praying Z-ro would be all right.

Beat felt the weight of Tokyo fall on his shoulders knowing it was now him against Chisel and Jeanne.

Z-ro felt like he was flying for a second before he remembered that he was fast approaching the pavement forty feet below him head first.

He gave a sparing look to Beat behind him and didn't worry about the race. He needed to worry about surviving this fall. In half a second he came up with several things he could do. In a quarter of a second Z-ro discarded all of them except for one.

Z-ro clenched his jaw and stuck his left hand out onto the side of the concrete overhang that was beneath the houses. In the fraction of a second that he was upright instead of falling head first, he smashed down his left blade and used the propulsion to go along the wall for a full second. It was enough time for him to completely recover and land safely on the floor of the aqua duct. Z-ro didn't have to look around, he knew this was the wrong aqua duct, and he already lost precious seconds. He dashed towards one side to he duct and instead of going into a side grind he landed on his heel. With the sudden bust of speed he made it across the aqua duct wall to the other side. A few rudies were even here. They all cheered as the saw him climb up the wall by jumping form one side to the other. When he came back out, and was on top of the roofs again, he saw that the rest of the group was ahead of him by a few hundred feet.

Z-ro's feet were burning. In the back of Z-ro's mind something was screaming at him. Saying that his blades needed to cool down before using them again. He disregarded it. With every step he used his jets as far as they could take them. Z-ro did not let a single amount of thrust be lost with any step. His feet were burning and in the back of his mind he remembered why his mother did not want him to have netrium blades. And old stories told by his older brother about how people lost their feet when they blew up. Z-ro absently wondered if anything like that could really happen.

Z-ro was closing in on the other three people. They were no longer friend or enemies, only obstacles. When he came close enough to a high wire, he jumped on it netrium grinding it until he caught up to the others.

Chisel and Jeanne were not having any advantage at all with Beat. Both were cursing themselves and each other as both had slowed down. Chisel to make sure that Z-ro went down. Jeanne to make sure that Z-ro was all right. Beat may have been slower than them, but he had an enormous lead. By the time they had caught up to him, Z-ro was passing them by while grinding on a high power line that sloped at a dangerous angle towards the goal. Chisel was beyond pissed as he saw the little kid pass by him. Beat looked beside him and saw the kid smile at him and speed ahead of him. From behind Beat heard, "I will not loose to that snotty little Kid." With that Chisel took out a war knife and chucked it.

Beat heard a struggled noise behind him and saw the knife leave Chisel's hand. "Z-ro!" he yelled. Chisel took the opportunity of Beat going out of his way to help the boy, and sped up and passed Beat.

Z-ro saw the knife coming and jumped of the power line before the knife cut through it. Z-ro felt himself flailing out of control towards the roof. Beat sped himself up when he realized Z-ro would not make it to the roof.

Z-ro saw Beat up ahead and reached for the unexpected hand Beat offered him. For barest of instants, Z-ro was hanging on to dear life by Beats hand before Beat used all of his strength to propel Z-ro ahead over the heads of Chisel and Jeanne.

Z-ro gritted his teeth and with the last of his endurance he dashed with all his might to the goal, spray can already in hand. Chisel and Jeanne tried to catch up, but both knew the instant when Z-ro cleared the last three roofs, that they had lost. Both heard the spraying of a can. Beat shot past them as they slowed down.

Z-ro sat on the ground out of breath trying desperately to take off his blades. They were dimming a glowing red when Beat came up to him. All of the GG's were already there hooting and hollering. Beat came up to Z-ro and said, "Cutting it close there a couple of times." Z-ro smiled remembering the second conversation they had only a few days ago.

"Don't I know it." He smiled and everyone lifted him up in the air. Beat smile and then turned back to the Stone Tears that were coming his way. His face fell grim as he remembered what Chisel had done several times during the race.

All of the Stone Tears were behind Chisel but it did not look like they were following him. It looked like... It was then that he noticed that all of the Stone Tears had their own cans out. The girl, Jeanne, came up to Beat, "I'd like to apologize for what happened during the race." All of the other GG's were quiet. Jeanne's voice was calm and collected. "I didn't think he would go so far as to try to kill your friend. You didn't see it but the knife he threw was originally for Z-ro."

Z-ro stood up. "I saw what you did, you pushed him enough to knock the blade out of my way. Thank you. But it cost you the race." Everyone, both GG and Stone Tears looked at the boy in shock at his bluntness and indifference to his own life.

"It did, but I don't think our leaders would have wanted us to win the city by cheating in such a manner." It wasn't until now that Z-ro noticed that it was dead quiet, he was not sure if it was because Professor K was not talking or if all of them had their radios off.

"Thank you for your apology, but you know this changes nothing between me and the Stone Tears." Beat glared at the Stone Tears, all of them.

Jeanne looked at him and recognized him in the next instant, It was not Beat speaking it was Rhythm. Fear suddenly flashed through her eyes then it was gone. Jeanne noted the look of Beats older brother in him and said, "I think there are something's that all of us" she gestured to the rest of the Stone Tears. "Regret, Beat. I am the new leader."

All of the GG's looked to Chisel. Several of the Stone Tears forced him to turn around. There were five tags on his back. One of the other Stone Tears said, "Our bosses in Kyoto would want the last five tags themselves. We have been wanting to get Chisel under for a while, but we could never find anything that we could challenge until now."

Beat nodded. He decided to disregard his feelings about what happened in the past for now. "What now? Jeanne?" he said in a smile.

Jeanne gritted her teeth and smiled saying, "You can call me Silphie for one. I hate Jeanne. And for another... You won. You gain Benten-cho. For now… But make no mistake. We will take Tokyo-to. It will just take a little more time."

Beat smiled his cruelest smile and said, "I'll be waiting."

Silphie looked at the GG's leaving. When they all finally left, she had the rest of the Stone Tears back out of the Benten-cho area. "Back to Kogane!" she yelled. When they finally got to their base, Chisel was tied up on his knees in front of Silphie. "You." she growled. Lowering her voice she continued. "Chisel, we are going to take you back to Kyoto. You have given us a lot of problems. I need to take you to Kyoto personally. Damn it." Silphie sighed and looked to the men all were glad that she was finally in charge. They all basically hated Chisel but had no choice but to follow him since he was the appointed leader.

Chisel glared at Silphie. His mouth bound so he could not speak any retorts he had. "Warcraft, Scathe," Two of her personal bodyguards came forward from the very darkness of air. Some of the Stone Tears pulled back by their sudden appearance. "Go give a message to the GG's. Tell them that we are going to hold all hostiles until I return from dealing with some garbage matters. I ask if they will respectfully do the same while I am away."

"Silphie!" They shouted in unison. They pulled back into the shadows and disappeared.

She looked at the rest of the gang and noticed that all of their faces had suddenly turned several shades of blue. She sighed wishing that her guards did not so easily scare the regular gang. She looked at Chisel his eyes wide and muffled sounds of panic. Well maybe not. She looked to the rest of the men. "Relax I was not sent to kill any of you, just to bring Chisel if he violated any kind of rule. I know the rest of you are good men." All of the gang visually relaxed.

"You O.k. Mew? You have been quite since the end of the race." Garam tightened his hold of her. He did not have his mask or goggles on so he could see Mew clearly. His recently grown gold-blonde hair waved lazily.

Mew cam to a stop Just outside of the entrance to the city park in Shibuya. "Its just that it was pretty scary watching Z-ro take the hits he took, that's all. I can picture my child doing that when he gets that age."

Garam froze at the word 'C' word. Child. "M-Mew what are you saying?"

Mew just realized what she said and cursed slightly, "Well umm Garam, I'm late." Garam loosened his hold on her to look at her face forward. Natural blue-teal hair began to stray from her head in a halo at a sudden breeze.

"Are you sure?" Silver Green eyes were wide with awe.

"Not quite, but I didn't really think about it until I saw Z-ro. He is such a small kid, I though of what it would be like when my kid grew up."

Garam still didn't get the answer he was looking for and said, "Did you get tested yet?" Their conversation carried on for a few minutes before they decided that she would get tested tomorrow. Garam smiled, "Either way, I think you already have a kid, Z-ro is really fond of you, you know."

Mew smiled and said, "I think so too."

It was here before they kissed that two men dressed in lean black suits showed up in front of them without them noticing. "Excuse me," one of them said. It startled Mew and Garam so badly that they both gave a shrill yeep. The first man smiled and said, "I am a representative of Silphie, leader of the Stone Tears, she told me to relay this message to a GG, 'we request a hold to all hostilities until I return from dealing with some garbage matters. I ask if you will respectfully do the same while I am away.' That is her message, I am to await for an answer." He turned his head side ways looking at Mew with cool black eyes. Mew looked at the way the guy was standing. He seemed... feral she decided.

Garam took in an indignant breath of air. Mew scooted back to brace from his yell. He was cut off before he started. The other man with limp arms, moved forward. His arms swinging like no muscle was holding them together said, "We thank you for your cooperation. We are to leave for Kyoto in the morning for Chisels' trial."

That shut Garam up. He looked at Mew wishing those guys had not interrupted them and with an aggravated yell he said, "Alright! I'll go Mew! Just stay here Beat will want to know about this." Ten minutes passed and both men looked at Mew like she was some oddity in a store. She squirmed under their steady gaze. Man! These guys make me feel like I am under a microscope or something. There faces screwed strangely like they were both trying not to laugh. She got up to pace and try not to look at them. Several more uncomfortable moments passed and one of them walked up to her and looked her in the eyes. "Page." he said, and then he backed off joining his companion gazing at the sky.

When he finally came back, Garam rolled on blades to touch Mews hand. He then turned his full attention to the messengers. "Beat says he agrees. On the condition that he can ask for the same if the need arrives for it. Including during the middle of a challenge."

Both gave a shrewd look at Garam then said, "Agreed." with that, they both stepped back. The one that spoke to Mew looked at her tensely and "page" echoed in her mind. Mew took in a slight gasp at the sudden disturbance inside her mind. Then both seemed to disappear with a slight stir of air.

Garam looked at Mew. She seemed unsettled about something. "Well now that we both seem to have lost the mood, lets go back. I think Beat should know more about those two anyway." Mew nodded, looking at the air that the two messengers had previously occupied.

"Mew you know this means you are going to lay off the grinding for almost a year."

"What we don't even know if I am pregnant or not!" she skated in front of him the previous ten minutes were strangely forgotten to her.

"Doesn't matter if we know now or not, what if you are? All that twisting and jolting would not be good for a baby would it."

Mew let go of her anger and smiled at him. "You are going to be a wonderful father. You know that Garam?" They then kissed and skated slowly along the streets to the garage.

Warcraft and Scathe came back; both were in tears of laughter. Silphie came up to them and asked, "What happened?"

Both cleared their thoughts but Warcraft answered, "They agreed to the terms on the condition that they may do the same anytime. This includes during a challenge." Silphie smiled pleased that such an exchange with her guards and the GG's was executed so easily. "There is one more thing you should know about Silphie."

. "What is it Warcraft?"

"The GG known as Mew is with child. Scathe had a vision and announced her." Silphie smiled pleased that Scathe would see such a peaceful thing. She was afraid to ask, "Then what was so funny?"

Both guards looked at each other then began to laugh again. "Just something that some of them were trying to figure out. Especially the girl named Mew, she has some serious problems she has not told her mate yet." Both guards laughed harder. Silphie shook her head; she had a hard time trying to understand how anyone could read minds.

They left for Kyoto that night. Chisel was the last of insurrectionist in authority among the Stone Tears. His trial would be the last.

A full week after the race had passed. It was still talked about by most rudies. The boss that hired Z-ro even cheered as he came in the door for his first day of work. It was quiet when he came back to the garage. Z-ro took off his shades and slumped onto the couch to watch some T.V. When he finally began to doze, Mew burst in through the door. "Z-ro where have you been? Don't you have your radio on?" She leaped over the bar table separating the kitchen with the rest of the living room and rolled up to him. "Professor K has been broadcasting that you need to go to the park. As soon as we found out someone had sprayed on our turf we were all there but you."

Z-ro looked tired and groggy but asked, "You really shouldn't move like that, you're pregnant." He said matter of fact. "Oh, Who is it this time?" He slid on his shades again and got a can ready.

Mew grabbed him and shoved him out the door before he could tighten his wrist guard. "It's your mother."

"What?!?" Z-ro gained sudden burst of energy through his already sore back and legs. With speed that left Mew in the dust, he made it to the park where all of the GG's were waiting for him except for Mew. He looked at the graffiti; it was a large tag of Z-ro spraying his symbol. Z-ro looked at his mother as soon as he stopped, she was in tears. Z-ro rolled slowly up to her as all of the GG's parted for him. Beat was holding her until he showed up and his left side of his shoulder was soaked. "Mom…" He stuttered out.

Z-ro's mother saw him and clung on to him as she muttered. "Gered! Its your brother." she sobbed for a moment. "Something happened to him. I need to go back." Her voice carried more than sadness.

Beat looked at Z-ro and her mother, and remembered what Z-ro said the night they went out. "When I said, it wasn't bad out there, I lied. It was horrible." Beat suddenly understood. Beyond the sadness of Z-ro's mother was despair, utter fear of going back. Things must have been awful for his family Beat thought to himself.

"I am going too mom." Z-ro took of his shades and dropped them on the grass. His mother clung to him tighter and both got up to leave. They had lost their race against the past.

The end.

Epilogue: Kyoto

One week later in Kyoto…

Five young women sat on high pedestals above Silphie in what appeared to be a courtroom. All of the women had just been instated five years ago. This was the first time that the Stone Tears were run by an all pre-eighteen year old group. But their age was pointless to their knowledge of their organization.

"Konney, I am positive it was him." Silphie gave her report to the five women of the Stone Tears. Two were glancing at data record of the members of the GG's group.

Julse, who sat at the end of the line, looked at a map of the area lost in this little fiasco. Sighing she said, "Silphie I don't think you need to concern yourself with such trivial matters. The person who killed Rhythm is dead. We punished him after we found out what he did."

Silphie would not take this answer. "Beat does not know what happened after his brother was killed. He still thinks we are a bunch of cold blooded killers..." Silphie spat the last part out,

Konney interrupted her. "Yes, well some of us are." she smiled but understood the meaning of what Silphie was saying. "Beat will not give up even if his whole gang is wiped out. Is this what you are saying?"

Silphie seemed satisfied, "Yes." Konney leaned back in her chair that was in the center and nodded.

Stoon looked at Silphie thoughtfully. "It would be in our best interest to do nothing at this point in time. Continue your little war in Tokyo-to. If you happen to loose... it doesn't matter. There have been other cities that have resisted and won. It is of no consequence. We will just retry a couple of years later."

"I am sorry elder," Silphie used the term in highest respect to their superiority. Age was truly meaningless in the Stone Tears, many people that were above the rank of Air Razor, the Thieves guild, were much younger then she was. "I just think that if we don't deal with this matter with Beat, he may end up like his brother Rhythm. Good Rudies are becoming a rare breed now a days." Silphie looked down to the floor and said, "It feels like rudies like me are becoming things of the past."

"We understand, it has been going on for over seventy years now. About the time that Bike gangs were big. We all are in competition with what was once a noble cause. If it still is a noble cause is yet to be seen." Stoon glanced at her console then said. "Projections say that rudies will be around for some time. It is why we placed our sites on Tokyo-to. By the time rudies hit their prime we will be in full control of the city."

Silphie didn't think so but merely nodded. "Am I excused?"

All five women nodded, Then Shenune spoke up for Silphie's benefit as well as the other elders. "What of Chisel? Do we exile him? He is very resentful and most likely will not follow the path of a rudie being tagged. Even after he accepted being classified as a rudie, he never did like following rules."

Silphie turned to Shenune. "I think it would be best if we did something with him that is definite. People like him would try and with invariable success to align other defeated rudies against us. He may be a bastard, but he is also a capable leader."

Shenune nodded. "We will discuss this further. I am pleased that the GG's are such a resilient group. It has been a couple of years since we had a war that lasted some time."