Chapter 2: A New City
The plane Matt had owned was currently two hours away from their destination. It has been an eight hour flight and the skies were very dark with the smallest shades of blue starting to settle in the night sky.
Matt had silently awoken and looked around the plane. Currently, the lights were off in the room he was in and the plasma screen TV was showing the main menu to Nyte Blade season 2. Apparently both Matt and Kristen had dozed off about the same time, because he found Kristen laying on his lap, clearly in peace.
Normally Matt's reaction to such things would involve him waking up Kristen because he would've freaked out. Instead of that expected reaction, Matt just stared into the face of his girlfriend who seemed to be sleeping well. If Matt hadn't appreciated her beauty before, he was sure realizing it now. The Decker Specialist appeared so beautiful to Matt that he would probably snap at anyone who woke her up from this state. Matt smiled lightly and carefully got his right hand and strokes her face gently, attempting to make her feel more comfort while she slept. It appeared to be working, became she smiled lightly in her sleep. It was a moment like this that the Decker leader had realized being in a relationship has its good sides like this that made him feel alive. For himself, he was glad that he didn't keep taking Kristen for granted and started to listen to her like a human being for once.
She rested peacefully in Matt's lap still and the Decker leader had ceased his stroking on her face. The moment he had stopped, he noticed that her smile had disappeared not long after, as if saying 'Why did you stop?' Matt felt a bit of guilt from stopping, but knew that she would understand. Matt quickly scavenged the remote for the television on his left armrest and picked up quietly. He used it to turn the plasma screen off, hoping to earn at least an extra hour of rest before they have to get up. Where Matt was heading was to a city that was even more popular than Steelport. This was a city with more opportunity than Steelport ever did.
Matt closed his eyes, returning back into his dream world.
Steelport 5:30AM:
In Saints HQ, The Boss was sitting on the couch watching stuff on the plasma he had inside the penthouse. Not much was besides old reruns of Bobby and Amber from over five years ago. It got canned the same year that The Boss had awoken from his comma and destroyed the three gangs that had replaced the first three.
In The Boss' right hand, he held a beer and in his left hand he held a remote, assuming that he was flicking through things until he saw something he'd appreciate. Suddenly, tapping was heard behind The Boss from behind and he couldn't help but poke some curiosity as to what it was making the small sounds. Turning his head, he looked back and saw a glow coming from the stairs behind the couch that would lead up to the bar. It was Kinzie, and she was on her laptop!
"Whoa!" The Boss shouts while getting up from the couch and looking back to where Kinzie was who appeared glued to his bit of technology. "Kinzie, how long have you been sitting there?"
"It was about time you noticed." Kinzie replied. "What time is it?"
"Early enough as it is." The Boss replied. "Why are you still here?"
"I'm trying to look for Matt Miller. I find it funny that he suddenly just disappears without a trace all of a sudden. I wouldn't think Matt would be smart enough find an excellent hiding place. Considering his lowered options." Kinzie says.
"Kinzie, who cares about Matt? He probably back God knows where he came from." The Boss says.
"No true. I hacked the feed in all security cameras in England airports that Matt could've arrived at. But he didn't. It's like he's just disappeared." Kinzie says.
"Who cares, Kinzie? He's not our… wait; did you say you hacked cameras in England?" The Boss questioned.
"Yeah? You ask that as if it's strange to do something like that." Kinzie says.
"Yeeaahh…" The Boss starts awkwardly. "My version of strange isn't enough to cover your personality, Kinzie."
"Whatever. You know that it's because of me that you happen to have an advantage over some of our enemies." Kinzie says.
"Yeah, I guess…" The Boss said as he shrugged before heading up stairs. "I think I'll try to get some sleep. Don't start bugging my place Kinzie."
"Like I would even dare to. I've found something a lot more interesting anyway that I'm monitoring currently." Kinzie says.
"Will it help us defeat Killbane?" The Boss questioned.
"No, but I did discover a large convoy of Decker vehicles heading north far from Steelport." Kinzie says.
"Maybe Matt is with them then. There, mystery solved." The Boss says.
"Of course he ain't. He isn't going to take a plane and then suddenly travel by road. That's just stupid." Kinzie says.
"Well, maybe the Deckers are heading to Matt or something. Man I dunno, this isn't a big deal for me, Kinzie." The Boss says before heading further upstairs, looking for his bedroom. He was tired of listening to Kinzie about Matt instead of Killbane. Matt was gone and Killbane was last of the Syndicate flag left.
"I don't know where you went, Matt. But I will find you and I'll stop your evil plans from forming." Kinzie whispered to herself as she continued typing on the laptop's keyboard in the darkness of Saints HQ.
Matt's Cargo Plan:
The morning was settling in and the sky had turned into a lighter shade of blue, revealing the atmosphere more clearly. Matt had once again awoken from his slumber and looked out the plane's window lightly smiling, knowing that he had managed to smuggle over an hour of rest.
Looking down to his lap, he saw Kristen's beautiful head still lying on his pants like a cushion. This didn't annoy Matt and he was glad that was the case. She deserved more happiness; even if it meant feeling his bode go numb because she was putting a lot of weight on his legs.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to wake up soon… love…" Matt whispers softly before turning the TV back on and watched some more Nyte Blade before they landed. This was going to be an interesting location for Matt and he was positive that Kristen would enjoy just as much as he would. He'd bet a lot on it.
The silent sounds of wind pressured throughout the neon blue plane's skin. The pilots were traveling near the next location of the new city, expecting to arrive in the next fifteen minutes. Before Matt had returned to Kristen before, he had quickly called ahead and secured his flight plans at the airport. He also rented a large shed to store the cargo plane in. The deal he had been introduced with was a $500 down fee when he brought the plane in and $10,000 a week to keep it safely locked up away from criminals. This city had EVERYTHING. Good and bad.
"Kristen…" Matt safe softly while lightly nudging her right arm lightly with his index finger. Appearing very secured in her sleep, Kristen just remained asleep while moaning in annoyance at the same time. Matt was already feeling bad about it and called a bit more loudly. "Kristen."
The Decker Specialist had quickly awoken and looked around, barely able to keep her eyes open. The sunlight extracting to the inside of the Decker plane was making seeing a challenge for anyone who was just waking up. When see looked up, she saw her Goth boyfriend looking down at her, examining her with curious eyes.
"M-Matt?" She questioned while getting up and attempting to remember how the night had gone. Apparently she and Matt had been watching most of the episodes of Nyte Blade in each other's arms. And she had awoken in Matt's lap, which made the Goth girl blush at the surprise. Matt didn't drive her off and it made her feel more welcomed by the hacker leader. Normal reactions would've been just as awkward. Soon, they'll land and things would look up for them soon.
Three Count Casino 7:00AM:
Killbane was already up early and stood in the back room of his casino training. Considering Murderbrawl was once again coming up, he needed to be at his best strength to combat the 'lowly' competition that he had to face. He didn't seem surprised about how this year would play out. His recent years in this competition were only minor festivals to him. The only thing these events were ever for was to show off Killbane's glory and show reminder to his true strength, like how he had beaten Angel De La Muerte. That seemed like to some a way to make Angel seem like an even big amateur compared to Killbane every second it had been shown. Really it all was getting tiring, but the fans didn't show their annoyance against the wrestler, since his reputation as the Walking Apocalypse carried many examples why he is hard to defeat. Though taking down Angel wasn't one of them in reality, yet the public still bought Killbane's reputation as a respectable one and a fearful one.
Killbane was hitting a whole bunch of punching bags with Angel's face on them. It seemed as if even though Killbane had been the victor of the two, he still forced his anger out on him. Angel was once his partner and friend, yet Killbane took his side with Phillipe Loren and betrayed Angel. If anything, the one who didn't have a mask deserved to have the urge of annoyance. And that was Angel.
Killbane continued to throw punch after punch into the bags, as if he was intending to bring Angel's pride down further and further. As if that was possible.
On the inside Killbane was not actually thinking about Angel, but instead he was thinking about Kiki, Viola and Matt. Those three allies had been in charge of the Morningstar and the Deckers. Knowing that they had left and those two gangs were defeated left him with a new feeling… loneliness.
Sure, Killbane had his own title as the champion wrestler of Murderbrawl, but he was always getting cheered on by his fans that he pleased with his strength. But the loneliness didn't strive from his championship title, it resided from his allies by his side. Matt might've left the Syndicate without everything intact and allies departed, but he wasn't alone. Killbane was aware of the hacker having a female partner of the Deckers, which only in Killbane's mind, stayed as a distraction for Matt to avoid doing his work. Killbane knew that he wasn't allowed to do anything to her, because the Deckers would've rained down on him. He didn't doubt that his Luchadores could handle a bunch of young immature hackers who weren't all about strength, but they had brains still. He decided to let any ideas go for that reason.
Now he was drawn here in loneliness. He was the Saints main target, as well as STAG's. But that was a matter of perspective. Killbane was considered the main target of the Syndicate because he was the only leader of it, now that the other leaders were either hiding away, executed, on the opposite team or crushed in a pool of blood. All these things drove Killbane to a point where insanity felt like a point to achieve. The punching bags were noticeably weakened and the chains had begun to bend from the pressure the hits brought in every putt in it.
Killbane looked to the wall on his left and saw his name written down on a cutout sheet of newspaper on the wall. It had 'Eddie Pryor' written on the sheet and Killbane's teeth had begun to grind with each other. For some unknown reason, Killbane had despised his 'true' name that he was born with. The day Killbane had started to exist, Eddie Pryor had also died. Anyone who even dared to mention that name was lucky to live one more day. Kiki DeWynter had made that mistake and only received one chance before impending doom fell upon her. It only took one swift mention of that name and the threat of leaving the Syndicate that had make her neck get broken by the brute sized Luchadore leader.
Killbane always remembered that moment when he killed that DeWynter sister. He didn't carry any regrets for it. She was only slowing down progress and made foolish decisions. Hooker assassins weren't a good idea to Killbane and the DeWynters daring to leave made Killbane snap further. While he killed Kiki, he saw a possible potential inside Viola which could've driven the Saints away and possibly avoid her sun from setting. Apparently she didn't take that warning seriously and just turned on her own Morningstar allies directly after. That mistake wasn't something Killbane was going to confess to. He never did consider himself to be truly wrong to cause a big screw up.
Suddenly, Killbane's mobile phone had beeped with a message. The fists of the Apocalypse stopped from abusing the padded surface of the punching bag and looked at the phone. Carefully, he picked it up and went to the message section of the phone. When he read it, he took great interest in it.
"So he is…"
Angel's GYM:
The honor broken ex-friend of Killbane continued to work through to the morning. One restless night left the betrayed unmasked fighter with a lot of built up sweat, some deep anger emotions vented and sore to a certain point pair of fists. The upcoming Murderbrawl was going to be a big thing for Angel, bigger than the day he was unmasked. Since his fall as a Luchadore fighter and the removal of his mask, Angel had been sitting in his old GYM (previously a small casino) sulking for years due to his drained honor from the time Killbane had suck a needle in it, or instead a fist. The betrayal had changed Angel from the proud man he was and left him down in the dumps for a long time. He was absolutely sure that he was going to die like this… until…
When Angel had been attacked by Killbane's thugs, he had expected it to be the end for him. There were many Luchadores who had come and busted up his GYM because of one person who wanted to get rid of him. Killbane.
The fight was uneven. The Luchadores were big in numbers and there were a few Brutes that could take on a single man easily without a sweat. That would've been the true end for Angel before the Saints had arrived to save the day. It was unexpected when it had happened, but the leader of the Saints, along with a pimp dressed as a gimp had come and given support to the lonely GYM owner. Then another Brute had shown up and Angel and put the pieces together to understand that he was the master pattern of them. The four, along with Pierce who had arrived to assist in battle with them all took down the Luchadores with teamwork.
Then, Angel had turned to the Saints and realized that he didn't need a mask to battle Killbane. His devotion for masked wrestling wasn't as needed as he had thought, but he knew that it was needed for the purpose of fighting Killbane of even terms when Murderbrawl was to happen. The rules stated As a Luchadore make that the case. One way or another, Angel would get his mask back. He vowed for it.
The only sounds inside the GYM at the moment were the punches to the fake body models that Angel had rightfully owned and the radio in the far distance that played 'You're The Best' in the background. While it was quiet from afar, Angel appreciated the low sounds of the radio. It was just right.
The fallen Luchadore felt his blood continue to boil as he stood there looking at the dummies of his. Proving to himself that he had worked hard all night. But still, it wasn't enough for him. He wanted more energy, more muscles and more power. The regular strength he used wasn't enough to torture Killbane to a point and Angel feared that deep inside. He didn't express the fear and he tried to bark it away many times, but it just wouldn't leave. Killbane was a cheater and held his reputation as something to fear. Angel would need to prove to himself that he is ready and able to take on his ex-partner.
Suddenly, a few loud bangs had been heard on his front doors. Angel quickly went to his back room and got his AR-55. He checked it quickly and noted that it was fully loaded with led. The lonely GYM owner went to the front doors of his building while aiming the rifle at one of the sets of doors and using his secondary hand for opening it if he needed to. Angel was strong and could hold a full rifle with just one hand.
Angel being only four feet away from the doors demanded an answer from the person or something else outside.
"Who is it?" Angel demanded while sounding angry.
"You know who it is. You were the one who called me here in the first place, correct?"
Suddenly Angel dropped his arm that he used to aim at the doors and proceeded to open the entrance. He had apparently forgotten about someone that he had called up earlier and almost came close to shooting them to death. The doors were pulled open quickly and the figure came in, with their feet stomping in on command with the doors.
It was Oleg. The main man who's DNA basically made the Brute army of the Syndicate. For some reason, Angel had requested the presence of the giant Russian to appear at his GYM. He followed Angel upstairs back into the training room and right near where the training mat was located.
"From what you explained to me, you needed my physical talents. What is the issue you wanted me to assist you with?" Oleg questioned.
"If I'm going to compete in Murderbrawl, I'll need the all challenges I can get in order to answer to myself if I am worthy for taking down Killbane." Angel explained with his back turned and eyes closed.
"You want me to help you in your training?" Oleg questioned curiously.
"I do, and I'd appreciate it if you would assist me." Angel says. "I can promise you, if The Boss or I can beat Killbane off…"
"I think you should rephrase your words, my friend."
Angel then opened his eyes and quickly turned back to the giant Russian, cutting in on anything else he could say. "That's! That's!" Angel then sighed and pinched the middle of his nose in annoyance. 'Why did I have to say it like that?' "I mean to take down his smug ass and stop the Syndicate once and for all!"
The Russian stayed silent for a moment before speaking up again. "Alright my friend, I'll assist you in any way I can."
"Thank you." Angel says. "However, I don't have anything to pay you for your services. I hope this does alter the deal in anyway."
"Of course not. It's because of the Saints that I am here today." Oleg explained. "Since you are now one of them, I am assisting them in some way. And ending Killbane is definitely on the top of the list."
"But we've also got to worry about Cyrus Temple and his STAG soldiers. They're looking for us and still think the Saints blew up the bridge." Oleg points out.
"I'm fine with helping to step them as long as I can get my hands on Killbane." Angel says.
"Precisely." Oleg said agreeing. "Now, what kind of a work out do you want?"
"I wish to test out my pushing abilities against a lot of force. Killbane may not look as tough as you, but I'm also certain that his appearance is something that can fool anyone." Angel says.
"Well if you insist, Angel." Oleg says while getting into an aggressive pushing stance. Angel just watched as the brute sized man getting pumped up for this. If Angel really wanted his help, Oleg was going to give him it. The strength Oleg possessed was incredible between many and proved useful when the odds were relied upon great strength and energy in combat. Even outnumbered with the inferior clones of himself, Oleg fought without the worry of loss.
"Are you ready?"
Angel nods in response and went into his stance. For this exercise, the two men didn't stand on the matt. The hard floors were going to be what they trained on since the mat altered their approach compared to what the ring would serve as surface. The hard floors inside the GYM were going to be enough for them to train evenly.
Suddenly, both brave men ran for each other while they were a distance apart. They yelled their battle cries to each other, indicating that they were putting their all into these pushes.
Once Angel and Oleg had collided with each other, their hands were squirming against each other's. Oleg even had a bit of trouble keeping his hands around Angel's smaller hands and wrists. Apparently he had requested Oleg's presence after a long night of intense training to the early hours of the morning. It had shown the huge male that Angel had the will to battle Killbane, which was good. Oleg didn't want to train someone who didn't have the motive for fighting their opponents. It would just be a waste of time and a fast way to get beaten to a bloody pulp.
The two men continued to grunt as they pushed against each other. Angel looked down while pushing against the latter male and noticed his own feet slipping backwards. He then continued to push his strength toward the giant, this time using more strength than his body literally carried. To no success, Angel saw his feet sliding back further at a faster rate. This strength he had couldn't bear against Oleg's easily and it only enraged himself inside. Not wanting to do a lot of harm to his partner, Angel just climbed on top of the raging emotion and continued to defend himself as best as he could.
Oleg noticed the tensed frustrations Angel continued to hide in his heart. The Russian giant could still see that struggle even outside of Angel and decided to use an alternative for assisting Angel.
"Come on! Do you really expect to defeat Killbane with this weak strength? Is this the best Angel De La Muerte can do? I've seen children in the old country fight harder than you!"
Angel kept his eyes shut and attempted to push just as hard at the goliath. This was a hard challenge for him. This was getting on his nerves a lot further and Oleg's questions were right. How would he defeat Killbane when all Angel can do is slow down his defeat? At this rate, the fight will not be a fight at all. All he would be doing is holding his defense and let it slowly weaken.
"Is this all you can do? Has your mask really taken your pride along with it? If you don't bring your pride back, you won't be able to take down Killbane! You will have lost your last fight and Killbane will take EVERYTHING!" Oleg says, making his voice louder as he said the last word attempting to bring the inner animal inside of Angel out.
'He's right! If I don't show my strength here, my pride won't be restored! Killbane will only walk all over me further! I have to prove myself! I have to show that I can win! That I WILL win!'
The feet of Angel had suddenly got to a standstill and remained glued to the dirty floor. While he had stopped losing his ground, his ground wasn't being returned either. Only half of his demanded move was made. It wasn't much, but it was progress.
"You think stopping Killbane is enough to prove you are worthy? Remember, he is 'The Walking Apocalypse' for a reason Angel! One way or another, he'll tread all over you in a matter of seconds! Don't be a fool and let yourself waste energy in pushes! Killbane is a fighter, not an aggressor!"
In Angel's mind and fighter was an aggressor. They both fought for more ground and charged at their foes more willingly than the latter depending on their motives as well. If the opponent was to carry the same objective, they wouldn't just push into each other, they would be bashing at each other's like animals trying to protect their territory.
Angel knew that Oleg was telling him to fight back, and he would. The fallen wrestler then started slipping his right fist from Oleg's left hand and started bolting into the stomach of the giant, expecting to do some harm. Oleg just continued his shunting and sneered at Angel. This wasn't working out great for him because he knew that Killbane might have considerable strength that greatly surpasses Oleg's by far. That would mean that…
'No! I can't let it remain that way! I've got to show myself for who I really am! I am Angel De La Muerte! I am a true fighter! I WILL show Killbane! I WILL DEFEAT HIM!'
Suddenly, Angel dropped his left hand from Oleg's right and used both arms to do constant bashing into the stomach of the goliath, sending a few hurls of surprise out of his mouth. A lot of air was blowing out constantly and Angel caught the smell of fresh breath. He might look like a tough guy with no hygiene at times, but on the inside, he was probably a lot healthier than those who live in Steelport. At had appeared that he brushed his teeth regularly.
Angel didn't stop there. He continued to draw on more punches and demanded his fists to work a lot harder against the purple shirt. The ground had shifted and Angel was gaining back the amount he had lost before. His devotion to stopping Killbane was increasing greatly. Motivation was drawing what Angel didn't think he had and managed to back Oleg back faster and faster.
Finally, Oleg lost all foothold and started pacing backwards. Oleg caught a glimpse of what was behind himself and saw a hard wall that he was about to collide with. Not letting Angel win this easily, Oleg suddenly jumped out of the way from the charging fighter and used his large hands to slam Angel at the wall. The ex-Luchadore fighter just remained at the wall, held heavily into it. Oleg sighs and lets out a chuckle. Angel just greased while facing away from the brute-like male.
"You have the determination of a bloodthirsty warrior, Angel." Oleg says while prying Angel from the wall. His sweat had apparently made him stuck to the dusty wall. It wasn't any trouble for Oleg to get Angel off. He was then held by his purple color warn hoodie. "But such strength isn't useful without a plan. Any technique you use without any strategy is only a brave run on a suicidal path, friend."
Angel just watched Oleg as he was slowly brought back to the ground. The way Oleg had implied it was how Angel had explained it to The Boss. Apparently Angel had lacked knowledge of his goals disadvantages when he was raging like a beast in combat. He needed to get that under control before Murderbrawl XXXI was time to start. He was lucky to have just over a week before the event starts, but would he be able to change his reaction before the event begins.
"I know that all too well, but Killbane is all about strength. If I change my ways, it could do more damage if Killbane can read it. Even he is training for the event." Angel says.
"If you keep your methods and tactics the original way Killbane has seen them before, then you will be brought out of the ring a lot sooner than you would like." Oleg says.
Angel looked towards the ground in frustration. It had appeared that since the time he had been training, there was an uncanny feeling that he didn't want to confess about. Apparently his fear for the match was that Killbane might be able to beat him again. He didn't want to suddenly come back to the ring after a long time and only achieve in failing again. This time it would be a lot worse than before. Showing that he would be able to return to the ring implies that he still feels as if his honor would greatly assist in taking Killbane and defeating him. However, it actually seemed as if Killbane would have the upper hand. No doubt that he might be stronger than Angel, but the issue was in the Luchadores that were at The Walking Apocalypse's side. They would be taunting Angel and cheering Killbane. Cheers might not mean much compared to being in the fight, but the sounds of those wanting you to be knocked down meant that your struggles feel much harder emotionally.
"I'm not afraid of pain." Angel says. "My reputation was where my real pain was found. If I can finally see Killbane beaten down, I can finally find the aid to heal my inner scars."
"But you need to be sure that you're ready." Oleg says. "I certainly hope you can muster the energy to completely destroy Killbane's reputation. The Syndicate's attack dog needs to fall, along with his Luchadores."
"Killbane has a lot of followers behind him. We'd have to beat down all the Luchadores before we can even lay a small glimpse on him." Angel says.
"You say that as if it's a problem." Oleg says.
"And it's not?" Angel questioned, puzzled.
"The Saints are the most influential and powerful gang in Steelport, possibly the entire world. They are most compelling to their enemies. They quite the potential to stop the most gave of matters. I wouldn't be surprised if they'll be the savors of the world one day. They can do anything, Angel. You can too if you keep your spirit up." Oleg says.
Angel knew what Oleg was implying. If the Saints had been lucky to have many chances to fall and succeed in the end, Angel would be able to as well. His only emotion that was stopping him was fear. The fear of losing all he had left.
"Now friend, we shall take your courage and turn it into your only emotion." Oleg says. "We're going to be training for a bit, so there'll be no time for sloppy moves. No sleeping."
"I've been through worse." Angel says while cracking his knuckles. Wow, did they hurt. Right now, they felt as if they were close to just exploding to pieces. The pain was good to Angel. It proved to him that he was really working hard.
The two then continued to train throughout the day, refusing to leave the GYM for many hours. Angel would have many hours of hell before this day was over. Oleg was going to teach him how to fight like a real man, like he did back in his KGB days.
Matt's Cargo Plan:
Matt and Kristen started walking to the back of the cargo plane, hand in hand. While exiting the plane, the two were introduced to airport security that would be checking them out for bombs or other devices that appeared to be considered 'suspicious goods' or anything else considered a threat. There were also a few security guards who were observing the inside of the plane for weapons or stolen goods. A considerable bribe to the working folks of the security. Their mouths would keep shut… maybe.
Kristen had got a pair of shoes on board the Decker plane that she had gotten at Nobody Loves Me only days prior to the fall of the Deckers. Since she had found it awkward as a Specialist to walk around with rubber energy wheels, it was time to make a relaxing change. The shoes were neon blue and had the Deckers logo on the sides of the ankles. White rubber went above the ankles and went half way up her legs. They also hugged over her fishnet leggings that she wore all the time like regular Specialists.
"Matt, I'm sure unsure. Where the hell are we?" Kristen questioned.
"I promise you, this place will make you happy. You'll know when we are past the airport and out into the city. It's gonna be a sweet, bloody time. This would be a perfect place to start up the Deckers again." Matt says.
"If this place is said to be great, wouldn't there be others gangs that control the place, Matt?" Kristen asked suddenly changing back into an American accent. Boy did Matt love how she did that.
"I've done some research and found proof of at least four that control the city in major sections." Matt says.
"Four gangs?" Kristen questioned while switching back to the British accent. "Are you sure they aren't working together, like how we worked with the Morningstar and Luchadores, making the Syndicate?"
"Kristen baby, we're the best at cyber hacking. If we have to go through a big fight, we'll just have to hack their funds from the employers and then we would have cash. Simple!" Matt easily figured out.
"I'm just saying, we shouldn't underestimate the enemy, considering what the Saints have taught us, hacking them didn't slow them down." Kristen says.
"What do you mean? I crashed their helicopter." Matt objected.
"Crashing a helicopter doesn't mean an entire gang will stop fighting all of a sudden."
"It was being controlled by the leader of the Saints."
"Who lived after crashing?"
"…"
"Matt…"
"Look, I know I might've screwed up when I tried to stop the Saints, but I didn't expect them to be able to get back up so quickly." Matt says defensively. Then he looked down to his girl's left hand and found a silver metal case that appeared to be secured carefully. His curiosity got the best of him about it.
"Hey Kristen, what do you have inside of that case." Matt questioned while gesturing to the case.
Realizing that she was still carrying the case, she removed her hand from Matt's and held the handle on it with both now. Since this was an important case to her, she wanted to only show Matt when the two of them were in privacy. "I-I'll show you later." She replied quickly before going completely silent, worrying Matt.
They two of them had entered the airport and noticed the sudden change of sound and people chatting. The airport was very busy with a lot of people in suits and suitcases, indicating that many business deals went on here. There were stores that Matt hadn't even encountered before. Food stores that were around had a large of substance and different advertisements. The many Matt had spotted were titled: 'Freckle Bitch's, Phuc Mi Phuc Yue, Company of Gyro's, Apollo's and Charred Hard Burgers'.
"Wow, there are some interesting food places. Have you seen these places before, Kristen?" Matt asked.
"On a few occasions, yeah I do." Kristen replied.
"You haven't eaten for a bit. You wanna go and get something to bite?" Matt suggested while looking to Freckle Bitch's.
Kristen looked at the fast food place and thought about it for a moment. This place never did truly fancied her interests and that meant that she would judge the food more harshly than a place she's heard of before.
"Sure, I guess."
"Great. Let's go." Matt says pleased with her and put his arm around her while they went into the food store.
The worker appeared to be a lonely late teenaged girl who looked very bored. She had orange hair and some freckles that could be made to mistake her for a mascot of the Freckle Bitch's corporation. As she looked forward, she saw Matt and Kristen come up to her at the counter. Her excitement levels increased when Matt got close.
"Good day sir, may I help you?" The ginger asked with energy passing through her lips. She literally made it sound like she was happy.
"Well, what do you want, Kristen?" Matt asked.
Curious with the menu choices, Kristen scanned the choices that there was, carefully examined everything there was to offer. The names carried such sexual terms that it made her cringe that government leaders and health inspectors actually allowed these implied meanings. They may have been used as food terms, but it was clear what it was to actually imply.
"Just a fist, Matt." Kristen says while looking at her Goth partner. "Please."
"And would you like, Matt?" The ginger asked while coming closer to Matt.
Kristen cringed at how the worker didn't even know him and she was already using Matt's name. 'What the hell does she think she's doing?!'
Matt found this a little creepy himself, but just let it pass. "I think I'll try your twins." Matt says.
"Oh, I'll let you try my twins." The ginger says seductively to Matt. He looked back in shock and looked to his girl who appeared to have suddenly raged silently, if it was possible. Her facial expression was reading of anger. Pure, anger. A small jump like that really got her fired up.
"Kristen, are you okay?" Matt asked concerned. The worker just carried a smug smile and just continued to increase this train wreck and turn it into an earthquake.
"Say, Matty. How about you and I meet up a bit later and perhaps see where it might go? Hmmm?" She asked while winking.
"Oh God." Matt says while turning back to the ginger for a brief second and back to Kristen. He panicked fast, because she had removed her Shock Hammer from her right shirt strap and was proceeding to attempt to kick this worker's ass. "No, no, no!" Matt says while jumping to Kristen and holding her Shock Hammer in his hands too. If the case wasn't in Kristen's left hand she would've no doubt taken her other and used it to make the ginger's last working day.
"Look, as much as I wouldn't mind waiting, we have to go now!" Matts before dragging Kristen out of Freckle Bitch's.
Further out the door, Matt had pushed Kristen up against a white wall and held her by her right hand and her left waist. The two locked eyes and carefully relaxed. People in the area either looked at the two or just simply didn't notice the Deckers.
"Kristen…" Matt says before softening his grip. "I know she was really annoying you back there, but I wouldn't have allowed her to hit on me any further."
"Matt, I don't like it when other people hit on you like that. She'd only use you for sex." Kristen says.
"Which is why I'm with you." Matt says. Kristen looked at Matt's eyes even more deeply. "You are my perfect girl. I would rather die than let her have her way with me. I promise you, I would rather die or lose all of my NyteBlade privileges. You mean that much to me."
"Oh Matt!" Kristen says. The two of them then kissed at the wall, thinking that everything was okay. Up one level higher than the ground floor, two men in masks watched the couple making out and spoke between themselves.
The languages they were speaking weren't American and instead spoke Mexican. The voices wouldn't be understandable if anyone was near them either. The two Decker had apparently been an interesting couple to see and the two men continued to watch from the distance. One of them then pulled out a phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
The phone was ringing for a good whole ten seconds before there was an answer on the other side. Another Mexican voice had answered and the one with the phone spoke a few commands to the one on the other side.
At Matt's Decker plane, the Mexican voiced man on the other side of the phone remained in cover while watching the plane from the distance. A few commands were given before the phone had been silenced and the guy at the plane went for the ramp. Two search guards were looking around the outside of the plane and didn't notice the approaching Mexican.
The Mexican had a Cobra Pistol with a silencer attachment. It was too soon to go all loud about it since the airport was open and it was only morning. It would be many hours before anything could be done that was loud.
The Cobra fired two shots and got each security guard at the backs of their heads. The two men were dead. To keep other guards from discovering the two dead men, the masked Mexican had dragged the bodies behind a whole bunch of crates and proceeded onto the Decker cargo plane. He didn't need to consider any finger prints, because he was wearing some hard gloves that prevented that discovery. His DNA would be secluded from a Police investigation when the two people are found, dead on the job.
Inside the plane, the masked Mexican spotted so many wooden crates and one Attrazione parked. All these things here were just weapons but there wasn't a crew on board. All the Mexican found was a whole bunch of supplies and quite a lot of NyteBlade merchandise on the plane.
The Mexican would've assumed that there would've been a flight crew on board, but there wasn't. He had been warned about a fight crew that had flown this plane. The description of the male and female discovered didn't apparently look like people who would fly a plane. There must've been a few people on board. He didn't make it to the cockpit yet, but he would've assumed that they were around here.
As he went through a few doors, he finally made it to a lounge and discovered three men inside who were sitting around just smoking. They thought that they had heard Matt coming back in and looked at the door way.
"Mister Miller, it's great t-"
Ping!
Ping!
Ping!
The three pilots were killed in less than five seconds. This guy was a professional sharpshooter in his own hind. A hit man by the way he had managed to dispatch the pilots. The room was silent and that was the proof that there wasn't anyone else on board. The Mexican had measured the size of the plane with his eyes before he had gotten on and knew that the only thing left was an empty flight cabinet.
He then left back where he had come from and went to return to his allies. He didn't want more security to show up.
As the Mexican had started walking for the cargo door. A group of four security guards were heading up the ramp, expecting to find their two allies that they couldn't find. The intruder spotted the four coming in from the stairs that were at the end and decided to go and sneak up to them. His silenced pistol was held in both hands and he crouched while moving forward to the exit. The guards were walking in a line heading in deeper inside the Decker plane, unknowing of their soon to be accurate fates. The Mexican pulled something off of the back of his belt and threw it at the feet of the guards once they went into further range.
When the device had landed, it was located directly in front of the group of four guards. It took a slight moment for them to realize what it was, but it was already too late. It exploded a violent amount of light and the security guards all yelled in pain and confusion. Once noting their vulnerability, the Mexican had jumped out of hiding and fired four shots into each of their foreheads, killing them while blinded.
"Voy a escupir sobre sus tumbas. (I shall spit on your graves)" The Mexican says before walking past each body and went down the ramp, leaving the dead behind.
Saints HQ 8:15AM:
The Boss woke up after a short amount of sleep. He felt so tired after the shortened amount of sleep and woke up with a large headache. Due to his drinking and watching television alone (not knowing Kinzie was there), he hadn't had the energy to keep up all night like he used to. Back then, he and Johnny would've been able to stay up all night and drink. But since Johnny's death, The Boss didn't carry the same motivation like he used to and lost a lot of strength he had when Johnny was alive. His best friend's death hurt him a lot, but he didn't show it. He had to stay strong for the Saints, for Pierce and for Shaundi.
The Boss sat up and looked around his room. The sunlight was burning through the windows and greatly brightened the room, since two fourths of the walls were mostly glass. He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep now due to this problem.
"Argh… fuck it…" The Boss says before getting back up and went for the shower that was the closest to his room.
Inside the bathroom, The Boss had entered the shower after getting naked and turned on the water. The water was on at full heat, which burned his skin quickly. However, The Boss didn't take many effects from it. He's had a lot worse heat inflict in his body before, like when he had gotten blown up on a yacht. He always remembered that incident when it can to heat hitting his body and then the many times when he got set in flames by the enemies he had faced. There were many times where even he had to ask how he survived those situations that would result in death to a normal man. So many mysteries that the leader of the Saints was aware of that all he wanted to do about it was accept it for the way it was.
Suddenly The Boss had reached down inside the shower and grabbed a Vodka bottle he had taken inside with him. It was mixed with other drinks and it wasn't considered a straight bottle. He popped the cap off and suddenly drank the contents of it down. The Boss' motto for hangovers was 'if your head is hurting, keep on drinkin''. He knew that it was probably someone else who had invented it, but it didn't matter to him. He would take over the saying whether he wanted to or not.
After the shower, The Boss had put on a copy of his suit with his purple tie hung so lazily. It wasn't tied up, but he didn't care about that. He was hoping that he could find something to do while his vision still remained dizzy. The Boss had dared to drive drunk once, but it backfired and send him off a cliff. Literally…
When The Boss went down stair, he looked around and his mouth bursts right open. He saw the sight on the couch that waited for him. Kinzie was still on her laptop typing frantically. The Boss didn't know what to make of this and decided (dared) to ask her.
"Kinzie, what are you doing?"
The ex-FBI agent ignored the Saint leader and continued to type up something he didn't even get. The Boss approached her and decided to use his hand to distract her. The moment The Boss had used his hand to touch her shoulder; the computer girl had instantly flinched with an enormous rate. She was so distracted by what she was doing that she didn't pay any attention to The Boss walking up to her.
Kinzie turned around and looked at the leader of the Saints face, who almost looked worried about her. His hand appeared to have backed off a fair bit and he remained stiff, waiting for Kinzie to react.
"Oh Boss, I didn't hear you wake up." Kinzie says.
"Well, at least I know you're fine. I'm just glad you didn't bug my stuff when I was asleep." The Boss says.
"Oh God…" Kinzie says while putting her hands on her face in frustration before looking back. "I'm not going to bug you just because it is normal for me to do so."
"Trust me Kinzie, 'normal' and 'you' in a sentence doesn't work." The Boss says.
"Excuse me?" Kinzie questioned. "Who was the one who assisted you in taking down Miller when you were stuck in that virtual world of his? I'm pretty sure that if I didn't talk your way through that, you would be stuck inside of that place and you would've been rendered brain dead in that N.E.M.O chair!"
"Chill, girl. I was just joking!" The Boss says putting both hands up in defense.
"Well, good." Kinzie says before returning back to work.
The Boss sighed and looked around the penthouse in boredom. When the other Saints weren't around it was sure boring here. It was that rare time when the place was sounding quiet. It annoyed him to stay in silence for this long. He hated it.
"You drank too much last night, didn't you?"
The Boss looked down to Kinzie and gave her a look of annoyance. Before he could respond to her, he noticed what she was doing. The line of Decker vehicles she was looking at hours ago was still being tracked. This was something he didn't understand about that girl. Why was she so obsessed with the Deckers like so? Wasn't it a lot better the more they went further? The Boss just sighs.
"Kinzie… I wish you'd just stop worrying about the fuckin' Deckers." The Boss says.
"No way. Not until I figure out where they're heading. They're plotting something and I'll do what I can to stop their plans." Kinzie says.
"No, they're not." The Boss replied. "I don't even understand why they would be a threat if they're going further away."
"Because the Internet is the simple way to get cash flow. If the Deckers were to want more money, they could just find your account, hack into it and steal the money. The Internet works a lot more dangerously than real life at times." Kinzie says.
"Matt isn't dumb enough to hack into the Saints accounts. Sure, he was a part of the Syndicate, but I doubt he would start now knowing what we can do." The Boss says.
"You don't know Miller like I do. He's evil and he's only a teenager." Kinzie argues.
"We've already defeated him. Even if he was to start up again, why should we care when the little punk is far away?" The Boss asked. "And don't talk about hacking. He knows that we know him, so he wouldn't dare pull some stupid shit like that."
"But-"
"Kinzie!"
"Fine…" Kinzie says defeated.
"Now. Shut off the computer." The Boss commands.
"But…"
"Kinzie!" The Boss says demanding.
"Fine. But if the Deckers do dare to attack, don't count on me to help." Kinzie says.
"That's fine, because they won't." The Boss says.
The two remained in silence for a bit. Kinzie went to do other things online while The Boss looked around the penthouse. His vision was slightly worse due to his short argument with Kinzie. Her paranoia was really getting on his nerves. While it was because of Kinzie that she was this way, he knew that he couldn't blame her for that. Being in the FBI, she had become more of an indoors woman and relied on sleep less, which disturbed him when he thought about it.
"Maybe I should call up Oleg or someone. It's kinda boring here." The Boss thought out loud.
"Can't." Kinzie answered simply.
"Why not?" The Boss asked while turning to face the ex-FBI girl.
"He's training." Kinzie replied.
"Training?" The Boss questioned while looking at her.
"He's assisting Angel in his GYM for Murderbrawl. He really is determined to go after Killbane. I'm sure that if he keeps going, Oleg might make him much stronger." Kinzie comments.
"And you know this how..?" The Boss questioned.
"I hacked the traffic cameras, remember?" Kinzie asked.
"So when you get bored, you just hack into random parts of Steelport to see if anything is going down?" The Boss asked.
"Of course not." Kinzie says, earning a sigh from the leader of the Saints. "I hack into the cameras to see what all of you do."
"Dammit, Kinzie." The Boss says.
"Hey, it's what I do to keep aware and safe." Kinzie says.
"Aware of what?" The Boss asked. "And what do you mean 'safe'? Safe from what?"
"Trouble. Traitors, or other things." Kinzie says.
"I swear this is a little too far, Kinzie." The Boss says.
"Oh don't be a baby about it." Kinzie says.
"You know what; maybe I'll just call up Pierce. He'll have something to do… I hope." The Boss says.
"Hey Boss!" A voice called from the elevator that opened.
"Pierce, just in time." The Boss says walking up to the man in the white suit and wearer of chains. "I was just about to call you."
"Wow, really?" Pierce asked almost honored.
"No. Now let's get moving. I'm bored here and I'm too tipsy to drive." The Boss says.
Pierce was then led back to the elevator by The Boss who pushed his way back. Kinzie just watched as the two men had disappeared from view and went for the ground level.
In the elevator, The Boss and Pierce were standing side by side in silence. All the sounds that could be heard was the gears and wires pulling the elevated room down to the ground and also the breathing of both males. The Boss' breathing was more intense than Pierce's and it made the Japanese Commercial Superstar look at his superior's face. The Boss looked back slowly to Pierce and didn't like what he was doing.
"Somethin' on my face, Pierce?" The Boss asked.
"No. I'm just surprised that you've decided to let me drive. Normally you would drive, even when you've had too many." Pierce says.
"After what happened not too long ago, it would explain why I've changed my mind Pierce."
"What's that supposed to mean? What happened?"
"Forget it. I'm just gonna think for a bit. When you drive Pierce, you better go fast." The Boss says.
"You serious about that? You not afraid that I'll smash into something and park us on top a skyscraper?" Pierce asks.
"Just do it Pierce. Or I'll post those pictures I found of you on the Saints webpage." The Boss said, clearly blackmailing Pierce at this point.
"Alright, alright, chill motherfucker, I'll do it." Pierce says.
The Boss then chuckled to himself at the horrified expression on the Saint's face. He liked how easy is was to threatening Pierce and make him do something. The Boss would keep his word that he wouldn't post the pictures up online, but if it was Gat, he would post them quickly and remove them one minute after, expecting to see the reaction to the fans of the page. The Boss sighed at that thought. He missed Gat. The Saints weren't going to be the same without him.
'Lin, Carlos, Aisha… and Johnny. I'm sorry. I failed you all.' The Boss says in his mind, grieving silently to his fallen comrades. Who said The Boss was truly heartless? What was shown on the outside is always different from the inside. The Boss knew of people's thoughts of him and some people even actually tried to leave cities just to avoid meeting a professional killer who could spread his reputation to them.
The elevator had hit the main floor and the two went for Pierce's car at the front. It was a Bootlegger car. The Boss stopped for a moment and thought about the car choice. He didn't remember Pierce driving that car before. He would normally drive… whatever the fuck he drove before. The Boss never really did pay much attention to Pierce that much. To him, it was Gat and Shaundi. Pierce was like that lonely kid at the playground that keeps getting pushed away from the main group. Everyone would take their boredom out on him when they didn't have anything else to do. Johnny would do it heaps just because he could and Shaundi would just bitch Pierce out.
Noting that Washington has been a loyal man of the Saints, The Boss often did think that he wasn't exactly a bitch himself when it came to doing what the Saints needed of him. He was the face of the Saints and a true friend. The Boss sure hoped that no one else would die. Not soon anyway. Losing people like Pierce or Shaundi would just break him and leave him with nothing but loneliness to face. He might have many new friends since he moved to Steelport, but they could never replace the ones he had lost when he was in Stilwater, and the one that he didn't want to lose the most when he had dispatched to Steelport.
As the leader of the Saints watched Pierce, he went for his car and went into the driver's seat. The Boss took the passenger seat and sat right in it. He wanted to relax and this was the only way he could for a while. The drinking was good for stopping the saddened emotions for a few hours, but it never acted as a mood changer for him.
"Yo Boss, we should be careful. Downtown is still in lockdown, so STAG will try to stop us before we can even head anywhere." Pierce says.
"Don't worry Pierce. I trust you," The Boss says.
The celebrity looked at the leader of Third Street with surprise again. Apparently The Boss was throwing out complements to Pierce which made him feel both comfort and worry.
"Boss, are you alright?" Pierce asked.
"Please Pierce, just drive." The Boss says ignoring the question.
"But Boss, this isn't like you. Are you sure you're alright?" Pierce asked again.
"For fuck sakes Pierce, can't you just do what I say and drive?!" The Boss asked spewing out his anger.
Pierce looked at The Boss startled by his reaction and decided to remain silent. He looked forward and started the motor of the Bootlegger. Once the vehicle was in drive he got out of the parking space and went on the road, expecting the STAG forces to come after them in just seconds. There were always soldiers on the street corners and that implied that they were looking for Saints on the streets constantly. Even after the attack on the penthouse, the Saints still remained there and the STAG attacked seemed to be for nothing. The F-69 VTOLs didn't destroy it to the point where the structure was crippled, but inner features and material of the penthouse was damaged badly. It wasn't hard to replace the broken items to it was as if it didn't happen.
As Pierce drove down the street, he went north east and quickly got attacked by N-Forcers sent by STAG on the streets. Pierce got the back bumper rammed but one of the trucks and looked at The Boss worried that he was going to hit him. The Boss instead looked forward and says. "You're doing fine, Pierce. Just keep driving…"
Pierce just nods and goes down the road the bent diagonal north east. There were three STAG trucks following behind them and the mounted turrets shot at the car with their orange lasers. Some of the blasts had shattered the back window and sent it flying around the backset, yet not to the front.
"Shit!" Pierce shouts while ducking and trying to avoid getting hit in the head.
The Boss cursed to himself internally and decided that leaving the penthouse wasn't the best of his choices at this point. This was his mess up and he wasn't going to be able to ditch STAG without leaving the downtown area.
"Fuck it. Pierce, make a right here." The Boss ordered.
Pierce carefully looked to where the leader of the Saints wanted him to turn and looked back to him as if he had a knife in his head.
"Are you fucking serious? There where the Steelport Guard Armory is! You really want us to go in there?" Pierce shrieked.
"If we want to lose STAG, we'll have to take the quick way." The Boss says.
"Fine. But if we end up in a wreck, this isn't my fault." Pierce says.
"Done." The Boss says. "I want us to head to Zimos' after this." The Boss says.
"Alright, you're the Boss." Pierce says.
"No shit…" The Boss says before the vehicle did a rough turn to get on the path to the Guard Armory. This would be a tricky place to go past.
New City's Airport:
Matt and Kristen walked outside the front of the airport and kept their hands held within each other's. The area at the front had even more people than the inside. The crowded people were annoying both Matt and Kristen due to the noise and their nature to not be around people. Despite their distaste for it, they ignored it and looked around.
Matt brought Kristen to a clear area where the city could be viewed a lot better. When he brought her there, she was shocked by it. She didn't expect Matt to bring her here.
"Matt, this is…" Was all she could say.
"Yes Kristen, this is that place." Matt says putting an arm around Kristen. "Love, welcome to North Crystal Bay."
To Be Continued. . .
Note: The name "North Atlantic City" was a temporary name and I thank MisterMagic25 for his help in that choice. I decided after a choice between ten names to use "Crystal Bay" since it sounds like a rich people kind of place, if you get what I'm saying.