Ranger24: Long wait but as you can tell I have been rather busy. This project fell into the back of my mind but I'm keeping it going. Also happy holidays.

Chapter 14: Ascend

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Flophouse, ?, 2018 hours day 6

A bucket of ice cold water splashed into Ranger's face and he jerked awake coughing and spluttering, blinking droplets out of his eyes.

He was tied to a chair in a small dark room with ceiling lamp directly over head. Two other men stood in the room, one a standard issue thug who was leaning against the wall by the rooms one door. The other was dressed in a fine business suit and fit the stereotypical mafia boss motief. In this mans hands was the bucket of water that Ranger had been splashed by. He glared at Ranger with all the hatred he could probably muster.

"You know why you're here?" He asked.

"Something tells me I went a bit overboard," Ranger groaned his head pounding as he tried to concentrate. The memories of the con were few and hard to make out.

"You killed one of my best me and put my daughter in the hospital," the man growled.

"In my defense they drew first," Ranger replied.

The man smashed him across the face with bucket. Ranger's cheek split open and began to pour blood.

"You think I give a shit!" The man demanded. "You're going to suffer, and then we're going to take you to one of the air locks and see how much you like vacuum!"

He turned and head for the door. He motioned to the guard.

"Make him scream," the crime boss snarled before he left.

The guard nodded and light up a cigar.

"Oh I know where this going," Ranger muttered.

"Go ahead and scream," the guard replied walking over to him. He grabbed a hold of Ranger's face.

"I get off on that shit," he hissed before he ramed the butt of his cigar into Ranger's open cheek cut.

Flophouse, Guild headquarters, 2019 hours day 6

"You'd think a top of line criminal organization would be smart enough not to make its ventilation ducts so large people can crawl through them," Abby commented as she and Tiffy crawled through the ducts.

"Speak for yourself," Tiffy replied trying to keep the massive sword Waffles had given her from becoming stuck in the vents.

"Couldn't you have just left that behind?" Abby asked.

"Well the guy worked hard on it so what was I supposed to do?" Tiffy demanded.

"Leave it on the ship?" Abby suggested.

Tiffy glared at her. "Shut up."

They came to the end of the shaft and were looking out on a hallway a short drop down.

"This is our stop," Abby reported struggling to bring herself into a position to kick out the vent cover.

"Thank god for that," Tiffy replied.

Abby planted her feet against the vent and pushed. After about a second the first bolt came free. Then another and another before it finally simply swung out of the way.

"Clear," Abby reported before clambering out of the vent.

Tiffy follwed her out but suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Abby asked.

"My swords stuck," Tiffy replied tugging on its hilt.

Sure enough the sword was stuck half way out of the ventalation shaft.

"Trying turning it over?" Abby suggested.

"Its stuck as in its caught onsomethign and wont budge," Tiffy hissed as she tugged on the blade.

Abby cursed and drew out her blades. "Hurry up, we don't have much time."

"You know saying something like that normally jinxes these sort of things," Tiffy noted.

"Wouldn't that also jinx it?" Abby questioned.

"Good point."

Flophouse, Guild Headquarters main conference room, 2025 hours day 6

"So let me get this straight," the guild boss Don V said slowly. "You church fellows want us to hand over the asshole we got locked up to you guys?"

"That would be correct," Ming replied.

He and Duponte had a arrived moments earlier, in their full battle array of the Church of the Holy light, and had demanded to meet with the Don.

"You don't seem to understand how things work here in the criminal world," the Don said coldly. "See if someone whacks one of your people and you get your hands on him, you don't just hand him over to anyone who comes and asks."

"I can understand that you are very a grieved by the injuries sustained by your daughter and the death of one of your finest men," Ming replied diplomatically. "But you have no idea the danger you are in holding this individual here."

"You two explain to me," the Don snapped. "How one man, with no weapons, no armor, and no idea where he is escape from a proverbial fortress?"

"You have no idea what he is, do you?" Ming stated.

"He's the bastard who's going to be a pop sickle in about an hour unless you two can convince me otherwise."

"Don, he is a Twilight warrior," Ming replied.

The Don laughed at this.

"He is a Twilight warrior," the Don mimicked. "Do I look like a complete idiot to you? Those old stories are just that, stories."

"You really tink so?" Duponte growled.

Flophouse, Guild Headquarters, 2026 hours day 6

Ranger flung the blood off his hands as the interrogator slumped to the floor in front of him covered in his own blood.

"My apologies humble fool," he said before he turned to the door and slipped out of the room. He was now in a long corridor that branched off into several other halls in either direction. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Now how do I get out of here?" He wondered aloud.

"Hold it right there!" A voice behind him yelled and he turned to see two guild thugs with mini uzi's in hand.

"Shit," Ranger muttered.

"Hands on the ground!" The first thug snapped.

Before Ranger could act however both guards fell to the ground blood spraying out of them and two wicked curved blades sticking out of their backs.

"Well that was lucky," Abby said as she yanked he blades out of the fallen guards.

Ranger smirked. "Took you guys long enough."

"Well excuse us for wanting to stay alive," Tiffy replied before tossing Ranger his hand guns.

"Well no point to stand around here and waste time," Ranger continued as he caught Sol and Luna. "Which ways out?"

"Well out entrance is no good," Abby replied.

"They find it?" Ranger asked.

"No," Tiffy muttered. "My sword won't fit in it."

"Which means only one thing," Abby continued.

"Take down enemies until we find an exit," Ranger finished.

Ranger24: And that seems like a good place to stop off. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and read and review.