Take back the City

"The least they could do is be on time," I smirked as Shaundi brushed past me again.

"You're the one who said Pierce could keep a time table," I held my innocent look as she glared at me.

Any retort was cut off by the cargo lift starting down the shaft.

"She's getting better, I haven't heard any shooting," Shaundi commented, starting to strut to the doors until I yanked her behind a crate.

"Don't you remember the plan?" I hissed, bringing the trenchgun to my shoulder, having left my Tharsis set at home due to them being too distinctive, "Pierce is going to text us when he arrives above the penthouse."

"Then who's…"

"We got lucky," I muttered, fixing the bayonet, "if our luck holds, there'll only be a few and we can catch the bastards by surprise, then slip in the lift and its twenty floors to home plate."

"Don't jinx it," I hissed as she went to retort.

The bell chimed and the doors opened, I watched as two Morningstar stepped out, one jamming the door with a wooden box.

I glance at the surprised brunette and slip quietly out, neither noticing me.

I reverse the trenchgun and bring the butt down hard on the first guards head, righting the weapon, I then stab the bayonet into the other guard's heart, and finally I stab the first guard once the blade is free.

I turn around to find Shaundi and the other saints staring in awe, I reach down and pick up a fallen black fedora and put it on.

"I do believe we have a party to attend," I said smoothly, playing up my accent and holding out my hand to Shaundi with a charming smile, "shall we?"

Shaundi looks down, blushing, then takes my hand, "lead on good sir."

The lift is pretty crowded, but we all squeeze in, I press the button for the top floor.

"Where are zey?" Francis Leroque asked himself, Mademoiselle Dewynter had been very clear on the consequences if the guests weren't a hundred percent satisfied , "'ow long does it take to find a crate marked Chateau Lafitte!"

The lift returning seemed to answer his prayers.

"Finally!" any further comments were cut off by a twelve gauge shell.

"Good evening ladies and gents, we are tonight's entertainment!"

"Whatcu thinking?"

Boss lowers the binoculars, "some asshole is in my pool."

"Go ahead and crash the party."

Boss stepped back then jumped out.

Half way down, she counted just how many people were around and how fast the pool was approaching, "Why do I agree to this shit!"

Breaking the surface, Boss draws her Shepard from her cleavage and aims at a stripper in the water, only to come up short at the buck shot wounds in her back, a glance around show that most of the guests are already dead, with a few saints clearing the bodies.

"What the Fuck happened?" she climbed out, slipping the gun into the waistband of her pants, and strode into the penthouse.

There were even more bodies inside, some showed signs of Gat's handiwork.

"What the Fuck Happened?" Boss repeated.

"They let us in," Boss looked up to see Shaundi walking out of a bar area.

"You ok?" Shaundi rolled her eyes as Boss eyed the bullet holes in her jacket.

"I'm fine, its Orion you should worry about," Shaundi said, walking back into the bar.

"What happened?" Boss couldn't hide her worry.

Shaundi stopped just off the open floor in front of the bar, "canonising."

Boss looked around and saw four saints, including a still bandaged Johnny Gat, lying on the floor either unconscious, or moaning pitifully clutching his ribs in Gat's case, while Orion sat on the floor, back against the bar, with his trousers around his knees and an ice pack pressed against two large bulges in his boxers it couldn't quite cover, the left side of his face was swollen and bruising while the right was caked in dried blood from a stitched up gash that ran from his eyebrow to just under his ear.

"Orion!" Boss stepped over Gat and the others to get to him, though not without a quick check on Gat while she went, "are you alright?"

"Oh sure, I'm the one who just got outta hospital but it's your boyfriend your worried about," Gat groused, Gat may not have looked up in time to see both blush, but Shaundi did.

"Gat, there's only one person on Earth that could do you in," Orion retorted, his voice tight with pain, "and right know she's trying to get into my boxers."

Boss blushed even harder but didn't let up, eventually Orion let her check his balls, "well they're both whole," she said, trying to ignore the way his face twisted with each movement her fingers made.

"I could have told you that," Orion argued in a tight voice, "what I want to know is whether I'll be firing blanks for a week or eternity?"

Boss gave his balls a light slap, drawing a high pitched yelp, then turned her attention to the twenty odd stitches running along his head, "go see a doctor in a few days, who did the sewing?"

"I did," Shaundi answered, smiling into her martini when Orion noticed her watching the Boss make him squirm.

"You do good work," she then got up and looked down at Gat, "and when did you arrive?"

"Just before the lift doors closed, once we finished Loren's goons he insisted on Canonising Orion," Shaundi explained.

"And how did he end up on the floor?" Boss asked.

"Mutual KO," both men groaned.

"I've got it on my phone," Shaundi pulled up the vid as Boss settled into the next chair, ignoring both men's groans.

"The Saints aren't going to back down," Matt Miller protested to a posing Killbane.

"Matty, there's nothing to worry about," Killbane said reassuringly.

"My thoughts exactly, Mr Killbane," Loren agreed as he entered with Viola and Kiki, "Ze Saints are just a white noise of Empty threats," he then noticed Miller check his phone.

"With respect, sir," Miller slid the phone over to Loren, who saw it was a recording of the security feed from the penthouse party.

"I think 'empty', is no longer applicable," Miller pointed out.

Loren looked back in time to see the camera destroyed by the Leader of the Saints.

"Ah, I see you've found my student's works," I jumped up in shock.

"Mr Shakespeare, I was just…" the man waved me down.

"And what do you think?" I note his eyes land on something over my shoulder, but I don't look, you don't take your eyes off someone of Bill's calibre when they catch you with your trousers down.

"They're terrible," I say bluntly, "the characters are wooden, the verse is irregular, the plot is thin, though that is actually a good thing in two of them, the grammar is poor, they just…"

Bill nodded understandingly, "and yet you have read them all," he pointed out, gesturing to the pile of papers I'd been reading.

"They're different," I admit, "they're hopeful, happy, they… they remind me of a better time, a better place… I'd forgotten what lies beyond this realm, free of the misery and torment… I know I can't go back, but I can dream, can't I? And if these help me escape for an afternoon, it's a small price to pay."

"I found myself yearning for the old world when I read the first," Bill admitted, "Jezebel knows little of the world outside the palace, while this shields her from the true horrors you and I face daily, it also means she is free to dream and, despite everything, her spirit is pure."

"Then she was born down here?" Bill nodded, "Damn, that sucks, even I know what sunlight is like."

"Yes, your arrival was something of a surprise," Bill agreed, eyeing the blackened tips of my still white wings, "What did you do to be cast down here?"

I look down in shame, curling my wings around my subconsciously, "I was told to let my ward die, it wasn't their time so I interfered. They waited until my guard was down and shackled me then arranged events and forced me to watch. You know the rest."

Bill gave me a solemn look, then turned back to the papers, "Did you like her work?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly, "academically I shouldn't yet they have a certain innocence I can't help but be drawn in by. I think she could become a fine playwright under the right tutor, she's definitely got the drive and imagination."

"I agree, but tutoring her is difficult with my duties," Bill said, "speaking of which, I must be off."

With that he left and I started cleaning up the papers.

"You like my plays?"

I drop the stack of sheets and spin around, but all I see are beautiful violet eyes…

Familiar violet eyes…

"Orion?"

I jerk awake, spotting the Boss next to my couch; I swing my legs off so she can sit down.

"How are you feeling?" her voice is gentle, touched with something I can't quite identify.

"Alright, I can feel my legs again, if that's what you mean," I reply, stifling a yawn.

"Not quite, but it's good to know," Boss said, "why did you help us on the plane?"

I consider lying but I can't, not to those eyes, "several reasons, a couple of which are certifiable," Boss looks at me strangely but says nothing, "the first reason is, well I didn't want to die, I knew Gat would get loose and I wouldn't last more than a few minutes if I was lucky. The second, I really didn't like being around Killbane, he left everyone but Loren on edge, it was as though we were waiting for him to kill someone randomly. And third was your eyes…"

"My eyes?" I can't blame her for being sceptical.

"Every time I look in your eyes, I feel like I'm looking at someone I've been close to for a long time, someone I should instantly know like the back of my hand," I shook my head, ignoring the twinge from both my heart and from the stitches, "it's driving me nuts. I don't know you, I never knew you, yet my heart and gut says I should."

"Maybe I remind of someone you knew," Boss suggested.

"No, it's definitely you," I shake my head despairingly, "I'll never figure it out," I check my watch and start to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"If my memory's right, Loren will be having a meeting with the other heads of the Syndicate in a few hours," I explain, "I'm going to set up a little surprise."

Viola escorted Mr Loren to his car with Kiki, waiting patiently as their employer got in and shut the door, watching as the car drove away.

"Ladies," both women looked around as Matt came over.

"Hey, Matt. Shouldn't you be heading to your own car?" Kiki asked.

"I wanted to ask you both something," Matt answered.

"Go ahead," Viola said, keeping an eye out for their own car.

"Do you think the Saints are a threat or do you agree with Killbane and Mr Loren?" he looked between both women.

"They are dangerous," Viola admitted, finally spotting the three limos.

"But nothing we can't handle," Kiki assured him, "we just have to be smart…"

An explosion rocked the area, outright destroying two of the cars and setting the third on fire.

"Are you two alright?" Viola rolled over as Matt rose to his knees.

It was carnage, the guards had been gutted by fire and shrapnel, bodies and scrap were everywhere, Killbane stood up near the third, burning but still intact car.

"What the Hell just happened?" Kiki screamed.

"That's the trick, ain't it" a familiar voice said.

The three looked to their right to see the traitor standing there, watching the scene, in a sport jacket and fedora, with a knowing smile on his face, they followed his line of sight to Killbane, who took two steps toward him before the third car's petrol tank exploded, slamming a good sized lump of steel into his head, dropping the Luchadore.

"Hell? Hell, is what you make of it, darling," the traitor continued, he then lifted his hat and bowed, and for a brief moment the three couldn't believe what they saw.

"A fine evening to you," he said pleasantly, then walked away.

Viola waited until he was out of sight, then whispered to the other two, "did you see…"

"Big white wings, unfurled and black tips with glowing embers in them," both whispered back in unison.

"What the Fuck just happened?" Kiki whispered, scared.

"And just who, or what, have we pissed off?" Matt added.

"The tranquillity of the city's lunch hour was shattered this afternoon as an explosion tore up the streets Downtown today. Police and rescue services were on the scene in minutes and their fast response has been credited as saving many lives. The blast occurred as several cars approached a skyscraper Downtown. Among the wounded was Eddie 'Killbane' Pryor, entertainment personality and Wrestling Superstar, who was rendered unconscious by a large piece of flying shrapnel. At this time, it is unknown if the explosion was an accident or an act of terrorism. I'm Jane Valderamma, with your Steelport Disaster Report."

"I take it this is what you stepped out for?" I grin to myself as Boss' voice comes from my earbud.

"Now why would you think that?" I ask, I can make out the picket line of cops, but I can't see the mark.

"Call it an educated guess."

The negotiator steps into my scope, I can see the mark's jacket behind him, "maybe I was there," 'just a little to the right.'

"Were you seen?"

"Maybe," 'A little more'.

"Orion… sighs… the last thing we need is a terror attack linked to us."

"Now who said I had anything to do with that explosion?" 'Nearly…'

"You just said…"

"I said I was there, which means Loren's two little pretties and Herr Miller will be wondering if it was a big coincidence or not when the Police discover absolutely NO foul play," I grin as I imagine Boss' face.

"…They'll drive themselves nuts trying to figure it out, or the ones with brains at least… devious, remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Not sure I'd risk it," I aimed a little to the right, 'Perfect'.

BANG!

"Orion, What the Hell was That!"

"Just me making a quick three k," I reply, scooping up the case and sneaking back to the fire escape, "Check the Saintsbook for a hit update."

"Ok, I see it, nice job. Speaking of which, Pierce found the Morningstar courier route and wants to hit it with a tank, you in?"

"Does the Pope shit in the woods?"

"Where his Holiness does his business, IS his business. Meet us downtown."

"Got it, see you in a bit," I said, ending the call as I reached my car.