Alice got dressed in her casual clothes. Since the Nahualli was killed there would be no performance bonus. Brightside, since her camera showed the man's head disappearing, she wasn't going to be held responsible. The Nahualli was confirmed KIA, so there was nothing more to do but to head back to that shitty apartment.
Her roommates would probably have breakfast ready when she arrived. As she got into her beat-up Ridgelord she found messages on her phone. Her friends, Neenah, Eli, and Kevin talking about the stuff that happened. It helped pass the time on the long drive home.
...
Word of the Nahualli's death was spreading rapidly. They wanted to know who was responsible, and self-proclaimed cybergod, Matt Miller was going to find that answer. The police would be a good bet if they any of them were capable of tying their shoes. Matt had already hacked the servers at Marshall and found the footage of Nahualli's death.
Despite hours of effort, he couldn't identify the cause of death beyond his head disappearing. It was clear that Marshall wasn't responsible, if they were they would be bragging about some new weapon. The lack of signs would point to a sniper, but the fact that he was indoors made that impossible.
To be safe, Matt searched for anyone with the skills and that was when he found out about the joint task force. Looking into their service records it became immediately clear to Matt why this group was put together. He supposed he could inform everyone, but with the treaty threatening to break any day now, Matt wasn't sure of it was in his best interest. While the task force was sizable, only a handful posed any threat. It was child's play to add a few details to their files and make them undesirable towards their respective agencies.
Some additional codes, and Matt smiled. In a few weeks each one of them dismissed and cut off from their resources. The best part would be that they will never see it coming. If Matt was lucky then they would either be recalled for a formal reprimand or even eliminated. However, it was more likely that they would simply be disavowed and left to rot.
...
Benjamin King was sitting with his right-hand man Julius Little. They were discussing current events. Julius wanted to know Benjamin's plan. An understandable desire in the uncertain times.
King said, "I just received word that Marshall managed to raid a Los Panteros convoy. Even managed to get a hold of the artifacts that were being transported." Julius responded, "I can't imagine that Sergio will take that lying down."
"Marshall is planning on a big spectacle showcasing the recovered artifacts, I can see that hothead attacking that event to prove a point." King added, then he continued, "The thing is, I also wouldn't be surprised if the Idols made a move, then as well."
Julius said, "The Idols... I got to admit, I thought they were some brain-dead ravers who would've gotten themselves killed or disbanded by now."
King looked pensive for a moment, and then he said, "I had Mr. Miller look into them and what he found has some disturbing implications." Julius asked, "What did he find?"
King answered, "Despite their followers living like people who are abusing squatter rights, the so-called Collective are the actual legal owners of their turf. So, either the Collective are some rich, privileged, assholes pretending to be anarchists, or...."
"They had someone backing them." Julius finished. King then said, "Signs point to them being self-sufficient at this point, which is probably means they'll kick the hornet's nest. Then every other gang will try to get a bigger piece of the pie."
With a concern look, Julius said, "Just like that? One group acts up and it will trigger a war with everyone?" King gave a quick laugh. Then he said, "Julius, that was always going to happen, there was always going to be some young blood who would want more, and the rest of us would always take advantage of it. Trust me when I say, this time we're ready. My real concern is, if the Idols did indeed have a backer, then what's to stop them from adding another piece to the board."
Julius thought for a moment, then he said, "That could be a problem. If the backer was a corporation, then they might be trying to drive down the prices, buy everything, and then forcibly get rid of everyone under the guise of asset protection. If the backer was a politician, then they might be trying to use the gang warfare to push some extreme measures under the pretense of public safety."
King said, "Neither would be good, of course there is a third possibility." Julius opens his mouth to ask what, instead he just closed it without saying anything. King continued, "Let's give those Idol bastards the benefit of the doubt and assume there is no backer, and the Collective were just a bunch of spoiled rich kids who stole all their parents' money. There is always the possibility of some new upstart and taking advantage of the chaos. If we're too busy fighting each other, we might underestimate such an opponent and in turn get devoured. An annoying prospect to be sure."
...
Alice was driving around town, looking into doing some side hustles. She just got a piece of a business from her friend J.R. and it could be big. Jim Robs only real competition was the Rim Jobs.
Still, one would have to be a fool not to recognize how tense the air was getting these days. Her phone rang, it was the big boss telling her the start time for the gallery. She was going to be in charge of security. So, it would guarantee her as a rising star, the whole affair was promising to be a boring affair.
Not that she was going to complain. A nice, fat, easy paycheck was just what she needed. She drove by the old church. Alice noticed a new sign, stating it was under new ownership. Blande probably sold it before his untimely demise. That was an entertaining news story to be sure. Although it was weird no one was taking credit for it.
A text message from Eli broke her train of thought. It was nothing important, just a reminder about the Idol party that Kevin would be the DJ in a couple of days.
...
Johnny Gat could not believe what he was hearing. The task force would be suspended while charges of corruption were being investigated, and they would all be put on leave without pay. So, effectively they have all been fired without actually being fired.
It was an annoying way the big wigs could keep them from using their skills for any of the legal competition. Or they could use it as an excuse to dick them around and keep them on a leash with promises and off the book jobs.
Kinzie suggested that the evidence was most likely fake, but since she would probably be the only one who could prove it and they wouldn't be allowed to look at the evidence, it matters very little. For the foreseeable future everyone would be stuck in Stillwater. Troy would be fine since he's a Stillwater native.
Although, according to Troy the local police were either dirty or incompetent, which was why he was the only one to apply to join the task force and pass both the polygraph and the physical. It was clear to Gat that someone would take advantage of this situation.
He knew he was the old school type when solving problems. Namely, shoot a lot of bullets and see who drops. While he knew some if the key players to take his anger out on, he didn't know where they were. While normally he would bust a few heads and sees who talks first, but without a badge or at least someone to clean up the mess then his hands were tied. For now, he needs to figure out how to either get his badge back or make his dismissal official.
...
Khan watched as the gallery erupted into chaos. All the expected actors were there preforming to the script given. However, there was an unexpected change. When the dust settled, it looked like the Idols stole the Hummingbird Codex as expected. However, what the stole was a fake. They would still get official credit for the theft, and they weren't going to correct anyone.
Khan looked through the codex, it was a McGuffin whose sole purpose was to be stolen. Other then it being old, it didn't really have a purpose other than to tell an ancient culture's thoughts on hummingbirds.
Khan then watched as Marshall throw a tantrum and fire Alice.
For a while Alice just laid in her room. When Kevin and Eli left for the party, Khan followed. He got set up at a balcony overlooking everything. He was up high enough that no one was going to notice. He watched through a scope everything unfolds.
First, he trained on Eli. The Los Panteros burst in and started give the area a heavy leas spray. Khan fired as Eli dove behind the bar. It wasn't his Arcane Rifle, but instead a standard hunting rifle. So, he didn't know if it was fatal.
That wasn't his concern, he then turns his gun towards Kevin. Who was trying valiantly to reach Eli's side. Khan fired again; this time he was positive that he hit Kevin center mass. Khan tossed the rifle so it would conveniently be found among the bodies. Khan then got ready for his next performance.
...
Alice and Neenah were driving down the road, the gas pedal floored. Neenah was desperately trying to reach Kevin or Eli, but neither were answering. Alice was mad at herself; she had wasted so much of her time wallowing in self-pity.
Alice was afraid that behavior might have caused Kevin to believe that she blamed him for getting fired. She plowed the truck through a Los Panteros blockade. After they pulled up, Alice and Neenah started shooting anyone in their way. Los Panteros, Idols, it didn't matter. They raced up the stairs, they paused at the sight of Kevin's lifeless body.
Neenah yelled out for Eli. A pained grown could be heard from behind the bar. They both rushed over to see Eli bleeding from two wounds. After making sure he could move, they tried to help him up. The sudden shots caught their attention.
Alice saw a member of the Collective. Soon guns were pointing at them. She didn't want to make it worse than it already is, so she tried to explain that they were there only to help their friends. The neon devil mask then ranted on how useless friendship is.
Just then, six shots rang out. The four goons dropped, and devil face started grasping his hands. A man walked up, revolver smoking. The Collective member started to yell, "You-!" Only to be cut off when the man pulled out another revolver and unloaded another six rounds into the man.
Alice wasn't sure what just happened, Eli screaming that he needed medical attention caused her to remember the more pressing issue. She asked Neenah how Eli was doing. Neenah responded, "He's got two bullet holes in him. He'll live, but we need to get him real medical help. And I don't think are first-aid kit is going to be enough."
Alice then turned to the man and said, "Look, I don't know who you are or why you're here, but could you please help us save our friend!?" The man turned to them and said, "I guess I do got place where I can patch him up and you can lay low. Fine, follow me."
They got into a Los Panteros truck, as Neenah drove, the man said, "You can call me Dovak, my place is in the Saints Row." Neenah asked, "I'm not familiar with that term, where is it?"
Dovak answered, "It's the church off third street, across from the old fort." Neenah nodded. Alice was busy keeping pressure on Eli's wounds, so they relied on Dovak keep anyone from following them. After some fancy driving involving a tunnel and a train, they were home free.
After they pulled in, Dovak guided them to some sort of basement under the church. There the found an area with decent medical supplies. Dovak started treating Eli, and then some soft rumbles could be heard. Alice asked, "What was that? Thunder?"
Still working on Eli, Dovak said, "When Los Panteros raided that Idols party the truce was officially broken. The rumbling is most likely one of the other gangs taking advantage. Okay, I just finished patching up your friend. His arm will need to be in a sling for a little while. In the meantime, I would recommend against leaving tonight. It will be chaotic until the morning."
Alice asked, "How can, you be sure?" Dovak responded, "Once upon a time I was in charge of my own criminal enterprise. Whenever a ceasefire ends there is a sharp but brief uptick in violence. Then the real war begins."
Alice reflected upon everything, then she remembered Eli's self-help tape. She then said, "So you would know everything that is needed to start up a new gang." Dovak responded, "I suppose so, was there a question?"
Alice with growing conviction said, "Yes, for what happened to Kevin and for the mess those assholes are causing, I want you to help Me, Neenah, and Eli create a gang and takeover this whole town." Dovak said, "Look, your friend needs rest and it has been a long night. If you're serious, we'll talk in the morning. For right now, feel free to use the dorm area in the west wing."
Dovak then left, Alice and Neenah helped Eli to the dorm. While they were laying Eli down, he asked, "Are you really serious?" Alice most definitely was, and she proceeded to convince the others. In her mind, morning could not come soon enough.