Starlight and Playa walked into Johnny's office in the church. Dex was already there. "Hey sweetie," Johnny said warmly, "Hear you and the new guy been making waves through Stilwater." Starlight grinned. "We may have gotten into some mischief." Johnny looked at Playa. "Gotta admit, you don't look like much. But then again, I don't like I have an eight-inch cock." "So how come I don't have any siblings yet?," Starlight asked. "We're working on it," Johnny assured her. He saw Playa's confused expression. "She's talking about her mom, who adopted her alongside me."

He stood up. "Anyway, let's get down to business. The Rollerz were easy. The Carnales were a bit middling. Now here's the hard mode stuff. First of all, the Vice Kings are named for one man, Benjamin King. Shit like that don't happen unless you're a professional or a badass. And in King's case... He's both." Before he could continue, his phone went off. He looked at it. "Hold up I gotta take this. Aisha, Starlight was just talking about you." His expression suddenly grew worried. "Whoa, whoa slowdown... Okay, that's louder not slower."

His eyes widened. "Shit, where's she headed. Okay, I'll take care of it." As he hung up, Dex said, "What's up?" "Some motherfuckers grabbed Aisha's sister right off the street," Johnny explained. "Aunt Nina?," Starlight asked, worried. Dex sighed. "That's the sixth girl this month. We know who's doing this?" "From what Aisha saw, it's the Vice Kings," Johnny said. Dex looked surprised. "Hold up, kidnapping ain't Ben King's style."

"Some of his lieutenants must be going behind his back," Johnny retorted, "The point is the kidnapping just happened, and close by, so if we act now we can put a stop to the whole operation." Sure enough, a familiar Vice Kings vehicle was spotted just a block away from the church. "Shit, it is the Vice Kings," Dex said, "Think this is Tanya's doing?" "Probably," Johnny replied, "Follow them closely, but not too close. Until we get those girls to safety we're playing this safe." Dex looked surprised to hear that coming from Johnny's mouth.

Before long, the tail lead the Saints to a warehouse in Bavogian Plaza. The vehicle stopped, and Starlight recognized Nina being dragged out at gunpoint and forced into the warehouse. "Looks like this is place," Johnny noted, "Let's take out the VKs, but be careful not to hit the girls. Eesh would kill me if her sister got hurt." There was only a token resistance so getting to the room with the girls was easy. Unfortunately, the door was locked.

"Aunt Nina, you in there?," Starlight called out. "Starlight, is that you?," came Nina's voice, "The guy with the key to this room went off to Tee'N'Ay." "That's the strip club in Rebadeaux," Dex noted, "It's only a short drive from here." "Then let's get down there," Johnny said, "The sooner we grab the key, the easier it'll be to get back before more VKs come to check in on their ill-gotten merchandise."

At the club, the VK pimp had a few bodyguards, but it was easy to take them out. With the key in hand, the group was able to return to the warehouse before more soldiers showed up. However, they did show up shortly after they unlocked the door. However, everything from there proved easy, taking out the VKs, then driving the girls back to the Row. "Thanks you two," Nina said, "I'll be sure to let Aisha know I'm okay." "Well, that was productive," Johnny said as she left, "And our boys took Bavogian Plaza in all the chaos. I'd say we're off to a good start."

Later that day, Starlight got a big surprise when Aisha turned up at the church. "Mom!," she cried excitedly, hugging her adoptive mother. "Hey sweetie," Aisha said, returning the hug, "Thanks for helping to get your Auntie Nina back." Playa raised an eyebrow at the scene. Johnny chuckled at the confusion. "Aisha is basically a living landmark of the Row. Like me she was born and raised out here. But when we first adopted Starlight we needed the money to take care of her. Picking up her major recording contract proved just what we needed."

"But now it's gotten to the point where I need to get out," Aisha said, "See I'm signed with Kingdom Come Records." "And it's no surprise the label is run by the Vice Kings," Johnny chimed in, "And they have a habit of extorting their clients to keep them around for as long as possible to squeeze out every cent. Up until now it hasn't been a problem for Eesh due to her relationship with me." "But when the gang your bosses run tries to kidnap your sister behind your back," Aisha pointed out, "Then it's time to find a way out. And the only way to do that is to fake my death."

"That's where you two come in," Johnny noted, "Not only are we gonna fake Aisha's death, we'll do it in such a way that it'll look like her body can't be recovered, or least is unrecognizable. She's got a recording in a few minutes, so drive her down there, but stop by Samson's on the way to load the car up with some C4. Park the car at the studio, stand far away, and hit the trigger. Eesh, make sure someone sees you before you slip out the back." Aisha nodded. "Thanks for this Johnny." "No big deal," Johnny replied, "I was looking for an excuse to blow the place up anyway."

After getting the bomb set up, Starlight noticed a rather conspicuous van nearby, with an irate looking character inside. "Aisha," he muttered, "Why haven't you called me back?" Aisha sighed. "Not him again. That man's been stalking me for weeks." Starlight glared, her magic starting to flow. "You stay from my mom, you ingrate!" The man looked confused. "Mom? But Aisha doesn't--" He got cut off as Starlight picked up the van and threw it onto a nearby rooftop. "One more benefit of pulling this off," Aisha noted, "I'll never have to worry about him again. Let's get going."

Soon enough the group reached Kingdom Come Records. Playa parked the car right outside and he and Starlight headed to a safe distance while Aisha walked inside casually. "You're a little late today," the receptionist noted. Aisha shrugged. "You gotta look good to sound good." The receptionist accepted this. "You want me to let them know you've arrived?" "Sure, go right ahead," Aisha replied. She snuck out the back as planned, then called her daughter when she was clear. Starlight gave Playa the go ahead, and the whole building went up in flames. In the confusion and chaos, the Saints were able to move in and kick the Vice Kings out of Union Square.

Later that day, Johnny contacted Playa about a new stronghold. 'Julius has been looking for an excuse to take back his home in Sunnyvale Gardens, and I just found it for him. Seems some of Warren William's crew are talking about getting in on the drug trade. Best we nip this in the bud, before we wind up getting the same treatment we gave the Carnales. Head down to the Sunnyvale Loft and take out all their lieutenants.'

The first step was easy, just taking out several VKs that were safeguarding the loft. Once inside, Starlight noticed several lieutenants pulling up, likely to make plans to cut in on the drug trade. Luckily, they had already brought a McManus for just such an occasion, and sniped the VKs from the relative safety of the upper level. Once all that was done, the Saints were able to take the Sunnyvale Gardens.

That evening Playa was asked to meet Johnny at Freckle Bitch's. He was there along with Starlight and Aisha, the latter dressing in such a way that people wouldn't recognize her. Playa raised an eyebrow. "What?," Johnny asked, "Just because one of us is legally dead doesn't mean we can't have a family dinner together." "I just wish we could've gone to Mikano's," Aisha grumbled. "We're trying to keep it low-key, Mom," Starlight noted after swallowing her bite of burger. Aisha shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Anyway, we were just finishing up," Johnny told Playa, "Cuz we got a bit of business. Here's the deal. Seems Tanya's been fuckin' people in every sense of the word. Her main boy toy right now is Big Tony, King's personal bodyguard, but she's also doing Warren behind Tony's back. Seems the only VK she's not leading around by his cock is King himself, so if we put the hurt on Tanya, then we'll be fucking up the Vice Kings."

"So what's the first move?," Starlight asked. "Tanya's got an operation in Prawn Court," Johnny explained, "Go there and drop every motherfucker, including customers. Don't know about some folks, but I certainly wouldn't wanna die just to get a blow job." The duo started with a few VK patrols that could found around Prawn Court. Once they were dealt with, Starlight and Playa headed for the brothel Tanya owned. It turned out they didn't have to kill any of the customers, as they hightailed it once the Vice Kings started dropping like flies.

Meanwhile, Ben King was talking with Warren in his office. "How much is the studio incident gonna set us back?," Ben asked. Warren looked indignant. "The incident? I'm sorry. I thought some muthafuckas blew up my shit. I didn't realize it ain't no thang." "How. Much," Ben repeated, more sternly then before. Warren sighed. "Including the loss of revenue from Aisha's death... I'd say we're talkin' millions."

Ben nodded. "Okay. We got a few contractors that owe us, convince them to hook us up. That takes care of building. As for Aisha, throw together some memorial box set. People eat that shit up. That should recoup some of our losses." He turned to Anthony "Big Tony" Green, who was also in on the meeting. "How's Tanya's side of things?" Tony shook his head. "Grip is short, Mr. King."

Ben frowned. "I'm not happy, Anthony. You said she could handle it." "It's not her fault Mr. King," Tony explained, "The Saints have been fuckin' with her." Warren jumped out of his seat. "That's what I'm talkin' about! Are you gonna let these bitches disrespect us?" "Those 'bitches' own two-thirds of the city after taking out the Rollerz and Carnales," Ben explained, "Now just calm down before you burst a blood vessel."

At that moment, Tanya Winters entered the room. "We gotta talk about the Saints." She took a seat in Tony's lap. "Hey, baby... King, they've taken Prawn Court." Ben shook his head in disappointment. "How did this happen?" "How the fuck you think it happened?," Warren asked rhetorically, "Look, we need to get together here and just--" "What we need," Ben said, cutting him off, "Is for you to shut the fuck up, you feel me?"

Warren nodded. "Yes, Mr. King." "Good," Ben said, satisfied, "I'll have Monroe put some pressure on the Saints. While they're distracted, it should be easy to take back what's ours. Everything else is business as usual, understood? Now, this meeting is over." Despite his words, Ben was a little concerned. It was clear he had less control over his gang than he thought. Between that and Julius coming through on the promise he made, it seemed the Vice Kings days could be numbered.

Taking back Prawn Court didn't prove as easy as the VKs thought. In fact, the main lieutenants were able to move in and clear out the Vice Kings in spite of the police crack downs. "Shit," Johnny said as they came back, "Is it quota time for the cops or something?" "More like Ben King's having Chief Monroe put pressure on us to keep us off the VKs back," Julius explained, "We may have control of most of the illegal businesses in Stilwater, but King's ace in the hole is that he has the police in his pocket. One phone call and he can easily organize a similar crack down."

"So, do we lay low?," Dex asked. "For now," Julius agreed, "At least until the heat's off. Then we keep hitting at the Vice Kings." "Least we're not retreating with our tails between our legs," Johnny noted. Julius nodded. "Not when we're getting close to making Stilwater our's, we're not. Troy got a tip that Tanya's holding out in an abandoned police station. I have some boys scoping the place out discreetly. Once they get back, you can hit it anytime you're ready."

The next morning, Starlight got a call from Johnny. 'While we're waiting for the signal to storm the station, Julius wants a little favor. Seems the Vice Kings recently rigged a hockey game and Julius is steamed about it. The bookies responsible are meeting with the VKs in a parking garage in Filmore. Go and send a message that not all gambling is meant to be rigged.' The message in question involved destroying the Vice Kings' cars. A final VK lieutenant tried to escape, but Playa managed to take him out soon enough, allowing the Saints to claim Filmore.

Later, Playa and Starlight got word Johnny was ready to move against Tanya. They found him in his office, several weapons laid out on his desk. "It's always the hardest part of the raid," Johnny explained, "Balancing stopping power with personal enjoyment. It's always nice to have a gun feel good when you shoot it, but that don't mean dick if it don't hit something when it goes off, ya feel me?" Playa nodded in understanding.

"Is it just gonna be the three of us?," Starlight asked as she picked up an SMG. "Course not," Johnny replied, "That place will be crawling with VKs. I have an entire crew meeting us there, should make things easier. I may love a good fight, but I'm not suicidal." Sure enough, several Saints were engaged in a gunfight with the Vice Kings at the station. Tanya was just inside, barking out orders.

"There's the bitch!," Johnny called out, "Let's make our way inside!" Tanya spotted them and hurried to move further in. Finally, they seemed to have Tanya corned. "Got ya now," Johnny said. Tanya smirked. "Who's got who?" A shot rang out, and Starlight grabbed her shoulder as she dropped her gun. Before the others could react, Tony nailed Playa in the head with the butt of his shotgun, dropping him to the ground. Tony then aimed the barrel at Johnny.

"I'd drop the gun if I were you," Tanya said. "You gun down a girl in front of her father and you think you can make demands of him?," Johnny quipped. "This girl's your daughter?," Tony asked, "I don't buy it." "What you think I can't adopt?," Johnny retorted, though Tony pressing the shotgun into his back convinced him to drop his gun. "Sheesh, no need to be hostile." Tony did a quick search of Johnny, not noticing Starlight was focusing her magic. When she saw Tony remove her dad's VICE 9, she carefully moved it over to Playa, who was starting to stir.

"He got anything else?," Tanya asked. "Just some rubbers," Johnny quipped, "I was hoping to get Tony's sloppy seconds." Angered, Tony hit Johnny over the head. "Guess I hit a nerve," he muttered. "You boys think you're so smart," Tony said angrily, "King's already got the police arresting your gang as we speak." "And you're dumber than you look if you think we don't know about Monroe being in King's pocket," Johnny retorted, "The police'll find very little purple on the streets for the next few days. We only came out here because we heard you were using this old station as a hideout. Then again, you don't even know about Tanya and Warren, do you?"

Tony growled, then shot Johnny in the knee. "That's for calling me dumb." Johnny, despite the pain, got out his switchblade and stabbed Tony in the foot. Playa took that time to grab the gun and fire off a few random shots, putting Tanya on the defensive while he grabbed Starlight and hefted her onto his shoulders, leaping out the window with her. "Damn it," Tanya said as she saw them escape, "Baby, we'd better call King."

Back at the church, Playa and Starlight had managed to shake the cops and get their wanted level down. Troy was now finishing patching Starlight up, a job made easier since her magic had brought the pellets closer to the surface of her skin. "First time I've ever really been shot," she noted, "Dad always trained me not to be scared of gunshots, but I've always worn body armor during that time."

"I'm glad you two made it out," Julius said, "Some of our boys escaped the cops' siege of the abandoned station and told me what happened. We'll find a way to get Johnny back. Until then, King thinks Tanya and Tony scored a major victory. He'll be sitting on his ass thinking Monroe will catch you two eventually. We can use his own creed against him." "How so?," Starlight asked. "His creed is to know when to wait, when to build, and when to act," Julius explained, "But overtime Ben's lost the ability to determine when each is appropriate. He should be more proactive in stopping us, but instead he's leaving it to the cops. I always told him it was a bad idea to mix white collar crimes with gang crimes, and now's the time to prove me right."

"If you're up to it," Dex said, "Maybe you can go back to the abandoned station and spring some of our boys still being held there. By now they've probably moved Johnny, but I'll see what I can do to rectify that setback." Luckily for Starlight, the shot had only hit muscle, not bone. So although there was some pain inhibiting her, she and Playa were still able to rescue the captured Saints, and take out one of the Vice Kings' lieutenants in the process, grabbing Shivington for the Saints.

The next day, the entire leadership of the Saints, sans Johnny of course, was in council. This now included Playa and Starlight, who were officially made lieutenants. "Dex came up with something to help us get Johnny back," Julius explained, "Dex, if you would?" Dex nodded. "Johnny's quip about Tanya and Warren got Tony all paranoid. Now he only let's her outta his sight when she's checking on the reconstruction of Kingdom Come Records."

"And that gives us an opening," Lin realized. "Exactly," Dex replied, "Everyday that bitch heads down to the studio to suck Warren's cock. While she's busy, we can have one of our boys take her chauffeur's place. Once she's done wiping her mouth she'll have our boy drive her back to wherever Tony is." "And you really think Johnny will be there too?," Troy asked. "I'd put good odds on it," Dex said, "Dangerous as Gat is, they ain't about to let him out of their sight. Once we know where he is, we move in and rescue Johnny."

Playa volunteered to be the one to replace the chauffeur. He soon spotted Tanya getting out of the limo at Kingdom Come Records, making a quip about not being long. Luckily, taking out the chauffeur and replacing him took even less time, and Tanya was just coming out of the building as Playa pulled up. Thanks to the divider window, Tanya didn't even realize who Playa was.

Playa looked in his rearview to see Starlight watching from a distance in a generic car. Tanya took some time to go shopping, but eventually led the Saints right to where Tony was waiting for her. As she got up to his apartment, Playa and Starlight followed, Starlight telekinetically slamming Tanya's head into the door, knocking her out. The duo then busted into the apartment.

Tony was inside with some more Vice Kings, and to Starlight's relief Johnny was also inside, tied to a nearby chair. Tony fought back as the two Saints shot at him, but as far as bruisers go he wasn't nearly as tough to put down as Victor. As Starlight untied her father, she said, "You have no idea how worried me and Mom were." "You do realize she'll deny that," Johnny quipped, "I just wish you coulda saved Green for me."

Starlight helped him stand, and it was clear his knee was still in pain from getting shot. "What about Tanya?" "Still alive," Starlight said, "Someone's gotta let King know his plans failed." Johnny nodded. "I heard Green say he had some heavy stuff in the back. Once we return to the church I'll have some of our boys pick it up." Thanks to the plan to rescue Johnny from the Vice Kings, the Saints were able to grab Atlantis Avenue, bringing them one step closer to owning the city.

Author's Note

We only have one more chapter in the first game's arc. And those of you who know the game will know what's about to transpire.