Author's Note

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've had other stories I'm working on over at Fanfiction.net. Look those up if you want to see other stuff by me. Anyway, let's get back to work.

Saints Row: One Step Ahead

Starlight and Playa kept working on putting the Saints all over the map, first hitting tag spots in both Chinatown and Copperton. Starlight also grabbed a few more CDs in those locations. With that taken care of, the duo decided to finish off Wong's hit list, starting with a man named Jose who was hanging around the Truck Yard. They found him driving around in a semi and gunned him down with a T3K Urban. After that was some crazy exhibitionist named Juan found near the Apartments. He was taken down with a Tombstone shotgun.

Finally, they tracked down a guy named Charles in the Suburbs and beat him to death with a Nightstick. "That's the last one," Starlight noted, and she called up Wong, "We just finished off the last one." 'Good,' came Wong's voice, 'I'll have my associates send something special to your apartment, for your effort. And feel free to contact me if you need an extra gun. I am not so old that I lost my ability to kill. Also, a friend of yours wishes to speak with you at the tea shop. I would not keep her waiting. She seems most irritable.'

Sure enough, Lin was waiting at the tea shop in Chinatown. Some older man offered her a light for her cigarette, likely hoping to proposition her, but she simply grabbed the lighter, lit her cigarette, then tossed the lighter behind her so the man rushed off to retrieve it. Starlight and Playa walked in at that moment, Playa bumping into the man. "Asshole...," the man muttered, but backed down when Playa glared at him.

Starlight chuckled as she shook her head and sat down next to Lin. "So, did you find something?" "I think I may have pinpointed the Rollerz' leader," Lin replied, "Some guy named Joseph Price. Don't know much about him except he's friends with Donnie. Now if we can get in with Price's crew, we can be one step ahead of those fuckers." Starlight considered it. "It's a risky plan, but if it works we can be rid of the Rollerz in a matter of days. How do we go about it?"

"First part's easy," Lin explained, "Just go over to Donnie's shop and start tearing it up. Right when you get ready to finish Donnie off, I'll rush in to save his ass. Just make it look good, and try not to mess up my car, Starlight." "No promises," Starlight admitted, holding her hand up, "Besides, your cover might be more believable if you have a few bullet holes in your bumper." Lin sighed. "Fair enough, I guess. Anyway if all goes well, Donnie'll arrange a meeting with Price. Thanks for buying my tea." This last part was said out loud as she walked out, leaving Playa to sigh as he realized they just got hustled.

Donnie's shop was nearby, and sure enough there were several other Rollerz there, which made making the scene look good all the easier. As the duo started shooting up the garage, Playa kept an eye out for Donnie. Turned out it was easy to spot him, since he was the one screaming like a girl. "I think we got him spooked," Starlight said, "Remember, we need him alive so Lin can 'rescue' him." Playa nodded as they kept killing more Rollerz, moving through the garage as they did so.

Donnie had a couple of bodyguards, but they went down easy as Donnie burst out the exit, Playa in hot pursuit. He fired off a few rounds, doing a good job of making it look like he wasn't deliberately missing. It helped that Donnie was panicked from the attack. As the mechanic neared the street, Lin pulled up as scheduled. "Donnie, get down!" Donnie did as he was told, which meant he didn't see Playa and Starlight also hit the ground to avoid being hit when Lin fired an SMG near them. "Am I glad to see you, Lin!," Donnie said as he slid across the hood and got in the passenger seat.

Playa got up and fired off a few rounds, his way of telling Lin it was time to get scarce. "Just got this fixed...," she muttered as she laid down more supressing fire before driving off. Playa got up as Lin drove off, he and Starlight smiling at each other. The plan seemed to be going well so far. Getting in their car, they continued to chase Lin for a while until they reached Sommerset. Shortly after they let Lin escape Julius called. 'I don't know what sort of work Lin is having you doing, but it's paying off. We managed to take Sommerset during the chaos of your last assault. Good work.'

While waiting to hear from Lin again, Starlight checked off a few more tags and CDs in both Tidal Springs and Misty Lane. Lin called in just as the last tag was being finished. 'Okay, I'm in. We're meeting at Price's Mansion. Head up there, but quietly. All this would be pointless if we're caught this early.' The mansion in question was nearby, and there were a few Rollerz hanging around at the front door. Playa tapped Starlight's shoulder and pointed to a window where two men could be seen, a bald muscular one wearing the Rollerz' colors, and an older gentleman wearing a suit.

"Wonder which of those two is Price," Starlight whispered as she and Playa positioned themselves just under the window out of sight from the gangsters near the entrance. They could hear the two men talking, slightly muffled but not enough to obscure their voices. "So he's okay?," the muscular man said, "That's great." The other man nodded, but didn't seem enthused. "Yes, how could we possibly score dime bags without him." The sarcasm was evident in his voice. "Come on Uncle Will," the muscular man said, instantly identifying him as Price, "He's not that--"

"'Sup, Price?," came Donnie's voice as he and Lin entered the room, confirming Price's identity. "You scared the shit outta me, Donnie," Price said as he shook Donnie's hand. Donnie chuckled. "I scared the shit outta me." The man named Will had a neutral expression. "Donnie. I always enjoy it when you bring strangers into my house." Lin shrugged. "I ain't a stranger to Donnie. Name's Lin." "She's the one who saved my ass when the Saints attacked, Mr. Sharp," Donnie explained, "She's a helluva driver."

"I'm the best racer that ever came outta Chinatown," Lin said, allowing a small smirk. Price looked her over. "I've never heard of you." "Of course not," Lin said dismissively, "Cuz I got tits." Price snickered. "Is that what you call those?" Lin instantly decked him. Price chuckled weakly as he held the bridge of his nose. "Alright... I deserved that..." "You'll have to excuse my nephew," Sharp cut in, "He has a... Unique... Sense of humor." "That's one way to put it," Lin retorted. "Well," Price said, "I thought it was funny. At least until you hit me in face."

Donnie laughed. "And then it was hilarious!" "Fuck off, Donnie," Price replied, giving him the middle finger. "As stirring a conversation as this is," Sharp said, "You'd better get hurrying, Joseph. You don't want to miss your meeting." "Gotcha, Uncle," Price replied, "Sorry Donnie, I gotta take off. Lin, it was nice meeting you." He hurried out, then Donnie turned to Sharp. "So we're finally hitting that convoy, huh?" "I don't know what you're taking about," Sharp replied, his tone carrying a sense of warning.

Donnie was confused for a second before he took the hint. "Lin, just sit tight here. Price should be back soon." "Sure," Lin replied. She didn't ask any further, knowing it would raise suspicious. Besides, she knew Starlight and Playa had already caught the entire conversation. The two hurried back to their car, where Starlight called Troy. "Troy, it's Starlight. There's supposed to be a convoy being targeted by the Rollerz. We need any possible locations. And see what you can find out about a man named Will Sharp." Playa looked at her, his eyebrow raised. "It's not like he's doing anything else," Starlight defended, "He chickened out of the Vice Kings job."

Troy soon had info regarding several convoys shipping vehicle parts that the Rollerz would be after. With Playa driving and Starlight shooting, they started protecting each convoy one by one. Once the last convoy was safe, Troy called in. 'Got that info on William Sharp. Only known family is his nephew, Joseph Price.' "The leader of the Rollerz," Starlight replied. 'If what I'm reading is right,' Troy said, 'Price is only the face of the leadership. Sharp is the real brains. He's a cutthroat lawyer, using his wealth to finance both the Rollerz and Alderman Richard Hughes in the upcoming mayoral elections. Let's hope Lin isn't in over her head.'

Meanwhile, Sharp and Price were talking as they walked in on Lin and Donnie discussing vehicle finishes. "They all got away?," Sharp asked. "Yeah," Price replied, "My boys say it's that gang from Saint's Row." "It's the same guys who fucked up my shop," Donnie said, overhearing them, "I think they're called the Third Street Saints." As he went to take another drag from his weed pipe, Price grabbed it out of his hand. "Would you stop smoking that shit, Donnie? I need you to keep your focus." "Hey, that helps me focus," Donnie said, "Anyway, we still got time before the buyers need those parts, right?"

"Buyers?," Lin asked. Donnie was about to explain, until Sharp gave a warning cough. "It's better we just get straight to the point," Donnie said, taking the hint, "How about me and Lin come up with something to make up for the loss? It won't take more than a few days." Price nodded. "You okay to help, Lin?" "Sure," Lin replied, "Whatever you need. Within reason, of course." If she was being brought in on Donnie's plan, it wouldn't be too hard to relay that information to Playa and Starlight.

While Donnie worked on his new plan, the Saints duo took the chance to get in some extra news about the Saints by looking in on Phil, a mechanic who worked in the Rollerz' neighborhood. They found him hard at work on a car engine, his boombox blasting music so loud he likely didn't hear them come in. Hoping to get his attention, Playa took a nearby wrench and banged it against the toolbox. Sure enough, Phil took notice and turned off the boombox. "Nice to meet you guys. I'm Phil." He shook Playa's hand, who promptly wiped the grease on Phil's shirt.

Phil chuckled. "You're in the wrong line of work if you're afraid of a little dirt or grease." "We just try to keep things from slipping out of our hands, like guns," Starlight explained, "Julius mentioned he owed you a favor, and asked us to act as his proxy." Phil nodded. "Yeah. See, I have a few competitors I'd like off the market. I'll send the info, and you jack the shipments and bring 'em here. I'll be sure to pay you for each successful hijack." Getting the vehicles was tricky, though they did find a taxi to bring to Miguel in the process, but in the end they managed to snag all the shipments Phil asked for.

Seeing Playa was starting to get wound up, Starlight decided to take him to Loreana's place in Barrio. They had her as a contact anyway, which meant she likely needed some help. "Stay here while I talk to Loreana," Starlight told him. Playa nodded as Starlight walked over. "Hey," Loreana said, "Thanks for helping me with this. My establishment used to have the finest chicas on the block. Then those fucking Padrotes came rollin' around and suddenly I find myself lacking business." "Not to worry," Starlight replied, "I'll help you get your girls back." The job proved difficult on her own, but Starlight took pride in killing those abusive pimps that demeaned their girls. Plus, Playa was able to get some relaxation in as the girls poured in.

The next day, Lin contacted the duo saying Donnie was ready to present his plan. Playa and Starlight drove up to the Price Mansion undetected to listen in. Sharp and Price were already there, waiting. "I know he's your friend, Joseph," Sharp said, "But I don't want that nimrod ruining my plans." Price gave his uncle a threatening look. "Your plans?" "Our plans," Sharp allowed. Price just shook his head. "Look, I get that Donnie can get a little flaky, but he always steps up in the end." Just then, Donnie walked in with Lin right behind him. "We got this shit down."

Sharp gave an amused grin. "This should be interesting." Donnie seemed to ignore him. "Alright, we need certain parts for the buyers, but the only shipment that could have them got snatched out from under us, and we're not likely to get another chance like that in time. However, Lin and I did the math, and we've found a few key cars that we can strip down for the parts we need." Price gave a hearty laugh as he grabbed Donnie's hand. "What'd I tell ya? The kid's a fucking genius! I'll get the boys ready!"

Sharp gave a dismissive chuckle. "So you're plan is go out and steal cars. How original..." "Not like you got any better plans," Lin retorted. Sharp glared at her but said nothing else. Outside, Playa and Starlight headed back for the car. "Lin sent us the info for where the cars are located, four in total. And by the time we head out they'll already be snatched. Stealing cars is the Rollerz' specialty." "Then let's blow 'em to hell," Playa suggested. Starlight nodded. "Not a bad idea. We still have that RPG. Let's hunt down those cars."

Finding the cars as they were transported through the Rollerz' territory was tricky, but thanks to Lin's info they were soon hunted down and destroyed. "These actions are great and all," Starlight noted, "But we're still not making much headway in taking territory away from the Rollerz. Plus, if Sharp is as smart as Troy suggests he is, by now he may be suspecting Lin. We should talk with Julius about pulling her out, before something bad happens."

Meanwhile, Price was on the phone with Donnie. "Don't worry Donnie, this wasn't your fault. We'll find some other way to take of care of this. Yeah... See ya around." He hung up, then yelled out, "Fuck!" Sharp sighed. "Well, this turned out to be productive." "Can you cut the sarcasm for once Uncle Will?," Price called out, "We have a major problem here! This is twice now the Saints fucked us!" "Three times," Sharp pointed out, "If you count the attack on Donnie's garage." Price raised an eyebrow, having a feeling what his uncle was getting at. "What are you suggesting?"

"We have the same four people who knew about these jobs," Sharp explained, "Now, needless to say neither you nor I leaked that information, at least not intentionally." "You're not suggesting Donnie?," Price asked, worried. Sharp shook his head. "He's been with us for far too long. And besides, as much as I don't like him I know he truly sees you as a friend. There's no way he'd turn on you." Price nodded, getting the message. "Then it has to be Lin. She only came in right before the attacks."

"My thoughts exactly," Sharp agreed, "Now the only hard part is explaining this to Donnie. Fortunately, you don't have to do that part. You're too attached to the boy. I'll handle it." Price glared. "Listen, I don't care what you do to Lin, but don't you dare hurt Donnie." "Relax," Sharp assured him, "Naive as he is, he's still our best mechanic. We stand to lose much if anything were to happen to him. Rest assured I'll make sure he doesn't come to harm. I already know how to take care of this."

Later that day, Starlight and Playa met with a woman named Deb near Wardill Airport. "I'm glad you arrived as requested," Deb said, "I'm here to make a proposition. I have here a list of names and faces. For each one you kill..." She opened the nearby briefcase, which held several stacks of bills. "One of these is yours." She took a drag of her cigarette. "I'm sure by now you have two questions running through your head." "Would they be 'where do I find these people' and 'what do I kill them with'?" Deb chuckled. "Not what I was expecting, but I'm glad to see we have a deal."

There were four targets that the duo started off with. First was an old woman in Barrio named Julia, who had to be killed with the classic VICE 9. Next was a man named Thomas near the docks, who needed the baseball bat. Next Gabriel out near the factories, who required the Tombstone. Finally, there was Chris at the airport, who had to be killed with the SKR-7 Spree. "Y'know," Starlight said, "I've given up wondering why these people need to die, and just wonder why specific weapons are needed." Playa shrugged. "Maybe they're sending different messages?"

That night, Starlight and Playa headed for the street races near the Ultor Dome, where Starlight had been accepted without problem. It turned out the reason was because the race was overseen by a woman named Libby. "Heads up people, if you're not at the starting line in five you don't race." Libby turned to see Starlight. "Good to see some girl power in this race. Go show those boys what you can do." "Will do," Starlight replied with a grin. There a lot of bookies grumbling on the sides as Starlight caused them to lose bets.

Once eight races were done, Starlight rejoined Playa. "Julius get in contact with Lin?" Playa shook his head. "I'm getting worried," Starlight said, "This whole thing has smelled from the start. I tried warning Lin that things were moving too fast. Sharp may already be onto us. We'd better keep on our guard, or else our gang days could over quickly." Playa nodded, hoping the two of them, at least, would get out of this okay.