While waiting hear from Lin, Playa and Starlight checked off a few more tags and CDs down in Poseidon Alley. After they were done, Playa got a call from Julius. 'Hey there, Playa. You and Starlight have really been helping the Saints get up in this city, and now its time to put some of that respect to good use. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get hold of Lin, but she did send me a text shortly before that convoy incident. Seems several of the Rollerz have a court date, and Sharp has been throwing paper and pussy at the jurors to get the case thrown out. They're at the apartments in Tidal Springs right now. Go there and "dismiss" some jurors.'

When the duo got to the apartments, they saw the jurors in question were being guarded by Rollerz. "Time to clean house," Starlight said, "If these guys are willing to break procedure and take bribes, they deserve everything they get." The area soon became host to a big shootout, as the two Saints moved room by room, taking out the jurors and any Rollerz protecting them. Things got so bad it wasn't long before the police started moving in. Thankfully Starlight and Playa finished the job before the heat got too bad, though by the end of it a few more Rollerz would be seeing the inside of a courthouse. To add insult to injury, the Saints quickly moved in on Tidal Springs to claim it for themselves.

There was still some hours in the day, so the duo decided to check in with a contact named Mary, a club owner over on Nob Hill. To their surprise, the woman turned out to be middle-aged. "You're Mary, right?," Starlight asked. "Yes, I am," Mary replied, "You must be wondering why a woman like me is running this place." Starlight nodded sheepishly. "The thought did cross my mind. No offense." Mary waved her hand in reassurance. "None taken, truly, it's understandable. To make a long story short, I took it from my ex-husband during our divorce."

Playa and Starlight looked at each other and nodded in understanding. "I see you understand where I'm going with this," Mary said, reading their expressions, "Here's the thing. Nathaniel, my ex, recently ran off with my trollop of a sister and still owes me for thousands in alimony. So to insure he pays up, I need you to destroy his other holdings. A little collateral damage should be just the thing to make him understand his position. The more damage, the better, so don't be afraid to go a little nuts." A few hours later, she was smiling when her ex called, having heard of his holdings being destroyed and agreeing to pay the alimony if she'd just make it stop.

Later the duo stopped by the suburbs to meet with Laura, a woman in her late thirties who was new to the drug trafficking scene. To their surprise, she seemed to be a typical white suburbs woman. "Hi there," she said cheerfully, "You must be Starlight and Playa. Are those street names?" "Playa's is," Starlight explained, "But Starlight's my real name." Laura nodded. "Your parents must have quite the imagination. Anyway, I hope you don't mind but I'm a rush for this because I have to pick up my youngest at Five."

She turned to Playa. "You have kids?" "No," Playa replied. "I see," Laura said, "Well, anyway, the reason I got into this business is because one of my colored friends told me the real money is in this thing called koma." "That's a designer drug developed years ago," Starlight noted, "It was named after the Greek word for deep sleep because it induces lethargy in those who take it." Laura nodded. "I see you're well-educated. Guess even gangs need brains to run properly. Anyway, my friend set me up with some deals with my son's friends."

"And you need protection?," Starlight guessed. "I'm a little nervous wandering around the neighborhood," Laura admitted, "Between the drugs and the cash I keep on me, there's a good chance of me getting mugged. All I need from you is to keep gang members, and possibly police, from stopping the deals. Leave the driving to me." Starlight rode shotgun with Laura while Playa took the back. "By the way," Laura said, "Starlight, I was wondering what sort of hair dye you use." "I don't," Starlight replied, "Believe it or not, this is my natural hair color."

Laura looked surprised. "Wow, I'd have never guessed. It's like that show my little girl enjoys. Sailor Moon, I think. One of the main characters has natural blue hair." Driving to the deals wasn't easy, since police and Rollerz alike were trying to intercept Laura. But luckily there was ammo to spare. Starlight tried aiming for the drivers of enemy vehicles, forcing them to stop short. Failing that, a popped tire was sufficient to lose pursuers. Before long, Laura had completed all her deals and provided the duo with a good-sized check for their trouble.

That evening, Playa and Starlight met with Julius at the church. "Still no word from Lin," Julius admitted, "I'm starting to get worried. The Rollerz are getting pushed back so maybe they--" Before Julius could finish, Starlight's phone went off. "Lin?" 'Starlight,' came Lin's voice, 'Meet me at the pool hall. The Rollerz are getting into something big.' Then she hung up. Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Something's not right. That felt scripted. It was definitely Lin on the other line, but I don't think she was holding the phone." "That could mean trouble," Julius noted, "Playa, you'd better go with her. And bring some major hardware. I got a feeling that meeting place could be crawling with Rollerz."

The duo geared up, and a good thing. Julius' hunch turned out to be right, as about a dozen or so Rollerz were waiting inside the pool hall. After shooting their way through them, Starlight found Lin bound and gagged. Before they could untie her, something nailed Starlight from behind, followed by Playa. Playa retained consciousness just long enough to see Sharp standing with another Roller holding a baseball bat. "Good work," Sharp told the gangster, "Get them into the car." While the Rollerz were distracted, the Saints were able to capture the Ultor Dome, but it didn't change the fact that three of their number was missing.

Moments later, all three Saints woke up. "I think we stopped moving," Lin said, "Starlight, can you get us out?" "Sure," Starlight replied, "Just give me a second to focus." Just outside, another car could be heard, and Donnie's voice said, "What are you doing with Lin's ride, Mr. Sharp?" "Just something I thought you should see," Sharp explained. And suddenly the trunk opened. Donnie seemed a little shocked. Starlight had been focusing her magic to open the trunk, but when she saw Sharp had a gun, she aimed for that instead.

Sharp looked surprised as the gun went flying out of his hands and across the parking lot. "What the...?," Donnie said in surprise as Starlight took the chance to focus again while Sharp went after his gun, an annoyed expression on his face. Just as he got it, he spotted Starlight using her telekinesis to move the car into the nearby river. He quickly tried to shoot her, but Starlight just used her magic again to close the trunk, which Lin had fitted with a bulletproof interior. "So glad I shelled out for that feature," Lin said as the impact of the gunshots was heard.

Donnie confronted Sharp. "What the hell was that all about!?" "Wasn't it obvious?," Sharp said, irritated by the turn of events, "Lin's been working with the Saints all along." Donnie just shook his head. "Doesn't give you the right to shoot my girl..." He walked off, leaving Sharp standing there, sighing. "Children." He got out his phone and dialed a number. "It's Sharp. I need a ride to my nephew's mansion." Out of his sight, Starlight had managed enough focus to untie herself, Playa, and Lin, and pop the trunk open so they could escape.

"That... Was too close," Lin said, "I think our best option at this point is taking Sharp out of the equation. If I'd known how dangerous he was I would've planned better." "Got any hardware we can use?," Starlight asked. "If you can fish out my car," Lin replied, "I keep a few heavy weapons under the back seat." Starlight and Playa smiled as Starlight used her magic to grab the car and pull it out of the river. Moments later, Sharp got the shock of his life when he saw the three Saints, still alive and pointing an RPG at him. "Shit...," was all he time to say before his car exploded from the grenade.

Later, as the trio started walking back to the church, due to Lin's car being too soaked, they spotted Donnie. "Lin!," he said excitedly, "Thank God you made it out okay." "I overheard what you were saying earlier," Lin replied, "I'm a little surprised." Donnie shrugged. "Whatever your reasons, it was pretty clear you never wanted me dead. Otherwise you could have done it at any time. I figured that had to mean something, so--" He got interrupted by Lin planting a big one on his lips, to the amusement of her friends. "It was a little stupid," she said, "But also sweet. Though maybe you're better off dropping the whole gang thing." Donnie just nodded numbly.

After getting some sleep, Starlight and Playa headed out to check in on another contact named Sam, who was gazing at his new business. He spotted the duo and smiled. "You must be the ones Julius mentioned. Take a look at it. It ain't much now, but this place is gonna make me rich. See ever since I was a kid I wanted to handle a rig. Problem was, when I tried to get a job as a trucker they said they don't hire kids from the ghetto. So fuck 'em, I'll just start my own business." "You still have competition in the area," Starlight noted.

"That's true," Sam admitted, "But that's where you come in. Jack some of the shipments of my competitors and I can start moving in and making some money for myself." Grabbing the vehicles, Starlight noted a couple could also be used to deliver to Miguel, a Compton and a Reaper. Just before the last couple of shipments, Starlight and Playa met up with Sampson Downtown. The mechanic was just finishing the clean-up of a vehicle in his garage, polishing off the license plate. "How about that?," he said, noticing the duo as they came in, "You'd never believe that four niggas got shot in this car."

"You do good work, Sampson," Starlight noted. Sampson laughed. "Well I don't just make my paper hooking C4 to muscle cars. Anyway, there's a few cars I still need for a delivery. Julius said you guys could handle the jacking, so here's a list of what I need." The duo quickly got the Mag Sampson wanted, then finished the hijacking task for Sam. Just to finish off the day, they hit some tags and CDs around Southern Cross, Ezpata, Encanto, and Cecil Park.

The next day, the duo tracked down a couple more hit list targets, Theresa in the Barrio with a knife, and Tina who and also in the Barrio and required the GDHC .50. Shortly after that Lin called them. 'Listen I got one last piece of info before Sharp realized I was a mole. Seems the Rollerz have taken interest in a recieving station in Copperton. Go take a look, but be careful when you do. I have no idea what their plans are there.'

There didn't seem to much at the station except a lot of Rollerz, until Starlight noticed they were loading something onto a rig. The Rollerz soon spotted the duo and started attacking, forcing Playa and Starlight to hold out for a few minutes. Once they spotted the rig start up and try to leave, Playa quickly got out their RPG and fired, destroying the rig and leaving behind the cargo it was carrying. The Saints came in force shortly after, taking Copperton. "Looks like the Rollerz are on their last legs," Troy noted. "Let's not get cocky just yet," Starlight said, "After what we put them through, Price is bound to be pissed at us."

Author's Note

I really wish I could leave notes at both the bottom and the top. It's kinda my style when writing. Anyway, glad to get one of my personal favorite changes to this universe out of the way.