For the first time in a while, Starlight slept in and woke up an hour later than she usually did. It wasn’t that she was more exhausted than usual, it was because she didn’t know what she was going to do today.

With the Rollerz, Vice Kings and Carnales eliminated from existence, the Saints had complete control over the underground markets of Stilwater. Her challenges were behind her so there was no telling when something exciting would happen. “So what now?” she muttered to herself.

She got out of bed and performed her morning rituals while continuing to ponder what her next move was going to be. After she showered and got dressed, she spent some time with her parents at the breakfast table. She saw her father looking especially bored since there was nothing exciting going on. There was talk about the upcoming mayoral elections in the next few days between the incumbent, Marshall Winslow, and Alderman Richard Hughes, but none of them actually cared.

“Have you made your choice for which college you want to attend?” Aisha asked, startling Starlight out of her inner thoughts.

“What? Oh, oh yes, hehe. I actually did make my choice,” Starlight awkwardly said. She took a deep breath to regain herself. “I looked through the websites of various colleges that specialized in my interests and decided on Carnegie Mellon. They have an excellent computer science and robotics program. The new semester will start in the next few months so I’ll need to make preparations.”

Johnny chuckled, “My little girl’s all grown up and goin’ to college. Never needed to go myself, don’t need a degree to be a badass. Though if you wanna be a super badass, a degree wouldn’t hurt.”

“Just don’t get yourself arrested Johnny, With Starlight leaving the house in a few months I’d rather not be in this mansion alone,” Aisha said.

“I’ll do my best not to Eesh, I can’t make any promises though. You know how I am.” Aisha shook her head amusedly, knowing that was the best she was going to get from him.

“Daddy’s reckless behavior aside, I did receive a strange email earlier. It seems to be a full scholarship offer from a group called The Roman Empire.”

“Sounds suspicious,” Johnny remarked. “What would a prestigious family like them want with you?”

“If I were to guess, they probably knew how instrumental I was in helping the Saints take over Stilwater and want to form connections with the Saints. The email also mentioned that they wanted me to meet with the don’s son on campus.”

“That sounds even more suspicious.”

“Be that as it may, I still need to meet with him and decide whether it’s worth the risk of associating with them before I accept any offer. Besides, these aren’t the kind of people you can just ignore.”

“That’s true. Anyways, we need to head to the church and hear what Julius has to say now that the war’s over.”

Starlight nodded, “Alright, let’s finish up and head over.”

Once they finished breakfast and cleaned up the table, Johnny and Starlight headed to the church, picking up Paul along the way.

Once they headed inside the church, they noticed that the thugs were looking in their direction and giving them strange looks. Particularly, they seemed to be giving Paul looks of respect for some reason. Paul was confused by this and so were Starlight and Johnny.

Before they could ask what was going on, Paul’s phone rang with Julius on the other line. When Paul answered, Julius gave a speech to him. “We did it, Paul. 3rd Street owns this town. Now, that's not to say that shit didn't cost, we lost a lotta good boys, but thanks to you and Starlight we kept the losses to a minimum. We crushed a lot of families Paul, and someday they're gonna holla at us. But believe me when I tell you, we did the right thing. With the Rollerz wiped out, Benjamin gone, and the Colombians in our pocket, there ain't gonna be a need for a gang war ever again. And in the end, that's gonna save a lot more lives than we took. So relax, you've earned yourself a break. You've impressed the hell out of me son, and I've told the crew you're gonna be my right hand- hold up, some berry just turned on his flashers. Yeah, I think I'm gonna have to call you back. This may take a while.”

Starlight overheard the call and it made her wonder why Julius chose Paul to be his second instead of her, but decided that she didn’t need the prestige right now since she would be leaving Stilwater in a few months. Still, she remembered that Troy was Julius’ second so she had to wonder what happened. Though she also knew that Troy was undercover so she guessed that with the war over he silently left to rejoin the force.

Still, something about the call didn’t sit right with her. The fact that he was pulled over by a cop made her feel concerned that something might have happened to Julius.

“I have a bad feeling about this. That last part has me worried,” Paul fretted.

“Yeah, I can’t shake the feeling that–” Before Starlight could finish that sentence, Paul’s phone rang again. The ID pointed out that it was the Stilwater Police Department. “And speak of the devil…”

Paul answered the phone and heard the voice of Chief Monroe on the other end. “This is Chief Monroe. If you want Julius back, listen to what I got to say. Quite frankly, I'm pissed off with all of you. I lost my retirement fund because of you. Don't look so surprised, after I had time to think about it, there was no way King would jeopardize our relationship like that so it had to be one of you. And that wild goose chase you sent me and my boys on a couple of days ago made me look like a joke. So now you're gonna pay me back until I'm satisfied. There's a mayoral campaign going on and I want one of the candidates taken off the ballot. Marshall Winslow is in his campaign bus right now and he has an appointment with the northbound. Park that bus on the train tracks tonight or you'll find Julius' body floating in the river tomorrow. Don't disappoint me, Julius is counting on you.” The call ended before anyone could respond.

“The chief of police is blackmailing us?” Paul questioned. “Are they really so corrupt that they would resort to thuggish tactics to make us do what he wants?”

“If word got out about this the public would be in an uproar. It would be one of the biggest scandals in city history,” Starlight pointed out with a smirk. “And I have his words recorded. Isn’t that right, Laserbeak?” The drone chirped in affirmation before playing back what Monroe said.

“So what do we do? Go public with this?” Johnny asked.

“No, Monroe would just kill Julius out of spite if we did that. For now, let’s do as he says until we find an opening.”

Paul nodded in agreement. He and Starlight then left the church to find Winslow’s campaign bus which Monroe was kind enough to pinpoint its location and route. Using a car that Paul stole to remain incognito, they drove up to the bus before Paul shot at the driver which scared him into getting out and running away. The two then abandoned their vehicle and moved into the bus while the cops were scrambling to stop them.

Paul quickly took the wheel while Starlight sat next to Marshall Winslow, a dark-skinned man with short, stubby hair in a black suit with a green shirt. “Who the hell are you two?” Marshall demanded.

“I’m sorry mayor, but our boss’s life is on the line,” Starlight answered. She then introduced herself and Paul.

“Okay, but where are you taking me?”

“Unfortunately, this bus has a date with the Northbound in Barrio.”

“Are you planning to kill me? You said your boss’s life is in danger, I take it you’re not doing this because you want to. Who’s doing this?”

“That would be Monroe,” Starlight answered.

“Monroe!? That would mean Hughes is behind this. I should have known he would resort to this, he’s been tanking in the polls lately so he probably would pull something like this. Hughes has Monroe on his payroll which makes Monroe his attack dog.”

“That’s all well and good, but shouldn’t you be more worried for your life?” Starlight asked.

“Of course I’m afraid for my life. I’m scared I’m gonna die but I’m also pissed that Hughes is using kids like you to do his dirty work.”

Starlight had to admit that despite him being in life-threatening danger, the fact that he puts the well-being of others ahead of himself made him look more respectable in her eyes. However, this also annoyed her because the guy was proving to be the first politician that she cared to not see run over by a train.

Groaning in exasperation, Starlight frowned at Winslow. The bus began to slow down as it came upon the train tracks. “Look, what I’m about to do does not leave this bus. Do not mention what is about to happen. If anyone asks, say that Paul threw you off the bus before it reached the tracks.”

“What are you–?” Once the bus stopped, Paul jumped out and ran away before the collision. Meanwhile, Starlight grabbed Winslow and vanished from their spot in an instant. A moment later the train barreled through the campaign bus, demolishing it.

Back at the church, Starlight and Winslow appeared with Johnny and the Saints in shock from what just happened. Starlight immediately let go of Winslow and fell to her hands and knees, panting heavily.

“Whoa, whoa, Starlight! What happened?” Johnny asked.

“Long…dis…tance…te…le…port…” Starlight answered between breaths. “Not…fun…” She then fell to the floor.

“Help me get her on the couch,” Johnny ordered the thugs.

“I’ll help,” Winslow offered. “She saved my life, it’s the least I can do.”

Johnny and Winslow carried Starlight to a sofa for her to rest on. Once she passed out, Johnny looked at Winslow suspiciously. “What the hell’s goin’ on?”

“Based on what she told me, Alderman Hughes set things up to have me die in some freak train accident, using Chief Monroe to blackmail you guys.”

“What’s that guy want with us?”

“He wants to put forth a plan to level the Row and displace its residents. He’s got the backing of a major clothing company called Ultor.”

“Ultor? You mean like the Ultor Dome Ultor?”

“They bought the naming rights to the stadium a while back. They want to establish their headquarters in the district over the ruins of the neighborhood.”

“That seems like overkill,” Johnny remarked.

“We should probably keep an eye on them for now,” Starlight groaned, waking up from her short nap and feeling a little better. “We may not be able to do anything about them at this time but perhaps someday.”

“Glad to see you’re alright, Star, but what are we gonna do right now? I’d rather not keep being Monroe’s lapdog and I doubt he’s planning on giving Julius back anytime soon.”

“Chances are he’s planning on heading to City Hall to announce my death,” Winslow offered. “He will likely be travelling through Nob Hill since that’s part of his usual route so you can take him out there.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow at Winslow in disbelief at what he just said. “Aren’t you supposed to be a city official? Why are you selling out your Chief of Police?”

“I was planning on firing him when I won the election anyway. The moron never did his job right. Besides, he crossed the line by using hostages to get you to do what he wants. He’s got it coming. Just don’t let anyone know I said that, I do have an image to maintain.”

Starlight shrugged, “I can work with that.”

“Same here,” Johnny agreed.

“What’s going on?” Paul asked, having just arrived.

“We’re going to Nob Hill to assassinate Monroe,” Starlight summarized.

“Fuck yeah!” Paul cheered.

The three took a vehicle they found in the street and headed straight for Nob Hill. They located an intersection that Winslow indicated that Monroe would take to get there and climbed up a nearby building. Paul readied an RPG while Johnny started playing catch with a grenade.

While they waited for Monroe, Starlight stared at a building on the other side of the street. She wasn’t certain but she could see a figure that looked like he was wearing purple and black clothes and carrying an RPG. Squinting her eyes, she could almost make out the figure that seemed to resemble Julius. “Julius?” she muttered.

“What about Julius?” Johnny asked.

Before she could explain what she saw, Paul alerted them that several police cars were heading in their general direction. Starlight shook her head and focused on the main task, “Nevermind, let’s just deal with Monroe.”

While Paul and Johnny were both able to take out a police car, Starlight noticed a rocket being fired from the distant building which informed her that she wasn’t seeing things. The extra rocket took out the third vehicle while Starlight used her magic to flip the fourth and final vehicle onto its back before she used her SMG to puncture its gas tank. The sparks caused by the shots ignited the fuel and made the car explode.

With the police procession demolished, Starlight looked at the distant building again only to find that nobody was there anymore, as if the figure had disappeared without a trace.

Putting that thought aside, Starlight, Paul and Johnny headed back to their car and quickly made for the nearest Forgive and Forget to get the heat from the law enforcement off them.

Starlight wasn’t sure if Monroe was among the police procession, so she could only hope that Winslow’s tip was spot on.

“Anyone else feel like we just did a service for the city?” Johnny wondered.

“Does it really matter?” Starlight replied. “I just hope that whoever replaces him won’t be as much of a scumbag as Monroe.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Paul remarked. “‘Course, the bar wasn’t set high in the first place. He made Napoleon the Pig look like a noble leader.”

“Heh, I think you and I are gonna be best friends, Paul,” Johnny said.

Once they returned to the church, the three had to consider what they were going to do now. With Julius still missing the Saints were unsure of what to do next. Of course, Paul was the leader in Julius’ place so they weren’t completely disorganized.

A few hours into their brainstorming session, Paul received a call from an unlikely source: Alderman Hughes. Paul answered his phone to listen to the politician’s pitch. “Hello young man, this is Alderman Hughes. That was quite a message you sent at Glenview Hills...and trust me, I heard it loud and clear. Now I'd like to set one thing straight...it was Monroe's plan to strong arm the Saints; personally I've always thought you and I could have a much healthier relationship. Now, we've had a rocky start, yes, but why don't we fix that. Come over to my fundraiser tonight, Julius will be there and between the three of us I'm sure we can work something out.”

When the call ended, Paul looked at his phone like it could be a bomb before he put it away. “Never expected a politician to call me. Might as well see what he wants.”

“I don’t like this,” Starlight muttered. “The whole thing about strong-arming us may not have been his idea but he likely put Monroe up to using whatever means necessary to control us.”

Before she could voice her doubts further, Starlight received a text from Troy, telling her to come alone to Harrowgate where she once aided in a four-way turf war on her first day as a Saint. Starlight had a feeling that she knew what this was about but she decided to hear him out. She would make sure she was well armed just in case, though.

“It seems there’s some business I need to take care of. You’ll have to talk to Hughes on your own.”

“I can handle this,” Paul confidently stated. “I can take a politician and his goons if things get rough.”

“What about me?” Johnny asked.

“You are needed here, daddy,” Starlight pointed out. “Without Julius, Troy or Dex around, you’re the only ranked member left to hold down the fort.”

Johnny groaned, “Sometimes I hate being a lieutenant.”

As night fell, Starlight and Paul left the church, both heading separate directions. Neither took long to reach their locations as Hughes’ fundraiser was reportedly being held on his yacht moored in Athos Bay which was next to Harrowgate.

Starlight arrived at the dockyards where she looked around for any sign of Troy. It didn’t take long for her to see him coming into the light of a lamppost. “Glad to see you aren’t trying to ambush me,” Starlight snarked.

“You know I ain’t that kind of guy, I may be a cop but I ain’t Monroe.”

“So why did you call me here?”

“I want to plead with you to bring an end to this gang business.”

Starlight had already planned to leave the Saints to head to college soon, but on the other hand, this seemed like an opportunity to mess with him. “And why should I do that?” Starlight asked playfully.

“Look, I know that Julius plans on disbanding the Saints now that the war is over but there are a few he fears might try to continue the Saints and turn them into another Vice Kings; you, Paul and Johnny in particular. I want you three to drop your flags and forget this gang business. To tell the truth, I've enjoyed my time with the Saints. You guys made things interesting and I've grown fond of you guys. That's why I hope that you will consider dropping because I really don't want to have to arrest you. You, Starlight, have a bright future ahead of you, it doesn't take a genius to know that. With Monroe dead, chances are that I'll be promoted to be the next Chief of Police soon so I'll be in a position to erase your criminal record. Please think this through.”

“What about Johnny and Paul?”

“For some reason, the boys at the station seem to think Paul is the more dangerous one, probably because carrying around a bunch of explosives made him look like a terrorist. It’s been five years since 9/11 and things like that are still a sore spot for most people. They see you as a sidekick and a lesser threat. Don’t ask me why. I’ll do the best I can for him, but I can’t give you any guarantees that he won’t be able to escape prison, not unless the mayor starts handing out pardons.

“As for your dad, he has way too many murder charges on him to successfully sweep under the rug but as long as he lays low I can keep the boys at the precinct from going after him.”

Starlight didn’t like this deal at all. She could convince her father to leave and be there for his family, but she didn’t like the implication that Paul would be a wanted criminal for the rest of his life. She would have to convince Winslow to pardon Paul. Still, the end of the Saints did bring up another concern, one that she had pointed out to Troy once before.

“You do know that with the gangs eliminated and the Saints disbanded there will be a power vacuum and Stilwater will become a beacon for more organized gangs to move in and take the city over, right? The city’s illegal markets are too lucrative to ignore. You would be back to square one within a few years.”

“Yeah, I considered what you said but there's a part of me that hopes for the contrary. I don't know what Julius has planned to make sure the Saints don't come back but I'm hoping I can talk you and your father into leaving the Saints, at least for a time. I'll make you a deal if it will sweeten things. If what you predict comes to pass and Stilwater is once again taken over by a bunch of gangs like before, I won't stop you three from reforming the Saints. I can’t give you more than that as that might risk the public suspecting me of being a Saints sympathizer which gets me fired and who knows who will be promoted in my place.”

“Fine, but I’m keeping a record of this conversation in case you turn on us.” In response, Laserbeak appeared from behind Starlight’s neck, chirping in triumph. Troy could only groan as his future was now in the hands of a teenage girl. “So what happened with Julius?”

“I talked with him while he was in a holding cell and gave him the same pitch. He said that he would see what he could do to get you, Paul and Johnny to drop your flags. I was hoping that he would know what to say to get you to do so. After our talk I got Monroe to let him go.”

“I see,” Starlight muttered. “Honestly, I was planning on leaving the Saints anyway since I plan to enroll at Carnegie Mellon in a few months. I can get daddy to leave easily and Paul is my friend so I can get him to–”

Before Starlight could finish that sentence, a loud explosion was heard to their east. Starlight’s heart sank as a feeling of dread creeped into her very being. She recalled that being the general direction where Hughes’ private yacht was.

“The fuck!?” Troy shouted in surprise. He shook his head to focus on the situation. “We need to get over there now!”

With no time to argue, Starlight and Troy headed toward the scene of the explosion where their worst fears were confirmed as they spotted the sinking, burning wreckage of a yacht with the words Hughes’ Mistake painted on it. It was the same yacht that Hughes was reported to be holding his fundraiser. It was where her friend was supposedly headed earlier.

“PAUL!” Starlight screamed in horror.

Troy quickly pulled out his phone and called for emergency crews to hurry to the scene. If there were survivors, they needed to be rescued as soon as possible. As they waited, Troy gave Starlight a look like a child who had accidentally killed the family pet. “...I’m sorry, It wasn’t supposed to be this way. This was supposed to be solved peacefully, not with Paul getting blown up.”

Starlight stared daggers at Troy. She knew that this wasn’t his fault but she was too upset to think clearly right now. “I will find out who did this and when I do, they are going to pay dearly.”

Troy had an idea who did this. When he spoke with him earlier, Julius seemed convinced that Paul would never quit so it was likely that the bomb was his doing. However, he also didn’t want Starlight to throw her future away on a quest for vengeance. Still, if she found out later it would be his ass on the line. In the least, he needed to give her something to placate her for now.

“Listen, I have an idea who’s behind this, but I don’t want you to throw your life away hunting them down. How about another deal? Go to college, get your degree and when you come back and you still want to find the guy who did this, the evidence will be in my office. The reason I’m saying this is because I want you to go into this with a clear head.”

Starlight already suspected who was behind this based on what Troy said. She also had to admit that he was right about her emotional state right now. She wouldn’t be able to think clearly with her emotions all over the place and her best plans were made when she was calm.

Begrudgingly, Starlight acquiesced to Troy’s pleas, “Fine, but mark my words, when I come back after college, his days are numbered.”

“I’ll forget you said that,” Troy remarked. “For now, please go home and be with your family. I’ll call you when we find Paul.”

Starlight obeyed and headed home where she quickly rushed to her mother’s embrace and began crying. When Johnny found out what happened, he was livid and ready to start a massacre. Starlight managed to stop him.

Starlight desperately hoped that her friend survived the explosion, but she also knew that she needed to continue moving forward for both of their sakes.

In the days that followed, news of what happened spread fast. Those who were closest to Paul reacted mixedly. Some wanted revenge, some wanted answers, some simply mourned and some headed to the bar to drown their sorrows.

One such person falling into the latter was at a bar knocking back a few shots. His colorful pants and shirtless state drew plenty of attention to him. Tobias may not have known Paul long but he would still drink to his memory anyway.

However, he soon found himself no longer sitting alone as a certain woman, who was once Starlight’s chemistry teacher, sat next to him. At first, Tobias didn’t care about what Laura said up until she mentioned Starlight. After that the two found common ground and started opening up to each other.

Of the strangest things to happen that day came when some idiot started a bar fight and angered Tobias. The brutality that came from his rage as he beat the man within an inch of his life usually frightened everyone around him away, but for Laura, she found herself aroused by this.

This was the start of a beautiful, but weird, relationship.

Author's Note

I want to make something completely clear. Just because something is thrown into this story from other universes doesn't mean that the story is going to fully cross over with that universe. In this case, even though Gotham's Falcone family is being thrown into this story does not mean that superheroes like Batman or supervillains like The Joker are going to exist in this story's universe. There will be none of that in this story...as far as I know from my co-author. Thank you for taking the time to look at this.