0x00: Friend
Watching a little girl's brains explode was enough to make Angel seriously question his religious convictions.
He was chilling outside his pad, flying the colors with his bangers, when a little girl he had never seen before walked up and tried to push some budget food on them. Nacho, his best friend, had tried to roll her, but she got the drop on him, crushed his nuts and tried to bone out. Nacho clipped her with his Glock, and her head just flew apart in a splatter of brains and blood. The image was tattooed into his brain harder than the crosses on his arms, hands, neck and head. He was a Sinner, and Sinners were Catholics. A Sinner killing a little girl in cold blood made him think everything he had been told was a lie.
Angel had been born into a Catholic family who had immigrated to Horizon City from Tijuana, Mexico, when he was three years old. Growing up on the streets of Red, particularly on the south side, on the twelve-lane street that serves as the main thoroughfare for the city, made for a dynamic day-to-day living situation. He had learned to survive by playing by the rough-and-tumble rules of the streets, and when on Sin Street, that meant making good with the Sinners.
While the Sinners allowed women members, the group consisted mostly of men. This was fine with Angel, as he had learned he preferred the company of men despite his religious convictions. As soon as he was old enough to leave the apartment on his own, they had told him he was just learning what sin was and let him hang out with them. South central Red was mostly Latino in demographic, and many people were bilingual in English and Spanish due to the initial influx of immigrants in the area being Spanish-speaking only. The local dialect was a combination of both languages called Mixmash. Angel had grown up predominantly with English as his primary language, but was fluent in Spanish. He had joined the Sinners officially on his fifteenth birthday in a brutal initiation ceremony that left him nursing two broken ribs. Five years later, he was starting to wonder if he had made the right decision.
The Sinners claimed the longest, widest street in all of Horizon City as their turf and made liberal use of the opportunity. Over the twenty-six miles, from the north immigration gate to the southern parking structure and everything in between, they collected a Sin tax, which was used to protect the businesses from those who strayed from the righteous path. He had seen the Sinners help people countless times, especially those in trouble. If you were walking down Sin Street, approached someone with crosses tattooed on them and said someone was attacking you, the Sinners would mobilize instantly to deal with the problem. So long as you were a tourist, Sin Street was a decent place to go. If you were a successful business owner and were willing to fund your local friendly security, you had it better than a lot of locations. However, if you wanted to work on Sin Street and you didn't play by the rules, expect to repent.
Red was a rough place, and Angel had seen the Sinners as the unsung heroes of street justice. The girl had just offered to sell them something, and that's a no-go for drug dealers and prostitutes who haven't made arrangements and paid accordingly. Selling food to random passersby on the street generally wasn't the type of thing that happened, but Nacho had just seen someone working where they shouldn't be. Normally a simple violation would result in a beating and nothing more. The little girl, who didn't look more than seven, could have just taken the hit and walked away, but instead had embarrassed Nacho badly in front of his friends. Angel had spoken up, but Nacho hadn't listened, and then he just shot her. Everyone scattered and acted like it hadn't happened, except Nacho, who headed to the north end of Sin to lay low. Heroes didn't act like that, and neither did God-fearing, Jesus-loving people. He couldn't make sense of why no one else thought it was wrong. Nacho was his best friend, and he wanted to talk to him about what happened. He knew it was going to be a tense situation, but he couldn't stop obsessing over what happened.
Nacho was staying at the Canary, a coffin and room motel with by-the-minute rates. He had told Angel to meet him at the strip club next door. The Orifice was owned by the leader of the Sinners, Big Pappa, a very powerful man who enjoyed spreading around his wealth to those who served him well. He wasn't actually a Sinner himself, but a business owner willing to bankroll and organize the whole racketeering operation. His investment had paid off well, and he was in the process of expanding his territory beyond Sin Street.
The club is busy that evening as Angel pulls open the heavy door and strides through. Nacho is sitting in one of the booths to the left of the round stage that dominates the center of the club, so Angel walks over and sits down in the booth across from Nacho, facing the front door. "Sup, gee?" Nacho says nonchalantly as he pulls on a cigarette and blows out clouds of smoke.
Angel nods and holds out his fist, which Nacho bumps back. "You bueno, mixer?" Angel asks quietly.
Nacho shrugs. "Shouldn't I be, ese? You know something no se, chombatta?"
Angel shakes his head. "No, mano. Ain't nada going down. I just..." Angel's attention is suddenly distracted by an unusual sight: a tall Japanese man in a black suit with black hair walks through the door, a black katana hanging from his waist. He walks around the stage to the right and to the booth in the back with Big Pappa, where he starts conversing. "Who's that gilipollas?" Angel asks as Nacho traces his gaze.
Nacho shakes his head. "Ain't never seen a Nip in here before." He puffs on his cigarette and stares over Angel's shoulder at the man.
Angel inwardly cringes at the racist term, but keeps his face straight. He knows the Japanese in Horizon City stereotypically look down on Latinos as being lower class, and Latinos sometimes see Japanese as invading foreigners, but Angel has learned the facts aren't so black and white, and drawing lines on issues like skin color and sexuality results in anger where there should be love and war where there should be peace. He doesn't think God would want such division between people, and language like that just perpetuates the problem. Right now, he has bigger concerns, because Big Pappa seems to be angrily yelling at the tall Japanese man. Angel can overhear words like "turf", "fuck" and "Sinner", but can't make out the rest.
After a minute, Big Pappa stands up and shouts, "Ignacio! Get over here!" Nacho sighs, crushes his cigarette into the ashtray, gets up and walks over. Big Pappa exchanges words he can't hear back and forth with Nacho, then Big Pappa reaches into his waistband, pulls out a Glock and shoots Nacho in the head. Blood sprays in a fine mist into Angel's face as his best friend slumps to the floor. His world turns red-tinged, and he stares at the fresh corpse of his fellow ganger, paralyzed in shock and horror. Big Pappa is saying something, but Angel can't register it as he looks on helplessly. Something primal inside of Angel switches on, and he blinks, then rubs his eyes with his shirt. He looks around for the man in the black suit with the katana and finds him walking towards the exit. Not sure what he's going to say, he gets up and quietly follows him out.
The man is getting in his Hover when Angel catches up to him and says, "Wait. Please." The man stops on the ramp to his Hover, turns around and steps off the ramp, looking at Angel expectantly. Angel says, "I don't know who you are but..."
The man interrupts him in a quiet voice with no hint of accent. "Daisuki. You have something on your..." Daisuki trails off as he realizes the nature of the mess.
Angel says, "This was about the little girl, wasn't it?"
Daisuki studies Angel carefully. "You were there. You said she's just a kid."
Angel pauses for a second, taken aback. "How... how did you know that?"
Daisuki's eyes dart past Angel for a second, then he whispers, "Whatever you need to say, you should say it fast."
Angel whispers back, "I need help. I want out."
Daisuki looks Angel over a second time, then shakes his head, turns on one heel and starts striding up the ramp again. Angel, not thinking, lunges out and tries to grab Daisuki's arm. Daisuki's hand flies up to intercept Angel's, and he twists around his arm cruelly by his thumb, causing Angel to yelp in pain.
For a second, they just stare at each other. Then Angel whispers painfully through gritted teeth, "Please. That little girl shouldn't have died. It's too late for her, but what about me? Do you only help people after they're dead? Please. I'm begging you. I don't want to die." A single tear rolls down Angel's cheek.
Daisuki stares at him in silence for a few seconds, then releases his hand. He reaches inside his inner jacket pocket, pulls out a small rectangular white business card and holds it out. Angel pulls his phone out of his pocket and taps it to the card. The phone beeps softly, acknowledging the new contact information, and he pockets the phone again. Daisuki says, "I don't know what you think I can do for you, so don't waste my time," then turns and walks up the ramp, and Angel runs off to find a SpeedyTaxi home.
0x01: Prayer
The SpeedyTaxi ride home is quick enough, and Angel speeds straight into the bathroom, avoiding his mother who doesn't notice him coming in. He quickly showers, grabs up his bloody clothes and runs into his room, stashing the bundle under his bed. He puts his phone on his nightstand and his gun under his pillow, then quickly gets dressed. Angel walks out calmly to the kitchen to where his mother is cooking. He says cheerily, "¡Hola mamá! ¿Cómo estás? What are you cooking? It smells fantástico!"
His mom looks up from a large pot she's stirring and says, "You are home early. Everything ok, mijo?"
Angel smiles and kisses his mom on the cheek. "Bien, mamá. Bien. I'm actually not that hungry, mamá. I had a big lunch and need to get up early mañana. Will there be restos?" He says brightly, remembering to smile.
His mom nods. "Si, I will save you some, mijo. Are you sure estás bien? You look pale."
Angel smiles. "You worry too much, mamá. I'm going to go pray and go to sleep. Give mi amor a papá when he comes home."
His mom smiles and nods. "You are a good boy, mijo. I love you."
Angel calls back, "¡Yo también te amo!", as he heads to his room, closing the door behind him. He takes his pants off, leaving his boxers on, grabs the Bible and rosary off his nightstand and climbs into his bed.
He sets the Bible in his lap, clutches the rosary in hand, closes his eyes and says quietly to the empty room, "My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you, whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name. My God, have mercy." He pauses for a few breaths before continuing. "It's me, Lord. Angel Lopez. It's about that girl again. I mean, you saw what happened today at the place. He... he's with you now, Lord. I know how much you love him and will care for him. I trust in your plan. I love you. I know love is in your heart always, so please keep it in mine. I don't know what to do, Lord. I can't betray my family, but I can't continue like this. I'm a sinner, Lord, but this death and division isn't how Jesus would have wanted it. He wouldn't want me to be a traitor, I know. I need guidance, Lord, because I can't keep going. I need a way out. Please, Lord. Hear my prayers. Give me a way out. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen."
He sets everything back down on the nightstand, lays down and closes his eyes. A fine mist of bright red spray streams out of Nacho's head, and Angel opens his eyes again. For a second, he doesn't know what to do; then he just starts crying. He doesn't know how long he cries for before he falls asleep, but his phone making gun cocking and gunshot noises wakes him from a deep slumber, leaving him groggy. He grabs the phone and touches the screen to unlock it. There's a new message, so he taps it and tries to focus his eyes on the message. He rubs his eyes with his hands; then looks again. The message says, "They are coming to kill you. You can't go with them. You need to leave now."
Angel blinks at the message. It's from an unknown contact. He replies, "Who is coming? Who is this?" and the reply immediately buzzes the phone in his hand. "Invalid number." He tries again. "Invalid number." He checks the number. It's all zeros.
"Clever trick. Must be some hacker pulling a prank." He reassures himself verbally, setting the phone back on the nightstand. Ten minutes later, his message ringtone sounds off again. The message is from the same unknown contact. "They are getting close. You need to leave if you want to live." Angel shakes his head and sets the phone down. Five minutes later, a third message cocks and fires. He grabs the phone, annoyed, and is about to set it on silent when he reads the message. "Too late. They are here. When he asks you to go with him, shoot him. Then take the SpeedyTaxi to the church on Knife and Fuller."
Angel wants to put the phone down. He tries to put the phone back on the nightstand, but he can't. He sits there, paralyzed, staring at the phone. Instead, he lies back down with it in one hand and his other hand under his pillow. He listens to the quiet of the night, to the sound of his heart drumming in his head, to the ringing in his ears, to the faint sounds of footsteps slowly getting louder, to the knocking sounds on his front door.
The average unmodified human heart can beat as fast as three hundred times a minute under very extreme conditions. For eight beats, Angel's heart exceeds that. His eyes bulge, and he feels sick to his stomach as he fights the urge to retch and shit at the same time. He squeezes his eyes shut, curls up into a ball and grips his revolver as his mother unlocks the door and lets the guest in. Angel does his best to pretend he's sleeping as a large pale man with chrome crosses embedded in his neck and bald head opens the door to his bedroom, steps in and intones gruffly, "Angel? Sorry to wake you, but Mary got smacked by some john, and we're being called in."
Angel opens his eyes, nods and says, "Si, let me get dressed, ese." He pushes himself up into a sitting position, then yanks up his snubnosed revolver and starts pulling the trigger as fast as he can. The hand cannon bucks wildly as he tries to keep it on target. He keeps on pulling the trigger over and over, even as the gun stops firing and the trigger just clicks ineffectively. After a number of clicks, he stops and tries to focus his vision on the scene before him.
The Sinner with the crosses is sitting down with his hands slumped on either side and his head lolling forward, a hole in the center of his forehead. The wall behind him is littered with bullet holes, and his mother is screaming curses in Spanish from the next room over. Angel grabs his phone, jams on his pants and shoes and bolts for the door. Outside his apartment, an empty SpeedyTaxi is waiting. He opens the door, dives in and it drives off into the night.
0x02: Out
Knife and Fuller is half an hour away, so Angel gets his phone out and looks at his messages. The conversation with the unknown contact isn't in his message history. He scrolls up and down and searches the messages for "out" and "now" but comes up empty. Confused and anxious, he pulls up his recent notifications. The last notification was the contact he added earlier. He presses the contact, then the phone number and puts the phone to his ear. It rings three times, and a sleepy voice says, "Hello?"
Angel practically yells into the phone, "You messaged me! I shot him! I'm in the taxi, now what do I do?"
The other end comes back sounding confused. "You got the wrong number. I didn't message you. Did you say you shot someone?"
Angel's voice is full of panic when he responds. "Daisuki! It's Angel! You gave me your card at the Orifice!"
Daisuki says, "Look, Angel, I don't know who you think I am, or what it is you've gotten yourself into, but I'm not involved. Nor do I want to be."
Angel says, "Daisuki, you helped that little girl. They're trying to kill me now."
Daisuki says, "That was... different. You're a Sinner, she was maybe eight. Angel, let me ask you a question. How much money do you have?"
Angel says, "A couple thousand yen, but..."
Daisuki cuts him off. "Not enough. Unless a shipping crate full of yen drops out of the sky, you don't have what it takes, Angel. Might be time to start praying to that god of yours." Daisuki hangs up with a click. Angel tries to call him back, but gets a voicemail, so he hangs up. He calls both his parents, but neither of them answer. He messages his parents to call him, but gets no reply.
The whole car ride over, Angel tries to think through what is happening, but his brain is on auto-shuffle. When he pulls up to the church on the end of Knife and Fuller, the lights are streaming out of the door on a golden ramp that carries itself effortlessly over the stairs. Angel scans his eye at the ChequeIt, opens the door and climbs the ramp to the doors. Inside a priest is giving service, so Angel finds an empty row in the pews and sits down. A Bible is in the rack in front of him, so he picks it up and tries to find where the priest is. The priest goes on for a while, then wraps it up to the scattered applause of the sparsely assembled. He walks into the hallway off to the side of the church, so Angel replaces the Bible in the rack and follows him.
The left side hallway has an office on one side, bathrooms on the other and a door at the back. The dim hallway is intermittently lit by an erratically flashing sign that reads "Enrgenoy Eklt". Angel knocks on the closed office door and waits. After a few deep breaths, he opens the door and pushes his way inside. The small office has a small desk with a hybrid HoloDeck sitting on it and a chair at the desk. The chair is empty.
Initially designed as a space-saving option, the hybrid HoloDeck was designed to be interfaced without jacking in, for simple tasks like reading mail and copying data. It was seen as an under-capable toy by most serious jockeys and unnecessarily expensive for a HoloVid, but did serve its purpose as a space saver. Angel went over to touch it, and a three-foot-tall holographic head of a brown man with a black beard, brown eyes and a head with a crown of thorns on it appears floating above the desk. Blood trickles down his forehead and into his eyes as Angel watches. A voice behind him startles him. "I've already paid this week." Angel spins around. The pastor is standing in the doorway behind him. He says, "Besides, there's barely anything left. The night sermon barely sees twenty donations."
Angel looks at the priest, then down at the crosses on his arms and hands. He shakes his head sadly and says, "I'm not here for your money, padre."
The priest says, "A Sinner in my office? And he doesn't want money? What, you want my job too? Well, it's yours." He rips the white collar off his smock and tosses it aside.
Angel blinks at the priest. "I didn't..."
The priest barks, "Didn't need to. The message arrived an hour ago. My services will no longer be required."
Angel asks, "You got fired?"
The priest nods. "Owner of the church just fired his last employee. Budget cuts."
Angel shakes his head, not understanding. "Who will run the place? What will you do, padre?"
The priest shrugs. "Nobody, it looks like. As for me? God is good. I'll figure something out. He always provides exactly what we deserve." And with that, the priest spins around and walks out, turning to head for the emergency exit.
Angel watches him go, bewildered and confused. The fog of reality that clouded his head suddenly seems too real to even think about. It didn't register that someone was saying his name behind him until the third time. "... Angel! Turn around." Angel slowly turns around and faces the floating head. "Angel. I'm glad you made it out alive. Next time, when I say you should leave, you should leave, ok?"
Angel stares at the floating head of Jesus, who is staring back at him. Angel tries to figure out the appropriate response and finally comes up with, "You?"
Jesus chuckles and says, "Yes my son. Me."
Angel manages a few more slow breaths before he can speak again. "Very funny. I mean, good trick, hacking my phone and all of that. So who are you?"
Jesus says, "A fool says in their heart, 'There is no God.'"
Angel smiles broadly. "Well, the joke just got old. Who are you really?"
Jesus says, "Many people throughout history doubted who I was, Angel. Tell me, what is the one thing that only I could do that if I did it, you would believe?"
Angel shakes his head and waves his hand dismissively. "I don't know, how about giving me a trillion yen?" he says offhandedly, thinking of his conversation with Daisuki.
Jesus nods. "Material wealth. I might have guessed. Of all the possible gifts in the world, unconditional love, peace of mind, eternal salvation... they always go straight for the money. I guess there's still time for spiritual fitness. If I grant you that, you will cast aside your doubt, Angel? I fear we have precious little time left for you unless we do something about the Sinners, so make your decision now and be sure of it. There will be no time left for doubting when you are dead."
Angel grins. "I would have to be loco in the cabasa if I still doubted after that. This is where the joke ends, right?"
Jesus smiles kindly. "I certainly hope so, Angel. You have work to do."
Angel shrugs and says, "Well? I don't..." He goes quiet, as his phone cocks and shoots from his pocket. He takes it out and looks at the notification. It's from Horizon First Bank, and it says a transfer has occurred. He taps the notification and his bank balance is displayed, along with the most recent incoming transfer, from "Haydee Muse Licorice Diamond Love Hampden". Angel counts the zeros then counts them a second and third time. He slowly looks up and squints his eyes. "You hacked my phone."
Jesus says, "You mean to show you a fake balance? It's unsurprising you would still doubt. You'll want to hurry this process along, Angel. We don't have forever. Go, and come back when you are ready. I will wait, but I fear the Sinners won't."
Angel takes a deep breath in, then says, "My Lord knows I love him in my heart, and will forgive me for my transgressions against him." He turns to walk out.
Jesus says, "I love you too, Angel," to his back.
The church is emptying out, with just a few random people remaining, praying in the pews. Angel walks out and climbs into the waiting SpeedyTaxi that brought him here. "Nearest bank terminal," he says, and the taxi starts heading south on Fuller. After two miles, it pulls into a recharging station and prompts him for eighty yen. Angel scans his eye at the ChecqueIt and heads over to the wall with the Horizon First Bank terminal in it. He scans his eye at the term and requests a withdrawal of a million yen. The terminal prompts him to confirm the amount with a thumbprint, which he does, and the machine whirrs into action and spits out ten crisp plastic notes. Angel takes them in utter disbelief and slowly counts off each bill of the million yen in his hands.
0x03: Gift
To say a trillion yen is enough to change someone's life is an understatement. When you tie in a healthy dose of revenge, this is doubly true. Finding out your god is real and talks to you on a HoloVid is enough to change everyone's life. This is Angel's thinking as he takes the taxi back to the Church. He messages his parents again, but still gets no reply. The pews have cleared out except for an elder couple and an old lady. In the back, Jesus is waiting.
Angel says quietly, "I... I don't understand."
Jesus frowns. "How could you? So little has been revealed to you, my son. But we don't have time for that. You need to secure the church. Politely ask everyone to leave, then close and lock the doors. Do it now, please."
Angel looks at Jesus for another second, then goes out to do as told. Upon returning, Jesus says, "Alright, Angel. It's time we had the hard talk. Sit down, please." Angel pulls the chair over and sits in it. Jesus takes a deep breath, then says, "Angel, I chose you to be my disciple and warrior in faith. I need you to help me defend the truth. The Sinners have become a perversion of the truth and they cannot continue. You will lead a Holy Crusade against them and I will help you. You will be my voice where I need to be heard, and you will take my word to the Sinners, for they have done things no one should do."
Angel just stares dumbly at the floating head of Jesus. "Me?" he finally manages to stutter.
Jesus nods. "Yes, Angel. You. I have given you what you need to start. You have my house and enough money so you could never need more. You will need to recruit an army and push back against the Sinners before they take over more territory and kill more people. Angel, I need you to make sure that they don't kill any more little girls. Will you be my warrior, Angel? Will you stop them in my name?"
Angel nods slowly. "Yes, lord. I will do what you ask. But... how?"
Jesus smiles warmly. "Exactly the right question, my son. That's precisely what I'm about to tell you. There's just one more thing I need you to know first. And this... this isn't easy for me to say, Angel, but I need you to give me your word. Whatever I say next, I need you to stay sitting here with me, because I love you. Then we can talk about how. Promise me, Angel?"
Angel cocks his head and says, "Yes, Lord. I promise. But what is it you are saying?"
Jesus looks very serious as he says, "Angel, when I sent you the first two messages, it was because I was trying to save lives. Another Sinner showed up fifteen minutes later, looking for the first one. He shot both your parents. I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so sorry." A blood-stained tear rolls down his virtual cheek.
Angel looks at Jesus, then says, "No," as he digs in his pocket for his phone. He pulls it out and looks at the recent messages. No reply from either his mom or dad. He calls the number and it rings until it goes to voicemail. "No! No, you're wrong. You're lie..." Angel catches himself mid-word and stops. "I'm sorry, my Lord. Of course you wouldn't lie. It's just..." His face twists into a contorted expression of pain, and two fat tears roll out of his eyes and down his cheek.
Jesus says, "You have nothing to apologize for, Angel. I'm sorry."
Angel looks up and says, "Why didn't you save them, though?"
Jesus furls his brow. "You know the answer to that, Angel. Each must choose their own path to me. I could no more save them than I could make you believe you needed to leave when I messaged you. I speak and people don't listen. This has always been the nature of the beast. It saddens me, but I cannot change it. I can only keep speaking and hope people listen, before it is too late."
Angel wipes the tears off his cheeks and they are quickly replaced with two more. He says through clenched teeth, "Tell me how to fix this, Lord. Tell me how to stop them from killing innocent people indiscriminately."
Jesus nods. "Yes, my son. We have much to do. I know your burden is great already, so I will give you strength. You cannot be quick to bring my word to the world if you cannot move as fast as a bullet, so I will give you speed. I will take away your pain and whisper in your ear when you need me to guide you. Each of these gifts is part of how you bring yourself closer to me, so that we might better love one another. I will bend the city to your whim if you will be its protector. Will you accept these gifts and use them to save people, Angel?"
Angel nods slowly, wiping more tears from his face. "Yes, my lord."
Jesus says, "I will help you build an army and I will give your soldiers these gifts too, if they love me like you do. They will be your family, so that you will not want for one. This house of worship will be a sanctuary for all who fight in my name." Angel nods. "And Angel, this part is very important. You must not use the cloning tanks. They may seem like an attractive option, but they will not work with the gifts I'm about to give you. They are of a unique caliber that the rest of the world is not ready to possess. The modifications are too sophisticated for the recording process and the clone will have Degenerative Clone Disorder. Accepting these gifts means accepting the one life I have given you. Do you understand?" Angel nods again. Jesus says, "Good. Are you ready to receive my gifts?"
Angel says quietly, "Yes, Lord. I am ready."
Jesus says, "Very good, Angel. Very good. Here's what you are going to do."
0x04: Crosses
On the southeast side of Red, Daisuki walked through the Red Sector Industries parking lot under the sunset orange lights of the dome. It had been another uneventful day at work, which he appreciated, as eventful days tended to be stressful. He was looking forward to heading straight to his house on Green and opening a bottle of sake. As he approached his Hover, he could see someone dressed all in black leaning against it. They were wearing a hood over their head, obscuring their face and had their arms crossed across their chest. He mentally keyed his radio and subvocalized, "Roger, can you send some RSI help to the parking lot? I got someone at my Hover, and I don't think they want to give me a smoke and a blow job."
Roger's voice comes back in his head immediately. "I've got eyes on him, Dai. It's your ganger friend. The one with the lucky streak a mile wide. Radar isn't showing any weapons, but I don't recognize his loadout. Looks like it could be implants in his knuckles, clearly some combat mods and some overly complicated processor configuration I've never seen before. Must be some janky black market special some ripper doc cobbled together. We got two headed your way, just say something if you need more. I'll be watching."
Daisuki reaches his Hover as Roger ends his message. He raises a hand and says, "Something you need, Angel?"
Angel raises his head and says, "Yes, actually there is Daisuki. I need to talk to your boss."
Daisuki squints for a second, then says, "Look, kid. I already told you last week I'm not involved in whatever it is you got yourself into. Now excuse me." He goes to walk past Angel and Angel raises his hand to stop him. Daisuki, anticipating the move, reaches up in a lightning quick move to grab Angel, but Angel is faster and grabs Daisuki's hand, twisting it around at the wrist painfully.
Roger says in Daisuki's head, "Didn't see that coming. You want me to take him out?"
Daisuki says quietly, "No. I think he just wants to talk." He looks directly into Angel's eyes and Angel nods and releases Daisuki's hand.
Angel says quietly, "I have business with Masaharu. You will arrange a meeting with him for me."
Daisuki stares blankly at Angel. "Who?"
Angel frowns, deep lines rolling across his face. "Daisuki, let's not play these games. I know you have the ability to put me in touch with him."
Daisuki studies Angel from head to toe. "It seems you have me at an advantage, Angel. A position I'm not accustomed to being in. Perhaps if you told me more about what it is you were after, I could be of more assistance."
Angel whispers, "I bring the good news, Daisuki. If you won't listen, then you will not know, and I'm told knowing is something you value." He stares directly into Daisuki's eyes, a gleam of hate and anger shining in the flames of his own.
Daisuki just stands there for a second, then says, "I don't know who it is you have been talking to, but they haven't given you very good information. I..." Daisuki trails off as a message arrives in his head from Roger. He pauses, then blinks a few times and closes his mouth. Daisuki reaches into his inner jacket pocket and pulls out a small, flat disc about a quarter inch thick and six inches in diameter. He taps briefly on its surface, then sets it on the ground. The image of a ghostly man in a black suit appears standing next to them. He's short, portly, has strong Japanese facial features and looks to be well over a hundred with wrinkled skin and sunken back eyes.
Angel turns to the man and says, "Masaharu, I presume? I'm Angel. I've come to tell you the Sinners have exerted their will too freely, and your failure to keep them in check will be your downfall. You operate on the south and west side, but the northeast side is being controlled by the Sinners. I'm declaring new territory. From Sin to Fuller, from Knife to Razor, my boys will be keeping the peace. I have no quarrel with you, so I ask only that you respect our turf and I will respect yours. There will be no killing children, no collecting protection pay and no drug labs on my turf without my permission. If you push from the south and west and I push from the northeast, we can stop Red from becoming another revenue stream for the opposition. Do we understand each other?"
Masaharu stares back at Angel, saying nothing. After a long pause, he nods very slowly, then vanishes. Angel turns back to Daisuki and says, "God bless you," then turns and walks off, leaving Daisuki standing there, watching him walk away.
It was a bright day on the north end of Central Red, the next day, as the two men walked down the street together, holding hands. Their bodies were covered in tattoos of various religious icons, such as crosses and depictions of Jesus. There's a group of three Sinners standing outside the Super Happy Fun Land arcade, and one of them notices the happy couple walking towards them. As they approach, the Sinner says to the rest of the group, "Eh, check out these maricas. Hey, estúpido! Why don't you and your faggot boyfriend HOCK!" The ganger suddenly grabs his throat, as Angel punches him directly in the neck with a jab so fast the other gangers barely even see it. Blood starts to trickle down from under the ganger's hand and he chokes violently.
The other two Sinners start to reach for their pieces, but Angel's companion has already drawn and is holding a gun in each hand to their faces. Angel says, "Alex is an excellent shot and has an itchy trigger finger. I suggest you don't." The ganger with blood pouring out of his neck stumbles backwards against the plexiglass of the arcade and slowly starts to slide down to the ground. The other two have frozen in place as they look down the barrels of the guns held to their noses. Angel intones, "Do you know who I am?" The Sinners look at each other as the one on the ground makes gurgling noises. Angel continues, "I'm the Angel of Death. You are going to bring Big Pappa to me. Tell him I want to talk and to step outside before any more people die. You." He points at one of the standing Sinners. The one on the ground slowly starts to go quiet, as agonal breaths drag the life out of his spent meat sack. "Go and deliver the message. We will be here, waiting."
The Sinner indicates turns and runs off, past the Canary and into the Orifice. After a few minutes, an entourage of Sinners comes pouring out of the strip club, and with them an enormous Black man in a black suit. He's wearing multiple jeweled crosses on each hand and they sparkle and flash in the light. He strolls past the whorehouse and slowly approaches Angel and Alex. A swarm of Sinners fan out behind him, flashing death threats with their fingers across their throats and spitting on the ground. Big Pappa shouts angrily, "Angel," Seems you got some huevos on you after all. You made a mess out of Tiny, and I see Jose is sleeping on the job." He motions to the Sinner slumped against the wall of the arcade. "You got about a red cunt hair between you and my crew here wasting you, so make it good."
Angel nods and shouts, "I intend to. Everyone, get out your phones." As he finishes his words, the air is suddenly filled with the sound of every phone lighting up with a new message. The assembled crew do exactly as they are told and get out their phones. Angel shouts, "What you are looking at is the public deaths that have occurred on Sin and adjacent streets of children under the age of sixteen, in this year alone. All of them were at the hands of Sinners. You can check the logs for each of them and find the feed. Our records go back to the start of the Sinners. If you don't want this information getting out, this stops now. Every time it happens again, I will release the information to the feeds plus a past case. You won't be in operation long when the people know Sinners are child murders. They will riot and burn your place to the ground. Furthermore," he pauses as a handful of gangers' phones go off again. "The following people have been warned about their sins. If my boys and I catch you so much as getting anywhere near a child, we will cut your dicks off and ram them down your throats. Finally, you will respect my territory. The Razorboys are claiming the streets between Sin and Fuller, from Knife to Razor. Anyone who strays off Sin and into my territory and treats it like it's Sin street will be nailed to a cross and hanged out to rot."
Angel pauses to take in everyone's reaction, which is a healthy mix of surprise and anger. He raises his voice a little more as he intones, "You killed my parents. They were innocent, but I seek no retribution. Forgiveness is a gift granted to us all and one we owe to each other. So, I forgive you. God has blessed all forms of life. If you want to continue your operation, you will respect the will of God, or you will face his wrath and he will crush you into the ground. God is good and he watches over everyone. You are holding the evidence of that."
Big Pappa listens with his arms crossed over his barrel of a chest. After Angel finishes, he looks around at his gang, who are obsessively watching videos on their phones of murders of children at their own hands. Big Pappa drops his arms, looks at Angel and says, "If I ever catch you on Sin street again, I'll zero you myself, baka." He turns around and barks, "Come on, you bunch of useless fuck-ups," and they all walk back to the strip club and file inside.
0x05: Story
"...and that's how Angel and Alex started the Razorboys together. That was seven years ago. That's why when Angel died, Alex took over. They were lovers." The girl smiles, turning her dainty whiskers up and twitching her pert nose. Her furry face is a delicate white with black stripes of fine hair and a pair of pointed ears adorn the top of her head. She makes purring and cooing noises as she squirms happily in her lover's arms. "Alex felt differently about including women in the group and Tricia brought me in. Then you joined, and that's how I met you, Jesse. And here we are." She kisses Jesse firmly on the lips, savoring his embrace.
Jesse eventually breaks the kiss and smiles brightly. "And here we are. So, what happened to Angel, Kitty? How did he die?" he asks.
Kitty purrs again and says, "Oh, my sweet Jesse. It's so sad. He was trying to stop a car that had lost its brakes from hitting a group of kids. He dove in front of the car, trying to push the kids out of the way. The car got them all. We mourned his death for weeks. Jesus was the most upset. Wouldn't talk to anyone for weeks. It was Alex he finally opened up to, and that's why he's the one who communes with our Lord now." Kitty makes a mewing sound as Jesse runs his hands over her fur-covered body.
Jesse smiles as he asks, "So that's how those bodies got on those crosses?"
Kitty winks and purrs as she wiggles around in the bed. "Mmm, yes. It's a tradition we have been carrying on for too long in my opinion. They cause trouble because the Sinners try and take them down and that just leads to more Sinners on crosses. They know they don't stand a chance, even if they get chromed, so they have to sneak around and distract us instead. Do that again!"
Jesse says, "This?" Kitty shakes her head playfully. "What about this?" Kitty meows loudly and nods enthusiastically. Jesse asks, "So what about Tricia? You two seem awfully close. What's her story?"
Kitty grins and says, "Oh she's a fun one for sure, but her secrets are her own and I'm not about to spill them, sweetie." She kisses him deeply and runs her hands up and down his chest, lightly caressing his skin with her soft, furry hands.
Jesse kisses her back passionately, then says, "It's quiet in here tonight. Everyone is worn out, huh? I wanted to thank you for making vat chicken chili for everyone. The girls weren't that hungry, but the boys sure loved it. They ate it all before I could even try it. What is it with you girls? Is chili really that fattening?"
Kitty grins broadly and says, "Have you read Deuteronomy?"
Jesse nods. "Sure. I mean everyone here has."
Kitty recites, "'But any prophet who claims to give a message from another god or who falsely claims to speak for me must die. You may wonder, 'How will we know whether the prophecy is from the LORD or not?' If the prophet predicts something in the LORD's name and it does not happen, the LORD did not give the message. That prophet has spoken on his own and need not be feared.' Now do that thing you do again, Jesse."
Jesse nods and complies with her request, eliciting a thrilled response. He says, "Ok, but what does that have to do with anything, kitten?"
Kitty smiles ever so sweetly and says, "Alex predicted the Razorboys will destroy the Sinners, in the Lord's name."
Jesse looks confusedly at Kitty. "Isn't that why we are here?"
Kitty says flippantly, "Well they were. Our God is a just God and he has revealed a new prophecy, that of him arriving in the flesh to lead us himself and save us from our sins. He has foretold a culling of the herd, in order to better serve his needs and of a test for those who are loyal. He has seen the way some groups are treated by others and wishes for the oppression to end. That's why I put all those sleeping pills in the chili so the boys would sleep soundly tonight."
Kitty stares directly into Jesse's eyes as he takes in what she is saying. He doesn't react right away, but when he does, Kitty grabs both his wrists as he jerks away and hauls him towards her with overwhelming strength. She forces both his hands together and wraps one hand around both wrists, holding them easily together. With her free hand, she gently touches his cheek and slowly runs her hand down his face. She says with a cruel grin, "That's why I approached you tonight. You didn't actually think there was actually anything interesting about you, did you? I go for the strong, silent type, not weak with a blabber mouth. Let's fix that." As her hand reaches his neck, Jesse screams at the top of his lungs as she puts her fingertips to his larynx. There's a soft snickt sound of shears cutting fabric and Jesse stops screaming. As Kitty takes her hand away, she inspects the four red slits on his neck that are welling up with blood.
Kitty goes back to holding a wrist in each hand as Jesse makes gagging noises and struggles to breathe. She says, "That's better! I like you more already. It's too bad you don't get your chrome until tomorrow. These arms are so puny, they just aren't good for much I'm afraid. Not at all like my last boyfriend. He was strong and muscular and would pick me up and carry me around on his shoulders. These arms, well, I think they have to go." She uses him for leverage, pinning him to the bed, as she stands up, still holding his arms. One of her feet daintily is placed on his chest and she looks down at her play toy. "Want to see if I can rip these off?" She yanks on his arms and presses into his chest with her foot, straining and groaning with the exertion. His biceps strain back against her and his shoulders rock forward with the stress. The bones in his wrists crack and her foot snaps the brittle bones in his chest as her foot sinks in. After a second, she stops and examines her work. His chest is caved in and blood spurts out of his mouth as he sputters and gasps briefly, then goes still. She drops his arms and they splay out to either side of him, as blood pools around his neck and head.