WARNING: If you're offended by swearing, sexual references, or underaged drinking (for our time anyway), this story isn't for you. Sorry!

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akiko: "Are you the remaining members of Black Thunder?" Erin asked, familiar chill running down her spine.

birdie: "Who's asking?" The same female voice asked, cutting into her question. A sword could be heard being drawn.

akiko: Erin narrowed her eyes and placed her hand on her own sword. "Erin of the Jacks of Spades..."

birdie: The woman held her sword up and brought it down hard on a chair in front of her, slicing it down the middle. She stood, revealing her long, black hair pulled back into a ponytail, and kicked one half of the chair across the room, letting the other half fall to the floor. "You!?" the woman furiously asked and turned, finally showing her face. Yuki's almond eyes, narrowed when they fell on Erin and she climbed on top of the table, running at Erin at full speed.

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akiko: Erin's eyes widened and she ran down the hall, against the wall, her sword unsheathed and ready.

birdie: Yuki jumped off the table, her sword held high above her head, yelling a battle cry as she brought Khan’s old sword down on Erin.

akiko: Erin held up her sword and blocked it. She pushed her back with a kick. "I thought you were dead!"

birdie: Yuki recovered quickly and huffed. "Only in your wildest dreams..." she growled. "I believe we have a score to settle..." She ran at her again, swinging her blade threateningly.

akiko: Erin made it obvious that she wasn't going to attack and only defend. "Yuki!" She growled as she blocked another attack. "We need to have a talk! I'm not here to kill you! I need you!"

birdie: Yuki continued attacking her anyway. "Bullshit!! You have an entire gang behind you! What would you need me for!?" she asked.

akiko: "A war against the Feds!" Erin shouted and dodged another attack.

birdie: "What!? Are you out of your mind?!" Yuki asked over the sound of their swords clashing. The other Black Thunder members watched, confused, as the two fought.

akiko: Erin tossed her sword aside and stood her ground as Yuki charged her. "They're waging it on us..."

birdie: Yuki stopped when she cast her sword aside. "Pick up your weapon!! We're not done until one of us is dead!! And it won't be me..." she said lowly.

akiko: Erin stood her ground. "When they finish off the Jacks they're going to take down every other gang out there, including everyone in this room."

birdie: "You're fucking crazy if you think you're going to stand up to them!!" Yuki said in a fury.

akiko: "The Jacks aren't going to do it alone...that's why I've been trying to find you..." Erin said.

birdie: Yuki sighed impatiently. "Your fifty, plus my thirty is hardly enough..." she said, rolling her eyes.

akiko: "We're getting every other gang in the city, and we're traveling to other cities. And we have an insider." Erin sighed.

birdie: Yuki eyed her incredulously. "What is it you really want, Erin? Don't waste my time..."

akiko: "Your help, Yuki..." Erin said getting down on one knee. "Black Thunder was just as powerful as the Jacks in Jet's time...and now that you're still alive I'm sure they're still just as powerful. Add the Jacks' power and your power together, combined with every other gang in this city and those surrounding, we've at least got a chance..."

birdie: Yuki watched her carefully. The gang members behind her snickered at the sight of their old rival leader on one knee before their own. "We'll discuss it in private. No weapons." she said, letting her sword hit the floor.

akiko: Erin stood up and removed her belt containing her weapons.

birdie: Yuki also removed all her weapons. "Follow me." she said to Erin. "The rest of you stay here." she ordered her comrades. She walked out of the hall with Erin towards the hotel rooms, also obviously taken over by the gang. She led her back to a room and pushed the door open. "Ryo..." she called. A young boy that looked to be nine or ten, with dark hair and almond-shaped eyes, looked up from a small handgun in pieces he'd been assembling on the floor at the foot of a large bed. "Go on out of here. I've got business to attend to with someone." she said calmly. The boy nodded and stood up, then ran past her and Erin down the hallway. Yuki entered the room and turned to wait for Erin.

akiko: "He yours?" Erin asked

birdie: Yuki nodded. "Yeah."

akiko: "Where's the dad? He had your eyes, but not your nose..." Erin smiled.

birdie: "Dead." Yuki answered simply. "I killed him."

akiko: Erin nodded. "Reasonable..." she mumbled, her eyes wide.

birdie: Yuki laughed shortly. "He was cheating on me...used me...son of a bitch..." she sighed and shook her head.

akiko: Erin nodded. "Totally reasonable then." She said.

birdie: Yuki shrugged. "He was a bastard..." she mumbled. "Now, what's all this about a war?" she asked seriously.

akiko: Erin sighed. "My daughter fell in love with a Fed..." She mumbled and shook her head.

birdie: Yuki looked over at her disbelievingly. "Your daughter started this whole damn thing?!" she asked, about to laugh.

akiko: "No, the damn Fed kid she fell in love with did." Erin growled.

birdie: Yuki laughed haughtily. "And I thought my Ryo was a problem!"

akiko: "That's not what I came here for Yuki." Erin scowled. "His father is the Senator..." She sighed. "And he's going to try and negotiate with his father...but when the Senator finds out that the boy came here with my daughter willingly and became a Jack...he's going to have no problem killing his son..." Erin said as if she had rehearsed it.

birdie: Yuki looked seriously at her. "And how is this my problem? I can pack up and leave the city whenever I like..."

akiko: "They're going to go from city to city destroying every gang out there!" Erin sighed.

birdie: Yuki sighed as well and looked at the see-through, worn curtain hanging before the bright window. "I noticed they've been updating their weaponry...I think they've just been waiting for the right spark to light a time bomb...this war was inevitable." she mumbled. "So your plan is to just invite a whole list of gangs in and try to withstand the Fed attack?" she asked.

akiko: "We're going to be more organized than that..." Erin said, rolling her eyes.

birdie: Yuki shook her head. "Erin, you can't just command a whole lot of rowdy gangs by yelling at them..." she mumbled. "This is going to take a lot more than organization. Where will the other gangs stay? They'll tear the city apart! We'll all kill each other!"

akiko: Erin sighed. "I know all of this." She mumbled. "That's why I need you. I can't command all these gangs by myself, so I'll need your help."

birdie: Yuki stared at her with an unreadable, contemplative expression. "On one condition." she said finally.

akiko: "What?" Erin sighed, almost willing to agree with anything.

birdie: "I want my damn base back..." Yuki huffed and crossed her arms.

akiko: Erin laughed. "Of course...we kept everything as it was, except that every room is filled with our weapons..."

birdie: Yuki shrugged. "Go figure you'd use it for storage..." she mumbled. "We'll move back in tonight. That gives you a while to move everything back into your place. I'll be there with a few of my more trusted members as soon as we're all set up."

akiko: "Okay." Erin nodded. "So I’ll see you there tonight." She said.

birdie: "Yeah. And Erin..." Yuki quickly called her before she left.

akiko: Erin looked over her shoulder. "We've got a score to settle after the war?"

birdie: Yuki nodded. "Consider this alliance temporary...call it...a sibling rivalry." she said with a smirk. She showed her a scar across her neck by pulling the collar of her jacket away. "I've still got scars to give you as well..."

akiko: "I forgot about that..." Erin mumbled.

birdie: Yuki nodded. "You left another just out of the way of my heart..." she mumbled back. "Now leave before I decide I'd rather kill you now..." she sighed.

akiko: Erin nodded and left. She arrived back at the Jacks in about an hour and yawned as she relaxed in the common room.

birdie: A few other small gangs were socializing with the Jacks in the more-crowded-than-usual common room. Seth watched from the doorway of Tessa's room apprehensively, knowing that his presence would cause an uproar if they knew he was a Fed.

akiko: Tessa snuck up behind him and hugged him. "Boo!"

birdie: Seth jumped. "Ah! Tessa!!!" he groaned.

akiko: Tessa laughed. "Looks like my mom's back...I see a lot of scared faces."

birdie: Seth laughed. "I would be scared too if I was faced with the Queen of Spades...hell, I am scared when it's just me and her in a room..."

akiko: "Don't call her Queen, she hates it..." Tessa smiled.

birdie: Seth raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't get that. Why?"

akiko: "The original Queen of Spades was the one before her...’Once a princess, always a Queen’. No one can replace her..." Tessa smiled.

birdie: Seth blinked. "You mean...Jet?" he asked.

akiko: Tessa nodded. "Yeah...she was a prodigy."

birdie: "Was she scary like your mom?" Seth asked, laughing. "Temet did say your mom and her are a lot alike."

akiko: "Once Aunt Jet died my mom practically became a red-headed version of her." Tessa smiled.

birdie: Seth laughed. "What did Jet look like then?" he asked curiously.

akiko: "From my mom's description she had raven black hair, longish bangs but cut short in the back. She wasn’t tall, but she was definitely a commanding presence. And she was really pale." Tessa laughed.

birdie: Seth laughed as well. "Huh...just out of curiosity...I heard that in her last big heist she was after a cure for a disease...do you know what she had?" he asked.

akiko: "The last and most dangerous case of Polio..." Tessa mumbled.

birdie: Seth blinked. "Really?" he asked. "You guys all still look up to her, don't you?" he asked with a smile.

akiko: Tessa nodded. "She was supposedly the best leader a gang could ever ask for..." She mumbled. "I hope I can live up to her name..."

birdie: Seth smiled and hugged her. "Hey...don't worry. Your mom learned from her and she'll teach you."

akiko: Tessa smiled and leaned against him. "Thanks..."

birdie: Seth nodded. "No problem. You already order around the Jacks like you lead 'em. It can't be that hard." he said, shrugging, and laughed.

akiko: Tessa smiled. "I love you. You're so supportive."

birdie: Seth smiled. "That's what boyfriends are for, right?"

akiko: Tessa nodded and kissed him. "So let's go back to my room..."

birdie: Seth nodded. "Well, considering we're right in the door..." he mumbled and closed the door, partly covering the voices of the loud gangs.

akiko: Tessa laughed and hugged him. "I love you.”

birdie: Seth smiled. "I love you too. How are you not dying of heat?" he asked, attempting to fan himself.

akiko: "I'm used to it. I've lived in it my entire life." Tessa shrugged.

birdie: Seth nodded. "I figured you'd say something like that..." he mumbled with a laugh.

akiko: "Then why did you ask?" Tessa laughed.

birdie: Seth shrugged. "My small hope you crazy Urb folks have something that keeps you cool..." he laughed.

akiko: Tessa smiled. "Nope, sorry." She smiled. "In the mean time, let's get to sleeping..." She mumbled and walked over to her bed.

birdie: "You just woke up a few hours ago!" Seth laughed.

akiko: "I'm sleepy again!" Tessa laughed. "Just a nap." She said, lying down and closing her eyes.

birdie: Seth nodded. "You nap, I'll probably try and find my way around here." he said and kissed her.

akiko: "Okay." Tessa smiled. "Night..." She mumbled and cuddled up on the bed.

birdie: Seth smiled and left the room to explore the Jacks' hideout while everyone was preoccupied with the other gangs. A few hours later, Damien walked into the room with a sigh and stroked Tessa's hair. "Hey...Tess..." he called to the sleeping girl.

akiko: Tessa woke up and looked up at her dad. "Hm...? What is it dad?"

birdie: Damien smiled. "I'm leaving...I won't be back for a few days..."

akiko: Tessa reached up and hugged Damien. "Be safe..."

birdie: Damien hugged her back. "I will be. I promise. I'll see you in few days, okay? Don't let that boy touch you in any way I wouldn't approve of, alright?"

akiko: "So, anyway he wants?" Tessa winked.

birdie: Damien rolled his eyes. "More like not at all. You're confusing his rights with my rights concerning your mom." he said, winking back.

akiko: Tessa laughed. "At least it'll be quiet at night now..." She winked again and stuck out her tongue.

birdie: Damien tickled her. "You know what?" he muttered and kissed her head. "I'll see you later, Tess."

akiko: Tessa hugged him. "Bye Dad..."

birdie: Damien smiled and left the room, then went to find Erin. When he did, he turned her and grabbed her, kissing her and holding her tightly, which made the Jacks around them laugh quietly.

akiko: Erin smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I guess you're leaving?"

birdie: Damien nodded. "Yeah. Thought I should stop and say goodbye first." he said with a smile.

akiko: Erin laughed and kissed him. "Bye...be safe."

birdie: Damien kissed her once more. "Bye. I love you." he said and let her go. He headed off toward the garage that housed the Slider and ordered a group of Jacks to follow him.

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