068.8 Hours Since Quartz's Disappearance

After getting a bullet put into my shoulder, it makes sense that I'm a little wary to be back in gang territory. My shoulder still burns when I move it too high. Lincoln wanted me to stay back at HQ until he came back, but I wasn't gonna let him wander around here alone. A working shoulder won't help me if this meeting doesn't go well. Vixen knew he was asking a lot when he came up with this idea. The only reason I thought it might work is because there's something that my old gang wants back from the government, too.

The Paladins don't exactly live up to their name. It's quite the opposite, actually. James used to snicker every time someone called him a Paladin. He's more likely to make a sacrifice to the Devil then offer a prayer to God. He chose that name just for kicks. We were just kids back then. The five of us didn't know what we were doing. It just got out of hand. I think James liked it when others started to join us. He's always treated the others equally, but he could do whatever he wanted with newcomers. It was nice at first. Lincoln saw it before I did. There were about twenty guys that operated below the five of us by then. We had a defined 'territory' where the Paladins were known to hang out. Nearby gangs began to acknowledge us as competition. It was fun at first. Then one of ours was killed over a border argument. That made it real.

Lincoln wanted out after that. He was disgusted with who he was becoming. I wasn't much better. When that kid died in front of me, I took a sword and cleaved one of the rival gang members nearly in two. I had never seen that much blood. James had slowly changed to see that as a sacrifice of the business. The most he would do is make sure that territory was his. Andy and Derrik would always back him up. I couldn't watch more people die from greed. Sure, everything is unfair in the West, but this is not the way to fix it. We didn't leave on good terms. James saw it as a betrayal. I still have a scare across my back from our escape out of there.

"How far do you think we'd get if we went straight to base?", Lincoln asks me. He has a full length sword sheathed at his hip. No one important will see it when we travel through all the back allies.

"Depends if there's archers on the roof. I don't feel in the mood to become a pin cushion, so let's go with the customary approach. We'll wait at a border for a Paladin to notice us", I reply, one hand resting on the hatchet clipped to my belt. There's also a chain sickle strapped to my back. It can be useful if I get it unsheathed in time.

Lincoln sees the Paladin border first. He grabs my shoulder and points it out. Once upon a time, the symbol was a simple circle with five different four-pointed stars on the inside. There's only three stars now. Despite the time away, it kinda hurts. We used to be a team.

The two of us have to sit at the border for a good while before anyone shows themselves. Lincoln leans up against the wall with the Paladin's symbol, and smirks as he does it. I laugh a little and move to stand next to him. He's such an idiot sometimes.

When two Paladins come stalking out from deeper in their territory, I can tell that they recognize us. Their faces fly through several emotions before settling on aggression and wariness.

"What are you two doing here?", the first wrinkles their nose, voice laced with anger.

"We just want to talk. Call James. I'm sure he won't mind the interruption", Lincoln spits back with just as much venom. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Please, call James. Tell him we know where Lyla is". I never would have attempted this if Yulks hadn't of given us such a good bargaining chip. Lincoln and I checked and double checked the name. She had been working under a false name with the rebellion, but Lyla was taken by the same place that Sky is apparently being held in.

The two Paladins look at us both in suspicion. Neither of them know who Lyla is; James made sure of that. I didn't even know who Lyla was until I saw her last name. She has her mother's maiden name. The one who first spoke to us still pulls out a cell phone and dials a number. As soon as they mention Lyla's name into the receiver, their face shifts into surprise, and they hang up.

"James is sending three more Paladins to act as escorts. He wants to meet with you two alone". He says it all with a sour expression. They don't want us in their territory, but orders are orders.

The four of us stand there in silence until the other three Paladins arrive. They're a lot more heavily armed then their two comrades. Lincoln tenses up next to me. There's no turning back once we do this.

I step forward into Paladin territory. The chains on my sickle jangle together. Lincoln grunts before following behind me. He doesn't bother to hide it when he rests his hand on the hilt of his sword. The five Paladins close rank around us. None of us speak as they escort us deeper into the territory. The fringes might be new, but as we go deeper, I start to recognize the streets. The five us us did grown up here, after all. More and more Paladins are milling about as we get closer to base. It'd be pretty tough to get out against their will.

Base is an unassuming, squat concrete building. A Paladin is stationed on every corner of the building, on the sidewalk and roof. The two who has first confronted us stay outside. Before we go inside, they confiscate out weapons. It still makes me uncomfortable even though I expected it. Lincoln almost argues, but regretfully unties the sheath. It's no secret that there's probably knives down our pants, which is true, but the Paladins believe we won't have time to reach them if we try.

The inside of the building is nothing special. The entrance leads to a single hallway with two doors on each side and one more straight ahead. This isn't the only place where James operates, but he's probably moved most of the others since I knew all their locations. Two more Paladins eye up from their guard posts. One of them turns and knocks on the door at the hall's end. It opens a crack, and a few words are exchanged before they turn back to us.

"Boss wants to talks to the two traitors...... alone", they say the last part warily. None of the Paladins trust us, but they do have a fair enough reason.

Lincoln and I get several glares as we slip into the office. The door closes slowly as the Paladins remind us that they're waiting just behind an inch of wood. James is sitting at his desk. He's polishing the barrel of a gun that's pointed at the door. His eyes are too glazed to actually be focused on the task. Jame's expression changes to guarded anger when we walk in, and he stands up.

"How do you know that name?". James is tense, seizing us both up. There's a new scar on his chest that pokes out above his shirt collar.

"Heh, well, we didn't know her real name until about an hour ago, but surely you must have known she was working with the rebellion?", Lincoln huffs.

"No. I didn't. The last time I saw her was four years ago from across a street. She..... doesn't know me.....". James's emotions are all over the place. I haven't seen him act like this since we were kids.

I'm think I'm starting to get it. Lyla's mother grew up with us. If James hadn't of been so obviously smitten when we were teens, she might have meant something to me instead. I was saddened when I heard about her death. I wasn't involved with the Paladins anymore, but a rival gang discovered Jame's relationship with her. A three month old baby girl was the only thing left. I can respect James just a little more, like old times, knowing that he attempted to keep Lyla out of the kind of life that got her mother killed. I also hate him because he failed.

"Look, James, we know about her eyes", I say bluntly. My old friend flinches. "That's what lead us to her, actually. We're looking for someone with the same condition. So if you want to know where she is, this is how it has to happen......".