"I didn't say that. There's no way to tell," Thunderbolt objected.
    "How could she not be?!" Phoenix Talon exclaimed.
    "Um, completely different MO?" I offered.
    "I have to admit, it's kinda weird, but maybe she was tryin' to take you out," Talon insisted. "We'll keep an eye out on this chick."
    "I mentioned it for the coincidence, if nothing else," Thunderbolt shrugged.
    We finalized our plans for the "rumble." Set the time for high noon, the place for a meadow in the Blue Hills Reservation. Phoenix Talon broke the news to his "boys" that they weren't going to get their shot just yet, then went off and wrote the letter. The police will turn loose some of the guys we nabbed and give them the note, make sure at least one reaches Tybalt and the news gets to the other Alley Cats.
    Now it's time to wait.

[Aside: Alley Cats]

September 7, 1987

Too tired to write yesterday. I haven't been this exhausted since Promethean disappeared. In fact, yesterday bore that night a very close resemblance.
    We left Albert guarding the base and the Blood Boards and went up to the designated spot about an hour ahead of time, giving us enough time to check the area out but not so much that we'd be hanging around worrying. There were a few stray cats around; I tried to keep them away.
    11:50.
    11:58.
    12:00.
    12:05.
    12:10.
    Shit.
    No one was surprised to get the call. The possibility had been on all our minds, I think, but we hadn't been able to think of a way to cover both options. Instead, we'd gambled and lost.
    "This is Reilly," he snapped. "Get back to the city, we have a problem."
    "See you guys there," I told the others, caught Phoenix Talon's gesture out of the corner of my eye. I snagged him and headed back to Boston at top speed. The others could take the bikes.

[Aside: Alley Cats]

    Reilly kept us updated as we approached downtown at high speed. "We have an officer down and a car that's not responding on Newbury Street. Can you go check that?"
    "Absolutely."
    It wasn't hard to find; there was a column of smoke spiraling up from what was left of the squad car. Shrapnel had taken out most of the surrounding windows, people were screaming. Blood everywhere.
    No Alley Cats.
    We heard gunfire from a few blocks away. I spun around a corner and watched a group of Alley Cats running gleefully down an alley, firing their guns into the air.
    "Be careful, it's an ambush," Talon warned. I had shields up over both of us anyway, swooped in low after the Cats. They were heading for a van at the end of the street; the side door was opening and they looked ready to dive in.
    I spotted the two guys above, one on each side of the street, aiming something at me. I pitched Phoenix Talon at the ones on the ground and headed upwards.
    Those were flamethrowers; they'd been expecting me. How nice. I slipped out of reach as the street just behind me became a valley of flame, came around again. From what we'd just seen, there was going to be no quarter on either side.
    I contemplated shoving them both off the roof, but my aim was poor.
    "It's okay, we can take her!" one encouraged the other. I remember the Blood Boards saying something very similar once. They let loose with the flamethrowers again, singeing me a bit. I decided that it would be a good idea to get above them. Gave one of the two a nice smack. Again. Bruises flowered over his body as he yelped.
    "Jeez, she's just playing with him like a cat," the other one muttered.
    I let him know that I hadn't forgotten him, either.
    "We're never gonna hit her up there without burning ourselves!"
    "You know what the boss said to do!"
    They aimed their flamethrowers down into the street. They were aiming at the buildings. The people who had run inside to hide from the gunfire ran back out, shrieking.
    I dropped down and hauled people free of the spreading flames, seething, while those two made a break for it.

[Aside: Others]

    Thunderbolt's bike landed in the street nearby; he jumped off and began drawing the flames into himself. It looked bloody impressive, I have to say that. Neither of us noticed when Phoenix Talon ran over and took the bike, headed for the base.
    He had the situation under control, so I went looking for my two escapees. They weren't on the roofs; I spotted them limping down the street toward the van we'd seen before. A squad car was following the van closely. I saw the van doors opening, put on a burst of speed and got a dome over the car a second after the machine gun fire began. The windshield disintegrated, the cops ducking madly and slowly realizing that the bullets were no longer striking the car.

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