Prologue: Miscalculation

Vriiin. . .vriiiin.

A low moan was heard next to him. "Hey. . .Who's calling you at this time of night?"

Vriiin. . . .vriiin.

"It's five am." Derek reached over picked up his phone, staring at the caller ID in surprise. "Sorry. This is an important call."

"S'fine as long as I can sleep for a bit longer." the young woman next to him murmured.

Derek jumped out of the bed, yanked his pants on, and slipped outside the small bedroom. "Do you know how long it's been, you little-"

"I found him. He said he just got back from doing undercover work again."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, straight up." was the reply. "Dude, you have no idea how long it took me."

"Hold on a sec." Derek pulled a short-sleeved shirt over his head, then pressed the phone to his ear again. "With your investigation skills, I'm sure it would have taken a while anyway. How did you find him?"

"Actually, he kinda found me." Derek's friend admitted. "He called me out of the blue like, twenty minutes ago. He's down south, near Milanesque. He needs both of us to meet him there. Something's up, and it's really bad."

"Are you nuts?" Derek exclaimed, trying not to speak above a whisper. "There is no way in hell I can go to Milanesque right now!"

"Cassandra'll find you if you don't leave now. Far as I know, she's trying to pinpoint us so she can get us both tails. I booked the flight just now, it's at noon. Meet me downtown in an hour, okay?"

"Jerry, I can't just leave. I know it's stupid, but I gave up on finding him last night. There's no way he can just appear as soon as-"

"What did you do now?" Derek heard laughter on the other end of the line. "You made a classic, didn't you? Who did you spend the night with, huh? That woman you met six months ago?"

Derek hesitated, glancing nervously at the door. "That's not of consequence as far as you're concerned. I'll be there. This better not be a fake lead, Extra."

"You want me to bring proof? I can get it."

"You'll probably just mess that up. Where should we meet?"

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The world of gangs, clubs and societies is back. . .
It is a world which is, to the surprise of many, closer than you think:

Milanesque. . . .a city of fate, some call it. There reside many of the fiercest gangs, the craziest cults, short-tempered societies, surprsingly ordinary jobs, but very extraordinary lives.


2016, their world, their time:

Manfred no longer does influence and undercover. He now operates of his own accord, recording everything he does. His partners are always trying to catch up with him before he goes under the radar again.

Derek is going out of his mind. Somehow, during the St. James case, he ended up on the same end of the stick as Manfred and Jerry. But is there something more then Sabres and headaches tormenting him?

Jerry, as usual, has uncovered something huge. By accident. Since the St. James case, he has been trying to become a hacker, and is finally succeeding. But one day when he opens an encrypted file. . . .

Elle has gone from heiress to company owner/business tycoon in the making. Since the death of her aunt in 2011, she has taken charge of her nephews. But some turn of events send her to a small city just outside Milanesque, where she has resided in secret for six months with her nephews. As well as. . . ?

Cassandra LaMensan has risen to her latest challenge, having become the ultimate Sabre, and tracking every move of Manfred, Jerry and Derek. With the help of some rebellious Wreckers and her closest non-delegate subordinates.

Her brother, Matthieu, is rising in the Wrecker ranks and involving plenty of other partes in the "impending war" spoken of by John LaMensan five years before

John LaMensan himself, revealed as a Well-wisher in our previous story, has been doing his best to "keep his gang alive." When he gets a call from Manfred, he feels the least he can do is protect the legacy of a dying breed.

Jane has recovered from the trauma of the St. James case, and still keeps her position as Head Secretary of MTA and has even kept contact with Elle. What she doesn't know is what is happening right now. . . .

Our newest character, one Valerie Mason, is a bit of a puzzle. Mother of Cassandra and Mattheiu, although she hasn't seen them since before her incarceration nearly thirty-one years ago, she still thinks of them every day. She is hoping for a parole hearing when Manfred looks her up.

Tom Hoglund, who only plays a minor part in this story, has never found a good enough replacement for Manfred over the years. Although he regrets telling Manfred to leave, he also hopes that there will be some way to bring down the Sabres. Hatred for Cassandra has consumed and changed him over the years. His wife is dead. He is not a happy man.

updated Dec 29 '11 by xKatanaXIV