There were thousands of gangs in New York City, hundreds of thousands of men and women oreet every single day engaged ihing from violent crime t dealing to theft. It retty much the same in any major city oo, but the gang culture in New York was embedded so deeply it was impossible to root it out. There were anized crime groups, of course, better ected, better funded, rger. Larger pared to a singur gang, anyway. They were dwarfed, however, by the sheer volume of gangs throughout the city.

  Even so, it had never been a for the various crime families and groups that operated in New York. Who could ever imagine a day whereet-level gangs would start to solidate?

  Shark hadn’t believed in the cause, not really, not at first. But now? Now it was a different story.

  Shark had stopped shifting bato his human form two weeks ago, there wasn’t much of a point anymore. He’d grown more and more fortable in his altered body. He’d also taken to wearing nicer clothes, gohe polo and jeans. Now he wore tailored suits and walked with a ti of bodyguards around him. They were mostly for show, though, the boss had seen to that very quickly. She’d expio him the name of his power, what it implied, and how he could use it. It had opened his eyes to possibilities beyond his imagination. It was like knowing the name of his gift gave him power over it.

  He shut the small booklet about sea life he held in his hand shut and slipped out of the car, his head held high, as he walked towards the door of the Dael in Brooklyn. His security detail formed up around him, all of them thugs who’d had their abilities awakened by the boss. Foot Soldiers of the highest caliber. They weren’t the only ones here either, more were ing packed quietly into a semi that had just pulled up behind the hotel. He had a feeling today was going to be a bit more exg than usual.

  Most of the time, the smaller gangs of the city had just rolled over and joined up. A few of their members had abilities but none of them tended with Shark. He’d had a few tough scrapes here and there but nothing he couldn’t bounce back from. He holy found the memories kind of b, which was a bit of a shame, he’d had thought simply quering a single gang would have been exhirating. Now, though, he realized that he was worth so much more. The boss had ied in him and basically decred him king of New York’s underworld uniterally.

  He was more than happy to prove her right.

  Today was going to be different, though, his boys had informed him that the gangs of Brooklyn were desperately rallying to the banner of the Vii Crime Family, seeking prote in numbers in a hope to fend off the beast that seemed to be ing the city’s underworld like a ravenous titan. They’d all gathered here, at the Dao hash out the st remainiails of their agreement.

  The boss really is ruthless, he thought, lig his lips, I’d been too tepid.

  He thought back to his versation with her over dinner. He was one of the few who knew her face, her real face. He wondered if even her little caretaker attendant knew. He swallowed hard as the images came ba.

  “...so they’re having a meeting?” Sonya asked, sipping her wine aing it down, she cut into her steak in silence, “And what are you going to do about it?” She was wearing a dress as delicate aiful as a wedding gown, her meical eyes clig almost audibly in the silence of the private dining room. Her skin almost glowed, it was so white, and her hair sparkled in the fortable lighting. It shook him to his core.

  He had to make a good showing, “A show of force, boss,” He said, “We’re going to go in there and force them to bend. I’ll probably bring about ten guys, that should be enough after you awakehem-”

  His words trailed off as she set her utensils down, she looked up at him with those twisting and turning eyes that shifted with each flicker of light. Her thin lips set into a frown so fine her mouth almost seemed to disappear into her face. “I didn’t expect a soft hand from you, Shark.”

  “A-a soft hand?” He bnched, “B-but we’re rolling up with guns and powers, ma’am.”

  “That worked up until now, but now they’re on the defensive,” Sonya said quietly, trag her finger around the rim of her gss, “They’re more desperate thao hold onto their identities, they’ll send their best to this meeting,” She said thoughtfully and stared at him.

  What the hell do I say? What other measures we take? It’s not like we should-

  “Kill them all,” Sonya said ftly, pig up her utensils again and plug a pieeat off her pte, she took a bite and gasped, “Oh this is very good!” She said delightedly and cut into her steak.

  Shark stared at her, dumbstruck, “All of the gang heads… ma’am?”

  “And the Vii Crime Family too,” Sonya said, dabbing her lip with a napkin, “Whoes to that meeting.”

  “But-”

  “We have all the time in the world, Shark,” Sonya pointed out with a sigh, “Why deal with internal strife and rebellions when we just rebuild. If they weren’t going to capitute before, why expect them to do it and it now? It’s better to just send a message.”

  “Join up or die?” He asked, incredulous.

  “Exactly. Now seriously, Shark, eat your steak! It is delicious!” She crowed and dug right in.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but all he could do was choke on his words. For a moment, just a heartbeat, all he could feel was cold in the air. It was like knowing that there ex predator nearby, knowing that death itself resent. He felt the pressure across his chest and all the way down his spine. When he looked into her eyes they were like disks of light burning in a shadow. This wasn’t a suggestion, this was an order. Annihite the leadership in Brooklyn and start anew.

  He shivered as the memory passed, straightening himself up to his full height. None of the others kly who was bag the underworld takeover. Only he knew just how dangerous the real boss was. For all they knew, he was the boss, and he had to make it look good.

  A pair of men stepped out from he doors to the hotel, their hands reag into their coats, “Hey! There’s a private party here today, I suggest you leave,” One instructed.

  He threw out his hands and they ged, stretg out several meters ih in an instant before taking on the disturbing appearance of octopus tentacles. He ed them around the necks of both men and squeezed. There was a noisy snap and pop and the two men colpsed to the ground, “Give the order,” Shark said, his eyes steady, “Nobody in that fu’ party gets out alive.”

  “Yessir,” One of his guards said and raised his fio his ear, “All in.”

  –

  Sonya sat in sile her desk, her fingers ed tightly around the armrests of her chair. The security footage from the Danube pyed on the s. A valiaance from the remnants of indepe leadership among the gangs of Brooklyn. A few of them even had some det powers, it was a shame she didn’t get a ce to shake their hands but it was being pin she couldn’t have everything she wanted.

  She watched another man drop as one of Shark’s guards pounced on them, crushing them beh their heroic strength.

  Is this really what you wahe words in her mind sounded almost disappoihey sounded like hers, but they weren’t. Blood on your hands?

  She sat in silence as the images flitted across the s, her teopathy product allowing her access to the pathetically secured cameras without much issue. She wasn’t sure where the thoughts were ing from, whether they were born out of guilt or some mis-guided sense of justice, but it didn’t matter. She’d already itted to this when she opened Pandoras Box a herself back to the past, she tilted her head up and looked down on the s.

  I’ll have an o of blood at my feet when it’s all done, if that’s what it takes, She thought.

  World pead security at the cost of human life? Aren’t you a hypocrite? Didn’t you just get done to help the police?

  She snorted, Yes I am, that’s the point.

  The voi her head seemed to hesitate, it was as if madness itself had been surprised by her thoughts. She grino ear, “Ishtar the Monster, Sonya the Champion,” Sonya breathed as she leaned forward. Even as horrible as it was, even as gutwreng as it was, even as she felt her soul crack with every single life that Shark and his boys took, she swore to herself that she wouldn’t look away. She’d ordered this death, she’d ordai, dema, if that’s what it took to get even a step closer to spreading her influence across the underworld.

  I already said it once, she warhe voice, I will be the worst of the worst, if that’s what it takes. Now buzz off, I’m watg my darling subordinate work.

  The sughter tinued for another five minutes before the various groups began to che. Cheap radios modified by Amos to be more secure. She couldn’t give them the fi gear, not yet, it would draw too much attention if a group of gangsters were caught with high end gear. She gnced over at her phone just as Shark put his own up to his ear. It started t and she snatched it up, answering it with a smile, “Fabulous work as always, Shark.”

  She watched him freeze on the s, “You were watg, ma’am?”

  “Of course! ime, deal with the security cameras before proceeding. I’ll take care of it this time, but you should be more careful,” Sonya said smoothly as her mental e to the cameras fired off like sparks in her mind, the cameras began to short out, oer another.

  “R-right,” Shark said shakily, “I apologize, ma’am.”

  “Not a problem, now we’ll see how the gangs of Brookly,” She said, leaning ba her chair and snagging a soda from the mini-fridge beh her desk. She cracked it open, “You’ll have a few show up and ask to joihem in and have them clear out of Brooklyn for a while. Wheop ing, send in your men to b the bh a rid of the rest. If they haven’t figured out how the tides turning at this point, then they aren’t worth recruiting.”

  “Yes boss,” Shark aowledged, sounding less straihis time.

  “Oh, and Shark?” She chimed after a sip.

  “Yes boss?”

  “Refer to me as Ishtar from now on.”

  “Yes, Ishtar.”

  –

  Shark hung up the phone as his men all watched him, murmuring quietly among themselves. He slipped his phoo his pocket. One of the braver oepped forward and cleared his throat, “Uh… boss? Who was that?”

  “You know how they say there’s always a bigger fish?” Shark asked, gng around at the bodies. Two of his men moved in and started using their powers to dispose of the corpses and the mess, oroying the bodies oer another while the other exhaled and the floors and walls were ed to almost spotless levels. The others looked at one another before the brave footsoldier nodded. Shark cleared his throat, “That was Ishtar, she’s the biggest fish.”