The police station in Yankers never was a welcome sight. It was just a hole in the wall among many holes, but worse. Though there were less than ten cops in the entire town, there was hardly any crime, depending on how you looked at it. Slick Dick ran everything, from the police to the lives of the lowliest bums. His brand of organized crime was on such a large scale, it had become everyday life. Many believed that if he was ever dethroned, the city would collapse.

Despite this, there were a few cops that hadn’t fallen to Slick’s corruption. One of them was Mona Paris, Chief of Police in Yankers. No one really knew anything about her, except that Slick Dick didn’t have the balls (no pun intended) to fire her. So even in a town this corrupted, there was some hope. Not much, but some.

There was a certain routine Paris had fallen into. Every Monday night, she went to work. And after ten minutes, Blaze or Goth would drag in some punk off the streets. Tonight, however, the routine was broken when a small man walked in, his eyes twitching.

“Can I help you?” Mona asked, staring down at him from her desk.

“Message from Slick,” the man said sharply, sliding a telegram onto the desk. With that, he walked out of the station.

Mona grabbed the note and quickly read it, her frown growing wider with each word.

To: Mona Paris, Chief of Police, Yankers

Tomorrow, your fair city of Yankers will be graced with the presence of Dr. Lisa Anne Marginoff. She will arrive at Wank Airport at three o’ clock sharp, on a private jet. A full police escort will be expected. From there, she will be driven to a specially reserved private suite at the Tartian Towers. She will then meet Slick Dick at The Fighting Cock, your city’s most prized restaurant, for dinner around eight o’ clock. Your full co-operation is expected. Note: The aforementioned police escort will be mandatory at all times. Thank you in advance.

Mona sighed and tossed the telegram on her desk. “Why me?” she muttered, reaching for the phone. She punched in Blaze’s number, praying he was there. She had no such luck.

Jessica picked up the phone on the third ring. “Hello?”

Mona frowned, tapping her fingers on the desk. “Is Blaze there?”

“Sorry, Mona, he’s out. Want to leave a message?”

“Just tell him to get down here as soon as possible.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Jessica said, hanging up.

Mona sighed again and returned the phone to its cradle.

Blaze made his way down the dark street in silence. The few stragglers that remained out during this hour knew to stay out of his way. He came this way several times a month, and most people in Yankers knew him on sight, anyway. They might stop and stare at him, but only when his back was turned. Otherwise, they got out of the way and stayed there, if they were smart. It would never do to be the one that put Blaze in a foul mood.

He spotted the old gym a few blocks away, partially due to the sign outside, and partially due to the broken down Chevorlet on the sidewalk. Blaze tapped his fingers on the old vehicle as he reached it, coming up with dust. He wiped his hand on his pants and reached for the heavy door. As usual, it wasn’t locked. Just really heavy. But after years of opening it, Blaze hardly seemed to notice anymore.

The place never was well-lit, and tonight was no different. The only lights that worked cast a pale glow over the center of the gym, which happened to have a boxing ring. The ropes and turnbuckles were caked with thick layers of dust, but the mat itself was clean. Inside the ring, Blaze could see a man and a woman sparring. The man towered over her, probably reaching seven feet easily. He wore red headgear and matching gloves. The woman was around five feet or so, but she had no protection, save for the tape on her hands.

As he watched, the man stepped forward, delivering heavy blows. The woman dodged them easily, her quick movements making his seem even slower. In frustration, the man threw a wild punch that connected.

The woman’s head snapped back, her eyes filling with rage. “You hit me,” she whispered, clenching her fists.

“That’s the general idea,” the man grunted, wiping some sweat from his chin.

“Nobody hits me!” she shouted, charging at him. The first punch only stunned him. The next sent him flying over the ropes. A few seconds later, he crashed through a table.

“That’s got to hurt,” Blaze said.

The woman whirled around, ready to defend herself. Her face softened as she realized who it was. In a single bound, she sprang over the ropes and ran to him. “Big brother!” she cried happily, throwing her arms around his neck.

“Great to see you, too, sis,” he replied, kissing her cheek.

“I was wondering when you’d come back and see me,” she said, smiling up at him.

“I would’ve visited sooner, but I’ve been having the nightmares again,” he admitted.

“Why didn’t you call me?” she asked. “You know I’m always here.”

“I guess I didn’t want to worry you,” Blaze said, looking around the gym.

“Well, didn’t Jessica do anything about it?”

Blaze grinned. “Yeah, she sure--” He stopped and looked at her. “You set me up for that one,” he accused.

“Yeah, I did,” she said, smiling innocently at him. “Y’know, I just had the greatest idea!” she remarked.

“What’s that?” Blaze asked.

“I could move in with you.”

Blaze froze. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Jen.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“I’m not so sure we could live together without killing each other,” he said at last.

“What are you talking about? We never get mad at each other!”

“You’re mad right now,” Blaze pointed out.

“That’s because you don’t want me to move in with you!” Jen yelled.

“I’m really sorry, sis,” he apologized, “but I just don’t think it would be a good idea.”

“Look, brother. Just give me one good reason why we shouldn’t live together and I’ll never ask again.”

Blaze stared at her. Then he simply said, “I’m afraid my nightmares will come true.”

Jen looked at her older brother for a while. Finally, she turned away.

“I just want to protect you, and this is the best way I know how,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Jen sighed and laid her head on his chest. “I’m not a baby anymore, Blaze. When are you going to realize that I don’t need you and Goth to protect me?”

“I’m just trying to keep you alive,” he argued. “It’s bad enough that you live on this side of town.”

“What’s the point of moving if I can’t be with you?” she asked with a frown.

Blaze sighed and hugged his younger sister. “I just want you to be safe, Jen. My line of work is too dangerous as it is. Anyone who lived with me would be at risk. I don’t want to take the chance of losing you.”

Jen could see that Blaze wasn’t going to change his mind. “Okay, you win. I’ll stay here. But you have to promise to visit me every week!”

“Deal,” Blaze said. “By the way, when’s the last time you heard from Goth?”

Jen shrugged. “He doesn’t drop in much anymore. The last time I saw him, you two were here together.”

“Geez, that’s almost been three months,” Blaze muttered, glancing at his watch. They were only a few minutes away from midnight, which gave him plenty of time.

“Listen, I have to stop by Club Olympus on the way home. Why don’t you come with me?” Blaze asked.

“What for?” she wanted to know. “You making any money by staying here all day?” he asked.

Jen shook her head.

“Then come on! Maybe Goddess can find something for you to do there.”

Unable to think of a reason not to go, Jen sighed and followed him out the door.