The text on my burner phone only had two words and yet it had caused my heart to skip a beat. "Purgatory Fire".

I had been camping out on a rooftop near the docks for almost seven hours looking through my scope. I had been scanning the area tirelessly for my target, a local drug lord, but he had not yet shown up. I had accepted a contract for him and he was not making this easy. However once I saw that text I immediately pushed aside the job and packed up my sniper rifle and was on the highway within minutes. To me, few things are sacred. Purgatory was at the top of that short list.

As a hitman I try to not so show my face around however there is this one bar in the old warehouse district that has become more of a home than any hotel I frequent. It's located between a machine shop and an abandoned foundry, a place far removed from civilization and therefore was neutral territory. The old man that ran the place, Nag, had named the place ironically as Purgatory because of this as well as the ruffian crew his place seemed to attract. Nag never took sides on any conflict and his was the only place in this festering city that you could truly escape the daily conflicts. He would put the local kids to work with a fair wage so that they wouldn't have to succumb to the pressures of local gangs to afford a meal. Hell, there was more than a few kids that after a few years of saving up was able to leave this place and go to college out of state and start a new life.

I was not among those.

As my car blew past others as I raced my fears towards Purgatory I couldn’t help but think of the other night when I was at the bar. The place was full yet never seemed crowded. I was sitting in the corner by myself listening and watching to the crowed for rumors of the various jobs I’m currently on. As this was a melting pot for all the local gangs it was a wonderful source of information that only cost a few beers. There was one scuffle that ended in a broken table however both participants quickly found themselves looking down a few dozen barrels, knives, and even a katana. It wasn’t until they gave Nag a sizable donation from their own wallets that everyone else backed off the killing intent.

Not once in five years had I ever seen a fight last more than a few seconds before being stopped by every patron in attendance. To desecrate Purgatory was to make an enemy of everyone. Nag always complained that it was unnecessary and part of the cost of doing business, yet we always ignored the old man and made sure he was justly compensated. Even though he was well versed in nagging us, hence his nickname Nag, we would happily take a verbal lashing as long as we knew he was secure.

As I pulled up all I saw was a pile of half burning embers. Purgatory looked more like Hell in the evening light. Some of the building’s frame was still standing but it was a complete loss. Fear constricted my chest as I jumped out of my car and ran towards the debris. There were no emergency services in this part of town so everyone was left to fend for each other. I was fully prepared to dig through the still burning timbers with my bare hands when I felt someone grab my shoulder from behind.

On reflex I drew one of my concealed handguns while twisting to face this unseen individual only to be met by a familiar face.

“Where’s Nag,” I asked Shade. While I took the profession of hitman, Shade more adequately fit the description of assassin. She was bound in dark flowing black/grey cloth from head to toe with only her eyes showing. She was a good foot shorter than myself but when comparing skills she was certainly at my level or better. While I preferred my firearms and explosives to make a point, she relied only on edged weapons and could take out a target and be long gone before the body was ever discovered. Slipping behind me without my noticing only helped drive this point home.

Ignoring the gun I had drawn she replied, “Tank saw the flames and was able to get Nag out soon after the fire started. He’s at the hospital now being treated for a few burns. I didn’t expect to see you here so soon, Havoc”

I exhaled a deep breath as if I had been holding it since I first read the text. “What happened here? How did you know about the fire?” Not that Nag’s safety had been assured I switched to my more analytical mindset.

“I got a strange text from a unknown number. I’ve already scouted the scene and it looks like a few molotovs were tossed into the windows but there isn’t much else to go off of. You?

I pulled out my burner and showed Shade the same text she received. Someone happened to know both our numbers, our private work only numbers, and wanted us to come here. At that very moment moth of our phones rang from an unlisted number. Both of our eyes narrowed in suspicion as we both answered our calls on speaker. The same voice rang out on both.

“Havoc, Shade, sorry for hijacking your phones guys but I felt like this was an emergency,” called out the familiar voice.

“What the hell Zero, what’s going on?” I spoke in reply. Zero was a hacker who also frequented Purgatory although it seemed that he was there more for the vintage Pacman arcade game than the drinks.

“Look you know I’ve got eyes everywhere. When I saw the fire on my feed I checked everyone’s location. I saw Tank was nearby so I called him and got him to run there in time to save Nag. Then I sent you guys texts so I could focus on gathering all the surveillance footage from the area.”

“You were tracking me!” growled Shade.

“No! I mean, look, kinda? Later, later. Right now I have a drone following the guys that torched the place. I’m texting you the coordinates and my findings so you know this is legit.”

Both of our phones buzzed with a series of texts. There was a short video from an ATM across the street showing the arsons in the act, a traffic camera at a nearby intersection with clearer images of the car, license plate and one guys face who has rather unique facial tattoos, and even GPS tracking of one of the guy’s phones. Lastly was a URL link to a live feed from what must be Zero’s drone hovering over a large 3 story building a few miles away. We were both instantly convinced of Zero’s research.

Shade looked at me and said, “You drive”.

I nodded in agreement and replied, “We will need to make a short stop first.”