Clarity had felt so lost. When coming home to see her leader and dearest friend Kimble shot, she couldn't even think straight. Her hands and dress were covered in blood from trying to revive her friend. She stood at the edge of the street staring off into the distance. She couldn't find a reason for what happened and the only news she had heard was that Stamina was doing his best to save the city. Her loyalties did not lie with him, nor did they lie with anyone at that point.

Her head was spinning from shock she had received. Her feet barely put one step in front of the other. She didn't know where Xiphos was, nor Zia, she couldn't find her family...was that still her family? Who was she anymore? Clarity was searching for something, but she couldn't find what she needed. Her weight was barely staying balanced as she moved forward.

"Clarity!!!!" Her eyes searched for what she thought was her name. "Clarity!!!!" Was she just imagining things?

"Clarity!!!!" The voice was right next to her. Turning to look she saw JesseJames rushing towards her. She looked at him like he was a mirage. Feeling her legs buckle, the last thing she saw was him diving for her.

"Clarity, dear, wake up."

Slowly coming to, Clarity opened her eyes and soon regretted doing so. Her head was pounding which made her wince at each beat. Squinting she saw a smiling face.

"SexyBeast?" She was unsure of where she was. Looking down she saw her hands were still covered in blood and that she was still wearing the same dress. It hadn't been too long since she fainted. "Where is JesseJames?" Clarity said with a start. She was more awake now and still wasn't sure if what she had saw was real.

"He had to leave, but he brought you here to our HQ. You're safe, dear."

She looked at him with confusion. What was going on? Where was her family? She could tell that SexyBeast knew that she was searching for answers. He patted her shoulder and helped her stand up.

"We were looking for you after Kimble died. Took us a while, but we were able to find you and in the nick of time, too, it seems. Could of got hurt a lot more if Jesse wasn't there to catch you."

"But why?"

SexyBeast looked at her and his smile slowly faded away. She knew why instantly. Nodding, she leaned on him for support as they walked over towards the door.

"We also were able to contact Xiphos, so he'll be here shortly to look after you. For myself, I will have to be on my way shortly. I have to continue what was started."

Clarity didn't like the words SexyBeast spoke, but she understood them. She sat down at the table in the kitchen and waited as SexyBeast got her a bite to eat. Handing it to her he then gave her his typical smile. Little did she know that it would be the last time she saw it.

"Eat up, we need to get you back on your feet and running. You're home now, my dear. Welcome back to Chicago."

And with that he left.

------

Clarity cherished her memories as she sat in her headquarters, that was still new to her, being able to say it was her HQ. She smirked a bit as she then threw away another paper. She felt like it was forever ago that she saw his face. She had been trying to write down all her memories of people that had died, so that she would never forget them. She never wanted to struggle to remember their face and what they meant to her.

Slamming her fist onto the desk she stood up and then stared out the window. Why was it so hard to put her memories into words. Clarity knew she needed a break from things as she had been working overtime since she got the go ahead to have her own family, but she just couldn't stop. Her mind kept ticking and she needed to make sure all the words were written down before she forgot.

Looking up to the sky she sighed. The sky always gave her hope, it was like the stars at night, but held the same emotions as humans. Anger, was the thunder and lightning, sadness was the rain, and happiness was the blue sky. In this hope she found herself. Yet, at times it was hard to hold on, but that was what only made her stronger.

Xiphos watched from the doorway as Clarity looked out the window. He was beginning to worry about how much she'd been working. If she kept it up, she'd burn out before she hit her prime. He couldn't let that happen, he'd been sent to help her with her new business, and family, and that was exactly what he was going to do. He had watched her sit back down at her desk and continue to work on her notes. He set the steaming cups of coffee on a small table behind her. He snuck up behind her, and covered her eyes with his hands.

"Guess who?" Xiphos said.

"Now is not the time, Xiphos" Clarity replied

"Bullshit..." Xiphos said. He grabbed the sheet of paper she was writing on, and slid it from under her pen. He ignored the glare she gave him, and turned around to the table. He picked up the coffee, and set one mug in front of her. He sat in his usual spot across from her on her desk. He lifted the mug, and took a sip, cursing as it burned his tongue. He never seemed to learn that coffee was hot.

"I know you want to keep your memories, make sure that you remember them, but you can't let it consume you. It's break time."

"But..." Clarity protested.

"But nothing...just a cup of coffee...come on..." Xiphos fixed her with a stern glare, and she put down the pen.

He took another sip of coffee, more careful this time. He watched her finally pick up her mug.

Attn: Clarity

Your hard work is appreciated by Godfather JesseJames. You have clearly been through a lot. Statistically, many biologicals would find difficulties keeping up with your workrate, especially after all you have been through. Humans often illogically allow their emotions to get in the way of fulfilling their objectives. You must reprogram yourself to reverse these thought patterns. Emotions such as what you are presently experiencing can be exhausting. It can drain a person of their energies. This often poses as a problem.

Solution: NPMs. Robotic mobsters do not tire. They do not sleep. With the exception of brief recharging periods they continually generate income and collect intelligence for you. They are not influenced by emotion and therefore do not suffer the after-effects caused by them. Let your robots do the heavy-lifting so that you can allow yourself the adequate amount of rest the human body requires to function at maximum performance.

Jordan was having a bad day. A trip to Philly to sell heroin turned out to be a waste of time. Before she could sell the drugs the police busted her and threw her in jail. Jordan felt like she couldn’t breath in the small jail cell and the jokes Bubba taunted her with made her wish she could hitlist him. “What kind of bird can’t fly?” The old fat jail guard asked then answered, “A jail bird.” Jordan wasn’t amused.

After serving a full sentence Jordan hit the streets of Philly to sell her heroin, but the prices changed since her arrest. There was a rumor cocaine was cheap. Jordan decided to sell the heroin for a loss and buy cocaine in hopes of making a profit with it in Chicago. Ten minutes before her flight home she heard the price of heroin was up again. Jordan sighed at the news and thought about all the money she lost and the money she could have gained.

In Chicago the price of cocaine was not as high as Jordan hoped so she held on to her units. While waiting to hear if the price went up Jordan got a call from Xiphos. He had orders from the top for Jordan. The Godfather wanted a woman dead. The woman was in a coma in the hospital, but expected to wake up any day and rat on the mob. Unacceptable. Jordan was happy to follow through with her orders.

In the hospital Jordan was about to kill the woman when she woke up and pushed the gun out of Jordan’s hand. There was a struggle, a lot of scratching, hair pulling and name calling. It was a typical fight between broads in Chicago. Somehow Jordan managed to get away before the police arrived. Her gun was lost and her pride was hurt, but what pissed her off the most was she broke a nail.

A quick stop at her apartment to clean up made Jordan look as gorgeous as ever. Unfortunately during the fiasco in the hospital the price of cocaine went up then dropped down again. Jordan couldn’t catch a break. She was so frustrated she wanted to shoot the dumpsters in the alley behind her apartment, but she didn’t have a gun. Lucky day for the dumpsters.

When Jordan arrived at the family’s headquarters she walked in with a frown instead of her usual bright smile. For the first time that day something was right, Clarity’s office door was open. Jordan walked in the office and sat down on one of the chairs. “Is it time for a coffee break?” She asked and sighed, “I’ve had a hell of a day.”

Clarity thanked IG-88 for his concern, even if the robot couldn't understand feelings, she then shook her head to his suggestion before taking a sip of her coffee. She was never one to drink coffee, but she figured she would give it a try since Xiphos was so stern about making her take a break.

Smiling as Jordan walked in she could tell the girl was also in the same shoes as her. She waved her hand towards the coffee that they had sitting there on her desk. Clarity watched as Jordan quickly grabbed the cup and began to take small sips. At least none of them were dumb enough to take a huge gulp and burn their entire mouth. This made herself giggle a bit at the thought.

"You know, if it wasn't for you, Xiphos, I might one day pass out in my office and drool all over my papers. Wouldn't that be a sight to see?"

Clarity chuckled and watched as the two laughed with her. The picture of her drooling on papers would be an interesting moment to walk in on and abuse!

"It seems someone has been working just as hard as I have been in this office! What has my right hand got this poor girl doing!?"

Commenting on how wore out Jordan looked. Clarity then glared over at Xiphos. They all knew that she was beyond proud of how hard her members worked for her. She couldn't of asked for a better bunch. Pausing for a moment, she then opened her drawer and grabbed some mints out of it. She always had a stash in there for anyone to grab some. Placing them on the desk before them she took one herself and popped it in her mouth.

"Take one or two, or ten for all I care. We have another long day ahead of us. Make sure to clear your schedules. You both are coming with me on an adventure!"

Clarity pretended to get all excited, as if she was going to read a book to a child. Smiling she then leaned back in her chair, she had to amuse herself somehow.

Xiphos sat there, laughing on the inside. He didn't want to show his amusement, after his boss had just painted him as a hard ass. Might as well keep up the charade right? He grabbed a mint and put it next to his coffee mug. Drinking coffee with a mint in your mouth tasted horrible. He'd keep it for later.

"Does the tin man get to come along on the adventure!? Xiphos said, and pointed his chin to IG-88, still standing there, motionless.

He heard Clarity chuckle, and shrugged. Amusing his boss was one of his favorite past times, along with getting on her nerves. He knew her well enough that he was good at both. He took a sip of his slowly cooling coffee, and sighed in relaxation. He leaned back in his chair, and propped his feet up on the desk. It would annoy Clarity, and he always enjoyed getting a rise out of her.

Clairty didn't say a word, just violently shoved his feet off the desk, and glared.

"What kind of adventure are we in for? Better be something exciting..."

When Clarity mentioned an adventure Jordan’s eyes opened wide with surprise. Although Xiphos looked relaxed and ready for excitement Jordan didn’t know how much more she could handle. She loved the business, but a girl could only take so much drama in one day.

“Let’s finish our coffee first.” Jordan suggested to prolong the break. The chair she was sitting on was one of the most comfortable in the family’s headquarters. Jordan wasn’t quite ready to get up from it yet. She took another sip of her coffee and hoped the strong brew kicked in soon to give her energy to carry out whatever Clarity had planned.

“I had a little mishap today.” Jordan said somewhat hesitantly. “Well, actually more than one, but only one I’m deeply embarrassed about.” She sighed and turned her head, unable to keep eye contact with Clarity or Xiphos as she was about to explain her terrible error. “I tried so hard…” more words were mumbled, but they were spoken so quietly they were hard to hear, “I’ve been practicing, but obviously not enough.” Finally the quiet confession ended with, “I‘m so ashamed.”

Jordan finally looked at Clarity and Xiphos again. They appeared to be confused about what she was talking about. With tears in her eyes she admitted, “It’s the worst thing ever, I lost my gun.”

Clarity couldn't help but giggle at Jordan's overreaction to losing her gun. It was something most mobsters experienced, but yes it was very embarassing. Patting the girl on her shoulder she nodded towards the book case to the right of her.

"I have a few spare guns hidden behind some books. Feel free to take one."

Shaking her head she took her last sip of the coffee before she threw up. She could never take the taste of coffee. Which is why she was in desperate need of more wine in her HQ. Yet, Clarity was picky on what wine they used. She only cared for the best which was hard to find around here.

"Our fellow robot seems content on standing there and being a good coat hanger. So I doubt he'll be coming along for the trip."

Standing up and streching, Clarity then fixed her dress before grabbing her coat. It was very cold out now and she wasn't about to forget, walk out, and freeze to death. She looked at the two before her as if she was waiting on them to stand up with her. When she finally got tired of them being oblivious she took her hand and bonked them both on the head.

"Wake up, kids. We've got a job to do!"

Then grabbing their coats she threw them on top of their heads before they had the chance to stand up. Clarity laughed a bit before walking around them to wait for them at the door.

"Before we head out, I'll let you know what we're up to. You see, our HQ is in dire need of some good wine, but the best wine is found in an extremely shady part of town. You know where our rival family lives? I need more than just myself to get in and get out. You guys up for it? Wait, I don't need an answer, you both are going either way."