Rock Howard defeated his uncle, Kain R. Heinlein who inherited Geese's place and began to rule Second Southtown. Kain offered his nephew information regarding his mother if he joined him. Rock decides to join his uncle, he cuts ties with Terry and everyone else he knew just to keep them safe. This story focuses on his life with Kain, in the underworld. Maximum Impact 1 and 2 will take during this story. ENJOY and IMAGINE! That's what we can do, after all. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. They belong to SNK.
Chapter 1: The Beginning of a New Era.
Rock Howard had joined Kain, his uncle. Just for the sake of his mother. He had cut off all the ties from his friends and family. He never saw Terry even once after he had joined Kain. It had been a whole week since he had joined his uncle. Rock lived alone now. He lived in a apartment, given to him by Kain. Rock often wondered how Terry would be doing. How other people he once knew would be doing? His friends and family all were away from him just from accepting Kain's offer. Rock had still no idea why Kain wanted his help?
Kain was ruling over Second Southtown, what else could he need? But surprisingly, Kain did not try to instill fear in people. It had been a month since Kain came into power yet he still didn't do anything suspicious.
Rock was standing in front of Kain's desk, looking directly into the eyes of his uncle. Kain's lips were forming a smile. What could he possibly have in store for his nephew? Rock didn't hesitate to ask his uncle, he had agreed to join him. "So, what do you need?" There was a little hint on anger in his voice. Rock hated it. He was doing something his mother was against.
Kain had realized one thing about Rock. He was too soft. He needed to break him. 'Emotions get in the way, after all'. Kain thought to himself. Kain decided to explain to his nephew about his first job. "I need you to gather information on the other gangs that are currently in Second Southtown. And once that's done, get rid of them. Use any means necessary. You have three days." Kain said coldly, no hint of emotion in his voice.
Rock decided to test the waters. He had to know how much Kain was willing to give or take. "And what if I don't do it in time?" He made sure to add the sound of mockery in his voice.
A smile found it's way to Kain's lips. It was time to show him how serious it was. "Well then, you can say goodbye to your mother." Kain replied, his smile widening a bit. Rock gritted his teeth in frustration. Kain was playing dirty. He could make him whatever he wanted. "So, three days it is. And I want all of them. Not a single one left behind." Kain ordered. "It would be good if you start now." Kain said, telling Rock to leave.
Rock exited the office. He was frustrated. There was nothing he could do against Kain. He just hated him. The next person to meet him was probably gonna end up getting punched in the face. Rock went to his motorcycle and raced off into the night. He knew where he had to start. The secrets of Second Southtown were buried in it's parks and lurked in it's alleys. And who knew most about them? Bartenders, waiters, restaurant owners and managers. If he was lucky he could find someone from another gang and get him to spit out all the information.
Rock stopped in front of a bar. He had just turned 18 but he wasn't the one who enjoyed drinking. He looked at the sign above. The Illusion. It's owner was King, one of the good guys. She also knew that Rock had left Terry's wing and joined Kain. Since she hated crime lords, Rock was in her bad books. So, going through the front door was out of option. He would have to enter through the back. And who knew, Ryo Sakazaki could be there and Rock certainly knew that he was one of the few who Terry considered as his rival. So, fighting him could be troublesome and it would blow his cover?
Rock went behind the building and saw the backdoor. He would have to be sneaky. Knowing that, there would be few people at the bar at 11:45 pm in the night. Rock knew from experience, he had worked there and he remembered the routine. So, one of the waitresses would be taking a break. The newcomers would probably be working overtime just to be in good books of King.
Rock knocked on the door and hid next to it. The door opened. "Who's there?" A female voice said. It wasn't King. It was one of the waitresses, senior waitresses. Rock had hit the jackpot. He quickly appeared in front of the person standing in the door, grabbed her wrist and pulled her out and pinned her against the wall. He shut the door and put a hand over her mouth to make sure she wouldn't start screaming. It was Sally. Rock put over a finger on his lips and told her to be silent. "Shhh... don't make a sound." He whispered.
Rock slowly removed his hand from her mouth. Sally started to breath heavily. Unknown to Rock, she wasn't able to breath while he was covering her mouth. Sally was shocked to see Rock. He had disappeared all of a sudden after the tournament. The word on the street was that he was working with Kain. "What are you doing?" Sally asked, there was fear in her voice. She didn't want the rumors to be true. "I need information of other gangs on Second Southtown. I know you know about them." Rock said, the tone of danger lurked in his voice. No one would be stupid enough to defy him if they realized that he was angry. After all, Rock had defeated the strongest person in Second Southtown, Terry Bogard.
Despite Sally's wishes, the rumors were true. He was working for Kain. That question he just asked had confirmed rumors into truth. But the question now was why?Why did Rock decide to help Kain? "Why do you want to know?" She asked, staying still in her place. Rock wasn't even touching her. He just took a step back. He knew that involving others would only put them in danger. "It's none of your business." Rock said, doing his best to avoid the question he had just been asked.
That didn't convince Sally. She wanted to know why. "And what if I don't tell you?" She threatened. Rock was now with no other choice. He would have to wear the mask of the wicked. A self-loathing laugh escaped his mouth. He couldn't believe that he was gonna do it. "Then, I guess you don't want to live." Rock said as his hands were covered by blue aura of energy. While Sally was shocked, she could not even imagine him turning out to be like this. "No, you wouldn't." She said in disbelief. Rock's smirk grew wider. "Wanna try me?" He said as he brought his hand closer to her. That was it.
The fear for her life had taken over her. He was no longer the same innocent and shy boy to her. He had changed into a complete monster. "Ok, I'll talk... Just don't hurt me." She said, looking away from him. Closing her eyes in fear. Rock pulled his hand away from her and she began to talk. Telling him about the gangs in Second Southtown. Rock knew where the information was since every gang in Southtown had tried to shut down The Illusion. King didn't agree to work with them and sell their stuff. So, it was only natural that they would try to shut her bar down. And there was only one way for a gang to stick their feet in Second Southtown and that was by having solid business. The only one who was able to do it was Geese Howard. Apparently, all of the gangs were going to have a meeting at a warehouse on the outskirts of Second Southtown. It was a golden opportunity to get them all at once.
After Sally was done giving Rock the information he needed, Rock decided to leave. Sally fell to the ground, she buried her head between her knees. She was sad, sad that the person who once worked with her was now walking a path that did not lead to anything good. But little did she know that Rock himself hated doing it. Rock walked away from the place and as he was about to leave he turned around to say one final thing to his ex co-worker. "I'm sorry." Rock said. Sally didn't notice the sadness in his voice as he left. He hated it. He had to hurt someone who cared for him. He had to hurt a friend. She acted like his older-sister. He did it just to get a job done. Rock knew that she wasn't the only who would have to bear pain because of him.
Rock got all the information he needed. He made a mental note of the people who were going to be his targets. Rock increased the speed of his motorcycle even more, making it as fast as he could. He wanted to vent his rage and frustration somehow. He could actually not wait to get to those gang leaders. Rock was now driving on the outskirts of Second Southtown. Only a few gangs were located in Second Southtown while most of them had their hideouts on the outskirts of the city. No wonder they were unable to make their presence known.
Rock stopped in front of a huge warehouse. It was probably the place where the drugs were made and kept. This was the main source of their income. The gangs had tended to unite and divide Second Southtown among each other. So, they were all allies and enemies to Kain. Rock took some pictures of the gang leaders and the manufacturing of drugs as evidence. After he was done with that, Rock just decided to barge inside. He broke down the door with a rempuuken . The workers inside were startled by the sudden noise. And Rock was right, it was the place where drugs were made. Rock sprinted right in the building. He was beating everyone up. He was kicking, punching and throwing the bodyguards. He was too fast for them. Soon, the bodyguards were all down. Only the gang leaders remained and they were all afraid of the young man standing in front of them with blood stained fists. "I heard you were all gonna be here." Rock said. Sally's information wasn't wrong. All of them were here. "Do you know how many lives have you destroyed with those drugs of yours?" Rock said angrily.
"Please spare us! We'll give anything you want!" The gang members begged for their lives. Rock was now confused. What should he do? Should he call the police or just kill them? For all Rock knew, the police of Second Southtown was improving. The word on the street was that the police department was getting better. Rock only knew two people who were police officers. One was a private detective, Mary Ryan. She was also the love interest of his adoptive father, Terry Bogard. The other one was a S.W.A.T officer, Kevin Rian, Mary's relative. Since he was not familiar with Rock that much, Rock decided to call him. And it didn't seem like a job for a detective, Rock had solved the case himself. He needed someone to clean the mess. Rock took out his cellphone and called Kevin's office.
It was 12:00 am, midnight. The righteous police officer was sitting on his chair. He hated being on duty at night. He was worried about Marky. The phone rang and grabbed Kevin's attention. Kevin looked at the time, who could call at midnight. But then again, bad guys never take time off. Kevin picked up the receiver and casually said. "SSPD (Second Southtown Police Department), how may I help you?" His tone was casual. "I have all the crime lords of Second Southtown tied up here with all the evidence. Come to the big warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Feel free to take the credit." Rock said. Kevin wasn't really familiar with Rock so he couldn't recognize his voice. But the statement had piqued his interest. "Is this some kind of joke?" Kevin thought of this as some kind of a prank. "What's the harm in checking for yourself? It's still better than staying cooped up in that office of yours." Kevin could hear the mockery in the caller's voice. The person definitely knew of his routine. "If you want it then come get it. I'll be going now." Rock said and hanged up. He knew that Kevin would come. Everyone knew who the crime lords were but no one had the evidence. They would get arrested but they would be released because of lack of evidence. The police department had almost lost hope expect a few like Kevin Rian. Kevin had a strong sense of justice and he wanted to help the people of Second Southtown. No way he was going to refuse getting all the crime lords along with the evidence. This was a golden opportunity and probably the last.
Rock destroyed his cell phone and threw it in the lake. He didn't want his phone to get tracked. It would be a problem for him to get caught by the police. Rock left the photographs on a table in the warehouse. He got on his bike and ignited the engine. He looked towards the huge tower in the city, Heinlein Tower. He couldn't see it but he knew that his uncle was standing there and watching him. He could feel it. He drove away in the night back to the tower to report. He felt that his uncle had all of this planned.
Rock reached the Heinlein Tower. He looked at the time, it was quite late. He made his way up to the top floor. His uncle was still there. It seemed that he was waiting for him. "So, you did the job?" He asked, amused. Rock wasn't in the mood to play. "Yeah, I got them arrested." Rock said, coldly. There was still no change in Kain's expression. "Come on nephew, why the long face? You helped Second Southtown by getting them arrested. You didn't do anything illegal." Kain said.
Rock's head was getting filled many questions. "Why me? Couldn't you do it yourself?" He asked, looking him directly in the eye. Kain was unfazed by that question. "Rock, I want you to face the reality. Running away from your problems isn't the solution to them. If you keep running from them, they will come to haunt you later in your life." Kain stood up from his place and stood in front of the glass wall behind him. He looked down at the city. "People used to go to bed early before I came." He said in a low voice. "Rock, when I first saw you. I saw a coward." Kain said, he didn't hold back. Rock just clenched his fist. "You were afraid to face the truth. This truth. If you want to clear your name or make a name, you have to earn it. And you were hiding under the name of Bogard all these years. Seriously, I can't believe Marie raised you to be this weak." Kain said with his eyes narrowed and the mockery in his voice.
Rock was obviously offended by that statement. "At least she kept you from following into Geese's footsteps. And most of all, she kept you alive." Kain said with a hint of remorse in his voice when he spoke about his sister. "If you want to live a peaceful life, then redeem yourself. In your own eyes. Today, you took the first step towards it. By cleaning some of the mess, your father had made." Kain said, no hint of emotion in his voice. But it was making sense to Rock. Was his uncle trying to help him? He could not understand Kain's purpose for being in Second Southtown. He couldn't be there for him. Even if he was, then why now? Rock's brain flooded with questions.
Kain looked at his watch, it was 1:00am. "It's late. Go get some sleep." He said to his nephew, still looking down from the window. Rock exited the office. When Kain was sure that he was gone, he looked up at the moon from his window. Kain slightly smiled at the sight. 'He's a lot like you, Marie.' Kain thought to himself. Smiling while remembering his elder sister.
That was it. Hope you guys enjoyed. Leave a review. I will try to be as regular as I can. Any ideas you have, you can message me or leave a review about it. For those who couldn't figure out the plot. Wait for the next chapters. More to come soon. Leave a review. BYE!