"Five years, next Thursday. And it is clearly noted by the blood that stains my clothes. For five years, I have taken it upon myself to cast blind judgment against, and I do mean against, those who oppose the opinions of my party. However, society would claim that I am simply a "gang banger" that kills for no good reason. This, my friend, is the opinion of an uneducated fuck who truly does not understand the complexity of street life in this day and age. You see, I prefer to view the whole idea of gangs in a more sophisticated manner..."

He laughed.

…

…As if my words were funny.

I stared at him, from across my desk, with utter disbelief… then I pulled out a gun.

Two shots. Clear through his fucking skull.

I stared at the mess I had made with a smile and a sense of ease. I walked over to the pile of brains I once called a friend. Now, as I crouched down next to him in his chair, I continued to explain my philosophy…perhaps with a little too much tension in my tone.

"We do not merely kill without reason. We do not do the things we do for a false sense of pride. Our colors do not simply distinguish us from others. Our colors represent a common idea; belief in liberation from any tyrannical force that could threaten our god given rights. Do you see? My brothers and I share this belief, and that is what gives us foundation and stability.

I got a little mad.

"Do you fuckin' get it?! With your men, there is no trust, no loyalty, and every last one of em' would have jumped at the chance to fuck you over!"

I calmed down.

I turned away.

…

I turned back to face him.

I moved in closer to the remains of his head and I spoke clearly to ensure that he could hear me well enough.

"So, you may call us degenerates or whatever the fuck you like…

I made sure to get even closer to make a lasting impression.

"…but we will always be closer to saints than you fucks!"

I remember standing over the mess of blood and having only one thought come to mind.

'Lame fuck…you ruined a perfectly good chair"

I turned away.

I walked towards the door.

And that was that.

--

There's a truly serene feeling on a rainy day in Liberty City; a certain feeling of relief that most people are unable to explain. For some, however, it's perfectly clear what gives them such a feeling. After the streets become stained with the blood of a day's work, they know that the rain will come… to wash away their sins. Jack knew the feeling all too well.

Despite the rain, Seneca Street was still as busy as usual. No matter what the weather is like, people will always find something to keep themselves occupied. Behind a bar, Jack Cameron leaned back lazily against the bricks as he lit a cigarette. The small light made a considerable difference in the darkness of the alleyway and revealed the features of his face; from his damp, brown hair, to his blue eyes, newly blackened, to his lips, busted and bleeding. Neither Jack's expression, nor his posture, gave any hint to his mindset at the time. He remained where he was, as if in some peaceful trance.

Jack heard footsteps approaching his direction as he took a long drag of his cigarette. As he exhaled, a recognizable figure came through the smoke. Jack made no change in his pace and held a straight face for as long as he could until he could no longer help it and gave a big smile.

"Haha, Dan the man" Jack said as he extended his arm out to shake hands.

"Damn, it's been while man" said Dan with a sigh of relief. Jack continued, "Fuckin' right, they been sayin' you got wasted weeks ago."

"Common man, gimme some credit, I can handle myself."

"Well what the fuck happened?"

"I just got a little too involved with some business over in Alderney, I needed some time to get my shit together."

"Alderney?

"Yeah"

"That's AX5 territory"

"So"

"So what the fuck kind of business was it?"

A short, awkward pause ensued before Dan finally said, "Don't worry bout it man…"

Jack became confused and knew that his friend was hiding something from him. "Well… common man, lets go get a drink." Jack said as the conversation ended.

The two, in uniform, walked into the bar and took a seat. Judgmental glares let them know that they were not welcomed, however, the fear in those same eyes let them know that they were in control because no one would dare to voice their opinion. And that was how things were for the people of Seneca Street, ever since the WK Mafia declared it their turf.

After two rounds and a little time to catch up on old business, it became apparent to Jack that something was wrong, but he chose to ignore it in an attempt to not ruin a good time. However, Dan finally spoke up.

"Look man, we need to talk."

With a look of confusion, Jack answered, "… sure man."

The two left their stools and walked over to a table further away from people. Dan began the conversation with a very serious look on his face.

"Seneca Street is being invaded."

"Are you fuckin' kidding me? By who?" Jack asked, humored by the thought.

"This aint a fuckin' joke, the AX5 have been on the move for a while now"

Jack sat back in his chair and, with his arms relaxing behind his head, he started explaining to his friend, "Listen, maybe you forgot, but we're running with the biggest gang in Liberty City. I seriously doubt anyone would want to fuck with the Dukes, and fuckin' with us is just like fuckin' with the Dukes. If you think about it, we're invincible by association."

Jack leaned back in his chair and looked at his friend with a smile, almost as if in a pompous manner. Dan, however, was not convinced.

"I know our situation looks good, but have you ever even considered an internal attack?" Dan said.

Jack slowly returned to an attentive posture.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jack said with a tone of suspicion.

"For the past month, I've been seeing some AX5 fucks marching right through our turf…" Dan said, before being abruptly interrupted by Jack.

"They were probably just up here on small business er something, don't mean they're bringing war and especially don't mean they're bringing it to us."

"No, I mean they've been hiding out on Seneca Street in some apartment complex… they all go to that same complex. I don't get how the warlord could just overlook something like that."

Jack sat motionless, searching himself for any kind of logical explanation. Dan eagerly stared him down as if provoking Jack to prove him wrong. Eventually, Jack gave in.

"Well shit, what should we do?" Jack said in a bewildered tone.

"We gotta talk to the warlord." Dan replied.