Hey people. Thank you for taking time to read my new story. This idea was given to me by a really good friend who suggested I write about our GTA online characters getting into all kinds of bullshit. Almost every OC I introduce will be based on a real life buddy of mine and their character. So if you don't like OC driven stories, might as well stop reading now. And for those of you who like this kind of stuff, I hope you enjoy. Just a fair WARNING this is GTA so expect lots of violence, cussing, and possibly more explicit things in later chapters. I am always open to any feedback so PM me or leave a review. Either way I'll get to it at some point. Have an awesome day.
-Tank
Chapter One: Death of the Phoenix
Two years earlier…
"Just fucking drive!" A man in the passenger seat of the Dubsta 6x6 shouted as he blindly fired out of the window at the assailants chasing them. The large truck weaved in and out of traffic as it flew down the highway out towards Blaine County. Two motorcycles and a few cars pursued them mercilessly while barely avoiding the other cars in their way.
"Do you want to drive? No? Then shut the fuck up!" The man behind the wheel yelled back as he narrowly missed the minivan to his left. The truck may have been fast for it's size but having six wheels made it hard to turn on a dime. The sound of screeching tires and gunfire drowned out almost all other sound except for one. Despite the ringing in their ears the two men in the cab could still hear the laughter and cursing from the third man who was posted up in the bed of the truck with his back against the window. Emptying every bullet he had from the Combat MG in his hands guaranteed at least one kill right? The hail of bullets pelted the car directly behind them as the windshield became cracked and splattered with blood. The car then went into a skid causing it to slam into the guardrail. It began to roll and bits of metal as well as one of the passengers started to fly out over the street.
"Holy Shit, did you guys see that?!" The man in the bed hollered through the busted out rear window. The man in the passenger seat just rolled his eyes as the driver let out a chuckle and signaled a thumbs-up. One car down, two to go.
"Hey Danny, if you could take care of those bikes I'd appreciate it!" the man in the passenger seat let out an audible groan as he climbed partly out the window to allow better accuracy. He then pulled out his Combat Pistol and started firing at the cyclists coming up on the right side of the truck. He emptied an entire magazine before pulling himself back into the safety of the cab. Not a single bullet had hit it's target. All it had accomplished was getting them to back off a bit.
"I couldn't hit them. We need to think of another plan. The hideouts coming up soon and we need to lose them by then." Danny said in a slightly panicked tone. The driver just turned his head slightly to give the other man a quizzical look. It was obvious something was on his mind but he would keep it to himself for now.
"I guess I have to do everything myself." The man in the back mumbled under his breath as he stood up in the back of the truck. Carefully planting his feet at the correct angle to ensure he didn't tumble out. The situation needed to be analyzed quickly and he was running out of time. Then he saw it. The two bikes were right beside one of the remaining cars and he seized the opportunity. He took aim as best he could given the constant swerving, and pulled the trigger. The burst of lead flew directly towards the driver in the other car forcing him to swerve to the right. The front end of the car collided with the first bike, sending it's rider through the back windshield of an upcoming SUV. The second motor cycle then slammed into the passenger door of the now sideways vehicle just before the second car did the same, crushing the bike between them.
Whoops and hollers of celebration could be heard from the truck as it tore off the highway and up the dirt path towards their hideout. The man in the bed then slid himself through the back window carefully trying to avoid the shard of broken glass before lightly falling onto the soft cloth seat.
"Nice work man." The driver said as they neared their destination.
"Same to you brother." The man behind him responded while cracking his knuckles. "But seriously, Danny is the one goin in the back next time." He stated before patting the passenger's shoulder. Danny seemed uneasy for some reason. His eyes constantly darted back and forth while gripping the pistol in his hand as tightly as possible.
"Hey man, are you ok? You seem jumpy." The driver asked with fake concern dripping from his voice. Danny quickly stopped scanning the area and turned towards the man behind the wheel.
"Yeah I'm fine. Just a lot of adrenalin running through me right now, It was a close call." The grip he had on his gun seemed to lighten up a little but he was clearly still on edge.
"I wouldn't say it was a 'Close Call'. We made it out with barely a scratch." The man sitting behind him stated with heavy emphasis and air quotes. The driver glanced back in the rear view mirror with a questioning expression to which the man in the back just shrugged. After just a few more minutes of driving, the truck turned up a narrow driveway leading to a small six car garage. Once they came to a stop inside they all evacuated and Danny went to close the garage door. As he approached it however, he stopped to look out into the darkness for a few seconds before pulling the door down. Once they were all standing around each other it was apparent that man in the back was the tallest among them holding a few inches above the others. The driver and Danny were around the same height. After taking a minute to make sure everything was locked up they all started to remove their gear. The masks came off first.
The driver removed his skull styled ski-mask to reveal light brown hair in a biker's cut and tattoos on both sides of his head. The left side had the word "Ghost" in big bold letters while the other side had what looked to be a tribal style phoenix stretching from behind his ear to just behind his hairline. His face was covered in light stubble from a weeks worth of not shaving.
Next the man who was previously in the back removed his flat-bill hat while simultaneously pulling the skull printed bandana from his face. He also had a biker's cut only his hair was black with blonde tips accompanied by a full beard. He had tattoos also but not quite the same as the other man. He had two smaller tribal phoenixes mirrored on both sides of his head and the word "Tank" printed on the back of his neck. They did share more than the phoenix however. Both of their right arms had the Grim Reaper at the top and "Ride or Die" written in cursive on their forearms. Every crew has their signature. Theirs just happened to be a lot of ink.
Finally Danny removed his camo ski-mask to reveal short brown hair and a clean shaven face. Since he was still just a prospect for the crew he hadn't been inked yet. Danny was obviously the youngest out of the small group, looking to be around 21 or so. Tank and Ghost however, looked to be around the same age. Most likely 26-27 give or take a year. The two older members had been doing this for awhile so by now they were used to the thunder of guns and the pure adrenalin coursing through their veins, and even though Danny was relatively new he hadn't shown any weakness until tonight. Something was wrong and Ghost could feel it.
Tank walked back over to the truck before reaching in and removing the small briefcase from the back floorboard. He then sat it in front of the others before opening it. Filled to the brim with cash and passports it was unclear what Madrazo wanted with them but it wasn't really their business. He paid them good money to do the work and be on their way but Tank felt that the work they had just pulled off deserved some snooping. They just assaulted a small parking garage filled with armed, suit wearing badies. Then they had to chase down a car being driven by the guy with the files they were after. And then if that wasn't enough, they were chased almost all the way back to Madrazo's which forced them to take the detour out to the secluded garage. After glancing at the case's contents for a brief second Ghost just rolled his eyes and quickly shut it before taking it under his arm towards one of the cars at the back of the garage.
"Hey guys. I was thinking about something." Danny stated at low volume as if he was almost afraid to say it. Ghost stopped in his tracks and glanced back over his shoulder in order to allow Danny to continue speaking. Tank just crossed his arms and leaned against the truck.
"Those guys that were chasing us earlier…" He said. Pausing for a second as if to allow someone else to speak but the others remained silent. "…They were different than anyone else we've gone against. They seem like really bad news so maybe we should consider giving the stuff back. We can set up a meeting spot for all of us to make a deal." A look of confusion plastered itself on Tank's face as he tried to comprehend what the prospect had just said. Ghost immediately dropped the briefcase and pulled the Heavy pistol out of the inside pocket of his jacket. Taking aim at Danny's head as the aluminum case bounced off the concrete floor. The prospects face turned to terror as he backed into the workbench behind him.
"Whoa man, take it easy." Tank said as he raised his hands toward Ghost who continued to hold Danny's gaze with the barrel of the pistol locked right between his eyes. "What the hell are you doing?" He continued trying to defuse the situation.
"He's been nervous all night since the job started." Ghost replied plainly as if that was all the explanation they needed.
"Well yeah, I mean every job we do has a risk of getting us killed. I think it's perfectly reasonable to be nervous." Tank stated holding his ground.
"Yes, but when have you ever seen him get nervous before? It doesn't make sense, especially since we've done things ten times worse than this. Now all of a sudden he's scared and has a conscience." Ghost stated while glancing over to his crewmate for a quick second. "I don't buy it." Tank was starting to understand where his partner was coming from. Looking back at the night's events seemed to send up the same red flag in the taller man's mind.
"And also even though he's just a prospect, his accuracy has always been spot on. Yet earlier he emptied an entire clip without hitting something that was less than ten feet away from him." Tank then realized just how serious the situation was becoming as he pulled the Pistol .50 from the holster strapped to his leg.
"What are you guys trying to say?" Danny asked in a shaky voice barely above a whisper, already knowing exactly what they were thinking.
"He's saying you're trying to set us up." Tank responded as he pointed the gun at his chest. "Who wants the case?" The taller man asked as he took a step forward. Danny quickly glanced from Tank to Ghost whose glare never faltered and it caused more fear to erupt within the prospect.
"Ok look, we can work this out." Danny said as he cowered in front of them.
"If you have an idea then you better start talking really fucking fast." Ghost stated as he began to raise his voice.
"These people are really bad news. I'm not sure where they came from or who they are. I'm not even sure they have a name yet, but they came into the city with one purpose."
"And what would that be?" Ghost asked the prospect with the patience in his voice running thin. The only thing Danny could do was let out a shaky breath, trying to calm himself before continuing.
"They want to take control of every other gang in the area, and eliminate anyone who refuses to cooperate. They don't want the case. They want your heads." Danny gritted his teeth at the last part, hoping they wouldn't just shoot him now. Tank turned his attention to Ghost to speak to him directly.
"How do you want to handle this?"
"Where is the meeting?" Ghost wasn't asking, he was demanding. Danny just shook his head slightly clearly not liking where this was going.
"Where?!" Ghost repeated before pressing the barrel of the Heavy Pistol to other man's temple. Danny looked like he was on the edge of tears, taking short ragged breaths trying his best not to hyperventilate.
"Sandy Shores Airfield!" Danny finally yelled just hoping this would end. Ghost removed the gun from his head and put it back in his jacket before placing his hands on the other man's shoulders and standing him up strait. Danny was clearly confused and completely unsure about what would happen next.
"I have a plan and you're gonna help us." A grin spreading across his face as Danny's eyes widened in fear.
30 minutes later…
The solid black Sabre Turbo pulled onto the runway awaited by a large SUV and two people standing in front of it. They both wore a nice pair of jeans and white t-shirts with black suit jackets on. Their noses turned up so high they could smell the clouds. They clearly thought of themselves as big-shots. Danny came to a stop with only 5-6 feet between them. Once he was out of the vehicle he made his way over to them as one of the men offered out his hand to the prospect.
"I take it everything went smoothly Mr. Daniels?" Danny cringed at the sound of his last name and it just reminded him how much he hated the name his parents had given him. Danny Don Daniels. 'What the fuck were they thinking?' he thought to himself. Quickly shaking the thoughts from his head, he finally responded.
"Yeah, it took a bit of work but I got it done." He stated motioning over to the car. "They're in the trunk."
"Well on behalf of my colleagues and higher-ups I would like to thank you for your cooperation." One of the men said as they started to walk around the side of the car. "Now if you please Mr. Daniels. Open the trunk." Danny just nodded and reached in his pocket for the remote. He pointed the device at the car but the trunk didn't open. Instead the headlights flashed twice and the two men started growing impatient.
"Mr. Daniels, we don't have all night." Was the last thing the man was able to say before a shot rang out from somewhere in the distance. The Sniper Rifle round traveled at such high velocity that it tore through the man's skull before the echo died out. Blood splattered onto the other man's face blurring his vision for the time being. Taking the opportunity Danny hit the button for the trunk and as it opened Tank lifted himself out of the compartment and fired his Pistol .50 at the remaining man. The first shot entered the man's stomach before pulling the trigger and firing again. The second shot then ripped through his chest cavity. The man's lifeless body fell back onto the dust ridden runway as Danny breathed out a sigh of relief. The prospect then made his way over to Tank who was now climbing out of the trunk.
"So I guess it's over now?" Danny asked questionably as he looked back at the two bodies lying on the runway with blood quickly pooling under them.
"Not quite." Tank stated as another shot echoed off the hillside. This time the round struck Danny, passing through his left shoulder just inches above his heart. He hit the ground hard and let out an agony filled scream. The pain was intense and forced his body into the fetal position involuntarily. He gritted his teeth as he gripped his shoulder tightly trying to apply any pressure he could. His own blood started to mix with the sand and stain the concrete below him.
"B-but I-I h-helped you." Danny cried through gasps of air since the impact had knocked all from his lungs.
"Only because you were caught." Tank stated matter-of-factly. "Even as a prospect you should know the rules by now." Danny just continued to wince in pain.
"W-what about m-my family? I'm the only o-one who looks after t-them. They w-won't make it w-without me-." His sentence was cut short by a final shot from the high caliber pistol entering his skull, splattering blood and brain across the pavement.
"Should have thought about that before." Tank mumbled as he heard the engine of Ghost's Obey 9F Cabrio pull up behind him. Ghost exited the vehicle and approached Tank who was now leaning against his Turbo and checking how many rounds he had left in that magazine. He stopped in front of the taller man and started to roll his shoulder slightly while scanning over the bodies at his feet.
"You good?" Tank asked not once looking up from the weapon in his hands.
"Yeah, It's just the kick on that rifle is a real bitch sometimes." Ghost stated with a sigh as he started to walk towards the mysterious looking individual he had taken out earlier. He quickly started searching the man's pockets as Tank did the same to the other, both of them finding wallets, switchblades, and AP Pistols. They emptied the contents of the wallets onto the ground. Both of the strange men were carrying 500 dollars all in twenties in their wallets. The two crew mates quickly pocketed the cash and searched for any form of I.D. but came up empty handed.
"Who the fuck are these guys." Tank asked clearly frustrated with the lack of information they were getting. Ghost just shrugged before starting to remove the dead man's watch. Then something caught his eye. On the man's wrist hidden under the leather strap of the watch was a tattoo. A small cracked skull with what looked like blood dripping from its teeth. Ghost held up the lifeless arm to show Tank who quickly discovered the same emblem on the other guy. The sniper immediately pulled out his phone and snapped a picture before placing the Ifruit device back in his pocket. The two then proceeded to pick the strangers up along with Danny and loaded them into the SUV. Once they were all positioned inside Tank Slapped a Sticky Bomb to the driver's side door and walked back to his Turbo. By now Ghost already had Lester on the phone to discuss the current situation.
"What do you mean they're gone?!" The sniper demanded to know as he dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. The look on his face turned from frustration to concern at Lester's next response.
"Well…shit." Was all Ghost could say at the news he had just heard. "Alright, let everyone else know to lay low for a few days and I'm sending you a picture of the emblem these goons had inked on their wrists. Maybe it will give us an idea of who they are." And with that Ghost ended the call. Tank approached his crewmate unsure if he wanted to know what news Lester had just dropped on them.
"Leo and Kendra were just taken out." He stated while pulling out another Redwood to light.
"That means we're the only bosses left. We can't run this crew with just the two of us. We need to make some promotions fast." Tank said letting out a heavy and tired sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose. The four of them were the founding members of Phoenix Fury and with the others now gone their empire was about to get a lot more hectic.
"Before we promote anyone we need to clean house. Apparently Danny wasn't the only backstabbing son-of-a-bitch we got." Ghost responded. The bitterness in his voice was enough to determine how bad the situation actually was.
"Then we should disappear for a few days. Just long enough for us to get an idea of who to trust and let Lester dig up some info on these pricks." Ghost just gave a nod of acknowledgment to Tank's suggestion. Just then both of their phones lit up with a message.
ATTENTION: A bounty of 50,000 dollars each has been placed on the heads of the two remaining leaders of the Phoenix Fury crew, otherwise known by their street aliases Tank and Ghost. This is an open contract to anyone willing enough to try. The amount described is payable on execution and the persons responsible will be paid in cash. Once the job is done contact Lester with proof of the competed job and you will be compensated for your work.
"This is not good." Tank stated as he frantically scanned the area trying to spot if anyone was around or knew where they were.
"No shit." Ghost responded agitatedly before turning to get in his car. "I'll call Lester back and see if he can take the heat off us, but for now we both need to leave LS. Get to a safe place for awhile and when the bounty is taken care of we'll come back." The taller man just nodded and pulled the car keys from his pocket.
"Be careful…and don't go getting yourself killed. You're the only motherfucker I trust in this godforsaken city." Tank said before getting in his Sabre Turbo. Without further words being said between them they drove in opposite directions. Tank taking one last second to stop and detonate the Sticky Bomb still stuck to the SUV. A smirk making its way across his face as he watched the flaming wreckage in his rearview mirror before speeding off the airfield and towards the highway out of Los Santos.
Present Day…
A plane started to lower its altitude as it approached Los Santos airport. A man with a familiar looking Grim Reaper tattoo sat next to a window looking out over the vast expanse on the city. Dressed in a black v-neck and a pair of khaki cargo pants with his slicked back light brown hair now covering the ink that would gain him unwanted attention on his return. Lester never was able to remove the bounty from the crew leader's heads stating that "It was way too much money to pass up." That wasn't something Ghost wanted to hear but Lester was just doing his job. It had been two years since he had left hoping that it would be enough time for people to at least forget about the bounty. The downside to being gone that long unfortunately meant the demise of Phoenix Fury. The remaining crew members folded after their leaders had either died or in this case disappeared.
As the plane landed and came to a stop Ghost stood up and pulled his duffle bag from the overhead compartment before departing from the aircraft. He walked through the terminal gaining questioning looks from the people he passed. He quickly reached into his bag and pulled out a black hoodie to pull on over his t-shirt to cover the other crew related ink on his arm. Walking right past baggage claim, he made his way to the entrance and as he exited he saw a familiar face leaning against a sunburst orange Dominator.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for your sorry ass?" Tank asked jokingly as he walked towards Ghost to meet him halfway. The sniper dropped his bag and locked his arm with Tank's before speaking.
"Ahh, I knew you missed me." He countered as he leaned down to pick up the bag again. Tank's appearance had changed too somewhat. His dark hair was now around shoulder length but still had the same blonde streaks in it. Also sporting his full beard, He had on a white and gray striped t-shirt and a fitted leather jacket on over it with a pair of classic faded blue jeans. After they got into the car they started to drive away from the airport. It was around mid-day as they made their way through the downtown area.
"So when did you get back." Ghost asked trying to start a conversation.
"Two weeks ago." Tank responded matter-of-factly. "Gave me enough time to set some things up so we can get back to work."
"Yeah, we definitely don't have time to waste." Ghost said as they continued their drive. Not long after that they pulled into an ally next to one of the many 24/7 marts that littered the city. They exited the vehicle and went around to the trunk where their equipment waited for them. Tank opened the compartment and pulled a thin blanket from the bottom to reveal several weapons and masks.
"Do you remember how to do this?" The taller man asked jokingly as he tied the skull bandana around his face.
"Of course." Ghost responded with a smirk. "Just tell me again why we are doing this. Aren't we passed hold-ups for quick cash?"
"This isn't about money, even though there will be that." The taller man stated as he picked up a small can of black spray paint and stuffed it in his back pocket. Ghost just rolled his eyes and grabbed the Carbon Warrior mask before putting it on. Tank then picked up the sawed-off shotgun and pulled the pump back to hear the satisfying yet intimidating sound that accompanied the weapon. Automatic shotguns are nice but there's something about that sound that just makes you want to pull the trigger so you can do it again. After a second of watching Tank nearly swoon over the weapon in his hands, Ghost reached in and pulled out a Combat Pistol before checking the clip making sure it was full.
"Let's get to work." The shorter man said as he took off his hoodie so the tattoos could be seen. Tank then removed his jacket for the same reason and they made their way to the front of the store. The double glass doors were kicked in and the man behind the counter started to cower and plea as the barrel of a gun was shoved in his face. He quickly started to empty the register as Tank removed the small can from his pocket and started to spray the black paint onto the front window. Once the grocery bag of money was dropped on the floor at his feet Ghost fired a shot at point blank into the cashier's chest. He fell back into the shelf behind him knocking bottles and magazines to the floor with his lifeless body.
The two then bolted from the store after the dark haired man had left a tribal styled phoenix on the front window. Tank threw his keys to Ghost and they jumped into the car before speeding off down the ally to escape behind the buildings. The sharp right turn at the end of the narrow path almost caused the car to skid into a dumpster, but Ghost was able to correct it in time to avoid the collision. The echo of the squealing tires reverberated of the brick structures they were flying passed. Eventually they came out under an overpass with a dark corner they could hide in. The Dominator came to a stop and they both exited the vehicle continuing the argument they were apparently having during their getaway.
"I'm telling you man, you HAVE to shoot them. Those cashiers are always packing." Ghost continued to defend his position on the matter. Tank normally wouldn't mind this sort of thing but they just got back into the city. They definitely didn't need more heat than necessary.
"I know, but I just think we should be careful about how many people we take-out. Two years is long time to be out of this game and we haven't gotten properly set up yet." Tank retorted as he dropped the bag of money on the hood of his orange muscle car.
"Nah, two years isn't that long." The sniper stated with a non-worrying voice. "Hell, I heard of some guy that was out of it for ten years, and he bounced right back into it without a problem." Tank just looked at his crewmate with an un-amused expression. He had heard the stories also but tried not to believe too much of the gossip that floated around Los Santos. The two continued to banter back and forth while counting the money from their most recent endeavor when something caught Ghosts eye.
He could spot movement behind one of the giant pillars that held up the massive highway above them. Before he could react however, a woman appeared from behind the concrete structure with a Pistol in her hand. The shorter man went to grab for his weapon but was cut off by a bullet grazing over his right shoulder. The burning sensation quickly turned to numbing pain as he immediately took cover behind the Dominator. Tank noticed almost instantly and charged the woman now in the process of bringing her gun up towards him. He broadsided her and knocked the girl to the ground before pinning her to the asphalt, making sure to remove the gun from her possession. Ghost quickly got to his feet and picked up the recently discarded firearm from the ground.
"Don't worry, I got her." The dark haired man stated right before he was kneed in the groin. The impact sent him rolling onto the ground beside her in pain. The woman quickly got to her feet in an attempt to run before coming to a halt at the feeling of a gun being pressed to the back of her skull. She stood there frozen as Ghost continued to keep the Pistol where it was. It was silent for a few seconds before the sirens in the distance seemed to be drawing closer. The shot she took must have alerted them.
"If you shoot me they'll definitely hear you and know exactly where you are." The woman said in a snarky tone clearly thinking she had the upper hand. Until Ghost planted the bottom of the Pistol grip to the back of her head, making her fall unconscious. Without further hesitation he picked her up and loaded her into the car before turning to see Tank still on the ground wriggling in pain. The situation was serious but the shorter man couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"You had her pinned and she still got the better of you." Ghost mocked.
"It was a cheap shot, man." Tank responded through gritted teeth as he clawed his way to a standing position before getting in the car. Ghost then threw all the money back in the bag before getting in the driver's seat and speeding away from the approaching sirens.