Niko Bellic hurried across the street in a break of traffic. He didn't want to obviously look around, but he knew he was being followed. It was a warm day, And Niko was wearing a light suit – a white shirt under a creamy-beige jacket with matching slacks. His footwear was a pair of Khaki running shoes. He also wore a pair of tinted glasses.
He rounded a corner, and began walking east. Traffic roared on the skyway meters above his head. To his left a siren sounded as an ambulance tore out of Westdyke Memorial Hospital. Niko ignored it and carried on.
The man watched Niko cross over and carried on walking. He used the next crossing to traverse across Panhandle Road. He had to be careful here; the target knew his face and a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap wouldn't hide him enough to be lax. Not that it was in his nature to be lax. He'd been working in the business for years, ever since he'd left Shin Bet. There was a reason he'd survived. He'd even earned himself a reputation. He did not, however, come cheap. But, to his employer, price was not an issue.
Ahead of him was the Serbian, walking along as if oblivious to the threat that lurked behind him. That was just a façade, the man knew. Niko had been trained, not only as a cold-blooded killer but, more recently, as a true operative.
Niko turned and cut through an alleyway. His car – or rather a stolen one - was parked there. He was confident that once he got in the car he'd be home free.
The man watched as Niko turned into the alleyway. He's going for his car, he told himself. He wasn't worried however, as he'd already discovered the location of Niko's car – it hadn't been too hard to tail him earlier. The man had his own car, parked just round the corner.
The gamble was, however, whether Niko would turn left or right. If the target headed south, he'd drive right into the man's hands. If he headed north, the man could swing through the one-way system in seconds, even without driving illegally.
Niko walked in to the car park and had a look round. He saw no one, so he approached his car – a black Intruder RX – the new 2011 model of the vehicle. It looked a lot sleeker and sportier then the 2008 model, and still looked very much executive. A businessman's car. Niko liked the chrome trim around the windows. It reminded him of all the sleek electronic devices that were available for purchase in the shops. Cell phones, laptops and now even touch-screen pads. Niko planned to buy one of the new Fruit pads at the weekend. Niko checked his mirrors and, seeing no tails, started the engine.
The man had silently approved of Niko's mode of transport. The new Intruder RX was a very good car. Sure, it couldn't keep up with a Banshee or even a Sultan RS, but it could outrun most sedans.
The man sat in a dark-green, almost-black, Rebla, with slightly tinted windows. It wasn't blatantly a government car, but the subtle tint would go a long way to hiding the driver's face. Or at least obscuring it. This vehicle had been tuned, for better performance, compared to the usual variety. It wouldn't keep up with the Intruder in a flat-out straight, but it had more power at the low end.
The target Intruder appeared ahead. The man's ignition as already on and he began to pull out. Timing was crucial here. If done correctly, the Rebla would appear to simply be driving off, where it'd let the Intruder pass.
And that's exactly what did happen. The target pulled out and drove right past the Rebla, The man chuckled to himself. This was going to be easy.
Niko was heading into Liberty, or more specifically, back to 'H.Q.' He checked his rear view mirror, making a mental note of what vehicles where there, then headed for the Booth Tunnel.
The man wasn't sure about the tunnel. It seemed to work more in his favor than the target's. Perhaps it was just the simplest route – the man knew where the target was heading – that'd make sense. Then again, if the target had spotted his tail, it could be a good way to make a break for it. Not for the first time, the man wished he could read minds.
Niko was trying to remember the name of the vehicle. Nebular? No that wasn't it. Rebula... something like that. Either way, it had been following him since Alderney City. He'd taken a few random left/right turns, and one loop and, even though the Rebula had disappeared during the latter, it had reappeared by the time Niko had reached the tunnel.
The man felt the tug of complacency. It was not an unfamiliar feeling to him, but the wealth of experience he had developed over the years allowed him to ignore it easily. He was tempted to simply drive direct to the destination, but that was an emergency contingency, in case he lost the target. Besides, there's no telling whether the target would sneakily take a back door in, or stop off and change his apparel.
Leave nothing to chance, the man told himself.
Rebla! That was it. Niko now was sure he was still followed. Damn. That meant the car was dirty. He had to dump it.
The realization occurred to Niko as he crossed the city limit line, painted onto the tunnel wall. He checked his rear view mirror. The Rebla was behind him, four cars and one lane between them. Traffic was usually thick in here. Niko planned to use that to his advantage. He knew where he had to go.
The traffic bottle-necked ahead. The man tensed up. He pictured the operation as a chess board. It was his target's move and as with chess – a game that the man was so-so at – he had an idea what his opponent's move was going to be. Frustratingly however, there wasn't much the man could do about it yet.
Niko reached the bottleneck and pushed his foot down. He felt the Intruder surge forward, and directed the vehicle through a gap ahead. Like threading a needle, Niko thought.
The man cursed as the Intruder sped up. He tried to speed up but the traffic was boxing him in. He had to swing wide and force his way through the traffic.
Niko reached to top of the hill and, rather than turning left or right, went straight on, slowing down into a narrow alley.
Bad move, the man thought. It was easy to follow, but now the operation had evolved into a chase. The man knew Niko was better at balls-to-the-wall play. Being hidden was no longer an objective – at least not a high priority one. The target was urging his tail to bring the fight to him.
Very well, Bellic, the man thought. Bring it on.
Niko turned north at an intersection in the alley. He came out, crossed the road – barely missing a bus – and accelerated hard into the next alley. A feeling of déjà vu came over Niko, as he remembered chasing a biker the other way down here. Seems like a lifetime ago.
The man had to admit he was at a loss. He still had the target in sight but while the Rebla would fall behind on a straight sprint down the highway, it had the advantage in the myriad of turns of the city. The target had the top end speed, but the man knew he had the acceleration.
The target turned onto Frankfort Avenue. Now he had straight roads for a good couple of miles. The man didn't like that prospect. The second he straightened out on Frankfort Avenue, he floored it.
Niko made a break for Frankfort high station. He hurriedly parked the car under the track and ran toward the station.
The man stopped his car on the side of the road and leaped out into a sprint, following Niko up the steps.
Niko vaulted over the turnstiles and turned for the steps. He expected to hear a gunshot or a shout, but he heard nothing. He knew better than to turn around.
The man reached the top of the steps, jumped the barriers and made an on-the-fly decision which set of steps to take.
Niko slowed down to a rushed walk and moved down the platform. He could hear the tracks resonating as a train approached, even though the train was not yet visible. Niko kept moving, keeping the waiting passengers between himself and the steps.
The man reached the top of the steps and looked around. If he was being chased he'd break line of sight. That meant either using the crowds to his advantage or hiding behind a pillar. The man moved through the crowd to the platform edge.
Niko sensed a pair of eyes on him. He turned and saw his tail and stopped. Well, well...
The man stared at Niko. For a moment they just stood there, eyes locked on each other across the track. Neither really wanted to draw and instigate a shootout on a busy train platform. They entered a cold standoff. A stalemate.
Ultimately though, Niko had avoided drawing the short straw. The train approached and broke the man's line of sight.
The man cursed the wrong choice. It was a fifty-fifty choice. Left or right. Now though, he stood on the wrong side of the tracks as the train stopped on the other platform. Quickly, the man moved.
Niko boarded the train and sat down. Come on, he willed the doors. Close!
The man jumped onto the tracks, causing some gasps from the crowd. He began to move toward the front of the waiting train when a low rumble made his blood freeze.
Another train was coming.
The man saw it, and knew he wasn't going to reach the front of the train. He sprinted down the tracks, away from the approaching train, toward the rear of the stationary train.
The southbound train stopped as the man leaped up and clambered onto the far platform. He heard the automated voice from inside of the target's train.
Stand clear of the closing doors.
The man cursed and threw all he had into reaching the doors. He got there as the doors were closing. He turned his body sideways and zipped through the doors just as they closed. He collided with one of the poles just as the train began to move, which made him lose his balance.
"Whoa there!" A middle-aged gentleman said, catching him. "Cutting it fine, son."
The man nodded his thanks at the old man and scanned the carriage.
Nothing. He moved through to the next one.
Niko relaxed as the train pulled out of the station. He would get off at the next station and catch a cab back.
The man had reached the last carriage and saw Niko sitting at the end.
"Got you." He whispered before moving out of sight.
The train pulled into the next station and Niko stepped out. He headed down to the street and walked toward an alleyway. He'd just nip through here and call a cab. He wanted to be away from the station in case his tail drove here.
The man saw Niko disappear down the alley and moved to follow.
Niko saw a cab pass ahead and moved to catch up. He was almost at the far end of the alley when the hand grabbed his arm, spinning him round. The gun was pointed in his face.
"Rami," Niko said, catching his breath.
"Niko."
"I thought I'd lost you – twice."
"Afraid not," Rami said. "You almost did."
"Where did I go wrong?"
"When you came out of the tunnel you should have turned left or right. Break the line of sight, then make a break for it."
"I thought I had done that with the alley."
"Not quite. As I came up the hill I saw your brake lights. You'd broken the line of sight but you went straight on. Turn left, then left again. By the time I would have reached the intersection you would have turned off of it. I would have lost you."
"Can I have a do-over?"
"Sorry, Niko." Rami held the gun to Niko's head. "You know the rules."
Rami pulled the trigger.
