Grand Theft Auto: The Soviet Connection

Part I: Monsters and Men

Chapter Two: One Minute

(Just another heads up! Obviously in GTA IV the player was allowed to make a series of choices. In this case, Niko chose the REVENGE option as his final decision in the story, meaning that Kate was killed by the assassin, and Roman lived! Anyway, hope you enjoy!)

"This is it," Boris announced from the driver's seat as the black cognoscenti slowly came to a halt. He pulled a carton of cigarettes out of his pocket, drew a cigarette, put the carton back, pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette. As a heavy smoker, this was a sequence Boris repeated almost hourly. Little did he know, it wouldn't be the cigarettes that killed him. "Guess I'll just wait here," Boris decided as he dragged on his cigarette. Seconds later, he blew out a puff of smoke that seemed to grind Petrovic's gears, who sat in the passenger seat beside him. Petrovic sat there, smoking his beard as he judged Boris silently.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?" Petrovic asked Boris in a voice that was quite but aggressive enough to make Boris shudder in fear. Petrovic glared at Boris.

"Okay, fine! I'll roll the fucking window down!" Boris said as he grabbed the handle under his window and rolled it profusely until the window was rolled all the way down. "Happy?" Boris asked Petrovic in a tone of voice that must have come off as disrespectful and sarcastic, because Petrovic continued to glare at Boris. He took another drag of his cigarette.

Behind him, Boris heard Sergey and Ivan step out of the car from their backseats, slamming their doors behind them. Petrovic, still glaring at Boris, nodded to Sergey, who now stood outside Boris' door. The door was pulled open. Suddenly, Boris was heaved out of his seat, dragged out of the car and flung into the street by Sergey. He felt the bridge of his nose collapse as he hit the hard, solid cement. He rolled onto his back, blood squirting out of his broken nose. He struggled to spit out a single word without stuttering. "Wh… Wh… What the fu… Fuck was that!?" He cried as he wiped wet, sticky bloody from his face where it had smudged with the back of his sleeve. Petrovic, Sergey and Ivan stood over him.

"You think you can sit here and smoke, jerk off and listen to radio whilst we get to work?" Petrovic barked at him, fuelled by rage. "You take for some kind of fucking yokel? Do you!?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Boris assured him as he sat up, waving his hands in denial.

"Then get off ass, and come do your fucking job!" Petrovic spat the order at Boris before giving him a look full of daggers. He then looked both ways before crossing the street.

Boris reached his arm out, hoping to be pulled up by Sergey or Ivan, but both men ignored him and followed Petrovic across the street. Instead, Boris picked himself up and dusted himself off. "Animals," Boris uttered under his breath. He could taste blood in his mouth, and realised his nose was still bleeding, so he tilted his head back and pinched his nose as he crossed the street so as to keep the vile taste off his tongue. Petrovic, meanwhile appeared to adore the taste of blood. Boris had simply disrespected Petrovic, and he'd walked away with a broken nose. If this Niko Bellic had truly committed the crimes Petrovic was accusing him of, there wasn't any chance he was going to walk away at all.


At approximately 6:37am that morning, Deputy Police Commissioner Francis McReary was found dead in his office at the Westminster Police Station in Algonquin, Liberty City.

"McReary was found by his partner, Hollis Tenpenny," the news reporter explained, her pink work dress glowing attractively on the TV screen. "Detective Tenpenny found McReary hanging from a rope in his office, where the Deputy Commissioner took his own life."

Niko shook his head in denial and continued to flick through the news stations, each one refusing to stay quiet about the Deputy Commissioner's death. "Bullshit." Niko cursed at the idea that Francis McReary had taken the cowards way out and strangled himself to death. He refused to believe it, because he knew it to be a lie. McReary was a cockroach. The only way to get rid of him was by crushing him. And as Niko could see, someone had done exactly that.

"Francis McReary died at the age of 45," the next news presenter informed, this one was a black male wearing a black suit and a red tie that caught Niko's eye. "Despite being a son of the McReary family, who had many ties to various crime families across Liberty City, Deputy Police Commissioner Francis McReary remained an uncorrupted member of the law enforcement. He died an honest and brave man and will be sorely missed by many."

That too was a lie Niko wouldn't swallow. But Niko knew, despite everything he had done, Francis would be remembered for the good he had done, as little as there was of it. Perhaps that was for the best. Niko began to wonder what exactly he himself would be remembered for when he switched his TV off and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

Niko was about to take a swig of the glass when is cell phone began to ring. Niko set the drink down, pulled out his phone, cleared his throat and finally took the call.

"Hello," he said unenthusiastically, expecting to hear from yet another caller offering the cheapest insurance you could buy, or asking Niko to take part in an important survey.

To his surprise, he heard the unmistakable voice of his cousin. "Niko! How are you, cousin?"

"Roman!" Niko replied happily. Of course, there was still a chance his cousin was calling to ask to borrow some money. "I'm… not too bad, actually," he replied, surprising himself. "How are you doing, Roman?" Niko asked as he put his feet up comfortably.

"Fantastic, cousin! And I have big news," Roman claimed excitedly. "My Mallorie is having twins! We are having twins!" Roman announced, almost unable to contain his delight.

Niko sat up. "Roman, I'm so happy for you! This is wonderful news," Niko said happily.

"Yes, indeed!" Roman agreed eagerly, though his tone soon turned serious. "And I stand by what I said, as much as I'd love two sons, if we do have a daughter, I'll name her Kate."

Though he appreciated Roman's offer, the thought of Kate, and so little as the mention of her name, still made him blue and filled him with regret. He missed her more than anything.

"Cousin? Are you still there?" He heard Roman ask, pulling him out of his melancholy trance.

"Yes, cousin. I'm here," Niko assured him. "Thank you cousin. I'd like that," he said sincerely. Suddenly, he heard a beeping noise through the phone's speaker, suggesting another call. "I'm sorry, Roman. Someone's on the other line. I have to go, but I'm so happy for you."

"Go ahead, Niko," Roman encouraged him. "It was good to speak to you. Take care."

Niko wiped a tear that had welled up in his eye. Whether it was from the thought of losing Kate or having little nephews or nieces running around his home, he couldn't have been sure.

"Hello?" Niko said as he answered the second phone call that had interrupted his moment.

"Listen very carefully," the voice on the other end instructed Niko. It was one he did not recognise. "Two men are coming to kill you," it said. "You have one minute."

An intense silence followed. "Who is this?" Niko finally asked, but the line had gone dead.

Niko checked his watch. It was 9:23am. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He remained in his seat as he twiddled his thumbs nervously. He thought he heard footsteps outside his apartment, so he grabbed the glass of whiskey in front of him and raised it to his mouth. He took a long swig of the whiskey until the glass was empty, the burn afterwards made him wince and grit his teeth. His heart continued to vibrate until he checked his watch a second time. It was 9:24am. Niko felt his heart stop suddenly and sink into his stomach.

The pounding on his door began. Someone was beating their fist furiously against the front door to Niko's apartment. A door that could only take so much force. Niko approached the door. He reached out to grab the knob and swung the door open. As the voice on the phone had predicted, two men stood at his door. Niko recognised them both instantly.

"Hello, Niko." Patrick McReary stood on his doorstep, his brother Gerald at his side and towering over him. "We need to talk," he said as he raised his gun, pointing it in Niko's face.

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER THREE.

Thanks for reading The Soviet Connection! A few of you guys have left me some feedback already (which I really appreciate), but I would love some REVIEWS for this chapter! Then, of course, I'll get the next one uploaded ASAP. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed!

-George