Niko reached into the toilet's tank, picking out a water-tight plastic wallet.
He opened it and pulled out the bubble wrap inside. He unraveled that to see an iFruit phone. He switched it on, to be greeted by a red circle with the number 1 by the Text Message symbol. He tapped the screen, unsure exactly how to use the device, and found a single text message, written in capitals.
CALL ME it said, followed by a number. Niko did. He got the electronic voice again.
"The phone's clean. Use it only for talking to me. No one else. I've installed some apps on there - GPS, Poodle Earth... Grype's installed on there. It's got internet. Everything you'll need."
"Need for what?" Niko asked, feeling weary. "And who are you?"
"Stop asking," The voice replied with not even the faintest hint of emotion. "The GPS SatNav is set to a location. Go there. There's a silver Lokus parked in front of the Majestic. Keys are under the far left sink." The voice hung up.
Niko went to the sink and felt around for the keys - in a brown padded envelope stuck to the sink by double sided tape. He took the keys and headed for the car.
The iFruit phone led him to Bohan, He parked the car underneath Windmill Station and followed the GPS to an alley behind a building that he remembered well. He once had a shoot out for that annoying prick Manny here.
The alley itself also held a memory - where that b*tch had stabbed him in the back. Michelle, or whatever her real name was. He stood next to the dumpster, looking around. This felt like a set up. He drew his Desert Eagle.
He stood for a minute then his iFruit rang. He answered.
"Inside the dumpster. Retrieve the case, then set your GPS to the following location." The voice gave him some coordinates then hung up.
Niko sighed and retrieved a metal case from the dumpster. The case was silver, with that bubbly texture to it. It was about three feet long, and only a foot or two wide. He shook his head and returned to his car.
He finally reached his destination - a building site not far from the airport. Niko remembered the area - a dirt track once stood here - where he chased down some biker kid for that Mafiya boss, Faustin. What was this, a trip down memory lane? Some guy's idea of a joke? Who the hell was he?
He sighed. Is this what his life was? He didn't want to be a monster - he certainly never asked for any of this. He'd successfully avoided crime since finally killing Dimitri on Happiness island, but now? Who the hell was this? And what were they doing? Why him? And what was in the case?
the phone buzzed again, and Niko answered it.
"No questions," The voice said sharply. "Who I am, and what's going on is not important at this time. Climb the crane, and when you're up there, open the case. Climb over to the counterweight and look towards the airport. You'll see a man in a white suit exit the terminal - don't worry there's a long range zoom. He will be flanked by two men - both heavy set with shaved heads, in leather coats. The target has white hair, and spectacles. He also has a fu manchu style beard. Eliminate him, and him, alone - ignore the bodyguards - then drive back to the Majestic. Leave the car there, with the rifle in the trunk and leave the area. Don't forget to use the plug."
Before Niko could reply, the caller hung up.
Who the hell are you? Niko wondered, toying with the idea to walk away.
He climbed the crane and followed the instructions. He unpacked what he realized now was obviously a high powered sniper rifle, complete with earplugs. He took a stable position by the counterweight, then brought the rifle up, looking through the sights. He zoomed in and, despite the airport terminal being half a mile away, got a close up of the terminal. He waited five minutes before he spotted the man.
The white suit was blinding. The man came out with two men - just as the voice said. Niko took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger gently. He expected to hear the rifle crack, but instead he heard what sounded like a tank firing. The recoil almost made him lose his balance, but he corrected for it.
Through the sights, Niko saw the man's suit instantly turn red, as his head literally exploded. The two body guards were covered in brain matter and blood, and people started running.
Niko hurriedly replaced the sniper in it's case, and returned to the car. He rushed off, turning onto the Broker/Dukes expressway and heading into the city.
He parked the car and made his way to the subway.
His phone rang.
"What the hell was that!?" Niko demanded, trying to keep his voice quiet.
"A Fifty Caliber Sniper Rifle," The voice replied. "The man was called Hector Rodriguez. Look him up on the LCPD Database if you want. He's an arms dealer, on his way to sell merchandise to a contact who wants to... lets say, bad things. You did a good thing. I'll be in contact soon. Keep your head down. The men who want to kill you are still out there." The signal began to degrade as he reached the platform.
"What the-"
"Niko, trust me. You will take them men out. Just not yet." The voice hung up again.
Niko swore and stepped onto a train.
Johnny couldn't sleep. He had too many questions running through his head. Who killed Michael? What was Michael doing back in Liberty City? Why did it hurt so much?
How was he going to find the assholes that killed him?
He found himself running through the names of his late brothers. Michael, Jim, Billy, Brian - their faces, along with a mental image of their needless deaths, playing in his mind like an old movie. How did things get so fucked up? He wondered how many friends he had left. Sure, Terry Clay and Angus were true, loyal, but they could never refill the hole that Jim had left. Then there was Ashley, who he had loved with all of his being. But what about himself? What kind of a brother was he? The only words he'd shared with Michael were argumentative. How was he better then anyone else?
Fuck this shit. Johnny said to himself. I'm going for a ride.
And so Johnny took the one thing that had never let him down - through thick and thin, come rain or shine - and began cruising the streets. He found himself outside the bowling alley, where Jim loved to play air-hockey. A bunch of bikers playing air-hockey, how pathetic.
Johnny's face broke into a weak smile. "I could really do with you being around now Fitz," He said to himself, trying to reach out beyond the grave.
He carried on down Union Drive, eventually stopping outside the Libertonian.
That greaseball fck Ray. Johnny still felt the rage when he heard the piece of shit was dead - he should have ended that backstabber's life. But that snake got what was coming to him.
Johnny dismounted and walked up to a hot dog vendor. It wasn't even 5 AM, but these guys were up and doing business. The sun wasn't even up.
He took a bite of the sausage, a tasteless, rubbery piece of meat, and began to walk back to his bike.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. Nothing spectacular, just an awning over a door. A memory awoke in his head, and with it a name.
Stubbs.
Johnny tossed the hot dog to the floor and crossed the road.
The gentleman's club wasn't open for another hour.
Johnny waited.
Stubbs turned up at about ten. Johnny saw him from across the street, where he sat on a bench, his fourth cup of coffee in his hand. Buzzing with caffeine but drained, both physically and mentally, Johnny stood and stepped into the road.
A car horn screamed, throwing Johnny off balance. He fell back, his hand breaking his fall.
"Get out of the way bro!" A hispanic called leaning out of the window. He looked vaguely familiar, but Johnny couldn't place the face.
He didn't respond though, just stood and crossed the road.
Stubbs was sitting reading the paper. Johnny walked in, to be greeted by a man in a suit.
"I want to talk to Stubbs," Johnny said.
The man asked if he was expected, but Johnny was too sleep deprived to play along. He grabbed the man, pulling him toward him, knocking the clipboard off of the podium.
"Stay out of my way or die," Johnny barged past the Maître d' or whatever the hell this guy was and approached Stubbs.
Congressman Thomas Stubbs III clocked him and stood. It took almost ten seconds but finally the old man's memory kicked in.
"Johnny?"
"Good you remember me."
"I heard you were dead!"
"That would be my brother."
"Ah." Stubbs set aside his paper, and approached. "I'm so sorry to hear that."
"Yeah," Johnny growled. "Death of a family member is always hard to swallow. I wasn't lucky enough to get an inheritance."
Stubbs' face dropped.
"So that's why you're here is it? Blackmail?"
Johnny shook his head. "I want your help."
Stubbs raised an eyebrow as a security guard appeared. He waved him down.
"Let's go somewhere quieter."
Johnny offered a sharp nod. "No saunas or massage parlors."
Stubbs laughed.
They ended up in a small Salle. A rack of fencing swords stood at one end, a huge mirror at the other.
"What do you need?"
"To find out who killed him."
Stubbs nodded. "And how do you expect me to help?"
Johnny shrugged. "You gotta start somewhere."
Stubbs smiled and began to pace the room. "Do you fence-?" He caught himself mid sentence. "No of course you don't."
"He was killed in this city. I don't know why he was even here."
"And you want me to find out..."
"He was in the army. Why would he be back in the States?"
"Our boys overseas not allowed to come home now Johnny? Maybe he was visiting you, or applying for a position on the BAWSAQ... What do you want me to do?"
"Find out who killed him. That's all."
"Ah. So it's a simple case of revenge, is it? Well I'll try to find out what I can, but I'm thinking maybe you've got the wrong man for the job."
"I don't keep company with many cops or feds. A filthy, lying politician is the closest i can get."
Stubbs laughed. "I always liked you Johnny."
"Yeah," Johnny growled dismissively. "It was a couple of thugs I'm told. A friend told me."
"And you're thinking they're in Liberty City."
"They better be."
Stubbs nodded.
"Okay, Johnny. I'll see what I can do. But you'll have to do something for me."
Johnny sighed. "One thing, and one thing only - and no killing your family members."
"Oh heavens no. Nothing like that."
"Okay, but I'm not doing anything until you've come through."
Stubbs, seeing the steely look in Johnny's eye, nodded and handed Johnny his number, stating that it's 'a new one.' Johnny left, went back to the old casino, and finally slept.
He woke mid afternoon. He could hear muffled hard rock music and an out of place jingle. It took him a moment to realize his phone was going off.
Johnny, still in his clothes, fumbled around and grabbed his phone.
It was Stubbs.
"Someone up there must be smiling on you," He said. "I managed to find out about your brother. The LCPD had footage from a CCTV camera from the time your brother died. It shows him, followed by two men, go into an car park entrance. The men came back out in under a minute. They managed to identify the suspect, and are going to take him down in the morning. I'll send you a picture of him. Find him, and do whatever you have to do - if you can get hold of a police vehicle, you may be able to locate him through their database. I couldn't get his location. Just remember. You didn't get this from me. I'll recall the favor sometime soon old boy."
"Thanks, I guess."
"Don't mention it Johnny." Stubbs ended the call and a moment later Johnny received a text message. Then he got up, and headed outside.
Finding a cop car was a whole lot easier then you'd expect. Johnny found a pay phone and dialed 911, citing a domestic disturbance in an apartment.
Sure enough, the police turned up and disappeared into the building. Johnny stole the car.
He parked it a few blocks away, in a back street, and connected his phone to the Police computer. A minute later he had a match.
Johnny set his jaw and abandoned the car.