CHAPTER 5

MIKEY

"Tyrell," I cut in "what the hell are you talking about?"

"This man…" Tyrell muttered to me. He turned back to the doctor and asked "What's your name?"

"Phillip. Um, Philip Kowalski."

"No...your real name."

"T-That is my real name, sir…" the doctor was getting shaky and acting more suspicious. Tyrell was onto something,

"Mikey...don't you remember me?"

"What…?" replied the doctor weakly.

"WHAT?" I said in astonishment, which caught the eyes of the pesky doctors.

"I'm Tyrell. Your father and I were good friends. I remember when you were just a small child…"

"No...I'm sorry, I don't know any Jakes."

"I didn't mention anybody named Jake." Tyrell has him hooked, line, and sinker. There was no escaping the truth, this was the man we were looking for. Mikey Conway. The man Jake abandoned his other sons for, the one he settled down for. The kid who knew Jake more than any of us ever would. I don't know anything about him, and just a about half an hour ago, I didn't even know he lived here; it's a small world, and yet I felt like resentment for this guy. So he's the one we've been looking for? He's the little boy Jake decided to love? Well, I hope he was happy. Somehow though, I doubt it.

"I'm sorry…" the doctor, Mikey, was flustered. "I'm sorry, but who are you again?"

The smirk that might have been on Tyrell's face was long gone now. Now he was disappointed. "You don't remember me? No, no how could you remember? You were a child. Nah, of course you don't reme-" Tyrell suddenly noticed the blinding bleach hair. "The fuck happened to your hair, son?"

Mikey scratches his head. "W-Well, being in this business, ya know, being with doctors of this particular part of town, er, city-well, you gotta change a few things."

"Like?"

"I'm sorry, I can't talk anymore. I've said too much as it is, and I don't even know who you are."

"I'm Tyrell, a good friend of your fathers, and the bearer of bad news. This man next to me, this here is your brother."

Mikey looked at me with the most befuddled expression I'd ever seen. "Brother? Who?"

"Long story, man." I said. "Let's just say dad wasn't a very good family man as you may think he was."

"...I know he wasn't, and I suspected he was cheating on mom. But...you look so close to my age. How old are you?"

"Twenty-Six, you?"

"Twenty-Seven…" I could see the disappointment in Mikey's eyes, though he didn't seem very shocked. Yikes, he was only a one year old when his dad cheated on his mom. There are probably more children of Conway than I thought.

"You two can bond later." barged in Tyrell "Listen, I need to tell you something. You're in danger, Mikey. People are currently after you and several other Conway kids."

"Several…?"

"Told ya. Daddy wasn't very holy." I said.

"Yeah, it's a bummer, I know Mikey, but we need to get you out of here. They know who you are. We know you know where your dad is, so we need to find him. You acting like you have a different name won't work on the Devil's Hand if they already know who you are."

"Actually, I was being serious when I said my name wasn't Mikey. It's Michael now. Michael Kowalski. I'm sorry, I know I said a different name before, but I'm sure 'Michael' would have given it away easily." The good doctor was scratching his hands nervously. "I-I even changed my eye color. Well, rather I'm wearing color contacts. I'm a different man now, and to be honest, if you're here to find out anything about my father, I can't tell you anything."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Well...my mother, last time I talked to her, said he drove off on his old bike one day and never came back. I'm not sure where he is."

"Damn!" Tyrell exclaimed "So we still won't know for sure where the hell Jake is. How long has he been gone for?"

"Three years, I'd say. Just about."

"Any idea where he might be?" suddenly when I said that, I felt a numbing pain from my left shoulder. The pain was acting up again.

"Oh! Are you alright?" Mikey seemed genuienly concerned. Either that or he mistook my sudden groans as a cash register opening.

"No, he's not. He was shot just a few hours ago. We're here to see if you could help us, while also giving us as much info as you can about your father. Meanwhile we can fill you in on what exactly is going on."

"I…" Mikey took one good look at my pain-filled face, and suddenly he nodded with a determined look. "Okay, yeah, bring him to my office."

We head off into the room where Mikey emerged from. In there was an oddly clean exam table, and a desk that was also just as clean and very organized. It was well lit and filled with color, as opposed to the outside where it was shitty looking and dark as hell. Mikey may have his reasons for retreating into the low life of a black market doctor, but this room, this sanctuary spoke volumes about his personality. In fact the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Mikey wasn't really all that bad. He seems eager to help me more than he is eager to rob me. It just didn't seem right that he'd be working here.

At any rate, Mikey began examining my wound, made a few diagnosis, said a bunch of doctor lingo, but eventually concluded that I was going to be alright, and that I was lucky to have the bullet go through me. Again, I still didn't feel like a lucky man. I'll take his advice though, he must deal with hundreds of these kinds of wounds every day. Meanwhile, Tyrell was explaining the situation, about the Devil's Hand and about the Conway kids more in depth. Also he gave me a bit a trivia; turns out I was actually supposed to explain all this to Mikey, but given the circumstances, he had to "unfortunately" repeat himself. He even spat out new information I hadn't heard before.

"So you're saying the leader of the 8th Circle is right here in New York?" I asked.

Tyrell nodded "Yep, he's here. My guys gave me a tip that he was holding up at a stripper joint in Manhattan. More specifically in Murray Hill."

Mikey's eyes widened "W-Wait, Manhattan!? I live there!"

"In Murray Hill?"

"No, um, downtown actually."

"Shit!" Tyrell exclaimed "You were right under the Devil's Hand's noses. You're a damn good hider, doc. They've already killed three Conway kids, and you're telling me you've been living close enough to scrape their nuts this entire time, and they haven't even noticed you? That's crazy!"

"Wait a sec…" I pondered "Has anything suspicious happened to you, Mikey? Maybe some things have been off in your life and you just haven't noticed? It's hard to believe you've totally escaped their grasp."

Mikey paused for a moment "Now that you mention it...something has happened. I...no, it can't be anything related to that, nevermind."

"Mikey, if anything has happened, you have to let us know. Otherwise it could just end up biting you in the ass and we'd have no way of seeing the tell tale signs."

Mikey scratches the back of his neck nervously. "I….I have a friend. A very, um, 'close' friend. He's been living with me for a while now, but he hasn't come back home lately. I've been trying to get a hold of him for a while now, but I've gotten nothing. I've called his work, the places he usually hangs out, and I've gotten nothing from them."

Tyrell looks at me, and I look back at him. His eyes gaze at the floor "Mikey…" he said quietly "Your friend...there's a possibility the Devil's Hand-"

"No!" Mikey cuts him off "No, no! It's not true, why!? He has nothing to do with any of this! There's no way they would...I mean they don't even know where I live, how would they know who I love!?"

"Love?" I said. I expected as much when he said "close friend". "Mikey...you're gay, aren't you?"

He looks back at me with a serious face "It doesn't matter, does it? Look, just tell me if you know anything about Jordan! I've tried calling back home and nobody answered! That's how it's been like for the past few days! I come here every day worried sick, wondering where he might be…and then you two come along…" Mikey steps back away from us.

"Mikey?" asked Tyrell.

Faster than a bullet, Mikey goes behind his desk and grabs a gun from under the drawer and points it straight at us. His hands were shaking and his eyes were tearing up. "Wh-Who are you two!? Are you this 'Devil's' whatever-the-fuck!? Are you gonna kill me!? Where's Jordan!?"

Goddamn, I have to admit I was nervous as all hell. I've already experience the sensation of a bullet going through me, and I was apparently lucky enough to have it go through me, I'd hate to have him shoot me and have the bullet stick this time. I just instinctively raised my hands, with my left arm lower than the right. My mouth was open by how this was all turning out and how quickly this dissolved. I really didn't know what to say to the man, he was desperate and scared, and that's in now way a good combination. I just sat there, sweating, and I swallowed my own saliva.

"Mikey! Calm. The fuck. Down! What we told you is the truth!"

"Liar!"

"Don't be stubborn, kid!"

"I'm not being stubborn! I'm being rational!"

"If I was one of the Devil's Hand, don't you think we would have killed you by now!? And another thing, why would we tell you all about the Devil's Hand if were just going to end up killing you in the end!? Wake up! We've got nothing to do with them! I'm just an old man with a mind set on killing his old enemies once and for all! And this man next to me really is your brother! I'm sure he wants to end the cycle of death just as much as I do, right Rey?"

"Uh, yeah sure, yeah yeah!" Huh, I guess that was my purpose after all. To go to the Devil's Hand HQ and destroying what my father and grandfather never could finish. Hmm, but that doesn't sound quite right. Oh well, I'll get back to you on that shortly.

"W-Well...do you have any proof that you're not part of the devil whatever?"

Just then, a fierce knock came from the door, and the silhouette of a tall man could be seen from the other side.

"Everybody here is ordered to find shelter immediately! There's a raid coming soon!" the voice was gruff and deep, and the way he spoke was almost militaristic. Tyrell reacted to this voice by turning his head quickly towards the door.

"Guerrero! Is that you?" Tyrell shouted.

A brief silence overcame the room. "Mr. Jones? Is that you?"

"Who is that, Tyrell!?" nervously asked Mikey.

"That's Johnny Guerrero, one of my men."

"Devil's Hand?"

"No, a merc who works for me."

"Sir, is everything okay in there?" asked Guerrero.

"It's fine, Jo. We found one of the Conways, and he's a bit uneasy about all of this. We'll be out in a second, but in the meantime, ya mind giving me some info about this 'raid'?"

"Oh, it's bad sir. It's the Devil's Hand, they're bringing an army here - loads of bikers heading this way on the Washington bridge, we just saw them."

"Shit! How'd they know we were here?"

"Dunno, sir. We've informed all of the doctors here to take cover - find a nice spot to hide. Some of them have left the building entirely. We've tried to stop them, and we warned them about the dangers of being out there, but they wouldn't listen and went ahead and evacuated."

"Damn fools…"

"Wouldn't you want them to evacuate, Tyrell?" I asked.

"No. There's only one road that heads towards this building, and that links directly to the Washington Bridge. They're gonna end up driving right past the Devil's Hand gang and potentially get gunned down."

"Why would the Devil's Hand do that?"

"Just to make sure we aren't smuggling you boys outta here in other cars." Tyrell looks over at Mikey, who was now lowering his gun. "Do you believe me now?"

Without saying a thing, Mikey just stares at us and nods. "So then...Jordan…"

"We'll think about him later," Tyrell said as he stood from his chair, slowly and calmly as possible so that he wouldn't trigger Mikey into doing anything irrational. "for now we have to think of a way to get at the Devil's Hand before they wipe us out."

"Whoa there, Tyrell!" I said as I knew what he was implying. "Are you saying you want us to fight the Devil's Hand with you?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Guerrero!"

"Yes sir!"

"Get the Hellbringer truck inside the building ASAP! We'll need to suit up the boys and everyone willing to fight soon! We'll meet you there!"

"Got it!" Guerrero's silhouette soon vanished, as did the audible heavy footsteps he made.

"Hang on there, Tyller, we're not exactly mercs! We're not killers in any sense!" I said, trying to make him see reason.

"Hmph, maybe goldilocks over there can't fight, I mean he can barely hold a gun, but you've got what it takes, Rey."

"What?"

"Yeah. You took a shot right through the arm and managed to keep yourself alive among a crowd of bikers five times your height and weight! Hell, I never even heard you complain about your pain, instead you were full of questions. You've got the heart of an adventurer, Rey."

"But not the heart of a warrior."

"They're both men molded from the same clay. Trust me, Rey. I've seen warriors of all shapes and sizes. Many of whom have surprised me. I run an industry of warriors, I can see it in their eyes, in their stance, I can hear their hearts beat a flaming fury that only be heard by other warriors. You have what it takes. You just need a weapon."

"I want to come too!" said Mikey whose voice nearly cracked as he said that.

"What? No way!" I said in astonishment "Doc, Mikey, you're totally not the kind of guy to go fighting!"

"I've seen more blood than you can stomach, Rey. If those bastards really have Jordan stuck somewhere, then...well then I'm going to do everything in my power to find him! If that means killing one man or an entire army, I'll do it!" Mikey was visibly shaking and was clearly nervous, but there was a subtle glimmer in his eyes that really spoke louder than his own words.

I look back at Tyrell, who had a wide grin on his face. "Tyrell, c'mon man. You can't really think he can fight."

He laughs "You guys really are Conway's kids." he puts his massive hand on my shoulder "Like I said, Rey. A ton of people have surprised me. Don't worry, I won't let any of you die. Now, follow me upstairs. I have a present waiting for you two."

The merc known as Guerrero helped lead all of us upstairs. He was our personal body guard. The walk up was kind of a quiet one, at least between me and Mikey. Tyrell kept talking onto his radio about some car that was supposed to be waiting for us, and he was strategically placing his men onto certain locations. From what I've heard, we only had about twenty or so mercs helping us fend of the nearly hundred Devil's Hand bikers coming for us. I was nervous, real damn nervous. My body was trembling, but if it were out of fear or out of excitement I could not tell you. Mikey was even worse, he seemed to have that thousand yard stare before he's even seen any action. To be fair, Mikey's probably seen more blood and guts more than I've seen in a lifetime, but this is the first time he'll be fighting for his life.

We reached the first floor of the abandoned warehouse. The Roosky looked mad as he just pacing back and forth with a lit cigarette. I don't think he was nervous that he was about to fight off an army of biker punks, more like he's annoyed that he has to deal with them at all. Beside him was this giant truck, much bigger than the one they brought me in with, and the truck was guarded by four mercs. One of them was talking on the radio, seemingly planning out with the others. As we head towards the truck, Tyrell has a quick word with one of the mercs.

"Scary, ain't it?" I asked Mikey. "Some craaazy shit."

"Yeah, no shit." Mikey said through his chattering teeth.

"Listen, I'm scared too, man. But what exactly can we do?"

"I didn't say I was scared."

"You're shaking like your scared."

"Back off! Just because we're half brothers doesn't mean you have to act like it! I mean shit I didn't even know I had a brother till you guys came along! You shouldn't act all buddy-buddy with me, I don't even know where I am anymore…"

I stopped talking. I was only trying to help the poor guy, he was sweating bullets. He does have a point though. Why would he take advice from a guy like me? Someone he's never interacted with before until just now? Felt kinda bad for even trying to start a conversation.

"Hey!" Tyrell waved us over "Quit fighting, you two and come here!"

We approached Tyrell when he suddenly moved aside and let our eyes gaze at the gun gallery he had on display for us from inside the truck. Pistols of all sizes, all calibers, shotguns everywhere, Sniper Rifles that were just massive, and some weapons I've only seen in movies like the AK-47. I looked in awe, and something in me ticked. I was staring at an arsenal, a giant arms store that had everything for free. Now I knew. I knew I was excited. I may die tonight, sure, but damn I'm gonna look cool dying. It was such a childish thought that I even began to chuckle at the thought. I turned my head and saw Tyrell smirking at me. I bet this was the look he'd seen on other mercs before. Or maybe it was the kind of expression my father gave before he went out to wipe off the Devil's Hand. I looked at Mikey, and he seemed way more nervous than before. Tyrell approached us.

"Well kids," he said "time to choose."

"You really think we can handle these guns, Tyrell?"

"Like I said, I don't know about Mikey, but I'm sure you'll have no problem shooting any of these. Ever gone hunting before?"

"Yeah?"

"Same thing."

"You have a lot of faith in me, Tyrell."

Tyrell smirked "You just have a familiar look to you, that's all." He looked at Mikey, who looked lost in thought. Tyrell put his hand on his shoulder, and Mikey snapped out of it and looked at Tyrell. "You'll be fine, son. I'll make sure of it."

Mikey simply nodded.

"Now then," Tyrell said, reaching into the pile of neatly stacked guns "let me show you two your father's favorite weapon." He then pulls out this behemoth weapon that made me nervous just looking at it.

"Tyrell," I said "that's an RPG."

"Yeah. I know."

The sounds of motorcycles engines were suddenly very noticeable. The collected sound of a hundred choppers made it sound like there was a monster heading our way. I wish that were the case. I would much rather have to fight one giant monster, than the one-hundred monsters heading our way right now. Hell was coming for us, the lost demons that needed to be dragged back. But we weren't going to let them. It's time we prove to them that we too are monsters.