Life and work of Claude Speed
A fanfiction by The Last Gamer
Summary: Isn't the title explicit? Claude Speed, from San Fierro, SA, the complete story of his crime career… and life, as told by himself.
Disclaimer: Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, the Grand Theft Auto franchise, third era and characters are property of Rockstar Games and DMA Design, today known as Rockstar North. This fanfiction and its contents are of my property.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS TO GRAND THEFT AUTO III'S STORY. IT'S RECOMMENDED TO PLAY THE GAME FIRST.
Chapter Seven: Shoreside Vale
Asuka kept using me for her "vendetta" against the Cartel. Miguel talked nothing when I was present, and she would enjoy hitting him with the stick she had found there in the construction. By that time, a news report on the radio informed me of the Porter Tunnel and the bridge to Shoreside Vale. One day when I was working for Love, I had to keep the police busy not to find him, later I found he was gone, but I received a pager message telling me I was required to work in allegiance to yet another gang, this time the Southside Hoods' Red Jacks, whose leader, D-Ice, had even got me an apartment and a personal garage in Wichita Gardens, next to his operation base. Before working along Asuka, I decided I'd pay a visit to his ringing phone down the street. He gave me cash for wiping off Wichita Gardens' streets of a rival gang, the Purple Nines, to steal lots of platinum, and to deactivate a bomb placed in his Infernus car. I had almost as much money as it was rumored Love had had thanks to D-Ice, but I shook off the thought when I remembered I was not still in Liberty City for money, but to take off Catalina's head and be done with it. Revenge was near, and I could almost taste it.
The last time I saw Asuka, she was with Maria in the now usual base of operations in the Panlantic construction site. Both were touching Miguel with the stick, now oozing from his wounds not blood, but a strange yellow liquid. I discarded the man off my thoughts, and proceeded to see what was our next strike. Asuka told me there was a plane coming to Francis International, full of SPANK, and I was the indicated one to take it down, with a rocket launcher in a pier by Bedford Point and a Reefer. I got to Francis International, full with Cartel men ready to make sure the deal would go straight. I eliminated them all, and patiently waited for the plane. I saw the Dodo flying to the strip, not noticing me in the way, neither the dead men alongside me. A simple rocket made it blow apart in pieces, as I jumped out of the way, the debris crashing down and the packages to be collected with it. The police saw me take them, I had to shake them off as usual. Once I had done so, I went back to Asuka. This time, the Yakuza Stingers were gone or as debris. I had a bad feeling about this, which was ensured when I saw Miguel and Asuka dead in the ground, a note in Catalina's handwriting by their side. I took it and read:
"I have your precious Maria. If you don't want her face to look like she had a misunderstanding with the butcher, get $500000 to the villa in Cedar Grove."
Maria was held as hostage, and the amount of cash, in normal conditions, would have been outrageous, if it wasn't I took it from my personal fortune, thanks to all my previous employers. I stole a Infernus by the street, and headed to Cedar Grove with a briefcase full with the cash.
Two Colombians were at the gates, who stripped me off my guns before entering the place. A bad move for me, but this was business, and so I handed them off. The villa was the HQ of the Cartel, full of guns, drugs, cash, and two guards with AK-47s at the moment. Catalina and Maria were waiting for me. Catalina stepped forward and questioned me.
- The real question is, did you turn up to rescue Maria, or to get me back?
Maria was being taken away. "I think we both know the answer, never would I get back with you, bitch." I mouthed to Catalina.
- Well, I've got news for you. Shooting you would be a pleasure, but dating you was only business! You are muy pequeñito, amigo.
I had known it all the time. I never thought it was a real relationship, neither did she, all business. I understood CJ, at last.
- Throw over the cash. – She commanded at the man with the briefcase. She checked it to make sure all the money was there, and said – You've been a busy boy! But you haven't learned, I'm not to be trusted! – A set up, this was getting old. – Kill the idiot! – She turned away to escape somewhere I couldn't see.
The man who had given her the briefcase was now aiming a pistol to my head. "All right, you forced me to do it the hard way." I thought, as I raised my arm to deflect his aim, and I punched him with my other elbow, taking his gun.
Bullets flew all around me, from the guards in the balcony, and the ones in the gate. I took cover by running to a garage with a body armor and a Cartel Cruiser. Using the car to my advantage, I killed the Uzi armed guards running them over, taking their guns and ammo to kill the AK-47 guards in the balcony, both falling to their deaths, and to me, looting them. The Cartel Cruiser was the only car capable of opening the gate, and was fast enough as to get anywhere Catalina would head towards, not to count it was bold and strong enough to make its way through the traffic, so I used it to my advantage.
Catalina was flying in a helicopter! I didn't take that into my plans, still its speed allowed me to track her towards the Cochrane Dam. In its entrance, however, there was two other Cartel Cruisers and two other armed men who shot at my car, at first glance. I ran away from the now ignited car that blew up in their faces killing them. I got all the way down, and strangely, but luckily enough, I found my old sniper rifle between some bushes and trees. I suppose they would use my guns against me, so I'd give them the first hit. With only five shots, I killed the Cartel men in the most dangerous points and prepared myself to kill them on close fire. With the AK-47 in my hands, I looted the ammo and the M16 to kill them proficiently enough. Killing more and more, I took a glimpse of Maria at the far end of the dam, guarded by two men, and Catalina, totally enraged at me, climbing again into her helicopter, yelling out to me "Get this thing airborne!" As she was coming towards me, with a rocket launcher in her hands, I evaded her first shot, but a huge military truck was coming at me. With the M60, I blew it up in short time, killed the last Cartel men and freeing Maria. Another rocket launcher placed conveniently in the last place Catalina's helicopter had been, only with three missiles, was the last gun I used against her. Coming to me crazed and unable to think properly, Catalina tried to kill us, but my rockets stroked her at the right time. She fell down all the way to her death, the helicopter finally falling down in the dirty river the Cochrane Dam tried to hold back.
And so, Catalina had been killed. Maria and me went outside, she was completely thankful for me saving her, telling me she loved me, because I was a big, strong man, and other stuff I didn't pay attention to. My revenge had been completed, I was a free man once more. I might go back and do that thing I had been thinking all the time to do, get back the Xoomer Gas Station, visit my old partners and regain my title as the best street driver in all of San Fierro. I was untied to everything Liberty City had offered me, and even Maria, who was still talking about nonsensical stuff. I had said I'd pay her back what she had done for me with Salvatore. Well, this should have done the trick.
- I broke my nail and my hair is ruined! Can you believe it? This one was worth to me 40 dollars-
I thought I didn't want to have a relationship with someone like her, it would repeat the process all over again. Consumed by power, money and my uselessness to her ambitions, Maria would be again the unfaithful woman that she had been at Salvatore Leone's side. I took a shotgun from a dead Cartel man and blew her head with it. I had no remorse, but it didn't feel to me as if it would be wrong. She wasn't the woman I'd settle down with one day. Making sure she was dead by taking her heartbeat, I dropped her off towards the river Catalina had fallen down to. And there it was again: my freedom, and the money I lost to her in the briefcase by the shore of the back of the stadium. I stole another nearby car, got to the shore and took the money back. I gave a last look at the place the helicopter had fallen into, and I said out loud to her memory, to Liberty City and to myself:
- Farewell.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, I lied. There's more to this little chapter than what I have already offered to you readers. Claude leaves Liberty once and for all in the next chapter, and appears anywhere else to keep on crime…
