Chapter 8 – Aftermath

June 18th, 2013, The Gargalo, old slaughterhouse room, Lisbon, Portugal

Midnight passes at the Bairro Alto district. Inside the unused slaughterhouse within the Gargalo nightclub would be the unfortunate site of executions being done against some prominent names of the Shibata LP. The first one be executed was Jinzaburo Matsui, the one who questioned Manuelo Moreau the most about his exploits on the Lion's Eye. McKinizie, one of Manuelo's top mercenaries made sure to get rid of all tattle tellers knowing that they heard about Manuelo's true intentions. McKinzie, being a former United States Marine, was used to seeing chaos around him. The sound of M-16's is one of his favorite pastimes and gazing upon dead corpses as well. Eddy, Christie, and Gaspar could do nothing since their hands were cuffed.

Gaspar: "I'm sorry about this guys. If only I had a chance to alert the police."

Eddy: "What's done can't be undone."

Christie: "This is it for us? I mean what can we do?"

Guard (behind Christie): "Hey the 3 of you shut up! Unless you want to die next!"

Just then, sirens could be heard loudly from outside. Gaspar couldn't believe his ears and was relieved to hear the sounds of cop cars.

Gaspar: "I didn't call the police and yet they showed up for us! This is great!"

It wasn't quite what the hostages were expecting. A blast occurred along the north side of the warehouse. Then a motorcycle appeared with two people riding on it. It was Miguel riding passenger behind someone with a helmet. Eddy and Christie were now just as surprised as everyone else. From the sides of the motorbike, the woman in the helmet (who is Roana) drew out her own machine guns and told Miguel to get off the bike.

Roana: "Alright Miguel, go and get your friends, these boys are all mine!"

Miguel: "Ok, I will take cover first."

Miguel gets off and struggles to run on his hurt leg. He does find some boxes to take cover there, and some of McKinzie's cronies took notice of that. They try to shoot at Miguel, but Roana fires at them with her machine gun. This buys Miguel some time to navigate towards his allies. Roana pushes her control panel to make her bike sound like a cop car and continues her assault against the cartel. Miguel finally reaches the hostages, although some were already taken for execution.

Miguel: "You guys are lucky I carry a pocketknife around. Otherwise I would know how to get these cuffs off." (He frees Christie first)

Christie: "Miguel! How did you find this place?"

Miguel: "Believe it or not it was all thanks to Roana."(Gets Eddy and Gaspar free.)

Eddy: "Roana? I thought she was the enemy?"

Miguel: "Me too, but she saved my life by helping me fight against her former partner."

Christie (freed): "Unreal."

Eddy: "Let's free the others and get out of here!"

Gaspar: "You guys go on! I'm going forward to get my rod back!"

Eddy: "What? Gaspar come back!"

Gaspar (Runs off): "Don't worry, I'll be okay!"

Eddy: "Gaspar!"

Gaspar disappears into the smoke that covered the rest of the slaughterhouse. Eddy and the others were forced to retreat. It was their only chance to leave and avoid getting into trouble again. Meanwhile, McKinzie just killed off another Shibata LP employee in another room, until he heard a siren inside the slaughterhouse.

McKinzie: "WTF is that?"

McKinzie goes outside to see what all the ruckus was about. When McKinize does open the door, he has to take cover because their was another gun battle going on in the slaughterhouse. Roana had gotten off her bike and ascended the skywalks to shoot down the remaining cartel soldiers guarding the partition room where McKinzie did his executions. McKinzie runs at a chest to unlock it. Inside was an RPG, he quickly assembles it and aims at the skywalk. He was going to blow up the skywalk regardless of who was standing on it. McKinzie fires the RPG and the entire skywalk system blows up. He laughs hysterically at the damage being made. However, a hard knock on his hands forces McKinzie to drop his RPG. A sidekick connects McKinzie's torso area as he backpedals. It was Gaspar who just found his stick that was taken from him.

Gaspar: "The game is over for you! Surrender yourself now!"

McKinzie: "You're a fool to come back here just to challenge me! I'll make you wish you weren't even born!"

Fire was taking over the area in which McKinzie and Gaspar were facing off. McKinize took out his favorite knife to engage Gaspar with his steel rod. Gaspar goes on the offensive first. With his reach advantage with the rod Gaspar though he could quickly subdue McKinzie, but the veteran fought against foes with longer weapons before. McKinzie blocks some of Gaspar's thrusts and sweeps with just the knife. McKinzie parries the next thrust attack and grabs Gaspar and then throws him down into the ground. This forces Gaspar to let go of his rod. McKinzie attempts to stab Gaspar. Gaspar rolls away but McKinzie stands between him and his rod.

McKinzie: "Looks like I'm standing between you and your toy isn't it?"

Gaspar only had little training in boxing and judo so he was in trouble here. McKinzie taunted him even more by walking away so he could kick away the steel rod into the spreading fire. Gaspar's eyes grew in fear knowing what would happen to his stick. He runs to attack McKinzie. The veteran hears his footsteps and he grabs Gaspar to stab him several times in the abdomen. Then McKinzie performs a hip throw on Gaspar, taking him down. Gaspar was not able to get up from his wounds. McKinzie walks close at Gaspar to make the final blow.

McKinzie: "Looks like it was over for you instead of me boy!"

McKinzie prepares to aim at the heart of Gaspar, but a gun is thrown dead at his face. He falls down as a result. In a rage, he props back up to see Roana rushing to the aid of the Portuguese cop.

McKinzie (angry): "Roana! What's the meaning of this?"

Roana: "McKinzie! So good to see you again! Not having such a good night are you?" (To Gaspar.) "Just hang in there. I'm getting us out of here."

McKinzie (takes out a grenade.): "You bitch eat this!"

McKinzie unlocks the grenade cap with his teeth, but Roana uses a smoke bomb hidden under her utility belt to hide herself and Gaspar. It didn't matter to McKinzie for he was attempting a suicide bomb attack. Roana quickly escaped on her bike with an injured Gaspar along her back. The grenade explodes and the slaughterhouse is destroyed. Some guests at the Gargalo dance floor also felt this explosion. Many of them stopped their dancing and they were panicking in disarray. Roana, in her bike, drove out into the street before the flames could catch her.

Meanwhile, from a few blocks down the Santa Justa elevator, stood Eddy, Miguel, Christie, and a few survivors of the Shibata LP. The survivors were thankful that their lives were saved.

Stacy Anthony: "I don't know who sent you guys to come rescue us, but we are forever in your debt!"

Dante Marras (Italian secretary of the Milan Shibata LP): "Yes, we are truly thankful!"

Miguel: "Praise us all you want, but that maniac Manuelo is still on the loose."

Christie: "I hope Gaspar is ok."

Miguel: "Who the fuck is Gaspar?"

Eddy: "He's the detective who helped us get inside the Gargalo."

Miguel: "Oh."

Stacy: "You people have names right? Tell them to me and I will make sure you are all rewarded for your efforts here."

Eddy: "Money isn't necessary. The only favor I want out of guys is to where we can find Manuelo."

Miguel: "Yea, if you can do that, then I might change my mind about the Shibata LP being a war mongering corporation!"

Keith Copeland (head member of the Shibata LP's stock market team in Japan): "Starting conflicts is not something this company prides itself in. Now if you want to cooperate with us, then don't make accusations!"

Christie (whispers to Miguel): "I know how you feel Miguel, but control your anger alright."

Miguel (grumpy): "Yea yea."

Eddy: "I know not everyone in this company knows about some of the shady things the Shibata LP has done over the past three decades, but trust me when I tell you that my friends and I will stop Manuelo. We will do whatever it takes to capture him. And my name is Eddy, Eddy Gordo."

Christie: "I'm Christie Monteiro!" (points to Miguel on her left while smiling.) "And this guy is Miguel!"

Some members laugh at Christie's bubbly expression. Stacy starts off by telling the trio more about Manuelo's plans to extract the Lion's Eye. It was said to be hidden at a disclosed location, but the company does know Manuelo's is operating a diamond mine within Angola, a former Portuguese colony. What's more troubling is that Manuelo is using the locals as mining workers in order to dig out the dirt inside the canyons there. In order to really hurt Manuelo's pocket, Eddy and his group would have to infiltrate the mine, liberate the people, and destroy the entire mining operation.

A few contact cards were given to Eddy after being told about the mining operation of the Lion's Eye by the Shibata LP members. After going their separate ways, Eddy tried to contact Gaspar from his cell phone. He received no answer. Roana then contacts Eddy from Gaspar's phone about 5 minutes later.

Roana: "Is this Eddy?"

Eddy: "Yea?"

Roana: "I couldn't save your friend. This man who was with you. He died."

Eddy: "Gaspar is…"

Roana: "That's his name?"

Eddy: "That's right."

Roana: "I tried to take him to the hospital, but it was too late. I'm sorry."

Eddy: "Where are you now?"

Roana: "I'm coming towards you all now."

Sure enough Roana pulls at the group in her motorbike, but Gaspar wasn't with her.

Christie (crying): "Gaspar…no. Not again." (She goes to Eddy in distress, which Miguel didn't like, but he ignored them.)

Miguel (pissed at Roana): "Where is Gaspar? What the fuck happened back there?"

Roana: "He tried to fight one of the better mercenaries of the Serpent Cartel and he lost. I found him already injured! He died before I could send him to the ER!"

Eddy: "Where is the body?"

Roana: "At the morgue."

Miguel: "Sounds like the police took his body after they spotted you! That's why you left him to die! You better keep running!"

Eddy: "Miguel!"

Miguel: "What?"

Eddy: "It's over! What's done can't be undone. Gaspar died fighting for justice. Roana coming here to meet us again despite what happened is a sign of repentance. I know now she is a friend."

Christie: "Thank you again Roana for saving us all, even if you couldn't save everyone. I don't feel it was your fault Gaspar died."

Roana: "De nada. Miguel can you still trust me?"

Miguel (looks at her funny.): "You're still in trouble with the cops, no matter what you do here."

Roana (Hearing sirens): "Give some credit tonto (Miguel)! At least they are after the Serpent members. They still might come after you guys because you are all witnesses to a crime scene. If I were you, I'd leave this city fast."

Eddy: "Where will you go?"

Roana: "Not to worry sweetie. I will find a way to reach you very soon. Just get out of Lisbon, before things turn ugly." (Drives off with her motorbike.)

The night was a long yet wild one for the trio. It was unfortunate for Gaspar Barros life to end so abruptly. Yet, his presence helped the trio get one step closer to breaking down the Serpent Cartel. Eddy contacted the British Embassy and requested to leave Portugal immediately following the aftermath of the Gargalo nightclub bombing. He decided to tell Mr. Barros the grim news about his nephew's death.


Notes: I abruptly ended the life of a good character in Gaspar Barros. I wonder if that was a good thing or not. Next chapter, the trio visits Mr. Barros, recovering from a back injury. Then Roana gives Miguel an important document on Soo Min's storage power.