Chapter IXV
Vero Cosa
It was hot, stuffy, and dark, wherever Stone was. He had just woken open to hot humid air, and there seemed to be no oxygen. He slowly awoke, trying to remember what happened. The truck, he had gotten out of the truck...something happened, but he couldn't remember exactly. He tried to move his limbs. He was sitting down, but his hands were bound behind his back, and his feet were bound also. Then he realized it wasn't where he was that was stuffy and humid. His body was cool enough, it was just his head. There was a bag over his head.
Oh shit, he said to himself. Someone had obviously done this. A pit formed in his stomach. Sedena could be next. He pulled against the rope that bound him, but it was well knotted.
"Hey, he's awake," said someone. Stone froze.
"Oh good, I wanna talk to him," said a voice he recognized. Daniel Lohner. He heard footsteps approaching, echoing. It sounded like he was in an empty room. The bag was ripped from his head and he squinted as harsh light burned his dark-adjusted eyes.
"Give him a bit to get his senses back, I don't wanna talk to some dumbfounded moron," Lohner said. Stone's eyes adjusted to the light and he saw he was in a stark room, an industrial light in the corner, shining on him. The room had moldy walls that had been plastered like shit. The floor, a red splotched rug, had all kinds of uncleaned things. Shell casings...fingers...teeth...there was even a discarded penis in the corner. This was where they tortured people...whoever "they" were. One thing he was sure of, if they could get him, they could get Sedena.
"Who are you?" he finally asked, he glared at Lohner. "I know who you are."
"Oh, this is Miguel," Lohner gestured to a Hispanic fellow, "and that's Charlie," Charlie was a white man.
"What the fuck is all this?" asked Stone.
"Oh, people who get too close to the family business," said Lohner. "Dad wanted me to just sever all the ties to this SPANK factory from the station, but I like getting things done the quick and efficient way. There's you, and there's the kid. And I heard two other squid-heads are at your house now. Relatives of the squid-kid?"
"I always knew you were a piece of shit, along with your dad, but this... ...SPANK? What the fuck is SPANK?"
"Cocaine. My dad plays allot of GTA, so he calls is SPANK. It's got ring to it actually, I like it," Lohner said.
"How long are we gonna make small talk for?" asked Charlie. He had a French accent.
"Yeah, you're right. Just shoot him in the head," Lohner said absently as he abruptly walked out of the room. The men waited before untying Stone.
"It ain't gonna be that quick," said Miguel, grabbing an electric drill.
"Did Danny boy tell you who I am?" asked Stone, as Charlie got behind him and put him in an arm lock.
"No, who are you?" asked Miguel, a little amused.
"A Marine." With that, Stone grabbed the pistol that was in Charlie's holster. It was locked in, but he pulled the trigger and shot Charlie in the foot. He yelled in pain and released Stone, who quickly lunged at a surprised Miguel.
"Mi Dios!" he yelled in fright, squeezing the drills trigger. The high whining, coupled with Charlie's screams in French, made Stone aware of a bad headache. He had been too pissed at Lohner to notice it until now. He grabbed the drill and shoved it into Miguel's neck. He choked and sputtered blood all over Stone's front. Stone grimaced and shoved his body away, let him drown in his own blood. He deserved as much, since he helped to sell poison to, no doubt, mentally ruined people who could be easily persuaded to take such narcotics. Stone then went to Charlie, and hesitated. What he had done to Miguel was self-defense, but he wasn't any executioner. Charlie silently looking up at him with begging eyes didn't help either. Stone grabbed the gun and two extra clips off of Charlie, then knocked him out. Then he looked at Miguel.
Hell, I could've just knocked him out too. The man was still alive, sputtering blood. Stone had never even executed Covenant, so how could he execute these men? Stone's marine thinking finally kicked into full gear. He knew someone was gonna barge in here any minute, so he hid behind the door. For a few moments, all he could hear was Miguel choking, thankfully that ended soon. He eventually did hear footsteps stomping to the door, but slowly, not running. Perfect. The door opened and a black man stepped inside, an M7 SMG in his arms.
"Holy fuck!" he exclaimed.
"What the hell!?" exclaimed another guy behind him. Stone shot the first man in the head, and before he even hit the ground, Stone rounded the door to face the other shocked man, who had a shotgun in his arms; not even ready. Stone shot him in the heart. Okay, three shots fired now. That was bound to raise suspicions amongst these drug pushers. He holstered his pistol and grabbed the SMG as his primary. He couldn't get the shotgun, not strap for his back. He proceeded down a hall. He could hear loud music blaring from somewhere, lots of talk and laughter. He went down the hall for a bit until he came to a set of double doors. He opened one a crack and peered in. It led into a mudroom, with another pair of doors on the other side across from the first set. On the walls hung hazard suits with gas masks, and crates of weapons and ammo on the floors, lining the walls. This probably led to the laboratory, where all the poison was processed. He adjusted an American flag pin on his chest. It was actually a camera, and it had gotten Lohner's little speech, but he wanted conclusive evidence. He entered the mudroom and shut the door behind him. He took a deep breath and opened the other door. Hot air wafted on his face, and his eyes stung from the chemicals in the air. He detached the pin and took some sweeps of the room. Through his fuzzy eyes he could see hazard suit men working trays on tables, and more on other machinery; large steel drums sat in the corners on pallets, and even small indoor silos resided at the end of the room. It was a tall room, with large sepia hued lights illuminating the ground. Guards stood in groups, chatting idly, weapons held casually. They seemed to have armor vests under their suits also. The grunt workers, who sifted through totes of SPANK, had pistols of their own. Obviously they were trusted people, and not just slave labor.
Stone quietly shut the door. When it shut, air purifiers turned on, taking in the leaked poisonous air from the lab and making it whole again. Stone let himself breathe. He put the pin back on, then spied some of the body armor vests. He quickly removed his t-shirt then zipped the vest on, then put the shirt over it. He grabbed a few extra clips for the SMG and proceeded out of the mudroom. He went down the halls again, now looking for a way out of here. No doubt this was way in the desert. That was the beauty of these SPANK, heroin, and meth labs; they could be holed up a long ways from main roads. Guards could see vehicles coming from miles away, and be able to warn the lab and give enough time for them to pack up and get out. But this was a real factory building he was in, not some old RV. That meant it was on private land that law and otherwise would need a permit to enter. No doubt the mayor's own land. So obvious you couldn't tell. The password is "password".
This land was probably somewhere rural, though, away from T or C. Stone looked at his watch and was surprised to see an hour-and-a-half had passed since his abduction. It wasn't that far after all. The password is "123456789". Well, obviously Daniel was stupid not to listen to his dad when he said "destroy all links of this factory to the station." If he had done that, Stone would have just gotten the power abusers, and not the big fish. Now, Stone had a sword fish, though, it was hooked on a small kiddy pole you would find in Toys R Us.
He peaked around a corner and saw another pair of double doors, along with two garage doors. The loading bay. No guards inside, but they were no doubt outside. Stone peaked through a door and saw seven of them, all by themselves and pacing about slowly, quietly biding their time. A truck was parked near one of the ramps, though the engine was off. Stone was tempted to jack it, but he wouldn't get far in it. Some drive-byers would take him down easily, probably make it look like a random act of gang violence. He needed something fast so he could get out of there quickly and check on Sedena. She was the center of attention now. Any moment now, Lohner could be calling some hitman. Stone slipped through the door and crouched behind some steel drums. Now he could survey the rest of the area. There was a black SUV parked in another spot. They were naturally in a secluded area of the desert, though a dirt road led out towards some unknown destination. Stone knew he would have to take these guys out, or else they would give chase.
Stone then noticed that the truck, the back trailer open, was filled with more weapons. Obviously the Lohners had upped their arsenal. This was more than some lousy drug operation. Maybe a collaborative with other drug lords and gang leaders. Hell, maybe these weapons weren't even for them. But Stone saw an opportunity. A box labeled "suppressors". Now the guards had grouped together, beginning to talk. Stone slunk to the truck and got to the crate. He opened it and saw they were all-purpose suppressors. One type made for all guns. He attached one and then aimed on the guards. He opened fire, in short bursts. The men all cried out in alarm as their cohorts started dropping like flies. They looked around wildly for the shooter, rather than ducking for cover like any experienced soldier would. This was cake. These unexperienced gangsters had nothing on Stone. All seven were dispatched at the cost of three quarters of the clip. Stone reloaded. He had plenty to stock up on. He then went to the SUV. The back had suitcases in it. He opened some, either packets of SPANK or wads of cash. He had physical evidence now. Stone hot wired the vehicle, then took off down the road. He did it at a quick speed, but not too fast. He wouldn't be a use to Sedena if he was flipped over on the side of a desert road. He rode for five minutes until he came to a seven way intersection of dirt roads. Just made to confuse trespassers. Stone slowly despaired, but quickly searched for a map. His spirits were lifted when he found one. He opened it, no more than satellite imagery on a piece of paper. Google Earth. The password is ABCDEFG.
The road leading to the highway was marked red. He took the road and sped down the way. Soon, over a hill, he saw he needed to go through a security gate, the property was lined by a tall fence with barbed wire atop. Stone had no idea what to do. He took some binoculars from the dashboard and looked at the gate. No guards. But there was no doubt one in the small building that operated the gate. He figured he should take him out, rather than pretending this was regular...in fact, he now regretted grabbing this car. It was probably fucking hot to the pushers as well as police. Stone checked his pockets, and felt what he was looking for. Good, his badge hadn't been taken. Daniel was sloppy.
"Should've listened to daddy," murmured Stone as he rolled down to the gate. When he got there, the guard looked surprised to see the car.
"I thought-" he began, but Stone lifted the M7 and fired a burst into his chest. The man made one wet gag and fell back, then slid down the wall, leaving a smeared trail of blood. Stone quickly got out and opened the the gate. He then noticed the security camera, focused right on him.
"Shit," he hissed as he took it out. Now he knew he would be pursued. He got in and spun out, getting on the road. He followed it to the highway, then went in the direction of T or C. He rode over 80 miles per hour. He drove for half an hour, before he took the exit to T or C. As he sped down, a police cruiser flashed its lights and took off after him. He itched to get to Sedena, but he would need to talk with this cop first...and if it was someone in on Lohner's business, he would be forced to take him out. Stone hastily pulled over, then stepped out of the car. The police woman got out of hers and said,
"Sir! You need to stay...Stone?" To his relief, it was Maria.
"Maria! Get over here, quickly," he said. He opened the back door and Maria approached. She looked at the suitcases.
"What is all this?" she asked. He opened a case, revealing SPANK, then another revealing the cash. Maria gaped.
"St...Stone...where did this come from? Is that cocaine?"
"It's Lohner," he said. She gaped at him next.
"Which one?" she asked.
"Both. Daniel abducted me right outside the damn station, and took me to a drug factory to have me killed...here," he said, handing her the mini flag cam, then giving her two suitcases.
"What do you want me to do with these?"
"Call the FBI, I'm going to check on Sedena. Lohner said she's next to die," Stone said. He quickly got in the SUV, leaving Maria to watch as he sped off.
Stone parked a block from his house. He didn't want to risk any watcher recognizing the vehicle. He opened the door...now realizing anybody would notice the SMG in his arms. As he stepped out of the SUV, an old woman looked up and beheld the weapon, then stared in fear at Stone.
"No cops, only feds. The police are in on a drug scheme. Get inside," Stone told her. She immediately stood and hobbled in her home, calling,
"Jim! Call the feds! Gang wars and drugs!" Okay, she thought Stone was a gang banging drug pusher, but atleast they were calling the feds. Just in case Maria couldn't. Stone hoped she would be alright as he jogged to his house.
A seven-foot man, wearing plastic bags over his shoes, leather gloves, and a black bandanna over his face, slowly crept to the target's home. In his hands was a sawnoff pistol-grip-pump 8-gauge shotgun. Modified from the original M90A combat shotgun. It even fitted a large but effective suppressor. The hitman had on a black leather jacket and olive green pants. He slowly went up to the door and peaked in the window next to it. In the living room, all his targets were watching the television together. Perfect. He slowly and carefully opened the doors. Leaving them open behind him, he slowly moved to the Elite's turned backs. The first priority target was the girl, but the others weren't as important.
The hitman raised the shotgun, right behind the girls' head.
Suddenly, someone burst in. The hitman knew what to do, take out the target immediately before he was dispatched himself. But the male Elite quickly shielded the girl. Just as the hitman was about the pull the trigger, someone grabbed his arm and made him shoot the ceiling. He was knocked in the head, then shot in the head shortly after.
Stone saw him, the weapon aimed right on her head. A rage he never knew even existed in mortal beings filled his entire body and soul, and he charged in. Unlike most berserk rages, this one was not dumb and irrational. He knew that he needed to grab the weapon. If he shot him in the head, there was still the chance that the brains' ruined nerves and functions would spasmodically give the trigger finger that deadly order. If he he shot him anywhere else, this obviously experienced killer would still manage to kill her.
Stone burst through the screen door with unknown strength. It was supposed to open outwards, but he smashed through inside. To his relief, Dianos' sharp, reactionary military mind knew exactly what to do. Protect the innocent at all costs. And he shielded his granddaughter with himself. But Stone wouldn't let any of them get hurt. He grabbed the weapon and forced it upwards. It discharged into the ceiling, leaving many holes in it. Stone then hit the enemy in the head with his elbow, making the assassin fall to the ground. Without hesitation, he popped a single round into his head, spewing his brains all over the floor.
Dianos looked up and saw Stone standing there, an SMG in his hand, glaring down at the dead body of an obvious assassin.
"Wha...what in the gods names?" Seris uttered, staring wide eyed at the scene.
"Stone?" asked Sedena, looking from her grandfather's arms.
"Are you all okay?" asked Stone. Now he looked pale, and he was shivering slightly.
"What is going on?" asked Dianos.
"I..." Stone tried to think of the words to explain what happened, but none came, the adrenaline was wearing off and he was feeling dazed.
"Are you okay? Sit down," said Seris. She approached and reached her arm out so she could guide him to the couch, but she yelled in fright when a shot rang on. It was all a blur to Stone. He fell down forward, someone's blood spilling out from behind him it seemed, splashing on the wall. Faintly he heard Sedena screaming his name, and then felt Dianos grab him and pull him behind the wall. Was one of them shot? Who did it?...no, the blood was red. And he was the only red blooded human here, so that meant...
Stone slowly pieced together the puzzle that revealed he had been shot, but his neck was merely grazed; but, a graze bad enough to draw a significant amount of blood. He looked down as the SMG was pulled from his hands, then he saw Dianos had taken it, and was peaking out the window. He snarled and stood, then let loose on whoever was out there. There was fire returned, but it didn't last long, nor did it hit Dianos, though it was too close for comfort. He watched like a sentinel after the unknown assailant was dead, and Sedena rushed to Stone, tears streaming down her eyes as she fell to her knees behind him.
"Stone?" she asked holding his hand.
"I'm okay," he said softly, getting tired. Distantly, he could hear sirens. "Put the gun down, give it to me," said Stone to Dianos. He looked reluctant to part with it but he handed it over nevertheless. The sirens finally arrived right outside the house. Dianos glanced out and saw two black sedans park on the road in front of the house, blue and red lights flashing in the window shields. Men in dark blue jackets got out, M7s in their hands. On the backs of their jackets were the letters "FBI". The caps on their heads said the same as well. They approached the house and came in. They looked surprised to see the Sangheili, but Stone showed his badge.
"They tried to kill me, the drug pushers. It's the mayor. I've got evidence. I left some with another officer I could trust, but there's a black SUV parked on the north exit with suitcases filled with cash and cocaine," Stone said as strongly as he could. One agent used his radio to call an ambulance while another knelt beside Stone.
"Alright, we'll get you patched up first then you can tell your story in full. We'll take the mayor in custody. Anyone else in on this?"
"His son, he's the one that abducted me and took me to this huge cocaine factory in the desert. It's on private land-" but the agent cut him off,
"Okay, don't speak anymore. We''re working on it. Are they...your guests?" he asked, referring to the Sangheili.
"Foster daughter," Stone said, nodding to Sedena, who was sitting next to him, squeezing his hand. The agent nodded and then spoke with his subordinates.
"I'm going to want to hear this too, you should rest," said Seris. She had a cloth in her hand and put pressure on Stone's wound.
"Thanks," he said. It was hard to resist, and he eventually he failed; he slipped into unconsciousness from the blood loss.
Distantly, there was a soft beeping. A steady pulse that did not either speed up or slow down. There were voices, speaking quietly. All was dark and dizzy. But all these sounds eventually came into clarity, and he realized he was Stone Gossard, and he had his eyes closed...and apparently was in a hospital. He opened his eyes and saw the heart monitor hooked up to him, showing his vitals were normal. Beside him, still holding his hand, was Sedena. She smiled when he opened his eyes.
"Hi," he said, cracking his own smile. Sedena hugged him, but gently. He grinned and patted her on the back.
"Well, if it isn't Dirty Harry," said a recognizable voice. Stone beheld Rose, dressed in doctor whites, stethoscope hung around her neck, and a PDA in her hand.
"The loose cannon, hard boiled, drug buster extraordinare," said Maria, who stood from her seat across the room and walked over to Stone's bed. "The media has been begging to see you, but we won't allow it," Maria told him.
"Good, thanks; very much. I bet it's hard keeping those animals at bay."
"It seems you've proved your ability to protect Sedena," said Seris. She and Dianos were sitting beside the bed. "Though that was a close call. For all of us."
"The FBI arrested Richard Lohner, though Daniel is on the run. A SWAT Op was pulled on the coke factory you escaped from, and they've got allot of people down and out. The pushers didn't go out without a fight," Maria explained.
"Who else was it?" asked Stone.
"Trails lead to other spots in the southwest US, ranging from Arizona, to Texas, and of course California. Particularly LA. You also took down a bunch of other mayors and senators, and even a congresswoman. You're the Richie Roberts of this time, Stone. Only it was like you planned, the unknown police officer. The FBI is doing its best to keep you hidden," Maria said.
"Good," said Stone. If the media found out if he had an adopted Sangheili daughter, they'd have a heyday, creating gossip and other shit like that. "Is that all? Or are there more?"
"A number of crime syndicates have been exposed. All these drug pushers have been capitalizing on the surviving victims of the war. Ruined people, mentally as well as physically. Here in the states, Mexico, and some in the European Union. French, Italian and British crime families, like the Lohners. Interpol is having a good time rounding them up, and the FBI is rounding up the last of our beloved politicians," Maria sneered. "People are in an uproar though. It's like you said, now that they've found out about this, they're all up in arms. Hell, they don't know who to trust in the government now...how are you?"
"Huh?" asked Stone, taken aback by the sudden question.
"We'll take that as a 'good'," said Rose. Stone chuckled.
"Yeah," he said. Then Johnathan stepped into the room, Zuli trailing behind him. Seris and Dianos were very surprised to see Zuli.
"We weren't aware there was another child," said Dianos.
"Oh, he's mine," said Rose, resting her hand on his shoulder. "This is Zuli Min."
"Good to meet you, lad," said Dianos, shaking hands with Zuli. "I am Dianos, Sedena's grandfather, this is Seris, her grandmother."
"Hello," Zuli said. He looked at Stone. "Those FBI men have been acting like a second security force for the hospital, trying to keep those journalists out." Johnathan snorted.
"Believe us, kid, they ain't journalists. More like leeches, ticks, mosquitoes, tapeworms, and Flood Infection Forms, in that order," he said.
"Perfect," mumbled Stone. "When do I get out of here?"
"In just two days. That wound on your neck isn't as bad as we first thought, you just lost a good amount of blood. The two days rest should have you regain your former strength, then you can leave the hospital, though your wound will need more time to heal," Rose said.
"Can't I stay for the night?" asked Sedena to Rose.
"No, I'm sorry. The higher ups won't go for it. You'll have to stay with your grandparents at Stone's house."
"Are you glad you got such an exciting first visit to Earth?" asked Stone, smiling. Dianos and Seris laughed.
"Too exciting, Stone," said Seris.
"Yes, being almost shot kind of pushes it," Dianos added.
"Hey, that's not nearly as exciting as the media-jumping scheme I cooked up," said Johnathan, grinning.
"Oh no," sighed Stone.
"Okay, you're all fixed up, see, and you need to get out. But you can't, because the Dick-Blood-Cum Sucking Vultures are perched in their goddamn cars, bushes and trees. But, there is a perfect way to avoid them. You get in a spare ambulance that's pretending to head off to an emergency. It rides out a few miles out of town, and you get picked up by another ride, that takes you back to your house. Then we leave the media hanging, and eventually they'll leave the town in defeat, knowing that they won't find you." Everyone laughed, but Stone was quiet in thought.
"Actually," he said "I really like that idea."
"I know! I asked the manager of this place and he said it would be fine if we borrowed one of the old decommissioned ambulances. It may seem like a joke, but it'll really work," Johnathan said excitedly.
"Sounds fun, I'd get a kick out of disappointing the media. I bet they would say that we couldn't hide you forever, then say to them 'go on in, see if you can find him or her. But when you don't find him, you might as well pack your cameras,'" Maria said, imagining it in pleasure.
"Well thanks everybody," said Stone gratefully.
"Thank you, Max Payne," said Johnathan, smirking.
"How long are the super-cop jokes going to last?" asked Stone.
"Forever," said Rose, bending over him, then giving him a long, sweet kiss. It was finally over, life could continue in peace.
(1) What a way to wake up, with a bag on your head. "Someone had obviously done this." tommyleejoneswithanewspaper dot jpeg
(2) "Sedena could be next." Oh it's always about her, isn't it? FUCK SEDENA WHAT ABOUT YOU?! WHAT ABOUT YOU?!
(3) Wait, Daniel says he wants to kill Sedena and her grandparents, to eliminate witnesses. There's no reason for it. Even if Stone gets killed and is marked as missing, it's not like they could convince anyone to really look into it, considering the corruption, and the fact that they're hated aliens. They'd just get sent back to Sanghelios. Messed up, but that's the way it'd probably turn out.
(4) I've got a Mexican henchman, but oh nooo, "eso es racist dot gif ," better balance it out with a French guy. Because French dudes are all over American drug factories.
(5) So Daniel tells his henchmen to shoot Stone and be done with it, but that would mean he'd die. Can't let him die so early in the plot(s), so generic idiot henchmen are going to torture-kill him. But not only that, they untie him! Seriously, who the fuck would do that? And apparently Charlie thinks putting him in a Full Nelson will be enough restraint while Miguel power drills him. Just what I want to do when torturing someone, hold them in a Full Nelson while they get stabbed, thrash and bleed everywhere.
You know, it would seriously make more sense if Maria busted in with an M249 and a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. exoskeleton than this tripe.
(6) "'Did Danny boy tell you who I am?' asked Stone, as Charlie got behind him and put him in an arm lock.
'No, who are you?' asked Miguel, a little amused.
'A Marine.'" Really, Stone? That's the best one-liner you can come up with? Why not, "The sky is blue." Also, that doesn't make you automatically an invincible killing machine, just ask... well, your fellow marines from Halo! You know, the ones that run into Master Chief's line-of-fire and then blame him for their deaths.
(7) "With that, Stone grabbed the pistol that was in Charlie's holster. It was locked in, but he pulled the trigger and shot Charlie in the foot." Stoleded from Die Hard 4.
(8) Okay, so Stone kills Miguel, but hesitates over Charlie since he wasn't fighting back. Okay, I guess that sort of makes sense, since Miguel had a weapon. Oh wait! Charlie has a weapon, too! Remember, Stone only fired that pistol while it was in its holster, he didn't actually take it. So Charlie could have and should have easily used it on Stone while his back was turned. But, for the sake of not killing off a beloved main-character, he didn't do that. How considerate.
One: Stone should thank his lucky stars he's not played by Sean Bean.
Two: OMG i killed the mexican but not the white guy i made a micro-aggression im so racist asahbibhdsaiuubsadinasdd!1!one
(8) Okay, Stone, stop being the killer that feels bad when he kills, just fucking rek some nubs already!
(9) So Stone makes a couple of shots, and even speculates that the rest of the factory would be aware of him cookin' some fools. But NOPE they're playing loud music, so it's impossible to hear gun shots!
Remember, kids, your stereo is louder than someone firing a gun in the adjacent room. Make sure you have a gun in your room too so you're prepared! Ammu-Nation! Protecting your rights!
(10) So these drug sellers are wealthy and experienced enough to have their own full-fledged factory, but store all their munitions in the same room where the cooks change into their gear. le sigh.
(11) Stone's convenient American-flag-pin-that's-actually-a-camera is convenient.
(12) Stone took his shirt off, put on an armored vest, then put his shirt over it. Okay, wearing a kevlar vest over bare-skin is incredibly uncomfortable, so it's always good to have an undershirt, and then a second shirt to cover the vest if you're so inclined to hide it. But unless you're a plain-clothes cop, or a criminal, you have no reason to hide it. Bear in mind, Stone is still in his police uniform, and you wear an undershirt over the main attire. So really, all Stone- Oh fuck it, I've made my point.
(13) "But this was a real factory building he was in, not some old RV. That meant it was on private land that law and otherwise would need a permit to enter. No doubt the mayor's own land. So obvious you couldn't tell. The password is 'password'." Where do I even begin to start with how wrong this logic is? And let me answer that question with another: do I even need to bother?
(14) That whole paragraph is just password and toy analogies. Another instance of where I was trying really hard to write like Stephen King. Oh, Me.
(15) "...all-purpose suppressors. One type made for all guns." No, no, and thrice, no. There are different sizes of bullets, and therefore different sizes of barrels and muzzles. So that means it's pretty much impossible to have a single suppressor that can conform to an AK, M16, or a PMM. Unless it's made of silly-putty that hardens and softens at will, a suppressor made for a pistol will not fit on an assault rifle.
(16) Stone opens up on the guards: "They looked around wildly for the shooter, rather than ducking for cover like any experienced soldier would." lolno. Even inexperienced civillians know to fucking go for cover if someone's shooting at them.
Also, just because he has a suppressor, doesn't mean they couldn't pinpoint his location, considering the weapon still gives up a loud sound.
So, breakdown time: the reason they're called "suppressors" and not "silencers" is because they suppress sound, not completely eliminate it. The sound of the bullet igniting is suppressed, but the weapon is still firing a bullet traveling at super-sonic speeds. That means the bullets break the sound barrier and make cracking sounds, like the tip of a bullwhip. That's why bullwhips crack, because when whipped properly the very tip snaps fast enough to break the sound barrier.
The only way a weapon could be considered "silent" is if the projectiles are subsonic. For example, the Russian VSS Vintorez is built with an integrated suppression barrel, and uses special bullets that travel at subsonic speeds, but are still powerful enough to pierce armor. So really, you can't just slap a suppressor on any old gun and be completely silent. The weapon itself has to be specially made, as well as the ammunition it uses.
(17) Stone hotwired the SUV. I doubt that would be something you could still do in the 2500s.
(18) I like how a super secret drug factory is surrounded by fences with security checkpoints. Sure the local law enforcement may be in on it, but that doesn't stop inspectors from showing up. Oh sure, you could make them disappear, but wouldn't that bring suspicion on the factory and blow its cover anyway?
Well, I guess the Lohners never watched Breaking Bad.
(19) lol this hitman. Stone comes in, and he decides to not defend himself and attack Sedena instead. Unless he's some sort of fanatic, professional hitmen aren't fucking suicidal and would immediately defend themselves.
(20) And then the FBI magically appeared. Jesus, even local cops don't respond that fast, what a load.
(21) Oh right, Daniel Lohner escapes. Reminds me that I wanted him to return to get revenge, but I don't think I ever got to that. Probably good, because that would be lame and cliched.
(22) I just realized in the outro of this whole subplot how little fallout there is for Stone. First of all, he would be covered in mountains of paper work, questioned by the feds, have to stand as a witness in court, and a whole lot more due process stuph. But that would be boring and I skipped it.
Oh no, I'm not chastising that, I still think that that shit's boring and should be skipped.
(23) Man, so because Stone took out one little mayor, an entire syndicate topples like dominoes. Do I even need to call that bullshit?
Jesus, even in Mexico and Europe shit hit the fan. Fucking yeah right. Recently they caught El Chapo, the biggest name in modern drug dealing (whose escaped numerous times at that), and that didn't stop the drug trade in its tracks. Not even close.
(24) Oh hey, it's time for me to shove more of my political agenda down your throats by talking mad shit about the media. Well, I can't say my view on it has changed much since then, but I'm sinning it anyway. Ding!
(25) Johnathan refers to the reporters as "Dick-Blood-Cum Sucking Vultures." Again I'll ask: is this guy really in his sixties, or just some obnoxious eighteen-year-old writing a ridiculous fan fiction?
(26) Johnathan's plan to avoid the media involves smuggling Stone out in a decommissioned ambulance the hospital approved use of. Yeah, not only would a hospital not let some guy borrow an emergency vehicle just so he wouldn't be on the news, they wouldn't have decommissioned ones floating around the hospital wasting space. They'd be scrap metal.
The end of an era has passed. The most nut-shit insane subplot in a corny Family/Friendship fan fiction has ended. I hope the payoff was as good as the build-up was, because God knows I built the fuck out of that up.