Chapter 14: To Steal a Mockingbird
Hank, Sanford, and Deimos hid behind a dumpster. They had already gone home and gotten equipped. Just like Augustus said, they wore dark clothing and were going for the kidnapping.
It was a simple task: Knock out the gang leader of the "Order of the Grey Blood" (or, O.G.B. when abbreviated) , get the fuck out of there, and bring his unconscious body to Chief Harley for questioning on further plans of the threatening group. Easier said than done.
The complex where the leader was located in wasn't far from the Nevada Devils. It was, in fact, in a large part of Dead Nevada, so getting there didn't take long by foot.
For one thing, Augustus was right. There were O.G.B. gangsters everywhere, inside and outside of buildings. They would have to silently pass through block after block of enemies without being suspected. If they did, then the leader would make a run for it, and there would be no way for the three of them to re-attempt the same mission since they wouldn't be able to know of his location. In addition, even if they were to embrace in combat, there was no telling where their foes would strike. Hank, Sanford, and Deimos were accustomed to fighting in closed spaces and against all their targets in sight. This allowed them to strike before anyone else could have enough time to react.
But now, the tides have turned, and things were not looking good for the trio. At any given moment, someone could snipe them from a nearby building and they wouldn't be able to detect where the shots were coming from fast enough before being attacked on the streets.
There were seven men walking around this street and they would have to pass 3 more gang-infested blocks like the one they're currently in.
Hank turned to his other two roommates. "Okay, this will be real simple. You two stay here. I'll go for the leader." he ordered.
Sanford's and Deimos's eyes widened. "What! Hank! That's totally unfair! You know we want to do this thing with you! So why the hell are you putting us behind the field!" Deimos protested. Sanford nodded in agreement.
Hank sighed. "Listen. There's only one way to get this guy, and that's through stealth, right? Well, I personally don't think it's stealthier for three men to be lurking in the shadows compared to only one. Besides, if I get caught in the act, you two know damn well that I'm the only one out of the three of us that will be able to come out alive, at the least. Then, while all the chaos is going on, you two can get out of here easily since we're not far from the bar. That will be our rendezvous point if any shit goes down. Got it?"
Sanford and Deimos said nothing. "Then what the fuck do you expect us to do while you're running around in those black pajamas?" Sanford asked, with a bit of ridiculing in his tone.
"If I'm on the verge of capture, you can distract the gangsters and divert their attention away from me. Knock them out when they come over, and just make sure you don't bring the whole gang to your location. Otherwise, we're all fucked." Hank explained.
Again, the two of them went silent. Deimos pouted. "We shouldn't even be on this mission then Hank, if you just told us what you were planning."
Hank chuckled. "Who knows? You two just might save my life again."
Sanford rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah Hank. We know no matter how much you seem to amaze us, you're not immortal."
Deimos pulled out his map with Augustus's marks on it and gave it to Hank. "Here, you're going to need this. Just don't screw up, alright? Because we're not going to be the ones hauling your dead ass back home."
Hank put the map in his right pocket. "Thanks. You two are a big help."
"Just go Hank, before we change our mind." Deimos said with a bit of irritation showing in his voice.
Hank nodded and slowly walked off. He crossed the line over to the O.G.B.'s side. It was official.
Hank was inside Grey Blood territory. And he wasn't welcome there.
He quickly hid behind some piles of garbage. Although it smelled dreadful there, Hank could handle it. After all, the smell of death was far worse than just a pile of garbage.
Hank watched as the group of gangsters walked off, not noticing the body lying near them. It was pitch black outside, and Hank's dark clothing had made him practically invisible to the human eye. Plus, the garbage bags covered in the black fabric it was made in had only added to his level of camouflage. The only way somebody was to find him is if he were to jump in front of their faces or if they were to look more closely and see Hank's outline. But that would be too random, and there was definitely no way Hank was just going to run right in front of them.
Hank checked the map Deimos had given him and saw that he was on the right path. He saw the 7 men, who were laughing and enjoying themselves rather than busy guarding, walk off. He silently ran a couple of meters until he had to take cover again and hide behind an alleyway as more gangsters walked by him. Hank realized that there was a faster way to finish this and looked over his head. The roof of the building he was hiding behind wasn't that high up. It was about 12 feet away from his grasp, and he knew he could make it.
Hank did a quadruple jump upwards and caught the edge of the roof. He pulled himself up and saw the ground below him. He was lucky; if he hadn't done this drastic move, he would've been caught as he noticed the gangsters searching the alleyway he was just in. Hank moved away from their line of view and saw the row of rooftops in front of him. He began running and leaping onto each building as the men underneath him couldn't realize that they were being spied on.
Hank finally stopped on the roof he was on. He checked his map again. Augustus had showed them where the leader was hiding at and Hank knew his target was under his feet. Hank looked around for an entrance other than the front door. No doubt the building was under high security and if he went down, he would be shot.
As his eyes traced his surroundings, he saw a loophole. Hank could burst through the glass top of the building (much like in the start of Madness Combat 5), sneak attack the guards, and take down the gang leader.
Hank looked below him. The two men under him were talking. It was perfect: they were distracted and they would be easy to take out.
Hank pulled out his dart rifle and burst through the glass. The gangsters covered their heads in shock and before they could react, Hank shot the both of them. They slumped against the walls as Hank reloaded his weapon.
"No doubt somebody would've heard that." Hank thought. And he was right.
The guards at the entrance heard the glass shattering and ran into the building calling for reinforcements as Hank ran down the stairs.
Sanford and Deimos saw what was going on, and Deimos lit a garbage bag on fire with his lighter. Sure enough, that caught some attention and most of the men going for Hank had turned around to see what was going on. Sanford and Deimos jumped out behind the dumpster they hid in and pulled out their rifles.
" 'Sup bitches!" Deimos yelled as he fired. Sanford followed his lead and they watched each gangster fall to the rocky pavement.
Some of the gangsters couldn't react fast enough as darts impaled their stomachs and chests while others were raising their guns and firing. Sanford jumped to the side and shot their attackers while Deimos fell on his back and continued shooting. Deimos flipped backwards again to stand and shot 4 more men. Suddenly, as darts and bullets flew to each side, Sanford felt a bullet whiz near his head from a different angle. He looked up and realized they were being attacked from windows of the buildings near them.
"Shit! Deimos we need to take cover! We're being sniped!" he yelled.
"Ah fuck, I hear ya! Let's go back behind the dumpster! At least it'll give us some cover there!" Deimos yelled as he continued to fire darts. There were bodies lying everywhere and the enemies seemed to endlessly appear out of nowhere to strike.
Sanford and Deimos ran behind the dumpster. Deimos began setting up his sniper rifle while Sanford made sure nobody came to their line of cover. When Deimos was done, he quickly aimed and fired at the gangster in the nearby building.
"Bullseye." he grinned as he saw the sniper fall back. Deimos reloaded for another shot.
Meanwhile, during all the panic, some of the guards decided to go for Hank instead. Hank began running down flights of stairs and shooting the gangsters in his way with his rifle. When he realized he was out of ammo, he threw his gun at one guard, stunned him, pulled out his pistol, and continued firing. Hank picked up his rifle, knowing that he couldn't allow it to fall in the wrong hands. He then took out the darts from his sniper and placed it into his rifle.
Hank turned around and saw more guards. Some stopped to take aim and fire while three others came in with melee weapons. Hank shot one guard and used his body as a shield. The gangsters stopped shooting, not wanting to risk the fact that they could accidently hit their ally. However, the other guards with nightsticks and metal bats kept running. Hank threw the body at one of them and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out.
As another guard swung his bat at Hank's head, Hank ducked and punched him in the stomach. He fired a dart from his rifle and took him down as well. Then, he picked up the metal bat and threw it at the third's head. Blood came seeping out as he fell to the ground like a rock, but by then, Hank didn't care whether it killed him or not.
The gangsters across the room, realizing Hank was all alone at the other side, continued firing. Hank quickly ran through an opened door at his right side. He saw two more men and a door at the other side. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he pushed one person to the ground and shot the other in the leg. Hank ran down another flight of stairs and finally found the leader with his two guards. Hank shot the three of them down with his rifle.
Hank carried the O.G.B. leader's body. He heard more voices behind him and knew it was from the men that he hadn't finished off. There was only one other door left, and Hank carried the leader to it. Hank opened it and ran in just before he saw bullets fly behind him. If he had exited a second later, he would've had clips emptied into his body.
Hank realized he was outside as he saw vans lined up in a parking lot. He had found the back door for an escape the gang leader would've used to run off, but Hank was able to stop him just before he could. Hank ran as fast as he could with the heavy body on his back to a van, finally making it to the door, and put down the body.
As Hank searched and found the keys the leader kept to the van, he heard the door in the building he just escaped from slam open. Bullets began flying past him as he opened the van door and hid behind it as cover. The gang members began running after him, but by then, Hank was already inside with their leader, and the doors were locked. Hank searched the keys for the right one to start the car and felt glass shatter around him. The gangsters were searching their own keys to open the locked door with Hank trapped inside; fighting off the men who were breaking in while trying to start the car. Hank was faster than them, found the right key for the van, and turned it to ignite the engine. As Hank saw the van's headlights go on, he slammed the accelerator and drove off as fast as he could, leaving the gang behind him in the dust.
Deimos checked his ammo and realized he was all out. He had nothing left to use.
"Sanford!" he yelled, "I'm on empty!"
"Deimos just take my pistol and hold them off anyway you can! We'll think of something by then!" Sanford answered back.
Deimos nodded, pulled out Sanford's dart pistol, and kept firing for dear life. Just then, he heard a car horn.
"Oh God! Please don't tell me there's MORE of them!" Deimos prayed.
The men let the van pass, not realizing that it wasn't on their side.
"Get in!" Hank burst out to them.
Sanford and Deimos recognized the voice and came out of their cover. They shot the remaining gangsters near them (who were stunned to find Hank J. Wimbleton in one of their vehicles) and cleared a pathway to the back of the van. Deimos opened the doors as Sanford shot more men. They both jumped in.
"Go Hank, go!" Sanford hollered.
Hank sped away again as fast as he could as Deimos struggled to close the doors. They drove off hearing the curses and bullet fire from the O.G.B. members behind them. None of the vans were fast enough to pursuit them, so they were in the clear.
All three of the trio was breathing heavily. They couldn't remember the last time so much adrenaline had pumped in their veins before until now.
"Holy fucking shit." was all Deimos could say to describe the shock he was in.
"That was beyond close. I told you this mission was a bad idea from the start!" Sanford angrily replied.
"But San! We did have a hell of a time doing this, and Hank got the leader, right Hank?" Deimos defended.
Hank merely nodded. He cocked his head to the passenger's seat of the car where Sanford and Deimos saw a tranquilized man with a dart stuck in his left arm lay.
"Hank, you never cease to impress me." Deimos complimented.
"That's fantastic Deimos. Just...fantastic." Hank tried to reply as nicely as he could. But he didn't feel like talking much.
"What's the matter Hank? Aren't you at least happy?" Sanford asked him.
Hank sat silent. Finally, he spoke. "I'm tired Sanford. The last time I went on a mission like this, it was at the A.A.H.W., and I died."
"Tired? Since when was the great Hank J. Wimbeton tired?" Deimos mocked.
Hank didn't say anything. "Deimos, will you take the wheel for me? I'm not feeling like myself."
Deimos looked at him quizzically, starting to feel worried. "S-sure Hank. Whatever you want. I'm sorry I got you into this mess."
"It's fine...really." Hank sighed.
Deimos and Hank switched places. Hank fell on his back and felt darkness begin to consume him. He hadn't slept for a while, and he didn't care if he would have another nightmare again. All he wanted to do was sleep.
Sanford watched Hank go into unconsciousness. Then he turned to Deimos who was focused on driving.
"Deimos?"
"Yeah Sanford?"
"I knew you were going to eat your words."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Looks like you've camped today my friend. Behind the dumpster with me."
Deimos sat, staring at the road. Finally, he realized Sanford was referring to the argument they had on the video game they played earlier this evening.
"Sanford?"
"What?"
"Shut the fuck up." Deimos muttered, not wanting to show defeat.
Sanford smirked. "Told ya you little bastard."
Deimos gritted his teeth and clenched his hands on the steering wheel.
'Damn it! Well, at least things can't get any worse than this.' he thought.
But Deimos was wrong. Things would get A LOT worse.
Deimos drove all the way to the station. Sanford had called Chief Harley on their situation.
"Is this the Chief?" Sanford began.
"Yes, and to whom am I speaking to?" Chief Harley answered on the other end.
"It's me Sanford."
"Sanford? I see. Has the mission been a success?"
"Yes. We have the leader in our possession and are driving to the station."
"Were you able to capture anyone else during your raid?"
"No. All hell went loose as soon as Hank had begun his assault."
"May I speak to him?"
"Actually, he's unconscious right now."
Silence. "Is he alright?"
"He's just tired, that's all, after we made a drastic escape."
"A drastic escape? What exactly happened out there?"
Sanford continued to give out details to Harley as Deimos saw they were returning back to familiar territory. He stuck his head out of the window and looked back. Nobody was following them.
Deimos sighed as he was just as exhausted as his other two comrades. It would only be a couple of minutes until they returned back to the safer side of Nevada.
"...Where exactly are you three now?" Harley asked.
"We're just crossing the border over Dead Nevada back home."
"Very well then. I will be waiting in the station with my men to receive your target."
"Thank you."
There was a click, and Sanford hung up. He gave Deimos back his cell phone.
"Deimos, exactly how much longer until we get there?" Sanford impatiently questioned.
"Listen, I'm going as fast as I can right now, but a van doesn't go as fast as a Lamborghini you know." Deimos responded. "I don't think you should be worried about when we're getting home Sanford. How's Hank?"
Sanford looked at Hank who didn't even stir. "Strangely quiet."
Deimos chuckled. "That's Hank for ya. The quiet guy."
Sanford didn't say anything back. True, Hank was a quiet type of person, but not this quiet. It was as if he stopped breathing as he was unconscious.
"Deimos?"
"What now?" Deimos said, irritated.
"I think there's something wrong with Hank."
"What?"
"I said; I think there's something wrong with Hank."
"What are you talking about Sanford?"
"His skin, it's getting...pale."
"Huh?"
"Damn it Deimos! Are you def? I said he's getting paler by the minute!"
Deimos stared at the road in front of him, with concern showing in his eyes. "Switch with me San. Just for a sec."
Sanford stood up and took the wheel as Deimos went back. Sanford drove a bit faster than Deimos.
Deimos checked on Hank. Although Hank may not have approved of it, Deimos took of his bandana, mask, and goggles. Sure enough, the color was draining out of his face.
Deimos scanned Hank's body, but couldn't find any physical injuries. He then put his hand on Hank's head to check his temperature.
Hank was burning up.
"Sanford, drive faster."
Sanford didn't need to say anything back to confirm his suspicions. He just added his weight to the accelerator as the van sped off.
A/N: Wow. That was a lot of fast-paced action to cover. It was extremely challenging trying to describe all the Madness Combat action, but I hope that you at least got a good image of what had happened. Plus, this was probably a dramatic set-back for the plot. Believe it or not, this chapter was 3,500 words! So, this is something I wanted to give you guys to make up for my absence.
I'm starting to doubt if my story is actually catching much attention, but I am doing my best to keep you all entertained. However, I want to see how you guys are handling it. What do you ultimately think of this story so far? Is it getting boring? Or are you still hooked by the clues I've given so far? Reviews are important, and I would love to hear from as many people as I can.
Thank you for following this story and I'm sorry updates are going so slow. I've just recovered from my fever and now I realized that it's getting harder to stretch this story out without boring people. Don't worry. A lot of suspense will follow this chapter. Keep an eye out for new updates and such. Good night, and see you in Chapter 15.