De Santa residence
Early in the morning and already a well-dressed Michael was sitting on his couch, halfway drinking his bourbon whiskey he found in the kitchen and watching one of the gangster movies he had to record on the screen. The final credits just started rolling through as the movie was finally ending.
"Ahhh," Michael groaned squinting his eyes with his headache. He reaches for the whiskey bottle and the empty glass and tries to pour in some of that bourbon.
Having bad luck, the bottle was already dry and it was the last one left.
"Just great…" Michael rolled his eyes with his head falling back as he now was half-drunk, miserable, and now fresh out of any liquor in his house. Plus the fact he was alone in his own house was an easy way to say he's living through the harsh part of the all American life; a midlife crisis on the brink of a divorce. Was this the way he's going to end up?
Then Michael's phone rang on, making the half-drunk raise his head before picking up the device and while rubbing his head that was busting in pain. He looked at the screen seeing it was an unknown number so he answered it "De Santa."
"That's not the name in your file, Michael. Steve Haines here."
Holding his groaning from listening to this turd's voice Michael replied "Yeah, Agent Douchebag. Hey, that poor son of a bitch we grabbed for you still breathing?"
"See for yourself, Right now. Trevor Phillips is on his way to help with the debrief. Warehouse off Dutch London in Banning."
"Great. Sounds just like my kinda party." Michael responded with as much sarcasm as he could bring out to the FIB agent.
"Keep the sarcasm to your wife, Michael. Just come down here so we can finish this problem. We're waiting." Haines ended the connection leaving Michael slightly irritated for saying that last thing as he knew it.
Michael got up and sighed before letting out an irritating groan from his lungs.
"Urghhhhh. What the fuck was I thinking making a deal with the FIB…"
Meanwhile
Trevor who was just woke up from the couch where he was napping in saw that he was yet again in his boxers only. Not to his surprise of course, just that he didn't take anything strong or drank much last night. He still wondered how he got back to the condo without his clothes which he couldn't find.
"Man," he rubbed the bald part of his head "I need to learn to keep my clothes on in this fucking city…" he stood up and started walking towards the bedroom where he kept spare clothes.
Once he entered the bedroom he found Floyd in his pink pajamas. Curled up like a baby girl he thought of messing with the poor fool…Nah, too easy now. So instead he went up to the closet and grabbed his clothes which were a red sleeveless shirt, his boots, and black pants.
He turned back around to Floyd and patted on the man's side and glided his hand over his body in a rather creepy way. Then his phone went off and he sighs picking it up.
"Who the fuck is this?
"The guy keeping you out of the gas chamber." That was Steve Haines "Townley's on his way. We need to talk face to face. Warehouse off Dutch London in Banning."
"Oh, we can do more than talk. My friend." Trevor said to the agent before hanging up and taking one last glance at Floyd before leaving not knowing Floyd all the time was awake and staring rightly at the wall with this whitening stare.
"Debra's gonna kill me…."
…
Mount Zonah Medical Center
On the hospital bed laid Tenten in a nightgown, sleeping with a breathing mask covering her mask and her hair laid loose around the pillow she was rested on.
The door of her room opened and walked into the patient's room, the shoes already gave away with the oil spots on the pants and the working boots that it was someone familiar, looking up it was Naruto within his hand a pack of flowers with a card on it.
He didn't say anything as he puts them on the small table next to her and walked back towards the door and opened it up but before that, he turns his head around and looked at his friend with a painful look in his eyes.
He shook his head as he had gone through enough hospital visits for him to see so he just went through the door and closed it behind him.
As Naruto was making his way out of the hospital, he just wanted to get away from places like this. Especially after seeing his sister being hereafter that incident on the yacht, he just wanted to have some good news for once.
"Ey! Ruto my nigga!"
The name-calling got a few of the nurses and patients turn their heads in confusion wondering who it was.
"Over here, man! Turn around!"
Trying to avoid any more unnecessary attention, Naruto turned to his right and saw the person lying inside a one-person room waving at him who he recognized.
"JB?"
"Who else, nigga. Santa Clause?" The black man grinned at him with a dry chuckle "Come in man, let's talk. And close the door, would you?"
"Uh, sure." Naruto walked inside the room and closed the door behind him before slapping his friend's hand "Hey man, good to see you but I thought you were in-"
"Down the Central? I thought I would stay there too until I got transferred up here. Father James must've convinced somebody or so." JB said referring to the priest's efforts to get JB some better healthcare in a better hospital "Even though I sold my security number, the old man still got these doctors to keep me alive."
"Even though you don't have health insurance?"
"Man, don't remind me of that. I'm lucky enough to convince Father I got beat up pretty bad. Didn't had to tell him about the shit I had taken out my body for these past days." JB said grunting laying on his back "I tell you man, detoxing is a bitch."
"Speaking about detoxing, what the hell have you been using?" Naruto finally wanted to have some answers.
"Nothing unusual man, just some X, weed, some pills, and rocks. You know, the stuff me and Tonya are into it." He stopped speaking when he saw Naruto turn his head around and started to shake his head.
"I've also been playing around with this new product that's on the street." JB continued wanting to keep it on the subject "This was the thing I went down to East Beach for."
Remembering that, the blond pulled out from his pocket the small blue stamped baggie "This is what I found in your clothes."
"Yeah that's it, but keep that shit away from me, man." JB shoved it quickly away from him recognizing it immediately "That's what got me to OD bad. Like really bad."
They kept their voices down when they saw that a nurse was rolling a patient through the hall with the window wide open for her to see them conversing for a brief moment. Luckily Naruto had put his hand down to avoid the baggie being seen.
"You better get out of here man, they gonna suspect you speaking to me like that," JB warns his friend.
"Then at least tell me what the hell this is," Naruto asked him in a lower tone.
"I don't know man, I don't. junkies I knew told me that it was something new. Some heavy shit. I only tested it once but I tell ya. It's really strong, like too strong. Heard from the nurses in the Central that already fourteen people OD'd on this shit in the past few weeks. Nobody knows who's supplying the streets with it but everyone goes crazy once they tried it. I'm not joking." JB sounded serious.
"Can you at least tell me what they refer to this? Like any name."
JB thought for a moment before remembering "One of them, an old dude from Liberty. Tried to warn us about this stuff, says it was so fucking intense gangs in LC had banned it over ten years ago around 2001."
"What did he called it?"
"He said it was named uhm…." JB's mind then clicked in and he said "SPANK!"
"Spank?"
"Excuse me."
Naruto quickly turned around his head to see the door open, lucky for him he could put the baggie into his back pocket before the door widely opened with the nurse entering holding a food tray "I'm bringing the food for Mr. Bradshaw."
"Oh okay, sure. I was done speaking anyway." Naruto said turning around "I'll keep in contact with you, JB. Just recover."
"Yeah, I will." JB said as Naruto walked passed the door "Tell the homies on the block I'll be seeing them soon. And tell that nigga Lamar that too!"
"Sure man, see you later." Naruto waved him goodbye as he left his friend alone with the nurse as he began walking out from the hospital, not realizing that behind him a few familiar faces had entered the room of the brunette girl he just visited. One of them, a long blueish haired white-eyed girl noticed him briefly and stuttered the words in her throat.
"N-N-Naruto?"
…
Once he was outside the hospital, the blond mechanic/tattoo artist walked up to his bike and was ready to put his helmet on until he noticed an ambulance was coming in fast with the sirens on but also was being escorted by two police cars who followed right behind them.
When it stopped outside the entrance driveway of the hospital already a few doctors came running out while the paramedics were pulling out the victim from the back of the ambulance. The guy that was being brought in was covered in blankets and it looked soaked in blood.
The doctor checked on the victim "What are we dealing with here?"
"Multiple stab wounds, hit in the lungs and kidneys but I fear the chest is hit the hardest. Victim of a store robbery gone bad. Man in his young 20's, mother told he's diabetic." The paramedic told the doctor everything.
"To the ER, now!" the doctor ordered his colleagues as they escorted the victim inside the hospital in double time with no hesitation. It then happens that out of the first police car came two officers who then opened the backdoors of their vehicle with two passengers coming out. Both were women wearing hijabs and very hysterical shouting in their native tongues.
"Ma'am, I need you to calm down, please." The elderly woman ignored the white cop's pleas as she kept speaking in her native tongue the man couldn't understand.
"Divê ez biçim kurê min, kurê min ê delal. Ew nikare bimirin, Ey Allah!"
(I have to go to my son, my dear son. He cannot die, O Allah!)
The elder woman spoke out almost crying with her hands while her sister who happened to be for a visit from the UK didn't help much either by saying the same thing for her nephew.
"Christ give me a break." The short brown-haired cop turned to his partner "You know any Arabic by any chance?"
"Like fuck I would know their language." His partner answered him "Too difficult if you ask me."
Coming out from the other patrol car was Sedat and Caz with the first volunteering "Let me talk to them." He walked passed them and respectfully approaches the elders before speaking to them.
"Miss Demirbaş, bihêle ez we di hundurê nexweşxanê de bilêv bikim, em nekarin li vir bimînin di navbêna rê de." Sedat spoke in her native language as he helped the two elderly women inside the hospital while the other cops were left stunned.
(Miss Demirbaş, let me escort you inside the hospital, we cannot stay here in the middle of the road.)
Caz locked the car doors with his keys and saw his partner walk the two elders inside without any problems.
"That's some weird Arabic if you asked me."
"Yeah I guess. Or maybe he was speaking Turkish."
"Could be."
"Kurdish." Caz corrected the two.
The two cops looked at him baffled "Huh?"
"He was speaking Kurdish, not Turkish. Different from one another and don't mix it up." The tall man said walking inside the hospital with the two cops following right behind him as they were tasked with trying to get some information about the robbery that went wrong bad.
Naruto saw all of this and he watched how the women were very distressed and in fear for the family member's wellbeing. He knew that some would see this as an exaggeration but middle eastern or better to his knowledge Islamic culture with many flaws, the family was close to each other that they won't even abandon the dead until they were given a proper funeral.
It made him think back to his days overseas. When he was in Afghanistan, patrolling in the outskirts of Kabul as security detail for the vibrant city that was all too familiar with violence and death through the methods of shootings and bombings.
Flashback
2010
Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, a country in the middle of central Asia that was cursed by its creation centuries ago. With ethnic groups squabbling at each other's throats, history of being invaded by multiple powers throughout history, its destruction in the Cold War, and ultimate fate of being controlled by religious extremists. It was a country with a story that had warfare, tragedy, tribalism, and corruption that now has no clear future ahead for them instead of bloodshed.
And that was yet another sight as the local village, on a Friday afternoon the mosque packed with worshippers, it was laid on the outskirts of Kabul but this one was located just across the street of the vendors market where it was slightly busy with the shopping of every day's needs for the poor local population. With the sound of prayers being heard from the minaret, the life of Afghan people went on.
But there was also a square that was in the middle of the two packed locations, but that was now occupied by the presence of three Humvee jeeps that were black colored and had the turrets on top of them. These weren't the coalition troops or even members of the US Military. Not with that emblem on the side of the trucks that were shown.
They were Merryweather Security Consulting, a private military, and security company that was owned by an ex-Navy Seal named Donald "Don" Percival who founded the company back in 2003 after leaving the military life with the rank of Vice-Admiral to start his private army that right now was operative across twenty nations worldwide with over $10 billion of taxpayer's money in US government contracts to its name.
(Apparently, Rockstar made a mistake with the ranking of the military. The rank is Lieutenant General, doesn't exist in the United States Navy.)
Now the Merryweather patrol unit was doing what they were paid for, patrolling one of the areas in the outskirts of Kabul on Friday night's prayers. One of those operatives was the former inmate himself Naruto. Now he was wearing a black t-shirt underneath his protective gear with camouflage desert pants and army boots while wearing a black headband around his head holding unto his M4 rifle while standing guard. Meanwhile, his team was sitting on top of the Humvee smoking cigarettes and talking like usual.
"Say," a guy named Timothy spoke holding a cigarette "When are we going to see some action. Are we going to shoot some of these towelheads or what?" He was a South Carolina black guy who had a bald head under his helmet and little knowledge of what's happening here. He like Naruto were those with a criminal record who was hired by Merryweather after additional training since they showed to be willing to serve without hesitation for violence. For Timothy he served eight years in the state penitentiary for shooting and wounding six people in a gang-related gunfight, paralyzing two of them from the waist down. While it was looked down upon for criminals to be serving abroad in wars that the US were involved in, it wasn't an uncommon practice as it always had been throughout history.
Merryweather was no exception, but unlike the other private military contractors who hired those with criminal convictions after they were released from prison. Merryweather was willing to reach out to felons who were still in prison about to be paroled and recruit them into a program that was meant for convicted criminals to be reformed into society through the means of serving abroad the country for an extended amount of years. It was a deal not many felons were given too, it was easy to say Timothy and Naruto duo their records were very lucky to be recruited for that reason only. It could be seen as very controversial to let violent criminals to be brought into a military company if you asked a normal person on the streets about it, but it was already legal in some states that allowed this recruitment tactic thanks to the lobbying of the Military-Industrial Complex. Naruto was lucky he was given a state sentence and not a federal one when he was serving time. But hey, that's US politics for you, really fucked up.
"Shut your mouth, Thornton." One of the regulars shouted at him very angrily "The last thing I need is another shootout in this fucking shithole."
Timothy just rolled his eyes "Man give me a break like you don't wanna waste a muthafucka or two. Why else do you think we're here?"
"To get paid!" some of the other Merryweather operatives responded collectively against the newbie. Making the South Carolinian put into a corner before he turned to his sergeant that was Naruto.
Naruto kept staring into the market as he saw the citizens buy their groceries while they briefly stared at the mercenaries with some of them showing to be either frightened by their appearance or just outright hatred for the foreigners, nothing out of the ordinary.
Timothy released a frustrating sigh as he lumped back to the open car seat "Then why the fuck are we doing here? What if one of those people going to blow us to bits, then what?"
"That won't happen, not to us at least." One of the other Merryweather operatives replied reading a magazine "If a bomb would go off then it's against this mosque right behind us."
Raising his eyebrows Timothy asked "Why's that? It's just another mosque."
"It's a Shia mosque." One of the operatives clarified to Timothy "Which means they're a prime target for our enemies who are primarily Sunni-Salafist extremists. They would like nothing else than to wipe out the Shia's from Afghanistan."
Naruto just watched how a group of women coming out from a building that he knew was a workshop for women where they were sowing and making clothing. It was also one of the few places where the women were just wearing the hijab where their faces were visible unlike most of the countryside where the burqa was the visible sight for anyone from the opposite sex.
The blond LS native turned to the young guy "You said this was your first time, right?"
"Yeah, sure." Timothy answered "I was doing time for attempted murder and possession of illegal firearms. Got this application when I was up for parole, why you asking?"
Naruto chuckled listening to him "I served time too, charges were federal but got dropped down to state's side."
"What you do?"
"Armed Robbery in the first degree, Illegal Possession of a firearm, and Assault with a Deadly Weapon and last was Assaulting a Federal Officer. 'Course that last charge got dropped." He explained calmly to the rookie "Was given a fourteen years sentence but got out in five."
"Bullshit," Timothy said in disbelief "you must be one lucky white boy."
"Mixed." Naruto corrected him "I'm mixed race. Japanese, German, and some Irish in me."
"Shit, my bad." Timothy spoke learning from his background "This your first time?"
"Nope, this is my second tour. Got a promotion after killing a few bastards up central Kabul, so just to warn you if you want to learn a few things then stick by me."
Timothy was stunned by the offer he was given "Okay, sure."
"Good, because in this country, things can get real ugly."
Then when the two were speaking, a young man wearing a long coat walked passed the trucks and walked right up towards the mosque where right now several men were seen walking out as the service just ended.
Naruto just happened to glance at the young man who just walked passed the trucks and noticed something in the man's hand.
A detonator.
"ALLAH AKBAR!"
BOOM!
End flashback
That explosion killed over thirty worshippers and wounded over eighty others just when the service ended and it destroyed a portion of the mosque's entrance, among the dead were mostly elderly men and some even young kids who were coming out holding their father's hands. Not a pretty picture to see with what the aftermath was. It was by sheer luck that none of the Merryweather operatives as the explosion just grazed some of them or forced some of them to fly back due to the impact.
It was later found out that the suicide bomber was just a seventeen year old who was dealing with a heroin problem and was groomed by the insurgents into believing he would go to heaven if he killed some Kaffirs or better known as non-believers. Possibly never even meeting someone who was from his tribe. Making it a tragic sight for those who witnessed it but then it was a familiar one for anyone who lived in that particular part of the world.
Naruto shook his head at that memory, wanting not to think about it he started the motorcycle and put his helmet on before he drove away and soon exited the parking lot.
SHRIEK!
A black SUV just stopped right in front of Naruto's way and he was forced him to use the brakes.
"Oi! Are you blind or something!" Naruto cursed at the driver "I could've crashed into you!"
The driver door opened and coming out with her boots and the dark green outfit was Evia the FIB agent looking at him "Naruto Uzumaki."
"Oh, it's you…" Naruto groaned seeing her and sighs "Let me guess, Steve Haines?"
She raised her eyebrow "Like what do you expect else, A date?"
By that suggestion, Naruto looked through his visor at the agent's body, and he wouldn't lie saying she got curves…
"Eyes are up here, kid." Evia pointed her fingers up knowing better what he was looking at "Don't think I can't see where those eyes are goggling at. Now come on, Haines is waiting for us." She said going back inside the SUV. The blond criminal couldn't help but think about that attitude and mutter to himself.
"Yes ma'am, you don't have to ask me that twice."
"Its Evia for you." She said closing the door before the SUV drove off, Naruto then soon followed after them to where the asshole Steve Haines was waiting for him.
Banning
Whilst waiting for the others, Trevor took the opportunity to hurl behind a dumpster and take a crap that was not a pretty sight anyone would like to come across, but unfortunately for Michael had arrived and walked up seeing Trevor's business "The hell are you doing?"
Grunting as he was taking a crap, Trevor responded "Nothing."
"Are you taking a dump?"
"Why do you care?" said Trevor standing back up, finishing his business
"The fuck is wrong with you?" Michael wondered, not knowing why he even asked that as Trevor buckle his pants.
"Meh, I got abandonment issues." Trevor responded to his friend "I see a shrink once in a week."
"Ah, you know, fuck you," Michael said flipping him off as two vehicles drove up just the road next to them. One was the black SUV and the other was Naruto on his motorcycle.
"Ah look, Naruto has arrived."
The two vehicles parked up just next to Trevor's truck and Michael's car. Seeing that only the female federal agent was coming out from the SUV, Naruto joined next to her while walking up towards the two bank robbers.
"Oh my…" Trevor looked at the women with a look "Mind telling me what your name is?"
"The name's Evia, and no I am not interested." She quickly rejected and walked passed the two men while ordering "Now let's get inside, Haines is waiting for us."
The door opened and Evia walked right into the warehouse leaving the three men behind with Trevor remarking "She's a lovely one, isn't she?"
"For crying out loud, Trevor." Michael groaned "She's a government agent. What, you think about trying to-"
"Me? No, Michael, I would never think about sleeping with a federal agent." Trevor said while walking up the stairs "I thought you knew me better than that."
"Ah, okay then-"
"I do it often with local police, mostly with the secretary. That's all." Trevor laughed walking inside the building leaving Michael dumbfounded before he cussed him out.
"Fucking asshole…" Leaving Naruto chuckled as they both entered the building last as the blond closed the door behind him.
…
Once the three entered the building, they followed the redhead into the basement level where there were only a few lights left on with three people standing there.
"I will say, this warehouse speaks government-owned," Naruto commented.
Evia decided to answer "Well how do I say this, you cannot judge a book by its cover. Like some individuals who aren't much open about their past. Like for example someone who has gone to Mexico recently."
'Crap' Michael thought out in his mind, he remembered that the Feds were looking into Naruto's history 'Not now, woman. Not now.'
"I see someone is interested in Mexico, I see…." Trevor jumped in and asked Evia "Why if you're interested in to stories from south of the border then I can tell you a lot about it. Some of them involve me and some girls but-"
"Nope." Evia stopped him and warned, "I don't need to hear your stories, Mr. Philips." She stopped her questions and said, "We're here."
Walking down the stairs the four saw Steve Haines and Dave Norton with another guy in a sweater near some toolboxes and a chair.
"Did you see his face that last time I popped him? Boom!" The man in the sweater asked Haines with excitement. Whoever this guy was got the three criminals warry.
Haines chuckled at him before realizing that they had arrived "Oh, ladies!"
"God, you're an asshole." Trevor's first impression of the guy was not far from the truth before turning to the others "You, you back there. I know you, but you? You I don't know." referring the last person the man in the sweater and nice shoes.
"Yeah, well until I see reason otherwise, why don't we just keep it that way?" The man said to them before turning to Haines "Steve, what a pleasure, bro. Oh!" he waved his fast that looked slightly grazed, whatever they have been doing that guy surely enjoyed it.
"Come on, Mr. Weston. Your lift is waiting for you." Evia informed as the three men walked further down the stairs.
Walking up the stairs he checked on the three criminals walking past him as he noticed that when he passed by the youngest of the three he kept looking at him with curiosity, it was like he recognized this kid from somewhere but he couldn't get it on his tongue so he let it slide and walked up the stairs.
"He reminds me of one of those guys you see advertising pills for middle-aged men that can't get erections." Trevor joked before Mr. Weston walked passed Evia and exited the building.
"Hey, Devin Weston is a very good friend of mine, so why don't you watch your tongue?" Haines said warning Trevor and the others speaking bad "Cause let me tell you something, that guy gets more tail than a…Then a tail catcher." Haines said laughing at his horrible joke while walking away from them.
Naruto walked as last down the staircase commenting "Wow, very funny. Did your Vinewood writing cast made that joke for you?"
Steve turned around with a smile "Oh, and why's that?"
"Because it fits you; bad and full of shit." He suddenly got Steve Haines right standing in front of his face with this smug face that could be ready to be punched.
"I'm getting tired of your attitude, kid." the FIB boss said sounding to be less friendly "So why don't you drop that tough-and-all act and listen to me." Threatening the young man causing a small tension in the room that nobody knew where it would end between these two.
Naruto wasn't fazed with this threat and shrugged it off saying "Just saying work on your jokes, that's all."
Steve Haines turned around with a slight frown walking towards one of the ports.
Michael interrupted with a question before Trevor had the chance to approach Dave and recognize him. "Hey, ho, what are you doing here, huh?"
"This," Haines said pulling some guy from a dark room, the man's upper half of his body was exposed and was covered in sweat. They then recognized the person as the guy they had extracted from the IAA building. He put the man onto a chair that was standing next to a toolbox and a heart monitor. It didn't take long enough for one of them to figure out what was going on.
"Please…" the trembling man plead "keep the slick bastard away from me."
"No, no. Ferdinand, he's gone, he's gone. I've got some new friends here now."
Naruto turned around not wanting to see this guy "For crying out loud…"
"This is Michael, this is Trevor," Dave began saying their names "and they're right there is Naruto."
"Fuck you…" Naruto flipped him off while not facing the scared Ferdinand who was being forced into the chair with tape.
Ignoring the insult, Dave continued "Now our friend here, claims he doesn't know anything."
"I don't, I don't know anything!" The pleading Ferdinand turned to Steve "I don't know, I already told nothing. Nothing, I don't know an-an-anything. Please. Please. Sir."
"You know about the Azerbaijanis." Haines simply stated pulling out some tape.
"Huh?"
"Azerbaijanis!" Steve repeated while tapping the guy's legs off.
Ferdinand began speaking "I do audio visual, hi-fi audio visual. He's top man, good price, VIP, you know?" Haines walked up to the cart and grabbed a Jerry can and wiggled it in front of the captive.
"You're a fucking spy."
"No, no, no, no, no, I'm not spies." Ferdinand denied it in a whimper.
Naruto just shook his head "What's this all about, Haines?"
"Our friend here knows a certain man who we believe is connected to several terrorist organizations." Steve pulls out a plier and placed it on the table "Apparently this guy has told a few things to the Agency about this person and now I would like to know what it is he told them and what they told him." Haines explained while turning the heart monitor on and stuck some wire on the guy's chest "So tell us what we want to hear."
"The house in Rockford Hills," Ferdinand began slowly to say something "The man who owns it, he works at the consulate. That's all I know."
"That's it?" Haines asked finishing the preparations.
The guy nodded as he meant it "That's it!"
"We're gonna make him talk." Haines didn't even take a second before gesturing to Trevor while walking with a briefcase "The two of you are gonna drive up to Rockford Hills, and when we find out which man is the man with the problem. You put him down." He handed the briefcase over to Michael "Cause I'm tired of these fucking nitwits at the Agency taking all the glory."
"Let me go…" Mr.K pleaded as he stared at the ground.
Michael had enough and asked Alright, the fuck is all this, huh?"
"Leave it, M," Naruto said walking up the staircases.
"Wow, wow, where do you think you're going, amigo." Haines said to Naruto "You're going to help Mr. Phillips here nice and easily.
The blond turned to him "What?"
"No, please I don't know. You can't do this. I am an American citizen!"
"You expect me to help you torture this guy?" Naruto said pointing at the federal agent.
"Ouch!" Haines made a mock hurt gesture "Torture is such a bad word. I would rather use the universal term 'enhanced interrogation' for your information. Besides, you don't have much of a choice, do you?" He said to Naruto now he had him in a tight spot that he was glad to put the blond kid into. Both glared at one another with both also armed, but only one had an itch…
Michael and Dave looked at each other nervously wondering where this would lead. It got to the point where voices of reason had interfered into the standoff from the last two person's anyone expected
"Alright Mr. Haines, let it pass." Came from upstairs it was Evia the female federal agent with her sunglasses blocking her eyes "We got a target to track down."
A hand shook Naruto's shoulder "Hey kid, let's just get to work." Trevor spoke trying to keep Naruto calm which was very unusual, but nobody wants a dead fed in the middle of a room with other agents even though he hated this guy at first sight.
"…Fine."
…
Once the door of the warehouse opened, Dave walked out with Michael and Evia who was waiting outside alone now her partner had taken the task to deliver Mr. Weston to his mansion. With the aging robber looking very distrusted.
"What the fuck was that in there, Dave?" Michael immediately confronted him about the scene inside the warehouse "You're playing with fire here."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Michael-"
A hand slammed on Dave's car as the two federal agents looked to see Michael gaining their attention. The male federal agent saw the look in Michael's eyes and knew better than to ignore it. especially after knowing this man for almost a decade.
Dave sighed before turning to his female colleague "E, can you stay here and keep an eye on them?"
"Sure, I'll babysit the boys." She waved her hand off while walking up to her car that was parked next Trevor's truck "You guys just go then."
The two men nodded and entered Dave's car as it drove off towards Rockford Hills. Leaving the redhead FIB agent on her own.
…
On their way to Rockford Hills, the two middle-aged men were having a discussion. With Michael of course beginning with a sarcastic remark "Yeah, the more I see your boss, the more I like him."
"I was you, I wouldn't be so critical of who others associate with." Dave retorted "Especially someone who's befriended Trevor Phillips for all that matter. Or for the matter of fact your protégé Naruto, which comes up to my mind, have you found out anything yet?"
Michael shook his head now driving past Rancho "Didn't have the chance to talk about it with him yet. But your colleague, Evia. She tried asking him but then Trevor interrupted her before Naruto could've answered her."
This got Dave to thinking "You think Naruto told Trevor about it?"
"Involving your interest in his Mexican connection? I wouldn't know, T did say he lives near the Alamo Sea which isn't far away from the border so they might've spoken about it, or it was just Trevor talking shit because when I arrived he was taking a dump behind the dumpster next to the door." Michael answered taking a left turn and driving right towards Davis.
"That's…refreshing to hear." Dave said shaking his head to make sure he didn't get that image in his head "We'll try to find out more about Uzumaki once this job is done. Anyway, let's sort this thing about Trevor. What does he know?"
"He knows I'm alive. He knows I got money, and he knows I'm working with the FIB."
"Does he know how long you've been working with the FIB?" Dave asked as they just entered Little Seoul.
"How long? The fuck does that matter?" Michael asked the fed.
"Either you were working with us before the cash depot job – walked your crew into an ambush, one of them spent ten years on the run, the other landed in a state penitentiary after a botched court ruling with the last serving in a federal one…"
"Or?"
"Or we stumbled on the cash depot job, Brad went down, you went down, Trevor got away, Naruto got pinched. The FIB cut you a deal on your sickbed, faked your death, and you end up here. In the city with a driving distance of Bolingbroke where Naruto was supposed to be serving a fourteen-year sentence for his charges until he got paroled and disappeared from our radar." Dave gave up the two possibilities of scenarios Trevor might believe has gone down.
"Who's to say which of those is true?"
"That's there's any doubt probably accounts for you being alive. But still got the question up to how a teenage felon with violence, who hasn't finished high school and no family support might have been able to get out after his second parole hearing after serving five years. There's where I am wondering too at the moment."
"Well, maybe he got lucky. Good behavior is a thing that can get you out early, you know." Michael suggested.
"Yeah, and your marriage won't become a divorce statistic, I can play that game too."
"Yeah…fuck you." He cursed on his breath against the federal agent while driving past a liquor store right on the edge of Strawberry.
Naruto just stood near the exit leaning against the rails of the staircase trying burn some time as he watched Trevor work on the tools they are now forced to work with against Mr. K who has already soiled himself that the water was dripping around his shoes while Steve Haines was casually scrolling through his phone while whistling through his mouth. After seeing this he wondered who the bigger psychopath was. Well, Trevor was very open about the fact that he was what he was, that he was a killer, a hothead, and someone who loves to go on a meth binge if given the chance.
But Haines, he was a different story. Seeing Mr. K's condition he could see that he was already in bad shape and Haines' response to his question was that of a creep in disguise who seem to enjoy the tormenting of others or just mitigates it as small as possible.
Then his phone goes off and he sees an anonymous calling him so he answers "Who's this?"
"Yo, Naruto. With Lamar speaking here. Where you at? I got something you need to see quickly."
Naruto shook his head "Look, man, I'm a little busy now. can't you just tell me on the phone about it?"
"Nah man, you won't believe it if I told you. We catched this punk lurking around the store that he tried to rob and he had something in his pockets that might interest you."
"I don't care for some car pictures man."
"Believe me, man, these photos aren't his…I'll send you them."
BING! BING!
Two pictures were sent to Naruto's phone, so he checks the "I'll keep you on hold for a moment."
He dialed on the conversation on hold as he checked on the pictures which he didn't expect.
"Listen! Turns out it was the wrong Azerbaijani. We need a new address from Mr. K. " Haines said talking on the phone with Dave just a moment ago "Choose your instrument, and go to work on him."
Trevor turned to the table and asked the victim "Where do we start, eh, Naruto?"
SLAM!
Trevor turned up and looked to where that sound came from and saw the spot where Naruto stood was empty, that sound must've been the door slamming behind him.
"Where's that kid going?" Haines puts his phone away as he began walking up the stairs slightly less joyful, he growled: "He better not have left!"
"Hold down, amigo!" Trevor spoke stopping the FIB agent "We've got an interrogation to continue. Let that pretty redhead deal with him. Or would you like to lose your target to the Agency?" He was about to cover for Naruto, there's only one reason why he would ditch this place right now and that reason may be the one thing he knew best.
Haines turned around "Like hell I will, I want that target before them cocksuckers of the IAA can even think about it."
"Then let me do the work." Trevor said picking up the pliers and turning to Mr. K "Because if you open real wide, I might be able to just reach right back there and grab one of those big ones."
"No, please don't!" Ferdinand begged to figure out where he was going with that "Not the pliers!"
…
Evia was just leaning against her SUV while talking on the phone to someone with a smile on her face that was genuine and very rare.
"No mom, I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, nor am I going to because of my job." She said through the phone with a chuckle, she grew accustomed to her mother trying to try and find her someone she would maybe get grandchildren like her mother hopes for, the rambling was heard saying through the phone to which she says "Like come on, mom, you know I am not settling down any time soon."
The door slammed open right in front of Evia, and she saw it was the kid Uzumaki walking out in a hurry and walked right towards his motorcycle and grabbed for his helmet, and took his seat before putting his helmet on.
"Hey, kid-"
Naruto started the bike and drove off, leaving the Israeli-American alone with questions until she was forced to cut short the conversation "Sorry mom, but I gotta go." she ended her call and got inside the SUV to try and keep a track on where the kid was going.
Soon as the SUV left the warehouse, she dialed in to call Dave "Hey, Dave, we got a problem."
…
With Michael
Chumash
In a bush right in Chumash, across the Western Highway overlooking the luxurious house of Tahir Javan who was hosting a party in his house with Michael aiming his sniper rifle right at the party while Dave was busy on the phone talking to his colleague about the latest problem.
Dave sighed in irritation as he listened to her "So you're tailing him right now? Okay, just keep an eye on him as much as you can and if it's possible, persuade him to go back to the warehouse, understood? Good, keep in touch." He hung up and groaned out "Fuck…"
Michael decided to ask "What is it?"
"Your boy, Naruto, has gone AWOL on the scene has bailed out the warehouse and is somewhere in South Central with Evia trying to find him." Dave answered, "Like a Cat and Mouse game, for Christ's sake."
This got Michael to sigh in realization to what he meant and said "Does that mean this thing is off?"
"No, Trevor is still with Haines interrogating Mr. K, we'll leave Naruto with Evia, right now we need to focus on the target that's right in front of us in that party." Dave prioritized as he watched with his binoculars at the party "You see anyone down there who might be an Azerbaijani?"
"Fuck do I know? You might be an Azerbaijina for all I know, what's one look like?"
Dave responded, "They look Eastern."
"Half this town look Eastern, Davey. You got to the fall of the Shag and the collapse of communism to thank for that." Michael replied with some basic history he remembered. That and the fact Los Santos was a city of almost every ethnicity, religion, and race in the world following Liberty City.
"Anyone stand out?"
Michael shook his head "No, they all kind of blend in. Make a call, Dave."
"Fine." Dave decided to call back and phoned Haines "We're going to need some more info on this guy. They're having a party down there." While Dave was keeping his ear on the phone for more updates, Michael was having his thoughts about the situation with Naruto.
'Naruto, what the hell are you up to now? The last thing I need is you going rogue on me.'
…
Haines heard this and sighs turning to Mr. K "That ain't gonna cut it, my friend."
Mr. K just got hit with a wrench by Trevor in his knee that now in no doubt must've been broken, if not fractured if so. And with his mouth having blood coming out from the flesh where one if his teeth were ripped out, Mr. K still could talk with the pain.
"Let….Let me…me think. I remember-"
"Bzzt!" Haines cut him off "Sorry too late. Trevor, show our contestant what he's won today!"
"Okay," Trevor agree to turn back to the cart and picking up the jumper lead and sparked them together "This'll put hair on your chest."
"Not the clips! Not the clips!" Ferdinand begged seeing the sparks "I will die!"
Trevor shocks the man while squeezing the nipples of the man, sending an enormous amount of electricity through his body with the clips attached to the man's body. It had such an effect on the guy that a small amount of foam, with a mixture of his saliva and blood from was dribbling through the side of his mouth and an unbearable stench smell spread through the air.
"God damn!" Haines had to cover his nose after reeking that "I don't know if that's urine or shit that I am smelling."
"That's a combination of both, believe me. I speak from experience." Trevor spoke after removing the clips from Mr. K's nipples as he reeks of burned meat. He was still responding but barely when he was being questioned.
"So, what have you got for us? Hmm?" Haines pressured with a suggestion "We need Trev to shake up your memory again?"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." Mr. K said repeatedly as he already had broken down multiple times "He's got a beard! He's got a bushy beard!"
"I think you're making this up."
"No, no. I'm not." Mr. K swore, "I'm telling the truth."
"Okay, okay." Haines turned back to the phone "Got any beardy types at this party, huh? Because that's all Mr. K's given us. You know. I'm thinking maybe we ought to just take two bullets and put them in our informant and just call an airstrike on Chumash Beach."
Mr. K sobbed "Please no."
…
Dave just got the information and turned to Michael "I need eyes on that party. Pick up the scope and gimme a report."
Michael had kept an eye on the party as some people had moved throughout the house "Who am I looking for?"
"Steve's saying 'beard' What you got?"
"Anything specific, or is some stubble gonna cut it?"
"Let's start at a mountain man, and we'll work our way down till someone fits the profile."
"There's a few beards at this party." Michael said "Vinewood's full of weak chins. Place is famous for it."
Dave shook his head as he was losing his patience he spoke through the phone one more time "Beards are in fashion in Chumash. Land of beach hipsters. We need more."
…
"Its gonna be a long day until you give some intel on our target." Haines now just stood a few inches away from Mr. K's face as the poor guy now barely could hold it out anymore.
"He's a, he's got a beard…" Mr. K said trying to think about anything else "He smokes, he smokes like a fucking chimney!"
"I don't know." Haines shook his head before suggestion "Trev, maybe one more time? Just to be sure…"
"No please, I told you he smokes! That's all I know!"
"Oh just shut up and take it like a man." Trevor said as he went to grab for the jerry can and the wet cloth "If my momma had waterboarded me more often, I wouldn't be the gun-toting psychopath you see before you now."
Mr. K was panicking right now "It is torture! It is! It's not legal!" Trevor pushed the chair backward for the guy to now lay back on the ground.
Haines couldn't help but chuckle "Actually, it is!"
Trevor put the cloth over the guy's head and began pouring the water onto the guy's head for a good few moments as the Azerbaijani began to struggle to contain his breath or what he could do to not drown.
"Alright, that's enough. Till him up."
Stopping the fun, Trevor pulls the cloth from Mr. K's face so he could properly breathe.
This only got the man to cry, even more, hoping for this nightmare to stop and that he just could go home.
"Mr. K?" Haines puts his hand on the man's shoulder "Mr. K?"
"Please…I just want this to end." He began to sniff "I just wanna go home…"
"Then tell us a little bit more about Tahir."
Tears began going down the guy's cheeks as he told another thing "He, he chain smokes…he's left handed…"
"What's that?"
"He chain smokes…and he' left handed." Mr. K told as he gained a pat on the back as Haines walked away to speak with Dave on the phone.
"Any of these beardy guys at the party smokes cigarettes? Mr. K says he smokes like a pack or two a day."
"Redwood cigarettes. He smokes redwood cigarettes."
"Thank you, Mr. K."
Michael kept his scope on the party as Dave was given more information.
"Steve's telling me he chain smokes Redwoods."
"It ain't the cigarettes that'll kill him. It's the guys who put the warnings on the packets he should worry about."
"And he's left handed."
"Oh, now I get it. You're telling me to assassinate a guy because he's got facial hair, a cigarette, and he's left handed?" Michael sarcastically asked as if he had a moral judgment over this situation.
Then a tanned skin bearded man with a red shirt walked outside to the balcony as he was about to gain the attention of the two men.
"I'm telling you to assassinate a guy because he's a threat to national security. The rest's details." Dave noted to his shooter as he looked through his binoculars at the party until he'd notice the person standing balcony and notified "Balcony, first floor, the guy in the red shirt."
Michael turned his rifle down and saw through the scope the guy Dave told him "Oh, I see him. He fits the profile."
The man took out a cigarette from his pants, a Redwood to be exact, and uses his left hand to put it into his mouth and reaches for his lighter.
"That him?"
"Must be. I'll take the shot." Michael said aiming down on the guy with his trigger on the trigger, he took one deep breath before one twitch made an uncomfortable sound throughout the Western Highway.
BANG!
The glass window behind the red shirt-wearing smoker disintegrated down to the floor once it was hit as people inside the house started running for their lives.
"Did you got him?" Dave asked watching the guy "He's still standing."
"Wait for it…"
The bearded man was seen turning around and trying to take one step towards his house until he dropped his cigarette to the ground before he sank to the ground with his blood soaking through the hole in his back.
Michael to his eye from the scope "He's done for. Definitely a lefty, Redwood smoking, bearded, maybe, could be, used to be Azerbaijani."
"Good enough for me." Dave said before saying it through the phone "Steve, it's done."
"Okay, that's good to know, and just in time for my racquetball game that I gotta go to. Trevor will deal with Mr. K, good night gentlemen. You kept America safe for another day."
Haines hanged up for Dave to finally sigh in relief "Ugh, what an asshole. I'm going to call Evia now. see what's she's up to."
Michael just started dissembling the rifle so it could be put back into the suitcase "Hope her car isn't up in flames now." Noticing it was getting dark "I heard South Central isn't safe for strangers at this time."
"Like it ever was." Dave said trying to call her for the second time "Urgh, she's not picking up."
"I wonder what got Naruto to bail out."
"Ah, I finally got her on." Dave said as he spoke through "E, where are you, found where the kid went?"
"Sorry Dave, he just disappeared."
"Disappeared? How?"
...
Inside an abandoned lockup
PUNCH!
A fist slammed right across the face of a smashed up face. That face belonged to a brown junkie who had dreadlocks and was wearing cameo clothing, the guy was beaten to a bloody pulp with his teeth already bloody and his arms having cuts, the junkie was sitting on a wooden chair, surrounded by half a dozen Family gang members who caught this bastard trying to rob the liquor store on their turf.
The junkie tried to catch some air after being beaten for like an hour or so, he then looked around and saw that none of the gang members stood now near him as they all suddenly were stepping away from him.
"Yo, Yo! What's this about?" The junkie shouted, "I ain't got no beef with ya'll!"
Then the lockup door opened and walking through came Dice, Lamar and Naruto who was carrying a toolbox with equipment he had gotten from the garage.
"This the fucker you caught with the pictures?"
"Yeah, homie. That's him." Lamar said pointing at the guy sitting in the chair "Need some help?"
Without answering, Naruto just walked forward and approaches the junkie robber who now was staring at the Asian man who put his toolbox on the ground right next to him and kneels to his level.
"I believe you had something that didn't belong to you." He pulls out a picture that was found inside the bastard's pockets and what was on it? Naruto's first year in high school education with Tenten standing next to him. A picture Tenten had told him was inside the cash box inside the LTD gas station.
Yep, the bastard who shot Tenten now was sitting right in front of him, half beaten and trembling from the lack of substance.
"Now we can do this the easy way by taking this out…or we do this the hard way." Naruto gave a warning to the guy "It's your choice."
Lamar and Dice were talking to one another about this "Hey man, you think he's going to uhm…like the last dude."
"I don't know, homie," Lamar said to his friend as he watched the junkie do something only a guy with a death wish would do. He spat blood right into the face of Naruto and cussed him out.
"Fuck you!"
Naruto just whipped the blood from his face and out of nowhere slammed his right fist into the guy's face, hitting his nose to the point it had to be broken.
"My fucking nose!"
Cracking his knuckles, the blond criminal looked down on the junkie "Once I'm done with you, that nose isn't the only thing that's going to be broken."
The lockup door closed right behind them as the Family gang members wondered what he was going to do when he started reaching for his toolbox. Then what he pulled out got some of them to widen his eyes thinking he was crazy.
The junkie was the last to realize what he pulled out and saw a blue flame pop up from his hand, revealing it to be a blowtorch in Naruto's hand.
"And believe me, I don't go back on my promises," Naruto said with a dry remark. He had no problem doing unto people some bad stuff, just not people that didn't see it coming.
But this fucker, oh, he HAS it coming now.
Yeah, sorry for the delay. Honestly been working hard and all. Will be busy with the other stories too. Don't worry.
Peace!