The Price We Pay

by CzechKris91

Things never went the way he wanted them. Sometimes it worked out, and other times it went horribly wrong. He paid the price when he decided to join his cousin in Liberty City. And now those around him would have to suffer for the choices he made. He only hoped he could keep those close to him safe when Death came to collect.

11. Out of Commission Part Two

"Eleven O'clock"

Niko shifted the rifle toward his eleven and started searching for movement where his spotter had called out. Nighttime always made it difficult to spot targets, but the snow helped him see moving objects. The underbrush was mostly frozen over and every time the wind would rustle through the ice covered branches, they would snap and fall off. Snow was also unforgiving when trying to be untraceable. Footsteps of people and animals were easier to spot in the undisturbed snow.

"I think you are seeing things again Florian." He swept further to the left to see if maybe it was closer to the wooden wall of their camp or not. The wind was frigid, and his breath was causing the scope to fog up slightly. He leaned back and rubbed at it with his glove covered hand.

"No, I saw something move against the shadows." Florian shifted up on his elbows and fine-tuned the focus dial of his binoculars, "There!" He reached out and grabbed the top of Niko's head and swiveled it toward the right of his crosshairs.

Niko grumbled against the way he felt his wool cap ruffle his hair but readjusted his sights to figure out what he was needing to target. He slowly moved the rifle around to the small clearing that his comrade had brought attention to. The moon was full and illuminated everything in a blanket of silver light, causing the shadows of the trees to stretch further out against the snow. A delicate hoof moved out from behind a large spruce and he snapped his sights to it. He watched in wonder as a muscular red deer searched the snow covered ground for food. The antlers branched out in a wild fashion and he worked quickly to count the points.

"Got to be at least a ten point." Florian breathed out as he tried to count how many tips were on each antler, tapping out a count on Niko's shoulder.

"At least." Niko moved down from the antlers to find a kill shot. They had been running low on food supplies and this deer would more than likely supply them for another week. As he prepared to fire, another smaller red deer moved out from behind the tree, blocking his shot. The female nibbled at the scruff around the buck before trotting ahead to scavenge around the bottom of a different tree. Two young offspring wobbly moved after their mother looking around their surroundings curiously.

He let out a long sigh and dropped the barrel down to rest against the wood platform they were perched on, "That's a negative."

"Damn. You and your soft heart." Florian dropped his head back down into his folded arms and groaned, "We move out tomorrow, maybe the next post will have resupplies." It was a long shot, but he was willing to hold out hope that they would be able to restock their mobile pantry.

"What? You getting tired of porridge and left over Shiva cookies?" Niko grunted and let out a sarcastic laugh, "Nothing like a good home cooked meal to motivate me into enemy territory..."

"Your mother does make one hell of a pie." Florian scrubbed over his face before lifting the binoculars to start searching the area again for enemies or possible food.

"Roman's mom makes better stew. Yours just burns everything." He leaned away from the halfhearted punch Florian threw his way before resuming his post.

The silence descended upon them again and the chilly nighttime air sunk back down into their clothes. They were assigned night watch and hated every second of it, but it was at least bearable when they got the assignment together. Florian was an excellent spotter and Niko couldn't ask for a better partner. They had the same thought patterns about wind, position, and distance for a target. So, whenever Niko got handed the short end of the stick for night watch, he'd request Florian for his lookout. Out of all of their squadron from their home village, he got along best with him and Goran. But Goran tended to have more bloodlust for his liking.

"You think we will ever see home again?" Florian's voice was quieter than normal, and Niko glanced his direction from behind the scope.

"We just have to win the war then yes; I believe we will see home again." He turned his attention back to the quiet and unmoving forest around them. He had worked hard to bury his hopes of being done with the war. They had been at this for years and he was growing tired of the constant killing, running, fighting… He longed for the days of helping his mother around the cottage and working the land to harvest food. He had avoided all conversations about normalcy as it tended to make him second guess the mission at hand.

"It won't be the same. I was talking to Dmitar and he thinks our next mission will take us close to the village. There was a raid on it not that long ago. I fear there won't be anything left to return to." He lowered the binoculars and let out a sad sigh, searching the night sky for some sign of happiness or sign of hope. They were all starting to get burnout from the constant fighting.

"What does Dmitar know anyway? Half the time our orders change five minutes after they are given." Niko nudged his shoulder into his friend's to get him back on track. The conversation was headed in a direction he did not want it to go. He had heard plenty from Goran about the raid and wished to not dwell on the details anymore. He would need to return home to check in on his mother and aunt soon. He had promised Roman he would watch out for their family, and he planned on keeping that promise.

"That is true. One day I am going to move away from this place. I will find love and I will have a better life. No more killing, stealing, slaughtering- just peace. I could die a happy man then." Florian shifted his eyes away from the moon to look at his friend. They had started to form a close friendship since taking the role of night guard. They would speak about their shared childhoods and wishful dreams when the surroundings would go quiet. It helped him deal with the nightmares when he'd sleep.

"You reading more of those stupid magazines from the states again? There is no such thing. 'Better Life'- we are not meant for that." Niko scoffed and pressed his finger firmly against the trigger guard. He shoved the happier thoughts down in his mind and tried to remember that they were in enemy territory and probably surrounded by people who wanted to kill them. There would be time later to dwell on love and life. Now was not the time.

"You are too cynical for your own good. It's why you are single." He took the hint and went back to watching the trees and clearing around the gate to their makeshift base of operations.

"I'm single because I choose to not be tied down. Don't exactly like the idea of leaving behind a wife and child." Niko scanned the covered walking path that led right up to their gate and paused when he thought he saw a person ducking out of the opening, "Ten O'clock!" He hissed when he saw the body try to climb over the metal rod of the gate.

Florian shifted around on the platform and rested over Niko's back to be able to see what he was looking at, "It looks like someone is trying to leave, not break in." He whispered trying to remain quiet as to not alert the person who was either trying to escape or break in. He adjusted his focus dial and tried to see any identifying features.

"No one is supposed to leave the base." Niko whispered back moving the barrel to follow the target as they dropped down into the snowy ground in a heap.

"Niko. Everyone sneaks out every now and then to the local towns to fulfill a need. Goran did it last night. We were out of vodka. He stole a couple of bottles from the local pub after they closed up." He watched as the person looked around frantically before brushing off the snow from the heavy coat, "Not sure who this is though."

"That's comforting. Here I am supposed to keep us safe from enemies and I haven't noticed people coming and going." He squinted his eye in the scope and zoomed in on the face using the dials, "Ah, Darko. What's your need tonight?" He hummed as he watched his friend look around suspiciously for someone who might have spotted him leaving. He kicked the snow around by his feet trying to backfill the indention he made when he fell over. He was behaving oddly, and it caused Niko to wonder what he was up to at the late hour. Sunrise was only a few hours away.

"My guess is a warm bed or drugs. He's been acting funny lately. The shit he gets goes right to his head." Florian tilted his head to the side and rested it against the back of Niko's, using him as a prop to be able to see their comrade down below in the snow.

"Didn't you catch him stealing all the morphine out of the med kits last week?" Niko trailed Darko as he took off in a light jog into the cover of trees and disappeared from his sights. He kept the rifle trained on the last spot he saw him and waited to see if he would come back quickly.

"I did. He would have ended up in a coma had I not stopped him from draining every vial into his arms." Florian leaned up off of Niko and resumed his spot next to him. He placed the binoculars down and sighed. "He would've been dead. I did the math on the dosage, and it would have been lethal. He has a real problem. He will probably not be suited to handle midday watch. Mijo will have to split it with Dragan in order to maintain surveillance." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. They really needed to start being more vigilant and more like a unit, than some frat party on vacation that happened to have a permit to shoot people.

"I can cover some. I'll set the alarm to work the middle of that shift." He released the rifle and shifted his arm in order to reach his watch. He carefully started to roll the dials in order to set his alarm to be able to get up and help cover for Darko. There had been plenty of times where he would get a little carried away with his drinking and Darko would cover for him.

Beep, beep

"There, all set." He moved his arms back into position and readjusted the sniper rifle to resume watch. He checked back to where the family of deer had been and saw they had moved on. The hoof tracks went back toward the thick forest and he wondered if there were others out there that would be easy to pick off. 'Shiva cookies are getting old'

"You are too kind. We move out tomorrow to the forward operating base. I'll see about getting locks for the med kits and start taking a log on who checks out what. We should probably confront him about it though. If he has a problem, then I would rather have it addressed between us then our superiors finding out." Florian rolled to his side to face Niko and propped his head up on his hand.

Beep, beep

Niko jumped at the noise and pulled his wrist back to look at it. The watch clearly showed the alarm to be set for midday and had not sounded off, "You hear that?" He looked over to Florian to see him nod his head and glance up to the sky, once more searching the heavens for answers.

"Well yeah getting high isn't always a problem, but when it puts us in danger and could lead to us getting killed, I have a problem with it." Florian searched the star covered sky and softened his features, "It's no different when we get drunk together and pass out at first light. It probably annoys the hell out of Goran since he is on the next shift." He smiled broadly and laughed.

Beep, beep

"What are you talking about? Do you not hear that beeping?" Niko lifted up his rifle and scanned the trees quickly trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. When Florian let out another laugh, he dropped his rifle and shoved at his shoulder slightly to get him to focus again. There was something out there making noise and could be a threat to them and their squad.

Florian caught his wrist and held on as tears came to his eyes from the laughter, "You are too damn funny Niks. Darko would definitely fuck anything with legs to get high." He wiped a lone tear from his eye and let out another soft chuckle.

"This shit isn't funny Florian. You don't hear that beeping?" He tightened his hold on the military jacket that Florian wore.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep

"You know, sometimes all we have is each other to lean on in order to get through all this. I'm glad you are willing to help Darko with his problem." Florian patted Niko's wrist and rolled over to his back and let out another sigh, "I am lucky that I have all of you as friends. Sometimes I feel like I don't belong. That I am an outsider." He placed his binoculars over his stomach and shifted around to get comfortable.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Beep, beep

"Florian! Cut it out! You had to have heard that!" The beeping was getting louder and he was getting increasingly more alarmed. He scanned the trees again rapidly- the spot the deer were in, where Darko disappeared from, the other small clearing where he could see two bodies huddled close together exchanging items, tucking them into their pants pockets. He faltered his hold on the rifle and lunged up to his knees to grab at Florian who kept rambling on about their lives. The sniper clattered against the wooden watch tower as he released it to grab hold of his friend's shirt.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep. BEEP. BEEP

His fists clenched in the wrinkled and blooded white dress shirt and his eyes landed on the blood splattered face of Bernie. His eyes hazel eyes losing focus as he stared up at him. His dark blonde hair was askew and had drying blood caked in clumps in random places. His upper arm was tied off with a black suit sleeve and showed to be soaked from the stab wound that laid beneath it. A trail of blood seeped from between his lips to roll down from the corner of his mouth.

"Florian?!"

"You took the oath as I have. There is still time to uphold it." Bernie wheezed against the several wounds he sustained and slightly gargled on the liquid that was slowly filling his lungs once more.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"Florian! Hang on, I'll go get some help. You are bleeding all over the place!" Niko frantically searched over his friend's body noticing the entry wounds on his sides and arms. Everywhere his hands landed came away with blood. His heart was frantically pounding away in his chest and the blood began to roar behind his ears. Pain started to form in bursts all over his body and he lurched forward slightly at the onslaught against his body. He looked down to his hands to see that his own clothes were no longer his military uniform, but the suit that was tattered and dirty, soaked in his own blood and that of this friends and enemies.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"Niko. It is not too late to save Kate and Roman. Wake up and go save them." Bernie tried to smile against the pain and placed his hand over Niko's forearm, shoving the sleeve back to expose their matching tattoo, "Go. I'll be waiting for you to bring them back."

"I can't leave you like this. You'll die!" Niko went back to trying to cover the larger wounds he could see with his hands trying desperately to stem the blood flow.

BEEP. BEEP "This is a bad idea. He shouldn't' be awake right now." BEEP. BEEP "Do as told. Then leave us."

"I will be alright. But they are not. Go save your cousin and the love of your life. Or so help me I will kill you myself!" Bernie gave him his best angry face and slapped his other hand against Niko's chest.

BEEP. BEEP. "I am not leaving you with him. I'm not that stupid." BEEP. BEEP. "You are replaceable old man. Do not tempt me!"

Niko jerked against the pain that seemed to come from every direction. His mind was groggy, and he was having trouble trying to figure out why everything was so dark. There was an annoying beeping that kept going in a steady cadence and it forced him to turn his head away from the noise. It was piercing and was causing a dull throb to form behind his eyes and ears. The sound of shuffling feet, followed by a door opening and closing, greeted him and he forced his heavy eyelids to lift.

He blinked against the dim light and tried to focus on his surroundings. He slid his palms against the surface he was laying on and felt stiff, over bleached, sheets. He glanced down his body to see he was stretched out in a hospital bed, slightly elevated. Various wires and tubes were strung out across him and in one of his arms he could feel the IV needle. Slowly the feeling in his legs and toes returned and he wished it hadn't. The nerves were sending distress signals to his brain and he gasped at the rush of pain they caused him.

His throat was incredibly dry, and he wheezed against the sensation of sucking in air. He had never realized that coughing could hurt, but he was wishing he would just stop coughing. Every lurch of his chest would send another sickening wave of agony down his body. He was seeing bright spots in his vision as his lungs forced the air out of him.

"Here. Small sips." A hand entered his vision holding a styrofoam cup with a straw in it.

Niko grabbed it with shaky hands and brought it to his cracked lips, lightly sucking in the cold water to calm his respiratory system. The coolness flooded his system and he shivered against it. He went to take another gulp when the hand removed the cup from his grasp to set it on the tray table next to him. His eyes widened as he realized he had just taken something from someone who might be trying to kill him. His vision blurred as he darted his eyes over to see who was in the room with him. Everything was starting to click into place and the panic wanted to overtake every rational emotion that swirled around in him.

The lights were off in the room, except for the glow of the medical equipment, and a small, recessed light that was above the couch that could be converted into a bed. He squinted his eyes to be able to make out the dark figure sitting in the only other chair in the room. He was next to his bed, facing the top of the bed, and unmoving. It unnerved him to great lengths that he couldn't make out any identifying features and it was making him think he was dreaming again. Images wanted to overlay with his vision, and he squinted further to find some clarity.

As the silence drew out, he figured he would need to be the first to speak, "Who?" The strain on his vocal cords caused him to feel like he was swallowing sand and he coughed a couple of times to dispel the feeling and clutched at his chest to try and stop the searing pain he felt.

"I am known by many titles, but I would give them all up gladly, to hear my son call me father one more time." The man's voice was heavy and thick with a Russian accent. He reached out and clicked a button on the bed remote to turn on one of the overhead lights, flooding the room in light.

Once Niko's eyes adjusted to the brightness, he tried to rack his brain for where he may have seen this man before, or if he knew him at all. He wore an expensive looking brown suit coat with sleeve cuffs and lapel pins that glimmered in the light. Dark brown hair was slicked back from a hard-set face, with menacing brown eyes, and a deep scowl that was surrounded in thick stubble. He crossed his arms over his chest and began tapping out a slow rhythm with his fingers. He appeared irritated that he had yet to answer him.

"Boy you should know your enemies before killing their children." He shoved back one of his sleeves to show a faded tattoo of a hammer and sickle crossed. It rested just above the expensive looking watch that ticked with each passing second. "Then again, you were never given the opportunity to know whose shit you blew up or the life of the one you gunned down at the subway station."

Fear slammed down his body and he really started to think he may have just been poisoned, "Petrovic." The last name was the only thing needed in order to know who it was that now sat in the hospital room with him. He was stuck. There was no escaping him at this point and he tried to swallow any retort that tried to force its way out of him. He instinctively reached for where his pistol normally would have been and was greeted by nothing. It was an unsettling feeling being unarmed.

"The one and only Kingpin of Russian crime in Liberty City and abroad." He lowered his sleeve and leaned back into the chair, crossing his leg over his other, "That's the nice thing about hospitals- patients are almost always unarmed. And you, were the biggest thorn in my side. Now it seems we have a common enemy." His eyebrows knitted together as he spoke, letting his anger be known that he was unhappy by current events.

"Rascalov." His throat felt tight and he was starting to sweat. He was powerless and knew that if this man wanted him dead, he would have no way to fight back. He would just have to lie there and take it.

"That bitch is out of control. I tried to warn Lenny of her insanity, but I guess big tits and a talented mouth will make any man turn a blind eye. Her rat of a cousin convinced me of a rather lucrative deal in order to keep me from slaughtering all of you. I agreed thinking you'd leave my assets alone and disappear. But no. You kept killing and fucking things up for me and everyone else I have under thumb." His features darkened and his scowl deepened. He had been through hell the last six months and he was trying to remember why he had agreed to let this man live.

"I was in debt to Faustin." He offered, knowing there wasn't much else to go off of or give to appease the silently fuming man next to him. He clenched his hands into fists and noticed how sore he felt. Whatever drugs were being pushing into his system were working overtime to cloud the pain from him.

"I know all about debts and collecting on them. My son was not a snitch and most definitely was not working with the FIB. That drugged up fucker didn't understand anything. If you hadn't been the one to kill him, I would've done it myself eventually." He glanced to the side and took a long breath trying to cool the seething rage he felt over the death of his son. He had warned Faustin several times leading up to his son's death that he needed to remember whose territory he was operating in. And in the end, he wished he had gone with his gut feeling and squashed the small mafia that was led by Faustin.

"I'm sorry." He was at a loss for what to say. He was still trying to figure out how he had ended up in the hospital after everything went dark, and more importantly, why the public enemy number one happened to just waltz in and sit next to him. Was the security at this hospital dead? Or were they on the payroll of the man who sat within reach? His thoughts were running away from him and he shook his head to clear it.

"Nonsense. Spare me the bull shit. I have lived a long life having to dish out plenty and received my fair share over the years. There are more pressing matters to discuss before my time is up here. My late son's fiancé has gone off the deep end. I forbid her from going after you, and yet she ignored my warning. I will give credit where credit is due, and my boy, you are a force to be reckoned with. I haven't received so many phone calls, calling in favors, in one day ever. My debt is being called upon today."

Niko's look of confusion caused him to chuckle, "Dear boy. You have many friends in high places that hold you in the upmost highest regard. I like to keep my blacklist in the black, not the red, and after today, my debts will have been settled. You will no longer have my ire. Between Teafore, Brucie, and a very surprising call from Mr. Fitzsimmons himself, I have decided to visit you to see what all the fuss is about." He huffed out and shifted his legs to get more comfortable, dusting his hands off on one another to display that he would be done with things once he left the hospital. Niko could only look on in disbelief, not understanding completely what was going on.

"Every one of them was concerned about your wellbeing, the lives of their own affiliation, and the lives of a Miss McReary and Mr. Bellic. I was partially aware of the hate that has been headed your way but was unaware of how involved Natalya is. Dimitri was my associate. We had business deals, and because of you, I realized he was trying to usurp me with the H deal gone wrong. Fucking Bulgarin. Euro-trash! Should have had him removed the second he set foot in this city." He scoffed and glanced toward the closed blinds of the hospital window. 'Another mistake, another slip up, never again…'

"That bitch sided with her cousin and was trying to form their own faction. She has the support from the Albanians and their newfound power here in LC, as well as the Angels of Death. She has gained much ground in her quest against you. She has made promises to them that cannot possibly come to be. She offered the McReary's up to the Albanians and the Angels. She offered you up to Bulgarin, even though Dimitri gave that offer originally, and she put the most obnoxious price on your cousin and Kate to be captured and brought in." His eyes softened a touch and he shifted uncomfortably, "I learned of what was to be. I may be ruthless, but even I have a daughter."

"Then you know why I must kill her." Niko's voice was low and strained. He was having trouble processing everything, and his body was starting to hurt beyond his pain threshold. Even if he could get out of this bed, he was unsure if he would be able to stand for long. He was starting to realize that he had failed. And that thought alone was driving a new sense of adrenaline through him. Failure was not in his normal vocabulary.

"You do not need permission from me, boy. I have already told my people to kill any of the known associates and the bitch on sight. Their bail would be covered, and no charges would be brought against them. I am wiping her hold on Liberty City away. There is only room for one at the top, and that's me." His call with the Police Commissioner had been enlightening. They had both agreed to turn a blind eye on each other in favor of the execution of the new Rascalov clan. The damage and death toll from the natural gas line rupture was enough to have FIB and IAA on everyone's case for a very long time, and it would dampen his operations. He had agreed with Mitt that he would flush her out into the open and if given the opportunity, kill her. He had denied any involvement with them, and in a show of good faith to the commissioner, said he would have the best of the best on the hunt.

"I need you to do this for me. Consider it our own debt agreement. You killed my son, and now you can kill the one who has threatened my own hold on this city. I will no longer hold a grudge, you become free to live your life, and you will stop getting involved with those who run against me." He sat forward in the chair and held his hand out to the man who he once wanted dead more than anything.

"I thought that was settled when I shot Faustin off the roof of Perestroika." Niko narrowed his eyes; he would not be conned into owing this man anything. He wanted out of the life of crime, and now that he was almost there, he would refuse to make any more deals. 'But what about Kate and Roman?'

"Smart. Cunning, and to the point. No wonder people have been fighting to have you on their side." Kenny closed his fist and leaned back into his chair, "But also brash and dumb. No one refuses me."

"I don't think you understand. I need to kill her." Niko struggled to move his body and eventually slumped back down when everything just started hurting too much to move, "And I don't need you to do it. I have managed just fine in this city. She is after me, not you, and there is nothing you could provide me that would make it any easier to kill that bitch." 'He has a far reach, he could locate them quickly, and possibly even kill everyone before you knew where to look…' He frowned with the way his mind was thinking.

"Boy I understand more than you think. You are no good to anyone dead. There is plenty I can offer you, and I will not offer my services again. The clock was set an hour ago." Kenny crossed his arms and looked down to the floor. They had come to the point in their conversation that he could no longer delay. He glanced over to his watch and realized that time was running out. The doctor would be back in to put Niko out in order for him to heal and their window would close forever.

"What do you mean?" Niko shifted on the bed trying to get comfortable. His body was starting to realize that he had several major injuries, and it was fighting him. Sleep wanted to take him under so he could start to heal, but his brain was telling him he needed to pay attention and figure out what Kenny was really after, and possibly find a way to save Kate and Roman.

"I received an email, as did every other high ranking member of the underground, that if we wanted to claim the reward for Kate and Roman's capture, we needed to bring you to her- dead or alive." He glanced toward the door to the hospital room and watched as a couple of shadows passed by the blinds that covered the interior window.

"Is that what you are here to do?" Dread slid down his body in an icy blanket. 'Is he here to just collect on a ransom?'

"No. My hands are tied. I have given my word to those I owed that no harm would befall you from my men… Or me. And that should I happen across Natalya, she would be terminated. But it is not me you should be worried about Mr. Bellic. You have angered many in this city." He stood up from the chair and moved to look out the window that led to the hall to see if anyone was approaching and clicked something in his pocket, "Which just so happens, that those you have angered, are my enemies, and if there is a way to kill two birds with one stone, I am willing to take that chance." Kenny finished in Russian hoping he would start to understand what was taking place. He walked over to the end of the bed and placed his hands down on the railing. It was now or never.

The last few conscious moments flashed across Niko's mind while he was at the church graveyard. Karen was more than likely dead, the helicopter had been missing from his view and he feared the worse, and the guilt sat unpleasantly in his stomach- he had lost Kate and Roman. Bernie was probably on to the next life, and Bernard had undoubtedly never received the help he needed as the NOOSE agents had dragged Roman out of the crumbling church. He had left Francis with Ron in the basement and there was no telling if additional forces had gone down there to finish off the job. Jacob wasn't in the room with him and he tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. All of his friends were injured, missing, dead, or dying, and he had failed every single one of them. His eyes burned with the unshed tears that threatened to fall. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest and he winced at the feel of it.

He had fled Ray's reach in Europe to try and complete his mission in life- to find the one who had betrayed him and his comrades. Instead he had been given so many possibilities and opportunities. He had renewed a friendship with Florian. He had restored the relationship between himself and Roman- at least he thought he had. He had made more friends than he had growing up- Packie, Dwayne, Brucie, Badman, Jacob, Mallorie, Gerry… and Kate. He had found love- something he didn't feel deserving of.

His hands shook as they fisted in the thin hospital sheets. There was no plan anymore, there was no visions of a happily ever after, there was only revenge now. Cold, unrelenting revenge. And he would exact it, no matter the consequences. Everyone who had threatened him was dead- Vlad, Mikhail, Playboy X, Ray Boccino, Jimmy Pegorino, Dimitri Rascalov, Ray Bulgarin- and there was only one name left on that list, Natalya Rascalov. She would be the last and final person he would kill. He would storm into whatever hide out she was at and be the one to end her existence. But he couldn't do this on his own. He regretted it wholly, but he was in need of some serious help. And there at the end of his hospital bed stood the one person he figured would never be a helping hand. The last man on earth who he should enter any deal with. 'But what choice do I have? I have to save Kate and Roman. I will just have to find another way to be free…'

"Then help me find her and save my cousin and girlfriend. Consider this my offer of services." He extended his own hand this time. He was stuck in a hospital bed and his options were beyond limited. This would be the way to get his revenge and set right the wrongs that had befallen them all. He would enter into a deal with the most powerful man in all of Liberty and figure out a way to pay him back later. He hated asking for help, but this time he would make an exception, he was getting borderline desperate. The devious smirk that spread over Kenny's face was unpleasant as he moved to take Niko's outstretched hand.

The door opened and Jacob rolled Bernard in a wheelchair into the room, "Now I know you aren't trying to make deals with the devil in here." Bernard looked tired, but the spark was there in his eyes, and he was hoping nothing had been done that was irreversible. Jacob had seen Petrovic walking the halls and rushed to find someone he knew could help.

"Speak for yourself. The devil only speaks of himself in such ways." Kenny rolled his eyes and moved back over to the chair and plopped down in it. He crossed his arms tightly and fumed like a child at having been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Your arm Kenny." Bernard took over for Jacob and wheeled into the room on the opposite side of the bed from Kenny. Jacob moved to lean against the door blocking the exit. They had rushed through discussing what would take place in the room and Bernard had told Jacob to not let Kenny leave till their business was finished. And while Jacob had his own agreements with Kenny, he was willing to put all that aside for his friend.

"You want to do this here?" He shifted minutely in the chair and glanced toward Niko and then Jacob. He had an alliance with Jacob's crew and didn't fear having him in the room but was uncomfortable at what was about to be shown. He liked to keep personal business close to the chest, and not have anything that could be held against him let out in public.

"You upheld your part of the deal. You showed up at the church, forced the enemy to retreat, and gave us a chance to recover and get help. You have marked Niko as untouchable. And have given me your word that he would not be targeted by you or yours. And for all that has been done I offer to you to be released from our binding agreement. Your debt is paid to me." Bernard leaned forward slightly, grabbing where his side wound was, and held out his hand facing upward across the bed.

"As I have done all you have asked, completed the tasks before me, you will release me from my debt and will not seek to gain additional favors from me." Kenny pulled out a metal object from his pocket and dropped it into Bernard's outstretched hand. He sighed heavily and shoved his jacket sleeve up on his left arm where a faded debt tattoo and burn circle were etched into his skin. He leaned into the bed and rested his arm over Niko's legs, "Just don't fuck it up. This is the only one I have, and I don't want it to look stupid."

Bernard only gave him a blank look before removing the lid from the electric cigarette lighter. It was bent and filed down to form a thick line, that would be the slash through burn on the tattoo. He grabbed Kenny's wrist and turned the arm to be able to see the tattoo he had placed there years ago. "I officially extend my thanks for your help and wish you well on your journey. До свидание (Do svidaniye)." He forced the burning tool down over the tattoo and held firm to his wrist. Just as quickly as he placed it upon his skin, did he remove it, leaving behind the perfect burn mark.

"Fuck!" Kenny yanked his arm free and pulled it to his body, cradling it close. "What is done is done. I have a few of my closest men searching known hideouts of Dimitri's. My guess is she vacated them. If I happen upon her location I will call." He stood up on slightly shaky legs, rubbing at the burn, and turned to look at the man lying in the hospital bed, "My table has recently lost a valuable member. I could use someone like you. Think on it some. Pay and protection are a difficult commodity to come by in this world. I can give you both." He nodded to the other two men in the room, "Gentlemen. I take my leave."

He started to head toward the door before Bernard spoke up, "You had best stop by room 229. I believe you have something of value to give him." He glared over his shoulder to the man he had just settled his debts with. He held no love for the kingpin of Liberty City, but he had his uses. And it had proven valuable today to have him in his back pocket. The phone call he received while bleeding out had been unexpected. But it seems like several other people had reached out to the Russian crime lord and was calling in every favor they had. Kenny had called him to see if one more debt could be settled, and Bernard had thrown every single clause into it he could think of as his life slipped away from him.

"Nothing gets past you I see. I will make a pitstop on my exit. My car is outside waiting for me then?" He watched as Jacob moved out of his way, and he rested his hand on the handle to the door before looking back to Bernard.

"No one will stop you from leaving. You are free to go. Your name was cleared on our list. IAA has no quarrel with you." He pushed up his glasses and nodded once letting Kenny know that they would not be coming for him for the attack on the church or the gas line rupture. That was all getting pinned on one person and her organization.

"Very well. Goodnight everyone." And with that, the most powerful man in Liberty City exited the room, letting silence descend upon the other three in the room.

"He owed you?" Niko was fading in and out some due to the level of pain that was flashing across his body. He had held off long enough to ensure he understood what was going on, but his body was trying to drag him back to sleep. The realization that Kenny had been in Bernard's debt column had been the last thing he would've thought possible.

"It is something we can discuss later. Jacob can you find the doc and get him in here?" Bernard turned the wheelchair back toward the door and started to wheel around the bed so he could sit on something more comfortable than the flimsy seat of the wheelchair. He needed to get their plan of action in motion and needed to get Niko sorted out first.

"Sure. You need anything? You really shouldn't be out of bed." Jacob glanced toward Niko to see him paling slightly, but his concern was for the man that was listed as a puncture patient and had a fall risk label on his wrist.

"I am fine. This bag of fluids will last me a while. The doc please. And hurry." Bernard motioned to the IV bag that hung from the stand on his wheelchair, that looked to be half full. He moved the chair Kenny had been using and pushed it flush against the hospital bed, before rolling himself forward to be able to climb into it.

"On it." Jacob open the door quickly and left in search of the doctor. Time was slipping away from them and they had much ground to cover rapidly. He answered his cell phone as he rushed through the busy halls of the ICU wing.

"What all do you remember? I can fill in some of the blanks." Bernard stood up and shuffled over to the more padded chair and slowly eased himself down onto its surface, letting out a sigh of relief. The hospital gown and sweatpants offered little comfort and he pulled on the sleeves trying to get it to sit right over his body. He had been gravely injured in the past before and would manage this time around. He had an important oath to uphold and he would not let Niko down.

"Just. Just that I have failed." Niko looked away from him toward the closed window. He could tell it was dark outside and he tried to think of how many hours had passed since he fainted in the graveyard. 'Too long. There is no telling what is happening to Roman and Kate right now…'

"Not yet. None of that talk. I have a bird in the sky that's doing thermal scanning. Any large group of heat signatures in an abandoned building, and a team will be on it in a hurry. LCPD has shut down all the bridges in and out of Algonquin. The airport is on lockdown and so are the ports. FIB took the liberty of shutting down water traffic and started randomly boarding ships looking for Kate and Roman. She will not get very far. We've boxed her in. The whole city was instructed by Mayor Ochoa and Deputy Mayor Dawkins to stay indoors and to not leave their residences unless it is an emergency. It's like it was back when we had terror threats six months ago. Anyone outside is being questioned by police." Bernard shifted in the chair to get into a more relaxed position. He was on some heavy duty pain meds, and while it kept the majority of his pain at bay, there was still a dull throbbing coming from his injury. He placed his hand over his side to feel for any blood.

"Just because things are on lock down does not mean she will not slip through our fingers. NOOSE was in on the hit." Niko leaned back heavily into his pillow and felt himself start to sweat.

"An unfortunate circumstance. It was one unit that was on the payroll of Dimitri, now his cousin's payroll. They have been identified and are on the wanted list." They fell into a heavy silence. He could see Niko was struggling to stay awake and was fighting off the agony he must be in. Bernard had only gotten a brief rundown of what went down as he was being tended to by a LCPD medical rescue team. He had heard the firing of guns and Roman's protesting screams before he was evacuated on a stretcher to the front of the building and loaded into an ambulance.

He looked Niko over and could see that a bandage was wrapped around his head. The crisp white of the gauze stood out against the slightly tanned skin. He had various other bandaids over his arms and neck. And as Bernard kept looking him over, he could see a lightweight cast hand been wrapped around his knee under the thin hospital blanket. He was in worse shape than he was anticipating, and it would only put a slight damper on his plan. There was no way Niko would want to stay in this hospital and let others seek out Natalya.

"Okay my dear boy, help is here." The older medical examiner walked into the room rolling a cart with him. Jacob held the door for him and promptly closed it once they were inside. There was a lot of commotion out in the halls of people rushing between rooms. There were too many casualties and injured to keep track of and it was all hands on deck.

"Hey doc." Bernard offered when Niko remained silent.

"How bad does it hurt young man? I can put you back under if its unbearable. I told that other man to not wake you yet." He opened several drawers on the cart and pulled out various vials and syringes.

"I do not wish to be asleep." Niko turned to look through his blurry vision at the man he had met in the McReary home a couple of nights ago.

"Very well. Then a pain killing cocktail coming right up." He placed a couple of glass vials down on the top of the cart and moved over to the computer by Niko's bed and entered his password. He went to work on logging the medicine and scanning the items to make sure no one else would give him something extra and run the risk of killing him. He had administered drugs not that long ago to wake him from the medically induced slumber, and he was hoping to be able to get him back to sleep. Niko was injured and in no real shape to put unnecessary stress on his body.

"Any word on my agent, the deputy commissioner, or our friend Bernie?" Bernard figured he would need to be the one to hold the conversation. Niko looked too out of it to ask the questions he knew he must be wanting answers to. He watched as the doc scanned the paper bracelet on Niko's wrist before scanning the vials again. With steady hands the doc pushed a syringe into the topper of one of the vials and measured out the correct dosage.

"You know it is not my place to give out that information." He glanced up from his vial to give Bernard a hard look. He was not in the mood to be bossed around more.

"Right now isn't the time for protocol. I'm her direct boss." He sent his own answering glare to the medical examiner that was grating on his nerves. He had forced him to go into the room with Kenny knowing he would be the only trustworthy person in the building. He had not expected him to leave Kenny alone in the room with Niko and he took off from his room once he knew what was going on with Jacob's help. While he didn't think Kenny would go against their agreement, he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, and would make sure nothing went wrong.

"Are you next of kin?" The doctor ignored the stares and lifted the IV line to be able to administer the drugs to his patient.

"This letter might help." Jacob moved forward into the room and pulled out a sealed envelope. During the chaos of the Petrovic men showing up and chasing off the Rascalov men, Jacob had pulled Niko and Karen into cover. He wasn't sure if he should remove her helmet or not and decided to go ahead and grab the letter she had told him about. Her body was limp and was unresponsive to his attempts to wake her. Even Niko wasn't responding to his attempts to wake him. He watched hopelessly as the trucks tore off in different directions being chased by other sports cars. He had lost eyes on Roman and Kate.

He continued to guard both of the unconscious bodies till Ron emerged from the basement staircase with a couple of his fellow officers. Together they had managed to get some EMTs to their location to get Niko and Karen to a hospital. Francis had been escorted out through the ramp according to Ron who tried to fill in Jacob to what he knew. They had loaded Niko into an ambulance before Ron got a call from the Police Commissioner and had to leave him.

"That Agent Daniel's?" Bernard recognized the size of the letter, the IAA seal, and knew in an instant that had to be her final words. Every agent wrote one and kept it on them when going into dangerous situations in hopes that if they didn't make it, their letters would get to whoever it needed to go to. While they normally operated in anonymity, some of them still had families and loved ones back where they called home.

"She told me about it before trying to pull Niko to safety. The sniper got a headshot in." He held it out to the man in the chair and waited for him to take it.

"She say a name?" Bernard hesitated to take it, knowing how personal these letters were, and felt that if he took ownership of it, she would truly be gone.

"No. Just that it gets to where it needs to go." He placed it down into the man's held out hand and leaned into the footrail of Niko's bed. He was tired, but was thankfully unharmed, unlike most of his friends. Badman and him had taken the back row of the pews so they could keep an eye on things and direct their men on where to go as they protected the church. They had been slightly shielded by the blast as they were closest to the main entrance.

Bernard grew solemn as he turned the letter over to see 'Boss' scribbled neatly in her handwriting. He didn't want to open it right away. He didn't want to believe her as dead just yet and looked up in time to see the doc administer another medicine to the IV line. "I am listed as her next of kin. Now tell me what you know."

The doc placed the used syringes into the reciprocal before moving back to the computer to look up the info he had requested, "She has a GSW to her back, large caliber by what the notes list, and head trauma. The bullet only used her helmet as a springboard of sorts. It's in evidence right now. I got a look at it and saw that the bullet had gouged a decent chunk off like it had slapped across the helmet. She is lucky that it didn't penetrate it. She would have died instantly. She is still in operating room four."

"And Francis?" Bernard folded the letter in his hands and kept running his fingers over the crease. He would hold on to it till she either woke up or succumbed to her injuries. He had her star in his desk at their front office and he would be sure to be the one to add it to their wall if it came to it. As far as he knew she had no family left in the Midwest and her only love interest known to him was Niko, and that had been closed and finished.

"That's classified above my clearance. You know high ranking patients have safeguards in place." The doc turned away from the computer and lifted up the chart board from the tray table next to Niko's bed and started running over his vitals, marking down the numbers and readings he needed.

"Do you wish for me to get Kenny back in here? Considering you owe him greatly; I'd hate to see what he would call up for penance. He isn't in the greatest of moods." He would get the information he needed with our without the doctors help. He ranked high up on the food chain and was getting tired of people not realizing that. He had weight that could be thrown around when needed, and he would get this information.

"Don't you threaten me with him. I am in his good graces for now." The doc slammed the clipboard down onto the tray table, angry that he was being bossed around by a bunch of people he disliked. Francis was his boss and friend. Could they not just leave well enough alone?

"Please doc. It's important to me." Niko reached out and grabbed the doctor's wrist that was within reach. While it was somewhat of a relief to know that Karen was alive for the time being, he was worried about Francis and Bernie. Seeing Bernard alive and moving around help quell some of his despair, but until he knew the death toll, and what the next move was going to be, he would continue to wallow in his guilt.

The older man gulped slightly. He liked Niko a lot, especially after seeing the way he cared for Kate. He was listening to the radio in his office when the news networks started reporting a large explosion in Suffolk. He knew that there was bound to be a call for help at the hospitals. He packed up his things, grabbed his doctor's coat, and headed off to the Holland Hospital. The radio was giving off speculation on the attack, who would have done such a thing, and suspected deaths. The initial report listed a few high ranking police officers, including Francis, as missing in the attack. He didn't like to be one to believe everything he heard on the news, but…

He sighed tiredly and picked up the remote from Niko's bed and turned on the television. The news networks had overtaken every single channel in the city and was doing nonstop coverage of the attack. He dropped the remote to the bed and felt his eyes water seeing the devastation that had befallen the city block where the church used to be standing. The hospitals had been overrun with injured people and dead bodies on top of their already admitted patients. He had tried to stay by the ambulance doors looking for those he knew and cared for. When Francis had been wheeled in, they had coded him. Nurses and doctors ran over in droves taking over for chest compressions and working the air resuscitation mask, as well as clearing an operating room.

"He was code blue at the door. I'm sorry. I do not know more right now. Just what the news is talking about." The doc patted Niko's hand and lifted his tired eyes to examine the IAA agent who had forced him to work with Kenny. How he knew of the debt owed to the kingpin, he couldn't be sure, but he would be avoiding him in the near future. "I need to check on the numerous other patients on this floor. I will come back when I get more updates." He rushed as quickly as he could toward the door, leaving the medical cart behind, and exited the room.

"Damn. I wanted to ask him about Bernie." Niko watched as the man left the room and turned his attention to the television screen.

"We have been getting reports that our beloved Deputy Commissioner is still in surgery, and his condition is listed as critical. Several other people were pulled from the rubble at Suffolk Church where a helicopter crashed down into the roof in an apparent attempt to fight the terrorists that caused the natural gas line to explode along Emerald Street, destroying all the buildings in its path. According to the church's website, there was a scheduled wedding that took place during the attack. There would have been traditional mass this evening, but instead I believe candlelight vigils will be held on the front steps. Priest Mark has survived the attack and is getting medical treatment at Bohan Hospital. He has asked for prayers for those that were in the buildings that collapsed."

The news chopper hovered over the still burning church and showed the destruction of Emerald street. Every building was either completely destroyed or was close to falling over. Police cars, firetrucks, and ambulances lined the rubble filled streets. Their lights were bouncing off every surface that the fires had yet to reach. Near the far end of the street close to Denver Avenue was a giant raging fire. The flames soared above the buildings and danced wildly. Utility workers were scrambling to contain the out of control blaze. Niko could hardly believe he had survived through what he was seeing. It looked like a warzone.

"Niko! NIKO!"

"Miss you need to calm down! You are injured!"

"Get your hands off of me, o asi ayúdame te lo quito!" Niko recognized the high pitch shrill of Mallorie's angry Spanish from outside the door. Quickly approaching footsteps, that clicked against the tiled floor, greeted them before the door ripped open.

"Oh my God NIKO!" Mallorie burst through the door, her face streaked in tears, and her hair a jumbled mess. She still had on the white suit jacket that was covered in soot and dirt from the explosion and ensuing collapse. There were a few splotches of blood on her black jeans and suit jacket and she uncontrollably shook in her panic. Another female was behind her and looked directly to Jacob and held out her hands. Silently Jacob nodded to Niko before moving to his girlfriend to pull her into his arms.

"Are you hurt? Are you dying?!" Mallorie's voice was cracking under the strained pitch and she wiped furiously at her face as more tears continued to form and fall from her eyelashes. She trembled from head to toe as she neared the foot of his bed. Her eyes were wide in fear and she looked so desperately lost.

"Mal. I'm so sorry." Niko was relieved to see her standing before him, but his heart was heavy with guilt. He had failed to protect her husband.

"Oh Niko!" She stumbled around his bed to where the doc had stood moments ago and collapsed down on the surface next to him. She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him as loud, body racking sobs tore from her. She had been told that Roman was missing and so was Niko, Bernie, Kate, and Jacob. Badman hadn't been able to locate them before a giant helicopter flew overhead toward the back of the church. The police were trying to get them to evacuate to the other side of the street while the enemy forces were retreating. She didn't want to leave, but knew she was in danger being this close to the fires and still crumbling church. Brucie had helped hold her upright across the street as more NOOSE, FIB, IAA, and LCPD squad cars rolled up. She clung to Brucie's arm, as well as Little Jacob's girlfriend's hand. The most horrendous noise caused them all to look up in alarm as the helicopter spun out of control above the church before crashing down on top of it in a giant fireball.

Little Jacob's girlfriend turned away from the sight they made and buried her own face into her boyfriend's neck. She had tried to get Mallorie to see a doctor, but she refused to till she saw her family. Jacob had sent her the room number in a text and they both took off down the many halls to find it. She was overjoyed that her boyfriend was unharmed and standing before her, but she felt so terrible for her friend who lost her husband and other friends on her wedding day. A few tears escaped from her eyes and Jacob gently wiped them away.

"Niko! He's gone. No one can find him! Bernie, Kate," She let out a hiccup, "They are missing too. I can't believe they are gone!" She buried her face into the crook of his neck and tried to take solace in the fact that Niko was alive, in a hospital bed, and would be willing to go find her husband and friends. 'He will know where to look. He will go save him and Kate. I know he will! And Bernie will just be perfectly fine and ready to assist him in his search!'

Niko tried his best to hug her back, but she was pressing down on him, and it was causing his chest to hurt. He let out a shaky breath and leaned his head into her hair, "Don't worry. I will get him back. I will make her pay for what she has done. I will bring back Roman and Kate unharmed. I promise, I will." He felt his heart squeeze at the thought of Bernie. His nightmare resurfaced and he forced himself to not dwell on it. If he was meant to say goodbye, then he prayed that he had at least said the right things to him.

"And Bernie?" She felt another sob shake her body as the thought of losing her friends and husband was just too much to bear.

"I will try to get some information. Who would have been the last to see him?" Bernard spoke up from his chair hoping he would be able to track down someone who might know.

"He was-" The lump that formed in his throat was difficult to dislodge. 'He is gone… There was so much blood.' "I. I left him with Roman and the NOOSE agents before going to find Kate. She had screamed out and we took off in search to where she was. I don't know about Bernie's condition. But I can and will find Kate and Roman."

She leaned up from his neck to look into his solemn eyes, "Please. Please. He doesn't know. I haven't told him yet. He's a father. A child without a father has a lot to worry about. Kate also doesn't deserve to be put through anything else. I saw the news. I don't know if any of her brothers are alive." She sucked in a breath, letting a hiccup rock her body, and closed her eyes. The tears just wouldn't stop, and she was starting to worry that she was having a full blown panic attack. Things were starting to cramp up on her and she slightly curled into Niko's body seeking comfort.

Niko reached up and brushed a couple of her tears away, "I will bring them both back. But you need to calm yourself. This can't be good for you or the baby." He glanced over to Bernard to see him sporting a rather determined look and could almost see the wheels turning in his head. They would formulate a plan and head out as soon as he could stand up on his own. Niko tilted his head slightly as a warm, wet sensation started to spread along his upper thigh. He kept his hold on Mal and looked down to where he thought he felt liquid. He couldn't see anything besides Mallorie's body, and he wondered what was causing it.

"I'm trying. God, I feel so tired now." She slumped down on him and sluggishly nuzzled into the crook oh his neck, "I can see why Kate said this is her favorite place. Very comfy." She blinked slowly and felt the drag on her body as her energy started to plummet.

"Mal? Have you seen a doctor?" The warmth was spreading down his leg and he tried to shake Mallorie out of it so he could figure out what was going on.

"Hm? No. Wanted to see you first." She tried to lean up off of him, but her arms felt like lead. Her tired mind was trying to let her know something wasn't right and she did an internal check. There was a sharp pain where her womb rested and a dangerous thought crossed her mind, "I think something is wrong."

"What do you mean?" He helped her sit up on the bed, and as soon as her body left its resting place against him, he could see blood had spread on the thin bedsheet over his right thigh. He watched as she studied the blood then looked down at her own body. The color completely drained from her face and she looked up panicked to him. "Stay calm. Stay with me." He reasoned with her as he could see the utter terror starting to build across her features.

"I've already lost Roman once today, not our baby too…" She whispered hysterically.

"Jacob grab the first nurse you see. Now!" Bernard had watched as she sat up and could see that something had gone terribly wrong. It was news to him that she was pregnant, and having gone through the stressful ordeal of the church blowing up, then falling down around her, the gunfight, realizing that Roman had been kidnapped- she was bound to stress her body out too much. He leaned forward in his chair and reached out to grab one of Mallorie's trembling hands, "You're both going to be okay. Just breath nice and slow."

Jacob and his girlfriend ran out into the hallway shouting for help and went in search of a nurse or doctor. Niko could hear the labored breathing of his cousin-in-law, and he sat up on the bed scooting closer to the side by Bernard to give her room to settle back down into his arms. She gratefully leaned into him and closed her eyes trying to focus on her breathing and calming her wildly beating heart.

"Everything will be okay. I will make sure of it. Do not worry yourself anymore. Your child will have a loving father, as well as an uncle and aunt who will want to take them out to the park. We will spend the holiday's spoiling them. They will grow up not knowing the pain of loss or war. They will be happy and protected. I give you my word Mal." Niko rubbed her back soothingly trying to help calm her down, as well as settle his own fears. He had yet to hear about his friends and if they were alive or not. He was stuck in this hospital while who knew what was happening to Kate and Roman. 'Please be okay Kate and Roman. I will be on my way shortly.'

aaaaaa

Kate felt like her body was free falling, and as the inevitable ground rapidly approached her, her body slammed back into consciousness. The unpleasant jerk to awareness left her feeling hungover and strung-out. She wearily blinked her eyes open to her surroundings and immediately knew she wasn't safe. The heat of the room was the first thing to greet her, as it was unnaturally hot. There was a lamp on that sat upon a desk in the far corner of the room. She realized that she was laying on her stomach on a rather lumpy surface. She tilted her head to the side to try and figure out where she was and saw that she was laying on an uncovered mattress. Alarm bells wailed in her mind and she tried to sit up quickly.

The move forced her shoulder to remind her that it was still recovering, and she sucked in a painfilled gasp. She shook as she moved to her knees and hands wishing the world would just stop spinning long enough for her to get her bearings. There was a heavy weight pulling on one of her wrists and she glanced down to see a large metal cuff was closed and padlocked around it. Panic gripped her heart and she immediately tried to pull at it. The chain was thick and heavy, and her eyes traveled its short length to where it was bolted to the wall under a blind covered window.

"What the fuck!" She whispered out and sat back on her legs. She looked down to her body and let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that her dress was still on and so was her undergarments. 'At least I'm unharmed for the time being…' Carefully she observed her immediate surroundings and felt the despair set in. She was in some kind of office- there was the desk by the door, filing cabinets lined the opposite wall, a window was placed just behind her, and she was chained to the wall sitting on a nasty looking mattress. There was a faint glow that flickered through the blinds and she wondered if there was a fire in the room next to her and that was where the heat source was coming from.

She took in a fortifying breath and tried to remember how she got here. She touched her shoulder and winced as she remembered Francis popping her arm back into its place. They had fallen into the basement of the church, "Francis… Oh. Oh… oh my God… Frankie…" Her eyes watered as she saw his body stumble back away from the open door after getting shot by the shotgun. Her brother was murdered in front of her and the pain at his loss was weighing down on her. She leaned forward to rest over her hands and tried to calm the roll of her stomach, gagging as the bile rose up her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand that was shackled to the wall and anger burned to life inside her chest.

She was getting tired of being in these situations. First at her Ma's place, then at Jerkov's, the threat at the hospital, and now the church. "What the fuck happened! Everything was just fine then it wasn't. This shit is getting hard to follow." She closed her eyes and scrubbed her hands over her cheeks trying to remove the tears that slowly worked their way free. Her heart was breaking over Francis dying. He hadn't moved from his spot and she crumbled down to the mattress as the loss settled on her. She tried to hold in the sob that bubbled up in her chest. 'I am in an unknown place, on a filthy mattress, chained to a wall. I need to try to keep it together. I have to find a way out of here…'

A creaking noise caused her to jump and scramble back into the wall that held the window. The heat from the wall was almost unbearable and she leaned off of it. She frantically looked around her surroundings to figure out where the noise was coming from and her eyes landed on a figure that was sitting in front of the desk, leaning back into it casually. How she had missed them with her first sweep of the room she couldn't fathom. They were wearing black cargo combat pants that were sloppily tucked into black boots. There were knee pads on their knees, gun in a holster on their hip, a faded white long sleeve shirt was shoved into the hem of the pants and a utility belt of sorts wrapped the person's waist.

She could make out a heavy bullet proof vest that rested over a well-toned chest, the sleeves had been rolled up to the elbows, and the arms were crossed over the black material of the vest. The most unsettling aspect of the person, man, she thought bitterly, was the motorcycle helmet that blocked his face from view. She couldn't tell if they were awake and starring at her, or if they were lightly dosing off. She shifted uncomfortably in their presence and tried to make herself as small as possible. Dread started to seep into her bones the longer she thought about what he had or had not seen. Or what he was doing in the room with her. Or, a more dangerous thought floated across her mind, 'What he's waiting to do to me…'

The man tilted his head to the side slightly and lifted up a capped bottle of water that was lying next to him. She watched in horror as he stood up and started to walk her direction. She tried to find some kind of weapon, object, anything that could be used to defend herself. But there was nothing within reach and the chain would prevent her from being able to reach the filing cabinets or desk. She scooted back away from him as far as the metal chain would let her and she curled protectively around herself. She braced for whatever pain was about to befall her.

His clothes rustled as he squatted down at the edge of the mattress, holding out the sealed bottle of water to her. She cautiously looked from behind her hands to see what he was doing and why he hadn't started attacking her. He was perfectly still and balancing on the balls of his boot covered feet. Not being able to see a face was throwing her off and she sent him a questioning glare. She may be thirsty and in need of cooling off, but she knew better then to just accept something from someone who was clearly holding her captive. The wall was burning at her exposed skin and she minutely moved off of it to try and get rid of the scorching sensation that had her body flushed.

They sat there starring at one another for what felt like an eternity before she mustered the courage to speak, "I'm not drinking that. It's probably got drugs in it or poison. I know what you people did to my brother Packie." She shifted more onto the mattress as the heat was causing her to sweat, and she firmly placed her arms around her body as a way to protect it. After Packie had been poisoned she vowed to be more careful of things she ate and drank.

The man huffed out a weird grunt before lifting the visor just enough to reveal his mouth, opened the bottle and let some of the water run from the opening into his mouth without touching the plastic. He closed the bottle and tossed it within her reach before dropping the visor back down. He lowered back to his bottom and crossed his legs as if he were going to sit there and wait for her to take the bottle of water. His arms draped lazily over his lap and he started to drum out a rhythm on his knee pad.

Her throat was increasingly dry, and speaking had caused it to become irritated. She glanced between the man before her and the bottle that rested harmlessly by her hand. "How am I supposed to trust you?" She picked up the bottle and studied it closely. She was craving water as her head was throbbing, her throat and chest were burning, and the heat in the room was causing a headache to form. The only response she got was a one shoulder shrug from him. Deciding that putting her health in further risk wasn't worth it, she twisted the cap off and took a small sip. It was cold and felt so good as the liquid slid down her throat. Her eyes closed in bliss at getting a small form of relief. She lifted the bottle back to her chapped lips and started to gulp the water down.

He used her distraction to move closer to her and study the injury he could see on her head. He had been tasked with making sure she survived long enough till his boss decided on what to do. He was resentful at first but figured it would give him a chance to get to know the female that had pissed his boss off to no end. And to know why Niko had chosen her as his female when there had been someone else in the picture prior, or that was what he was told. He was brought in last minute to this mafia and was only getting bits and pieces as to why the church needed to be blown up and why this woman was to be captured as well as Niko's cousin.

She was attractive, young, and beautiful. And had he been able to see her before the explosion he could envision what had pulled Niko in. He had only been told brief descriptions of their relationship and was instructed to scout them out before the final plan was put in place. He had been jealous of the sports car Niko drove, but shoved it to the side to focus on what to report in on. Natalya was very particular about the information she received, and he was learning to just go along with it. But he was starting to dislike where things were heading- and what he was discovering. The money and drugs were not worth what he was having to go through.

He watched as she gulped down the water and tried to see how bad the head wound was. Her hair was slicked down into the wound and he knew it would hurt worse once it was moved in order to clean it properly. He could also see what looked like a bruise on her cheek that was poorly covered by makeup, having been washed away by the tear streaks he could see on her face. Her throat also looked to be injured, as if someone had tried to strangle her. His eyebrows knitted together at the injuries he was noticing. None of it would have been caused by the damage done to the church.

Her eyes snapped open at the feel of a finger lightly tracing over her cheek. She dropped the now empty bottle and slapped the hand away and went into fight for survival mode. She lunged at him and attempted to wrap the chain around his neck. She may have sustained injuries, but she didn't feel anything as her body hummed with a renewed energy. She managed to catch him off guard as she shoved him down on the mattress and went to work on pulling the thick chain around his neck under the helmet.

He would let her have her fun, until he realized what she was going for. She had pushed him down on his back and was on top of him trying to get the metal chain around him to choke him out. He wasn't expecting her to go for something violent, but given what limited information he had about her, he should've known better than to let his guard down. He took hold of her wrist that was shackled and lifted it up away from his body, pulling the chain taught, preventing her from getting it around his neck. He used his body weight to roll her back toward the wall she was bolted to and pinned her down on the mattress. He tried to keep his weight off of her, so he wouldn't hurt her more, but she continued to thrash around below him and even went as far as to try and knee him in the crotch.

Once her back hit the lumpy mattress she let out a scared whimper and put forth more effort to get away from him and out from under his body. One of her legs was between his and she jerked her knee up repeatedly trying to land a hit where she knew it would hurt. When he pinned her legs in the same fashion as the man in her bedroom her body froze. Fear chilled her efforts, and she shot her terrified eyes up to the helmet of the man on top of her.

He felt it the second she locked up and let a tremble shake her prone body. He lessened his attempts to contain her harshly as the tears filled her beautiful green-blue eyes. He dragged her arms out to the side and bent them toward her head to pin her down and shifted his own legs to close hers together. He would not give her the impression of something more sinister. He slid his hands up her arms toward her wrists and watched as she winced in pain at the pressure. He glanced up to see red welts that looked to form the impression of normal handcuffs. The bruise on her cheek, the finger marks around her neck, he could see the signs, and he felt his stomach pitch uncomfortably. He watched as the first tear tracked down from her eyes to fall back into her hairline.

"Please. Don't." She was shaking uncontrollably now that she was in almost the same position she had been in her bedroom- handcuffed, held down, and about to be attacked. She felt her throat tighten up as she tried to calm her breathing. He had yet to really strike her and had shifted her legs together. He wasn't giving off the impression that he was going to take something from her, only that he was defending himself from her initial attack.

But the longer his weight pressed against her body the sicker she started to feel. Her vision blurred as more tears kept falling from her eyes, "Niko… Please. He. He will kill you for hurting me. He killed those other men." She tried to threaten him, knowing that once Niko barged through the door, he would be dead. He had come for her before, and she knew he was out there now trying to find her. "I know he's coming for me, and-and you will not live to see another day if he knows you hurt me." She begged him to not continue. 'Niko please be right outside that door. I need help!'

His fingers threaded between hers and he dropped his head in the helmet down to rest against her forehead, letting out a quiet sigh. He was only wanting to check out her head wound, and it had given him more information than he was comfortable with. He leaned up off of her and pointed to her face in warning. He was going to get off of her and did not want to be jumped at again. She gave him a simple nod and her features crumbled as the tears started to pick up with more force. Gently he got off her prone body, pulling her dress down to cover her legs more, and stood up next to the mattress just out of her reach. He could hear her moving around and glanced over his shoulder to see her curl up on the mattress facing away from him and let out a few quiet sobs.

He felt his anger burn to life in his chest and he stormed toward the door in search of his boss. He opened and closed the door harshly, removing the sight of her from him, and leaned into the opposite wall of the hallway. He felt sick and his body was recoiling in repulsion. He would need answers and the only people he knew who would give them to him were down the hall in the breakroom. He shoved off the wall and headed down to where he knew his boss and equal in command were waiting.

He rounded the corner to the breakroom and felt his anger reach a boiling point as he heard her high pitched laugh. He jerked the helmet off his head and slammed it down on one of the tables against the wall. Both Natalya and his counterpart turned abruptly away from the television that was showing the newscast about the attack on the church.

"The fuck gives?!" She narrowed her blue eyes in warning as she twisted around to face the person who had interrupted her joke.

"Don't play dumb. What was done to her?" He pointed back toward the room that Kate was being held captive in before crossing his arms. He scowled when the other male stood up from his chair as if he were going to try and defend Natalya. He had been itching for a good fist fight with that man since the day they were introduced to one another.

"I do not understand your frustration. What is going on? Is she dead? Beyond medical help?" She leaned into the back of her chair as she turned fully around to face her first in command. She frowned at the change in attitude from him and glanced over to Faustin's old bodyguard. The bald man only shrugged at the look and turned back to face the seething man in front of them.

"She has signs of sexual trauma. I was unaware of that and will need to wait to be able to assess her head injury. She did not take too kindly to me being in the room." He would leave out her attempt at killing him. He knew she was already in as much trouble as one could get, and he didn't need to endanger her more. He squared his shoulders and shifted on his feet slightly. He may have lived a very violent and messed up life, but rape was past the line he didn't dare cross.

"Tobias did you not show him the wonderful video from Vova and Ivan? I thought I told you to read him in fully." She tisked at the bald man in the suit and turned a rather evil smile his direction, "Niko's fuck toy was to be handled however the Albanians saw fit before being brought to the ship. They sent me two men capable of breaking into the residence and were already deranged individuals as it was. Of course, that asshole just had to go and kill my loving cousin before everything could be set up. And to top it all off he killed the men at the McReary house, and I didn't get anything out of it. I do not care what was done to her. She will get hers in the end." She shrugged as she glanced to the man who she had hired to be her newest bodyguard. He was capable, skilled, and had extremely valuable information on her nemesis.

"I do not tolerate that level of violence. The fuck is wrong with you people?" He tightened his arms and looked between the two people who had given him a new chance at life. She had said she wanted to exact revenge on Niko and he had heartily agreed to it, but he was beginning to regret his decision. This wasn't just good old fashion revenge; it was torture, and it was sick. He had to already put up with the coldhearted contract killer that watched him like a hawk. Natalya was just as heartless, and he would need to tread carefully if he was going to be able to pull off his own escape plan. He looked out for number one before everyone else.

"Niko is what is wrong with me!" Natalya shoved out of her chair and marched over to stand in front of him, "He killed the love of my life and my cousin! He took everything from me in a span of months. I was set to ascend the crime world's throne. How many times do I need to remind you that you owe me, and you will do as I say!" She huffed out tiredly and jabbed her manicured finger to his chest. "Or are the drugs and money not enough for you anymore?" She cocked her head to the side as if in deep thought.

"I do not want any part of torturing either of them. I may have no problems killing someone, but I draw the line at making them suffer." He gently removed her finger from his chest and moved past her toward the open windows of the breakroom. He leaned into the windowsill and watched as their operation loaded bricks of cocaine from trucks to the cargo hold of a luxury yacht, around the large vats of smelted metal. They had used this warehouse as a front, and so far, was providing good cover from the choppers he could hear overhead. The heat alone from the liquid metal would disorient any thermal cameras.

"Such a softie. You're weak. But fine. When you find your big boy panties, go back in there and make sure she will live long enough for Niko to get here. You will be the one to kill her if he manages to get to me first. Tobias let's go check on our other guest. He's bound to have stopped screaming by now." She gave another warning glare to the back of his head before picking up her handgun from the table and walked out the door in the opposite direction.

The bald man, dressed in a fancy looking black suit stopped at his side, "I hope that my suspicions are wrong, and you are not going to try and betray us. I thought I told you to kill the brother in the basement."

"I shot his neck. We were running out of time and needed to make the extraction point." He turned to face him and trained his eyes on the television screen to not have to look at the man that was slightly intimidating.

"Hm. Painful way to die, gagging on your own blood, sounds like making someone suffer to me." He straightened his suit jacket over his body before following after his boss, pausing at the open doorway, "I'll be watching." Then he left the other man behind standing against the windows of the breakroom.

'Hope you are. So when I slit your throat I can watch as the life drains from your ugly face…' He moved over to the first aid kit on the wall and started to go through everything he would need in order to clean Kate's wounds. He picked up a glass vial and read the name briefly before fighting himself to put it back on the shelf. If she was in pain, she would have to do with the pills they had available and not use up the precious morphine.

He scratched at his thick scruff and scrubbed a hand through his short hair. He was fucked and he knew it. There was no way the man hadn't put two and two together with what the news was broadcasting about Francis. He was ordered to kill him, and he hadn't. He'd done the exact opposite. He'd given the police officer a fair chance to survive and come after them. He even left behind a note that hopefully would be found. He only hoped that Niko wasn't too injured to find them at the blasted warehouse.

Natalya had pulled him out of the sickness and darkness that consumed him, but he realized just how false of an escape it had been. These people were deranged and vile. They were working with the Albanians who were trying to traffic young women for a hefty price. He heard at different times about Ray Bulgarin and some man named Kenny, but after the death of Ray, their timetable jumped greatly, and the plan laid out before him twisted his guilty conscious further. He picked up the television remote and clicked it off. He had seen much destruction in his life and regretted he had brought that with him here.

He gathered the medical supplies up in a nearby box and decided he would go check on the female he had probably scared worse than she already was. He frowned at the feeling he got when her scared eyes had locked with his own. He couldn't understand how men were able to carry through with that act of violence, but then again, the men giving orders his entire life were no better. Including the female that now currently held him by the balls. He let out another sigh and eyed the glass vial that mocked him from the shelf of the med kit. 'Not now. Need a clear head…'

The computer monitor in the room caught his attention and the words from Natalya echoed in his mind, 'Tobias did you not show him the wonderful video from Vova and Ivan? I thought I told you to read him in fully.' His fingers absently rubbed against the sides of the box he held as he tried to decide what she had been talking about. He hadn't been shown anything by his equal and he was getting curious now as to what had been held back from him.

aaaaaa

Niko glanced around his small ICU room at everyone who had gathered to work through a plan of attack. Bernard had one of his agents bring in a laptop for him to work on and he sat in the recliner chair, legs propped up, laptop open, and was typing furiously on the keyboard. Little Jacob and Badman were unloading guns from several large duffle bags onto the bed. Niko had managed to sit up fully and had crossed his legs in order to give more space. Brucie had stopped in for a second to ask what type of cars they wanted before leaving the room to work on providing transportation.

They would have to go in rouge. Bernard was in no shape to walk or run and would keep every available camera active to help guide them to where hopefully Kate and Roman were being held captive. He was absently tracing the wood grain of the AK that laid across his lap as he listened to Bernard drone on about possible locations. They had agreed to take Bernard to the IAA front office of United Liberty Paper so he could get his hands on better equipment and to get them better bullet proof vests. Jacob had let them know that the sniper who had shot down the chopper had to have been skilled and was using a larger caliber round.

Kenny had said something about the clock being set and he sat up as something clicked in his mind, "Kenny mentioned that every high ranking person got an email from Natalya. Did either of you get one?" He glanced between the two rastas who were loading full magazines into pistols.

"We didn't. But I'm sure we could get Kenny to send us his." Badman offered as he tucked a pistol into the back of his pants.

"Niko, what are you on about?" Bernard glanced to him before resuming the new orders he was sending out to every branch that was under his jurisdiction. He was hoping they would get a location soon. So far everything that had been checked out had been a dead end. All the known hideouts had been empty and not a scrap of evidence remained.

"Kenny said that she was offering the ransom money for Kate and Roman to whoever brought me in dead or alive. I have an idea, but not the right players to pull it off." He rubbed the side of his face where the bandage was sticking to his skin. He was feeling stronger now that the pain medicine had kicked in. His chart listed a hairline fracture on his kneecap, a concussion, several contusions to his legs and arms, but nothing he hadn't fought through before.

"That would be suicide. And we won't be able to get Kenny to be convincing enough to just hand you over. Not to mention she was bound to see that Kenny's men had come to our aid. And not her defense." He closed the laptop slightly with the new information. He could gather what Niko was wanting to plan but was completely against the idea.

"Whatcha going on about?" Jacob started to pile the loaded guns back into the duffle bags so they could head out soon.

"It wouldn't have to be Kenny. There was paid off NOOSE agents who attacked the church. Ron could act the part of a crooked cop. He works under Francis; it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to make it seem like he had enough of him and was wanting to branch out. But the part I'm having trouble doing is connecting the dots on how he would be aware of the ransom." He tried to visualize how he would need to convince Ron to play the part. It shouldn't be too difficult since he seemed like he genuinely cared about the people who lived in Liberty and had a close relationship with Francis. Niko figured Ron would be wanting his own version of revenge.

"Niko forget that part. You would be walking right into a trap! Not to mention we'd need to get our hands on the email to respond back in order to get the correct drop point. And if they give a small window, there is no way I will be able to get that area surrounded and covered." Bernard would dismiss this idea completely. It was reckless, sloppy, and ran the highest risk of failing. He would not let him walk into certain death when they still had time to get together a better plan.

"It's our best option. And every second I spend here sitting on this damn hospital bed is another second Kate is probably getting tortured or Roman is getting beaten to a bloody pulp! I will not sit by any longer!" Niko raised his voice and was just done with the waiting. He had let the meds start to dull his pain and he was feeling rested enough to head out. He didn't know where to start looking but his gut told him to start with the Platypus. It seemed like everything had started with that ship and was going to end with it.

"And to top it all off Mallorie is being tended to and I can't be there to help support her. She has been through plenty because of my choices! Bernie was shot and for all I know killed because I was careless. Karen, your agent, is fighting for her life because of me. You were almost killed because of me. Every single person who has been close to me as been hurt! And for what? I will not just wait to start setting things right!" He tightened his hands over the rifle that laid across his lap. He would wait no longer.

There was a tentative knock on the door, and they all grew silent at the interruption, "Come in." Niko called out wondering why if it was a doctor, why they hadn't just walked in.

Ron pushed open the door and shuffled in on unsteady feet. He was pale, sweaty, and looked shaken to his core. His NOOSE uniform was dirty, and Niko could see some of the blood on his sleeves and shirt from where he had helped Francis. His face covering hung loosely around his neck and his helmet was tucked up under his arm, two full plastic hospital bags were clutched in his other hand. His red hair was a wild mess that was sticking up in random places, likely from wearing the helmet for too long and running his own hands through it. His haunted eyes glanced between everyone standing in the room before seeing the empty futon couch that rested under the window.

"You okay there officer?" Bernard moved the laptop off to the bed and went to stand up to help him. He recognized the look well and knew he was not doing okay.

He stumbled through the room and sank down onto the couch, dropping his helmet and bags down to the tiled floor, "I. I did everything right. I- I know I did. I don't…" He mumbled before dropping his face into his hands and letting his shoulders slump. Jacob and Badman moved over toward him and moved the helmet and bag out of the way, handing the items off to Bernard, before sitting down on either side of him. Bernard looked over the helmet for damage before putting it on the tray table and heaved the heavy bags onto the bed between Niko's legs and the guns.

"What has you so shaken? It's better to let these things out then let it fester." Bernard turned the chair to face the officer more fully before lowering back down into it. He figured he must know Niko in order to come into this room unannounced. 'Maybe this is the officer Niko was talking about being Francis' man.' He had seen the look many times on the first time agents that came back from assignment. They looked broken, hollow, and like they were contemplating what their life had come to. He would force every single one of them to talk to a therapist and get the all clear before going back out into the field.

Niko pulled the bags up to him and started to look through the items. It was all of his clothes that had been removed when he got to the hospital. As well as his pistol. He pulled it free from the clothing and had to untangle it from his dress pants and belt. That's when he noticed the piece of paper and the wound care packet. He looked to the people in his room, noticing how they seemed preoccupied with the state of shock Ron was in, and removed the paper from his pants. He discarded the packet down to the blanket before flipping open the folded piece of paper.

Boxy, scribbled letters in his home language stared up to him:

'Menala Metal, East Docks on the West River, Alderney.'

He reread the words over and over. The handwriting was slanted and appeared to have been written hastily. His eyebrows knitted as something clicked into place, 'This must be where Natalya had Kate and Roman taken to!'

The room erupted into chaos as Ron stood up abruptly screaming about how his men couldn't have betrayed them. The shouting must have alerted the doctors and nurses outside the room as they came rushing in. Jacob and Badman tried to contain the man who was slipping into a fitful rage. Bernard had even stood up swiftly trying to force the man to look at him and not focus on what he didn't know. The doctors were working quickly to get a tranquilizer ready as the man had started to shove Jacob and Badman off of him.

"You need to calm down officer! We are not here to hurt you!" Bernard stumbled back into the chair as he was pushed away.

"Cut it out man!" Jacob shouted as he took hold of the pistol that was still strapped to Ron's side. He wasn't going to take any chances and have the man start shooting them or anyone else. He took one of his arms and tried to force him back down onto the couch with Badman's help.

"Francis is dead because of me! I should have known my men were being bought out!" He fought back harder against the people who were trying to contain him. He was beyond mad and angry that he had missed all the signs. He worked for the most corrupt cop on the force and somehow missed that men in his unit were slacking off and turning a blind eye on what was going on. He should have seen it sooner.

"He is still in surgery Ron! You didn't do anything wrong! He will be alright!" The medical examiner shouted over everyone else and managed to jab a syringe into the Ron's arm and pushed the medicine into his body. It would calm him down greatly and then he might be able to figure out what was going on in the room. There were guns all over the place, more visitors than what was allowed, an empty bed, flat lining machine warnings- 'Wait flat line?'

They all turned to see that the bed was empty, a discarded hospital gown was thrown over the foot of the bed, the bedsheets crumpled up in the center, and Niko was nowhere to be seen.

Niko worked the buttons closed on his dress shirt, scrunching his face at the feel of the still slightly damp blood, and took the stairs quickly. He knew where to go, and he would not waste any more time in his search for Kate and Roman. He had to shake his head as he realized that he was in the same staircase that he had fought Karen, then the Russians in. He left the shirt untucked and pulled the rifle from under his arm. He would find a car in the garage to take and then he would head out to Alderney.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and saw that the garage door was missing. Likely having to be removed due to the damage from the bullets and being slammed open several times. He checked back up the stairs to see if anyone had started looking for him yet before moving out into the underground parking garage. He was starting to feel his knee protesting being used, but he ignored it as he headed off into the sea of cars, looking for one that would be fast and inconspicuous.

Tires screeched against the pavement and a black comet came around the end of the aisle, rapidly approaching his position. He moved back between two cars and aimed the rifle getting ready to defend himself. The car slowed down as it got closer to him and he could hear the passenger side window lowering. The car jerked as it stopped abruptly in front of him and he ducked slightly to see who was driving.

"Get in loser. We have people to save!" Packie sat behind the wheel and was leaning forward some in order to make eye contact with Niko.

"Packie?!" Niko lowered the rifle and moved forward to open the door. He hastily sat down in the car and had to do a double take at his friend. The last he saw of Packie was in the hospital room, and he could hardly move his arms properly.

"The one and only!" He smiled broadly and put the car back in gear, "Where to?" He took off for the exit of the garage knowing that the people he jacked this car from were bound to start looking for it.

"Menala Metal. I believe that is where your sister and my cousin are being held captive." He placed the rifle down across his lap and removed the pistol from his waistband, "How are you able to walk? I thought it was going to take you forever to get back to normal." It was surreal seeing his friend behind the wheel of the car. The more he looked around the interior, he started to recognize it as the one he had stolen to go face Dimitri. 'Packie must have taken it off of Brucie's hands…'

"Fucking Kenny Petrovic walked into my room. I thought I was a damn gonner for sure. He then tells me he has the antidote for the poison they use, and that he did not poison me. I was about to shoot him. Frankie left me Pa's old pistol. I would've taken out the most powerful man Niko. Fucking wild!" He took the ramp up to the surface and exited the parking garage. Ambulances lined the streets trying to get their patients into the drop off lane. Packie looked on in wonder as he passed them all on his way to the bridge toward Alderney.

"And he just gave you the medicine to counteract the poison that you ingested?" Niko looked over to his friend in awe. He was prepared to just head out on his own and was thankful to have him with him. But with how little firepower they had on them, they would need to get their hands on more. He wouldn't leave Packie defenseless if they got separated.

"Pretty much! Told me that we could work out logistics later on maybe joining forces. He pulled out some hospital scrubs from the cabinets in my room, dropped them on the bed, and just left. I injected myself with the syringe he gave me, got dressed, and figured you'd need help. I was watching the news all day. I already lost Gerry. And now it looks like Francis is tapping out. I will not lose Kate as well." He swerved to avoid a couple of police cars that were trying to block off the intersection.

"Head back north. I have a safehouse close to here. We are going to need more firepower than what I have." Niko braced himself against the dashboard as Packie turned abruptly into an ally to cut across to the other street to head back north. "Your brother wasn't dead. But I fear he might be now. Gerry had escaped prison with the help of the IAA. He was providing cover at the church when the helicopter he was on crashed."

"What the fuck is going on?! Who the fuck hates us that much to want to wipe us off the face of the planet? I know we aren't the most well liked people but damn!" He peeled out from the alley and floored it, looking to Niko for direction on where to stop.

"That building! The corner of Galveston Avenue and Xenotime." Niko pointed to the five story building where a yellow patriot was still parked out front of the stone staircase. "And to answer your question- Kenny's son? I killed him, and his crazed fiancé is out to get us all. And she just so happens to be Dimitri Rascalov's cousin. Who then gave the Albanian's the go ahead to wipe your whole family out. But we aren't going to let that happen." He had to brace himself again as Packie screeched to a halt behind the large yellow patriot.

"You got that right." Packie followed Niko's lead and got out of the comet and jogged after his friend into the apartment building. He was ready to start killing people. Whatever was given to him by Kenny was working wonders in his body. He hadn't felt this healthy in a long time.

Niko didn't even bother to acknowledge the security guard, who stared at them open mouthed, as he pressed the elevator call button. Packie shifted back and forth on his feet trying to stay warm and alert. The doors dinged as they slid open and they hurriedly entered the lift, Niko pressing the penthouse key.

"Penthouse? Just how well off are you now? First the swanky place in Middle Park, and now this place?" He eyed his friend suspiciously. He liked to think he did a good job of handling his money, but maybe he should start asking Niko for advice on how to land an upscale place such as this.

"This place was not bought with money. I killed the previous tenant." The doors dinged again as they slid open to Playboy X's penthouse apartment. Niko walked into the open floorplan of the unit and headed straight for the bedroom, calling out over his shoulder to Packie, "Grab what you want or need. We leave in five."

Packie stood there for a second stunned at how casually Niko had explained that he obtained this place from murdering someone. He shook his head and body to rid it of the uneasy feeling before entering the apartment in search of other weapons or maybe some decent clothes. Hospital scrubs weren't really his thing but was the only thing available in his hospital room for Kenny to grab. The living room was spacious, and he smiled at seeing the pool table. But for how large of a space, it looked like it hadn't been lived in for several months. There was a thin layer of dust on the large flat screen television.

He absently scratched at his stomach and grimaced at the feel of the stiff hospital scrubs, "You got any spare clothes? This shit is uncomfortable and not gonna help me out in the cold."

"Yeah. Help yourself." Niko called out from the bedroom sounding distracted.

Packie rounded the corner of the partition wall and did a double take. Niko had yanked on a pair of dark green combat pants and was tugging a long sleeve thermal shirt over his head. Packie could see a multitude of scars on his back before the cloth of the shirt removed them from his view. Niko turned to face him, and he darted his eyes to the bed where there were two bullet proof vests laying on it.

"We are about the same size. I have some jeans and jackets you can borrow. And wear one of these vests. These people will not hesitate to shoot to kill." Niko walked over to a large cabinet armoire and opened the two doors. Guns were displayed on the doors and shelves and Niko pulled out one of the interior drawers to find the knife he was looking for.

"Jesus dude…" Packie wandered over to stand at his side to see his weapon stash. Everything from simple handguns to fully automatic machine guns lined the walls and space inside the piece of furniture. He watched as Niko shifted through a drawer of switch blades, long bladed knives, throwing knives, and retractable blades before pulling out a couple of boot knives and fixed bladed ones.

"This is just what I have at this place. My full arsenal is at the place you were at yesterday. But this will have to do." He tucked the two fixed handled knives into their respective holsters and carried them over to the bed. He sat down by his boots and worked on lacing them up and getting the boot blades into their hiding places. He was going to go in fully prepared this time. There would be no second guessing or openings for someone to get the upper hand. He would slaughter every single person that stood in his way. The coldness he was used to worked its way across his shoulders spitefully at the thought of ending the lives of so many.

"Do we even stand a chance?" Packie opened a couple of drawers on the dresser looking for some jeans and comfortable shirts. He was startled to see just how much Niko had tucked away in this apartment and couldn't stop his thoughts from wondering about all the crazy stunts they pulled off together. 'Was he always this prepared? Or were we just lucky?'

"I will be going in by myself. You will have to be my eyes on the outside. I won't risk your life. Or anyone else's for that matter." Niko muttered the last part under his breath before standing up from the bed, tucking the other knives down into the waistband of his pants to be able to pull them out quickly. It would also allow him to have them hidden from sight and could be used as a last resort. He picked up the bullet proof vest and dropped it down over his head. The weight was a welcomed one to his body.

"Fuck that! My sister is in there!" Packie had found a pair of jeans that would fit and was in the middle of pulling them free from the drawers before Niko had spoken. He had ducked out of the hospital room once the antidote worked its course, which was unnaturally fast to him, and was completely set on going to find his sister on his own. Too many of his family members had reached their end, and if he could help prevent one more death, he was going to do whatever it took. It had been fortunate that he spotted Niko emerging from the stairwell on his way out of the parking garage.

"And I will need someone to watch my back and stay safe. If it all goes to complete shit, then you can at least call for backup before trying to rush the place." He adjusted the straps on the vest before pulling on a gray sweater, zipping it up to about mid chest. He picked up a blue lightweight jacket that had white stripes down the sleeves. He ran his thumb over the logo on the chest feeling homesick. It was one of the few articles of clothing he had brought with him that survived the fire at Roman's place.

"So you want me on sniper duty? Isn't that your thing?!" Packie shoved his anxiety aside to try and get dressed in some of Niko's clothes. It felt weird undressing and then putting on his friend's clothing. But they were in a hurry and he would try to rush to get ready. He was more concerned about trying to kill people using a sniper than putting on some other dudes clothes.

"Can you not fire the gun?" He pulled the jacket up his arms and zipped it up to just below the opening of the sweater. He moved back over to the chest of weapons and pulled out a dual shoulder holster. He worked it over the jacket and tightened the straps to get it to stay put as he would be moving around. He hadn't used actual gun holsters since the war, and it felt wrong to have them on again. He would need to rely on what he knew to be able to rescue his cousin and girlfriend.

"I mean. Yeah. But I'm not exactly the marksman you are…" Packie pulled on a soft long sleeved shirt and tried to squash his fear and get the bullet proof vest on. He had never worn one before. It had never occurred to him that he would need that layer of protection. They were small time criminals. He hadn't even worn one when they robbed the Bank of Liberty. And as he stared at the heavy, thick material of the vest, he began to question how he hadn't been killed already.

"Packie. Look at me." Niko could hear the hesitation and doubt in his friend's voice. There was only a year that separated them in age, but sometimes Niko felt like there was a decade between them. Packie was young at heart and held a lot of pain inside, putting up a brave face to face the world. Niko knew better and would do his best to bolster him up for the upcoming attack.

Packie managed to lift the heavy vest over his head and was trying to fix the velcro when he felt his insides tighten up with the tone his friend had taken, "What?"

Before every job Packie would go through his plan with the boys standing in the kitchen or living room of his Ma's place. They would joke, drink, snort coke, or do whatever it was that would calm them before leaving. He could picture Gerry and Derrick's faces as they laughed right along with him at something that was said between Michael and Gordon. How the easy banter would squash his nerves. He took confidence from his older brothers and friends. But this time felt completely different. This time he was taking precautions. This time he was sober. This time he was without his brothers. This time he would be watching out for someone instead of being the one out front and center.

This time was different, and it worried him greatly.

He fiddled with the velcro on the vest and turned his attention to his friend that was going to be entering into the enemy stronghold. He trusted Niko with his life, had done so many times, and he was trusting his friend to bring his sister back to him in one piece. They stared at one another for a long time before he dropped his gaze to his feet not liking the look on Niko's face.

"You are skilled. Don't doubt your own abilities. I would not be trusting you with this, if I thought you might miss and kill me. As you have trusted me to watch your back after only just meeting, I will trust you to do the same. And I have plenty of ammo if that's what you are worried about." He watched him over his shoulder as Packie shifted on his feet nervously. He could guess at what he was feeling and didn't like putting him in this position.

He studied Packie and had something click in his brain- He looked just like he felt the first time they were given orders to march out into war. The uncertainty, the uneasy tightening of his shoulders and hands, the avoidance of saying what was really bothering him- it was like seeing himself at the outbreak of the wars. The pit in his stomach lurched at the sight and feelings. He rested his hand on the edge of the cabinet door and tried to find the right words to say to help his friend. But his mind was blank and wouldn't conjure up what was needed in this moment.

"Yeah. Yeah. Alright. I got this." Packie slapped the velcro straps closed and moved over to his friend to see what weapons he might be able to get. He would need a backup weapon if he was attacked from his scouting place. He wouldn't leave himself open for attack should someone get the jump on him. He had been lucky at the club and didn't want to find himself in the same situation again.

"Good. Kate will need her brother to watch out for her." Niko tucked two pistols into the underarm holsters, ignoring the larger problem that sat between them. His legs shook at having been on them for so long and he forced them to lock under the strain. He had stolen several vials of pain meds and epinephrine from the medical cart in order to help bolster him if he needed the help. Which he would need both in order to push through his pain to find Kate and Roman and kill everyone who held them captive. 'Natalya will not be allowed to live another second longer…'

"So. What's the plan?"

aaaaaa

Kate watched as Roman was dragged into the room by his arms unconscious. The men dropped him carelessly on the edge of the mattress she rested on and worked on getting the metal cuff on his wrist before bolting it to the same ring on the wall that held her chain. She tried to stay as still as possible to not attract any unwanted attention. She had been left alone for what felt like an hour before she could hear noises on the other side of the door.

Roman's face was slightly swollen, and she noticed that one of his eyes was so puffy that she couldn't be sure if he would be able to see out of it. There was a trail of blood from a cut over his eyebrow that had worked its way down the side of his nose into the stubble of his mustache. He was breathing shallowly, and it made her worry he was going to freak out on her when he came to. 'If he comes to…'

The men spoke in hushed voices in a language she couldn't understand and would glance her direction every so often. Their eyes made her skin crawl unpleasantly. She knew the look and forced her eyes to stay trained on Roman's face to keep from seeing the hungry stares. 'Don't look at them. Don't let them see your fear. Stay calm. They will leave shortly.' She kept repeating it over and over in her mind hoping the men would just walk out of the door already.

She had been lucky that the last person to interact with her had not taken things further when she attacked him. She had berated herself for trying, but at the same time couldn't find it in herself to stay negative. She had tried to protect herself and she wouldn't tear herself down while she was being held captive. She needed to focus on getting out of there and hopefully finding someone who could help her. The man's actions had been so confusing once she replayed them in her mind. 'He had seemed gentle and curious more than mean and evil. Unlike these two who look about ready to come at me…' She mustered the courage to look at them once more and flinched at the lewd smirks that were spreading across their mouths.

"You two get him secured?" Natalya leaned into the doorframe of the office and scowled at the men who were standing around over their captives. She had given them strict orders to dump Roman off with Kate so they could keep a better eye on them. They were then supposed to go back to loading the ship up once Roman was secured. She wanted to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. She glanced at her watch to see how much time was left on the offer she had sent out for Niko's capture or death. There was only three hours left. 'And then I can be rid of these two…'

"Yes. He will not be able to escape." One of the men answered her immediately moving away from the wall to stand in front of the mattress, his partner doing the same. They had recognized the sharpness of her tone and forced themselves to not show her how badly she scared them.

"Good. Don't need these two running off and getting killed when Niko isn't even present." She folded her arms and tilted her head to the side motioning them to move out of her line of sight. The men scrambled over toward the filing cabinets like trained hunting dogs. The smirk lifted the edge of her lips- the power she wielded was addicting.

Kate recognized Rebecca from Niko's apartment immediately, "What the fuck are you doing here Rebecca?!"

"Pretty bold words for someone who is at my mercy." The smirk deepened at the outburst and she waved her pointer finger at the two men in the room to stay alert. She had been looking forward to having some quality time with the one who Niko doted over. With how uncaring he had killed her fiancé; she would be sure to drag out the suffering for every wrong that was brought against her. Starting with the one Niko loved before taking the rest of her anger out on his cousin.

"Your mercy? Don't make me laugh. Your nothing but some desperate chick who can't get her own man." She glared at the female who had flirted with Niko and had left them at the apartment with empty threats. Carefully Kate sat up on her knees and got prepared to shoot down whatever retort was sent her way. She was not scared of her and didn't care that there were other men in the room who were armed. She would stand up for herself against this pathetic excuse for a woman. 'Let's see you try and win Niko over now once he realizes that you were in on getting Roman and I captured!'

"Watch it. Or you will find yourself without a tongue to speak with." Natalya moved into the room and had to suppress the laugh when the armed guards gave her a wide birth, not daring to enter her personal space or hinder her in anyway. Her hands itched to strike the look right off of Kate's face. There were so many wonderful ways to harm this female floating around in her mind as she approached the edge of the mattress.

"At least my silence will have more meaning than any sound that slips from that dirty mouth." The backhanded slapped connected with her bruised cheek and she let out a cry of pain. The force of it caused her to fall back down to the dirty mattress. Shakily she moved her unshackled hand to her face and felt the sting and bite of open skin. She had not been expecting to be hit with such strength and she fought against the burn of the tears that wanted to fall from her eyes.

Natalya dropped down on top of her and pressed her face down into a spring that was poking out from the mattress. She grabbed a chunk of her hair that was still slightly braided and pulled it tight relishing in the pain filled gasp that left Kate's mouth, "You will only get one warning. I want you intact for when Niko gets here. He slaughtered the love of my life and I plan on returning the favor. I can't land on a good enough way to end your stupid existence, but when the time comes it will not be enjoyable for you." She yanked on one of the diamond earrings, teasing the possibility of ripping it from her earlobe.

"Boss. There is something you need to see." The man with the motorcycle helmet hurriedly walked into the room and paused when the cold eyes shifted his way. He had heard the cry of pain from down the hall and ran toward the office room that he knew Kate was held in. He just hoped he would be able to get there in time to stop anything worse from happening. He had seen the way the men were acting and heard hushed whispers from the crew on what they wanted to do once Niko was killed.

"What?" She roughly pushed off of Kate's body and stood up from the mattress, wiping her bloody hand off on her dark skinny jeans. She was furious at having her fun momentarily disturbed.

"It's about Kenny. I think you need to go see for yourself. Tobias has the computer up." He jerked his thumb back toward the entrance and hoped she would just go. He watched as Kate tried to stop the bleeding from a new cut on her cheek and winced. He was thankful to have the helmet on as it helped cover his reactions from Natalya.

"That man finally coming to his senses? Move out. I want you two back on helicopter surveillance, once we get an opening we will move out." She motioned to the other armed men in the room who immediately snapped to attention and rushed out the open door to go back to their post.

"Don't know. You want me to patch her up?" He hadn't moved from his place in the center of the room and forced his body from showing signs of his anger. He didn't like seeing how badly Roman had been beaten and was working on extinguishing his rage over seeing the fresh blood on Kate's face. They were both suffering for something that could have easily been avoided.

"Not unless you plan on roughing her up some more. She isn't any worse off than she was. I'm more worried about my ring being damaged than to give a shit about her bleeding all over the place." She inspected the diamond of the engagement ring that Lenny had bought for her. His mother had given it to her at the funeral saying she deserved it after all the heartache they had been through.

"Go clean it in the breakroom. I can have Tobias meet you there with the laptop." He held his hand out to look at the ring, and she placed her hand down onto his palm. It was somewhat bloody, but none of the clasps had bent or broken. He glanced back toward where Kate was sitting on her knees and clutching her cheek, a few silent tears falling onto the surface of the mattress. The large diamond had definitely done some damage with the strike to her face.

"Fine. Make sure the boat is ready for launch. I want to be ready to leave in under an hour or so." She removed her hand from his and walked out of the room needing to make sure her ring was alright and not damaged. It was all she had left of Lenny.

He counted off a minute in his head before moving over toward Kate and Roman. He pressed his finger to Roman's neck to make sure his heart was still beating and strong. Satisfied that he had a normal heartbeat, considering his injuries, he knelt down in front of Kate. She shifted away from his hands still not trusting him, and he couldn't blame her. After everything she had been through, he was surprised she was even willing to stay by Niko's side. 'Maybe she doesn't know everything…'

"Let me see it. I do not have much time before I am forced to leave this room, but I can help if you let me." His English wasn't as good as he'd like it to be, but it was passable.

She stared at the visor and tried to imagine where his eyes would be, or what his facial expressions were. His actions were so confusing to her. He clearly was working for whoever had them captive, but he hadn't tried to hurt her. He had offered her help and care. He hadn't even tried to take things further when he had her on her back earlier. Her cheek was burning under her hand and she slowly dropped her hand to show him the damage. She knew she might regret it, but a friendly gesture would be welcomed.

"I am going to touch your chin and face. If you try that stunt again, I will hurt you this time." He warned her and scooted closer to her, noticing that she only flinched back instead of moving away. He waited for her to nod or agree to him touching her, and when she gave him a simple nod, he cupped her opposite cheek and tilted her head to the side to be able to see the opening better. "It looks worse than it is. I cannot do much without risking my own life. But here." He pulled a square cloth from one of his vest pockets, "It is at least clean. Keep pressure on it." He released her face and placed the cloth down into one of her hands.

"Thank you?" She moved the cloth up to her wound and winced at the pressure. 'I swear I know him from somewhere…'

"Like this." He moved her hand away from her face, somewhat pinched the skin closed with his fingers and placed the folded cloth over it, before moving her hand back up to her cheek, "Keep the pressure conse-con- how do you say it?"

"Consistent?" She offered to him, completely at a loss for his gentle nature and complete lack of hostility shown to her. Her tired mind wanted to warn her that this could just be some ploy or trap to get her guard down. There was no reason for the man to be nice to her or Roman, and for all she knew he could have been the one to hit Roman's face. She gave him a once over, looking for weapons or other signals that he was just messing with her. The gun on his hip was daunting, but other than that, she couldn't see any obvious weapons on him.

"I think so. Not too hard. Not too light. Yes?" He nodded and shifted away from her before standing up. He had spent too much time in the room and couldn't be sure that his boss wasn't aware of it. He made to move to the door before he felt her hand grab his wrist, lightly pulling his arm toward her. The skin of her fingers was soft, and it gave him goosebumps. He turned to look down at her to see what she wanted, moving his body around to face her. He would see what she wanted, then leave- he needed to maintain his loyalty to his boss before finding a way out of there.

"Do I know you?" She hated the helmet even more as it kept her from understanding what he was feeling or thinking. He was built and was about the same height as Niko. They had similar skin tones and as her eyes travelled down his body to the arm that she had grabbed out of reflex, she noticed tattoo ink at the junction of his elbow. Her eyes narrowed trying to see it better in the dim light. Carefully she twisted his wrist to move the arm more open for her to be able to read it and get a better look at it.

He glanced down to see what had caught her attention and immediately jerked his arm free from her grip. He roughly shoved his rolled up sleeve down to cover it and shook his head menacingly. "You have seen nothing. We do not know one another." He turned on his heel and made a beeline for the exit, shutting the door behind him. He needed away from her and Roman. As he neared the breakroom to check in with his boss, the sounds of distant gunfire wafted down the hall.

aaaaaa

"Should I go up to the dock crane? It wouldn't provide much cover, but they'd be scrambling to find me." Packie stood next to Niko outside the comet. They were using binoculars to scout out the factory. It had taken them all of a minute to know this was the right place. Armed guards roamed the catwalks and along the border wall of the shipyard. The nighttime air was freezing and still and did nothing to help quell the dangerous feeling that sat in Packie's stomach. There were too many clouds in the sky, and it made the area darker than it normally would be. The shipping yard and factory was buzzing with activity and there was no way in his mind that this wasn't the place that held his sister.

"The muzzle flash would give you away. Even the muzzle break I have wouldn't completely dispel the gas or flash and is only meant to help with kick back. I think the cover from this factory should be good." Niko lowered his binoculars and looked up to the building they had parked next to, "Remember. Follow me and take out anyone who gets behind me or has a clear shot. I'm going in through the dock side. Use the upper windows to take out those you can see." He studied the exterior of the building trying to count the men he saw on patrol.

"Got it. You watched my back last time. I got yours this go round. I'll call when I get into position. Don't start the party without me." Packie tossed the binoculars down into the open trunk of the comet and picked up the large caliber semi-automatic sniper rifle. He wasn't used to using such heavy weaponry, but Niko had given him a brief rundown. He would trust the crosshairs, aim for the center of the bodies, and count his shots. How Niko could explain things so calmly unnerved him.

"Take the extra ammo with you. There are only five rounds per magazine. It reloads similar to the rifles we used on the bank heist." Niko checked the rifle he held and flipped open the scope cap. It wasn't his favorite rifle, but it would do in the meantime. He had grabbed everything he would be able to carry in order to conduct a full on assault of the factory. He would give it his all and leave nothing to chance.

"Alright here goes nothing man." Packie threw the strap to the heavy rifle over his shoulder and picked up the duffle bag of extra ammunition. The ride over to Alderney had been spent with Niko telling him how to use the sniper rifle, how he would enter the building, and how he would extract his sister and Roman. There was no lighthearted banter, no jokes, no nothing but serious talk. He offered to drive to give Niko a chance to rest. He had seen him tuck syringes into his jacket pockets and commented on it. He was told it was morphine to kill the pain he was in and epinephrine to keep him going on his feet.

He had dropped the subject after that. Packie didn't like seeing the drugs on his friend but could understand why he brought them with him. If he happened to get shot or hurt worse than he already was, he would need something to help carry him on. It only cemented to him just how dangerous and desperate the situation was.

"Packie?" Niko shut the lid to the trunk and paused before heading off to the side entrance of the shipping yard. He had forced himself to only focus on the task at hand, and not let his thoughts drift or wander. But standing out in the cold, strapped up to the best of his ability, he felt he needed to say something to his friend. He never gave pep talks or speeches before his unit would move out or head into battle. He would state facts and make sure everyone knew their role. But after running with Packie, he had begun to think that certain things should have been said beforehand.

He had never told someone to look after his mother, aunt, or cousin before entering dangerous territory. He had assumed he would walk away from any fight and it had carried him through. But now he would make sure someone knew who to watch out for. To give someone else the chance to pass a message along if he wasn't able to walk away. He partially turned to face Packie to let him know his closest thoughts and feelings.

"Yeah?" Packie paused on the first rung of the fire escape that lead to the roof of an abandoned factory and glanced over to the man he trusted with his life, and who was now entrusting him with his.

"If this goes south- Tell your sister I love her and tell Roman that he was a better brother to me than my own." Niko turned away from him not wanting to see his reaction to his words. He readied his rifle and hesitated a second longer before taking off in the dark, ducking behind buildings, cars, and structures to stay out of sight from the patrolling guards.

"I knew it!" Packie whispered out excitedly before climbing up the ladder to get into position.

Niko ducked down behind a large conduit box. The guards didn't seem to be bothering with straying too far from the building and he couldn't figure out why. The sounds of a helicopter overhead caught his attention and he glanced up to see where it was. He remembered Bernard saying something about thermal scanning of the city and realized the men must not be trying to get away from the factory. He could see smoke and steam coming out of the large stacks and figured the heat scale was probably hiding the count of bodies. 'Smart. Really fucking smart of them. But they underestimate me…'

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pressed on his Bluetooth earpiece to connect the call, "Go ahead."

"I'm in position. The dudes are spread out along the catwalks and don't seem to be looking out for anyone. Most of them don't even have a rifle. You want me to start dropping them?"

Niko moved from his cover and pointed his own rifle up to where Packie was looking, and sure enough, men lazily walked the upper perimeter, "No. See if you can take out the flood light on that level. Get them heading in one direction. I'll hop the fence while they are distracted and get to the lower level people. They will notice me soon after that I'm sure. Take any and all of them out that you can. Focus your sights up top. I can handle myself down here but will be an easy target for them up above." He spoke softly and crept up to the next large storage bin getting closer to the metal chain link fence.

"Rodger that. Bye, bye light!" Packie lined up the large flood light and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he pulled the trigger.

Niko watched as the light popped in a spray of sparks, followed by a quiet clap of thunder from the gun. He took off for the fence and jumped up to the top railing, swinging his legs up to the side and dropping down over the top. He rolled once he landed on the ground and scooted over to the wheel of a giant construction dump truck. He brought his rifle up to scout the catwalk and watched as two of the guys ran over toward the broken light to see what was going on.

One of the bodies dropped and the other guy looked around panicked before Packie dropped the other one, "Should we keep score? I think that should get me ten points."

"Whatever you say man." Niko heard the sound of approaching feet on the gravel and pulled one of his knives from its resting place. He glanced around the edge of his cover and saw the person was heading his way, face turned up to look at where the light had been on. With trained precision he moved from his cover and threw the knife toward the person as he ran toward him. It embedded into the person's neck with a sickening thump. He caught the body as it fell and twisted the knife to end their life quickly, before jerking the blade free. He scanned his surroundings and took off for the edge of the building to take cover.

"There is more of them heading toward the light. I think they know. Shit!" A body dropped down from the upper level and landed close to where Niko was tucked against the wall, "There is no way they don't know now. Get going dude!"

"Sniper! All hands on deck!" Someone shouted from up above him and he twisted around to see if he could get a shot, "Packie they know. Start droppin' them!"

"On it!" Packie moved his sights and started to target the others that had been oblivious of their attack.

Niko took off on unsteady legs to try to get inside before he was discovered. As he neared the edge of the dock, people started to run around the corner toward him. He fired off at the first couple of people, catching them by surprise, before he ducked behind a metal pillar. The bullets ricocheted off of the steel and struck the ground and wall close to him. "Packie. Need cover."

"I see 'em. I see 'em!"

Niko could feel the wind as the bullets rushed past him toward the people just beyond. They immediately started screaming and firing in random directions not sure where they were getting fired upon. He waited for a break in the noise to move from his cover and get closer to the back entrance. Once the moment presented itself, he made his move, ducking from his cover to start firing at the men who were scrambling to take cover of their own. Packie was splitting his time between the upper level and the ground targets.

"This helicopter has been getting closer to our location. Should I worry about it?"

"No. Leave it be. It might help us out." Niko killed another guy as he reached a side door, "I'm going to enter the building. Keep picking these assholes off."

"Will do. See you on the other side. I'll look for a clean getaway."

Niko threw open the side door and made his way inside the building, checking the corners and blind spots for enemies. The place was sweltering hot and he blew out a heavy breath at the feel of it. He lined up his scope and tilted the rifle sideways to keep it out of his line of sight. He would be in close quarters and wouldn't need the long distance scope in the building. Everyone who ran past him in the middle of the large factory were screaming about being under attack. He moved silently along the outer wall behind cover toward a staircase he could see. He would take the high ground to be able to start eliminating them.

Blond hair caught his attention and he squatted down on the first couple of steps that led up to the catwalk and offices. He tilted his rifle back up to use the scope and followed her movements around the center of the room. Her hair was braided in one long tail that swished back and forth as she walked. Her face was pulled down in a furious scowl and she kept shouting orders to the men around her.

"Get this shit onboard NOW! You! Go get Kate and Roman and bring them down here. I will not wait any longer." She moved up a boat ramp into the long yacht out of Niko's line of sight. He swung his sights over to where she was pointing and saw a bald man ascend a different staircase that led to the upper floors. He would follow them and get to Roman and Kate before they could be put on the boat.

'They must be up there somewhere.' Niko dropped his rifle and climbed the stairs, keeping his eyes on the landing in case someone was heading his way. He kept a low profile and tried to avoid the light from the large vats of what looked to be molten metal. So far it seemed like everyone was focused on getting the drugs loaded onto the ship than searching the warehouse for intruders, and Niko would use it to its full advantage.

"Fuck! Petrovic's men! They are all over the place!" A panicked voice screamed out from somewhere down below and Niko took off in a light jog for the first door he saw that led into the interior offices. He wasn't expecting backup but was glad it had arrived. Gunfire erupted on the lower levels as he cleared the landing and moved into a breakroom of sorts.

"Niko a bunch of vehicles just rolled up. They look to be attacking the warehouse." Packie spoke into his ear, he sounded winded over the call.

"I think they are Kenny's men. He was instructed to flush Natalya out in the open. Don't shoot them." He whispered into the earpiece. He couldn't hear anyone else in the room or anything beyond the sounds of guns firing rapidly. It was significantly cooler inside the room than it had been in the warehouse and he shuddered at the temperature change.

"Hurry Niko. If it's Kenny, then I'm sure they are going to try to make a run for it."

"I'm working on it. Work on our own way out. I don't want to stick around to find out if Kenny will stay true to his word." There was static over the line before it went dead. Niko removed his phone from his pocket and saw that his no signal symbol was flashing. 'Damn. A jammer.' He shoved the phone back into his pocket and checked the corners of the breakroom before moving to the open door that looked to lead to a hallway. The hall was dark, and the only light came from the open doors along the hall that were open to the factory down below. The orange and red glow was eerie and gave the place a weird vibe.

"Stop it! Let her go!"

Niko recognized his cousin's voice and took off in the direction he heard the noise. Screw stealth. He didn't care about what was needed, as all he needed was to set his eyes on his cousin and girlfriend. He had been through enough bull shit and just wanted to get them out of here and to safety.

"Roman! No! Where are you taking me!" Kate screamed out and forced Niko to run faster than was comfortable for his legs. He could hear the panic and terror in her voice, and it caused the rage inside him to thrash around. There was a bunch of shouting in Russian and English and he couldn't make out what was being said before a gunshot rang out. He pressed his back into the wall and took cover hoping to not have been heard in his approach as silence descended upon the hallway.

His heart pounded against his ribcage as he strained his ears to pick up some kind of noise or voice. 'Come on Kate, Roman. Say something. Please!' He flexed his fingers against the rifle and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. The gunshot could have been anything- a way to get Roman and Kate to comply with what they wanted, a way to shut everyone up, or worse, the execution of one of them. His leg trembled under him and he leaned heavily into the wall to try and alleviate some of his weight from pressing down on it.

"Get up now and do as I say. We don't want anyone to get hurt." The voice sounded oddly familiar to Niko and he started to edge his way down the hall where he could hear the voice. It was pulling at a memory from not that long ago, but he was having trouble placing it to the many people he had met and seen since coming to Liberty City.

"Okay! Okay! Just please! Don't kill me." Roman's voice trembled as it floated down to Niko. He had reached a corner in the hall and glanced up to see a security mirror placed in the opposite corner and he watched as a couple of men emerged from a doorway, pulling on a thick chain, before Roman stumbled out into the hallway. The man who walked out after Roman shoved at his cousin and forced him to trip over his feet into the wall. They all laughed at him.

"Get up fatso. We don't have time for your clumsiness." The bald man pointed a pistol at Roman who was resting on all fours recovering from hitting the wall.

Niko had seen enough and rounded the corner aiming his rifle and shooting the first two men who had gone to force Roman to his feet. There was not a single tremor that went through his body as he shifted his focus to the other men in the hallway. Someone in a motorcycle helmet yanked Roman to his feet and used him as a shield to keep himself from being killed. The end of pistol was pressed to Roman's temple and caused Niko to falter in taking a shot at the last man standing in the hallway.

"Let. Him. Go." He kept shifting his rifle between the two men, trying to decide on his next target. There was only the man holding his cousin and the bald man who looked familiar to him. He glanced to Roman and felt his anger reach an all-time high. His face was swollen and one of his eyes was completely swollen shut from being beat repeatedly. He looked exhausted and scared, but once he realized that Niko was standing before him, he let out a half smile before dropping it as it hurt too much to move his face.

"Been a long time Mr. Bellic. Last I saw of you was in the Faustin home." The bald man spoke from his position next to Roman. He trained his pistol toward Niko knowing this would be his only chance to capture him for his boss. He would use Roman as leverage to get him to do as he said.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit." Niko pointed his rifle toward the bodyguard he remembered from his time working with Mikhail and Dimitri.

"Real close range. Wouldn't want to risk shooting your own cousin in the face while going for one of us." He moved closer to Roman, roughly patting his cheek to mock Niko. Roman jerked to the side to get away from his hand, forcing the other person to move him around into a better position.

"I'm a better shot than you." He looked back toward Roman trying to see if maybe he'd get a better shot at his captor. He was held firmly in place against the man's body, and he disliked the way he was holding him. It wasn't the most natural way to use someone as a shield as their arms were exposed in front of the person. The right hand was gripping the collar of Roman's dress shirt and the left held a pistol under his chin. The distance between each person would make it difficult to get both shots off and not have one or the other men kill his cousin. He was stuck in an impossible situation. He knew if he managed to kill the man holding Roman, then the other man would shoot him. And vice versa. He moved his gun in the direction of the other man and ran the scenarios around in his mind.

"Choices, choices Mr. Bellic. Choices you never gave our boss. It looks like you lose this round. Surrender to us and you'll get to see both Roman and Kate one last time." The bald man taunted.

Niko's whole body filled with dread as he went back and forth between the two men. His hands shook on the rifle knowing that his first shot would need to kill the person before he went after the other one. Roman was unprotected, but he had on a bullet proof vest. He could only hope that the person would target him over Roman. He frowned at Faustin's old bodyguard knowing the best option would be to take him out first, but that left Roman at a very high chance of being shot next.

"NB. It's going to be okay. Right?" Roman asked between deep breaths.

"Roman-" Niko started before he watched as the man slowly lowered his arm from the collar of Roman's shirt, turning it to show the inside of his wrist and elbow. He saw black ink at the crease of his elbow, and he instantly read the "Freedom" tattoo that he had placed there over ten years ago. He lost the feeling in his hands as everything came rushing back to him from his past. His eyes darted to the helmet in disbelief and saw a small nod, before the person shoved Roman toward the wall.

Together they both targeted the man who was standing in the hallway and fired their weapons. Each bullet struck the person in the head and chest, ending the person's life instantly. The body crumpled down to the floor in a heap. Roman shrieked out at the sound of the guns and stumbled away from the wall he had been shoved at and scrambled down the hall toward his cousin. Niko rushed forward to him to make sure he hadn't been hit by a bullet that could have ricocheted off the walls or floor after exiting the body. Roman threw his handcuffed arms over Niko's head and hugged him as if his life depended on it.

"Roman! Roman!" Niko ducked out of his hug and turned to face the other person in the hall who was still armed. He stood protectively in front of his cousin and pointed the rifle toward the only other living soul that would have had that tattoo. His entire squadron had chosen that as their mark. It was something the fifteen of them had agreed on and it pulled them all closer together after a long week of avoiding the enemy. He had been the one to put the ink on most of them before Florian had done his. His brain was short circuiting the longer he stared at the man wearing the motorcycle helmet.

"Darko?" He could hardly form the name from his lips as he felt so numb. He firmed his grip on the rifle trying to make sure he didn't lose grip. He kept raising the rifle to take aim at the throat before lowering it in disbelief and repeating the process. Too many emotions wanted to take over and he settled on one that he knew well- anger.

"Surprise? I guess?" Carefully he lifted the helmet over his head and dropped it to the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to the handcuffs that were on Roman's wrists and tossed it to Niko's feet.

"You are a fucking monster! How could you work for that bitch!" Niko took a couple of steps forward shoving the buttstock of his rifle into his shoulder to make sure he would not lose his aim of the man who he held so much hatred for. He would end his life right here and now. For Florian, for his friends that never stood a chance, for himself. He would finally end it all.

Darko aimed his own pistol at Niko, "I could have simply killed Roman a moment ago. Or killed your girl earlier. Or at any moment during the last eight hours that we've kept them captive, I could have ended them."

"I don't fucking believe it. Is that really you Darko?" Roman spoke up from behind Niko. His eyesight wasn't the greatest in his current condition, but there was no mistaking the man who stood before them.

Slowly Darko lowered his pistol and relaxed slightly, "Yes. Natalya offered me the chance to get even with you Niko. But once I knew what she had done to your girl, I just couldn't stomach it any longer." He looked over his shoulder down the hall where the other men had dragged her away. "She is the reason I couldn't keep working toward my own revenge."

Niko took a couple more steps toward his old comrade and person who had betrayed them all, "I should kill you where you stand."

"And why didn't you when you had the chance? Finally understood how we are aren't so different?" Darko glared toward Niko knowing there was lots to hash out and fight over. They had history that ran the gauntlet of messed up affairs.

"Niko be clam. If he was dead, then one or both of us might be dead right now." Roman placed his hand on Niko's shoulder to try and help steady the shaking he saw. He was having his own difficulty coming to terms that he had almost been shot. His cousin had come to his rescue like always and he worried about where Kate was at. They had fired off a gun to get their attention before knocking her unconscious and carried her from the room.

"Who do you think left you the note? Who do you think put the gunshot clotter in the officer in the basement? Who do you think interrupted the men here at this warehouse from coming in here and have a go at your girl? I did! Now lower your weapon." Darko tucked the pistol in his holster and let his features fall from the hatred he felt building inside, "I saw the whole video. The unedited one. I am so sorry for what was done to her." He glanced down to his boots and forced the images from resurfacing in his mind.

"Unedited? The one sent to me wasn't everything?" Niko let his rifle fall to his side as the wind was knocked from his lungs. He had feared that what he saw and knew was only a small portion of it. He had held out hope that he had gotten there in time and was able to save her, but maybe he had been too late.

"Ivan was the one who recorded what you saw. Vova was the one who got the 'better' angle. They were not merciful. They were violent, ruthless, and evil. And it reminded me too much of the ones who gave us orders to slaughter everyone in that church in the small village. They were innocent and did not need to die. Yet we killed them all without hesitation. I couldn't stand to see the way Natalya laughed and cheered every time they would hit Kate. She needs to die." His eyes glazed over as the haunting images of their time in the war ran through his mind. They may have their differences, but they both had committed atrocities. And maybe it was time to start reconciling their guilt.

"As much as I don't want to break up this reunion, er- second time reunion, I think we need to find Kate and get out of here." Roman leaned heavily into the wall to catch his breath and get his bearings. So much had clearly happened since he was knocked out at the church and woke up to the pissed off female from his cousin's apartment lobby. Things had gone wrong shortly after he insulted her taste in men. The next thing he knew he woke up next to Kate who was trying to clean up a cut on her cheek.

"They will have already loaded Kate onto the boat. She will make a break for it. I do not trust Natalya to not simply kill her once she realizes that Roman has been rescued." Darko nodded and picked up his helmet. He knew the overall plan and he had definitely messed up said plan by killing Tobias and setting Roman free to Niko.

"Where is she heading?" Niko moved over to his cousin to make sure he wasn't terribly wounded. He needed to make sure he would be able to walk or run and make it out alive. He would try to get word to Packie to get Roman out of the warehouse and to safety. Preferably to the hospital where Mallorie was. They needed to talk to one another and heal together.

"I don't know. My guess is out to sea. She has a ton of drugs on board. Any number of buyers overseas will jump at the chance for good quality product." Darko watched the two cousins carefully. He knew he wouldn't be able to assist them in escaping if he was to keep his own cover going. He frowned at the thought.

"We must stop that boat."

aaaaaa

A/N: Okay I know I said it would be concluded with the second part, but there is just too much to cover and get through. The third part will be the exciting conclusion of the story and bring this story to a close. I've got a good section of part three written and ready to go, but it needs some finesse and help. Lol Action scenes are not my strong suit.

Also I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, and a Happy Holiday!

I am shooting to have this done by Christmas, so here's to hoping that my fingers don't fall off with all the typing I've been doing. One Love!