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.

12. A Revenger's Tragedy

(A/N): This is your trigger warning for this chapter. This story is rated MA for a reason, and like the game, is rated for mature audiences.

Gerry's vision spun as the helicopter lost control. The warning blare of the alarm was ear piercing and he stumbled back away from the cockpit, grabbing the headrest of one of the chairs to keep from tumbling out of the aircraft. He knew the bird was going down and there would be no surviving the crash. He could barely make out Karen's frantic voice over the radio as she cried out for him to get out. 'Get out? How?!'

His eyes landed on the open side doors and he forced his body forward as the helicopter swung around erratically. The two pilots were screaming mayday over the radio and were desperately trying to take control of their decent. The roof of the church was rapidly getting closer and in an instant Gerry knew he would need to jump, or he would not live for very much longer. He glanced one last time over his shoulder to the pilot who was smashing the engine start button overhead. His stomach felt cold knowing that he would be the last person to have spoken to them before their demise.

The blades completely stopped rotating and he took one last gulp of air before throwing himself out the open door. The distance wasn't as high as it looked, and he smacked down onto the stone roof of the church, hands and knees first. The impact stung and he felt his arm give way under his weight. He attempted to roll away from the direction the helicopter was falling, but his whole body was screaming in pain. Gerry covered his head with his good arm as the blades scraped along the stones making a sickening sound.

Between one breath and the next the body of the aircraft slammed down into the roof, rupturing the fuel tank. The heat wave from the explosion seared into his skin and he grunted against the flash of the flames. The concussion blast slid him further away and he was thankful for the distance between the flames. Something heavy slammed into his back and everything went dark.

The first thing he noticed was the sounds of grinding rocks. He wearily opened his eyes to see he was still on the roof. 'Must have passed out…'

The pain radiated from his arm when he tried to use it to sit up. Gerry looked down to his arm and saw how swollen it was just above his wrist. Thankfully, it was his less dominate one, but the way it was feeling was worrisome. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to sit up. He needed to get moving and find a safe way off the roof, and to hopefully get back to helping Niko save his sister. He couldn't hear anything over the raging fire that engulfed the destroyed helicopter.

Gerry knew the second he sat up; his back was wounded. There was a damp sensation and a pulling from his left shoulder. "Damn this is going to be more difficult than I thought." He mused looking around for a fire escape or roof access door. He had only been in the church a couple of times over the years when his Ma would force them to go to service… Or Pa's funeral. All of his weddings had been held at a hotel ballroom or the courthouse. This was unknown territory for him.

"Just hang on sis, Gerry's coming." He slowly hauled himself up to his feet and almost fell back down. His body was severely at a disadvantage right now as everything hurt to the point of being sick. He had no weapon, no clear idea on where to go, and the longer he stood the worse his vision got. A red door caught his attention from the corner of his eye, "Guess it's a start."

Carefully Gerry hobbled over to the door and opened it to see a set of stairs that descended down into darkness. With shaky legs and arms, he made slow progress to the ground floor of the destroyed church. Smoke curled up the stairwell and he coughed against the burning in his lungs. Each step down sent a wave of agony up his legs and back. He would need to get medical help soon and he wasn't sure where to go to get it. He was a fugitive, supposedly dead at the prison, and would be immediately hauled back to jail if he just waltzed into a hospital lobby. Karen had said as much as they drove off to the church. He was to stay hidden.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs he had to take a second to breath and slow his raging heartbeat. His vision darkened slightly as he leaned into the cold stone wall, and he rubbed at his eyes to try and clear it. He could barely make out voices beyond the wooden door and he hoped it was some of Niko's friends he had been introduced to at the apartment complex. He didn't trust very many people, but the man he met who tried to rescue Karen was someone he felt he could trust. His brother was a wild card to him, and he was trying to get past old grudges he held on to.

"I need help! The boss is down here, and I can't get him out on my own." Someone yelled out and sounded closer to the door than the other shouting and screaming. Gerry used the wall to steady him as he made his way toward the door, hoping to hear more of the conversation, and maybe find a way out and to someone he knew could help him.

"On it boss. I got med team one on their way back. They just loaded the injured man into an ambulance." Another frantic sounding person shouted.

"Great! Hurry. I'll need a stretcher and an AED." The first person yelled back.

Gerry creaked the door open slightly the be able to see if he could escape out a side entrance or rear exit. He knew several underground doctors in the area that could patch him up enough to where he would be able to hold his own in a fight. And he would be right back in the fold afterwards. He needed to locate Karen to know what was going on. He would never admit it, but he was getting dependent on the woman who had helped him escape from certain death.

He couldn't see anyone in the immediate area and as silently as he could, he edged his way into the crumbling cathedral. Everything was a mess; fires were burning out of control, small pieces of glass and stone kept falling down from the destroyed upper floors and ceiling. He heard people approaching and he ducked back behind a large pillar to stay out of sight but leaned out from his hiding spot to see if he could identify any of the people in the area.

"I brought the climbing rigging. Wasn't sure how far down you are." A young man dressed in an LCPD uniform with EMT patches on his arms shouted down into a large hole in the floor.

"We will need the rigging to get the stretcher out. I can climb out on my own." Gerry thought he recognized the voice, having seen several different police officers come and go from his Ma's place when Francis would be around. He never paid them much attention, but now he wished he had. A friendly face or officer that knew is brother, and didn't hate him, would be a welcomed sight.

"Okay Alpha One. We are gonna slide down to your location." Several more NOOSE agents and LCPD EMT officers ran over to the hole and worked the ropes to be able to lower the stretcher down. They worked as a unit to secure the ropes and rigging equipment before a couple of them disappeared from Gerry's sight, followed by the stretcher. He noticed a few medical bags had been discarded to the side and he tried to think of a way to get over to them and maybe find something to help dull his pain.

Silently Gerry snuck around the pillar to get behind a pile of stone and twisted rebar. A dead body was halfway slouched over on the ruble and Gerry reached down to pick up the pistol that was laying across the person's lap. His back pulled painfully with the motion and he hissed out between his lips, "Fucking hell I'm not going to last much longer like this!"

"Did you hear that?!" One of the few men that stood watch exclaimed.

Gerry swore under his breath before moving away from his new spot, needing to put some distance between him and all the law enforcement he could see. He didn't need to get caught by them, and he didn't have a good enough excuse or reason to give them for being alive and out of prison. He maneuvered around more dead bodies and strewn out piles of stone, concrete, and metal.

"Hey! Start pulling on the ropes! He's got a weak pulse. We need to get moving." The voice was pulling at a few memories in Gerry's mind. He could swear he had met the person who was down in the crevasse.

"On it boss. Heave!"

Gerry shifted toward another vantage spot and watched as several officers pulled on the thick cords, their hands shaking against the weight of the object they were trying to remove from the collapsed ground. More policemen ran over to help, dropping their weapons and guards to take turns in yanking on the ropes. He held his breath as the top of a stretcher came into view. One by one the officers shifted their hold from the ropes to the sides of the stretcher. As the stretcher leveled out Gerry felt his stomach knot up tightly and his heart lurched in his chest.

He couldn't mistake the reddish brown hair, the Deputy Commissioner's uniform, and the slightly peaceful look on his brother's face. Francis laid perfectly still on top to the stretcher, and Gerry lost his grip on the pistol he had just picked up. His knees shook as he tried to stay upright. Each of the men who wheeled the stretcher away from the opening in the floor, removed their hats and helmets and bowed their heads.

The person who had the recognizable voice climbed up out of the hole and took the outstretched hand to be pulled up, "Get moving! He's not dead. Not yet. Call ahead and get an OR prepped. GSW to the throat and collarbone," He moved toward the stretcher and placed his hand down over the badge on Francis' chest, bowing his own head for a second. He glanced around at his men realizing that no one had moved, "NOW!"

Immediately they all jumped to attention and started calling out on their shoulder radios and took off toward the main entrance of the church, pulling the stretcher along with them. The man who had given the orders stayed put and took a few steadying breaths. His shoulders were slumped down, and he bent over slightly placing his hands on his knee pads. A stone fell off of one of the piles around them and he jumped at the noise, pulling his rifle up to attention, sweeping the area for enemies.

Gerry looked over to where he heard the stone dropping and saw a couple of men with guns drawn working their way toward the officer. 'Must be the bad guys who attacked the church!' Gerry knew he wouldn't be able to handle hand to hand combat, but long distanced shooting he could do. He moved back the way he came in order to make sure none of the stray bullets would hit the officer who had pulled his brother from the collapsed floor.

The idiots opened fire before he could get set and he watched as the officer in NOOSE gear dove to the side to be protected and returned his own fire. The gunfire only lasted a few minutes before the opening presented itself and Gerry took aim. He wasn't as skilled of a shooter with a pistol from a distance, it had been a long time since he was in the heat of battle, but he managed to drop one of them from his hiding spot. The other enemy looked around alarmed before he was shot down by the officer.

"Gerry?!" The one who had helped Francis was staring his direction, and he pulled his face covering down and removed the helmet.

"Uh yeah?" 'Crap. Busted.' Gerry leaned up from the pile of stone he was using as his cover and hobbled out into the open space. He would give this man a chance to prove him wrong, before either knocking him out or trying to flee. He would not be dragged out of the church in handcuffs, and he would not fail in protecting his family.

"I thought- the news! Does- did Francis know?!" He stumbled over his words and lowered his rifle to show Gerry he was not a threat and let out a silent sigh of relief when Gerry matched his movements.

"Yes and no. Look I don't have the time…?" Gerry waved his hand out toward the police officer wanting a name, hoping it would help him place where he remembered him from.

"Ron. Your brother's lead detective out of the Westminster Police Station. We've met once or twice over the years." Ron shifted on his feet and glanced back down the dark opening in the floor debating asking Gerry for help in going after Niko. There were too many unknowns and he would try to trust Gerry to do the right thing. Not much was said to him about the notorious leader of the Irish Mob, but Francis had been rather adamant that his brothers were harmless to an extent.

"Right. I need to get going. My sister is in danger." Gerry took a couple steps forward before his legs started to give on him and he leaned over into a pillar.

"I think you need medical help before that. I have a team-"

"NO! I will not be seen by people that want me back in prison. I have a friend who can help. Just don't get any smart ideas." Gerry took a few heavy breaths trying to pull the strength up to be able to walk out of the building and find a car he could take over toward Alderney. There was an underground doctor located in a safehouse that tended to anyone who needed to be treated quietly and without fuss. The doctor didn't report anything and didn't follow any one mob, gang, or syndicate. He was neutral to everyone who needed it, for the right price of course.

"Gerry. I'm on your side. This can stay between us. But you don't look like you're in any shape to get out of here on your own. Let alone stay standing for much longer." Ron crossed his arms and had to fight the small smile from surfacing. Francis had the same stubborn streak to him, and it was amusing to see it personified in another member of the McReary's. As much as they were different, they were the same in more than one way.

"I'm fine." Gerry shoved off the pillar and started to head toward a side entrance he could see amongst the chaos. He would find a suitable car, get to the docs, get patched up, then get back to finding and helping Niko and his sister. A headache was forming behind his eyes and he felt weak, tired, and like he could sleep for a week straight. He glared toward the officer that moved into his path.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell Francis every single day- if help is offered, take it. You never know when that help will no longer be available. Here," Ron had moved in front of Gerry, cutting off his path toward the exit. He pulled the keys to his police cruiser out from a vest pocket and held them out for Gerry to take, "Go get help. Then find a way to call this number. I'll answer it, and if I don't, hang up." He pulled out his business card from his pants pocket and shoved the items into Gerry's hand when he continued to only stare at him skeptically.

"Why?" Gerry was thankful, but extremely wary about the generous help. People, especially the law, didn't just hand out help to known enemies. He was wanted for so many different crimes, and the last person he figured would be a helping hand, would be someone closely associated with his brother.

"So much shit is fucked right now. What's one more thing on top of all of this, right? I need to go help Niko. He ran off with barely any weapons and ammo. I swear I am an underpaid babysitter!" Ron took a couple of steps back from the normally violent and crazed man that had been sitting on the wanted list for years. "Just don't make me regret this. Putting you back behind bars would give me some serious street cred." Ron let out a halfhearted laugh and shook his head.

"Thanks. If you see a female IAA agent out there can you let her know I'm alive? Point her in my direction. It's complicated." Gerry tucked the business card into his pocket and turned the keys over in his hand. There was a key fob, and he would have to keep hitting the lock button in order to locate the car.

"Will do. Get going. I can hear the gun fire picking up from outside. The car is parked a few buildings down that way." Ron pointed away from where the blast ripped through the buildings. He readied his rifle and reloaded it quickly.

"And Ron?" Gerry sighed and felt the internal groan vibrate in his chest for what he was about to say, "Thanks for having my brother's back. Is he…?" He couldn't finish the sentence. He had only a few minutes to talk to Francis before all hell broke loose. He was still trying to figure out the larger picture and what was going on, and he felt so strained. Too many moving parts and people were dropping like flies. He was just settling into prison life before Jason was dropped off in his cell. Now he was playing catch up and getting nowhere fast.

"He was alive when I found him. Barely hanging on by the looks of it. Your sister was nowhere to be found." Ron picked up one of the climbing ropes and got into position to slide back down into the dark basement. He raised his face covering and shoved his helmet back on. His head snapped up as he could hear someone running their direction.

"Boss! I think Petrovic's men just showed up!" An out of breath NOOSE agent ran out from behind some of the destroyed church.

Ron looked to where Gerry had been standing moments before and did a double take. He was gone from his sight and he glanced around the area swiftly to make sure he wouldn't be spotted. He turned his attention back to the officer who had a rather panicked look to him, "Then I guess let's go greet them." He nodded once before descending down into the basement to check on Niko and his friend.

aaaaaa

"Hey doc, how is she doing today?" Johnny Klebitz leaned into the doorframe of a stately looking home in Westdyke, Alderney. He watched as a middle aged man wiped his hands on a dish cloth as he moved into the hallway from the kitchen.

"Ashley seems to be taking to the meds well enough. Addiction isn't easy to shake. You know this though." The man walked down the hall toward the leader of the recently destroyed The Lost Motorcycle Club. He was surprised to see him at his home and he silently gave Johnny a once over checking for injuries. He had been more than happy to help the young woman get off the cocaine and meth, and he definitely didn't mind the money that had been handed to him in a briefcase.

"Yeah well. I just figured I would check in. Been laying low lately with not a whole lot going on." Johnny shifted uncomfortably in front of the doctor. He had come to this place many times after fights to get patched up, only to wind up back in the living room needing something else stitched up. The Lost had been using this place for medical help for years, and it helped keep a low profile from the cops. 'And feds…'

"Understandably. Sorry for your loss. Billy struggled with his own demons. May he rest in peace." The doc motioned toward the entrance to his living room. He had met and spoken to just about every kingpin in Liberty. He probably knew more information about the underbelly of the criminal world than law enforcement did. He had treated Kenny and his men many times, several different motorcycle clubs came to him for medical help, or just to get their hands on heavy pain killers, and he had the unfortunate run in with the Rascalov mafia. But no one dared threaten him or his under the table practice. He had lost his license years ago after a botched surgery and ensuing lawsuit shuttered his business.

"Sure. I got some time to kill." Johnny nodded to the man and moved into the living room of the quaint home. He plopped down into the armchair that faced the front door needing to keep his eyes open for anyone that might be coming for them. So many organizations wanted them gone. Congressman Stubbs had proven to be a rather loose end but had managed to keep his side of their relationship going and he had yet to hear from him since killing Billy.

"How are you doing? I got some water in the kettle to make some tea. Ashley had been complaining about a sore throat. Tea and honey will help. Don't want to give her anything too strong till I know the withdrawals are subsiding." He sat down on the couch and studied the man in his living room. He could tell he was struggling with something but wouldn't push unless the opening presented itself.

"Could be better. I think the gang wants a change of scenery. Hell. I need to get out of here." Johnny rubbed at his face and let out a tired huff. Things had gone to complete shit and he just wanted to get away from it all. Ashley swore she would get into rehab and get clean. The promise of her truly making a change had kept him from taking the next available flight out of LC. It was what brought him to the home in Westdyke. He was there to check on her progress and make sure she stuck to her word. 'Not that it will remain true…It never has.'

"I hear Blaine County is nice this time of year. No cold, no snow, only the sun and miles and miles of open roads. Sounds like the perfect place to just ride and lose yourself. I, myself, get tired of the claustrophobic feel of Alderney at times. I vacation every so often to see my relatives in Sandy Shores." The doc smiled at the thought of going to see his nieces and nephews.

"Sounds like my kind of place. Maybe start up a new chapter or something. Who knows? I'm just sick of this place. Too much bad blood and memories." Johnny nodded and looked up toward the ceiling when he heard a loud thump.

"She must be awake. She gets disoriented after waking. Would you like to come with me to check on her?" The doc checked his watch and noticed it was getting close to her next round of medicine, "Plus it's almost time to get the next IV bag going."

"Actually, you mind giving me a minute? I need to talk to her about something- privately. If that's cool?" Johnny stood up quickly and motioned for the doc to stay put. He wanted to see for himself if she was doing right by her word and getting clean. He would know what to look for and listen to if she was slipping up. He knew all her go to phrases, one which grated on his emotions.

"Sure. I'll be up in ten. Schedules are important when detoxing." The doc sent him a kind smile and was glad to know someone at least cared that she was in recovery. She would need the support in order to stay clean. He watched as Johnny shook his head slightly and headed for the stairs in the hallway. His heavy biker boots made loud thumps with each step on the stairs. He waited for the sounds of the door opening and closing before getting up to check on the teapot. His life was definitely not boring, and he quite enjoyed getting to meet so many different characters.

He moved into his kitchen and removed the now whistling pot from the stove top. He pulled a mug from a cabinet, before getting the honey and tea bags from the pantry. He went to work on making Ashley's tea, making sure the temperature wouldn't scald her throat, and would sooth the pain her throwing up had caused. He knew she would struggle for a few days before she either made it over the proverbial wall or fell back down into the drug use. He could make out hushed voices upstairs and figured they were talking about whatever Johnny had come here to discuss.

The sound of tires screeching and then a car door slammed outside on the street and he frowned at the noise. His neighborhood was usually quiet and peaceful so hearing something off confused him. He set the mug down on the marble counter and made his way back toward his front door. He typically left it unlocked as his 'office hours' were twenty four, seven. People knew to just walk in and ring the pager in the living room to get help if he wasn't downstairs to greet them. He rounded the corner into the front hall and decided to go investigate what was going on.

"You expecting anyone doc?" Johnny called down from the top of the stairs, automatic pistol drawn and at the ready.

"In my line of work, all the time, but never a hostile visitor." The doc walked into the front dining room and peeked through the blinds to see what all the commotion was. He could hear Johnny descend the steps to come stand by his side, using a different window to look outside. The street was quiet except for the still running LCPD squad car parked sloppily up on the sidewalk.

"What does LCPD want with you doc? It's a bit far out of their area to be making house calls." Johnny frowned seeing the cop car out front. Alderney police were supposed to have jurisdiction over the area, not Liberty City cops.

"It does seem a bit odd." The doc released the blind he had slightly pulled down to see out the window. He was used to the random encounters with so called criminals, but never once had a cop shown up on his doorstep. It would be a first, and hopefully not the last, patient he would get to work on. A light scraping sound started up from the back of the house and both men turned to look at one another in alarm before turning fully around to try and locate the noise.

"I thought you only have a front door policy. You get people who come in from the back door?" Johnny lifted the pistol and started to slowly edge his way toward the front hallway.

"Only those who wish to keep a low profile." A small amount of fear tripped down his spine at the thought of the only people who ever used the back entrance. Kenny, Dimitri, Billy, Jimmy, Ray, the occasional politician, nightclub owners, and his least favorite house call- Harvey Noto.

"Stay behind me. I don't need someone offin' you before Ash gets better." Johnny lightly pushed the doc back from the hallway, not wanting him to get killed by the intruder.

"You don't understand. This is a safe haven. For everyone." The doc somewhat shrank back once he heard the backdoor swing open and close rapidly. 'Someone is seriously in a hurry. Maybe this is a break in. I do have lots of valuable medicine and equipment…'

The two crept down the hall, Johnny taking the lead and keeping his pistol trained on the entrance to the kitchen. They reached the edge of the open archway and Johnny looked over his shoulder to signal to the doc to stay quiet. He would jump first and make sure it was clear before letting the doc into the kitchen. He took a fortifying breath before leaping out into the opening. "What the!?"

The doc moved quickly into the archway to see what had Johnny so spooked. Not many people shook the rough exterior of The Lost President, but whoever was standing in his kitchen had caused the color of Johnny's face to drain away. The doc watched as Johnny lowered his pistol and turned his attention to the round kitchen table that sat in the middle of his kitchen. He felt himself freeze in place, knees locking up, spine going rigid. He blinked his eyes rapidly trying to make sure who he was seeing was really there.

"Hey. I could use a stiff drink if you can spare it." Gerry winced as the pain was getting to the point of forcing him to black out, "And maybe you can see about fixing me up?" He slouched slightly into the round wooden table, leaving bloody hand prints behind. He couldn't figure out what hurt worse, the broken arm or the injury to his back, which he still wasn't sure what happened to cause it to bleed. He unceremoniously dropped his own pistol down to the surface of the table to show he wasn't there for anything of ill intent. The two men jumped at the noise the pistol made as it clattered out of Gerry's reach.

"Gerry?" The doc whispered shocked. He had seen the news. He had so many calls from people seeing if he were in his care, to which he told them he couldn't say even if he was. But here sat the notorious McReary member looking rather worse for wear. He shook himself out of his stupor and rushed forward to help the man out.

"I don't fucking believe it man." Johnny tucked the pistol back into the waistband of his jeans and leaned heavily into the archway, needing something to help keep him upright.

"Yeah, yeah. Been a long time." Gerry gladly took the offered help from the doc and had him partially drag him upright from the chair he was sitting in. They both stumbled under his weight and the doc looked slightly panicked toward Johnny.

"Can you help Johnny? I don't normally ask visitors to help a different patient but… this? This has to call for unmitigated circumstances." The doc tucked himself under Gerry's good arm and immediately felt how soaked the back of his shirt was with blood. Whatever had happened to him was serious and needed medical attention immediately.

"Uh. Right! Yeah. Okay." Johnny fumbled over his words before making the short distance to help haul Gerry back down the hall and into the living room to an examination table.

"Jesus Gerry! Here, sit on this stool. Your back needs tending to first." He knew with how soaked the shirt was that was going to be the pressing injury, the other ones could wait for the time being. He lowered him down to the stool he usually used and guided him to lean forward onto the edge of the examining table. The doc rushed around the room pulling boxes, bags, and different tools out of random drawers and cabinets. "How long has that been freely bleeding? I don't know how much extra blood I have available. The supply hasn't been easy to restock lately." He kept placing things down on the table before moving away to grab something else.

"Not sure." Gerry dropped his forehead down to the cushion of the table and closed his eyes. It had taken everything he had to make it to the car and drive over to the only place he knew would help him. His concept of time was extremely skewed, and he just wanted things to quit hurting. There was a burning pain that started from his shoulder and ran the length of his back and it was making him see stars. "The arm is broke too, I think."

"Well one thing at a time. Can't have you passing out on me. Hold still best you can." He snapped the medical gloves on and sat on a different stool behind Gerry and started to poke and prod around the large gash he could see. Something had ripped open the dress shirt and sliced into his skin. He reached toward the table and picked up a pair of scissors. Carefully he started to cut the cloth away to see just how extensive the wound was. "What in the world happened?!"

"I guess jumping from a crashing helicopter, smashing into the roof of a destroyed church will do that to ya." Gerry was losing the battle to stay awake, "Hey doc I'm about to pass out."

"Not yet you aren't. I need you awake for now. I'll knock you out once I know it's safe." The doc shoved up from his place behind Gerry to fumble around in a medical bag and pulled out some numbing medication, "You on any drugs? Anything to drink alcoholic?" It was risky to give it to him, but until he knew how bad the blood loss was, he couldn't risk him passing out and not waking up. Last thing he needed was the Irish mob after him for accidentally killing their leader.

"No. Was in prison this morning. Not exactly had time to get on the booze list." Gerry grunted and wiped at some of the sweat that was forming on his face.

"Right. We can talk about that later. I'll numb the area best I can before I stitch you up. But no sleeping on me. Not till I give you the all clear." He injected the numbing agent into a couple of places around the large gash and discarded the used syringe onto the surface of the examination table. Silently he went back to cleaning the wound on Gerry's back.

"Don't matter. I can take it." Gerry moaned as the doc pulled at the cloth of his shirt that had been stuck to his skin, "You got any problems with me? Or do I need to worry about the whole gang showing up to kill me in a few minutes?" Gerry glared over his shoulder to the man he figured to be the leader of the motorcycle gang of the leather jacket he wore. He didn't think he had any problems with The Lost. The Angels of Death, yes, but he couldn't remember if Packie had made any drastic moves since he was locked up.

"Uh no trouble from us. We cool." He avoided looking to the cold eyes of the Irish Mob leader and instead kept his focus to the large, bleeding wound on his back. It looked painful and he slightly shuddered thinking about what kind of pain he would be in with that kind of injury.

"Gentlemen, please. This is neutral ground. No fighting in my home. Or I will start refusing my services to both of your affiliations." The doc huffed as he removed the last couple of stuck pieces of shirt on Gerry's back.

"Johnny? Did you leave?" A feminine voice trembled slightly from outside the room, causing all three of the men in the room to go still and look toward the entrance to the living room.

"Nah. I'm still here Ash. You want some of the tea the doc was preparing?" Johnny hesitated for a second glancing to the doc to see if it was ready or not. The doc nodded once before forcing Gerry to turn back toward the table so he could start the tedious process of cleaning the wound before attempting to stich it up.

"Sounds good." The female started coughing harshly and Johnny left the room at the sound of her struggling to breathe.

Gerry could hear the coughing getting quieter and he figured they must have moved away from the living room. He was glad for the slight privacy he would have with the doc now. He was supposed to be dead, and now he had been seen by the leader of The Lost, several people he passed getting to the police cruiser, and now the doc who was tending to his back. This day was getting worse by the second and until he could move without feeling like passing out, he would seek the medical help from the underground doctor. "You got any other patients I need to worry about?"

"The female was upstairs in a guest room, drug rehab. Johnny is here visiting. They shouldn't be down any time soon now that she is awake and moving around." He scrunched up his face when he saw a piece of metal that was embedded into Gerry's back, "On second thought. I might need to knock you out."

"Why?" Gerry could hear the concern in the doc's voice and knew something had to be worse than what he was imagining.

"Well. If what you told me is true, part of the crashing helicopter is now lodged into your back. Thankfully not close to the spine. But it's not going to be pleasant to pull out." He wiped at some of the dried blood to get a better look at the impact site. It was a small piece of metal and had missed his spinal cord and didn't look deep enough to have punctured any organs. Or at least he hoped it wasn't worse than it looked. If it were deep, it could kill him once he removed it.

"Fuck. Yeah alright. You got a private room? Or a way to keep me from being seen?" Gerry took in a shallow breath not liking the idea of being put under. He trusted the doc with many different injuries, but this one may have been better left to an operating room at a hospital.

"I can put up a privacy wall. I'll set your arm too when you're out." He had noticed the swelling and knew that was another injury that would be better dealt with while someone couldn't fight back against the pain.

"You're the best." Gerry said sarcastically. He was growing more concerned by the second and didn't like leaving the church behind without seeing Kate or Niko. He would just have to hope that Niko was capable and would keep her safe.

"That's why they pay me the big bucks to work from home." The doc deadpanned back and stood up once more to get the necessary cocktail of meds ready to knock Gerry out in order to get the metal out of his back and set his broken arm. It was going to be a long drawn out process, but he was confident he would be able to fix up one of his closest patients. The McReary's were a joy to be around and he would make sure Gerry got the best care he could give.

aaaaaa

Bernard let his agent roll him into his office at IAA headquarters. He was furious that Niko had just run off without them. He was meant to help, and he was slightly miffed that Niko thought so little of him that he decided to head out on his own. Ron, Little Jacob, and Badman had followed him to the office building and were now pacing around in his office. They had all been shocked to see Niko missing from the hospital room. Now it seems they were going to be conducting their own rescue mission, instead of going into battle alongside Niko.

"Alright let me check in with what we have, and Ron?" He watched as the stressed out police officer nod to his correct name, "Get the commissioner on the phone. We will need the joint forces working together on this. With Francis out of commission, you will take point." He picked up his desk phone and hit the operator button to get patched through to the command center. He figured that someone had at least started to collect data and it would be where he started. He jiggled the mouse on the desk to get his computer monitor awake.

Ron moved to the far side of the office and pulled out his cell phone to call his new boss. He slowly lowered down onto the small couch and dropped his head into his hand as he waited for the call connect to Mitt Fitzsimmons. They had spoken briefly at the graveyard after he made sure Niko was loaded into an ambulance. He had left Gerry out of his report to the Police Commissioner. He was instructed to get the list of his team together and send it to the command post. It was confusing and that was when he found out some of his unit had betrayed them and kidnapped Roman. It was distressing to say the least.

"Command said they have their data pooled on the intranet site. I'll see what they have. Do either of you know of local hideouts of Dimitri's?" Bernard glanced up from his computer monitor to regard the other two men in the room.

"There was a warehouse off of Mohanet in Downtown Broker that Dimitri used to betray Niko." Little Jacob offered when the silence carried on too long. He didn't usually associate with the Russian mafia of Dimitri. He had ties to Kenny and that was as much involvement as he wanted with those syndicates.

"It's a start." Bernard shifted his focus to the computer to see what all had been searched with their helicopters, and what FIB reported. He had been out of the loop too long and it was daunting to think of everything he would need to review in order to be caught up. He silently prayed that his agents had discovered some kind of clue- traffic camera images, heat imaging, possible call ins to the tip line- anything to go off of. He could only imagine how terrified the people were in the city. They had all watched on the news the destruction of Emerald Street.

Ron lowered his cell phone as an idea came to him, "Did Niko take his cell phone with him? We can see if we can trace it." It would be a better start then going down a list of known and unknown hangouts of the numerous criminals in Liberty City. He listened to his boss as he talked to someone else on the other side of the call. Things were so bleak. No one knew where to report or call in to for help. Mitt was overwhelmed with people trying to get ahold of him and it made it all the more obvious how important Francis was on the chain of command.

"Good idea." Bernard typed away on his keyboard and pulled out his own cell phone to locate Niko's number. He entered it into the search bar and waited with bated breath till the negative beep deflated him. It showed to be inactive and unavailable for gps tracking. "It's either turned off or destroyed. I can't locate it with our software." He frowned at how things were turning up. He knew Niko wasn't at one hundred percent, and knowing how he must feel, desperate, would be willing to get himself killed if it meant Kate and Roman lived.

"Let me try Kate's number, as well as Roman's. Maybe we will get lucky there." He sighed heavily and typed in their numbers into the tracking software. Again, the negative beep sounded when the cell phones didn't ping back to a cell tower. He scrubbed a hand through his short hair and shook his head when Jacob and Badman looked to him for confirmation. 'This can't possibly get any worse…'

Ron jumped to his feet, his eyes wide, as if he had an epiphany. "The distress signal! It wasn't on Francis when we found him. It must be on Kate. I completely forgot!" He hung up his call and moved over to the computer, leaning over to type out an address on the internet home page. He pulled up the home page for LCPD and used his login to get to the gps tacking page, "So long as it hasn't been deactivated or destroyed, we should be able to locate it." He pulled up the map of Liberty and watched as the computer kept trying to ping the device.

"What is the range for it?" Bernard leaned back into the wheelchair as Ron took over at the computer.

"The entire state, about ten miles away from shore, and one or two basement levels before the signal won't reach." He tapped out a rhythm on the desk surface as the computer kept trying to pinpoint a location. It would jump to the lower region of Algonquin where Suffolk is, before going back to the standard zoomed out image of the state. He shoved off the desk to stand upright and removed the tablet from his vest pocket. If the computer was going to take too long, then maybe the tablet would find it faster.

"What about a jammer? Would it still work then?" Bernard mused trying to think of why the signal would be missing. He didn't think anyone would be looking for a tracking device on Kate. But he had underestimated the level of hatred Natalya carried. She had blown up an entire city block to get even over the death of her lover and cousin. At this point anything was possible.

"Depends. The jammer would have to be a fairly high tech one. I'm sure something you guys have will block it. But the everyday ones you can buy off of the street venders- no. We tested them for the commercial jammers. Government and military ones are a little more sophisticated and can jam the distress signal. I don't know why it's having a hard time. I can see what the history is. Maybe it'll narrow our search area." Ron leaned back down to the computer and clicked on the history log and forced the software to map it out.

"Looks like the last signal was sent from the intersection of Asahara Road and Roebuck Road. It loses the signal south of Asahara. That's Normandy or Port Tudor, right?" Ron glanced over his shoulder to look at the high ranking IAA officer. Their window was now a lot smaller than it was. He could probably ask the Commissioner of the Alderney police force to get their units to start door to door checks.

"And unfortunately, full of abandoned warehouses, ports, docks, and factories." Bernard watched the computer screen as it drew out a route from the church in Suffolk all the way over to the Booth Tunnel and into the state of Alderney before disappearing off the map once it crossed over into the municipality of Normandy. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the number to the IAA helicopter dispatch. It rang a couple of times before a somber sounding female answered him.

"Where is our heat scanning bird currently?" He pulled up the dispatch site on the computer and zoomed in on the area in Alderney that they had identified. He placed the phone down on the desk and clicked on the speakerphone.

"Current position is over Tudor, Alderney. Requesting new positioning boss?" The female voice sounded somewhat hopeful at being contacted by their regional leader.

"Port Tudor and Normandy. Focus on the ports and warehouses. I have a feeling about something." Bernard glanced up as Little Jacob and Badman moved to lean against the desk in front of him. They were all anxious to figure out where Niko had gone off too, and where Kate and Roman were being held captive.

"On it boss. You have our live feed up? Or should I give play by play?"

"I got the computer up. Stay on the line. I may have you radio the other choppers in the area to start searching the West River for boats." Bernard clasped his hands together and rested his elbows on the edge of his desk. He tiredly leaned into his fists and waited as the thermal scanning feed moved around on the computer monitor.

"FIB has the waters on lock sir." There was a hesitation in the voice and Ron rolled his eyes at it. 'Of course, FIB took the easier job…'

"You and I both know that's just the opening these people need to get out to sea. Go ahead and move another bird to the area. Maybe they will see something with the search light." Bernard shook his head and watched as Ron's hands tightened into fists on the desk. They were all on edge and needed some good news soon or they were all going to snap.

"Thermal scanning is now in Port Tudor airspace." The female announced over the phone. Little Jacob and Badman moved around the desk to be able to see the images on the screen.

"What is that?" Bernard whispered as a huge yellow glow overtook the screen, "Focus on that large amount of heat. What is it?" He leaned forward to see if he could identify any of the buildings on the screen.

"Not sure boss, overlaying the map now. My guess is some kind of metal factory. They generate a lot of heat to melt down steel." The female sounded slightly distant from the phone and they could hear several clicks of a keyboard as the image changed to display a generic map over the thermal camera images.

"Look! Is that a person?" Ron pointed to a smaller yellow and red blip on the screen. It was just west of the larger heat signature. Every so often something would trigger the heat signature to flare quickly before going back to just the shape of a prone looking body.

"Sniper. Has to be." Bernard couldn't believe his eyes. Either Niko was using a nearby building to take out the enemies or someone was trying to take out Niko. "Get the other helicopters over there now. And send in the ground teams. That has to be it. I'll radio in once I'm airborne." Bernard locked the computer and rolled back from the desk, ending the call before his agent could protest his requests.

"Uhhh… Airborne?" Little Jacob asked not sure what he was getting at. He was in no condition to drive or fight, and he was going to do what exactly?

"Chopper on the roof. Let's go." He wheeled over to a filing cabinet and jerked one of the drawers open. He removed a couple of pistols and placed them down in his lap, "Unless you would rather drive over there?" He gave them a hard look. He would fly the chopper and use its weapons if need be. But he would not be sidelined any longer. If he could help in any capacity, he would do it.

"I can copilot. I've been working toward my pilot license. I'm a few lessons away." Ron put the tablet back into the pocket on the vest and moved to be able to push the wheelchair for the IAA agent he was starting to like and trust. He was starting to get that itch before any job, and he was ready to scratch at it. He had seen more action in the past couple of days than he had in his entire career with the LCPD. And maybe when the dust settled, he could have a conversation with the man in the wheelchair about joining the IAA.

"Great. I just hope we aren't too late to the party." Together the group filed out of Bernard's office and headed to the elevator to get to the roof, and once more head into battle.

aaaaaa

"This has to be the stupidest idea you have ever thought of. She would know it was you and not me. I don't always wear the helmet." Darko paced back and forth in front of Niko and Roman holding his helmet in one of his hands. He knew every second they spent arguing and going back and forth meant Natalya would be leaving on the yacht. It was always her backup plan- if it went to shit, they would escape on the boat and get to safety before trying to come up with a new plan. She had told him to kill both Roman and Kate if she was unable to capture Niko. But she would want Niko to suffer in whatever way she could inflict the pain.

"Fuck you. You have no reason to keep standing here. Shouldn't you be off trying to get your hands on whatever shit you are hooked on." Niko knelt down in front of his cousin to pick up the handcuff key, and kept the rifle tucked close to his body within reach in case he needed to use it. He was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than the constant 'kill him' being repeated over and over in his mind. Florian wanted him dead for the ambush they had survived. And with the way he was teetering on the edge, it wouldn't take much to simply fulfill his comrades wish.

"Oh yes. Please do keep going with the low blows. Your girl know how many you've killed? How much money you've built up for being a hired hitman?" Darko took a step forward as his own anger boiled over, "Or were you just going to use her for your own desires till you get bored?"

Niko didn't hesitate to charge at him. He lunged at Darko and tackled him to the ground and tried to land a few hits to his face. Darko deflected the strikes, letting go of his helmet, and rolled them to the side, roughly kicking Niko away from him. They both went for their knives- Niko pulling one of his boot knives free, and Darko jerking the kbar free from its place on his vest. Niko adjusted his hold on the handle before slashing out at Darko's arm that was close to him.

Darko went on the defensive and kept redirecting Niko's slashes and kicks. He was rested, uninjured, and had a pent up rage driving him. He knew he could easily disarm Niko and put an end to their scuffle, but a small part of him wanted to show his old comrade that he wasn't some lame junkie. He was in the same unit as him and could hold his own. He hadn't spent all his years in exile doing drugs, he had to find work to supply his habit. And contract killing came natural to him.

Niko threw the knife at Darko when he realized that he was being toyed with. There were no counter strikes from Darko, and it agitated him even more. The knife embedded into the wall next to Darko's face who had shifted away at the last second. "What's it to you? You have no business being part of my life. Florian wants you dead. And after what happened today, I am more than inclined to give him his last wish." He jumped to the side when Darko finally went on the offensive. He watched as he went for his pistol and drew his own. They each pressed the ends of the barrels to each other's chests and stilled in their movements.

"We have a bigger enemy out there than each other." Darko slowed his breathing down and lessened the pressure of his pistol. He was not there to settle their differences. Not yet anyway. He needed to get free from Natalya's grasp first. Then he could seek Niko out and battle it out to the bitter end.

"Niko. Calm yourself. Kate needs us to focus and get her back. She looked really hurt when I last saw her. They also knocked her out with the end of a pistol before taking her out of the room." Roman had picked up the key to the handcuffs and had managed to remove them. He may not have that strong of a stomach or bladder, but he needed to find the strength for his cousin. They had exchanged such harsh words before Bernie had been shot. His eyes slightly watered at the memory and he looked down to his hands where he could see red lines from where the cuffs has started to dig into his skin.

"Were you the one that hit her?" Niko's accent thickened with his rage and he bore his eyes into Darko's. He would end him where he stood if he were the one to have struck her. He would make sure every single person who had harmed her would meet their end by his hands. She had been through too much because of who was after him and it would all be over once he could kill Natalya.

"No, that would be him." Darko pushed away from Niko and held his hands up, pointing to one of the dead bodies on the floor with his pistol. He wasn't sure how many more times he would need to tell Niko before he could get his message across. He had not harmed Kate, scared her pretty good probably, but he wasn't about to mention it to him. Not with the death stare he was getting. The fire and fight she had given him was rather amusing and he chuckled as he remembered her trying to choke him out. "She's a feisty redhead. Has to be what got your attention." He leaned back into the wall, tucking the pistol back into the holster, and let his smirk widen when Roman chuckled from his spot behind Niko. He jerked Niko's knife free from the wall and twirled it around in his fingers.

"Among other things. Drop it. I'm still trying to find a reason to keep you alive." Niko tucked his pistol back into one of the shoulder holsters and held his hand out for his boot knife. He felt so many jumbled emotions at once. He just needed to get Roman out of the factory and get Kate back from Natalya. Then he could start to process everything. Including finding Darko again and what to make of him still living. He was usually more levelheaded going into missions and being so off center was making it hard on him to focus.

Darko's eyes widened significantly and he stopped twirling the blade and flipped it once before chucking it toward Niko. Niko leaned back toward the opposite wall as the blade came at him, turning in time to see what his target really was. The blade embedded into the chest of someone who was trying to sneak up on them. He held a compact submachine gun that was aimed directly at the back of where his head had been. The gun went off as the person fell backwards to the ground. All three of them ducked down as the bullets fired around randomly, striking the walls, floor, and ceiling of the hall they were standing in. The clicking greeted Niko's ears as the person kept trying to fire the gun as it was drained of bullets.

Darko was the first to move from his crouched position and he stalked over to the person to make sure they were dead. He fired a couple of rounds from his pistol into the head before lowering down to grab the knife, "There is no way someone else hasn't heard that. That is one of Natalya's personal bodyguards. He must have been sent to see what the holdup is. We need to move now." Darko stood up and moved to stand in front of Niko. He grabbed one of his hands and shoved the handle of the bloodied knife into his palm. He twisted Niko's hand and arm and patted where he knew the tattoo was, "I may not have forgiven, but I have not forgotten."

"The oath of brotherhood above all else. We will settle this later." Niko glanced down to the junction of Darko's arm and stared at the slightly faded ink of the boxy lettering. They would fight one another some other time and settle things once and for all. He felt some of his agitation quiet with the words from Darko. Darko would honor the original agreement they had all made as teenagers. It would be a start to building a mutual understating. He wouldn't go as far as to say that he trusted him, but he would give him the benefit of the doubt. But Darko had a point. They had wasted too much time. "Roman can you run? I need to get you out of here. I have Packie waiting outside. He can get you to Mallorie."

"I think so. But cousin. I don't want you to do this alone. Let me help." Roman used the wall to stand up and tried to still his shaking. He figured he would be used to gunfire by now, but every time he heard it, he would get scared. He had a wife to protect and he forced his fear down. He would be strong for her and be helpful to his cousin in this crazy battle that was going on. "There's nowhere left for these guys to go. The whole city wants them dead now."

"Roman has a point. She will be desperate. Kate will not last long if she takes off on that boat." Darko motioned down the hall. He had a plan forming in his mind and he hoped Niko would go along with it. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to pull it off, but it would destroy whatever truce they had building between them.

"I need to get on that boat." Niko glanced one last time at the person Darko had killed and felt weird knowing he had been saved by the one person who had sold his unit out. He helped steady Roman on his feet and started to guide him to follow after Darko. He didn't want to trust the man. He wanted to put a bullet in the back of his head, but he needed to be rational in this moment. Kate needed him, and he needed to hold her in his arms again.

"I will get on the boat. You will follow along the shoreline to the more public docks, grab a boat and then I will make sure you can get on without being seen. Natalya doesn't know that I have betrayed her." Darko slowed as he got to a corner and used the security mirrors to check for people down the other hall. 'Here goes nothing. I'm sorry Niko. But this has to be the way it goes…'

"Isn't that a shock. You just go around betraying everyone then?" Niko scoffed and leaned into the wall when Darko paused in his walking. Roman was following along silently behind them, being sure to keep a light hold on Niko's jacket.

"Shut up. I could simply be leading you into another trap. Get what I want out of all this trouble. You would be killed. I'd get my share of the money and drugs. And who knows? Maybe I would hunt down Florian and finish him off. Be done with the entire unit!" Darko rounded on Niko and shoved him back into the wall, fisting his hands into the jacket he wore. He recognized the symbol that graced the chest and felt his own pang of guilt flood his system. But he could do this. Had to do this. 'There is no other way'

"You leave Florian out of this!" Fury burned brightly in his veins and he shoved Darko off of him and into the next hall. Not caring if someone opened fired on them. He followed after him and pulled one of his pistols out. He didn't care about the somewhat agreed upon plan anymore. He just wanted to get rid of the person who he held so much hate toward. He would do this his own way from now on.

"I always wondered why you two always took night guard together. Laughing it up and leaving us open for attack. So many times did I slip out of the camp. Was a total shock to find out you were with a female here in this blasted country!" Darko laughed darkly and dodged the punch that was thrown his way. He would keep egging him on and hopefully not blow their cover. He needed to make sure Natalya thought he was still on her side. Niko was beyond easy to bait. He just hoped it worked out in the end, and the damage wouldn't be irreversible.

"Guys stop it!" Roman harshly whispered as he tried to keep up with how quickly they moved down the hall, continuously trying to hit the other. The strikes were more violent in nature and he could tell they weren't holding back. He had never seen Niko let his inner rage out and it sent a tremor down his spine. He looked so cold, so uncaring. He glanced back down the hall the way they came to make sure no one was trying to follow them. He didn't like the feeling that washed over him, and he needed to get the two of them to focus on getting out of there.

"Go fuck yourself. There is no telling what kind of fucked up shit you did to get your hands on the drugs you cared for." Niko dodged to the side as Darko tried to kick at his injured leg. His body was weaking by the second the longer he kept fighting. It was close quarters fighting and took most of his focus to keep Darko from hitting any of the numerous injuries he had. One good strike and he wouldn't be able to stay on his feet. Darko wasn't pulling his punches either and he was starting to wonder if he would have to kill him in order to stop the fighting.

"Wasn't as fucked up as what those fuckers did to your girl. You sure do know how to piss off the wrong person all the time." Darko caught Niko's fist and jerked their bodies around and slammed him back into the wall hard enough to get the air to leave Niko's lungs. "Tell me. If you had to choose between Roman and her, who would it be? Do you love her more than your own blood?" He kept a firm hold on Niko to keep him from lashing out and getting the upper hand. He glanced up at the mirror above them and saw they had made it to where the exit door was that led down to the main factory floor. The heat was considerably hotter by the door and he could feel sweat starting to form along his back.

He leaned closer to Niko's ear and lowered his voice, "You once asked me to kill the people who raped and murdered your aunt. I have not forgotten what that meant to you. What it meant to me." Darko used their closeness to slip something into Niko's jacket pocket. It was now or never, and he shoved every bit of wishful thinking to the side. He had carried out Niko's drunken begging to have the men killed that had gone after Roman's mother. He wasn't sure if Niko remembered the ranting, the tears, and the agony they all felt when they returned home for an assignment to find the village ransacked. But he would uphold the same promise to him, but this time, for Kate's sake.

Niko's eyes widened significantly and felt the sheer guilt soak through him over the death of Roman's mother. His own had managed to escape before the attack, but Roman's mother wasn't as fortunate. He hadn't gotten that black out drunk since, and even refrained from drinking for several years. Part of him died that day. Darko and Florian had been there to get him back out of the darkness. But once they all returned to their posts, Niko had shoved friendship, kindness, and emotions away. He wanted no part of being happy. Then Darko went and betrayed them all and he completely shut himself off from the world.

"You don't have to say anything to let me know how much she means to you." Darko released Niko and took a step back, "I will make sure to get Kate to you. If you step foot on that boat before me, she is as good as dead." He watched as Roman moved to Niko's side and gripped his arm tightly. He drew his pistol and checked the magazine for bullet count. He would have enough for the few guards that would be on the boat, and he would be able to get more once on board. He reloaded the gun and hardened his features toward Niko. "Don't hold back now." He took aim at Niko and watched as the color drained from Roman's face.

"What are you-?" Roman started before Darko fired once before stumbling back toward the exit door.

The bullet crashed into the wall just above Niko's head and snapped him from his daze. He drew both of his pistols and fired at Darko making sure to hit the bullet proof vest. Darko shoved open the door with his back and tumbled down onto the metal landing of the staircase. Niko gave chase and tried to conserve ammo by only firing when it was necessary. The factory floor was bustling with different gun battles raging around them. The heat was intense, and it caused his face to flush.

Darko rolled over and took off down the metal stairs, ducking slightly as other people took notice of them in the room. Niko lowered down to be able to keep from being shot at and watched as his ex-comrade ran over to the boat ramp and ascended it quickly. He moved back into the hallway and grabbed Roman's arm, "Come on. We got to move now."

aaaaaa

Kate stirred on the comfy surface she was resting on. Her tired mind began to work overtime to try and piece together what had taken place in order to need to wake up. 'Getting real tired of waking up in strange places…' Her eyes fluttered open to the dimly lit room, her foggy mind taking a minute to process what she was seeing. She was on her back and as her eyes adjusted to the faint light, she realized she was staring at a large mirror that was hung on the ceiling in the room she was in. Her reflection greeted her, and she had to squint in order to recognize herself. There was dried blood along her hairline and must have been the injury that Francis had wanted to check out. Her bruised cheek now sported a large cut from where she had been backhanded by Rebecca.

She turned her head to the side to take in her surroundings no longer wanting to look at her appearance. It was bringing up flashbacks of getting to Niko's place and having the breakdown in his bathroom. The men were dead that had harmed her, and she didn't need to worry about them coming for her again. A lone tear trekked down over the bridge of her nose and she swiped at it angrily. The room shook and jerked slightly, and she scrambled around on the bed to get into a seated position, hissing in pain when her shoulder throbbed menacingly in warning. The sound of an engine roared to life and it hit her- she was on a boat. There was a faint sound of guns being fired and she glanced to the large windows that lined one of the walls.

Carefully she crawled off the bed, thankful for not being handcuffed for once, and moved to look out one of the windows to figure out where she was at now. The carpet was soft and plush beneath her bare feet and she flexed her toes into the fabric enjoying the feel of something comforting. She hugged her body as she watched people fighting in some kind of factory. She couldn't see anyone in uniform and figured this was some kind of gang war. A door flung open on the second floor and she watched as someone tumbled out onto the landing.

She recognized the white shirt and black vest on the man who had been kind to her. Then Niko entered into her line of sight and her heart began to pound. He was wearing different clothes then that of the suit he had on and he looked to be heavily armed. He fired once more toward the man who had helped her with her cheek wound. She grabbed at her dress over her heart, clutching the four leaf clover pendant, and felt it stutter at the thought of Niko killing the man who had never tried to harm her. She watched as Niko ducked behind some metal barrels and the man ran toward her location disappearing once he got close enough to the boat.

"Come on Niko. I'm right here." She whispered out trying to fight back the tears that wanted to fall. Niko ducked back into the open door and left her line of sight. The boat jerked backward again, and she realized they were moving away from the factory. Panic gripped her soul as she realized she was being taken away from him. She spun around to face the room and started to look for a way out. 'There is no way I'm staying here when Niko is close by!'

She crossed the room and peaked into one of the doors and saw an en suite bathroom. Sliding the door into the pocket of the wall, she moved into the space, hoping to be able to find something to defend herself with or maybe a window that could be opened. The tiled floor wasn't as cold as she was expecting, and she made quick work of checking the cabinets and drawers. Most of them were empty, or simply had spare towels, toilet paper, and soap. "What no razors? Hairspray? Anything?" She sighed at the lack of items in the bathroom and decided the rest of the bedroom needed to be looked at.

As she headed back toward the bathroom door, she could hear screaming in a foreign language. She closed the bathroom door quickly and turned in a full circle, eyes darting around, looking for a place to hide. The closet door was the only other place and she rushed toward it and got inside before the bedroom door slammed open.

"Where the fuck is she? Huh?! I told you to lock her in a room and here it is unlocked and there is no body on the bed!" Kate recognized the feminine voice of Rebecca and quietly moved to the back of the closet, slumping down behind a couple of large suitcases. She tucked her body into itself and tried to be as small and as hidden as she could get.

"You said throw her in a room and then get the engines going! Most of our men are out there fighting to keep us safe. I can either navigate this ship out of the dock or I can play babysitter. I can't do both!" There was a loud slap that echoed in the room and caused Kate to jump slightly. She clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle any sounds that might escape her.

"Search this whole damn ship! The lot of you! And YOU get this boat out to sea. Niko managed to kill Tobias and thankfully Roman was killed in the crossfire. One less person to kill off now. I want her brought to me. I will be the one to slowly bleed her dry. Get going. All of you!" Natalya screeched as her anger flared to life uncontrollably. People shuffled out of the room quickly. Kate let out a silent sigh and felt the tears start to spill over her cheeks hearing about Roman's death. 'Poor Mal… Oh you poor thing. I will help you in whatever way I can.'

"Congratulations, you've been promoted to Tobias' old position. You have been a better asset than I was assuming you'd be. Find the bitch and maybe I'll let you have a go at her before having my fun. I'll be in the main living room off the deck. Someone has to make sure this ship is secured." She huffed loudly and stomped out of the room; the door closed a moment later softly.

Kate started to count to a minute in her head. She knew staying in one spot wouldn't keep her safe for much longer. They were going to be searching the ship for her and she needed to get out of there quickly. Somehow get a signal out to Niko to let him know where she was and that she needed help. Once she hit two minutes in her counting, she crawled out of her hiding spot. The door was soundless as she opened it to the bathroom. She checked the space for people before quietly moving out into the dark and now chilly bathroom.

She strained her ears to try and pick up any sounds from the bedroom and couldn't hear anything over the hum of the engines and the faint sounds of gunfire from outside the ship. "Okay. Maybe the bedroom will have something I can use as a weapon. Find something quickly, then get off the ship. No big deal." She whispered to herself as a small pep talk. She was in the enemy stronghold now and she would dig deep to stay brave. She would do what she could on her end to get off the ship and make it easier on Niko to find her.

Her hands trembled as she reached for the circular door handle. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to steady her body. She had played hide and seek as a kid and always managed to never be found. She could sneak around a ship full of armed men and not get caught. Right? She scoffed at the ridiculous thoughts and edged the door open to the bedroom. The lights were still off, and everything looked like it did when she woke up. She looked both ways in the small opening she made, before opening the door all the way.

Large hands grabbed at her, one over her mouth to force the scream back down her throat and the other clamped tightly around her throat. The person shoved her back into the bathroom, forcing her to back up into the thick glass shower wall. The air rushed out of her lungs from the impact and she shot her frightened eyes up to the sneering man before her. "Well, looky here. I guess we get to have some alone time before I drag you off to face your fate." He knocked her back against the shower wall roughly, tightening his hold on her.

Her hands grabbed at the wrist of the hand that was wrapped around her throat and she dug her nails into the soft flesh. He let out a surprised yelp and jerked his hand free from her. She kneed him between the legs with all the force she could muster and used his distraction to get out from his grasp. She took off toward the bedroom, gasping for air, hoping to make the hall before he recovered. Something grabbed hold of her ankle and jerked her leg out from under her. She collapsed to the plush carpet, wheezing with the force of her fall, and twisted around to be able to use her free leg to kick the ugly man's face.

He caught her foot easily and used her as leverage to pull himself up and yanked her legs toward him, causing her dress to hike up around her hips. The carpet burned against her bare skin as she was jostled around. She renewed her attempts at getting free from him and thrashed about trying to break his hold. He pushed her legs open and started to climb on top of her, gaining the upper hand, "So you like it rough, do you?"

A black boot connected with the side of his head and he tumbled off of her to the opposite side. She watched as the man in the black combat pants and faded white long sleeved shirt kicked the person in the face again, forcing his body to roll over to his back. He dropped down on top of the man who was attacking her and jabbed a knife into his chest. She snapped her vision away from the sight of the knife and violent nature of how the man kept stabbing the other person. The sound was enough to let her know how he was going to die, and she felt bile rise up her throat.

She shakily rolled over to her stomach and gagged briefly before trying to crawl away from the two people in the room. She was feeling dizzy with how the man who saved her so coldly kept stabbing the body. He was like a machine, there was no emotion, or words coming from him. She felt something wet splatter on her ankle and she jerked her legs up toward her, getting away from the carnage taking place. She reached the edge of the bed and slowly turned to sit against the footboard. She watched as the man slashed one final time across the throat and she inventorially recoiled in disgust at the sound it made.

She tucked her legs up to her chest and buried her face into her knees. If that was what the person was capable of doing, then she would never try to attack him again. She had clearly misjudged his capability and vileness. She listened to his slightly labored breathing as he moved off the now still body of the man who had attacked her. The boots shuffled over the carpet toward the tiled floor of the bathroom and left her line of sight.

The fight had been sucked right out of her when the man had tried to climb on top of her. She didn't have the strength to move from her huddled position at the foot of the bed. It was like being stuck on her bed before Niko had pulled her to him. Everything was slightly shaking, and she couldn't tell if it was just her or if was a combination of her and the boat pulling away from the factory dock. She tightened her hold of her legs and let the despair weigh down on her shoulders. She wouldn't be able to get off the boat now and most definitely wouldn't be able to reach Niko- not now that the other man had entered the bedroom and would be keeping her hostage. The scowl spread on her face at once again failing to protect herself.

Darko rung out the washcloth in the bathroom sink and finished wiping the blood from his face and hands. He almost didn't head back to his room on the ship once Natalya had given the order to search the ship. He had sworn severely at his luck. He should've known she would make a break for it, and he only hoped he would be able to locate her before one of the other idiots did. He had noticed one of the other men lurking around his bedroom door and ducked into a nearby room to keep an eye on him. He heard his bedroom door open again and somehow; he knew something wasn't right. His heart had almost stopped once he saw the man climbing on top of Kate.

He glared at his reflection and couldn't decide who he was anymore. Nothing in his life held meaning to him and it was just one thing after another between days of being high out of his mind. Whatever stuff Natalya had given him had cleared the fog in his brain long enough to see glimmers of hope. Now he was stuck in some kind of revenge mission against one of his old comrades. It seemed like everything came back to Niko and his unit. He wiped once more across his chin making sure there wasn't any blood left before deciding he needed to get them moving.

He saw her crumbled position against the foot of his bed and felt an emotion he couldn't identify tug in his chest. He approached her slowly as to not alarm her and sank down next to her, blocking her view of the bedroom door. He would place himself between whoever might come looking for him and her. He had given a half assed attempt at making a promise to Niko, and he would see it through this time around. He noticed a few droplets of blood on one of her feet and wiped at them with the washcloth he brought in with him. She jumped at the sensation and turned to stare at him with a scared expression.

"I am-" Friend didn't sound right to him and he racked his brain for the right term in regard to his connection to Niko, "I am one of Niko's old associates from back home. I have no plans on harming you. We need to get off this boat. But I need you to follow exactly what I tell you to do." He leaned his head back into the footboard, wishing he still had his helmet on, and glanced toward the closed bedroom door. He strained his ears to see if he could pick up footsteps or doors being opened in the hallway.

"But I saw Niko shooting at you. And you are working with Rebecca." Kate shifted away from the man's body not liking the nearness of him. He had been unflinchingly violent and seemed so nonchalant now and it completely unnerved her. How could someone just end someone's life and not have any outward signs of remorse or pain? Especially someone he was working with. She narrowed her eyes at him and threw her guard up. If he could just kill someone on a whim, then what was stopping him from ending her own life?

"It is a complicated ordeal." It was all he wanted to offer her. If Niko hadn't disclosed what had happened, then he would respect his wishes. There were years of conversations and stories to fill on how he knew Niko and was involved in his life. What led to him wanting to betray and kill his entire unit. What closeness they all had that was destroyed over something as insignificant as heroin. She had hit the nail on the head with only a few words. It was uncanny how simple of an assumption had almost perfectly defined their situation. Niko and he were not on the best of terms and he was working for, 'Did she call her Rebecca?' His face scrunched up at the name she used, "And her name is Natalya. She is Dimitri's cousin."

Everything screeched to a halt in her mind at the mention of Dimitri's name, "Wait. I know that name. Niko told me about him briefly. The guy wanted Niko dead, right? And his cousin is the front desk attendant at Niko's apartment?!" She turned fully to face the man who had saved her and tugged her dress down to cover herself more, shifting to sit on her knees and calves. She studied the man before her and noticed a couple of similarities between him and Niko now that she could see his face. The strong jaw line, a few scars here and there, the haunted and hollow stare that would come and go from Niko's eyes. 'Maybe he isn't so cold after all…' She dropped her eyes to the arm that was closest to her and saw the edge of the tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve.

Darko had to laugh. Clearly, she had no idea what was going on in Niko's life and it amused him to no end. "Niko must keep his life very private. I do not know the full story. But yes, Dimitri wanted him dead for reasons even I am unaware of. But his cousin, Natalya, wants you, Roman, and Niko dead. Niko killed Natalya's lover, Lenny Petrovic, and cousin, Dimitri Rascalov." He chuckled once more and felt rather smug at getting to air some of Niko's dirt to his girlfriend. He glanced down when she grabbed his right arm and shoved the sleeve back up to see the tattoo that rested in the crease of his elbow.

She trailed her finger over the faded ink and knew it was the exact same one that graced Niko and Bernie. She had seen Bernie's at dinner and had a more intimate version of the one on Niko. Her cheeks reddened slightly at the image of how he looked when she placed a kiss to the same tattoo. Her thoughts faded away as the conversation took over again in her mind. 'If he has the same tattoo then maybe he can be trusted, even if it's just long enough to get off this ship…'

"He had asked me for advice about some kind of deal involving someone named Jimmy and Dimitri. We weren't really dating per say this whole time. I guess we were, it just wasn't really the confined definition of being a couple. But I was getting to the point of wanting more from him. And after… After…" She looked down to her lap and released his arm to fist her hands into the hem of her dress and couldn't figure out why she was even opening up to this man. She didn't even know his name and all she had to go off of was his word that he was once close to her boyfriend. As well as sporting a very personal tattoo to her boyfriend. Her eyes watered and obscured her vision.

"You do not have to explain to me." He could guess at what she was wanting to bring up. It made his skin crawl, and to think they weren't even in a relationship made the sickness in his stomach pitch. Carefully he lowered his sleeve back down to cover the tattoo. Her sniffling reached his ears and without even thinking he reached out brushed a couple of tears away from her uninjured cheek with his thumb. It caught him off guard when she leaned into his touch instead of pulling away and he turned his full attention to her. "I am not the one you should be seeking comfort from. Niko will likely kill me for even being this close to you."

"I am close to Bernie. And he doesn't want to kill him." She took his hand between hers and lowered it down between them, keeping a light hold on it. "The tattoo. It holds a deep meaning to them, and yet you have one as well. I am taking a chance on what little I know, but you have to have been close to Niko in order to have that exact tattoo. Freedom, right?" She watched him look down to their clasped hands and he lightly dragged his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Лепа ти је душа (Lepa ti je duša)" Darko knew now why Niko had chosen her and why he was desperately trying to keep her safe and rescue her. Her soul was too beautiful and pure and would attract their lost souls easily. Like a beacon on the shore of a black sea. Even he felt some kind of weird pull toward her and felt his own resolve settle in his decision to get her back to Niko. She saw past their darkness and violent nature and showed them kindness when it was not warranted.

"Niko calls me Лепа (Lepa) all the time. I don't know enough of your language, but one day I will get there." She smiled lightly and squeezed his hand one final time before releasing him.

He was not ready for any kind of heartfelt conversations. Especially with his friend turned enemy back to mutual understanding's girlfriend. But she had said someone's name he didn't recognize. He thought he remembered everyone's name from their unit correctly. But he also had done enough black tar and drank himself into a stupor to forget their names that maybe he was missing one. He scrubbed his hand along his cargo pants to remove the feel of her soft hands from his skin and shifted to get to his feet. They had a boat to escape, and he needed to get them back on track.

The door jerked open as another armed man barged into the room. Darko shifted on his feet to block Kate best he could, but he knew he would have to kill this man. Their cover was about to be blown. "What are you doing in my room?" He would hope the person was too dumb and would get closer to him so he could dispatch him swiftly and soundlessly. And that he would not spot the other dead body in the room…

"Looking for her. Duh. What are YOU doing in here with HER?" The person shifted the rifle he held and pointed it at Darko and sent him a questioning glance, unsure of what was taking place.

"Natalya said I could have a go. Remember?" He spun on his heel and dropped to a knee in front of Kate and fisted his hand in the front of her dress and hauled her to her feet, sending a rather apologetic look to her eyes. He didn't want to be rough, but he had to keep the rouse going long enough to kill the other person in the room. He pulled his knife from vest location and gave a warning glare to Kate who only opened and closed her mouth a couple of times in shock. He shifted his hold on the knife and in one fluid motion turned and threw the knife toward the person's throat.

He shoved Kate back toward the bed and pulled his pistol from his hip and took a couple of steps forward as the person fell to their knees clutching the knife that was embedded fully in their neck. He ran over to the person and twisted the knife ending the life quickly. He dragged the body back into the room and slowly closed the door. "Keep your eyes closed if you are uneasy with the sight of blood or dead bodies." He called over his shoulder softly hoping Kate hadn't watched him kill another person. He didn't need her to pass out on him. He wouldn't be able to carry her around and fight off everyone at the same time.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Kate mumbled from her place on the bed, covering her face with her hands.

Darko dragged the newly dispatched body back toward the other dead one and yanked his knife free, "They will start looking for us. They are already down a couple of people." He wiped the knife on his pantleg and shoved it back into the holster on his chest. He moved over to the chest of drawers in his room and opened the top one. He would need to stock up to make sure he could take on the rest of Natalya's men.

"What is the plan exactly? Just run around the ship killing people?" Kate sat up on the bed and snapped her eyes away from the two bodies that were on the ground by the entrance to the bathroom. The amount of blood that was saturating the carpet was making her stomach lurch.

"Something like that. Niko should be getting a boat to meet up with us." He tucked a couple of magazines into the pockets of his combat cargo pants. He tucked a spare pistol in the waistband of his pants and turned to look at her when she didn't answer him right away. She was staring off toward the bedroom door and looked slightly pale. "Look. I am not going to apologize for killing them. They needed to be killed. It is a them or us situation. You need to understand that." He shut the drawer to the dresser.

"No. I get it. It's just something I'm not accustomed to seeing." She edged her way off the bed to stand up. She hadn't looked at the man who Niko had shot, and he had told her to keep her eyes closed till they reached the living room in her Ma's home. Maybe he had slaughtered the other man in a similar fashion. Her insides squeezed painfully at the image she conjured of Niko stabbing the other man the way see had seen Niko's friend go at the other dead body in the room.

"You are dating someone who kills for a living and you aren't accustomed to death?" Darko slanted his eyebrows not understanding the disconnect and crossed his arms.

"It is not death I have a problem with. Can we just not talk about it? I'm not in the mood to discuss the innerworkings of my relationship with someone I love. And especially not with someone whose name I don't even know." Kate huffed and blushed slightly at letting the person know how she felt about Niko. She kept close to the bed as she worked her way around it to stand closer to the bedroom door. She would much rather be out of the room and away from the two corpses. There was a smell that wafted through the air that was making her skin crawl.

"Then let us get moving, yes? We need to get control of the wheelhouse. I need to set a new course to crash this boat ashore. Can you swim?" He turned back toward the dresser and lifted up his heavy black riding jacket. He slipped a pistol down into the inner chest pocket. He looked up to see her shift her arms more protectively around herself and turned completely away from where he stood next to the dead bodies.

"Not for a very long time. But I can stay afloat. Why?" She glared over her shoulder to him as he kept still in the same place by the two bodies on the floor as if he were taunting her to take a look at his handy work.

"We will need to jump before the ship crashes of course." He walked over to her to stand by her side. He hadn't played protection detail in a very long time and he would do his best to stay vigilant. He flipped the heavy jacket around and dropped it over her shoulders, it was freezing outside, and he would try to give her one extra layer of protection. Their eyes locked as she hesitantly slipped her arms into the larger sleeves of his jacket. He pulled the zipper up to the base of her neck and shifted the heavy material around to make it lay right. He could almost read the uneasiness in her eyes and decided to start up a lighter conversation to keep her motivated to keep moving and possibly lift her spirits.

"Who is Bernie?"

aaaaaa

Gerry groaned as his mind stirred to life. The first thing he noticed was that he was laying down on a slightly firm surface. He blinked his eyes open and let the memories fall into place. He had managed to escape from the helicopter, ran into a helpful cop, got to the docs place, and then nothing. He closed his eyes and took in a full breath and was relieved to not have the searing pain shoot over his back. He wiggled his fingers of the arm he broke and was happy to not have the sting run up his arm. He had been tended to and would be able to get back to the church to find his sister. His groggy mind was trying to tell him something as he made to sit up.

Someone placed a hand on his chest, and pressed firmly to keep him still, "Don't move too fast. I don't want you tearing your stitches. You've been out for a while." The doc leaned into his line of sight and he immediately felt the rush of pain down his back as he tried once more to lean up off the examination table.

"How bad was it?" Gerry lifted the arm he knew was broken and saw a heavy cast had been wrapped around his hand and up to his elbow. The arm had quit throbbing and the only thing that was really bothering him was his back. He squinted his eyes as everything started to blur.

"Not as bad as I was envisioning. The sedatives will take a minute or two to flush free of your system. So let's take it slow okay?" He tried to force Gerry to lay back down, but he could see the resistance and protest forming on his patient's face.

"I can't just stay here. My sister needs my help. Let me up doc." Gerry was starting to get mad at the constant pressure on his chest and he grabbed the doctors wrist with his good hand.

"I understand that, but. Um…" The doc leaned away from the table to look over his shoulder into the living room. Gerry could see the uneasy nature the doctor was displaying, and he tried to look over to what had caught his attention.

"What? The cops here or something?" Irrational fear flooded his body and he shoved himself upright, regretting the action immediately as the room spun and caused him to want to empty the contents of his stomach, which wasn't much. The doc turned back to him and handed him a small pail to throw up into if he needed to.

"No. But it is so good to see you alive." A thick accent, with a rather joyful undertone reached his ears. He turned to locate who had spoken. He knew that voice, dreaded ever hearing it, and wished to never come in contact with them ever again. Once his vision cleared enough, he made out the figure of Kenny Petrovic.

"I'm not so sure I'm glad to see you." He laid the pail down on the headrest of the table. If he were here to kill him, he would take it like a man and be standing. The doc moved into his line of sight and held up a soft looking dress shirt. He glanced down to his body and saw that he was shirtless. He grabbed the new shirt that the doc handed him and used the offered help from the doctor to slip his arms into the sleeves and pull it up his body to button.

"You should be. I know where your sister is being held. And I helped your brother recover. I have never had a use or need to get involved with your affiliation. Gordon Sargent does speak highly of you though." Kenny moved back into the living space and sank down on the couch. Gerry could see biker, Johnny, from earlier was also sitting in a chair in the room looking rather uncomfortable.

"What do you want Kenny? I don't have time for mind games and lofty words. I have places I need to be." Gerry tested his feet against the plastic covered carpet to see if he would be able to hold his weight. So far his body hadn't protested the movement. The doc held his good arm and guided him to stand up fully.

"To the point I see. Very well then. We all have a rather common enemy. I have already cleared my deck of debts and wish to make peace. You have lots of ground to regain in Broker if my memory serves me correctly," Kenny turned his attention to the other man sitting in the room, "And you have no real chapter left and need a fresh start." He held his arms out wide as to show that it was a great deal and there would be no foul play.

"And I'm just supposed to trust you?" Gerry scoffed, and with the help of the doc, moved into the living space to glare at the kingpin of Russian crime. "She was your future daughter-in-law. Why the hell are you wanting her dead? Shouldn't you be gunning for Niko?"

"What's this got to do with Niko?" Johnny recognized the name of the man he had gone on several botched jobs with. He leaned forward on the chair he was sitting in, now interested in what was taking place. He didn't like that Kenny had hauled him back to the docs house, but now understood something much bigger was going on.

"Never mind about Niko. He and I have reached our own agreement." He waved his hands and focused on the coffee table that sat in front of him, "I have a proposition to give. One that will benefit us all. If you will listen?"

"And if we don't like it?" Gerry glanced over to the other man in the room and gave a half shrug. He didn't have much knowledge about dealing with Kenny- except to avoid him and not mess with his business. Something Niko was never warned about.

"I will leave here, and we will never speak again. Yes?" He crossed his arms and waited for the leaders of their respective gangs to either nod or reject his offer. If he could unite some of the underground mafias then there could be a time of peace in Liberty, something he desperately wanted. He was getting on in age and he had aged significantly with the passing of his son.

"Go ahead Kenny." Gerry decided to take the lead. Johnny didn't look like he was much of a talker and he figured he would need to get Kenny to get to the point. 'The faster the better…'

"I propose we eliminate the enemy together and form a mutually beneficial agreement. I, the leader of the largest mafia in Liberty and the country, would grant you Gerry the old territory that was carved out by Faustin and Dimitri mafia's. And for John Boy here I would give him the land I own in Grapeseed, San Andreas. And we all agree to not fuck with one another's businesses. And live our own merry little lives. In peace." Kenny turned his palms up to show he didn't have anything up his sleeves. It was something he had been working toward. He would have uses for the biker gang and Irish mob… at a later date.

"Sounds too good to be true if you ask me." Johnny spoke up from his position. He met Gerry's stare and knew he was thinking the same thing. He may not know much about the leader of the Petrovic mafia, but the reputation of him was spoken of everywhere.

"Details can be worked out later. I already have deals in place with some of your friends. We all have issue with the Angels of Death, Triads, Korean Mob, Albanians, the Pavano's, and more importantly Dimitri and his cousin Natalya. What is the problem with joining forces?" He looked between the two leaders and sent a questioning glare. Why couldn't they see the goldmine he was offering them?

"So long as I get Pa's old seat at the table. I want my own terms though." Gerry crossed his arms and winced at the pulling sensation on his back. He would need to get the details from the doc on what all he had done to him. He was almost scared to look in a mirror at his back.

"Mr. Klebitz?" Kenny turned a rather smug look Johnny's direction. He had Gerry on the hook and now all he needed was to close the deal with the now defunct chapter of The Lost.

"Shit so long as I can make sure we don't get fucked over, I'm in." Johnny nodded his head. It would be the new start they all needed. And it would be away from Liberty City and the bad memories that haunted it.

A timid looking man walked into the room from the entryway and everyone turned to look at him. Kenny raised his eyebrow in a silent question for the rude interruption. He had told his guards to stay outside and not bother him till he came back out of the house.

"Si-sir. She is fleeing on a yacht. Our men will not be able to catch her in time from where our boats are docked in East Hook." He visibly flinched by the murderous glare that was sent his way from his boss.

"Then ready the chopper. We leave immediately."

aaaaaa

Niko dragged a stunned and surprised Roman down the hall he had used to get upstairs. He didn't like the idea of Darko going after Kate alone, but it would give him a chance to get Roman to safety. He only hoped that Packie had secured them a way to get out of the area. He could hear footsteps ahead of him and he let go of Roman to pull both pistols out. A couple of enemies moved out from the entrance to the breakroom and he opened fire. Dropping the bodies easily.

"Niko, shouldn't we be trying to get on the boat?" Roman leaned into the wall as a wave of nausea tried to overtake him. He had seen more dead bodies in one day than he ever cared to see again.

"We are. We just have to go about it a different way. If Natalya sees me coming there is nothing stopping her from killing Kate." He emptied the magazines from the pistols letting them clatter to the ground and reloaded them quickly, tucking them back into the holsters. He pulled his rifle around to his front and made sure he knew how many bullets he had before stepping over the dead bodies to enter the breakroom.

Roman used the doorframe to steady himself as he slightly jumped over the two men on the ground, "And you just let Darko go? I thought for sure you two were going to kill one another!"

"I have no choice." Niko muttered darkly as he moved toward a window to look out the blinds. The boat had almost completely left the dock and was slowly turning to be able to set out for the ocean.

"You could have gone after him." Roman hobbled over to stand by his cousin. He wasn't sure what all was going on, but he could almost see the seething that lay just under the surface of Niko.

"And leave you defenseless? No. Darko knows his life is forfeit if Kate is killed." He glared at Roman not really wanting to speak much more on the current situation. He was trying to keep his own anger contained and not lash out. The last time he had let his anger run free, Bernie had been shot. He would not let that happen again.

"Give me a gun NB. I can help." Roman held his hand out and hoped he was giving him an expectant glare. His face was throbbing in pain and he could only really see out of his one eye.

"You don't even know how to fire one." Niko ignored his cousin's outstretched hand and headed toward the door he had used earlier to enter the upper levels. 'Just keep moving. Find Packie, force them to get to safety, then find a boat or something to catch the yacht. No distractions.'

"Niko Bellic you listen to me! Give me a damn gun. You don't have to do everything on your own!" Roman grabbed Niko's forearm and yanked him around to face him instead of the door. He would set the record straight right now before being shot at again. He needed his cousin to know he was here for him, and not just as a crash pad, or as a way to get out of Europe. They were family. They were friends. They were going to take on the world together now.

"Yes, I do!" Niko yelled out and slapped his cousin's hand off of him, "Look at what happens when I involve people!" He gestured around them with the rifle, "You almost lost everything because I came back into your life. So yes Roman. I will do this on my own. No one else is going to get hurt or die because of me. No one!" He removed one of the pistols from the holster and shoved it into one of Roman's hands. He figured it wouldn't be the worst idea to give him some form of protection as they were about to head into battle.

"I'm sorry." Roman lowered his voice and looked down to the pistol that rested in his hand. He had never fired one before and he was starting to second guess asking for one. He wouldn't even know how to fire it properly to kill someone. Not that he ever wanted to end someone else's life before.

"Save it." Niko huffed and turned the gun in Roman's hand and shifted his grip to show him how to hold it. He flipped off the safety and met Roman's eyes, "Safety is off. Just point and pull the trigger. There are only nine rounds. Either count or save the shooting to me." He released his cousin's hand and somewhat pushed the gun from pointing his direction. He turned back toward the door and sighed heavily to get his mind clear in order to get them both out of the factory alive. He knew some of Kenny's men were down there, but he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between friend and foe. And he was sure Kenny's men weren't to be trusted.

Roman swallowed the lump in his throat and figured once things settled down, they would be able to speak to one another. He knew he would be just as angry if someone had kidnapped Mallorie. He would let it all slide to the side and do as his cousin said. If there was one thing he could always rely on with Niko- it was keeping him safe and coming to his aid. 'He is wrong though. Things have been going in the right direction since he came to stay with me. He was what I was missing in my life…' He glanced up in time to see Niko nod once before opening the door to the factory.

Niko crouched down and moved slowly out onto the catwalk. He could see that most of the fighting was slowing down now that the yacht had left the dock. Men were running toward it waving their arms and screaming, probably wanting on the ship to avoid being killed or arrested. Other more heavily armed men, weapons trained toward the screaming people, approached as a group. He figured those were Kenny's men. He looked over his shoulder to where Roman was squatted down and jerked his head to the side to let him know to follow him.

Once Roman reached his side he started down the staircase, using the scope on the rifle to locate anyone that may have noticed them leaving the breakroom. He tried to not let his outward appearance show how irritated he was. He needed to keep his mind blank, his body calm, and his focus sharp. There was too much at stake and he wouldn't let someone he loved to be killed. With how his emotions were weighing on him, there would be no denying how strongly he felt for Kate. He just hoped the damage done, wasn't something they both couldn't overcome.

Niko watched as the far side entrance exploded in a shower of sparks, fully geared up IAA agents rushing in guns firing. They charged the men along the dock taking no prisoners. "Shit. Here is our chance Roman. Stay close." Niko lowered his rifle and started down the stairs quickly. He would use the commotion the IAA was making to get them both outside and back to where he left Packie. He kept looking over his shoulder periodically to make sure Roman kept up. The sounds of helicopters overhead grew louder, and he figured the calvary had arrived.

They reached the door Niko had used to enter, and they both silently slipped out into the frigid nighttime air. Bright spotlights from the choppers above them flooded the area in light, red and blue flashing lights lined the streets from where FIB, IAA, and Alderney police cars were parked, Kenny's men were scattering about the factory yard trying to get back to their own vehicles to not be caught in the scuffle. Niko kept close to the outer wall not wanting to be spotted and mistaken for an enemy.

"Come on Roman, Packie is back this way." As soon as the words left his mouth, he caught the sight of a speedboat pulling up along the brick lined shore of the dock. Packie was waving frantically from behind the steering wheel.

"Your chariot awaits man!" Packie hollered over the noise and chaos, waving a submachine gun over his head.

"Let's go!" Niko tugged on Roman's arm and got them running toward the water's edge. He wasn't sure where Packie had found a boat, but he would thank him later when he got the chance. He would get Roman on first to make sure he would get to safety. Then he would board the boat. They ducked as a couple of people opened fire on them once they were out in the open, slowing slightly in their approach. One of the police spotlights landed on their location and gave away their position.

"Get on Roman!" Niko shouted as they reached the edge of the yard and where the boat bobbed slightly in the choppy water. Packie was holding his hand out to help haul them onto the deck. He shoved at Roman's back to get him moving and watched as he jumped slightly to land on the polished wooden decking, collapsing down on all fours, letting out a painfilled yelp. Packie dropped down to help get him situated into a chair and check out what caused him to get hurt.

Niko prepared to make the jump to the boat but caught sight of someone that was charging at him. He swung around to take aim with his rifle but misjudged how close the person was getting and was tackled down to the gravel on the factory yard. He used his rifle as a guard to keep the man from jabbing the blade into his chest. He didn't think the bullet proof vest would withstand punctures from knives.

"Niko!" Packie yelled as he stood up to help get him on the boat. He watched in horror as his friend fought off an enraged enemy that was trying to jam a knife into him.

Niko felt his arms shake against the person's full weight and shifted his knee to give him some kind of leverage. He pushed with all his strength to lift the person off of him enough to slip a hand to his remaining pistol and unloaded the entire magazine into the person's stomach and chest. Thankfully, they weren't wearing a vest and they went limp against him. He rolled the person off of him and looked over to where the boat was, trying to sit up slightly. More people were running his direction and he knew he wouldn't be able to get on the boat without drawing their fire toward Roman and Packie.

"Get going! Chase down the yacht! Kate is on there!" Niko twisted over to use his hands and knees to get off the ground. He shoved the pistol back into the holster, readied his rifle, and returned fire at the enemies that were trying to kill him.

"NB! Come on! You can make it!" Roman screamed frantically toward his cousin and moved to the edge of the boat to try and get back on land to go to his aid. He had landed wrong on his wrist and it was hurting more than his face was, but he knew he could help in some form or fashion. He wouldn't abandon his family.

"NO!" Niko yelled back before a bullet struck his vest under his jacket and he stumbled back toward a metal electrical box. Pain erupted across his stomach and his hand immediately sought out the bullet to remove it from the Kevlar. His thumb brushed over the larger caliber bullet and knew he wouldn't be able to just yank it free. He sank down to his one good knee and gasped in air trying to push through the urge to throw up. He blearily looked over toward Packie and Roman who were screaming out to him. They needed to get out of here, he could manage this on his own.

"Leave. Get Kate!" He waved his arm sharply hoping they would just get moving on the boat already. He locked eyes with Packie and could see the internal struggle before he nodded once and dropped back down to the wheel of the boat and took off toward the yacht that was picking up speed toward the open sea.

"Fuck." Niko whispered as he reached into one of the pockets of his jacket to get out two of the syringes- one to kill the pain, the other to get his heartrate going faster. His fingers brushed against something else and he glanced down as he pulled the object out. A shorter metal key fell into the palm of his hand. A symbol for a motorcycle was etched into the square head of the key. His eyes darted around the yard looking for a bike and did a double take when he spotted a Shitzu Hakuchou custom racing bike.

Bullets ricocheted off the metal electrical box he was using as cover and it knocked him from his thoughts. He set the key down and pulled out two of the syringes and popped the caps off and jabbed them into his upper thigh, injecting the meds quickly. The drugs hit his system immediately and he felt the adrenaline kick his body into overdrive. He discarded them to the gravel and picked up the key again. Shifting in his position he got ready to return fire. He would kill enough of them to give himself an opening, then he would take off for the bike.

He popped up from behind his cover and fired at the first couple of people he could see and shifted between targets rapidly, draining the magazine. He pressed the release button for the magazine and tilted the gun slightly to have it dislodge on its own, before pulling a new one from his pocket and reloading the rifle. He pulled the firing mechanism to load one in the chamber and went back to eliminating enemies. Bodies dropped left and right, and he moved from behind the cover and backed up toward where the bike was parked.

He let his mind go blank and fell into old habits- the war had taught him much. Chest, then head. Chest, then head. Minute movements to keep his arms close to his body and to not do any unnecessary moves. Small targets were no longer hard to hit, and he didn't need to waste ammo with a double tap to the chest before going for the kill shot of the head. Keep the targets in one location to avoid someone flanking him. Be prepared to reload before the count goes out in his mind.

The magazine fell out of the rifle and a new one was inserted before the old one hit the ground. He could see them trying to take cover and get out of his sights, but he would leave no one alive. Arms, legs, faces- anything that poked out from behind their cover got a bullet. He knew that was the last magazine and he would need to get on the bike. The pistol wouldn't be good for distance firing. They were meant for closer quarters. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding before dropping his rifle to his side and flung his leg over the bike.

A helicopter overhead lowered slightly, and he could read the LCPD letters along the tail. Someone rolled open the door and waved down to him and then pointed toward the other enemies and where the yacht was heading. He nodded his understanding; he would get some cover for the time being. He just hoped the idiots didn't have rocket launchers on them. He shoved the key into the ignition and revved the engine a couple of times and had to smirk at the level of power the bike had. 'Darko did love fast bikes.'

The officers in the helicopter readied their own rifles and started to shoot at the people who were still trying to make their way toward Niko. The gunfire overhead was drowned out by the roar of the bike that sat between his legs. He let the back tire spin before taking off toward the crowd of enemies, the speed giving him tunnel vision briefly. He swerved between objects and people, gaining ground along the shore to where Packie was pushing the boat to its limits to catch up to the full speed yacht.

He kept glancing between the location of the boats and what was in front of him. The docks gave way to the sandy shores of the West River and he had to adjust his speed and handling of the bike as the sand was looser to drive over. The back tire skidded slightly before he regained control. A slight ringing in his ear caused him to startle slightly and he reached up to press the talk button on the earpiece he still had on.

"Next time you take off without us, I will personally hunt you down and shoot both of your knees out." Bernard seethed over the line, causing Niko's smirk to deepen.

"There won't be a next time." He jerked the bike out of the way of a couple of rocks that littered the sandy shoreline.

"You have that right. On your six." Niko twisted slightly to be able to look over his shoulder and saw several helicopters following him, a couple of them branched off to chase after the yacht as its direction changed. Bernard saluted from the pilot's seat of one of the choppers and tilted the bird down in order to speed up to catch up to Niko.

He watched as Bernard pulled the aircraft up alongside the water's edge, Little Jacob was sitting on the edge of the opening holding a rocket launcher, and he could see Ron in the other pilot's seat. Hope warred inside his chest at seeing everyone coming to his aid to help him finish off Natalya. But he also regretted having put them all in the situation to begin with. He tuned back forward and revved the bike and picked up speed, he was running out of available land to drive on.

"How are your flying skills?" Niko glanced to the helicopter that was keeping up with his pace along the coast. He fought the smile that wanted to tug at his lips for repeating the conversation they had in the SUV on their way to Roman's house.

"Decent and much better than my driving skills. What are you thinking this time?" Niko could pick up on the slight humor that Bernard put behind his words.

"You see the ramp?" Niko focused on the wooden, rickety, looking ramp that was abandoned on the beach before the cutoff by the prison.

"You are one crazy motherfucker you know that?" Bernard turned serious as he started to lift the helicopter up above him.

"This is not something LCPD prepares you for." Ron muttered over the open communication line and caused Bernard to chuckle.

"I'm taking it." Niko pushed the bike to its limits and felt the wind rush past his face and through his short hair. The ramp got closer rapidly and he prepared to launch himself and the bike into the air. He took one last glance to the position of the aircraft and turned the bike's trajectory a hair before the tires struck the wood at the base of the ramp. Time slowed down as he took off into the sky. The water and ground swiftly leaving him. He released the bike knowing the weight would only drag him down faster. He watched as the blades of the helicopter whipped around below him. The feeling of flying was a brief experience before gravity reached out and started to tug him toward the water.

Bernard judged the distance and realized that Niko would be above them. He flipped the controls to his seat and jerked the bird to roll to its side, yelling out for everyone to hold on. Niko began to plummet toward them and the now sideways opening of the helo. He reached out to grab something to keep him from going right through to the other open side. Little Jacob lurched from his position and slammed into him before Bernard knocked the controls the other direction to level it out. Niko and Jacob tumbled toward the opposite opening before the floor of the helicopter smashed upwards to meet them. Niko started to fall out the other opening and both Jacob and Badman grabbed hold of his arms to haul him back inside the aircraft.

"Everyone on board?!" Bernard yelled from his pilot's seat.

Ron twisted around to check on everyone and let out a sigh of relief seeing Niko, Badman, and Jacob sprawled out on the floor, "All accounted for!"

"Then let's kill the bitch and have a drink back at my place!" Bernard turned the bird in the direction of the yacht and charged ahead to it.

Niko shifted to his hands and felt Jacob help haul him upright. He leaned into his friend's arm and took in several deep breaths trying to calm his wildly beating heart. He hadn't pulled a stunt like that in years. Even running for his life before the explosives went off at Kenny's garage hadn't caused him to get this worked up. He could feel the sweat trying to bead down his face and he shakily reached up to wipe away at it.

"Me breda, easy star!" Jacob partially dragged him away from the open side door and let Niko shift to sit on his behind.

"Great catch by the way!" He raised his voice so Bernard would be able to hear him, even if it were mostly directed toward Jacob. His hands trembled slightly, and he opened and closed them to get rid of the tingles that went in waves through his fingers. He knew the crash was imminent from the drugs he took, and he moved to be able to pull out the last two syringes he had on him.

"Was never one for sports. So I'd say it was a success!" Bernard yelled over the noise of the spinning blades of the helicopter.

"Too risky. Couldn't we have just landed and let him on like any normal human would do?" Ron asked smirking at the IAA agent that had a rather wild streak to him.

"This was- this was quicker." Niko was having trouble breathing deeply and he leaned back to lay down against the metal floor. He could practically feel his heart wanting to smash through his ribcage and he placed a hand over it to make sure it wouldn't somehow comically burst through his chest.

"Niko man? What's the problem?" Jacob leaned over him and patted his pale face, "You bleedin' somewhere?" He lowered his eyes and noticed a hole in the blue jacket he wore where a shiny mangled bullet was embedded into the Kevlar vest.

"I took a bullet before getting on the bike. Should be fine." He covered his eyes with one of his hands and rubbed at them trying to remove the headache that was starting to build there. He let Jacob open his jacket and sweater to get a better look at the vest and bullet. He would just take a small breather and be ready to go once they caught up to the ship.

"Breda. You're bleeding. Star this went right through the layers." Jacob let the jacket and sweater fall open when he pulled the zippers down and knew in an instant the larger round had ripped the vest to shreds. The under shirt was turning red and even the hem of the dark green combat pants was wet.

"Fuck. The meds definitely didn't help any then." The adrenaline would have just worked his heart over to get the blood pumping… and would make the wound bleed more.

"What did you take?" Ron asked as he unbuckled himself from the copilot's chair. He patted the IAA agent's shoulder to let him know he had the controls before climbing back into the main compartment of the helicopter.

"I grabbed some morphine and epinephrine when I left the hospital. It's a mix we'd use in the war to keep going." Niko removed his hand from his eyes and slid it back to run it over his hair. Now that he knew he was bleeding; he was starting to feel sick. His vision was getting blurry and his fingers were going slightly numb as the morphine pulsed through his body.

"That only works if you keep moving. You about to crash on us?" Ron knelt down next to Jacob and lifted Niko's wrist to check his blood pressure, which caused him to frown. It was high. Really high.

"Something like that. I haven't taken anything like this in over a year." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "I got more on me. Should be what I need to jump start myself."

"That's not safe. I can't let you just overdose or kill yourself on accident." Ron opened the vest to get a better look at the wound. The vest had definitely taken the brunt of the force but didn't stop the bullet completely. He glanced to the mangled remains of the bullet and could only see a small portion, "I think part of it broke off inside you. I can't be certain, but the caliber needed to cause this damage would have something much larger left behind." He yanked the metal off the vest and inspected it between his fingers.

"I'll be fine. Just need to stop her from killing Kate." Niko muttered cracking his eyes open to look at Ron.

"We can handle it Niko." Bernard called over his shoulder from the cockpit.

"My fight. My problem." Niko frowned at how everyone kept trying to put themselves in harm's way for something he needed to finish.

"And we are your friends breda. Let's do this together." Jacob opened one of the med kits from under a chair and pulled out some bandages and gauze. He knew how stubborn Niko could get and would help patch him up to the best of his ability, knowing Niko would just go off into battle anyway.

Niko remained silent and let his friends clean his wound and bandage him up. He would let them get him close enough to the yacht and he would somehow get on board. He would leave them behind in order to track down Natalya on his own. They didn't need to be hurt, shot at, or killed. They all had their own lives to live and he would make sure they still had the chance to do so. He had promised himself that no one else would have to suffer for his mistakes and choices. His chest squeezed with the thought- Kate had suffered the most for his yearning to be close to her. It was clearly too much to ask to have something good in his life.

"The yacht is picking up speed. But. Shit! They are going to crash into Happiness Island!" Bernard watched the trajectory change again of the yacht before the vessel picked up tremendous speed. Bernard flipped a switch above his head and pulled the microphone down on his headset, "This is IAA chopper one calling to confirm visual on target. Does anyone copy? Over."

"IAA chopper one this is LCPD helo delta, we confirm target has accelerated its knots. We've dispatched all available units to try and intercept hostile vessel. Over."

The warning alarm blared loudly within the helicopter and Bernard released the flares as a rocket tried to strike them, "Requesting air support. Ground to air missiles have targeted my position. Over." There was a blast of static over the line and Bernard yanked the headset off his ears due to the pain the sound caused him, "What the fuck?" Bernard flipped a couple more switches and pressed the open comm button to try and reestablish communications with the LCPD, his own team, or anyone else with a transponder on and operational.

Ron padded the gun wound on Niko and tapped it down tightly. The pressure would help for the time being and he redid the bulletproof vest to add more pressure to it. He met Niko's eyes and gave him a slight nod. It would have to do for the time being. He needed to get back to the cockpit to help the agent fly the helicopter and try to reestablish communication with anyone that could help them. He carefully climbed back into the copilot's chair and took control of the bird to give the pilot a chance to get comms up and working.

Niko groaned and forced himself to sit upright. His old injuries from the church were starting to come back to life and he shook his head against the pain that wanted to course through his body. He held his hand out to Jacob who only silently pulled him up to be able to sit into a seat. They worked together to buckle the seatbelts and get strapped in for the erratic flying that was bound to take place once more rockets headed their direction.

Loud rap music started to blast over the open comm lines, and they all jumped against the onslaught of sound that was pumping through the speakers. The warning siren wasn't even loud enough to drown out the music and Ron maneuvered the bird out to the rocket's path, releasing more flares to try and get the heat seeking missile to go for the distraction. The music lowered slightly as a middle eastern accented voice yelled out. "Fucking A' you bitches looking for a fight!"

"Yusuf just focus would you!" A Hispanic sounding voice yelled over the volume of the music.

A gold Buzzard helicopter blasted past them and launched several missiles down toward the yacht, taking over the fight to give them a chance to recover. It flew erratically and was rather impressive in its aggressive firing and attack patterns.

"Who the fuck are these yahoos?!" Bernard yelled out as he watched the golden fighter bird drop a hundred feet to charge headfirst toward the yacht and the people he could make out on the deck.

"Yusuf Amir more than likely. Dude is rather eccentric." Ron offered as he decided to drop down to the same level and help shoot out the rocket launchers and other people that were trying to take them out of the sky.

"You mean to tell me the real estate developer and nightclub owner has come to our rescue?" Bernard shook his head and flipped the control switch over to be able to take over flying the craft, "Use the underbelly guns to target the stationary guided missiles along the starboard side of the boat."

Niko watched from the open side doors as more and more police, FIB, IAA, and personal speed boats caught up to them on the water. He could make out Packie swerving back and forth using the wake of a larger ship to jump the waves to try to get ahead of them all. Roman was clutching the side of the boat tightly and looked to be screaming his head off. Various guns were firing in the direction of the yacht and a few rockets launched in retaliation for the ones that were being shot at them.

"Who knew so many people hated the Rascalov's?" Jacob exclaimed as he lost count of the number of boats trying to charge after the fleeing yacht.

"Roman had said the whole city hated her. I guess he was right." Niko was slightly stunned by the sheer number of people who were all trying to do what he was- end the life of Natalya Rascalov.

"Сваком ко слуша, планирам да се срушим у луку острва Среће. Будите спремни за борбу. (Svakom ko sluša, planiram da se srušim u luku ostrva Sreće. Budite spremni za borbu.)" Darko's voice spoke over the open radio wave and Niko snapped his eyes to look at Bernard to see if he heard correctly. Bernard's frown deepened as he flew the helicopter out of the way of a wayward rocket.

"He plans to crash into the harbor on Happiness Island?!" Niko spoke in Serbian to Bernard and released his seatbelt to lean into the space between Ron and Bernard in the cockpit. He winced at the pain that flared from his gunshot wound. He reached out and grabbed the headset and flipped the microphone down to be able to have his voice heard more clearly over the line of communication. He pressed the pilot one headset button in order to make the conversation private. "Comrade. There is precious cargo aboard. Crashing doesn't sound like that great of a plan." He hoped it was only Darko that knew Serbian on the yacht.

"You know I will not endanger her. Meet us on the island. Our time has come to end our mission. Our oath." Darko responded back in a slightly coded message, knowing Niko would understand what was being said, and what wasn't. There was a slight shuffling sound over the headset and Niko pressed the ear cuffs tightly to his head.

"Волим те (Volim te)" Kate's voice came through the headset and nearly stopped Niko's heart. It had been too long since he had heard her voice. She sounded scared, but there was a strength to her words. He would trust that she wasn't in duress and had said the words on her own volition. It didn't sound like a goodbye and certainly didn't sound like she didn't want to say the words to him.

"волим те лепото (volim te lepoto). I am coming for you. Just hold on." Niko repeated the sentiment back in hopes that she would take some kind of comfort in his words. He was on his way and he would get to her soon. The line went quiet before several gunshots rang out. He was unsure if it was safe to call out to her or Darko, and he didn't want to blow Darko's cover if he was still trying to play both sides.

"We will get to her Niko. Don't worry." Bernard softly spoke to him before switching the headset button off to make the communication back over the speakers. He held the mute button for a second and briefly looked to Niko, "The only place to send out a direct line from that style of boat would be from the wheelhouse and navigation room. Which happens to be on the top deck." He released the mute button and turned his focus back to flying the aircraft. He would try to navigate down to the island to cut off any escape path that could be planned.

Ron tried to produce some kind of team name for everyone that was attacking the fleeing vessel and was coming up blank, "IAA, FIB, LCPD, and other's on this revenge mission- this is Detective Ron from the Westminster Police Station. Avoid hitting the command deck of the yacht. There are friendlies on board. Repeat. Do not target top deck. Try to render the ship immobile if possible."

"This is the Sultan of Amir and I one hundred percent copy that order!" The golden buzzard dropped to skim along the surface of the ocean and started to fire the turret gun at the lowest point on the back of the yacht where the rudders and engine might be.

"They are going to try and crash the boat into the harbor. There will be injuries I'm sure. Is there a medical vessel somewhere close by?" Bernard spoke out as he tilted the bird down to charge ahead toward the Statue of Happiness. He would find a safe place to land in order to cut off any escape path Natalya might try once the boat was destroyed in the crash.

"LCPD has contacted the Navy to dispatch a destroyer and rescue ship. White cross is also enroute."

"FIB requests that the destroyer not fire upon the yacht. It will completely destroy the ship."

"Navy copies the request; will have jurisdiction once they cross into international waters. We will not engage till then."

Niko tried to drown out all the voices over the radio and watched as the yacht continued to charge full steam ahead toward the docks of Happiness Island. Bernard was pushing the bird to its limits to try and beat it there, but he wasn't sure how quick they would be able to land before the boat slammed into the concrete barrier. His stomach knotted up with every second that the boat didn't slow down. The golden helicopter was unleashing hell to the lower decks and should have hit something by now.

They were gaining ground and Niko had to move back toward the open doors to be able to watch the attack on the ship. So many boats were unloading magazine after magazine into the sides, hardly doing any damage to the hull. But he assumed it made them feel good to be contributing in some way. He lowered down and let his legs dangle over the edge to rest on the tops of the skid rails. He silently reloaded his pistol with his final magazine and tucked it back into the holster for safe keeping. Jacob joined him at his side and together they watched as the details of the statue became clearer to their eyes.

"Seen, Niko. We going fe get dem now. Dere ain't nowhere she can go." Jacob spoke out as he trailed his eyes over the many boats trying to catch up to the larger ship.

"Thank you for helping me with this. It was not your fight." Niko kept his eyes trained on the upper decks trying to spot Darko or Kate moving around. But so far, the only people on the outside levels were shooting rockets and guns at the golden buzzard.

"I got ya back, breda." Jacob lightly punched Niko's shoulder.

"This is something that I have to do. Kate has a messed up family, but she remained good. She… She is worth protecting. I can't let her die. By helping me today you are doing something good." He had winced at the punch and shifted his hand into the jacket pocket to make sure he still had the last two syringes of meds on him. He would wait for the right time to take them. He would make sure he had the best chance at finishing his final mission in life.

"Irie, Niko." Jacob took hold of the opening when he helicopter shifted slightly and dropped suddenly before evening out.

"I do not care if I am killed, if I am hurt, as long as she pays for her attack. If I live, I will be able to say that today, I did not hesitate. I did what was right. I will have finally won." He continued searching the multiple decks trying to see someone. The wind was cold out over the water and he sniffed slightly against the chill that invaded his lungs.

"We've come a long way from complete nobody's to somebody's eh star?" Jacob pushed his glasses up his nose and frowned at the fighting taking place. Something should have slowed the boat down by now. Something wasn't right.

"I'd still prefer to be someone's nobody, then everyone's somebody." Niko mused silently as he watched a door being flung open along the upper promenade. His body tensed as he waited for someone to emerge from inside the ship.

"I'm going to try to land somewhat close to the tentative impact site." Bernard clicked a couple of buttons on the dash and started his decent toward the grassy flat area close to the harbor. It would be close enough to be able to search for survivors, but far enough back that any explosion wouldn't reach them.

Niko glanced over his shoulder to watch Bernard and Ron get the bird prepared to land before looking back down at the rapidly approaching ship and where the door was open. A slender frame emerged from inside the ship. They firmed their legs and stance, the wind picking up the long blonde braided tail of hair. The person lifted up a large sniper rifle and pointed it his direction, slamming the bolt action forward to load the round into the chamber.

"Fuck! Sniper!" Niko yelled grabbing Jacob and diving back inside the helicopter before a loud bang resounded overhead and the whirling of every alarm on the chopper went off. Smoke started to billow out from the rotator. Fire sparked to life and began to engulf the ceiling above them. The bird started to spin with the loss of the blade function.

"I gotta put her down!" Bernard yelled over the noise adjusting his hold on the control rod. He had landed plenty of damaged aircraft back in his day and this was no different.

"Mayday, mayday! Emergency landing requested on Happiness Island. Do you copy ground tower?" Ron yelled into his headset trying to get ahold of the security team on Happiness Island. The island was closed to tourists at this hour and he figured the security team would be doing their rounds. And there was no way they hadn't been contacted by the all-out war taking place just off their shores.

Niko rolled over to his stomach and ignored the pain that stabbed through him from the bullet wound and shoved up to his hands and knees. He moved over to the opening to see if he could return fire. He grabbed his rifle and rolled the dial of the scope to adjust for the distance and leaned out of the opening as the bird slowed it's spinning and started to drop rapidly to the ground.

His sights landed on Natalya as she lined up for another shot. She must have seen him as she lowered the sniper to flip him off with her middle finger. Then a large fireball erupted from the back of the ship and jerked the whole vessel to an abrupt stop. She flew forward with the inertia and dropped down to a lower deck level. Explosion after explosion rocked the boat as it slowly moved forward into the concrete barriers that surrounded the dock.

The helicopter blades started up long enough for Bernard to touch it down to the ground and flip the engines off, "Everyone get out! This bird is toast!" Bernard undid all the buckles on him and opened his door. Ron followed suit and ran around to the other side to help Bernard get down. He hadn't brought the wheelchair and would try to stand for as long as possible. But he would stay back and make sure the rest of their help got to them in time.

Jacob and Badman helped Niko climb down from the helicopter and together they all moved away from the burning aircraft. They could hear other helicopters overhead circling trying to find a place to land, the LCPD ones turned on their search lights and began hovering over the burning ship, the golden buzzard zipped by them flying low and they had to duck slightly to avoid getting blown over with the wind the blades produced.

Niko turned his sights toward the ship and pulled the last of the medicine out of his pocket and once more flipped the caps open and jabbed them into his other thigh. The drugs charged him up and he dropped the empty needled to the ground. He readied his rifle and took in a full breath of cold air. The familiar chill descended down his spine and he didn't fight it this time. He cracked his neck and took a couple steps forward, waiting for the drugs to numb all his pain before he would hunt down his enemy.

"Wait here while I finish this." Niko let the threat carry in his voice that he was to be left alone and not get in his way. This was his to finish. He didn't stick around to hear his friend's protests and took off in a light jog toward the flames that danced above the trees from the ship that had crashed into the side of the island.

The sky was dark except for the random flash of lightening that would streak across the clouds. The weather matched his mood as he trudged through the trees in search of the crash site. He would start there and find Natalya. His whole body felt numb, but he still had control of his limbs. He knew his time wouldn't last long with the meds and he would crash harder the second go round. If he could just hold out till he killed the bitch and locate Kate, he would pass out happy.

"Come at me bitch. You ain't nothing but some leftovers. Not fit to sit upon the throne." He recognized Darko's taunting in Russian, even if the accent threw him off slightly.

"The throne is MINE!" Natalya screeched back.

"And killing Niko is the answer then? Let her go and let's finish this like we would in the old country." Darko's voice sounded closer and he slowed his approach and crouched down to stay slightly hidden between the trees and shrubs.

"She is my bargaining chip. I saw all the ships and helos. Ain't no way I'm going to walk away from this freely." Niko approached a clearing that was close to the bright flames that had started to work their way across the grass and foliage on the island. He could make out the blonde hair of Natalya and the reddish hair of Kate close to it. Natalya had Kate pressed to her front and was holding her around the neck with her arm, a pistol pointed at Darko who looked worse for wear. He was unsteady on his feet and swayed slightly from side to side.

"You can leave now and get away before anyone discovers us. There is plenty of boats down by the docks. Take the loss for what it is and let Kate go." Darko spoke between labored breaths and started to circle Natalya around in the clearing, forcing her to move to keep him within her sights.

Niko slung his rifle around behind him and pulled one of the knifes from his waistband. He moved into the shadows right around the clearing and waved an old signal he used in the war toward Darko hoping to catch his attention. He watched as Darko's eyes flicked to him before going back to Natalya.

"No. She is coming with me. Why would you betray me like this?! I gave you everything!" She backed up away from Darko as he tried to hedge closer. She struggled against the constant fight Kate was putting up and tightened her hold around her neck.

"You know. I guess I just go around betraying everyone." Darko darted his hand out to the side giving Niko the go ahead signal.

Niko charged forward toward Natalya's back and grabbed her braid and yanked her away from Kate. He jabbed his blade into her side as they tumbled over into the cool grass. She let out a high pitched scream at the pain he inflicted on her. She thrashed around in his hold, landing a solid elbow to his bullet wound forcing him to let go. Darko was on her in a second tackling her away from Niko to try and grab her pistol. He rolled to his knees trying to ignore the overwhelming pain that came from his wound. He could feel a fresh wetness that clung to his shirt and he shoved the feeling to the side.

Darko grabbed her wrist and sat on her chest, slamming her hand down on the ground to get her to release the pistol. She pulled the knife from her side and slammed it into his outer thigh and tried to drag it down his leg before he moved off of her. He rolled to the side and hobbled up to his feet, favoring his new stab wound. He lifted the pistol she had released and dislodged the magazine and pulled the slide back to empty the round in the chamber. He threw the gun to the side and got into a familiar fighting stance.

Niko stumbled to his side and they locked eyes, nodding once to each other before turning their hatred to the female that was trying to destroy everyone's lives. Niko stood a better chance to take Natalya down with Darko's help and wanted to make her hurt for everything that she had put Kate through. What she did to Roman. What she did to the church and everyone that was inside. For what led to Bernie being shot. This would end, but it would end on his terms. His way.

"So what? You two just kiss and make up?" Natalya spit some blood from her lips and lowered into her own fighting stance, "I was trained by the KGB. This won't be easy." Her eyes gleamed in the dancing flames that started to take over the trees on the edge of the clearing.

"What good is a fight if it is easy?" Niko spoke before pulling his other blade from his waistband, "You want left, or right?" He spoke to Darko in Serbian knowing she probably didn't understand their language. It would be their advantage to be able to communicate without their enemy knowing what was being planned or said.

"Left. Definitely left." Darko took off toward her, pushing through the pain in his thigh to start his assault. He yanked his own knife from the holster on his chest and flipped it once in his hand to get the perfect grip. She met his strike with a block of her own.

Niko followed after him and kept his strikes to her right side, working in tandem with his old comrade to land slashes, punches, and kicks to their enemy. He blocked what he could of her, but as she had said, she was reading their moves. He took hold of her right wrist and twisted her arm back and to the side to try and pin it behind her. She leaned forward and flipped, kicking her leg into his face and chest, forcing him to release her and stumble back clutching his nose.

Darko sliced his knife down her open side and destroyed the Velcro straps to her own vest, smirking when he saw blood start to seep through her shirts. He didn't hesitate to stay on her and went for her throat to be able to pin her down on the ground. She used his momentum to shove him up and over herself as she fell back down to the ground and rolled over her shoulders to stand back up ready to kick at Darko.

Niko grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arm around her neck and effectively locked her into a chokehold. He spun his knife around in his free hand and made to jab it down over her heart. She stomped on his foot and flung her elbow back hitting the area close to his bullet wound several times in rapid succession. The scorching pain from his gunshot wound took away his strength and she kicked his knee out to the side to get out of his hold. He shuffled back and dropped a hand to cover the area beneath his vest. He could feel a trail of blood work its way down into the hem of his pants.

She smirked at him and shook her head mocking him, "The great Niko, reduced to getting beat by lil' 'ol me."

Darko threw his knife from his position on the ground and watched as the blade sank into her upper thigh. The screech of pain that burst from her lips was satisfying. He shifted to his hands and knees and shoved off the ground to get back into a defensive position. He knew the injury he gave her would only anger her more. Her hate filled eyes swung his direction and she never broke eye contact before yanking the blade free from her leg.

"If this is how you two want to fight then fine." She jerked the other straps of her vest free and let it fall off of her body. She would be able to move more freely and faster without the added weight holding her down. The heavy material thumped to the ground and she shoved it out of her way with her boot.

Niko's vision was blurring with the combination of blood loss, adrenaline coursing through his veins, and the numbing lull of the morphine. Kate sat on the ground wide eyed, clutching a heavy leather jacket around her frame. She turned his direction and let a tear slide down her cheek, and that's when he saw the new cut to her beautiful face. A renewed rage developed in his chest and blanketed him in refreshing energy. He charged toward his enemy, twirled the blade in his hand, clutching it tightly, and jabbed it in Natalya's back, listening to the sickening scraping sound it made when it embedded into the flesh and bones.

She lurched forward slightly with the impact of the knife and felt the wind rush across the clearing. The pain radiated out across her back and caused her fingers to go numb. Liquid formed in her throat and she coughed against it, trying to hack it up to be able to take a deep breath. She spit out what she could and forced herself to turn around fully to look at the man who had stabbed her in the back. He was heavily breathing, but his eyes held no mercy or regret. Death resided in those eyes and she felt sheer terror looking into the depths of his darken irises. 'This is not how it ends!'

She used what strength she held and grabbed the pistol she could see in his shoulder holster. She took a step back, flipped the safety off, and fired twice into Niko's chest. He tumbled back from her and collapsed on his back to the slightly damp grass. Her arms shook as set her sights on the female that had screamed out when she shot Niko. The last person she needed to kill before she allowed herself to move on to the next life to be with Lenny and Dimitri.

Darko watched in horror as Niko took two to his bullet proof vest. Niko was too still on the ground and he knew he needed to get up and moving in order to stop Natalya from finishing him off. He wasn't sure if she knew he had on a vest or not, but he wouldn't take the chance. What he wasn't prepared for, was for her to swing the pistol in Kate's direction. She was unprotected- no vest, no real way to get out of range. His soul cried out to him and he launched off the ground in Kate's direction.

Niko gasped as the pain kept crashing in waves over his body. He dug deep and pleaded with his body to move. Kate was still in danger and Natalya was still breathing. His mission wasn't finished. Not yet. Somewhere he found the energy to lean his head up to see where Natalya was. Maybe he could shoot her with the last couple of rounds in his rifle. His arms shook as he attempted to lift the rifle from his side. He squinted his eyes to clearly see what held Natalya's attention as she was facing slightly away from him. He followed her line of sight and landed on Kate who was huddled on the ground, silently crying, looking up at the pistol that was aimed her direction.

"Niko took everything from me. Now I will take everything from him." Her hands shook violently as her finger slowly pressed down on the trigger. Her vision was swimming with the tears she had held back for so long after Lenny's death. She had buried her despair and anguish and lent herself to the all encompassing rage and revenge she wanted for his death. She had come so close so many times and now she could finally give the ones she loved their revenge. To put to rest the heartache she felt every day she woke up.

The gun shot echoed in the clearing and was louder than the crackling fires, the howling wind, the clash of thunder overhead.

Kate slumped back on the grass, her arms sprawling out to her sides, her face turning in Niko's direction, and slowly her eyes slid closed.

Darko was a hairs width away and froze in place as he stared down at her body. He had moved too late. He wasn't quick enough, and he turned his cold eyes to the woman who had fired the gun.

Niko felt nothing. It was as if all rational thought escaped him, all his emotions that he kept under lock and key vanished, and slowly he pushed himself into a seated position. The trembling started in his hands, followed by a tightening of his throat. His chest constricted painfully and something damp slid down his face. He blinked at the sensation and lifted a shaky hand to wipe away the feeling. He lifted the wetness on his fingers to see what it was and noticed it was simply a tear. He had not allowed himself to shed a tear since his aunt was killed.

A rage filled shout reverberated around them as Darko charged Natalya, only for five more gunshots to thunder through the trees and grass.

Darko dropped to his knees as blood forced its way from the corners of his lips. His arms were useless to him to try and stop the bleeding from where a bullet had caught him above the collar of his vest. He bowed his head as his vision darkened and the last of his energy leaked out of the bullet holes in his body. Slowly he dropped down in front of Natalya.

Natalya surveyed her work and stumbled back from the bodies on the ground. She had done it. She had won. "Finally. I have done it Dimitri. I have avenged you my love. My sweet Lenny." Her body shook against the stab wounds and the knife that was still impaled in her back.

"You know. Dimitri never once tried to stop me from killing Lenny." Niko forced his body to get up off the ground. The hollowness he carried with him since digging up his comrades in a random empty field in his homeland consumed him. He felt no pain as he took a step toward the last person he would send off to the afterlife. His rifle was nestled between his hands, deftly weighing down on his shoulder where the strap was strung.

"I shot you." Natalya retreated a couple of steps toward the dark coverage of trees that had yet to catch fire.

"Funny thing about Kevlar. They tend to stop bullets from handguns." He took a step forward and aimed his rifle at her heart.

"Go fuck yourself." She wheezed against the fluid that slowly kept building up in her lungs. Her eyes darted around the clearing and could see flashlights moving around rapidly behind Niko. She would need to get out of there quickly if she wanted to escape with her life.

"You're not looking too good there, Rascalov. Dimitri sure liked to grovel and beg like the spineless rat he was." Niko took another step toward her and shoved the buttstock of the rifle into his shoulder to steady his aim. He would not miss this time.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She screamed as she took off into the tress behind her. She wasn't as fast with all her injuries, but she could dodge and hide between the thick trees. Maybe get to a decent hiding spot before trying to find a boat or empty helicopter to steal. The lightening overhead flashed brightly illuminating the ground around her. She turned toward the statue and forced her legs to carry her faster.

"That's right. Run away just like your cousin would." Niko stalked after her, a slightly limp to his gait, and he flipped over the night vision lens for his scope. Silently he gave chase to his prey.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Natalya zigzagged through the trees trying to put as much ground between her and Niko as she could. Her legs were cramping beneath her as she willed herself to keep moving forward. Another flash of lightening brightened the scenery, followed by a booming clap of thunder. A figure stood between the trees she was running toward, and she nearly tripped over her feet trying to turn in a different direction.

"Where ya think your going bitch!" The figure yelled out as they took off after her.

She turned a different direction and nearly ran into someone else, causing her to slam into a tree in her haste to get away. She shoved off the rough bark and hobbled back away from the other person. She missed the log that was laying on the ground and she fell backwards into a brightly lit clearing near the brick base of the Statue of Happiness. She rolled over and scrambled toward the wall, hoping to find some kind of door or entrance. As she shuffled forward on her hands and knees, two shiny black dress shoes came into her sight.

"Well, well, well. Have we learned our lesson now?"

Her frightened blue eyes lifted to meet the cold brown ones of Lenny's father. She swallowed the blood that filled her mouth and shrank away from him. She twisted around to try and crawl away from him, only to see someone else emerge from the trees.

"If you want someone killed, be sure to do it yourself." Gerry leaned into the tree next to him and crossed his arms, being sure she caught sight of the pistol in his hand.

"No…" She whispered out hysterically.

"For what it's worth, you did have us going there for a minute." Bernard, with the help of Ron, walked into the clearing opposite of Gerry. They both trained their weapons on her, waiting for her to make a move. Little Jacob and Badman flanked their sides to keep her from escaping in their direction.

"Your cousin fucked with the wrong people. The Lost don't take too kind to being threatened." Johnny moved up beside Gerry and rested a sawed off shotgun over his shoulder.

"Tony wasn't a fan of Dimitri either, and you blew up one of Yusuf's new projects." Luis and Yusuf emerged a few trees down from where Bernard and Ron stood, both equally looking pissed off and armed to kill.

"And you tried to kill my whole family you fucking bitch!" Packie ran up with Roman and did a double take when he saw Gerry standing in the clearing with everyone. He smiled at seeing him alive and well. Niko had told him he wasn't dead, but he wasn't sure about his current status.

"You are all fools. All of you!" Natalya kept darting her eyes around at everyone who had caged her in to the small clearing on Happiness Island, beneath the statue that graced the island.

"That is no way to talk to someone above your station!" Kenny frowned and took the offered pistol from one of his bodyguards, "You tried to usurp me and take control of my empire. You know the penalty for this is death." He pulled the slide back to load a round into the chamber.

"You see Natalya? No one has your back. There is no where for you to run or hide anymore. You could have left me alone- avoided all of this." Niko limped into the final place of the circle of people and scowled at the person who had ruined every good thing he had going.

"You shouldn't have killed Lenny." She whispered as a tear slid down her cheek. She turned her angry eyes to Lenny's father and felt the burn of rejection all the way down to her toes, "You would dare let the man who killed your son, kill the love of his life?"

"You were dead to me the second you went against my orders." Kenny held no remorse for the female that was slowly bleeding out on the grass in front of him. He glanced up to meet Niko's eyes and nodded his head. They would not fire at her and give Niko the final blow.

"What the fuck did Kate ever do to you!" Niko yelled to her once Kenny had given him the official permission to end her life. He wanted to know this one thing before putting a bullet through her head.

"I wanted you- I wanted you to suffer like I have. Worse than what I've been dealing with. You killed Lenny, and if that wasn't enough, you went and killed Dimitri!" Her words grew in strength as she spoke and finished by yelling out her cousin's name.

"I suffer more than you could ever fathom. Go join your cousin in hell." He aimed to the spot between her eyes and watched as a rather peaceful expression fell over her features.

"I will see you soon Dimitri."

Niko pulled the trigger and lowered the assault rifle as her body crumpled down into the grass. Something cold and wet landed on his nose and he glanced upwards to see snow flurries softly falling from the sky. Again, no finality settled into his body. No accomplishment shifted into his soul. He felt more hollow than he did before coming to Liberty City. His body gave up on keeping him upright and he sank down to his knees. The strap of the rifle slipped from his shoulder and dropped to the ground at his side.

'Is this what failure feels like?' He slid his eyes closed and slumped down on his claves.

"Cousin!" Roman exclaimed when Niko dropped down to his knees after killing their enemy, "You did it!"

"Really?" Niko muttered tiredly as everything began to hurt intensely. The morphine was working harder to dull every single injury he carried, while the adrenaline pumped his blood, letting more of the precious life force slip from the open wounds on his body. He wanted to feel something, anything, but no emotion came forth to comfort him or feed him energy. Everything was darkening before his eyes as the snow continued to dance around them. "I don't know. What did I do?"

"We're done! We are free! We won, man. We won!" Roman moved over to his cousin to help haul him to his feet. He felt light, happy, and was ready to burst at the seams, till he noticed all the blood on Niko and how shallowly he was breathing. "Shit! Call for help!" He turned toward the gathered crowd of people hoping someone would find the medical team and get them to his cousin quickly.

Niko dropped forward to his hands and felt his heart lurch as finally the pain of Kate's death crashed through him. He hadn't won. He had lost. And not just lost in the sense of losing a battle, war, score- lost the one person he should have saved.

'I'm so sorry Kate. I failed to protect you. Forgive me…' He lowered himself to the ground as his body started to crash from the drugs and fighting he had been put through.

"So, this is what the dream feels like, this is the victory we longed for…"

aaaaaa

(A/N): There will be one more chapter. Do not give up on this yet please.

I know I said I was going to get this out before Christmas, but my father passed away unexpectedly on the 21st of December and I just couldn't bring myself to finish editing this chapter till I could get past my own grief. And as you can see, this was a heavy chapter to begin with, without my own feelings getting in the way.

The next chapter will be the final chapter of "The Price We Pay" and will be a lot less dark. Promise. Till then! One Love!

Oh! And Happy New Year! I will see y'all in 2021 with the exciting and final conclusion of this long journey.