Mr. Roboto
Chapter-5 Line of Fire
5th Ave. Central Park S. New York, January 2nd, 2000. 7 PM
The Hudsons had finally finished their grand New York trip and were now making preparations to leave for the airport.
"This has been easily the best trip of my life." Renée said excitedly, "But now it's back to the farm I guess." This time a little bummed her realization.
"I'm so glad we decided to do this trip now and not any earlier or later." Richard said relieved, "With it being the new year and all, sure we didn't have it with the rest of the family like usual, but we've got many more new years to come."
"Maybe if we have time we can try going to another big city like Miami or Houston." Rachel suggested given the success of this trip.
"I'd like to see LA at some point," Renée informed, with a few seconds of silence following everyone else.
"Maybe on your own but count me out." Gary responded to Renée's desire to see the second biggest city in the country.
"I'll second that," Richard added, "No offense to you sweetheart, but based on just a little bit of the craziness we saw here, I doubt there'd be any less of that in LA."
"I get what you're saying Pa," Renée replied a little mockingly, "But I'd still like to go at some point."
"Not that these aren't good ideas and I'd like to see more big cities too. But maybe instead of thinking about our next trip we should be thinking about the last few things to pack up." Rachel changing subjects to what was more important.
"I've got all my stuff," Gary informed his mother, "Renée do you mind of I keep my souvenirs with me in my bag?"
"Sure, not like you have that many." She replied giving him his souvenirs of an empty NRA ammo case, an NRA knife, and a map of the city.
"At least I paid for my stuff, and it's a hell of a lot more useful than the shirts and coffee mugs you got," Gary commenting on the other souvenirs his family got, "Or that bird feeder dad got."
"With all the birds here in the city I thought it was a good idea," Richard explained his reasoning for getting the feeder, "And it'd be nice to see some more birds than those buzzard bastards in the fields. Maybe we can get some birds from the black hills before the next migration season." "But I digress, is there anything else you two need to pack up or do we have everything?" Richard asked making sure everything was ready to go.
"I know I've got everything I brought," Rachel replied confirming she was ready to go.
"Renée, Gary, you got everything packed and ready?" They both nodded in confirming they were prepared too. "Gary your gun?"
"As if I could forget something so important to me," pulling it out to show he still had it with him.
"Well, I guess there's just one last thing to do before making to the airport. Fill up the rental car's gas tank before returning it. I guess you were right Renée, having only driven it a couple times during this whole trip it wasn't worth getting. But at least we know that for the next big trip we have. Now it's just a matter of finding a gas station here in Manhattan, and we want to cross the Brooklyn bridge before making it to the airport too."
"Maybe not as hard at it seems," Renée began, "According to this map, the closest one to us before the Brooklyn bridge is at 51-63 8th Ave."
"I knew I could count on your for planning this trip out." Richard praised pridefully to his daughter for figuring out everything.
"Just be sure to say goodbye to Tim before we checkout." Gary joked regarding the doorman they met when they checked in. Adding that Renée still hasn't found someone on this trip.
"Just as soon as you fly us back yourself with some fly girl you found." Renée snapped back regarding his minor flying skills.
"There won't be a need for that," Rachel informed her kids, "I have the boarding passes with me, now we should be going, our flight's at 9 and we want to be sure there won't be any traffic issues on the way." And with that the Hudsons made their way out of their suite and were on their way to fill up their car before JFK.
51-63 8th Ave. New York. 7:30 PM
"Looks like there was nothing to worry about traffic wise," Richard noted when he was driving down 9th Ave. In fact there have only been a handful of cars they pasted during the way down from the Plaza. For the biggest city in the world, and only a day after new year's, the streets were surprisingly empty. "The real worry has to be these damn confusing roads. Rachel honey let me see that damn map."
"You don't need to be a dick about it." Rachel resenting his choice of words at the moment.
"One we're in New York, two we are trying to figure this out, and three we come from the country. I think we can say what we want to."
"Right here dad," Renée pointed out on the road, "Turn off at W 12th street." Richard then turned onto the road connecting between 9th and 8th, both going in opposite directions.
"I don't know what I'd do without ya darling." Richard commended Renée again for her skills in finding the right way to go. They then found and pulled into the gas station, again finding it strange how there were not only no other cars on 8th, but no other cars in the fill up booths.
"Strangely quiet tonight, but that makes easier for us I guess." Richard again noting the lack of traffic in the city. "This won't take long we didn't dive it much so I'll handle filling it up." He noticed how the lights in the gas station's store were still on, after all it was still the city. But unbeknownst to them, there was a scandal brewing about inside the store.
The clerk of the store was being mugged, not by one thug, but five gang members all with guns pointed at him.
"We know where you're keeping the weapons," One of the gang members taunted.
"I tell you I know nothing about no weapons, I just work the night shift here." The clerk tried defending himself.
"Shut ya lies," Another member snapped sharply at the clerk's denial. "We know our rival gang the Roberto Wiseos have a weapons stash in the storage basement, as well as two thousand kilos of drugs that will be some pretty useful evidence in taking them out once and for all."
"You're crazy for thinking that," The clerk once again denying what the gang was saying. "And you're not the police, who are you thugs?"
"We the Backstreet Butchers." The apparent leader said standing in the middle, "We work outside the law to destroy evil within. Now this is your last chance to tell us where the stash is."
"I'll take it to my grave." The clerk now admitting they were right. "You thugs don't have the guts to kill me."
"Thugs kill who stand in their way, we kill who oppose us." The leader once again taunted. "But it looks like we can make an exception tonight." Coking the Beretta pistol he wielded at the clerk. The clerk pulled out a walkie talkie from his belt trying to escape and yelling: "They took the bait, move in no…" before being shot by the leader.
"It was a set up," He realized, "It looks like Colbert Roberto wants to fight us to the death again, and this time he won't escape." Taking out a P90 PDW and readying it to fire.
Outside Richard thought he heard a noise from inside the store, but passed it off as another car diving by for once.
However, watching above the street on the other side on a balcony was Colbert Roberto himself, watching his plan unfold as he used the clerk as bait to keep the Backstreet butchers at bay. He pulled out his own communicator and called in the rest of his gang: "You heard the dead rat, move in and don't leave until everyone's blood is boiled." He saw before how an unsuspecting jeep pulled up to the gas station. He thought he made sure there would be no witnesses for the demise of the Backstreet Butchers, but what are a few extra lives on his plate going to hurt?
"About done filling honey?" Rachel asked Richard on the status of the refueling. "It's been a few minutes already."
"I'd think so but for some reason it's filling up very slowly," Richard explained why thing were taking longer than normal. "It's like a hundredth of a gallon a second. Almost like the underground tanks are almost empty." Just then a large tanker trucker started to pull into the station. "Well right on queue." Richard said on how just when they needed more gas a gas tanker pulled in. Followed by two other cars, driving from the wrong direction on the road, with their bright lights on and what appeared to be guns from outside the windows. One of the cars then shot the driver of the tanker just as it stopped. Richard then screamed as he ducked from behind the car while the gunfire started coming from the invading vehicles.
"What's happening?!" Renée screamed as the whole family was taking cover from the oncoming shots.
"I don't know but just stay down!" Rachel yelled in fear.
The Backstreet butchers were starting to shoot back, now the Hudsons were caught in between gunshots from both directions. There was nothing to do but cover themselves.
From inside the shop where the Butchers were returning fire, one of them noticed how there were illegal weapons in the basement. "Boss Bowman," he said handing the other the much more powerful assault rifles. "Good work Liam," The boss named Bowman commended his efforts in finding better weapons. "Now we can really hammer on these sons of bitches. Concentrate all fire on the cars and try to find that fuckface Roberto." He ordered his gang members as they started firing the AK-74s.
"We have civilians in the way." One of the sidemen noted to Bowman, "Spare them at all costs," He ordered, "They're innocent and killing them for nothing makes us no better than the Wiseos." All the members accepted the order and directed their fire away from the civilian's vehicle. "Boss Bowman, the clerk was right about the weapons, but there's explosives down there too." Liam informed his boss, worried at the possibility. "They set us up that's for sure, and with that tanker truck full of gas one wrong shot and we all go up. Liam were there any drugs down there?"
"No sir." Liam confirmed, "The guns and the explo..AHHH." he yelled as he was shot by the on coming fire from the Wiseos. "Liam!" Bowman cried out at the loss of their youngest member. "Keep firing until we see some bodies, they killed one of us and we must get revenge."
"Gary your gun!" Richard yelled at his son remembering he had a weapon with him. "What?!" Gary questioned.
"Use your gun to shoot these criminals!" Richard told Gary on what was their only means of defense. "I can't kill anybody dad," Gary protested, "We're Catholics, and I'd be committing the ultimate sin!"
"They're hardened criminals, they don't value life. AHHHH" Richard was shot in the arm from the gunfire. "Dad!" he yelled as Richard tried climbing back into the car, where Rachel and Renée looked at his wound. "That does it." Gary blurted as he pulled out his revolver; Aimed it at the cars attacking and shot back. Actually managing to hit a gang member wielding an Mac11 SMG.
Back from above, Colbert noticed how not only the Butchers were fighting back with weapons they hid in the station, but a long gunman from the jeep at the station was firing back at his men. "No one kills one of my men and gets away with it. Especially not some loley eyed country boy." Taking noticed of the attire of the gunman from inside the jeep. He then opened a gun case next to him that had an M16 with attached M203 grenade launcher under the barrel. "Men," he said into his communicator, "The Butchers won't live to see another day, shoot the tanker then drive away as fast as possible."
"Yes master," The second in command acknowledged and began shooting at the tanker, causing gas to spill out from the tank and spilling out into the parking lot. The Hudsons were terrified at the leaking gas.
"The cars stopped shooting." Gary noticed as the cars that were attacking started to drive away.
"This can only mean one thing." Richard then figured out what was going to happened with the leaking gas and the cars driving away. "Honey start the car and get us out of here, who cares if there isn't enough gas we need to get out now." Richard told Rachel as she moved over to the driver's side. She tried starting the car but it wouldn't turn on, it wasn't even making a sound. "They must have damaged the car beyond repair." Rachel panicked at she couldn't start the jeep. Richard then saw the writing on the wall, with his injury and the car damaged they'd have to run away.
"Gary, Renée, get you stuff and run!" Both brother and sister were shocked at what Richard said, "You're in critical condition, we can't leave you." Renée argued at the proposition of abandoning their parents. "With that leaking gas there's not much time, your mother will help me get the rest, just worry about your items and run. We'll catch up." Gary and Renée reluctantly started to gather everything that they could.
Inside the store, the Backstreet Butchers saw the leaking gas from the tanker and the cars retreating, Bowman knew what would happen if they didn't escape, they'd be destroyed, and Colbert would have won.
"We must leave now!" he ordered his member, "Get all the weapons and get out while there's still a chance." The rest of the gang was getting all the weapons pack in their bags and were making their way to the back exit when…
"Boss, the door's jammed!" a member yelled when he tried opening up the only safe exit.
"Get the sledgehammer and bang that door until it's open. That gas it too dangerous to exit in the front." The members then brought out anything heavy they could find and started to batter the door.
"Perfect," Colbert said to himself as he saw the parking lot was filled a layer of gas and with the explosives in the basement, he would have the butchers well, butchered.
"Real shame that innocent family had to ruin part of the fun, but it's their lose." He said as he loaded up a flare gun, shooting it at the parking lot ground. Causing it to burst into flames. "Hope them country folk like their barbeque smoked at night." He joked to himself as the whole parking lot started to catch ablaze.
"The parking lot's on fire!" Renée screamed as she was panicking over getting every last thing she had. "Let me get these Renée." Gary said as he tried getting everything else she needed packed up quickly. "There's no time Gary just grab your stuff and go!" Richard yelled out as he started to grab his stuff too.
"I can't leave my family behind, you're everything to me." Gary protested leaving them behind, even if it meant continuing to put himself in danger.
"With this fire there's no time to argue!" Rachel cried back, "We'll be right behind you but you must go now!" Gary was still reluctant to leave his family but knew it was the safest way to escape. "Okay," He told them grabbing his backpack frame and running from the vehicle. Avoiding the fire around him the best he could. "I love you all." He said to himself as he feared the worst.
The Backstreet Butchers for sure couldn't escape from the front with the fire right outside. "Gentlemen," Bowman began knowing there wasn't much time left, "We've been secretly saving the lives of so many without anyone ever knowing we were there, I just hope God has the heart to forgive all our misdeeds and evils. It has been and honor working with each of you." Just then they managed to break down the door and allowing them to escape the trap set up for them. "Good work men," Bowman commended his gang on getting the door open, "We can serve another day, now go!"
Colbert saw on the inside the butchers were escaping from the back, know this was his last chance he took out the grenade launcher. While looking down preparing his launcher he didn't notice the younger man running from the jeep in the middle. He then took aim at the middle of the station where the pumps and jeep were. "Time to be Butchered Bowman." He evilly said as he fired the grenade hitting the jeep, igniting the rest of the leaked gas, and creating a hole in the concrete where the wall covering where the explosives were and in a single second...
The gas station, exploded.
Gary was thrown onto the ground by the sheer force the explosion created. He then got up and saw the worst thing he could possibly imagine. The entire gas station was a blaze with fire, with nothing left but a few buildings surrounding the station. He was at a loss for words as he saw where his family was, the family he just finished the greatest trip of his life, one he would never forget. Gone. All that he loved, all that his life was built around, all the important build blocks that shaped him into the person he was today, was gone. Richard, Rachel, and Renée were gone. Gary, had lost everything in a single moment, his emotions completely shattered, he fell to his knees and cried out: "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo." Sobbing to the ground as he could only continue to witness the fire that consumed his family. He was now lost in a world he thought he knew, one that was so kind to him, and one that had now swindled him, just as he was beginning to make his place in said world. Now, what else was there?