Chapter 23: The Start of the Silent War

New Arcadia General Hospital, The Next Morning

The sun seemed to be rising high on this day in New Arcadia as the smell of sterilized air, the sound of foot clatter, and a sea of white walls seemed to fill one of the cities many hospitals that was kept constantly busy with the trauma ward and morgue always being filled with bodies.

The morgue would have numerous bodies but today it was missing a body, and Lee was dispatched to make sure it got there. The Chinese man moved through the halls of the hospital almost like he was invisible thanks to his dark blue nurses scrubs he'd taken out of the nurses office.

The Chinese man had been dispatched to finish off the Azteca female who had survived Mark's onslaught outside of the Voodoo Club the other night. There was a risk to having her around and it was a risk they couldn't take.

Upon turning the corner and clutching the scalpel he'd taken off a doctor harder Lee inwardly cursed as he noticed three blue and black wearing men standing outside the room.

Lee was confident in his abilities enough to know he could get past the men and assassinate the girl, but he would have to make a lot of noise to do so and to top it off it wouldn't make a difference. If the Azteca's were here they knew about what happened to her, along with the Vagos, and more than likely Onda.

"Damn!" the Chinese man whispered before turning around and walking away from the room while pulling out his cellphone.

Red Stick

"Kareem "Muujai" Jakar, wanted in America, Somalia, Canada, France, Egypt, and China for numerous counts of murder, drug trafficking, blood diamond trafficking, terrorism, piracy, and involvements in the Battle of Mogadishu, The Somalian Civil War, and various attacks against the United States." Stated Ana as she and Mark found themselves sitting in the dining area of her hotel room looking down at a large file placed on the table in the middle of the room.

"I know who he is, I met a few times with the BGA in Dockington." Stated Mark earning a nod from Ana.

"You know who he is, but you don't know much about him and what makes him dangerous." She replied.

"The motherfucker cooks people that ain't bad enough?" he retorted before watching Ana drop another file on the table.

"Did you know at the age of fourteen he was a rebel along with his father, did you know at a fifteen his father died and he set off a bomb that killed several people, did you know at sixteen he shot down one of the Blackhawks involved in the Battle Mogadishu, did you know he fled to America joined the BGA and a terrorist cell, did you know he enlisted in the Marine Core afterwards and led walked his entire team into an ambush…where only he survived, did you know he fled the US and became a pirate on the Somali coast afterwards?" she asked while giving Mark a serious look.

"Shutting up now." He replied while noticing the serious look in the woman's eyes.

"Just our luck, an international criminal in a place like New Arcadia." She stated. "I can't say I'm not surprised the BGA would bring in a heavy hitter to kill you, but I wasn't expecting they'd bring him in." she added earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"I can." He shot back to her confusion. "I disrespected him when I first met him, everyone was always afraid of him but I wasn't and he knew it…now he's trying to see if he can get the fear out of me. He's gonna learn soon though I don't scare easy." Mark stated to the woman's shock and surprise.

"No he won't." she yelled to Mark's confusion. "You're not going to fight Muujai, as far as I'm concerned the next time to you see Muujai you better call me because I'm bringing him in." she added to Mark's shock.

"Locking him up won't do any good, the BGA will just send someone else to kill me." He stated.

"it's not about the BGA Mark, it's about winning and that's something both of us can't do if you kill him." She replied to his confusion.

"The BGA trained you, I trained you, but Muujai's got enough training in him to kill you thirty times over." She stated to Mark's anger. "And if you kill him it makes America look weak and we lose our public image." She added before reaching out and grabbing the arm of the youngest Roman to his surprise.

"Now promise me, the next time you see Muujai you won't engage you understand?" she asked earning a few seconds of silence from Mark along with a slight growl before he responded.

"Fine I won't kill him, but you better move on him quick. He won't rest until I'm dead." He replied while Ana nodded her head.

"True, but Joe will be preoccupied with the Vagos to move on you so quick and while he's moving against them…we'll against the Somali." She stated earning a slight nod from Mark before his cellphone started to ring.

"It's Lee." He said before answering the phone and hearing the voice of the Chinese man.

"Amiga's given birth, and there could be more on the way." Lee stated talking in code while Mark nodded his head.

"Alright come back home we'll see her later." Mark shot back earning a nod from Lee.

"On the move." the Chinese man stated.

"Looks like Joe's brown problem just got bigger, much bigger." Mark replied while turning to face Ana.

"I looked at that girl's file and she wasn't kidding her uncle is a prominent well-known member of New Austin's Onda. He's actually the only family she has left after her mother was killed." Ana stated earning causing Mark to look at the ground.

"Good maybe he's just what we need, you don't want me killing Muujai but if he sends a bunch amigos down here to take Joe down-." He started before Ana finished.

"Another war will start and Joe will look to you for help, but what are you gonna tell Alison?" the IAA Agent asked earning silence from the youngest Roman.

"Same as always." Mark shot back just as his cellphone started to ring from a familiar number.

"I have to go, but we'll talk about this later." He replied earning a nod from the woman nodded her head. "I guess all this kills your mood doesn't it?" he added with a half-smile.

"There is a time for fun and a time to be serious Marcus, and now is that time to be serious." Ana shot back while folding her arms over her chest this earned a nod from Mark who inched closer to plant a kiss on her cheek before making his way out the door.

New Arcadia General Hospital

After getting his order to pull back Lee found himself stepping into an elevator that was heading down but as the doors closed another elevator had stopped on the floor and outstepped Task and Adahy who quickly made their way to the room the three Azteca's were guarding.

"Loka in there?" asked Task earning a confused look from one of the men. He was a rather small man standing maybe five foot five of Mexican descent with short black hair that was styled almost like a Mohawk, black eyes, light brown skin, and wearing a black jersey, khaki shorts, and low top shoes.

"Who are you two ese?" the man asked with an accent more accustomed for a New Austin Cholo then someone born in New Arcadia.

"We're friends of Travieso and Guardo and we're here to see Loka." Replied Adahy with anger in his voice.

"You want to start something-." He started before being interrupted by a voice coming from the otherside of the room.

"Lil Diablo, let them in." the voice was masculine yet unfamiliar but still powerful as the duo watched closely as the Pee Wee stepped aside for them allowing them to enter the room.

Upon entering the room they each felt a collective punch in their guts as they noticed Loka lying on her back connected to a respirator, IV, and heartbeat monitor while bandages covered her back, right arm, chest, and hand. The woman must have also bust a blood vessel in her right eye because it was a bright shade of red and her once light brown skin seemed almost lifeless and grey in her current state as she looked up at the two Native Americans with a look of bewilderment and surprise.

"I wasn't expecting to see either of you." She said with a hint of weakness in her tone.

"We had to see if one of our business partners was alright." Task replied while Adahy turned his head and noticed a Heavy Set Mexican man who looked to be in his late thirties with short black hair, dark brown skin, and wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt, black jeans, and white shoes with the letters VLA tattooed on the side of his neck.

Alongside him was a man of Honduran descent who looked almost like he was in his early fifties with a short black mustache that was slightly greying. Along with it was his hair that was hidden under a white fedora with a black stripe going through it, the man was also wearing a brown button up dress shirt with a brown tie, khaki pants, and brown shoes.

"If you got business with them it's gonna be going to me." stated the elderly Azteca as she rose to his feet and showed off his five foot nine stature that matched his muscular physique.

"And who are you?" asked Adahy with a hint of venom in his tone.

"They call me Big Primo, I'm calling shots now that Guardo is-." He started before looking down to Loka while Task and Adahy held shocked looks on their faces.

"And my name is Cruz, I'm Travieso father." The brown clad man stated with a hint of sadness in his tone while Adahy and Task continued to look over the group.

Elsewhere

The scene before Alison seemed almost like it was out of a movie of sorts as she found herself standing on the side of a podium. She was back in New Arcadia, but she was in New Arcadia to work not have fun, and she was reminded of that as she found herself staring at the tack-board before her that showed pictures of those whose bodies were found dead in the vacant homes.

The more she seemed to stare at the more the pictures reminded her how important solving these murders would be for the city of New Arcadia. It would take a serial killer level of gangster off the streets making it just a little safer. She also had a lot riding on this case, it wasn't just about catching the murderer but also her reputation with it being on the line as well as the departments.

New Arcadia had spent a lot of money accommodating for them. They flew them out, paid for their housing, and even gave them a fancy new building separate from a police station that would serve as their headquarters. The more she thought about it the more she told herself that failure was not an option for this case.

"Alright let's get started." She heard Steve say before watching him walk past her and make his way over to the podium and looking down at the faces before him.

There was only twenty of them in total, that was including Alison and Steve, but it may has well been a full crowd because the group here was some of the best the FIB had to offer. Steve was running point, she was his next up, but they also had a skilled communication specialist and a specialist whose hunted serial killers across the country.

"I know this case may look difficult because we have no witnesses, real evidence, or even a clue as to who could do something like this." Steve started with a half-smile. "But I'm confident together we can pull this off, we're some of the best the Bureau has to offer, let's show everyone that." He stated earning nods from the group while Alison stood by with a smile before watching move past her without saying a word.

17th Ward

The drive back to New Arcadia wasn't long for Mark as he stepped out of his car and quickly parked his car behind a Butcher Shop in the 17th Ward that he was signed to as an employee and noticing Lee, Felix, Buck, Link, Davey, Eddy, Viktor, Miller, and Manfred standing in out back with mixed looks on each of their faces.

"So what Ana say?" asked Lee.

"She doesn't want me to kill Muujai, not even engage him." Mark replied earning a nod from Lee.

"I don't get it, who is this Muujai guy and what about him has all of you so spooked?" asked Miller earning the attention of Mark, Lee, and Link.

"Muujai is a BGA enforcer, who got a very violent and sick way to kill people." Mark replied.

"He eats people." Lee replied to the group's surprise and confusion.

"Truly I've never seen him eat people, but we've seen him make other people eat people." Mark replied.

"Don't remind me." Link added as he clutched his stomach in disgust.

"I remember the first time I saw him do it. There was some Marabunta guys from Rushmore in Dockington one day talking shit. It was three dudes, one of them was an OG from El Salvador that had his girlfriend, cute little thing." Mark started before trailing off. "I remember they said something to him and after that he knocked um out with a pair of brass knuckles took them back to an abandoned warehouse in West Dockington. He chopped up the two guys, cooked um into a stew, and made the OG and his girlfriend eat them. Then he chopped up the OG put him on the table and pulled out his intestines…and made the girl eat him raw." He finished to the disgust and horror of Felix, Manfred, Davey, Eddy, Buck, Miller, and Viktor but probably no more than Felix who held a look of anger on his face.

"The things a person will do when their life is in the balance." Lee replied while Link tried to keep his breakfast from coming back up.

"Jesus, I thought those Marabunta guys from El Salvador are tough?" asked Bucky.

"Trust me they are, especially those that fought in the Civil War, but only the OG fought in that Civil War the rest are just…wannabes." Mark stated.

"El Salvador is a hard place to place, but Muujai is from Somali. El Salvador maybe be somewhat third world but Somali is out of this world. They have no government, no real police force, at least in El Salvador you can call the police but in Somali…it's Social Darwism there and only the strongest survive." Lee added earning a nod from Link.

"Why doesn't Ana want him dead exactly this fuck should be in the ground?" asked Felix.

"Trust me I want to, but we can't have an international terrorist like Muujai found dead on the streets of New Arcadia it brings in just as much heat as they got for the vacant murders. If she arrest him it looks better, she can get him away from here." Mark stated earning nods from the group.

"So what's the plan then?" asked Buck as all eyes fell on Mark before he was interrupted by the back door of the butcher shop opening and noticing a heavy set African American man who looked to be in his late 50's or early 60's with short black hair, black eyes, and wearing a white shirt behind a green apron, blue pants, and boots.

"Marcus about time you got here boy." The man stated in a thick Creole accent that caused Mark to nod his head.

"I'll get back to you on that." He whispered before turning to face the man.

"Yeah sorry I was holding court Bunk." Mark shot back before approaching the man and taking the bag of trash from him and quickly throwing it out. This man's name was David Jones but everyone always referred to him as Bunk for the longest even when Mark was young he remembered Bunk.

"Well when you finish come in I got somebody here to talk to you." The man added before making his way back inside of the butcher shop while Mark turned to face his group.

"Alright then since things are a little hot, fall back to Red Stick until I say otherwise." Mark replied earning nods from the group before watching Felix, Buck, Miller, David, Viktor, Eddy, and Manfred make their way for their cars while Lee and Link stayed beside him.

"You guys don't have to stick with me for this." Mark stated earning a chuckle from Lee.

"Yeah but then you'll be having all the fun." The Chinese man stated.

"I haven't left you yet." Link added earning a smile from Mark before the trio made their way inside of the butcher shop where they noticed Bunk sitting out front with an elderly African American man who looked to be in his mid-sixties with gray hair, black eyes, and wearing a black dress shirt, pants, and collar of a preacher.

"Marcus I'd like for you to meet Father Mills." Bunk introduced causing Mark to look at the man with a half-smile. "Reverend this is Marcus Roman." He added.

"I know who he is and the boy better know who I am." The Preacher stated earning a chuckle from Mark.

"How could I forget Pastor Mills." Mark replied before moving to shake the man's hand. He knew the good pastor because his grandmother would always force him to go to his church every Sunday whether he wanted to or not.

"You done grew a lot since the last time I seen you boy." He said earning a chuckle from Mark.

"Yeah it's been a while." Mark replied before looking back to Lee and Link. "These are my brothers Lee and Link." He added earning a nod from the man.

"I still don't understand that shit." Replied Bunk. "Ain't none of y'all blood brothers, in fact if my son came out white, Asian, or Mexican I'm gonna get my gun." He added.

"Family is whoever you want it to be in the lord's house." The man stated earning chuckles from the duo.

"Now Mark Father Mills has a bit of a problem that I think you can help him with." Bunk started while Mark nodded his head.

"As long as it doesn't involve me stepping into a church I'm good." Mark replied while the preacher rolled his eyes.

"At least your honest, but no these last few weeks a couple of boys been shaking me down for money. Saying the church gotta pay like everybody else, and I can't believe that." Pastor Mills stated earning a low growl from Mark.

"Well that's low." Lee stated while folding his arms over his chest.

"I don't want you to kill them, just let them know it won't be tolerated. You boys take care of things here a lot better than the police do and I know what'll happen if I go to them." He added earning a nod from Mark.

"Your church is in the fourth ward that's Fatman's domain, I can get in trouble for that, but I don't give a fuck." Mark replied earning nods from the group.

"You know I would do it if it wasn't for my hip." Bunk replied earning a chuckle from Mark, Lee, and Link.

"Hey don't laugh you boys just don't know." He replied while Mark continued to laugh. In truth Mark did know about Bunk along with any other New Arcadia Gangster. Back in the 60's Bunk was a legend in New Arcadia. He was a legend because not only was he a gangster but he was also a professional boxer in the late 70's and helped put New Arcadia on the map back then as a place where everyone had hands, but now that statement was replaced with everyone using their guns more than their fist.

"Alright let's get moving." Mark replied before he, Lee, and Link followed Father Mills to his car.

New Arcadia General Hospital

"So…anyone want to tell us exactly what happened to Guardo and the others?" Adahy asked growing a little impatient at being in the room while Task gave him a serious look.

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to Chica." Stated Primo as Loka took a few seconds to speak before responding with a single word…"Dead."

The realization was like a punch in the gut for both Task and Adahy as they eyed Loka who tried to hide her visible sadness through her injuries.

"These Mayates from the third ward came into the Rose District talking shit." She started while looking away from the group. "Then these other guys showed up and one of them got into it with Raskal..." she continued before ending her sentence with. "He snapped his neck."

The revelation shocked and appalled the group as they continued to eye Loka who seemed stunned at the memory.

"We didn't know the guy who did only that he was BGA, but one of the men there we recognized as Heavy Joe the club owner and we were out for blood." She stated while Task and Adahy tried to hide their looks. "We caught him coming out of his club with two more guys and when we ran up on them, this guy…he just went loco." She added to the group's surprise.

"He killed everyone and would and tried to kill me to, but Guardo tried to stop him…next thing I know this Chino comes rolling up with a bunch of other Vatos…and they shot him down." She finished while Task and Adahy nodded their heads at each other.

"We need to hit those Mayates up for this shit." Replied Primo with anger in his tone.

"What happened to their bodies?" asked Cruz as the group watched the woman lower her head before speaking.

"They loaded us up into a truck and drove out to the swamps. They passed us on to these backwoods Rednecks who…-"she started before going silent and then responding. "They argued over what to do with us between making stew or barbeque." She finished to the groups shock and causing Cruz to lower his head with tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"They said my meat was tainted and I didn't know what it meant until I got here." She started earning the groups attention. "That guy, when he shot me he tore through my colon and that caused…" she started before looking down at her stomach.

"They threw me in the swamp to be eaten by the alligators, but the Coast Guard found me and brought me here." She finished while looking away as Task and Adahy sent looks to each other.

"I was in that swamp for so long I've caught infections from the dirty water on my exposed insides. I've also got Malaria to match my gunshot wounds. To make it worse…it hurts when I move." Loka stated with venom in her tone.

"Which is the exact reason why we're gonna make those Mayates pay." Came a new voice that caused everyone to turn their heads and notice a Mexican American man who stood about five foot nine in height with jet black hair that was tied back into a ponytail that gave him the appearance of a rez dog to Task, but his slightly shaved goatee and mustache threw it off.

The man's body also seemed like a canvas of tattoos on his left arm was the word Aztlan, on his lower bicep was an Aztec Sun, on his chest was the letters PVL and under it was the number 13 written in the Roman Numerals. The man also appeared to have tattoos across his back but nobody could see them past his black button up shirt, khaki pants, and black shoes.

"Who are you ese?" asked Cruz as he eyed the man closely.

"Ernesto Santana Ocelotl." He replied while Primo's eyes widened.

"Ernesto it's good to see you again Carnale." Said Primo as he quickly shook hands with the man.

"Did my Tio send you here?" Loka asked while eyeing the man closely.

"Si, the news of what happened to you spread fast mija and your Tio sent me here to check on you…and make sure who did this to you pays with their lives." He replied before walking up and kneeling down to Loka's bedside where he quickly took the girls hand in his own and started to massage her knuckles.

"So you working with us to hit those Puto's who did this?" asked Primo with anger in his voice

"Si carnale we'll hit everyone who was involved in this." Ernesto replied with venom in his tone.

"I wouldn't recommend that." Voiced Task earning the attention of everyone in the room. "Joe isn't just some street dealer who you can hit up. He controls much of the gangs in the city and the third ward is one of the most dangerous wards in this city you guys can't just roll in there guns blazing." He stated earning a mixed look from Ernesto.

"I know, which is why we're gonna wait before we strike them." Ernesto stated to everyone's confusion. "The Carnales in New Austin aren't happy about what happened here so they sent me to make it right, but they're also sending some backup." He added to Task and Adahy's surprise.

"Right now we're going up that mountain and making those fucking Pendejo's pay for what they did." Ernesto replied before turning to Cruz and saying "I'll bring your Nino home to you."

This earned a nod from Cruz as he watched Ernesto rise to his feet before turning to Task and Adahy who eyed him closely.

"You two aren't down with any barrio, but you say you were close to Guardo and Travieso and if you wish to avenge them then follow me." He stated before making to the door with Task and Adahy sending looks to each other before following the man out the door.

FIB Headquarters, New Arcadia

After giving his speech Steve found himself looking over a few files at his desk while Alison stood by watching him from a distance. The duo had spoken to each other for most of the day and this seemed to unnerve her. She didn't know if he was angry at her for leaving the other night and not knowing seemed to be eating her up inside.

"Go talk to him." Came a familiar voice that caused Alison to turn her head and notice Jenna standing beside her. It had been a few weeks since she saw the girl who had helped her to bring down the Italian Mafia in Liberty City and Alison was happy to have her on the team but was still creeped out whenever she snuck up on her like that.

"What do you mean?" Alison asked earning a slight smile from the tech-worker.

"Well you and him aren't speaking to each other, and he seems to be giving you the cold shoulder so I kinda put two and two together." She replied causing Alison to roll her eyes before sending a look to Steve. "Steve's like a kid when he's mad and the best thing for you to do to him is just talk to him." She added earning a slight smile from Alison before she responded.

"Thanks for that." She said earning a smile from her friend.

"That's exactly why I'm here." Jenna shot out before walking away while Alison continued to stare at Steve.

Red Stick

Things seemed to be going slow in Red Stick as Felix found himself sitting outside of the group's clubhouse looking out at the streets before him while Buck, Miller, Manfred, Viktor, Davey, and Eddy sat inside of the small home listening to music and playing games.

As the Mexican man looked out at the people moving through the streets before him he eyed them closely. The city of Red Stick was mostly black but being that the group's clubhouse was just a few blocks from a major college he would often see whites moving about the streets. A sight that was somewhat different then what he was used to in New Austin.

The brown population was almost up there with the whites and in some places there were more brown then white. This was the scenery Felix had become accustomed to, and right now he felt misplaced being away from it.

After breathing a sigh of disappointment the Mexican man rose to his feet before making his way inside of the house where he noticed Viktor, Miller, Buck, and Manfred playing a boxing game on the television.

"Sup with you man, feeling homesick again?" asked Miller as all eyes fell on Felix.

"Not really homesick more or less I'm…yearning to be around more people like me." He replied earning confused looks from Miller, Viktor, and Buck.

"You mean you want to be around more Mexicans?" Manfred asked with a raised brown. "I think you might be in the wrong city for that, Mark wasn't kidding when he said this place was different. Sometimes I wake up thinking I'm in Strawberry or Davis." He added.

"There might be a few Mexi's in town, I mean there is a Spanish-Grove neighborhood here and if it's anything like the one in Dockington it should be filled with brown people." Stated Buck earning Felix's full attention.

"Spanish-Grove where?" Felix asked with a raised brow.

"Near the Capital Building, yeah Mark says that's where the largest Mardi Gras parade in the city is located." Buck replied while continuing to play the game while Felix grabbed his car keys.

"Yo Viktor you want to come, maybe good to be around people like you for a change?" Felix asked earning a low scoff from the Puerto Rican man.

"Thanks but no thanks brother." He shot back while Felix gave him a look before stepping out of the house.

"You didn't have to be cold to him brother." Said Miller while Viktor gave a loud scoff.

"Don't care, he's getting on my nerves with his bullshit." The BSU member declared. "I get it we're all Native to this land, but he needs to realize the Azteca's, Tainos, and Mayans are long gone and he has to accept he has European blood coursing through him." he added to the groups confusion.

"Whatever." Said Miller as he went back to playing the game with Buck.

4th Ward, New Arcadia

The streets seemed to be going by rather slowly as Mark, Lee, and Link found themselves cruising through the streets of the 4th Ward with Pastor Mills riding in the passenger seat. Usually when they rode the BSU members would have their radio on the hardcore station, but they had decided against it with a pastor riding along with them so instead they had to suffice with the song Old Man by Neil Young.

"Where have the times gone?" asked the Preacher as he found himself looking out the window at the stores and shops as they went by. "City look different almost every time I look around." He added.

"Well the city did have a major hurricane a few years ago if you forgot." Stated Lee in a smart tone.

"Don't remind me smart mouth." He replied with a chuckle. "I've been a part of this city since 1956 and I've seen the demographics change, the Civil Rights Movement, the desegregation of the schools, and damn near thousands of hurricanes and storms." He added with a chuckle.

"Through all of that I've had many opportunities to leave this city but I never took them." He said with a chuckle.

"Well why didn't you?" asked Link. "Not that I'm complaining but there are better places to be in the states." He added with a raised brow.

"Any man can just cut and run but it takes a real man to actually stand and face the obstacles in his life. That's what my CO told me in the army." He replied to the trio's confusion.

"Pastor you served?" Mark asked while continuing to keep his eyes on the road.

"Vietnam, two tours of duties actually and my dad he served in WWII." He replied with a chuckle. "You wouldn't think I was a soldier because I'm a preacher, but you three aren't the only ones in this car with blood on your hands." He added.

"Figured as much, but our blood isn't dry…well Link's might be." Lee shot back.

"Yes but even after I came home I was still getting my hands dirty. Then one day I did something that made me change my life around." He stated while Mark chuckled.

"Is this your way of trying to get me to come into the light father?" the Creole asked with a chuckle. "Because I doubt it'd let me in." he added.

"No because I know I would be wasting my breath, honestly though I like your methods better." He replied to the trio's confusion. You know what you are and what you do, but unlike a lot of these hustlers and gangsters of this generation you don't run to a church every Sunday smelling like weed, liquor, and sex from the night before, stand at the alter and ask for forgiveness with blood on the bottom of your shoes." He replied while continuing to look out the window.

"And then when you leave…it's like what you hear goes in one ear and out the other." He shot out. "I'd be a fool to say that I could save you young folks from yourselves, as long as their extreme poverty, fatherless homes, and easy money there's nothing I can do." He finished.

"But it's worth a try ain't it?" asked Link as he sent a look to Mark.

"That's what I tell myself every morning." He replied with a smile just as Mark parked his car in front of an old church in the lower 4th Ward before stepping out with Lee, Link, and Pastor Mills in tow.

"Come in around back." The Pastor ordered before leading the trio through the back door of the church where they quickly came into a kitchen area where they noticed a few women cooking. "While you're sitting here waiting, you can do something good and help serve food." He said with a smile earning an annoyed sigh from Mark.

"Of course we will Connard." The Creole replied showing off his range of French profanities to the Preachers shock.

"Silencieux, watch your tongue this is holy place Roman." The Preacher replied showing off his own knowledge of the French vocabulary before watching as the trio made their way over to the stove and started to work.

"Talk about a fucked situation." Mark whispered before moving to stir a pot of stew.

"Didn't the pastor say to watch your tongue." Came a familiar voice that caused Mark to turn his head and notice a familiar short haired African American woman staring him down with a half-smile on her face.

"Courtney, what are you doing here?" he asked while eyeing the stripper closely.

"I should be asking you the same hitman." She replied earning a chuckle from Mark.

"Pastors been having some problems that requires my kind of touch, but that still doesn't answer my question on why you're here." He replied while folding his arms over his chest and watching as the woman approached him and started to stir the pot of food.

"Just because you don't believe in the church doesn't mean we all don't." she replied before fixing a bowl of stew and then serving it to a woman.

"Please you've got blood and dirty money on your hands the same as I do." He shot back causing the woman to slap him in the chest and look around. "Oh they don't know about your…other professions." He voiced.

"And they won't learn about them either." She shot back while eyeing Mark closely. "I'm not proud of doing the things I do, but I keeps my lights on." She added while moving to stir the pot again.

"I can understand you being a…convicted felon and all." He stated.

"Like you've never cut someone that mouthed off to you?" she replied.

"We all have, but I don't recall doing it in a busy shopping mall." Mark declared with a chuckle. "You New Arcadia girls, you're on a new level of crazy." He added while the woman chuckled.

"What happened to you the other night, I remember me and you talking then you left with two other girls?" she asked while giving Mark a serious look.

"Yeah let's just say things didn't go like you thought they did and if I see that girl who asked me to take her friend to her car she's gonna have to answer to a lot of questions." Mark replied with anger in his voice while Courtney eyed him closely before giving a smile.

"They couldn't handle what you had to offer?" she asked.

"No…more like one drugged me and the other led me into a trap that was broken up by some Vagos and Azteca's." Mark declared to the woman's shock and surprise.

"Jesus, well since you're here I know not to ask are you okay-." She started earning a chuckle from Mark while he filled up another bowl of food and handed it out. "Do you have any idea on who may want you dead?" she asked.

"I got a few ideas and I may need your help with something when you go to work tonight." He replied to her confusion before Link approached the man.

"They're here!" he stated earning a nod from Mark as Courtney watched him wipe off his hands before saying. "We'll finish this conversation in a minute."

With that he walked away from her with Lee and Link in tow, but this didn't seem to stop the woman as she started to follow him out the backdoor of the church where the group noticed five African American men standing over the priest with angry looks on their faces.

"Where's the fucking money?" asked the lead man who stood about five foot seven with a slight afro, wide black eyes, and wearing a black and gold New Arcadia Sinners Jersey under a black jacket, black jeans, and white shoes.

"I'm not paying you anymore." Pastor Mills said earning an angry look from the man who quickly pushed him away and prepared to throw a punch before being stopped by a new voice.

"Didn't your parents teach you to respect your parents Mookie." Mark asked with a chuckle upon recognizing the man as Mookie Jones, one of Fatman's Lieutenants in the 4th Ward.

"This don't concern you Marcus, this 4th Ward business." He yelled out while Mark gave a chuckle.

"It's 4th Ward business, but I have a problem with this practice of shaking down a church and I think others will feel the same." The Roman declared while folding his arms over his chest. "So here's what I propose, you and your fuck-boys go home and leave this church alone before things get physical and you don't want that." He added earning an angry look from the man.

"Get that bitch!" Mookie yelled prompting the other four men to charge Mark who quickly stepped back as Lee jumped forward and shoulder tackled one to the ground while Mark struck another with a hard right hook to the man that easily knocked the smaller man off his feet.

"BSU BEATDOWN." Lee yelled with a chuckle before beginning to repeatedly punch the man in the face while the other man swung three times at Link who dodged each blow before responding with a right hook of his own followed by two more punches to the man's mouth.

The blonde wasn't as skilled fighter with a gun like Lee or Mark but he could manage in a fist fight thanks to the boxing classes he took in Dockington with Mark and Lee so right now he was holding his own against this less skilled opponent.

After dodging another punch that was meant for his head the blonde man got in close and responded with two more punches before moving to bob and weave with the man before finishing him off with a spinning side kick to the man stomach and ending it with a high kick to his nose that knocked him out of the fight.

"Well that was fun." He said with a chuckle while watching as Lee kicked the man he had pinned down in the stomach just for fun then turning to Mark who had the last man pinned to the wall of the church and was repeatedly punching him in the stomach.

"Goodnight!" he said before finished him with a head-butt to the center of the man's face, bloodying his nose and bursting his upper lip with the force of the strike.

"Don't move!" yelled Mookie as he reached into his back pocket and went to pull out his gun but before he could pull it out Mark and Lee had already drawn on him with their pistols prompting him to stop his actions.

"You won't be needing that." Mark shot out before walking over to the man and taking the man's pistol looking it over and then pocketing it before hitting him in the forehead with the butt of his pistol with enough force to knock the man to the ground.

"Now remember what I told you and go home, or next time this will get a lot bloodier and you'll be watching your friends be carted off in ambulances." Mark replied before giving a sharp kick to the man's gut and then making his way back inside the back of the church with Lee, Link, and Pastor Mills in tow.

"I think you may have just made my problem worse." Father Mills stated earning a nod from Mark.

"Probably, but we'll stick around a little longer just in case he wants to try anything else." Mark stated earning a nod from the man while Lee and Link eyed him closely.

"You really want to stick around?" asked Link.

"Yeah, Lee you head back to Red Stick in case something does happen I want the others on standby." Mark replied earning a nod from the Chinese man who wiped off his bloody knuckles while Mark turned to Link who was rubbing his sore knuckles.

"May want to put some ice on that?" he said earning a nod from the man.

"Yeah, thanks brother." The Irish-American man replied before Mark turned to Courtney who was watching him closely.

Red Stick

The drive to Spanish-Grove wasn't long for Felix as he found himself driving through a neighborhood with nicely kept homes with an old Spanish design. He figured this must have been an enclave for the Spanish Americans living here after the Louisiana Purchase but guessed it must have become brown over time.

As he drove around the area it seemed off to him though, there seemed to be mostly white college students living in one section so he decided to drive down another street but instead of finding more Mexican Americans or even a single Mestizo he found more whites and to make it worse a few homes had rainbow colored flags outside of them.

"Goddamn Bucky!" he said with a hint of anger in his voice as he noticed a Caucasian man who stood about six foot two with short black hair step out of his home wearing black shades, a sun hat, a purple blouse that was opened up all the way to reveal his toned chest, tight khaki shorts, and black low top shoes.

"Hey there Padre, you want to be my Barrio Boy." He said in a seductive tone that made Felix gag before forcibly stepping on the gas petal and sending his Peyote speeding down the road while the homosexual man pouted in disappointment.

Outside of New Arcadia

The drive to the Bayou's just outside of New Arcadia seemed to be a long drive for Task and Adahy as they followed a Convoy of three cars containing members of both Azteca's and Vagos towards their destination.

"I guess we found out why Mark was so woozy yesterday." Adahy replied.

"This is wrong." Task stated. "Mark and Lee are our friends and if we do this we risk going to war with them and breaking up everything we've built these last few years." He added.

"I'm aware of that, but we're here now so we might as well get ready." Replied Adahy as he reached into the back of his car for his AK-47 Assault Rifle. "Besides if a war is about to start between the black and brown we can use this opportunity to sell weapons to both sides." He added.

"Selling guns is one thing, but what are we gonna do when he asks us to march into the 3rd Ward and take on the Roman Boyz because you know Mark's Hardheads aren't gonna let us do that without backing them up." Task shot back while Adahy chuckled.

"If they chooses to make a move against the third we don't help. That'll be a damn massacre, the Roman Boyz have that place on lockdown and Mark's Hardhead Gang are just around the corner to back them up." Adahy replied as the group finally arrived at a clearing where they noticed a blue Peyote and a yellow Tornado parked out in the opening.

This promoted Task to stop just as the other vehicles did the same in front of the parked cars. The two warriors then stepped out of their truck just as Ernesto and Primo stepped out of their own cars with three more Azteca's and Vagos.

"Miguel I thought I told you to stay put." Ernesto yelled out while Task and Adahy watched as a Mexican American man wearing a St. Anthony Steeds Jersey over a dark blue T-shirt. The man had high cheek bones, deep soulful eyes, brown skin, and had his hair cut short like most modern day Cholo with a tattoo on his left arm that read PVL.

"You can tell me to stay put, but you aren't keeping me out of this fight Paito." Miguel stated while eyeing the man closely. Task and Adahy quickly deducted the duo were father and son and could see somewhat of a resemblance between each other.

"Who are these two Vatos?" Miguel asked while eyeing Task and Adahy closely.

"They worked with Guardo and Loka, but they aren't down with their cliqua." The OG replied.

"If they ain't down then why are they here, we don't need no help from two Indio's with no loyalties to the Varrio." Miguel stated.

"Good then, we don't need a reason to be here." Adahy stated to Miguel's surprise. "We didn't know Guardo, Loka, or Travieso long enough to seek revenge for them. We're here because we want to do right for Loka, just this once, and never again." The Creek Warrior added while Ernesto eyed him closely.

"If you want to do right by them, you'd be fighting all the way to the end mano." The Azteca OG replied.

"We have friends and buyers and New Arcadia we don't want to risk our business with them siding with an enemy." Task added earning a slight nod from Ernesto.

"That's understandable, you're independents all about the money but we could use you. Not just as soldiers, we have a few Varrios coming in from New Austin, we need to know who the players are in this city and who we're going up against and I have a feeling you two might be able to help us with that." Ernesto stated while eyeing the duo closely.

"Let's do this." Said Ernesto as one of the Azteca's man of Salvadoran descent who stood about five foot six with short black hair and wearing black sunglasses, a light blue checkered shirt, khaki shorts, and shoes popped the trunk of his car and revealed a small arsenal to the group.

"I don't know what these swamp puntos are packing so be ready for anything." Stated Ernesto as he pulled out an AK-104 Assault Rifle while Task and Adahy already noticed he had a .44 Magnum tucked into the back of his pants.

"Try and keep up." Said Miguel as Task and Adahy watched him pull two Micro SMG's from the truck of the car with a Glock 19.

"Let's fuck these gringos up." Said Primo as he pulled out AR-15 Assault Rifle from the back of the car while Task and Adahy readied their own weapons without noticing that they were being watched by a familiar blonde haired girl who quickly scurried back into the swamp.

New Arcadia

The sound of the door closing seemed to quickly cause the head of Steve to snap up and quickly notice Alison standing with her back to the door eyeing him closely.

"That was a good speech." She said with a nervous smile.

"Yeah I had all night to prepare it." He shot back with an emotionless tone in his voice.

"Are you mad at me for walking out on you last night, because if you are can you please just tell me." She stated causing Steve to give a low chuckle before responding.

"I'm not mad at you for leaving last night, I'm mad you came home really late without telling me where you went." He shot back while eyeing Alison closely. "You want to tell me what was so important you had to do that?" he added while giving her a stare that reminded her of her father.

"I had to meet with someone." She said earning a raised brow from Steve. "An old CI, he knows the streets of New Arcadia better than I do, and I figured he may have knew something." She replied in sorta a half-truth that caused Steve to raise his brow.

"Well why didn't you call him?" he asked.

"It's been two years I doubt his number was still the same." She replied while running her fingers through her hair while Steve gave her another look that caused her to speak without thinking. "Besides he wouldn't have answered anyway, seeing as he's been dead for the last fifteen months." She added while folding her arms over her chest.

"One of the reasons I was able to do so well down here was because of him, and now he's gone and I'm just finding out about it." She said while looking to the floor.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Steve replied before rising from his desk and continuing to eye Alison.

"What do you say we go get a coffee?" he asked earning a slight smile from Alison.

"I think I'd like that." She replied with a slight smile to hide her dishonesty.

Red Stick

The drive back to the clubhouse wasn't long for Felix as he stopped his car in the driveway and noticed Lee standing on the porch with a smile on his face and his arms folded across his chest.

"Well how was Spanish-Grove?" the Chinese man asked while watching as Felix stepped out of the vehicle with an unamused expression. "If you would have asked me or Mark could have told you that Spanish Grove is Red Stick's Gay District." He added.

"Well thanks for telling me that now." Felix shot out before moving to step pass Lee who quickly pushed him back.

"If you try anything that I don't like while inside I'm gonna step in brother. You can't get mad at anyone in there because none of them are from here and know anything about this city." Lee stated.

"Yeah but I bet they're all sharing a laugh right now aren't they?" he asked with anger in his tone.

"Slightly, but you should take that as a sign Felix. You may not have other brown people here but you got us." He replied.

"DO I?" Felix shouted to Lee's confusion. "We're all in the same gang but none of us are alike and all of you have each other. Mark is black and fits in well in this city along with Miller, Link, Buck, Davey, and Eddy have each other-." He started before Lee interrupted him.

"Well who do me and Manfred have?' Lee asked.

"You have the Vietnamese and Manfred is used to being a shut in." Felix shot back.

"And you have Viktor." Lee shot back.

"Viktor is a Puerto Rican who's more proud to be tri-racial than anything else." Replied Felix.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Came a familiar voice that caused the group to lift their heads and notice Viktor standing in the doorway.

"If you haven't noticed Felix we're not gearing up for a fucking race war, and if we are why are we picking sides based on the predominate races because if you haven't noticed there are more mixed bloods on this earth than anything else." The Puerto Rican man replied before stepping to Felix while Lee stood by watching the duo closely.

"I'm proud of being Puerto Rican and I'm proud of being Tri-Racial. I get sick of hearing you always talk about hating having European blood in you, but guess what you do get over it. Your great great great grandmother fucked a European and don't claim the rape bullshit because I'm pretty sure they weren't raping just all your grandmothers." Viktor shot out causing Felix to move towards him but before he could get close enough Lee blocked his path and stared the man down.

"We don't fight amongst ourselves brother, so talk a walk and go cool off and don't come back until you do." The Chinese gunman stated while eyeing Felix closely before watching him walk away from the group.

"Did you really have to agitate him?" Lee asked while turning to face Viktor.

"He needed to hear it, one way or another." The Puerto Rican man stated.

"Yeah whatever." The Chinese man said before watching as Felix hopped in his car and drove away from the house while he made his way back inside of the clubhouse.

New Arcadia

The night seemed to be going slow for Courtney as she found herself moving through the floors of the Voodoo club wearing a black G-String and bra that helped show off her ample breast, toned stomach, and supple behind.

As she moved through the floors of the Voodoo club her mind kept in mind the task Mark had assigned her to do tonight…spy on Joe and if something came up that sounded important relay it back to the young Creole.

Which is exactly what she was doing right now as she walked towards Joe office in the back of the club carrying a tray of drinks that she had the bartender prepare for him.

Upon making her way to the door she quickly moved to press her ear against the side of the door in order to listen in on the conversation and her eyes lit up as she heard Joe talking to someone else who was on the phone.

"You're gonna love this." She said before knocking on the door and watching as Joe opened it before taking the drinks, give her a tip of twenty dollars, and then close up while she made her way to the back area of the club to grab her cellphone.

Elsewhere

The chiming of his cellphone caused Mark to quickly look down at the device and notice he had a text from Courtney asking him to meet her at the Voodoo Club later tonight. He figured the girl must have heard something, but was gonna make him jump through a few hoops before he can get the information out of her.

He then responded back with an OK before watching as Pastor Mills approached him with an apple in hands before extending it to him.

"If this is the forbidden fruit I don't want anything to do with it." Mark stated earning a chuckle from the pastor.

"You turn down the forbidden fruit but I bet it's not the only thing of evil you've taken." He replied while handing the Creole the apple.

"You aren't a religious person but at least you know what the forbidden fruit is." Father Mills replied while taking a seat next to the youngest Roman.

"Like most kids in the South my grandmother beat that shit into my head, but I'll admit in my lifetime I've looked in Christianity as well as other religions." Mark replied taking a bite out of the apple.

"You've looked into them but you still haven't found the right one that suits you?" he asked while eyeing Mark closely.

"Nope they all seem to have their flaws to me, and no matter what you pick you're always gonna have the pushy asshole who says your religion is wrong." He stated.

"Yes you will, but it's good to have your faith in something." The reverend replied while Mark eyed him closely. "I was like that once thinking anyone that didn't believe in God were going to hell, but then that damn hurricane hit." He added earning Mark's full attention.

"One good thing that came out of that monster was that it opened my eyes. People were coming in from all over the country to help Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Protestant, Buddhist, even some Calvinist and Lutheran." He said with a chuckle before turning to Mark. "If all of these people can come together to help us in our time of need, why wouldn't the lord let them through his holy doors?" he asked.

"Human empathy." The Creole responded earning the preachers attention. "Human empathy, the urge to feel emotions for other people in their ups or downs. That they didn't help us because they had a spiritual awakening, it was because simple human instinct to help the unfortunate takes over." Mark stated earning a chuckle from the preacher.

"Believe science all you want Marcus, but someday you'll see the light." He stated earning a loud scoff from Mark.

As the Roman went to say something else a series of popping noise broke the concentration of the duo caused both men to go wide eyed as they quickly realized they were being shot at.

"GET DOWN!" Mark yelled out as he knocked Father Mills to the floor while the bullets whizzed over their heads shattering the glass windows, tearing through the portraits on the wall, and ripping through the pews as Mark used his body to shield Pastor Mills who seemed to be stunned beyond belief.

"Torch this bitch!" yelled a man outside the church causing Mark's eyes to widen as he lifted his head and noticed a flaming glass bottle flying through one of the broke windows of the church and hitting one of the pews causing it to ignite in flames.

"Damn!" said Mark as he drew his M1911 Pistol and noticed a man outside getting ready to throw another Molotov, but before the man could get it up in the air the Roman had fired a well-placed shot and hit the man in the shoulder causing him to let out a loud cry of pain before dropping the bottle and causing it to hit the ground next to him and ignite his legs on fire.

"Fucking 4th Ward." Mark yelled with venom in his tone as another man threw a Molotov through the window but luckily he was able to shoot the bottle out of the sky but that still didn't stop the burning gasoline inside from getting inside of the church.

His last shot was lucky but Marcus wasn't able to stop the next couple of bottles from breaking inside of the church and pretty soon the entire front was filling with smoke and fire.

"Looks like we gotta go father." Mark said before looking down at the Pastor and noticing him frozen in fear and terror at seeing what was going on around him.

"Shit!" Mark yelled before pulling the man onto his shoulder and rushing for the back door of the church while the front burned away.

Outside of New Arcadia

The trek through the swamp seemed to be going slow for Task, Adahy, and the Azteca members as they slowly crept through the lush marshland while occasionally swatting away mosquitoes that seemed to be swarming them with each step they made.

"Shit how long before we find this guys?" asked a Orgullo Marron member with short black hair, wearing a brown shirt, khaki pants, and white low top shoes that now seemed to be covered in mud from the mucky swamp.

"These are swamp people mano, we won't see them until they want to be seen." Replied an Azteca with a slight chuckle that caused Ernesto's eyes to widen as realization quickly hit him and caused him to lift his gun and scan the area to the others confusion.

"What are you doing?" asked Adahy as he watched Ernesto scan the area with his Assault Rifle while a Vago continued forward before giving a loud shriek of pain almost like that of a Banshee causing everyone to turn their heads and notice that his leg was caught in a homemade bear trap at the ankle.

"Shit!" said Miguel.

"IT'S A TRAP!" Ernesto yelled out as the sound of a gunshot quickly went off and a bullet hit the skull of the man caught in the bear trap splattering his blood across the muddy ground. This caused the group to move to cover and quickly return fire.

"What the hell?" asked Task as he ducked behind a tree just as a hairy Caucasian man who looked to be in his mid- forties rushed him with what looked like a hunting knife.

"Lookout!" Adahy yelled before squeezing the trigger of his Assault Rifle and striking the man four times in the chest and watching as he fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud.

"What the hell?" asked Task as he looked over the now deceased man and took in the sight of his dirt covered face and rotting teeth.

"These people have been in these swamps for so long they've probably learned everything they need to do to defend it." Adahy replied before a whistling sound went over their heads and caused him and Task to look up and notice a slim Caucasian man sitting on a tree branch firing a Crossbow at them.

"Move!" Task yelled before rolling out of the way and firing a barrage of seven rounds that struck the man in the chest and arms and causing him to fall from the tree and land flat on his back.

"I guess they must've got these weapons from wayward hunters." Adahy added as Ernesto, Miguel, Primo, and two more Azteca's combined their fire in the direction of the man with the Sniper Rifle striking him eight times in the chest, several in the legs, and five times in the arms.

"We gotta pushup but keep your eyes open for more traps." Ernesto yelled out before slowly moving up behind a tree and shooting a man four times in the chest with his SKS Assault Rifle before reloading just as a man yelling something in a language they couldn't understand rushed out of the tree-line carrying an AK-47 Assault Rifle.

"Lookout!" Ernesto yelled before knocking Miguel into cover while Task, Adahy, and the remaining gang members moved to cover behind the trees while the man let off a barrage of 7.62x39mm round in their direction.

"Somebody splatter this Puto." Yelled Primo as rounds tore through the side of the tree he was using as cover while Ernesto drew his .44 Magnum and in a motion similar to that of an wild west gun slinger lift the weapon and fire a single shot that made a thunderous boom as fire exploded from the sides of the gun and sent a bullet rocketing forward that quickly slammed against the head of the Cannibal and blew off the entire top of his head.

"Jesus!" said Task as he and Adahy watched in awe as the man fell backwards while Ernesto's gun seemed to be smoking from the single shot fired.

"Push up push up." Said Ernesto as he fired another round from his Magnum and struck a man with a bow and arrow in the back and tore a hole in through his back that shot out his chest.

"Fucking Maricon." Yelled an Azteca member as he fired as he ran forward firing his gun but failed to notice the homemade net failing from one of the trees until it crashed down on top of him.

"Shit!" he yelled just a man carrying a hunters knife jumped from the trees but before he could stab the man he was taken down by four shoots to the stomach that obliterated his appendix courtesy of Task as he layed down cover fire before rushing to the man and moving to cut him out of the net with the knife.

"Fucking Pendejo's." Miguel yelled out while shooting down three more men.

"We've reached a clearing." Ernesto yelled as the group finally broke through the tree line and noticed that they had reached the edge of the swamp where they noticed an old fashioned village of eight wooden homes and wooden barn on the edge of the waters.

"Be on your guard." Said Ernesto as the gang members started to slowly move through the village while being mindful to look around every corner. The group then split off in twos and started to search the wooden homes one by one only to find them all empty.

"I got something." Yelled Adahy from one of the larger shacks causing everyone to enter it and notice that the building wasn't a home at all…it was a slaughter house.

"Holy shit." Said Task as he and the others looked on with wide eyes at the rows of men and women before them who had been stripped out of their clothing and hanged from meat hooks on the ceiling. The air in the building stank with the scent of blood and it seemed to fit the blood soaked floors as blood dripped from a few bodies as they hanged.

On a few tables there were also a few bodies that had been chopped up and skinned with flies hovering over the bodies feasting on the flesh of the unfortunate men.

"Guardo." Said Primo as the group watched him approached the headless body of a man hanging from a meat hook with five bullet wounds scattered across the body.

"How do you know it's him?" asked Adahy as Primo pointed to a familiar tattoo on the man's arm that the group instantly recognized. They then turned their heads and noticed a familiar Honduran-American man hanging next to him with half his face cut off along with his right hand and most of his chest cut open.

"Travieso." Said Task as he and Adahy eyed the man who looked like he had been chopped repeatedly by a meat cleaver.

"Fucking sick Maricon's." said Miguel with an angry expression on his face as he eyed the bodies of the dead Vagos and Azteca members including the body of La Quica who seemed to have a large hole in her chest.

"Burn it." Said Ernesto earning the attention of everyone. "Burn this place to the ground, I don't think Cruz would want to see his son…or anyone like this." Said Ernesto as he started to make his way out of the shack with his head lowered.

New Arcadia

The scene at the Voodoo club seemed to have gotten livelier as Courtney found herself sitting at the bar preparing drinks with an unamused look on her face. That look then seemed to fade as she lifted her head and noticed a familiar Creole walking into the club but he wasn't alone and he wasn't with the familiar people he was normally with. Instead he was flanked by Andre and two other hustlers from the 17th Ward with three more bringing up the rear.

As the group marched through the floors of the club with people stepping out of the way Courtney immediately called to Mark who seemed to be ignoring her as he made his way into the back of the club.

"Remain here." Said Mark as he looked back to the 17th Ward gangsters while he and Andre made their way down the hall before forcing the office door open and noticing Joe sitting inside with Cake and Fatman.

"YOU!" Mark yelled while eyeing Fatman.

"Wait Mark-." Started Joe only for the youngest Roman to advance on Fatman and grab the 4th Ward Gang Boss by his throat.

"Let's see how you feel about it," The youngest Roman stated while squeezing the man's throat tighter only to be stopped by the sound of a gun cocking causing him to turn his gaze and notice Cake standing next to him with a gun to his forehead.

"Let him go Mark." Joe ordered while Mark gave a low growl before looking to Fatman and then tossing him away.

"You'd really protect this piece of shit." Mark asked with venom in his tone.

"Fatman's already talked about it with us. He didn't know Mookie was taking money from the church." Joe replied.

"Bullshit." Mark yelled out.

"It's true, I didn't know Mookie was fucking with the church or else I would have told him not to." Fatman replied while trying to regain his breath. "He will be disciplined for it." He added.

"He's not the only one, because if you haven't noticed New Arcadia is minus a church and your men did that." Mark yelled out with anger in his tone.

"They will be dealt with Mark, now I suggest you take your men and go home." Joe yelled out with venom in his tone while Mark gave a low chuckle before moving to walk out of the office where Joe and the others were waiting.

"Scatter around the club and let me know when Mookie arrives here." Mark ordered with aggression in his tone. "When he gets here I don't want to give him the chance to speak." He added earning nods from Andre and the others who watched him walk away only to be approached by Courtney.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked with a serious expression on her face.

"Let's just say I'm gonna have a little fun later." Mark replied with a chuckle only for Courtney to grab him by his arm and pull him to the back of the club.

Outside of New Arcadia

The trek out of the swamp wasn't long for Ernesto, Miguel, Primo, Task, Adahy, and the remaining gang members as they finally made it back to their cars. The smell of burning fire and the black smoke cloud in the distance seemed to be growing smaller to the group as they moved farther away from it.

"Alright then we'll head back to Loka and Cruz." Said Ernesto as he watched Miguel, Primo, and the others climb into their vehicles while he turned to Task and Adahy.

"Thank you for being here and helping us with this. Guardo and Travieso would really appreciate it." He said with a half-smile.

"It was nothing, we just wanted to do right by them." Task shot back.

"You put your foot in that door today, but there's still more to be done if you want to help them remember that Carnale." Ernesto stated before moving to climb into the front seat of his car and driving away with the others while Task and Adahy stood in silence.

"Mark's got a problem coming his way." Stated the Lakota warrior while Adahy nodded his head.

"Yeah, but he made his bed and we can't stop that." The Creek shot back.

"Not even warn them?" Task asked while Adahy shook his head.

"I have a feeling he may already know." He shot back to Task's confusion.

"We've been with Mark and we've delivered bodies here for these freaks to eat and whenever we do there's always a little girl here to meet us halfway." Adahy stated to Task's shock and confusion.

"You're right and we didn't see her, come to think of it I expected more here. It seems like we only took out a handful of them, mostly men but we didn't see any women, children, or elders and this is supposed to be a clan that's survived long before the Louisiana Purchase." Stated Task while Adahy nodded his head.

"Exactly, my guess is these freaks have moved on to another place for them to hideout and alert those who could potentially avenge their loss." Adahy replied with seriousness in his tone.

Red Stick

Things in Red Stick seemed to have calmed down with the departure of Felix as Lee found himself sitting on the front porch of his clubhouse looking out at the night skies when the sound of leaves crackling caused him to whip his head around and notice a familiar girl standing before him with an emotionless look on her face.

"You!" the Chinese man said while eyeing the girl closely. "You mind telling us why your fucking family threw that girl away, you created a fucking problem for us." He added with venom in his tone while eyeing the girl closely.

He then watched as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out two bandanna's one yellow and the other blue before dropping them in front of Lee who looked at them curiously before looking at the girl and noticing her saddened facial expression.

"So the Vagos are here and they hit your family up first." He asked while looking up at the girl. "They'll be coming for us next and you can be assured we'll kill them all." Lee added not as declaration to avenge the child's lost, she and her family were cannibals after all, but he was giving her peace of mind knowing that the men who killed them will soon be joining them in the next life.

New Arcadia

Things in the club seemed to have slowed down as the song Dance for You by Beyonce radiated throughout the building as Mark found himself sitting in the back of the strip club while Courtney stood before him with a half-smile.

"You don't have to do this." He said while taking in the sight of the stripper before him.

"I don't have to, but you need to calm down and I need to take my mind off what happened." She replied before Mark watched her strip down until she was in nothing but her black bra and panties. The woman then moved to straddle his lap and press his head into her ample bust.

"Aren't you gonna tell me what you heard?" he asked with a slight growl.

"Once you calm down." She replied moving to shake her breast in his face. "You like this?" she asked while looking down to face the Creole and continuing to grind into his lap.

"I don't like being teased." He replied while she gave a chuckle.

"Neither do I!" she replied while leaning back and removing her bra, allowing Mark to look at her pierced cocoa colored breast that seemed to have the youngest Roman mesmerized. He wouldn't tell a woman out loud like he would a dude but he loved seeing nipple piercings it was just one of the many things that drove him crazy.

This was his first time seeing them on a black woman though so he couldn't help but to be a little star struck while pitching a tent in his pants. The feeling of Mark's erection seemed to bring a smile to the face of Courtney as she moved to spin around in his lap and processed to rub her ass against his stiff member.

This got a low moan of pleasure from the Creole as he felt Courtney slide his erection in between her butt-cheeks while taking in the sight of the rose tattoo that covered much of the woman's back.

"You like that?" she asked but she didn't give Mark a chance to answer before feeling his hands move to slowly caress her mocha colored thighs and then up to her breast while Courtney planted a kiss on his right check.

This motion seemed to repeat until the end of the song and Mark watched as Courtney rose to her feet before turning back to face him with a slight smile on her face.

"Told you you'd like a dance from me." She said with a smile while Mark gave a slight chuckle.

"Yeah and I may take another later." He replied while watching the woman move to put on her bra.

"Joe's got a shipment coming in." she stated earning Mark's full attention. "Two days from now Joe's got a shipment of coke coming into New Arcadia from the docks. " she finished earning a nod from Mark.

"Thanks for that." He said before rising to his feet and making his way out of the room with the woman following after him.

"Why did you need to know that, and why didn't you know that to begin with. I thought you and Joe were tight?" she asked while Mark gave her a look.

"Let's just say we're having a falling out." Mark finished before making his way back into the club where he noticed Mookie and several other 4th Ward gang members making their way into the club.

"Wait here!" he shot out to the woman's confusion before she watched the Creole charge into the crowd and knock Mookie to the floor while people scattered to move away from them.

"I warned you." Mark shot out before beginning to punch the 4th Ward Lieutenant repeatedly in the face before being knocked away by the other men who tried to gang up on him but the numbers were quickly taken from them as Andre and the 17th Ward gang members Mark arrived with quickly joined in the melee to back up the youngest Roman.

"What the hell's going on?" asked Joe as he ran out the front of the club with Cake and noticed the brawl going on in the middle of the dance floor.

"Get off me." Yelled Mookie as he tried to push Mark away but the oversized Creole only responded by hitting the man with a headbutt that left him moving backwards before falling to the floor as Mark shoulder tackled him down while Andre hit a 4th Ward gangster with three shots to the face.

"And so begins the start of the War between 4th and 17th Wards." Said Joe as he watched a 4th Ward hustler knock out a 17th Ward Hustler.

Elsewhere

The night was beginning to come to an end for Alison as both she and Steve found themselves driving back home after grabbing a few drinks but just when they were a block away from their homes the sound of Alison's cellphone ringing caught the woman's attention.

"Hello!" she answered only to hear the voice of Jenna on the other end.

"Ali you and Steve may not want to get comfortable." The woman stated as she found herself standing in a vacant building in the 9th Ward before turning her head and noticing two bodies lying on the floor of the vacant building with gunshots in their heads.

"We're at the start of a long night." She finished.

Authors Note: And there you have it people the next chapter of New Arcadia I know there wasn't much action in this chapter but I promise there will be more next.

I'm actually happy for this chapter because I got to introduce Ernesto and Miguel into the story. If you don't know who they are I suggest you checkout the story GTA Sunbelt City which was a collabartation story between Onkwehonwe, Stelm, and the late Afro-Spirit R.I.P to him. Ernesto and Miguel were Onkwehonwe's characters and he's basically given me permission to use them in this story and what I want to use them in this war.

One of the things me and Onkwehonwe talked about that could make this war between the black and brown gangs different then say the war with the Ballas was to make it less one sided. With the war with the Ballas they had soldiers but they basically were outmatched but in this war the Azteca's and the Vagos are basically the underdogs because they don't have numbers so to even the war out I plan to introduce characters fighting on their side that can turn the tide of the war and keep Mark and Lee on their toes.

If you haven't read Sunbelt City I recommend reading it, mostly I recommend reading Ernesto and Barry's parts because they were the most interesting in my opinion. Ernesto is visually based off Danny Trejo and Miguel is based off Michael Pena and you'll see more of them as this war goes on.

I also introduced Guardo's replacement as the shotcaller for the Azteca's in Jefferson Parish Primo. He is visually based off Trouble from the rap group Brownside. I also introduced Travieso's Father Cruz who will now take over the operations of the Orgullo Marron Vagos in the 3rd and 4th Ward as he did in the past. He's visually inspired based off Danny De Le Paz.

We also learned a little more about Muujai and what makes him so dangerous not only to Mark but to Ana as well. He's a dangerous man who's entire life has been filled with war and he's gonna bring that war to the streets of New Arcadia and will be force in this war.

I didn't get a chance to go more into detail about who's on the FIB team in New Arcadia but I will do that next chapter. This chapter was more so to introduce more faces to the Vagos and Azteca's along with next chapter.

The character Bunk is visually inspired by New Orleans Native Wendell Pierce from The Wire. He's a former New Arcadia gangster and will play a small mentor role to Mark similar to how Butchie was to Omar on the Wire. The Preacher Reverend Mills is visually inspired by Morgan Freeman who can be described as either agnostic but he has that face of a preacher and like everyone says he has a great voice and when he talks people like to listen which is what I want to show with Reverend Mills who will have a lasting relationship with Mark.

What he mentioned about seeing Mark being proud of who he is and not hiding behind religion is basically what I see. People will go out Saturday night get drunk, high, gamble, and fuck whoever then come back Sunday say a prayer and think…they're pure again. I'm not really a religious person but if that's what it takes to make you closer to God I have a few questions.

I introduced the character Courtney last chapter but I forgot to mention that she's visually based off Megan Goode. One thing I hated with the stripper experience in GTA V is that basically made it so that you didn't have to do dates like you did in San Andreas or IV and to me that's stupid. I don't care how much you touch a stripper during a dance you ain't getting nothing after that without buying a meal unless she's a hooker on the side. With Courtney she and Mark are basically friends but later they may become friends with benefits and I can guarantee that they'll do a few hits together because she is affiliated with the Roman Boyz in the third.

Also I forgot to mention but each gang in this story basically goes off the name of their ward but occasionally I do give some gang names like Roman Boyz. And in Mark's case his gang in the 17th Ward have been dubbed The Hard Heads and they mostly operate out of Holly Park so the full name is the Holly Park Hard Heads. I'll introduce more of them later in this story as Mark find himself fighting both the Azteca's and the 4th Ward.

The character Mookie is visually based off Warner Miller who played Tone on Luke Cage. He's Fatman's main lieutenant in the 4th Ward and will basically be leading his assault against Mark in the 17th.

Spanish Grove is based off Spanishtown in Baton Rouge, which is basically Baton Rouge's self-proclaimed Gay District because of the number of gay people there. It was originally a Spanish place after the Louisiana Purchase but by the time of the 60's it was mostly black, then through gentrification it became gay similar to the route they were going on Shameless. Over the years there's still a large gay population there but there is also a bunch of Hipsters and college kids there.

Felix yearning to be around more brown people is basically his own for of home sickness. People feel more comfortable around people they know but they often yearn to be around people like them just to make them feel more comfortable.

His argument with Viktor is basically a culture clash in the sense that Viktor is proud to be tri-racial and doesn't care so much about being strictly considerate of one race like Felix and many Mexicans and we'll explain more about that later.

The shootout in the swamps was based someone off that mission in Rise of the Tomb Raiders when the Mercenaries were fighting the Indigenous people. They didn't have a lot of guns so they relied on crudely crafted weapons like arrows and spears which I see cannibals who don't like contact with the outside world using. With just a few weapons they steal from hunters they make catch in the swamps.

Stick around for next chapter as a new face is added to the Azteca's and they make their first move against Joe with Task and Adahy, Alison deals with the new bodies left by the "Vacant Home Killer" and that leads her looking to Mark and Lee for help, the 4th Ward and 17th Ward trade blows with each other, and Muujai sees and opportunity and potential ally.

Thank you all for reading have a nice night.

Also the next chapter of this story may come later, I want to update Roman Empire so I'm gonna start working on that. I've also started a new zombie story on Fictionpress called Into the Deadlands. The link for it is at the end of the page if you want to check it out and please leave a review if you can.

s/3295718/1/Into-the-Deadlands