Chapter 64: Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Coming Down on A Sunny Day
Rose District, New Arcadia (Two Days Later)
It was the early morning hours in one of the biggest and oldest districts in New Arcadia. The sun was barely poking out as storm clouds loomed overhead. It was here where both Alison and Steve found themselves parking their car at the corner of Ale Road and King Dr where less than an hour prior a mass-homicide had just taken place.
"What do we got?" Steve asked as he and Alison approached Locke with serious looks painted on both of their faces.
"Three dead bangers, one wounded banger, and another six wounded civilians including a six-year-old boy." Locke replied before leading the duo behind the police tape where they took in the sight of an all-black SUV with an African American man with a bullet hole in the side of his head in the passenger seat while two Mexican men lay on the ground.
"Camera footage shows us that the guy passenger seat and the driver were hunting these guys on the ground." He added causing the duo to look at the underage Mexican male lying on the ground with three bullet wounds in the chest.
"They shot, this guy shot back, hit the passenger, and the driver crashed the car into him, and everyone else was hit in the crossfire along with everyone else near while one assailant took off on foot." Locke stated while the group noticed the fallen bicycle on the side of the road.
"More Roman on Vago violence?" Steve asked while Locke shook his head.
"More like Black on Brown Genocide Those guys are from the 4th Ward, most of the gangs there are longtime rivals to the Romans." Locke corrected with little emotion in his tone before turning to Steve and eyeing him angrily. "I warned you this would happen if you lock the Romans up." He added in anger.
"You want them out turning New Arcadia into a shooting gallery?" Steve asked in anger.
"The streets are already shooting galleries." The New Arcadia police chief retorted with venom seething in his voice. "Having them out means that the shooting will be coordinated to those that deserve a bullet." He added to Steve's surprise. "Less people die!"
"Are you saying that the Vagos and those affiliated with them deserve to die?" Steve asked in anger.
"If someone showed up at your wedding, gunned down your entire family, and your wife…wouldn't you want revenge?" Locke asked earning a few seconds of silence from Steve. "People who have been rivals to the Roman's are seeking revenge for them because a line was crossed."
"The line is nonexistent!" Steve retorted in anger before looking to Locke who merely looked away from him and back to the dead bodies.
"Your actions didn't do much anyway, from what I hear the DA is gonna be releasing The Romans and BSU members you rounded up later today." Locke added to the duo's shock and surprise.
"They can't do that!" Steve shot back in rage.
"They can and they will." Locke stated in a matter of fact tone. "They have no charges to hold any of them on and the, mostly African American city, is calling for their release. Good or bad the Roman's have deep history in this city and everyone is saying they should get their revenge." He added in anger.
"We got protest across the city calling for the arrest of not just Mexican gang member but Mexican civilians." Locke continued. "A lot of African Americans are now siding with Republicans on immigration."
"Not if I have something to say about it!" his words shocked both Locke and Alison whose eyes widened in shock at the man's words. "Mark's Family, the entire Roman Family, is nothing but a bunch of drug dealing murders. That's all they are and all their history speaks of and there was no end to that in sight." he added in anger. "If this puts an end to the list of bodies and crimes that family has committed then so be it." He finished in a rage before storming off and leaving Alison alone with Locke who turned to her with a raised brow.
"I'll talk to him." she started only to be stopped by Locke.
"Don't bother he spoke his mind." He replied to the surprise of the woman. "You should save your words for Marcus. You need to see exactly where his head is before he gets out."
"I haven't been able to see him." She replied while Locke eyed her closely.
"Jail's been on lockdown a lot nobody in or out, but the warden owes me a favor. They're off lockdown right now so I can get you in." Locke replied to her shock. "I can get you a face to face with him so you two can talk freely." He added to which Alison nodded her head.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked with a raised brow.
"Maybe you can tell him to what's going on out here and he can get a message to the rest of the streets…I don't know but we need this black on brown violence to end." He added while Alison nodded her head with a half-smile.
"Okay I'll see what I can do." She finished earning a nod from the Locke. "But tell me exactly why the jail has been fluctuating on lockdown?" she asked earning a look from Locke before he responded.
Arcadia Parish Jail
"AHHHHHH!" came a loud screaming noise in the kitchen of the prison as Marrick, Jimmy, and Thire found themselves stomping three tattooed Mexican inmates into the dirt while Tup, Eddy, and Buck watched the door of the kitchen to stop any other guards from coming inside.
"Please we didn't have anything to do with that attack-." One man started before being kicked in the stomach and knocked back to the ground before Jimmy stepped on his elbow with enough force to break his arm.
"Of course, YOU didn't, but you're amigos did." Jimmy pointed out while putting his foot on the back of the man's neck and applying pressure. "Sounds like to me a case of guilty by association." He added before looking to Marrick and Thire and watching as they brought over a large pot filled with boiling hot water before dousing the men in the liquid and forcing them to cry out in pain.
"I suggest you take that pain like a man because this is only gonna get worse." Thire added while pulling out his knife and approaching the men who continued to scream out in pain before the man started peeling the skin off his back like he was descaling a fish.
The bodies inside Arcadia Parish Jail were piling up as the Warden failed to heed the advice of the local sheriffs when they told them to put the jail on Lockdown upon the arrival of the BSU and Roman Boyz Leaders.
He didn't listen and he was paying the price. Since their arrival it had been smash anyone brown on sight. This has resulted in numerous fights and stabbing with Jimmy doing his best to convince Marrick to keep the violence away from the non-gang affiliated Mexicans, but the man was grieving and no one was safe from his wrath at the moment.
The prison would be going back on lockdown again, but it wouldn't be long before the group was released and could bring their rage to the streets.
Sunbelt City
The sound of Spanish Rap blasting in the background of Miguel's childhood home filled the air as the man found himself lying in bed with a Mexican woman resting alongside him after another night of having sex.
The Onda member was celebrating an ironic victory.
Over the past few years when they went to war between with BSU and the Roman Boyz they managed to do damage to both gangs physically and financially, but no matter how much they hit them they could never do enough damage to Mark to break his resolve.
No matter how hard they hit him he hit back harder.
He wasn't hitting back right now though.
He'd lost his wife, most of his family, his pet of a friend was comatose, and to add insult to injury the NAPD had locked him and much of the leadership of BSU and the remaining members of his family.
Life was sweet right now for Miguel and he was enjoying the silence.
That silence was quickly interrupted though as the door to his room was kicked open by a familiar large Mexican man who eyed him angrily.
"Papa what's-." he started before Ernesto rushed him, pressed his hands to his throat, and started to choke the life out of him.
"Idiota…what did you do?" he asked in anger while continuing to choke Miguel.
"I didn't do anything." He called out through shallow breaths.
"Don't lie to me, your car was there and you were driving it." Ernesto yelled out in anger while continuing to apply pressure to Miguel's throat only for his son to kick him away while the woman he was lying with screamed loudly and took the man off-guard as he took three steps back away from Miguel who clenched his throat and coughed violently.
"Start talking!" Ernesto ordered while Miguel clutched his throat in anger.
"I was there yes, but I didn't do any of the shooting." He stated with venom in his tone.
"So you got someone else to do it and you just sat there and watch?" Ernesto asked in anger.
"No, those Cabron's shot at me when they saw me in my car." he yelled out in anger. "They forced me to leave the scene. I wasn't gonna take a bullet for someone who's trying to put a bullet in my head." He added in anger while Ernesto eyed him angrily.
"If you're lying to me-." he started only for Miguel to cut him off.
"You'll what, kill your son…just like how you got Louis killed?" he asked earning a slap across the face from Ernesto who moved to stand over him angrily.
"If Mark goes after any of your siblings, if he goes after Carmen, it'll be on you." Ernesto shouted with venom in his tone.
"No if he goes after any of us it's on you father." Miguel interjected with venom in his tone. "You should have been killed that Mayate when you had the chance but instead you want to play the friendly Vecino. There is no making peace with him especially now." He yelled out in anger.
"But there is a way you can keep him from coming after us." He added causing Ernesto to look at him with a raised brow. "Kill him before he kills you, make the first move and cut off the head of the snake." He finished while Ernesto eyed him closely finding truth in the man's words.
"Killing Mark won't solve our problems it'll just have the IAA all over us. Ernesto yelled out in anger.
"Will it?" Miguel asked to Ernesto's confusion. "Just how much power or sway does Mark have with Merryweather and the IAA?" He asked with a seriousness in his tone. "If you haven't noticed half of his family was just slaughtered and we haven't heard from him or any of them." He spoke out in anger.
"He could just be threating us with power he doesn't have because guess what I don't see IAA Agents taking me in right now…do you?" he finished while taking in Ernesto's silence.
"When you're ready to move on him…let me know, until then get the hell outta my house because you're not welcome here." He ordered earning a low growl from Ernesto before he took the man's words and started to head for the door.
"You're sitting here with a smug smile enjoying Mark's pain nino, but you need to remember kill Mark or not he can still bring his pain upon us before he dies." Ernesto finished before walking out of the room and leaving Miguel alone back to his thoughts.
Arcadia Parish Jail
Crack
Crack
Crack
This low thumping sound seemed to radiated in one of the darkest units of the jail as Mark found himself softly pounding his fist against the ground with an emotionless look on his face as he sat with his back against the wall staring at the door in silence.
He didn't know how long he'd been doing the action. There was some dried blood in the spot from where his knuckles had cracked and broke skin allowing his blood to flow. It wasn't as bad as when he'd first arrived but he was still angry and the pain felt numbing to him.
Sitting in his cell gave him not only time to think about what had happened that day but almost relive it in a sense. He could see the bodies of Courtney, Link, his father, and most of his family piled up, stretched out, their blood oozing, bodies mangled beyond compare.
He'd done a lot of killing in his lifetime, of enemies and even friends, but nothing he'd ever seen was haunting him like this. He saw them in his dreams and even when he started to drift off from reality they would pop their heads up.
They would remind him of his failure and inability to find to true happiness and joy if there wasn't a gun in his hands.
After a few more hits in the dirt, the sound of the tumblers on his cell door caught him by surprise and caused him to lift his head with his emotionless expression that soon faded upon noticing a familiar redheaded woman standing in the doorway with a half-smile on her face.
"You get ten minutes." The warden ordered earning a nod from Alison before Mark watched the man walk out of the room and close the door behind him leaving Alison alone with the youngest Roman who merely looked up at her like she wasn't even there before the FIB Agent slowly approached him, dropped down to her knees, and wrapped her arms around Mark who couldn't even wrap his arms around her.
It wasn't because he didn't want to hold her. Right now just the feeling of her hair on his face, the smell of her lavender scented shampoo, and even the cushion of her bosom against him caused a warm wave of safety to wash over his body and it was a wave that he just wanted to sink into.
He wanted to do this but his head didn't want to.
So instead of wrapping his arms around her, he merely pushed her away somewhat catching her by surprise but also allowing her to get back to the subject at hand.
"It's good to see you." She spoke out before giving him a smile and then watching as Mark merely turned his gaze away from her.
"I hoped you would never see me like this." He interjected causing Alison to finally take notice of his orange jumpsuit and the inmate number across his back.
"You're not supposed to be here right now." She pointed out while Mark merely chuckled at her words.
"I'm not that innocent though, am I?" he asked earning a few seconds of silence from Alison before she finally spoke up at his statement.
"I get it, you're blaming yourself for what happened." She spoke out causing Mark to look away from her in silence.
"There's no one else to blame." He replied with little emotion in his tone. "Would I be in this situation right now if I chose to be a Watchmaker?" he asked with a chuckle while Alison eyed him closely. "If I chose a different path then this one or if I even shot a little straighter and didn't freeze up more people may still be alive…she may still be alive." He added with sadness soon filling his voice causing Alison to grab his head and pull him back into her chest to which he didn't fight.
"You've done a lot of bad things, but let's not forget all the good you've done as well." She stated while rubbing Mark across his back only to be stopped by the next words to come out of his mouth.
"I won't be doing any good when I leave here." His words left her frozen in place and soon she found herself looking down at him and taking in the sight of the seriousness in his eyes as he looked up into her own. "That's why you're here right…to know what I'm going to be doing once I leave here?"
"I knew what you were going to be doing and I know I can't stop you-." She started before Mark cut her off.
"But you're going to try?" he asked while eyeing her closely.
"I'm an officer and I just came from a gang shooting that left six civilians hospitalized including a six-year-old boy." She added earning Mark's attention. "There was a riot in a school the other day where the black kids jumped on the Mexicans and almost constant fights between both sides." She added while Mark merely turned away from her.
"People are turning against them…let me guess has the governor gone out and talked about illegal immigration and more security along the New Austin border?" he asked with a smile while noticing Alison give a slight nod.
"What's going on right now isn't my doing but people wanting revenge and letting their own fears take over." Mark started with a chuckle. "New Arcadia it's the only city where the innocent will defend the local bad guys when new bad guys show up." He stated before looking back up at her closely.
"I will take my revenge against the gang members who put my family in the ground…innocent civilians are not on my mind." He stated while Alison nodded her head.
"What about their families?" she asked with a raised brow.
"If they were smart and knew any better they'd have sent their families away." He stated in an emotionless tone. "If they're in the crossfire…I can't stop what'll happen." He added while Alison nodded at his words.
"Are you going after Ernesto?" she asked while eyeing the man closely.
"No, I know he wouldn't be involved with like this so." He answered while eyeing Alison closely. "But we both know who would and I'm going to get answers outta him before the dead is done." He added while Alison eyed him closely.
"I can talk to him before you move-." She started only for Mark to cut her off with a loud "NO!" that completely caught her off-guard and more so left her confused especially as she felt his grip around her tighten.
"I've already lost one woman I love this month and the pain from it was some of the worst I've ever felt." He stated while wrapping her into his body tightly. "I can't lose you as well." He added with tears beginning to form in his eyes causing Alison to merely nod her head before holding the man in her arms and rocking him back and forth.
Meanwhile
While Mark and most of the BSU members were locked up in Jail, many others found themselves locked up in a makeshift jail that was New Arcadia's General Hospital in the city's Downtown.
It was in this hospital that Ren found herself calling her new home these last couple of days as she found herself watching over the comatose Link as he rested in his bed with no signs of ever waking up after taking six bullets to the back.
The memory of the man screaming out for help as he bled in the dirt for what felt like hours while a gunfight raged around him. His injuries and state kept him from being moved to jail like Mark and the rest of the guys with the exception of Manfred who'd managed to evade capture like Lee and Task.
The trio had managed to evade capture and leave Louisiana to God-Knows-Where USA from what Ren could tell.
She, Nikki, and Jill had managed to avoid going to jail by the police believing that they were merely girlfriends of the group and not members or involved in the violence.
The group hadn't heard anything Mark or any of the guys in prison, or even Lee for that matter, so all they could do was sit in the hospital, watch over Link, and await the coming bloodshot.
"The lad awake yet?" Nikki asked while walking into the room with Jill in tow.
"No he still isn't showing any signs of change either." Ren retorted while looking back to the Irish woman and noticing her eating a bag of chips from the vending machine down the hall.
The group hadn't gotten a decent meal in a while since the wedding. Their diet now consisted of what was in the vending machine and the hospital cafeteria out of fear of leaving Link and him coding.
They wanted to be with the man through the entire event.
"I'm sick of sitting here." Nikki spoke out in anger.
"You can leave if you want to." Ren stated with little emotion in her tone.
"That's not what I'm talking about." She replied to the other women's confusion. "The boys are in jail, Link's in the hospital, and the fuckers who's responsible are out there right now laughing and having a grand old time. We should be out there doing something right now." She spoke out in anger.
"What do you want, I can't fire a gun and Mark wouldn't want us to go out and get ourselves hurt for him." Ren retorted in anger.
"Who said anything about getting into a gunfight?" Nikki asked earning a raised brow from the two women who watched her closely.
Rose District, New Arcadia
It wasn't long after the shooting did word reach Cruz about the shooting of his soldados and he'd soon put his barrio on alert in preparation for another attack that he felt could becoming at any time.
He himself was walking around with his Glock 19 just as a precaution but his eyes were ever drawn to the streets. Despite having a Vago lookout on almost every corner he knew it wouldn't mean much if a hard retaliation came into place.
Amongst those was Felix and Adahy who found themselves standing outside the man's home with their own weapons at the ready just in case something were to pop off.
His eyes then soon darted a familiar Tornado that parked itself in front of his home and watched as a familiar man stepped out of the car with a rather serious expression on his face.
"YOU!" Ernesto started prompting Cruz to raise his Pistol at the man as he angrily approached him with rage in his eyes.
"Calm down Carnale." Felix spoke out earning an angry look from Ernesto.
"Don't you tell me to calm down nino." Ernesto yelled out in anger earning a shocked look from Felix. "You're really gonna risk your lives for him after what he did?" he asked in anger.
"I had nothing to do with that massacre." Cruz retorted in anger.
"Oh bullshit with everything that's been going on as of late you expect me to believe that?" Ernesto asked in rage before he was cut off by an all-black Buffalo stopping in front of Cruz's home that earned all of their attentions as they noticed a somewhat familiar redheaded woman step out of the vehicle and look to them with a serious expression on her face.
"Alison!" Felix spoke out while watching the woman closely as she entered Cruz's front yard.
"You're trespassing on my property officer." Cruz spoke out in anger while Alison eyed the man closely with fear coursing through her body but trying her best to keep it down. "Or are you here to do Mark's bidding?" he added spitting venom in his words while Felix and Ernesto also looked to the woman confusingly.
When it came to meeting with the enemy, Mark would never involve Alison. She knew about Mark's business and he strived hard to keep her out of it, so to see her here meeting with the man's enemies was shocking.
"I'm here to tell you that you need to get your people off the streets." She spoke out earning confused looks from the group. "Innocent people are being caught in the crossfire between your guys and that can end and keep your men from danger if you take them off the street." She added while Cruz merely eyed her angrily.
"Right take my soldados off the street, why don't you go ask your amor to stop sending his people are me then." He asked in anger. "Better yet why don't you have him sit down with me face to face so we can talk this out." He added in anger.
"These aren't his people attacking your own, these are random gangsters in New Arcadia who've found you as the common enemy." She stated in anger. "And I doubt there's anything you can say to change Marks mind about what he's going to do."
"What if we told him we had nothing to do with what happened at that church?" Felix asked earning a raised brow from Alison. "Cruz was here with us during that shooting." He added.
"You think he'd believe that?" Alison asked.
"He can at least hear it out." Felix shouted.
"Don't bother Carnale." Cruz spoke out earning Felix's attention as he looked back at the man and noticed him eyeing Alison closely. "Whether I did or didn't do it, that Mayate's mind is made up. He's going to make his move no matter what I say…the question is will she tell me when he's coming for me so that I can leave." He added while eyeing Alison closely.
"That's if she hasn't been too corrupted by him yet and wants to see me die" He added while Alison eyed him closely before finally speaking up.
'I don't know when he's getting out." She lied clearly evident to the group. "What they're holding him on is bullshit just to keep him off the streets. If he wanted to get out jail he could do so any minute." She added while Cruz merely gave her a smile.
"In that case I'll keep my guys on the street…just to be sure." He added while Alison eyed him angrily. "Do tell me though if you believe I had something to do with Mark's wife being killed why did you come here…are you not afraid I can't do the same to whatever the fuck you are to him." he asked while Alison eyed him angrily before speaking up.
"Because you have a wife and two children-." She started earning a chuckle from Cruz while Ernesto eyed him closely before Alison caught his attention. "Ernesto has kids." She added earning the man's full attention. "Felix you have a girlfriend and you Adahy have a village." She continued while eyeing the group closely.
"If something happens to me…I can't guarantee Mark won't go after them." She stated with a hint of fear in her tone. "I talked to him before I came over here and right now…I don't know where his head is. He seems sad but he also seems like he can hurt anyone without regard." She added while the group eyed her closely.
"You want me to get him to sit down and talk this out, I doubt I can even do that." She added with a half-chuckle. "It's like I'm there, but he's completely shut me out like he doesn't love me anymore." She continued before Ernesto cut her off.
"He just lost someone he cares about." The Onda member spoke out earning the woman's attention. "Whether Mark loves you or not doesn't matter." He continued while everyone eyed him closely. "He's pushing out love, he's pushing out sympathy, and almost all other emotions. Mark is a mentally preparing himself not for a war…but a massacre that he probably doesn't intend to return from." He finished while sending Cruz a serious look.
"If he's that ready for a war maybe you should also be carrying a gun and worrying about your own family Carnale." Cruz pointed out earning silence from the man before he sent a look to Adahy and Felix and noticed both men clutching their weapons tightly before looking over to Alison and noticing the solemn look on the women's face.
"If he's that bent on war…are you gonna stop him?" Felix asked breaking the man's concentration and causing him to look back at Alison who turned her gaze to the man. "You know exactly what Mark is and what he's capable of, so why aren't you doing your job and stopping him before he spills blood?" he added in anger while Alison remained silent.
"Mark never loved you Alison. If he did why would he be marrying another woman instead of you?" he asked with venom in his tone. "You're nothing more than a pet to him and we both know it." He added spitting venom with his words while Cruz and Adahy merely stood by chuckling while Ernesto sent the woman a look before noticing a rather dark evil expression spread across her face before she spoke out.
"For your sake…you better hope he loves me." She stated earning confused looks from the group.
"And why is that red?" Adahy asked between laughs.
"Because if he loves me, maybe he'll spare you." She stated in a matter of fact sinister tone that caught both Felix and Ernesto by surprise.
Felix was hit by it the hardest. He knew Alison the most compared to the others and he'd never known the woman to have a dark side but right now she was showing signs more accustomed to Mark then herself.
As she the woman turned on her heels and started to walk away from the group just a few blocks away at a nearby neighborhood park a Vago of Honduran descent with short black hair hidden under a black beanie found himself patrolling the corner at Deadwood Park for any signs of suspicious or enemy activity.
To his surprise though everything seemed clear but that soon changed upon catching sight of an unfamiliar scruffy looking Caucasian man with short black hair sitting on a park bench staring up at the sunny skies overhead.
"You on the wrong part of town Gavacho." The Vago called out earning a confused look from the man before he looked up at him with a serious expression on his face.
"Sorry just checking for rain." The man replied with an emotionless expression on his face.
"Are you fucking high it's fucking sunny." The Vago spoke out in rage earning a chuckle from the man.
"You don't understand the particular rain I'm talking about kid." The man replied while looking to the Vago with a half-smile.
"No I don't so I suggest you better move along before me and you have a problem bitch." The gang banger spoke out with venom in his tone while lifting his shirt to reveal a Pistol tucked into his pants.
"Alright…I'm going." The man replied while lifting himself off his seat to reveal his full height of six foot one before slowly starting to walk away from the Vago who watched him leave with a smile on his face.
"And don't come back." The Vago screamed out at the top of his lungs without seeing the wide smile on the man's face as he walked away while stuffing a piece of paper into his jacket pocket outside of the Vagos gaze.
Meanwhile
The smell of cleaning chemicals was strong as Ren and Jill found themselves at BSU's Riverside headquarters watching as Nikki pour various cleaning chemicals into a metal pipe along with gardening fertilizer with a wicked smile spread across her face.
When Jill had first met the Irish lass, she immediately thought the fire headed woman was nothing more than a hot head from a chapter overseas. Now she was learning the woman was directly connected with the remnants Irish Republican Army through family lineage but she'd also worked alongside the group to carry out specific attacks.
She didn't know if Alison, Ana, or Mai knew about the woman's past, but she was a clear breach to national security and watching her stir up the ingredients needed to craft a bomb now made Jill believe that she was more than just a breach of national security but a threat to it as well.
"And we're done!" Nikki spoke out while presenting the two women a rather large pipe bomb with a fuse made of paper stuck at the top.
"This thing isn't remote detonated?" Jill asked while looking to the girl with a raised brow.
"No I want to see the luck on whoever's face when we toss this at them." She retorted with venom leaking off her words.
"Hold on who said anything about us tossing a bomb at anyone." Ren interjected earning a raised angry brow from Nikki.
"Come on China doll what did you think the point of us making this was?" Nikki asked with a smile.
"First off I'm Japanese and secondly just because we have it doesn't mean we should be the one's using it." She corrected in anger.
"Right you don't have blood on your hands so of course you don't want to do this." Nikki added with a smile. "But I'm going to do this…no matter the cost." she finished just as Ren's cellphone started to ring.
"You have any idea who you're gonna use it on?" Jill asked with a raised brow.
"Someone we should have used it on a longtime ago." Nikki retorted to the woman's confusion before.
"Hey!" Ren spoke out earning the full attention of the group who eyed her closely.
"They've been released." She stated earning mixed looks from the duo of women as the news suck into them. "And Mark's calling a meeting in two hours."
Elsewhere
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Steve screamed out at the very top of his lungs as he sat a local cop bar going over the news he'd just received about the release of the BSU and Roman Family leaders.
The bullshit charges against them had officially been dropped and he knew for fact that the group was already on the hunt for blood.
He was just waiting for the phone call.
"Mind if I sit here?" came a familiar voice that caused him to lift his head and notice a familiar bald Caucasian man standing over him with a rather serious look on his face.
"Come to speak on your boss's behalf?" Steve asked earning a chuckle from Locke.
"I wish I was on Mark's payroll, last I heard that's an additional fifty thousand seventy if you're a captain or correctional officer." He replied with a chuckle to Steven's annoyance.
"How can you sit here and defend him?" Steve asked with venom in his tone.
"Tell me Agent Fisher have you ever seen a city, a major one, with no crime." Locke asked earning a chuckle Steve.
"Let me guess without crime we'd be out of jobs?" Steve asked with venom and sarcasm in his tone.
"There is a line between law and order that you'll understand when you're my age." He started to the man's confusion. "A lot of us have the means, the drive, and the want to bring down guys like The Romans, The Italian Mafia, and all those groups…but why do you think we don't?" he asked while looking to Steve who merely chuckled at the man's statement.
"Because your drive isn't as strong as you think." He replied in anger only to earn a chuckle from Locke.
"No…it's because of that." He retorted while pointing out the window of the bar where Steve could see a crowd of protestors standing outside holding signs that read "Free the Romans", "Justice For Roman", and such. The group had amassed in the last hour or so having no knowledge that the group had been released a few hours prior.
"No matter how hard we work to put the guys in jail, we'll always be viewed as the worser of the two." He finished earning a chuckle from Steve.
"These people need to understand that law enforcement is the solution…not the fucking problem." Steve replied in anger while taking a sip of his drink.
"Locking up black husbands and sons for years while a rich white woman was arrested a couple of weeks ago and was only sentenced five months." Locke interjected earning silence from Steve.
"We aren't the DA." Steve replied in anger.
"But we are the ones who put their fates in the hands of the DA." Locke finished while turning his gaze away from Steve. "The system is broken and we're just helping a broken system."
His words seemed to sting The FIB Agent who only responded by rising from his seat, dropping his money on the counter, and walking out of the bar without so much as a goodbye to Locke who watched as he was immediately confronted by the protesters before walking away from them in a huff.
Meanwhile
Things were still going rather slow back at the hospital as Ren, Jill, and Nikki found themselves sitting in Link's room with blank expressions on their faces before the sound of the door opening caught their attention and caused them to each turn their heads and watch as four familiar men walked into the room with blank emotionless expressions painted on their faces.
"Your back!" Ren spoke out with a smile before jumping up and wrapping her arms around Mark only to quickly notice that the man didn't return the hug but instead kept his eyes glued to the unconscious Link.
"How is he?" he asked while Ren let him go before moving to do the same to Jimmy and finding him also not returning the hug.
"He's stable doctors won't truly know what's wrong with him until he wakes up." Jill replied while looking to the resting Link with little emotion of her own.
"And Davey?" Eddie asked with concern in his tone.
"Alive and talking revenge down the hall." Nikki replied while looking at Mark and noticing the emotionless expression on his face before watching the man approach Link and move to a strand of his hair out of his face.
"Jill call Mai and tell her Link can come home." He ordered earning a slow nod from the woman. "We'll drive you girls back home." He added to Nikki's anger.
"Drive us home, we should be out hunting the Sap's who did this shit." She replied in anger. "You owe your family at least that." She retorted while eyeing Mark who didn't give her much expression in his look.
"Jimmy take Nikki home." He ordered earning a nod from the man while he looked to Ren and Jill before shaking his head in her direction meaning that he was them home while Buck and Eddie would stand guard over Link and Davey throughout the night.
There was some protest between the women but they relented and followed the duo out of the hospital with Nikki flipping Mark off before sliding into Jimmy's truck while Jill and Ren slid into Mark's car.
"So are you gonna tell us what this is about?" Jill asked while looking to Mark as he reached into his jacket pocket before pulling out a rolled up zip lock bag then handing it over to the woman.
"What is this?" she asked with a raised brow.
"My used condom." He replied to the duo's disgust and confusion.
"What the hell are we supposed to do with that?" Jill asked in anger.
"Use it as evidence for an alibi when the feds come asking about my whereabouts tomorrow." He answered to the two women's shock.
"Your story is we met at the hospital-." He started before Ren cut him off.
"Wait you're gonna move on the Vagos now…you're not gonna wait on Lee or any of the others to show up?" the Japanese American woman asked with concern in her tone.
"I don't need them this early on." He replied with little emotion in his tone.
"At least give this some time Mark." Jill added only for Mark to cut her off in anger.
"ENOUGH TIME HAS PASSED!" he yelled out catching both women by surprise as they jumped at the force of his tone. "I apologize, all I could think about locked up was seeking revenge…and nothing is gonna stop me from doing that right now." He finished while looking away from the two women before Jill broke the silence that had developed around them.
"What do you want us to say?" she asked while Mark looked to her and noticed the serious expression on her face.
"We met at the hospital, I took you both to my house, we had a threesome, and I never left that night." He stated earning a nod from Jill while Ren looked on in confusion.
"Why a threesome?" Ren asked with a raised brow.
"More believable with two women instead of one." Mark answered while looking away from the two women who merely stared at him with mixed expressions before watching the man start the car and drive away from the hospital in silence.
Elsewhere
Things were going slow for Alison as she found herself walking into New Arcadia Police Station with a handcuffed light skinned African American with shaved head and a cleanly shaven face. He was the shooter who fled the scene of the mass shooting earlier.
At first glance one wouldn't take him for the gang banging type and in truth he wasn't.
He seemed to just be a regular guy caught up in a bad situation, but Alison knew he wasn't too innocent. She could smell the gunpowder on his clothing. He was a shooter, but clearly an amateur one.
That was the result of this brewing war it turned the innocent into targets and now the innocent was fighting back.
She wasn't justifying what was happening, but she was expecting the worse.
After leading the man into his cell she quickly broke away from the other officers to find some privacy in her office and upon doing so she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Mark's number only to quickly receive his answering machine.
"I know you're out Mark and I need you to call me the fuck back." She spoke out with sadness and anger in her tone. "I'm worried about you and I'm worried about what you're going to do. I know I can't talk you out of it, but please…think about Lee and the others, think about Ana, and think about me." She started with tears beginning to fall from her eyes.
"Despite everything you've done I've always viewed you as the good guy…don't change that." She finished just as the door to her office opened up with a familiar man standing on the other side of the door who eyed her closely.
"You okay?" Steve asked while looking to the woman with concern in his gaze.
"Yeah it's just…all this violence-." She started only for Steve to cut her off by moving to bring her in for a tight hug.
"I know…but things are gonna get better I promise." He spoke out while holding onto the woman tightly.
Deadwood Park, Rose District
Bang
Bang
Bang
The sound of gunshots resonated across the local park and the surrounding neighborhood catching Felix, Adahy, and a dozen other Vagos by surprise as they found themselves with their weapons drawn running in the direction of the park.
As the sound of more gunshots started to go off, they each felt their hearts pounding as the battle approached.
When the duo finally managed to make to the park though they were quickly taken completely off-guard as they noticed several Vagos firing on a lone car in the middle of the park that was riddled with bullets.
"Stop shooting!" Felix yelled out at the top of his lungs catching the group by surprise.
"They just came in blasting mano." A Vago of Honduran descent spoke out to which Felix responded by nodding his head and noticing a Vago lying on the ground with four bullet holes covering his chest.
"Cover me!" he ordered before leading Adahy and a small group of Vagos in the direction of the car where they could clearly see a body sitting in the driver seat.
"Holy shit!" Felix spoke out as he got closer to the driver side of the vehicle and looked inside and quickly noticed that the body belonged to a familiar Honduran man with a black beanie. He was riddled with bullets but what made Felix's eye bulge was the fact that the man's hands were duct tapped to the steering wheel, a brick was stuck on the gas petal, and a rather large Machine Gun was rigged in the backseat of the car.
He'd seen the rigging before in his BSU days, the weapon was an M60 Light Machine Gun that was resting on a chair swivel and connected to a metal conduit. The swivel was connected to a box-end wrench that was connected to and pivoting off a garage door opener and connected to a bicycle cassette. Made from things one could buy at a simple hardware store, this rigging allowed for the weapon to not only fire but move similar to an automated turret.
Accuracy wasn't the point only the distraction.
"What is this shit?" Adahy asked with a raised brow.
"A TRAP!" Felix started before a loud whistling sound caught the attention of everyone and caused them to each lift their heads and noticed an object coming down towards them.
"RUN!" Felix yelled out while pushing Adahy away as the object slammed onto the hood of the car and created a violent explosion that not only knocked everyone off their feet but sent them each flying back and rolling across the ground with ringing ears, blurred visions, concussions, and some with minor injuries.
"Ah SHIT!" Felix yelled out while adjusting his gaze and noticing five black Mesa's and a Contender speeding down the street away from the park and into the neighborhood catching a number of the Vagos by surprise.
As the first Mesa came to a screeching halt the group one group sanding in front a home could only watch as a skinny Caucasian man wearing a tan bullet proof vest and red hat with a familiar eagle on it jumped from the back of the vehicle with a Molotov Cocktail in his hands before tossing it in the direction of the home setting it ablaze and causing the Vagos around it to run away while trying to avoid the gunfire of the other men in the vehicle.
"ENEMY-!" One Vago started before being shot in the neck courtesy of a Merryweather Agent armed with an AK-74M who then turned his weapon on a group of Vagos using a yellow Buccaneer for cover only to be hit by the bullets that tore through the vehicle.
"Show no mercy!" the Merryweather Agent yelled out before watching as his comrades shot down two more Vagos before one of them fell with a well-placed bullet to the head courtesy of a Vago of Mexican Descent with an M16 Assault Rifle.
"Fucking Ferryweather Puta's." he screamed out before shooting two more then ducking behind cover from a hail of gunfire just as three Vagos rushed out of one with Molotov Cocktails that they immediately started to toss at the Merryweather Agents who now found themselves engulfed in flames.
"Suppress them!" the dark haired man screamed out before watching as a rather large man of Scandinavian descent rushed forward with an M249 Light Machine Gun and started to unload on the trio blowing out the chest of two of them while the other had the entire top of their head completely taken off.
"Damn!" Felix whispered out before picking up his weapon SC-2005 Rifle, slowly rising to his feet, and looking to Adahy who had blood leaking from the side of his head but had managed to get back on his feet with his AK-47 still in his hands.
"Come on we gotta help." He spoke out before a violent explosion went off in the distance caused by a Merryweather Agent armed with an M32 Grenade Launcher who'd blown up a building that was being used for cover by several Vagos.
Just as the man moved to turn the weapon on another group of Vagos who was shot several times in the back courtesy of La Tortura who watched as Lady Casper rolled two Grenades in the direction of the Merryweather Agents and watched in delight as four of them were blown to pieces and one of their vehicles went up in a violent explosion.
"You Cabron's want to party?" La Tortura asked while firing a barrage of rounds from her Mini Uzi's at the dark-haired agent with the AK while Lady Casper lifted up her MP5 Submachine Gun and left off another barrage that hit one Merryweather Agent in the neck.
"Maybe!" the dark-haired man spoke out before tossing a Flashbang Grenade at the two women who were quickly left disoriented and ready for a kill shot.
Before he could catch a bead on any of them though he was taken off-guard by a powerful bullet flying over his head courtesy of Felix and Adahy who rushed into the battle and quickly managed to shoot down two more Merryweather Agents with bullets to their backs before taking cover behind a car.
"Pin them!" yelled the dark-haired man as he looked to his Scandinavian Comrade and watched as he flipped his Machine Gun around and turned his fire on the two men who narrowly avoided the shots and forced them to retake their cover behind the vehicle.
"We got guys on the rooftop take them out!" yelled out another Merryweather Agent before he was taken out by a bullet to the forehead courtesy of five Vagos who were standing on the rooftop of a nearby home firing down on top of the Merryweather who were forced to take cover behind their vehicles while blindly firing at them.
"Cover um!" the dark haired man yelled out while looking to a Merryweather Agent armed with an M4A1 with a Grenade Launcher attachment and watching as he fired a Grenade that struck the side of the home but instead of creating an explosion shroud the group in a blanket of smoke.
"I can't see shit." Started a Chola armed with an AK-47 before the ground around her watched as she flew backwards off the rooftop with her body disappearing almost in an instant with blood spewing in almost all directions.
"Mirella-!" the man standing next to her called out in fear and sadness before he was met with the same fate as a powerful bullet ripped through his chest and sent him flying back courtesy of a Merryweather Sniper armed with a Barret Sniper Rifle before he watched with a smile as an explosion quickly rocked the house and sent it falling in on itself with the remaining men and women on the rooftop falling into the debris of the home.
"Jesus they don't care." Felix spoke out with a hint of fear in his tone as he watched three Merryweather Agents toss Molotov's onto another home and completely engulf it flames while another man set fire to a nearby tree and watched it fall onto three cars and block the street.
"You think they're gonna show remorse?" Adahy asked while noticing La Tortura and Lady Casper shoot down the Merryweather Agents armed with the Molotov's with well-placed barrages that hit the men in their chest and heads.
"They're Mark's personal private army all that means is they're an extension of his rage." The Creek Warrior spoke out before the sight of a yellow Emperor going up in flames caught all their attention as it sped down the street after the windshield was blown out by a Grenade crashing through it.
"Then we'll show now remorse ourselves." Felix retorted before firing his weapon like a madman and striking a Merryweather Agent twice in the head before hitting another in the groin and watching him be pulled away by two other Agents.
"PUSH THEM OUT!" he screamed out as Adahy jumped from cover racking his AK and watching as the powerful 7.62 rounds tore through the body armor of one Merryweather Agent while another was hit in the neck and collapsed clutching his wound.
La Tortura and Lady Casper also rejoined the ensuing battle shooting down another Merryweather Agent armed with a Shotgun as he moved up on their location. The duo then watched with smiles as five more yellow vehicles came speeding down the street in order to reinforce their thinning numbers.
The tide looked as though it would be turning in the favor of the Vagos.
"GUNNER!" the dark haired Merryweather Agent spoke out causing everyone to look back at the Merryweather Contender where they noticed an Agent rise from the back of the vehicle and mounting a Minigun on top.
"Oh shit!" Felix whispered out in terror.
"FIRE!" the dark haired Merryweather Agent called out with a smile as he watched the gunner unload a barrage of rounds on the first Vago vehicle striking the female driver over twelve times in the chest and abdomen while also hitting the man in the passenger seat and two in the back coating the inside of the vehicle in the blood before watching it crash into a nearby home while the other vehicles came to screeching halts with the Vagos inside piling out and blindly firing at the remaining Merryweather Agents.
"That's it let them have it." The dark-haired man called out with venom in his tone as he watched two more Vagos hit the ground in a bloody heap with one man literally having his yellow button up shirt torn to pieces by the force of the bullets ripping through him.
"Damn!" Felix yelled out while running from cover and firing shots at the Machine Gunner that went wide as he attempted to push up on him before diving again for cover behind another car that was being shredded by the bullets.
"Felix!" La Tortura called out as she and Lady Casper tried to avoid the hail of gunfire from the Merryweather Agents that had them completely pinned.
Just when the Gunner was going for the kill, everyone watched in amazement as his head completely exploded from out of nowhere catching everyone by surprise and leaving them wide eyed.
"I got him." Syke O called out over his radio as he looked through the scope of his Sniper Rifle before taking a shot at the dark haired man who scrambled for cover behind the Contender as another Merryweather Agent hit the ground after taking a bullet in his right hip.
He then looked out with wide as six teal vehicles started making their way down the street in Azteca's hanging out the windows and firing at the Merryweather Agents who scrambled for cover.
"Ram them!" Ernesto called out while loading a fresh magazine into his SKS Assault Rifle while looking to his driver who did as ordered and crashed his Emperor into the Merryweather Contender with enough force to the send the vehicle flipping over on its side.
Once the vehicle had managed to come to a complete stop the New Austin Onda member jumped out firing his Assault Rifle like a madman and hitting one Merryweather Agent four times in the chest as he started to reach for his weapon while his driver used a Tec-9 to blowout the chest of another Agent.
"We got backup take um out!" Felix called out before vaulting over the hood of the car he was using for cover and shooting one Merryweather member four times in the chest while another was hit six times in the back as he tried to flee courtesy of Adahy who continued to unload on the ground with no mercy in his resolve.
"What the hell do we do now sir?" asked one of the surviving Merryweather Agents as he stood next to the dark haired man who watched as Lady Casper and La Tortura shot down another Merryweather Agent.
"Gather the wounded and prepare to evac." The dark haired man spoke out while opening the passenger door of nearby vehicle and smiling at what he saw inside.
"Thanks for seeing this through with us." Felix spoke out while taking a stand beside Ernesto with Adahy, Lady Casper, and La Tortura as they layed down fire on the remaining Merryweather Agents and watched as one man was hit in the side of the head and hit the ground with a thud.
"We need to be united if we're gonna get Mark to calm down with this." Ernesto spoke out while managing to shoot another Merryweather Agent in the legs and managing to blow off his shins.
"I think he doesn't care how united we are now-." Adahy spoke out with anger in his tone.
"HOLY SHIT!" Syke O called out over Ernesto walkie talkie causing the Onda member and the others to lift their heads and notice the dark haired man standing before them with an AT-4 Rocket Launcher in his hands.
"MOVE!" Ernesto screamed out at the top of his lungs before the man fired the weapon and sent a powerful Anti-Tank Rocket in the direction of the group who failed to notice that the weapon wasn't aimed at them.
It was aimed at the Powerline above them.
The sound of the Rocket slamming against the powerline was heavy but the resulting explosions of the three transformers was not only deafening but blinding for almost everyone in the neighborhood who watched as sparks started to rain down on the group before a loud snapping sound that was the wooden stake followed crackling sound followed suit as the high voltage lines started to rip apart and fall in the street.
"SHIT MOVE!" Felix screamed out as Ernesto grabbed La Tortura and pushed her out of the way of the falling powerline as it whipped across the back of one Vago who quickly started to convulse violently and pop loudly as sparks danced across his body from well over six million volts of electricity traveling through his body.
"Jesus!" La Tortura whispered out in fear before she and the others watched as an all-black Duke flew down the street and was quickly followed by the remaining Merryweather vehicles as they fled the scene of the battle just as another explosion went off in the distance.
"That was Mark's car." Felix spoke out with worry in his tone.
"Where's Cruz?" Ernesto asked while looking around the group and noticing that the man was not amongst them.
This quick notion left the groups mind a flurry before they started to rush down the street in the direction of the Vago OG's home. As they went Felix's mind was a complete maelstrom with realization.
Merryweather wasn't the attack force they were merely the distraction to get everyone away from Cruz. He was the real target in this attack, everyone else who lost their lives was just a bonus. Mark was gonna fold this Vago hood and take out almost everyone else in the process no matter the cost.
He didn't need to do it today though.
Today he just needed to make himself feel better and lay a strategic blow against the group at the same time.
Once the group had caught sight of Cruz's home they quickly noticed that the front door had been kicked open and there were gunshot holes through the window.
Upon entering the home was when all of them felt their hearts completely drop and they almost immediately covered their noses.
After years of being with BSU Felix had thought he'd seen all and the worst of Mark's anger, but nothing could have prepared him for what he was seeing now.
Cruz was no more.
The Vago OG, or what was left of him, was sitting in a wooden chair in the middle of the living room. The man face was completely shredded and mangled from what Felix and Ernesto could guess was from the blood covered cheese grater on the floor near his feet, his fingers and even his toes both had rather long nails sticking out of them, his shirt had been ripped off and the group could see clear slice marks along the man's chest and legs from where someone had peeled off his tattoos and actually forced them into his mouth along with his yellow bandanna.
Blood, piss, water, teeth, and even alcohol stained the floor all coming from his groin area where the group noticed a bowling ball resting on the man's lap where his attackers had clearly used it to crush his genitals.
He'd been completely tortured.
It didn't felt like the gun battle outside had lasted that long to Felix and the rest, but it was clearly long enough.
"Damn!" Ernesto spoke out while reaching for Cruz's head and lifting up to notice the fresh bruises around his throat from where he'd been strangled.
"JESUS!" La Tortura screamed out at the top of her lungs catching the attention of everyone as they watched her rush out of the hallway before collapsing on the wet floor with tears beginning to fill her eyes.
"What is it?" Felix asked as he, Ernesto, and Adahy rushed down the hall before stopping in fear at what they noticed in the closet.
It seemed Cruz wasn't the only one who was a victim of Mark's rage.
"Well…I guess now we know that there's no negotiating with Mark and just what kind of war he wants to fights." Stated Ernesto as he walked up to the closet and overlook the bodies of Cruz's wife, young son, and daughter and noticed the prominent bullet holes in the top of their heads from where they'd clearly been shot.
"He wants all out destruction." Ernesto finished while noticing the tears beginning to fall from the eyes of everyone.
While the group was taking in the sight of Cruz and his family, Jill and Ren found themselves taking completely by surprise as they watched a blood covered Mark enter his home before setting his back against his door and dropping down to his knees with an emotionless look clearly painted on his face that didn't hinder the two women as they picked him up by his arms, stripped him down, and forced him into the shower without noticing the man's phone ringing in his back pocket.
"Please call me Marcus!" Alison whispered out as she found herself dressed in only her night robe lying beside a sleeping Steve who'd finally passed out after a night of what he believed was love making.
Authors Note: And Boom sorry for the long wait things have been pretty hectic these last few weeks and I started rereading my own Roman Empire story just to relive some nostalgia and remind me how long of way I've come since those humble beginnings.
This chapter was relatively short and there wasn't much action towards the end but a lot of that will be explained next chapter such as the whereabouts of Lee, Manfred, and Task. If you've been keeping up with Concrete Jungle by Onkwehonwe Kashatsten then you already know where they are.
This chapter there was a lot of focus on the side characters who survived the massacre without going too deep into everything such as where everyone scurried to after the shooting.
Also we say farewell to Cruz, he went out rather quicker then I originally wanted he was supposed to go out in a few more chapters but being that this chapter was so relatively short and devoid of action I decided to speed up the killing which goes to show just how angry Mark is. Think about it he just got out of jail a few hours ago and he's already killed somebody.
Stick around for next chapter as Mark continues his onslaught with more big name characters dying and the funeral of Mark's family. I can't give a lot more information regarding or the exact date I'll update but…hopefully it'll be soon.
Thank you all for reading Zilla 2000 out.
