Chapter 65: Finishing Blow

New Arcadia (One Week Later)

CRASH

The sound was loud, startling, and cut through the air of Jill's new home prompting her to jump to her feet wearing only on her a white wife beater and pink panties before instantly rummaging through her dresser, pulling out her P226, and switching off the safety.

She then slowly tip toed out of her bedroom with her weapon raised down her long hallway before noticing a small trail of blood leading into her illuminated bathroom that she knew was dark when she went to bed.

As she started to creep towards the door the sound of running water quickly caught her attention upon finally reaching the door.

Upon forcing it open she quickly raised her Pistol only to find a familiar M1911 being raised at her own head courtesy of a familiar New Arcadian Creole man who stood before her with fire in his eyes.

"Jesus Marcus!" Jill called out before lowering her Pistol and watching as Mark did the same and allow the woman to give him a true once over.

The first thing that caught her attention was the fact that he was covered from head to toe in blood that obviously wasn't his own just off the sheer amount of it. He stood before her wearing a bulletproof vest while his bullet riddled jacket was resting alongside her toilet. His pants had holes on them along with pouches for ammo, his white shoes were now a dark shade of red, and his blood covered knife was resting in the sink.

Hours Earlier

The song Open Arms by Journey blared loudly over the speakers of the local Nolen's Food Mart just outside of Jenner, Louisiana. It was in this supermarket that Juanita 'Trouble' Hernandez found herself in with an angry look on her face as she pushed a shopping cart down the aisles in frustration.

She was a Vago from Cruz's Cliqua, one of the few surviving members, and one of the few who managed to survive the Assault by Merryweather a fate Cruz himself didn't manage. Most of their gang had been folded in that battle and those who did survive soon found themselves being hunted by BSU, Merryweather, and the Roman Boyz.

She'd lost a lot of homies in that battle and the ensuing weeks. It started with numerous raids on their drug houses not by the NAPD but instead by Mark and Merryweather, Vagos walking around would be snatched up off the street despite being with their families, kids, and wives, and there were some whispers that Vagos snatched up by Black and Blue would be handed over to the Romans Boyz for some extra change.

There was a risk for her to be out in the open but she needed to be.

She like so many other Vagos from New Arcadia had fled the city and were now holding up in a low-rise apartment complex with over ten units housing twenty Vagos and fifteen Azteca's. Ernesto had promised the group sanctuary if they made it out of the city and so far it seemed like Mark was honoring this and hadn't moved against the group but threat of him coming after them was still on her mind.

She didn't even want to be in this store now, but everyone needs to eat so she and her homeboy Paco were sent on a food run. She was the one going in the store to buy supplies while Paco watched the car.

It amazed her just how hard Mark was making it for the group to survive. He was just one person leading a group of punk rockers, sure he had Merryweather and IAA on his side, but he fact that he could get them and the NAPD to attack and kill his enemies was unheard of.

She didn't take him seriously at first but now she knew just how dangerous he was and how deadly he could be.

After purchasing the food, the New Arcadian Vaga quickly made her way out of the store and into the parking lot where she noticed a familiar yellow Emperor parked off in the distance causing her to let out an angry growl at the fact that she had to walk a distance back to the car.

"Fucking Paco you-!" she yelled out while drawing closer to the vehicle only to stop in her tracks as she noticed the man slumped over in the driver seat with a blood covered plastic bag wrapped around his head and a kitchen knife sticking out the top of his head.

"Hey!" came a new voice that caused her to slowly turn around and come face to face with a familiar New Arcadian Creole sitting at the door of an all-black van with an emotionless look on his face and his M1911 in his hands. "GET IN!"

Present

"Did she tell you what you needed to know?" Jill asked while looking away from the youngest Roman and watching him turn the water on in her shower.

"The remaining Vagos from Cruz's clique are holding up in a low rise apartment complex in Jenner not far from Ernesto's barrio." He replied while stripping out of his clothing and prompting Jill to turn her head.

"Close enough so that reinforcements are right around the corner." He added while taking a seat in the tub and instantly watching as the water turned red before turning back to face Jill who kept her gaze away from him.

"Close enough so that if we go in we won't have enough guys to help fight off a counterattack with Lee and the others gone." She added only for Mark to cut her off with a phrase that completely caught her by surprise.

"That doesn't matter!"

"Lack of numbers mean nothing I never intended for any of you to follow me into this battle because of our lack of numbers." He stated with little emotion in his tone. "I'm handling this on my own." He stated earning a raised brow from Jill.

"You're insane if you think Jimmy and the rest are gonna let you do this alone." She pointed out with little emotion of her own.

"Which is exactly why I'm not telling them and I would like you to do the same." He added to her shock.

"I can't wait around for Lee and the others to return all the task at hand have been checked and in our window is shrinking." He replied while moving to look away from her.

"Then let it shrink." Jill retorted in anger. "There's only a handful of Vagos from Cruz's hood left, does it really matter if they get away or not?"

"OF COURSE, IT DOES!" he yelled out while slamming his fist against the side of the tub catching the woman by surprise and causing her to jump back at the explosive sound. "Whether they were directly or indirectly responsible for Courtney it doesn't matter…I want them all gone." He spoke out while taking his hand off the wall and resting his back against the tub.

"Are you sure you want them gone and not yourself?" She asked to the man's confusion. "You're talking like a person who wants revenge but you're acting like someone who's trying to die." She pointed out causing the man to remain silent.

"Walking into a place with no backup, no support, and only the trust of your own abilities sounds like someone who doesn't want to live anymore." She retorted while Mark sat in silence at her statement.

"If you want to die Marcus do it, but don't drag your men into an unwinnable war after you're gone." She finished before moving to walk out of the bathroom and leave Mark alone to his thoughts with her words splintering into his head.

He saw truth in her words, he had become rather suicidal since the death of Courtney and even thought about committing it on more than one occasion but at the end of the day he and everyone else saw him as a warrior and if he were to die he would die a warriors death.

Right now was no different, the odds were stacked against him. Jimmy and Thire was here but Lee, Task, and even Cheta weren't here nor was Manfred while both Link and Davey were layed up. His most skilled and trained leaders and fighters were unavailable and the force he did have was too small and ill-equipped to handle any real frontal battle or even a defensive holdout.

To make the matter worse he couldn't call upon Merryweather to help him in this battle. They suffered enough losses and took enough blowback with their last attack and attacking an apartment complex would only add more blowback to them that their lawyers couldn't dig them out of.

Still he had to make his move…for everyone's sake.

Meanwhile

The smell of dirty water quickly caught the attention of Juanita as she found herself being forced down into a chair unable to see, talk, and move due to the black blindfold that was placed over her eyes, gag in her mouth, and handcuffs wrapped tight around her wrist.

A few second after sitting down she was soon hit with a relief as her blindfold was removed but instead of seeing a familiar Creole, she noticed a man of Polynesian descent standing before her with a slight smirk spread across his face.

"Man I was expecting Mark to do a number on you with how messed up he's been mentally." Thire pointed out with a half-smile. "Right now he's not discriminating against any gender." He added while lifting his head and watching as Buck walked up and cut the gag from around the woman's mouth causing her to let out several deep breaths.

"Mark must have a plan for you, the nature of which I don't know, but he wants me to convince you to go along with whatever it is and if you want my advice, I'd go along with it." He stated with a smile while looking to the woman closely.

"That man has killed almost all of my friends and he's looking to finish off the rest…what make you think I'd help him do that?" she asked in anger before feeling a hand being placed on her shoulder that moved for her neck.

"Because…Juanita Hernandez he's killing your friends, but now he knows who your family." Jimmy spoke out while moving to take a seat across from the woman with an anger filled expression written across his face.

"He's already killed one person's kids you don't think he could do that to your family?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"You're monsters?" Trouble screamed out before spitting in th face of Jimmy who only responded by punching her in stomach and causing her to bend over wheezing in pain on the table.

"Mark made it perfectly clear to not damage your face, so whatever he needed you for he needs you pretty, but if you don't comply with anything we say I'm ordered to hand you over to Merryweather." Jimmy stated in anger.

"You'll be at the mercy of a bunch of men who use rape as a weapon while we're playing Russian Roulette with your families lives." Thire added causing tears to fill the girls eyes. But you can save their lives…all you gotta do is play ball for us and I can assure you that your family, and you will be safe." He finished while the woman sat in silence.

"Call that monster." She screamed out in fear and sadness while both Jimmy and Thire sent a look to Buck who quickly pulled out his cellphone and sent a call out to Mark.

Downtown New Arcadia

"Good keep her taken care of and stand by for further orders." Mark ordered while standing in his bedroom with a blank expression on his face before walking over to his closet, opening it up, and revealing his CM901 Assault Rifle resting in its case with five magazines of ammo.

"Still using that weapon." Came a familiar British accent that caused Mark to slowly turn his head and notice a familiar Afro-British woman standing behind him with a slight smile on her face.

"It hasn't failed me yet." He replied with little emotion in his tone as he eyed the woman closely.

"You've been using that weapon for years in dozens of battles so do you think it's wise to be carrying that around?" she asked while Mark merely folded his arms across his chest at her statement.

"Why are you here Kyra?" he asked with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "Did Ana send you here to check on me?"

"No, but someone clearly needs to." She answered while eyeing the man closely before quickly changing the subject. "There's been some changing of the hats confusion at the agency that has everyone on their toes…including Ana along with some threats that are going on near the border. It's a threat that may need your intervention." She added earning a look from Mark before he moved to take a seat on his bed.

"Is the threat real?" he asked with little emotion in his tone.

"Yes and with everything going on in the agency it is taking a bit longer to solve then usual and causing us to bring in outside assets such as yourself." She stated while Mark gave a low chuckle. "Ana will brief you on it when she returns though."

"When will she get here?" he asked with a hint of venom in his tone.

"Probably before you can act in whatever plan you want to do." she answered earning a low growl from the youngest Roman.

"The threat is real Marcus, millions of lives are at stake." She started with anger in her tone. "I don't know the pain from your loss, but even you can understand that national security threats take precedent." She added earning a low sigh from Mark.

"Me and Ana have a contract that I will honor." He let out earning a smile from the woman.

"Good, but do you want to tell me why you're ignoring her phone calls. Same goes for that FIB Agent as well?" she asked earning silence from the youngest Roman who merely looked away from her with a smile.

"You've been monitoring my phone calls?" he asked.

"The few that you are getting." She replied while moving to take a seat next to him on the bed.

"It's hard to face them." He answered earning a raised brow from the woman. "I knew at the end of the day I could never be with either of them and with Courtney I tried to move on from them and I'm just…scared." He stated while the woman nodded her head.

"You scared you'll go back to them and completely forget about her." The Afro British woman stated while chuckling at her statement. "With all the people you've killed and all the pain you've taken in do you really think this is something you could forget?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"I've seen many people die in this line of work and their deaths go unanswered by their teammates, the agency, and even their own country." She started while staring at the floor away from Mark. "I think that's one of my greatest fear…dying in the line of duty and just being written off like I was nothing." She added earning a scoff from Mark.

"You really think Ana would let your death go unanswered?" he asked with a chuckle.

"If Devlin has his way she won't have a choice." Kyra replied earning a smile from Mark.

"You had my back during a lot of my battles, even if you don't help me now, do you think I'd let your death go unanswered?" he asked earning a slight smile from the woman.

"That threesome between us and Ana help out in any way with that decision?" she asked with a slight smile.

"A little!" he answered before looking away from the woman who only responded by running her hand over the side of the man's face only for Mark to pull away from her.

"I'm throwing myself at you and you're gonna leave me hanging?" she asked while watching Mark rise to his feet before looking back at her with an emotionless look on her face.

"I don't know if I'm ready to do that again." He stated while lowering his head in sadness. "Besides…I gotta go to work." He finished while moving for his closet.

"At least call one of them before you go out there…let them know that you didn't completely move on from them." She stated earning a few seconds of silence from the youngest Roman before he moved back for his closet and pulled his Rifle along with a toolbox.

Elsewhere

The sound of her chair squeaking caused Alison to let out a sigh of relief as she leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling with an exhausted expression written plainly on her face. Today had been a slow day, her first slow day in the past couple of weeks.

Since the massive shooting in Irish Point that saw the murder of Cruz, his family, and the almost complete destruction of his gang the phones had been ringing off the hook at almost every police station in New Arcadia as concerned people and city leaders wanted answers for what had happened.

The story was that a rogue group of Merryweather Agents connected with some militant border patrol group based in San Andreas were looking for a Mexican National connected with over a dozen murders within the organization and when they went in to capture him they were forced into a deadly shootout with gang members in the area.

That was the story the was leaked to the public but the residents who lived there knew that in reality those men came in guns blazing with one mission in mind…eliminate all Vagos in the area.

Alison herself knew that this wasn't Merryweather acting on their own…Mark had a new card to play and he played it.

He'd gotten his revenge for Courtney.

Before she could think more on the matter though she was interrupted as Locke entered her office carrying two cups of coffee with a half-smile on his face that she quickly returned.

"Looks like you need some sleep." He spoke out earning a smile from the woman who quickly accepted the mug of coffee he presented her.

"Yeah and while everything is quiet seems to be the best time to do so." She stated before quickly taking a sip of the warm liquid.

"Agent Fisher still have you on stakeout duty?" he asked earning a nod from the woman.

"Yeah it's not so much I want to be on it or have to be." She started before looking down into her mug. "It's just, I don't trust him sitting alone outside Mark's home with the way his head has been lately." She added with a hint of sadness in her tone.

"Which one of your guys are you doing that more for?" he asked while moving to take a seat across from the woman who sat in silence for a few seconds before speaking out.

"Both, if Steve tries to make an attempt on Mark's life he won't stand a snowballs chance in hell against him and I doubt Mark's self-defense story will hold up in any court." She stated earning a nod from Locke.

"Who would you be rooting for if that were to happen?" he asked earning a few seconds of silence from Alison as she pondered the question.

"I couldn't tell you." She finally answered with a statement Locke was expecting.

"Have you spoken to him, lately?" he asked earning a shake of the head from the woman.

"Not since he was locked up." She answered with little emotion in her tone. "I haven't even tried calling him, I know he won't answer…not right now." She added earning a nod from Locke.

"After what he did to Cruz and his kids…I'd be surprised if he could face anyone right now." He let out while Alison remained silent before looking away from the man. "Do you think he did it?" he asked while Alison remained silent before smiling.

"My heart tells me no, but my head is telling me I don't truly know what Mark is capable of." She pointed out before the sound of her cellphone ringing quickly caught her attention and caused her to look down at the device and notice a familiar number lighting up on the screen.

"Maybe now is the time to ask him." Locke pointed out while Alison slowly picked up and put the phone to her ear.

Jenner

The passing cool night air sent a small shiver down the back of Felix as he found himself standing on the upstairs walkway with an annoyed look on his face. There was a cold front passing through Southern Louisiana right now the likes of which would make one think they were in the Northeast and it had to pass through on the night he had watch.

He could remember being on watch back when he was in Sunbelt and the war between BSU and the Skinhead gangs had gotten so bad that many of them had to sleep with one eye open and on shifts with each other.

He never would have expected being on watch with a gang like the Vagos.

Merryweather torn a large hole in their numbers and with the death of Cruz and many of their OG's most of the gang had fled to this low rise housing project for sanctuary, had completely fled the state, or just flat out surrendered to either the police or BSU themselves in hopes they and their own family would be sparred.

He hadn't heard anything about any of them being sparred not that he doubted Mark would do it.

Mark was on a warpath, he wasn't looking for a surrender he was planning on a complete massacre. It was so bad that Felix doubted holding up in the low rise apartment complex was a truly good idea.

At first glance the place looked like a fortress it was gated, there was only one way in one way out, there was a large pretty much open parking lot where the nine buildings each surrounded it, and to make it better it was only a few minutes away from Ernesto's Azteca's controlled neighborhood in Metra.

All of this seemed like a good place for them to hold out in, but Felix knew that trying to set defense against Mark was useless especially if he used Merryweather again. The group had managed to put up a good fight against them last time but they didn't have the number or really the weapons to do so this time.

This was their Alamo.

Before Felix could think more the on the matter, the sound of the door behind him opening quickly caught his attention and caused him to look back and notice a familiar woman standing behind him holding up a cup of hot coffee.

"You're still up?" he asked earning a smile from Loka as she passed him the coffee.

"If this turns into a shootout I doubt I'll be safe." She pointed out while moving to stand beside the man.

"That's why I'm here and Adahy, La Tortura, and Lady Casper." He replied with a smile. "To make sure you're safe." He added while looking away from the woman who merely sent him a hesitant chuckle.

"It is enough?" She asked earning a raised brow from the man. "You've been with Mark for years before you got down with us…do you really think any of this is enough?" she asked with little emotion in her tone.

"You don't think I can beat Mark?" he asked in anger.

"I'm not saying that." She replied to his anger.

"Then what are you saying?" he yelled out.

"I'm saying do you think you can beat him?" she asked with rage of her own that caused Felix to take a step back in surprise. "You were with him for years, you know what he's like and what he's capable of better than anyone here. Ernesto's not here, nor is Neto, and neither is Syke O so if anyone here could beat him it's definitely you, but the question is…do you think you can beat him?" she finished earning a few seconds of silence from the man before he merely looked away from her.

It was something that passed through his mind now and again. When it came down to it saying it out loud seemed easy, sure he'd spent years fighting beside Mark with BSU and even the IAA but unlike Lee and Jimmy he was by far the hardest to prepare for or fight against.

When Mark was focused or dead set on something he was the perfect soldier, hence how he got his nickname. He was deadly accurate with almost any weapon, hyper-lethal with a blade, surgical with explosives, and Felix could remember clocking him reloading his Rifle in almost three seconds.

He was barely human, people like Mark, Neto, Ernesto, and even Marco are warriors of a modern age while he…was nothing more than a chess piece.

He was a chess piece, but he had to try…no matter the cost.

BOOM

The explosion was loud and carried a blast with it that immediately caught the attention of Felix and the rest who quickly turned their heads in the direction of the blast.

"Puta de Madre-." Started a male Vago of Honduran descent who'd been caught in the blast radius of the explosion as he slowly rose to his feet with his Pistol in his hands while the flaming wreckages of a car rested beside him.

Just as he moved to fully stand up though he was taken off-guard by a more then familiar man descending up on him with his Combat Knife drawn.

"He's here-!" the Vago could only scream out before Mark swiped his blade against the man's neck and sent his blood spilling out onto the ground while five more Vagos stood back with wide eyes at the man before them.

"DIE MAYATE!" one of them screamed out at the top of their lungs as he raised his Mini Uzi in the direction of Mark who only spun around as the group fired their weapons and revealed to them the Riot Shield he had strapped to his back that deflected most of their bullets and gave him time to pull a Smoke Grenade from his back pocket before tossing it in front of them.

"What the-!" one Vago started just as the device went off and blanketed the area in smoke just as more of them started to arrive.

"Where did he-." One Vago started before falling back with three shots to the chest courtesy of the youngest Roman who lay on his belly with his shield covering his head and his CM901 Assault Rifle aimed at the man.

Despite his shock and awe tactic, Mark knew that he was ultimately outnumbered and outgunned by the remaining Vagos and would most certainly be overrun when the Azteca's arrived with that in mind he knew he would need to be quick and sneaky while also defensive.

Hence in point why he brought along the Riot Shield. Ana had given him the protection device once as a gift and a joke for him always leading with his body when being shot at because of the knowledge that his vest would take most of the damage. This helped him out a lot in previous battles but it probably wouldn't now with every gun pointed directly at him.

So his Riot Shield would act as an extra layer of defense albeit a heavy one.

He'd also added some new attachments to his CM901. The most noticeable was that he'd taken off the M203 Grenade Launcher and replaced it with a Foregrip. With his Riot Shield adding extra weight on his back and shoulders the extra weight from the high explosive 40mm Grenades would completely slow him down and he'd rather have more accurate shots then high destruction at the moment.

"FUCK!" screamed out a Chola as she took a well-placed bullet in her right arm before falling down to one knee after Mark fired another 5.56 round into her right hip that left her grounded and unable to move but watching in fear as Mark shot out the lights on the side of the buildings and on the poles above everyone's head with amazing accuracy despite the smoke blanketing his vision. "How is he able to see through this damn smoke."

Another replacement he'd made for this battle was instead of carrying mostly Hand Grenades. He'd put more emphasis on carrying Smoke Grenades and combing them with his new Thermal Scope he could easily pick out targets through the smoke and the darkness that came from shooting out the lights.

It's only downside.

"Shit!" Mark whispered out as he held his fire upon noticing the images of two people fleeing the hail of bullets and instantly realizing that one of them was a child and not a gang member.

It highlighted moving targets by their body temperatures, but body temperatures didn't account for noncombatants.

His final replacement was something simple but handy to say the least. He fashioned the magazines for his rifle Jungle Style or simply put he duct taped them together for a faster reload. On average it took him a little over two seconds to reload, but with this he was reloading in barely a full second. It had its disadvantages but right now Mark didn't care he needed to drop people fast and he didn't need to be bogged down by reloading.

After firing off another hail of bullets he was soon on the move once again just as Felix, Adahy, La Tortura, and Lady Casper arrived at the scene with more well-armed Vagos popping rounds into the smoke before Felix called for a ceasefire.

"Hold it!" he yelled out causing everyone to stop their barrage for a few seconds to allow the smoke to clear and allow them to notice that Mark was nowhere in sight only the remains of four dead Vagos.

"Shit he got away." La Tortura called out only for Felix to shake his head at her statement.

"No he's still here he's turning our territory against us." The man of Quechan descent called out with a hint of fear in his voice before pulling out his cellphone and showing it to everyone.

"Spread out in groups, if you find him do not engage call it in and we'll surround him." He ordered earning nods from the various Vagos before they started to run off in search of the Concrete Soldier while Felix pulled out his phone and dialed up a familiar number.

Sunbelt City

The night air was cooling in the City on the Gulf as Ernesto found himself sitting in his family home with an unamused look on his face as he stared at his long kept family picture with a hint of sadness on his face.

It was the last picture h group had taken together before he went to jail and his son Louis was killed. Those times were hard but they were a lot simpler than they are now and the world around him made sense. He was the guy calling the shots, unopposed, without challenge, and there were clear rules of engagement.

This wasn't the case in this era of crime.

He was in bad standing with Onda, he'd mostly lost his family, and his title was being called in challenge by two figures.

One was his youngest son, he didn't spend much time in Miguel's life growing up but he tried to make up for that upon getting out. This seemed all for not though as the young boy he wanted so hard to become a great young man now resented him and thought that he could build what his father could not.

He was in over his head but all Ernesto could do was sit and watch.

The next person to challenge was someone he would have never expected. Mark was the stereotypical gangster. The more Ernesto spoke with him the more he realized that. Mark was a warrior, strategist, and leader beyond his years the likes of which Ernesto wished he could see in his own son but he knew nothing like that would happen.

Mark had truly been blessed by the heavens twice, but such a blessing always came a curse and an early demise.

Before he could think more on the matter he was interrupted by the sound of his front door opening causing him to lift his head and watch as a familiar woman walked through the door with an emotionless look on her face.

"Carmen!" he called out before rising to his feet with a slight smile on his face.

"It's good to see you papa." She spoke out while giving the man a slight smile.

"It's good to see you nina, but I don't think now is the best time for you to be here." He stated causing the woman to eye him angrily.

"Is it because of that man who had his wedding shot up and wife killed?" she asked with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"You know I had nothing to do with that right nina?" he asked earning a few seconds of silence from the woman before she replied.

"I want to believe that you didn't have anything to do with it, but Miguel is a different story." She stated while moving to take a seat across from the man.

"I've reached out to him but we're not on good terms." He replied while Carmen looked away from the man.

"And I think you and him need to sit down and talk about walking away from all of this." She spoke out causing Ernesto to sit in silence. "I now things can never go back to the way they used to be but we have to try and save this family even if it means running." She added causing he man to shake his head.

"There is no running in this life Carmen.' He stated in anger. "Me and your brother may not like each other but we took an oath-." He started only for the girl to yell out at him.

"It's that oath that tore this Familia apart and continues to do so." She yelled out with tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "Can't you see that?" she asked with her voice buckling at the statement.

"Do you want more outta life more outta us?" she asked with venom replacing her sadness with rage.

"It's too late for me to want more outta life nina." He answered with looking to the floor with a solemn expression before his cellphone started to ring and his front door swung open once again with Syke O standing on the other side with a started look on his face.

"We got trouble." He spoke out with fear filling his voice while Ernesto moved to follow him out of his house.

"Father is it's too late for you youngest son?" Carmen yelled out as the men continued out the front door without noticing the Mexican American woman standing on the corner across the street from their home.

Jenner

The police still hadn't arrived at the low-rise apartment complex and that's what Mark was hoping on as he found himself stalled between two buildings digging up a small hole in dirt. This wasn't New Arcadia but the local sheriff weren't too keen with the idea of rolling into a gunfight with the quickest of speeds.

Especially a non-white neighborhood.

Still it wouldn't be long before they did arrive Mark knew that and so did Felix. The police weren't here but he was beginning to wish they'd hurry up so the fighting would end. Mark had quickly turned this battle into his favor by executing surprise Guerrilla Warfare tactics that would make the Viet Cong impressed.

Since the group had lost them Mark had completely managed to shootout most of the lights in the apartment complex blanketing the area in darkness to the point where they had to turn on the headlights of their cars in order to see, slaughtered one of their search parties, and taken out most of their guys along the rooftops with ease.

To make the situation worse it would seem that he'd crashed a car up the street not far from the apartment complex slowing the arrival of their Azteca reinforcements.

"Come on Mark where are you!" Felix whispered out in anger before the sound of a gun cocking quickly caught his attention.

"Fucking Mayate-." Started a Vago member as he walked up on Mark clutching a Glock 19 only to fire a single shot that hit Mark in the back of his shield causing the man to whip around with his Rifle in his hand and firing a well-placed shot that hit the man in the center of the neck.

"Damn!" Mark whispered out before running off as the sound of voices and the shining of flashlights quickly startled him as La Tortura and Lady Casper led a group of survivors after him.

"There he is." La Tortura called out while rising her Mini Uzi and firing several shots that struck Mark in the Riot Shield on his back but not slowing his stride.

"Felix we got eyes on him running." Lady Casper spoke out over his cellphone.

"Where are you?" the man asked with worry in his tone.

"Running after him behind unit seven." She replied as three Vagos quickly ran past her and La Tortura.

"DON'T FOLLOW HIM HE'S LEADING YOU INTO A TRAP." Felix screamed out as the two women watched in fear as Mark jumped over a small mound in the dirt catching them by surprise but not giving the three men in front of them time to react as they each planted their feet down.

Not soon after the group watched in fear as four almost soda can like devices shot forth from the ground four meters in the air just above the eyes of the men before going off in a violent explosion that blew all of their heads off their bodies and sent both La Tortura and Lady Casper flying back from the force of the blast.

"Damn!" Lady Casper screamed out as she took in the sight of the blood and dirt covering her face while noticing the unconscious form of La Tortura lying next to her with blood almost oozing from a massive gash on the side of her head.

"Felix it was a trap and we walked right into it Mark's heading towards the middle of the complex." She stated before moving to stand up only to realize that her right ankle had been twisted in the explosion preventing her from moving.

"Damn Chewie Mark's coming your groups way prepare to take him out." Felix spoke out with anger in his tone.

"I got him man." Spoke out a Vago as he and three other men each found themselves standing on the second floor of a nearby building scanning the dark streets for any sign of Marcus without noticing the man placing a C4 Charge on the bottom of the balcony they were standing on.

"Let's make it interesting." Mark spoke out with a devilish smile before he rushed across the parking lot earning the attention of the group who quickly turned their guns on the man and fired off a barrage of rounds at the youngest Roman who quickly found his shield starting to give under the barrage.

This prompted him to run shoulder first into a nearby ground floor unit in pain causing him to look back and notice a 7.62 Round sticking out the back of his bulletproof vest. The bullet had blasted through his Shield with ease and struck him in the lower back just not deep enough to truly hurt him.

He was still stuck in the building for the moment but the gears in his head were already turning and he was well aware that this was checkmate.

"Felix Adahy we got him hurt in a unit and unable to move you guys are good to go in." Chewie spoke out with a smile on his face before watching with a smile at the men of Quechan and Creek descent soon arrived with the remaining Vagos who each lifted their weapons and started to make their way inside of the building and search it room to room for any sign of life only to find the place empty and the window in the backroom open.

"He's escaped." Adahy called out from inside of the unit while Felix stood by with wide eyes at the declaration.

"What do you mean he's escaped is he on the backstreet?" Felix added with fear more prominent in his tone while Mark stood back with a wide smile on his face.

"And with this…I call check." Mark retorted while pulling up a detonator and pressing the red button on the device and filling the apartment building with a low beeping noise that quickly caught the attention of Adahy and sent him rushing out of the building to the shock of Felix who could only watch with a terrified expression as the entire ground floor of the unit went up in a violent explosion that sent both his and Adahy flying backwards while another explosion went off under the feet of the Vagos on the balcony who could only scream out in terror they fell to the ground and was immediately crushed by the falling debris of the building.

"Son of a-." Adahy started before feeling a sharp pain in his lower back that dropped him back to the one knee as he tried to stand up.

"You fucking piece of shit!" he called out catching the attention of Felix who looked on with wide eyes as Mark slammed the butt of his Rifle against the man's head with enough force to send the man of Creek descent spinning to the floor unconscious while Mark stood over him with a smile on his face.

"I promised Task I wouldn't kill you, but I guess a crushed Orbital is payback enough." The Creole spoke out while turning his attention to Felix who was slowly rising to his feet without taking his eyes off Mark who turned to him with an emotionless look on his face.

"Looks like it finally comes down to you and me." Felix pointed out with venom in his tone while Mark eyed him up and down closely before finally speaking something that left the man stunned.

"You're not worth the effort." He stated causing Felix to eye him closely with hatred in his eyes. "You just sent these men to their deaths because of your terrible leadership, do you know that is?" Mark asked causing Felix to grit his teeth at the man.

"You don't understand the difference between strategy and tactics." The youngest Roman pointed out to Felix's anger.

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?" Felix yelled out with venom in his tone.

"Everything if you're the one calling shots." Mark answered causing Felix to go silent. "Strategy defines your long terms goal and the steps you're taking to achieve them where as tactics are the actions you're taking to achieve your goal. You didn't have any real strategy to face me alone you were prepared for another Merryweather attack, but when you saw it was me you kept trying to adjust your strategy into beating me." He started before giving the man a half-smile.

"Word to the wise though Felix, you can change tactics but not strategies. Just like the Americans in Vietnam you can win multiple tactical victories but still lose a strategic one." He let out with a chuckle. "You broke your formation, sent these people into the dark to find me, and when you did trap me you sent in all your remaining forces at once just like I knew you would." He spoke out while Felix eyed him angrily.

"My mission was to kill every Vago left standing from Cruz's clique…and you made my job easier to the point where I didn't have to use my trump-card." Mark finished before watching Felix reach across his back and pull his SC-2005 into his hands to the delight of Mark.

"Nice gun!" Mark spoke out while Felix moved to cock the weapon. "Too bad the gun doesn't make the man and Felix you know that there's no way in hell you can go shot for shot with me."

"I won't know anything until I've tried!" the man of Quechan descent yelled out before raising his Rifle and firing off three quick shots that forced Mark to barrel roll to avoid before firing off three shots of his own at Felix who was forced to jump back to avoid the powerful 5.56 rounds that were aimed directly for his head.

"I've been nothing but a pawn to you for all these years, but I'll show you that you shouldn't underestimate me." He screamed out while continuing to shoot at Mark dove behind a car prompting Felix to shooting.

He wasn't Miguel and he wasn't gonna let Mark completely run him dry on ammo. He figured the Concrete Solider must be low on ammo himself, so he took short controlled burst at the car in hopes of hitting Mark with the powerful 7.62 Rounds ripping through the vehicle with ease.

Just as he thought he had the man pinpointed a cloud of smoke erupted from around car catching Felix off guard and causing him to jump back behind a car for cover.

"You tricks won't work on me." Felix screamed out before moving to jump back with his Rifle lowered and to his surprise Mark came charging out of the smoke like a madman with a wide smile on his face.

"I don't need tricks to beat you!" the Creole spat out prompting Felix to raise his Rifle to only for Mark to respond by sending a sharp upward kick to the barrel of the weapon and send it up in the air with Felix watching it in amazement before being struck dead center in the abdomen courtesy of Mark who threw a hard right hook into the center of the man's gut that left him winded.

"No weapons let's settle this here like men." Mark yelled out while throwing a left hook for Felix's jaw only for the man of Quechan descent to move to avoid the hit before responding by throwing his own punch at the face of the youngest Roman who was forced to take a step back before pouncing on the man of Quechan descent and hitting him once more in the chest while Felix responded with a punch of his own directed again at Mark's head before following up with a sharp kick to Mark's gut that the larger man easily caught before grabbing onto the neck of Felix, lifting him up, and slamming him back first into the dirt.

"Stay down!" Mark yelled out while trying to punch Felix in the head only for the former BSU member to throw a quick kick that caught Mark on the top of the head and sent him taking a few steps back.

"I got you!" Felix screamed out before drawing his Combat Knife then charging Mark who quickly drew his own and charging.

"I ain't beat yet!" Felix called out while trying to lock his arm around Mark's while the larger men threw three sharps kicks directed at his legs that he had to jump to avoid without noticing Mark locking onto his knife wielding hand, spinning, and then tossing Felix behind him in hopes of creating distance.

This was something the man of Quechan descent anticipated and before he could be sent rolling he righted himself and quickly charging shoulder first into Mark's abdomen somewhat catching him by surprise but not dropping the youngest Roman who responded by throwing a quick kick to Felix's abdomen that sent him falling back.

"Nice shot!" Mark let out while watching as Felix got back into a stance with his knife at the ready he did the same.

While looking at the much larger man Felix knew that Mark was skilled with a knife a lot more then himself and if he wanted a better chance of succeeding, he needed to disarm him.

And that would mean taking a different approach.

Instead of charging headfirst into Mark he waited for the Creole to charge him and he soon went on the defensive dodging two strikes and a horizontal slash aimed at his chest from Mark while looking for a window of his own.

The moment he saw one though he took it without realizing that this was what Mark wanted until he noticed the man's arm snake around his own. He knew Mark was moving to throw him again so this time he countered by falling backwards and using his feet to send a stunned Mark flipping forwards and crashing back first on the ground.

"I've got you!" Felix screamed out before jumping at Mark with his knife aimed directly for the man's head but being stopped by the Concrete Soldier getting his arms up in time to keep him back then responding with a sharp kick to the Felix's side that knocked him back just enough to give Mark time to rise back up on his feet.

"No more holding back!" Mark spoke out before kicking up a mound of dirt into the face of Felix who immediately shut his eyes and failed to notice Mark spinning back and striking him over the right side of his head with the heel of his right foot.

After hitting the ground Felix looked up and immediately had to roll for cover as Mark came flying at him with his extended but only managing to hit the dirt where the man of Quechan descent once layed.

"NOW!" Felix screamed out before swiping at Mark with a kick from right foot that completely missed the confused Mark but instead hit his knife and sent it flying across the grass.

"It's over-!" Felix yelled out only to be taken off-guard as Mark charged and struck him over the head with a running headbutt that left his dazed, flying backwards, and dropping his own knife on the ground in front of Mark who quickly kicked it away

"Damn!" he started before reaching behind his back only for Mark to hit him in the abdomen with a shoulder tackle of his own that sent Felix staggering backwards before being completely knocked back by an elbow strike to the center of his face.

"I know you have a second knife in your back pocket and the second you go for it this fight will belong to me." Mark called before grabbing hold of the back of Felix's shirt with his left hand while using his right to keep his arm back then striking him repeatedly in the gut with strikes from his left knee.

"I'll knock you on your ass and take my sweet time with the FINAL BLOW." Mark called out with a wide smile written all over his face as he continuously kneed Felix in the gut ten more times until spit flew from the man's mouth as he collapsed to the ground with Mark moving to pick him up by grabbing him by his hair.

Just as he moved to get Felix at his eye level the modern day Quechan Warrior struck like a snake throwing a straight punch with his right hand that caught Mark in the center of the head but leaving him unmoving and shockingly smiling at Felix who looked on with wide eyes.

"That all you got?" Mark asked before throwing a left hook of his own that sent Felix staggering on his left side but responding with a kick to the side of Mark's head that again seemed to do little affect on him.

"Felix I've fought mercenaries, serial killers, terrorist, gang members, soldiers, and spies. All better men who hit twice as hard as you ever could." Mark called out as Felix jumped up and threw three more punches to the face and chest of Mark who quickly made him pay by grabbing a fistful of Felix's hair and slamming him head first onto the ground and once his head bounced back up Mark responded with an uppercut that had the man seeing stars.

"NOW STAY DOWN!" Mark yelled out before lifting his right leg high above Felix's head then whipping it down with an axe-kick to the back of the man's head that had him hitting the ground hard with Mark moving to finish the fight by raising his foot high above Felix's head only to be taken off-guard by a sharp kick to his right knee that actually brought Mark down to one leg with a pain fill expression written on his face.

"I've got him!" Felix whispered out with a slight smile on his face before he reached behind his back and quickly drew a his pocket knife then moving to stab Mark in the head only for the Creole to move to the side in the last second and instead of taking the blade the top of his take it in the right shoulder.

"MOTHER-!" Mark yelled out before stomping down on the right ankle of Felix with enough force that a loud popping sound immediately filled the air and caused Felix to let out a loud cry of pain that immediately turned to a silent shriek as Mark followed up with a hard right hook to the man's right side that cracked two of the man's ribs and sent him falling back onto his knees.

"DAMN YOU, AHH!" Felix screamed out once again as he threw a last ditch punch with all his strength into the abdomen of the youngest Roman and going wide eyed as a loud cracking sound filled the air and an intense pain shot through his hand as he looked at it and quickly realized that he'd broken two of his fingers and his knuckles were bleeding profusely.

"You forgot I'm wearing a vest." An unfazed Mark spoke out stunning Felix who could only freeze up as Mark put both his hands to the side of the man's head before driving him face first into the front of his bulletproof vest with enough force that Felix could only let out an agonizing scream as blood poured from his nose and lips after colling with the ceramic tiles that made up Mark's bulletproof vest.

Mark then repeated the process, again, and again, and again until much of Felix's head was a bloody mess and the BSU defector was left seeing stars. This didn't stop Mark's relentless assault though as he forcibly picked Felix up off the ground by forcing his right arm between his legs while reaching his left arm over his shoulder.

The result was Mark standing holding a Felix horizontally so that their stomachs were touching while Mark stood firmly planted on the ground. Then in a move that could have turned the stomach of one of the most hardcore wrestling fans Mark lifted Felix up before dropping his right side on his right knee with enough force to break his already injured ribs and send Felix screaming in sheer terror.

Mark then performed the move again and again to the point where his own knee was hurting from the weight of Felix dropping down on it but it could never compare to the pain Felix was feeling. Blood was spewing from his mouth and nose, his eyes were practically glossed over, and there were thick pools of saliva coming out of his mouth as he ever so often would twitch as pain would surge through his body.

"And Lee had problems with you?" Mark asked before squatting down and tossing Felix over his head and watching as he body rolled across the dirt before coming to a halt on the side of what was left of the apartment building.

Just as Mark moved to finish the man off though he was caught off-guard as a familiar woman came out of nowhere and put herself between him and Felix.

"Enough!" Loka called out while eyeing Mark angrily while the man eyed her closely. "You came here to kill all the Vagos from Cruz's Cliqua well I'm right here so you can finish what you started with me because it's the only way I'm letting you get to him." She called out in a shaky fear filled voice that caused Mark to slightly chuckle before staring into her eyes and seeing her determined spirit.

It was something that reminded Mark of another woman he knew.

Loka was prepared to die and she felt that she would when she watched Mark slowly lift up his CM901 Assault Rifle before pointing it directly at Loka who went to close her eyes before hearing a loud clicking sound come from the weapon and a slight smile spread across the face of the Creole.

"Even if I had ammo…I've caused you enough pain for a lifetime." He spoke out while turning his back on the woman who looked up at him with wide eyes just as the sound of approaching car engines quickly caught both of their attentions. "Sounds like your Azteca friends are on their way." He stated before moving to walk off.

"I'll go greet them while you get him and any other survivors, out of here." He retorted to her shock.

"WAIT!" Loka called out while eyeing Mark with a confused expression written on her face. "What is this, you just came in here and killed everyone why spare us what's changed?" she asked while Mark kept his gaze away from her.

"The Mission." He replied earning a more confused look from the woman who merely watched as Mark started to walk back to the main entrance of the apartment complex where he could easily make out seven to eight cars beginning to pull up almost five dozens of Azteca's hopping out of the vehicle and aiming their weapons in his direction.

"No Ammo, no more explosives, with only my knife what's a guy to do?" he asked with a half- smile before watching as the head of one of the Azteca's immediately exploded catching everyone by surprise as they looked to his headless form with fear filled eyes.

"Turn it over to his friends." Mark spat out before watching three more Azteca's fall courtesy of Thire as he, Jill, and Eddy stood in the tailgate of Jimmy's Sandking as it came out of nowhere and rocketed forward towards the blockade of Azteca vehicles catching them all by surprise.

"Jimmy, I think you need to slow down now." Buck pointed out with fear evident in his voice as he and Tup sat in the vehicle clutching their seats tightly as Jimmy slammed his foot on the gas pedal sending the vehicle rocketing forward to the blockade of Azteca vehicles.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Thire screamed out as he, Jill, and Eddy lowered themselves behind the truck bed while Tup and Buck started to scream their heads off as Jimmy slammed his vehicle into the side of a dark blue Tornado with enough force to push the smaller vehicle out of the way before driving through the gates of the apartment complex and coming to a hard turn around the smiling Creole.

"LIGHT EM UP!" Jimmy screamed out while jumping out the driver while Eddy did the same clutching a Molotov Cocktail before tossing it in the direction of the Azteca's who were still trying to regroup from the crash.

"CATCH!" Mark could make out causing him to look to Jill as she tossed him a new magazine for his CM901 that he quickly took and loaded into the weapon while Jimmy, Thire, Buck, and Tup layed down covering fire against the charging Azteca's.

"You were banking on me telling your friends about this?" she asked earning a slight smile from the man.

"No doubt!" he let out while watching as an Azteca that managed to get through the fire was hit in the head courtesy of both Nikki as she and Kyra stood a distance away providing Sniper Support for the group.

"You know this is gonna fuck up our truce with Ernesto right." Buck pointed out while Mark merely gave the man a look with a half-smile.

"Then let's take the entire enchilada." Mark spoke out earning mixed looks from the group before they watched him raise his Rifle and fire a single shot at the approaching Azteca's.

New Arcadia Police Station

Despite being an entire Parish away things at the New Arcadia Station was a frenzy as news of the mass shootings, explosions, and even buildings falling at a local apartment complex caught the attention of every on-duty and even some off-duty officers.

None more so than Locke as he found himself entering Alison's office where he noticed the woman sitting with her face in her hands.

"Looks like Mark's found the rest of Cruz's clique." He pointed out while the woman nodded her head.

"Yeah he pretty much told me to my face." She stated with a hint of sadness in her tone. "I thought with Cruz gone he'd stop this…but it looks like he's wants them all gone." She added to the man's confusion.

"Then why are reporting more shootings deeper in Jenner?" Locke asked with an anger filled expression.

"Ernesto isn't there, so Mark's moving on his territory." She stated with little emotion in her tone. "They're kicking anyone affiliated with the Vagos out of their territory."

"They don't care anymore." She finished while Locke eyed her closely. "And right now we gotta stop Ernesto before he gets there."

"What about Steve?" Locke asked causing Alison to look up at him with a raised brow.

Elsewhere

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Steve screamed out at the top of his lungs as he stood banging on the door of Mark's home with a rage filled expression written on his face.

After a few minutes of banging the sound of the doorknob spinning quickly caught the attention of Steve as he noticed the door slightly open with a creak as the metal chain guard prevented it from being opened further with a familiar woman of Japanese descent with blue and red streaks going through her long black hair standing on the other side.

"You again!" Steve spoke out in anger.

Steve was becoming all too familiar with the woman of Japanese descent. He could almost never get close to Mark with her acting as a buffer between them. The way she talked about her relationship with the youngest Roman and appearance made Steve and other officers think she was nothing more than a Groupie but he could tell that there was something more to her then that.

And he would uncover it all.

"You need to leave before I call the police." Ren spoke out earning a growl from Steve.

"Where's Marcus get him out here now." Steve yelled out while pushing back against the door and almost knocking Ren off her feet in the process.

"You being here is upsetting him so I suggest you leave before I call the police." She yelled out while continuing to try and press her back against the door.

"Let me in now." Steve yelled out with venom in his tone while continuing to pound on the door while Ren tried desperately to close and lock the door.

She was happy he didn't have a warrant because there was no way she could let the FIB Agent in the house and see that Mark wasn't there. She was taking a risk being here herself but she needed to give him the run around for as long as she could.

Metra, Lincoln Parish

It wasn't long after leaving the apartment complex did Mark and the rest find themselves back deep in the heart of Ernesto's hood fighting through the defending Azteca's who seemed to be taken completely by surprise from the rather small strike force cutting through their numbers with ease.

Ernesto's barrio was still healing from the losses they'd taken in the war with the Apostles and Merryweather and with the absence of their Onderos, Felix, Syke O, Adahy, and the rest they were undercoordinated compared to their enemies.

"Damn it where's Felix!" An Azteca in his early twenties with sun kissed skin screamed out he watched three more Azteca's standing beside a car firing MP5 Submachine Guns down the road with anger filled expression on their faces.

"We can't reach him or Adahy." One of the men spoke out before a Grenade slammed against the side of the car and completely engulfed it in flames courtesy of Thire who lowered his M203 before switching back to his own MP5 and shooting the sun kissed Azteca once in the neck.

"These guys aren't shit." Tup spoke out while standing beside Thire and firing a short barrage with his own Rifle into the back of an Azteca.

"They took a lot of losses in the war and I'm guessing their main hitters were the one's coming to the rescue for Cruz's Clique." Jimmy pointed out while sniping a man in the neck between the eyes before barrel rolling to cover as three Azteca's opened fire on him before each was shot down with a light barrage courtesy of the Concrete Soldier.

"Slow down!" Jill called out to him while watching as Mark vaulted past the car he was using for cover and in the process shoot down two more Azteca's who were trying to rush into cover with one taking a headshot that blew off the top of his head while another took a shot to the right leg that knocked him to the floor.

Jill's words were clearly going on deaf ears as Mark continued to push up on the defending Azteca's, breaking his own group's formation in the process, not that he truly cared, the head of the Azteca's was gone and the body would soon die without any true guidance.

"Don't worry about him he's more than got himself." Thire called out while he and Tup fired their his own MP5's down the road in an attempt to suppress a group of Azteca's who were firing from the inside of a home.

"Fucking Bullshitters Ernesto's gonna fuck you Chavalas up for this." One of the men inside the armed with an AR-15 screamed out at the top of his lungs while taking several shots at Buck who continued to stay down to avoid the shots.

"Don't worry we'll be right here waiting for him." Buck shouted back at the top of his lungs before looking to Jimmy who loaded a fresh magazine into his Battle Rifle.

"I got you prepare to move up!" he stated to the ginger who merely nodded his head before watching as the young BSU member fired his P90 Submachine Gun at the house giving Jimmy the chance to push up further just enough so that he could catch one of the shooters inside the crosshairs of his M14 and was able to take the top of his head completely off.

"This is too easy." Nikki spoke out from her position beside a house with her Sniper Rifle raised and fired a single shot that hit a fleeing Azteca in the shoulder and caused him to fall flat on his face.

"Yeah…it's too easy!" Kyra called out with a worried expression on her face before turning her sights again on Mark who shot down another Azteca with a single round from his CM901 that caught the man square in the Adam's apple.

As he moved to push further onto the next street he quickly had to jump backwards as two Azteca's armed with a pair of PKP Machine Guns nearly shredded him in half with a barrage from the powerful 7.62 Rounds.

"RPG!" Tup called out causing Mark's eyes to widen before looking back and noticing an Azteca armed with an RPG standing on the roof of a nearby home aiming the weapon directly at a nearby car he was using in cover.

"DAMN!" Mark whispered out before running for dear life as the Azteca fired the Rocket that slammed into the side of the vehicle and created an explosion big enough to send the man flying forward before crashing onto someone's front lawn.

"MARK!" Jill called out before watching the man take a peek at his skinned-up arm before barrel rolling into cover as the men with the PKP Machine Guns broke from cover and started to spray down his area keeping him pinned down just as a dark teal Emperor came out of nowhere and sped towards the youngest Roman who seemed almost frozen for a few seconds before barrel rolling out of the path of the vehicle as it slammed into the home behind him.

"Jesus!" Kyra spoke out while noticing four more Azteca's hopping out of the vehicle and beginning to open fire on the scrambling Roman while more vehicle continued to come down the street.

"More Ass-Takers coming in!" Buck added while the group turned their heads and watched on as six new vehicles filled with Azteca's arrived on the scene with one Azteca jumping out the back of one vehicle with an AK-47 Assault aimed directly at Tup who could only look on like a deer in headlights.

"Get down!" Jill screamed out while knocking the Filipino man to the ground while giving off a loud wince as she was grazed by a bullet in the process.

"Fuck they're trying to surround us." Thire called out as he and Jimmy tried to fight off a group of Azteca's that was approaching them from the side while Buck provided the group suppressing fire before moving to reload his weapon.

"FUCK OFF!" Mark called out as he fired two shots that struck an Azteca in the chest before retreating behind another nearby car as the men with the Machine Guns again moved to keep him suppressed.

"Damn, they must have taken guns off the Merryweather soldiers during our raid." Mark called out while noticing the man with the RPG Load another Rocket into the launcher before taking aim again at the Creole.

"Shit I'm not in range and if I move I risk being hit by them." Mark whispered out with anger filling his voice but just before the Azteca could fire the Rocket he feel back with a more then familiar object sticking out of his head through his eyeball.

"Is that an Arrow!" Nikki whispered out before a smile spread across the face of Jimmy and the other BSU members before they turned their gaze in the direction the arrow came from and to their surprise quickly take in the sight of an all too familiar Lakota standing on the side of a building with Crossbow in his hands while a woman of Argentinian descent stood next to him with an MP5K in her hands.

The group then watched with more surprised look as over nine vehicles started to pull up behind the BSU who looked on with half smiles and mixed expressions as they watched Falcon and several other armed Rifa's step out from the vehicles armed with to the teeth and aiming their weapons directly at their longtime rivals who seemed stunned by the new arrivals.

The first group to break the stare down was the Azteca's with the Machine Guns moved to turn their weapons on the Rifa members before a violent explosion erupting at their feet that sent both men flying across the street both missing their legs while everyone else was left completely off guard by the explosion.

"They won't be needing those." Came a familiar voice to the group that caused them to each turn their heads and watch with a smile as a familiar Chinese man stood just a few feet behind them armed with a China Lake Grenade Launcher.

Then to the groups surprise Lee yelled out something that was soon met with a series of shouts prompting Mark and the others to each turn their heads and notice well over two dozen armed BSU members charging at the Azteca's who soon raised their weapons and opened fire on the group with Mark joining in the shootout with a smirk on his face.

"It's about time you came home brother." Mark spoke out with a half-smile before a low buzzing sound filled his ears that caused him to lift his head and notice an RC-Plane flying over his head before crashing into a car a group of Azteca's were using for cover and sending them and the vehicle up in a violent explosion.

"Both of you!" Mark let out while a familiar van was parked a few blocks away from the battlefield with a familiar Indian man sitting inside with a smile on his face.

"Let's see what these RC Baron's can do." Manfred spoke out while taking control of another plane and crashing it into another group of Azteca's.

"PUSH IN!" Mark yelled out with a half-smile before watching four more Azteca's be immediately taken down by a series of bullets that came courtesy of a familiar blonde haired. Caucasian man armed with an AK-47 Assault Rifle.

"Still sloppy as always huh?" Asked Tully prompting Mark to give him a half-smile before moving to charge with him into a group of Azteca's that were opening fire on them from the rooftop of a home.

"You guys look like you could use a hand." Lee spoke out while approaching Tup and helping the man off the ground with a smile with Brady, Palmer, and Sullivan standing behind him with a wide smile.

"Yeah and not a moment too soon." Jimmy pointed out while slapping hands with his longtime brother.

"Sorry but we had to pick some people up." Lee stated while turning his head and causing everyone's vision to soon shift focus to a familiar brown haired man with an anger filled expression on his face.

"Davey!" Buck screamed out while Eddie moved to approach the man to slap hands with him.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" asked Thire while watching the man slap a fresh magazine into his G36C Assault Rifle with an anger filled groan.

"You guys aren't finishing this war without me." Davey retorted earning smiles from the group before they interrupted by a familiar African American man approaching walking up behind them with an Light Machine Gun in his hands.

"If you girls are done talking let's put an end to these Ass Taking motherfuckers." Marrick spoke out earning nods from the group of BSU members before they each gave their own battle cries and charged into the battle where the remaining Azteca's were already starting to retreat.

Meanwhile

"I SAID STOP!" Ren screamed out as loud as her lungs would carry as she continued to press her body against, he door in an attempt to keep Steve from getting inside while the man used all of his strength to fight against her.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!" Steve screamed out before slamming the door open enough once again with enough of a crack for him to squeeze him arm through and quickly grab onto the hair of Ren.

"LET ME GO-!" She started before moving to slam the door on the man's arm but before she could Steve struck first and slammed the woman face first into the side of the door with enough force to leave her dazed before falling back onto the floor with a loud thump.

"Now you'll let me in-." Steve yelled out while looking to the floor at Ren before feeling someone grab him from behind and quickly pushing him away from the door.

"That's enough!" Alison screamed out as loud as she could while pushing Steve away to his dismay.

"No she's protecting him-." He started only to receive a sharp slap across the face courtesy of the redheaded woman who looked at him with tears falling from her eyes.

"Whether she's protecting him or not there are protocols on how to handle these things and you're breaking most of them." She stated while Steve eyed her closely.

"Now go home, you've done more then enough!" she ordered earning a few seconds of silence from the man before he took a loud deep breath and slowly turned on his heels to walk away without noticing the redheaded woman turn around to look through the crack in the door with a concerned expression as Ren lay unconscious on the floor with blood dripping from her forehead.

"I need an EMT stat." She spoke out over her walkie talkie with a hint of fear in her tone.

17th Ward (Hours Later)

The song Illuminate by Facing the Gallows blared loudly through the BSU controlled club as Jill found herself at the bar with a slight smile on her face as she noticed the BSU Members talking amongst themselves in cheers in celebration of their victory over the Azteca's and Mark's decimation of the Vagos as well as the return of Lee and the others.

The group had been warring with both gangs for years and now many of them felt the war was over. She been in Los Santos to know just how much damage it would take to fold a gang, so she truly doubted both gangs were completely done especially with Ernesto and Miguel still alive…but she'd let the group have their shine for now.

"You look like you could use one of these." Came a familiar voice that caused the woman to turn her head and quickly notice a familiar Creole man moving rest a glass with a dark brown drink and a lemon on the rim beside her with an emotionless look on his face as he moved to take a seat beside her.

"I think you might need it more." Jill spoke out while moving to look at the glass before taking a sip from it. "I was expecting Sweet Tea or something." She pointed out while catching the familiar taste of Rum in the drink.

"Is this your way of saying I'm not truly one of you?" she asked while eyeing him with a smile before watching as the bartender presented a glass filled with ice in front of him before filling it whiskey.

"I needed someone to drink with." He corrected while taking a sip from the glass to her surprise. "They say this stuff is supposed to ease pain, but it just makes my mouth dry and my head hurt." He let out earning a half-chuckle from the woman.

"Somethings aren't for everyone!" she let out while looking down at her drink with a serious expression on her face. "You knew I was gonna tell Jimmy and the others about your plan didn't you?" she asked while watching Mark take another sip from his drink before responding.

"In all fairness I thought you would have told them as soon as I left your place so you all would arrive sooner." He interjected while keeping his gaze away from her.

"These people look at you like you're some kind of Demigod and I've seen you go into a fight with the odds stacked against you and come out alive…maybe I thought I could trust in your abilities and let you do it again." She let out while Mark nodded his head before cutting her off with a simple, "But!".

"But right now I know your head isn't the most clear and you could be impulsive and even suicidal and I didn't want to take that risk." She added while Mark gave her a light chuckle.

"Worrying about my mental health…and you think you're not one of us?" he asked while looking to her with an emotionless expression on his face. "You're right my head wasn't clear when I came to you but right now it is and you're apart of the reason for that so I thank you." He let out to Jill's surprise before she watched him finish his drink before resting his glass on the countertop.

"I need a clear head for what happens next." He pointed out while looking back across the dancefloor where he noticed Lee, Jimmy, Davey, Eddy, Thire, Tup, and Buck eyeing him closely with smiles on each of their faces.

"Won't Ernesto be a threat for your next phase?" she asked while watching him give a half-smile.

"He won't be a problem for a while actually." Mark finished just as his cellphone started to ring.

Metra, Louisiana

The battle for the Azteca hood had come to an end as evident by the dozens upon dozens of police cars, ambulances, and even fire trucks pulling into the neighborhood and quickly going to work.

It was a horrid sight to Ernesto who found himself walking up the front porch of the safehouse he once called his home while in New Arcadia. It wasn't sparred any bullets in the BSU Assault from what he and Syke O could tell as they stood outside the home and took in the sight of its bullet ridden walls and blood stained lawn.

Mark had shown his hand and he would make him regret this.

"So what's the plan Jeje?" Syke O asked from behind Ernesto who merely turned back to look at him with an anger filled expression written on his face.

"Call Felix and see if he and anyone else survived and put in a word to-." He started before a bright light flashing on him caught both him and Syke O by surprise by they both found themselves being knocked to the ground courtesy of two officers.

"WHAT IS THIS SHIT?" Ernesto yelled out at the top of his lungs as he felt the officers force his hands behind his back an place handcuffs on him.

"Ernesto Santana Oceloti, we have a warrant for your arrest." The officer spoke out causing Ernesto to give a violent growl before looking up and noticing a familiar shaved headed man standing by watching him closely.

Central New Arcadia Medical Center

The air was sterile and silent at the familiar hospital as Alison found herself sitting in a room with her eyes glued to the familiar woman of Japanese descent as she lay unconscious in her bed with a white bandage wrapped around her forehead.

The force of her head hitting the door was enough to split open her forehead, draw blood, and knock her unconscious but she wasn't dead but she would probably have a splitting headache when she awoke.

The more Alison looked at her the more she struggled to come to grips that Steve had done this. The once kind man was quickly turning into something she'd never thought could be right before her eyes and the more she tried to believe it the more she found it hard so.

"Am I under arrest." Came a familiar voice that broke Alison from her trance and caused her to look down Ren who looked back up at her with a half smile that Alison quickly returned.

"Outta all the crimes that were committed tonight we're not gonna arrest you for hitting your head." The FIB Agent replied earning a slight chuckle from woman.

"Does Mark know I'm here and that your boyfriend put me here?" she asked earning a nod from Alison.

"No, I may have left that out." Alison replied earning a shake of the head from Ren.

"Good!" the Los Santos BSU Member let out to Alison's confusion. "Mark's unstable right now and I don't think a badge would stop him from hurting Steve if he knew I was in the hospital." She added earning a nod from Alison.

"Are you afraid of him?" Alison asked earning a look from Ren who merely shook her head before responding with a smile.

"No he's unstable, but he's showing us this…softer side to him that you maybe familiar with." Ren stated earning a look from Alison that seemed to catch her off-guard. "Losing Courtney and his family…I guess it's made him start to cherish us while we're here." She added while Alison gave a loud scoff before speaking out.

"And getting rid of those who may bring harm to us." Alison pointed while Ren again nodded her head while Alison layed back in her seat.

"So are you gonna crash with me all night?" the Japanese woman asked while Alison gave a slight chuckle.

"Would you believe me if I told you my things might be outside when I go home?" she asked earning a raised brow from the woman.

"He's that upset that you practically saved him from career suicide…and suicide by Mark shooting him in the head." Ren pointed out while Alison gave a slight chuckle.

"He's not seeing it that way." The FIB Agent retorted while Ren rolled her eyes.

"Men…if you need a place to stay you can crash at my apartment as long as you want. I haven't been getting much use out of it lately." She stated to Alison's confusion. "It's a loft with a nice view of the port." She added while Alison gave a slight chuckle.

"Really where have you been staying lately?" she asked earning a few seconds of silence and a blush from Ren before she answered.

"With Mark…but it's not like that we're not doing anything." She stated while Alison eyed her closely. "He feels comfortable with someone there and I don't feel comfortable leaving him on his own. I left him on his own earlier and that's pretty much how this night was setup." She added earning a slight nod from Alison.

"He's been like since before all of this." Alison stated to Ren's confusion. "If neither me, Ana, or Courtney is with him he'll be up most of the night in deep thought from battle tactics to people." She replied earning a look from Ren.

"Well at least I know he hasn't strayed too far from his usual routine." Ren replied with a chuckle and earning a wide smile from Alison who couldn't help but to think about what Mark's next action could be.

Sunbelt City

The sound of the front door opening quickly caused Carmen to jump up on her feet with a hopeful expression on her face that soon faded once she realized exactly who had walked through the door.

"Ain't this a surprise." Miguel spoke out while giving the woman a half-smile.

"You're late, I called you almost two hours ago." She retorted while watching the man lean his back against the wall while eyeing her seriously.

"Excuse me for not wanting to get caught up in your attempt to get me and papa together to work out our differences." He replied to the woman's anger. "That ship has sailed and sank."

"How can you say that he's your father?" she yelled out while Miguel eyed her angrily.

"My father was willing to leave me to rot inside of an insane asylum for someone he should have killed a long time ago." He yelled out in anger.

"With everything you've done in your lifetime you think being locked away in an asylum is beneath you?" She asked out in anger of her own that caught him by surprise. "You chose this life Miguel everything that has ever happened to you is on you. Papa was in prison when you got down with La Vida Loca and you knew his pain while he was down yet you still chose the Barrio and Onda." She added with tears beginning to fall from her eyes that left Miguel somewhat stunned.

"Everything that's happened to you…it's all been on you-." She started before a loud clapping sound caught the duo both by surprise and caused them to each turn their heads in the direction of the noise as it started to grow louder.

"You should really listen to your sister Miguel." Mark spoke out while entering the living room with an emotionless look on his face. "But it's a little too late for that." He added before watching as Miguel moved to draw his Pistol only to let out a loud grunt as his hand was jerked backwards and the barrel of his gun completely explode after taking a well-placed bullet courtesy of Jimmy who had the man lined up through the scope of his Sniper Rifle while Mark looked on with a smile.

"Pinche-." Miguel started before the familiar feeling of a fist cracking against the back of his skull took him by surprise and sent him stumbling forward and looking back at a familiar Chinese man who was eyeing him angrily.

"YOU!" Miguel screamed out before Lee charged him and slammed his size ten shoe against the skull of Miguel knocking him back not out without noticing Mark reaching behind his back to grab something.

"STOP IT!" Carmen screamed out before being struck in the back of the head courtesy of Mark who struck her with the butt of his M1911 and watched her crumple to the floor unconscious.

"HEREMANA!" Miguel screamed out before throwing a punch at Lee that caught him right in the nose and sent him staggering backwards before soon charging at Mark who merely dodged sidestep a punch from the man before following up with a knees trike to Miguel's gut.

"No more tricks this won't be like last time." Mark yelled while punching Miguel over the head once more causing him to stumble back into the arms of Lee who sent him flying back first against the wall with enough force to crack the drywall.

"Cabrons can't fight me fair?" the Onderos screamed out while spitting blood on the floor.

"With everything you've done you don't deserve fair." Lee screamed out while charging Miguel who moved to defend himself only to be caught off-guard by another bullet coming through the house that struck him in his right hip and sent him crumbling to the ground where he was immediately met with kicks and punches from both the enraged BSU members.

"What makes you think a dog likes you deserves a fair fight?" Lee asked while kicking Miguel's head against the wall while Mark stomped on his lower abdomen. "With what you did to Laurie, Shawna, Whitney, and all the others." he continued while moving to climb on top of Miguel with his fist raised above the man's skull.

"AND I'D DO IT ALL AGAIN!" Miguel screamed out only to be struck in the face courtesy of Lee who was doing everything he could to ignore the pain in his hand from the force of the punch.

"You're an animal, you have no honor or any real sense of respect or care for those around you." Lee screamed out while throwing punch after punch to the face of Miguel blood was flowing from his hands.

"And that's why today we'll put you down the same way you did them." Lee screamed out at the top of his lungs before knife and stabbing Miguel in his left eye while listening closely as the man gave off an ear-piercing scream that was soon silenced as Lee punched him square in the mouth with enough force to knock out three of his teeth.

"You always had a big mouth let's see just how big it can get." The Chinese man called out while Mark walked out of the home and took in the sound of distant gunshots as the combined force of BSU, Rifas, and Roman Boyz descended on the neighborhood like the famed Mongol Army of Genghis Khan and like the army they fought with a ferocity that rivaled their own.

Arcadia Parish Jail

The all to familiar crashing noise of the slot on his cell door being opened was an all too familiar sound for Ernesto as he found himself sitting with his back to the wall of his cell looking out and watching as a tray of food was slid through the opening by a guard who quickly moved to lock the opening back up.

He hadn't been here longer than six hours and he'd quickly discovered after being placed in solitary confinement that everyone in the jail must of knew of his arrival if they were doing this much to ensure his safety.

It would seem Mark didn't have as much influence with the guards as he thought.

Upon making his way over to his tray of food that thought quickly faded as he noticed a series of photographs that were strategically placed under the sandwich he'd been given for lunch.

"No, No, NOOOO!" Ernesto screamed out at the top of his lungs dropping the pictures and plate to the ground while several guards rushed into the cell and were immediately attacked by the man who tried his best to fight back against only to be knocked to the ground once again and forced to stare at the pictures that consisted of several dead Azteca's lying face down in a familiar parking lot.

What drew most of his attention though was the battered, bruised, and maimed body of Miguel tied up and hanging from the roof of a warehouse similar to how Cartel members hung their rivals from bridges. One of his eyes was missing, his tongue was cut out, his ears were gone, there was a skull carved into his chest, and to make the matter worse his lower jaw bone appeared to be have been completely ripped off.

The next photo was the one that made his heart sink. In it he saw his daughter Carmen, his shining star and pride and joy face down on the floor of their family home with a bullet hole in the back of her head.

Mark had lost his family and in retribution…he'd taken Ernesto's.

While Ernesto was being detained though Mark found himself leaning against the railings of his club looking down at the male and female BSU members on the dance floor talking, smiling, and dancing amongst themselves before he noticed two familiar men approaching him and moving to take a stand beside him.

"We just got word from our guy in Parish, the pictures have been delivered." Lee spoke out while Mark merely nodded his head.

"His daughter…were you able to do it?" Mark asked while looking to the Chinese man who remained silent for a few seconds before speaking out.

"Single shot to the back of the head while she was still unconscious…she never felt a thing and her funeral can still be open casket." He let out with a hint of sadness in his tone. "It's what that freak Patrick wanted me to do in order to get him to set his sights on Neto." He finished while Mark nodded his head.

"Which is exactly what we need right now." Mark replied with a hint of venom in his tone. "The Azteca's, South West Vagos, are in shambles and without their leaders. It won't be long before Neto figures out its Patrick that's been targeting him."

"He'll come down here to us." Lee finished while Mark nodded his head.

"Where we'll finally put a nail in that coffin." He added while Lee merely nodded at him.

"But what about Ernesto?" asked Jimmy as he looked to Mark who merely kept his gaze away from him. "They'll only hold him for sixty days after that he'll be coming for us." He added while Mark nodded his head.

"And on that sixtieth day I'll be outside the jail with a Sniper Rifle ready to take his head off." Mark stated earning mixed looks from the duo. "He should have taken me up on my offer to die sooner…that way he wouldn't have to see his children die but this way he won't have to bury them himself." He added while both Lee and Jimmy nodded their heads.

"I missed you brothers." The Chinese man let out while grabbing a hold of Mark's shoulder to which the Creole man returned him a half smile.

Before Mark could say anything the lights within the club had shut off unexpectedly and the group found themselves being taken off-guard by tear gas canisters being tossed into the building and filling the lungs of everyone followed by the doors being blown open by men in riot gear that immediately started knocking everyone to the ground and hauling Mark and the other leaders off.

Authors Note: Phew a lot of action in this chapter probably more so then I originally wanted it to be and yeah those photographs were cryptic and truthful Miguel is finally dead and so is Carmen.

If I'm being honest both deaths and this chapter in particular were kind of rushed out not just because in truth I'm kind of getting tired of this arc and am pushing for the end because the next arc is gonna be really good and I mean really good.

If any of you don't know what that ending with Mark, Lee, and the others being taken away was about I suggest you go over to Onkwehonwe's latest chapter of Concrete Jungle to know exactly what happens next and where I'll be next chapter.

I finally showed Mark fighting Felix, I didn't want it to be as one sided as one would think it would be. Mark out skills and out experiences Felix by a lot so I wanted to give Felix some good shots in on Mark but ultimately failing.

Also we see the return of Lee, Manfred, Task, Cheta, and more of my characters who've been away for a while.

Stick around for next chapter as Mark and BSU seek their revenge on the driftwoods and the internal war with the IAA finally reaches New Arcadia.

Thank you all for reading Zilla 2000 out.