A/N: I have to thank you all for your feedback and support. I'd never imagined that this story would be so popular and widely read. I've got plenty of excuses for the long wait, but I won't waste time putting them here, we all wanna get straight to the story. Lets just hope it lives up to your expectations and keeps you happy until the next instalment.

Part 6: Liberty City: Van Heist

The cab of the mule stunk with fuel. A pair of furry dice bounced from the mirror as he swung around the corner in Chinatown and the payroll van finally came into view. It's thick, armoured shell reflected the light and the cars around it. The driver was totally unaware of what was about to happen. Jason knew the element of surprise was essential to the job at hand. After knocking on Luigi's door, he'd made the quick journey across to Joey who barked orders from underneath a car he was working on. At least this was a job that didn't involve Triads. That time bomb was fast approaching fever pitch.

The mule was two cars behind the van. It started a left turn towards the main road along the water. Jason rushed forward. The engine screamed at the sudden rush of speed as Jason was thrust into the back of the chair. Angling left, the Mule connected with the side of the van, throwing it in the wrong direction and into the corner of the building. The sound of smashing glass echoed through the street as the vans engine started up, pushing debris out of the way. A Chinese man in the store stood perfectly still. His shop had been caved in. Parts of the ceiling fell to the floor as the blue van hurried away. More fell when the battered Mule backed out and headed left, after the van.

Jason was in awe as he pulled round the next corner, keen to keep up the case. He didn't expect the shop to collapse so easily. Still, it caused a lot of damage to the van which is what he needed. That's why he'd stolen the Mule. It wasn't fast, but it could take the beating that this job required. He didn't have the time to swap vehicles and anything less would give up before causing enough damage to the van.

He finally caught up further down the road, right underneath the pedestrian bridge. Swinging further left, he nudged the van and saw the damage to the right hand side. An armoured van with a huge dent was not the best image for the security company, but these were exceptional circumstances. The van turned left, trying to lose the attacker. It was faster than the Mule and sped away, back down the road.

A cop car saw the commotion. It made a beeline for Jason who was already starting to gain on the van. It was stopped behind a transit at a red light. The Mule didn't stop. It went straight into the back, forcing the doors to cave in whilst forcing the van into the vehicle in front. A slight of hand on the wheel and he was free. Jason turned around the other side of the transit whose bumper was hanging on the road.

Jason gave chase again. He caught up underneath the Callahan Bridge, swerving into the damaged side of the van. A Perennial was caught in front of the Mule and the sudden forced threw the driver off balance, losing all control. It headed up the side of the hill as the van driver jumped from the vehicle, following it. The cop car stopped in front of the Mule and a cop got out, gun in hand. Jason left off two rounds. Nothing much, but enough to make the cop hide behind the door and stop looking for that moment while he made his escape.

The cab of this van was even worse than the last. It seemed the driver had been overly scarred. He turned the van around, it made a hideous noise as shards of metal scraped along the road, scoring the tarmac. Once again, roads meant nothing as he cut through bushes, narrowly missing several pedestrians. The cop gave chase. His gun fired at the van. It was pointless, even in this state the armour was strong enough to fend off attack. The car pulled to the side trying to overtake. Jason pulled to the right, squeezing it between the van and a low wall. The bonnet sprang up, forced up as the car narrowed and stalled. A streetlight fell below the van as it ploughed towards the lockup in the docks.

A cop car appeared at the last moment, jumping out from behind the dock wall. It overshot, past the van, catching just the corner of the bonnet. The left headlight and entire side of the car crunched into the van, collapsing under the pressure. The back swung up in the air, spinning the car around, forcing the back corner into the side of a building. While the cops were dazed, Jason headed right into the docks and the lockup, safe.

Running back, he hotwired a Kurma sat between the painted lines. Turning right out of the docks, he had enough time to see the cops get out of the battered car, shaking their heads. One of them kicked a tyre which in turn, fell flat on the floor.

Jason's pager started to shake and wail an awful tune. Apparently, 'El Burrow' wanted to offer him an 'opportunity' if he got to Hepburn Heights. It was worth a look, but it felt like a offer from a rival gang. He didn't want to end up between loyalties when the inevitable gang war broke out. Not that he was loyal to anyone but himself. This, all this, was just a diversion until he had access to the island.

* * *

Security at the car lot was too lax. Jason was in and out within a minute with a new car and no alarms to show for it. His 'opportunity' had been a race. He knew that the Kurma was too slow for such a task, so he needed something faster. For some reason, the fastest cars were always on the island. Over there, they lined the streets, but over here, this was basically the only place to get something and in comparison, a Banshee wasn't all that great. But it would have to do.

The phone conversion rang in his head as he drove to the start line. Apparently El Burrow was the Diablo leader who had been impressed by the reputation that Jason was gaining. Just what he needed, a reputation. He reached the start line by the bridge. Four FAST cars were waiting in the road. He barely had time to reach them before they started.

He wasn't sure how a Banshee could compete with these cars, but it was worth a try. He didn't factor in though that the other racers would use other tactics to win. Before he reached the first checkpoint, laid out by a painted circle on the road, two cars had just nudged his back corner, throwing the steering off. He hit the checkpoint sideways as the car careered out of control.

He raced to the next in second place, the car in first fighting him all the way, forcing him into a street light which didn't budge. Some quick manoeuvres had him back before the other cars could catch him, they were too busy fighting each other. But the Banshee had already taken the damage. Smoke already poured from the engine. He wasn't as fast as he had been and the other two attacked him. The first went for the front right wheel. The collision bent the axle making steering impossible. The second just slammed into the side and sped off.

The smoke was joined by flames, Jason jumped for cover, rolling on the road until he stopped. He was already in a new Kurma with the original driver crying on the floor when the Banshee exploded. Pedestrians were thrown from the blast while it rained mechanical components.

He couldn't be bothered with the race. The opponents were too fast and ruthless and until he could find a car to match, there was no point. It was a shame he'd never seen their faces though, or he'd be hunting them down to get even. He didn't like to lose. Shaking the embarrassment from his face, he made the short journey to Joey's. There was probably some work for him there.

When he entered the garage, Joey was talking to someone, who he later found out was Tony Cipriani, quite important in the mob world. Apparently, their conversation had been about Jason, something to worry about later. Joey led him to the main door as Tony got in the car, a Mafia Sentinel. These things were fast and armoured. Joey told him about a new job that needed a good driver. More work. More money. More trouble.

Joey lifted the main door as Jason joined Tony in the car. "Ok, kid. Drive me to the laundry in Chinatown first, I got a bit of business to take care of. Those washer women ain't been payin' their protection money." Protection money, a way to make money out of innocent people whilst forcing them into a world they didn't want to be in. What was he talking about? Jason knew there was no innocence in the world. The people who thought they were innocent were just naïve and ignorant. "And watch the car, Joey just fixed this junk heap. So no fancy crap, Ok?"

It was one of the longest journeys for Jason. Classic radio and no fancy crap. His pager started up again. Another message from El Burrow, "You'll get another chance to prove your reputation is well earned. Till the next race." Something to look forward to, he put the pager back in the pocket. "What was that?" Tony asked. "Nothing important," Jason shouted back over the music. "Well keep your mind on the job!" He parked up outside. Just a little too far back so he couldn't see the inside of the shop. "Wait here! Keep the engine running. This ain't a social call." Tony checked his gun as he stepped out. The 'no fancy crap' rule was going out the window. This would shortly become a getaway.

Tony stormed inside, slamming the doors open. Jason heard shouting but couldn't make any words out. Something big was up. This may well be the last straw between the Mafia and the Triads. A gunshot shattered the shouting. Followed by another. Tony came running out the door and jumped on the back seat. The cars suspension took a beating. Two Triads came running after him. "GET US OUTTA HERE!" Tony shouted, the sound muffled by the seat.

Jason's foot hit the floor as the hail of gunfire erupted at the car. The windows shattered as he sped off down the hill. Luckily, there hadn't been enough time to alert anyone, or he would have a chase on his hands. Tony finally managed to sit upright and give directions to his house.

Eventually reaching it, Tony started to talking. Jason didn't know whether to listen or if Tony was talking to himself, but it was just the kind of mad rant that led to rash decisions and a bloody mess. "The Triads think they can mess with me, the Triads, with ME!" He lent forward, "drop by later and we'll give them something to launder, their own blood stained clothes!" Reaching in his coat he fished out an envelope and handed it to Jason. "For this and something from Joey. Don't spend it all at once." He stepped out and headed up the small flight of stairs as Jason reversed out of the drive and headed for home. This was one long day that would lead to another. And another. And a few more after that.