Notes: I believe I have created another character. If I have, he belongs to
me. If I have not, well then the point is moot, right? Don't worry, it's a
one shot, no, really, look, he is.
Story-
Try as hard as he did in order to prepare for whatever was about to come, Sonny found it actually impossible to not focus on the fact that his son was still in the area. Sonny did not like the idea of Damian being around in case something did happen. While he knew that his oldest boy was much more equipped to deal with the reality of the situation than Michael, there were still too many things that Damian didn't know, nor should he ever know. Sonny wanted to keep the more lecherous aspects of his chosen path in life out of the minds of his boys. He may have succeeded in that, but there was no telling if he really had. A part of him wanted to chase after Damian and make sure that he went to the Penthouse without seeing anything, but that would likely cause another rift between the two and Sonny couldn't afford having an estrangement from his son again. He only hoped that the boy would remain as safe as he possibly could.
Sonny quickly realized that he shouldn't have been feeling as if something bad was going to happen. After all, Myer had organized the entire operation himself, and Myer had a very high success rate. He didn't trust Myer as much as he trusted Jason or Max, but Myer was certainly up there in the people that Sonny felt he could turn to in case things got too bad. Still, Sonny went into every situation, no matter how safe it appeared to be, with guns blazing and ready for anything. He had learned a long time ago that things happened that people couldn't really prepare for both in and out of the business.
Jason casually and only very rarely turned his gaze from the incoming ship onto Sonny. Sonny was easy to read. When he was overcome with any given emotion he had no way of hiding it. Most of the time that emotion was anger, but Jason knew that this time it was worry. Sonny was worried about what Damian saw, and if he would really just leave the area. Jason doubted that he would. He wasn't ready to give anyone, even Damian, who he admitted was a lot different than his first inspection had concluded, that much benefit of the doubt. No, he was too much like Courtney. They had a very admirable but at times very dangerous trait that made them want to keep their family members safe at all costs, even the costs of their lives. If Courtney had been around she wouldn't have left. She would have pretended to leave, but she would have found some place to hide and watch, just to make sure. Jason didn't have the time to go and look around the area for a hiding spot that Damian could have found, but that didn't change the fact that he was almost certain Damian was lurking around somewhere. Now, Jason had to make sure that he watched Sonny as well. When he was emotional it made him very irrational. Jason would protect Sonny at all costs. Not only because he was Jason's friend, mentor, and brother-in-law, but because his death would cause so many people pain. People that he cared about.
Minutes passed as the men stood in silence. They watched as the boat docked and some people came off the vessel, unloading the cargo. Finally, one of them came up and eyed Sonny, "You're Sonny Corinthos, correct?"
"That's right," Sonny said blankly.
"We've got your shipment, as promised. You agreed to pay us in cash the moment that the shipment arrived. I certainly hope you can keep your end of the bargain."
"I'm a man of my word," Sonny replied. He pointed to one of his men who was carrying a suitcase, "The money is there, as you requested."
"Then I suppose we are done here, are we not?"
Sonny smiled and shook his head, "How foolish do you think I am? One of the first rules of the business is to make sure that the shipment is what it was intended."
"You don't trust me?" The man asked.
"I don't trust anyone, especially people I don't know." The first part was a lie. Sonny did trust some people. But this guy, whoever he was, didn't need to know that. "You don't object to an inspection of the product, do you?"
"I can assure you that it is what you asked for."
"Well then there's no reason why you should be afraid that I might not like what I see, is there?"
The man was silent for a moment, "I suppose not."
"Good." Sonny turned to Max, "Max, make sure that everything is in order."
"Of course, Mr. Corinthos." Max, ever the dutiful soldier, walked up to the crate and propped it open. He dug through to make sure that everything was as ordered, not just the top layer and then the bottom was filled with things that were not what was on the agreement. Less than a minute passed as Max continued his inspection, "Everything appears to be on the level."
Sonny was handed the briefcase and he walked it over to the delivery man, "You gave me the goods, I provide you with the cash. That's how it works, right?"
"You'll never get the chance to use those goods," A voice said from behind.
"What the hell?" Sonny asked as he turned around to see himself and his men surrounded.
"The great Sonny Corinthos," The same voice repeated. Sonny got a good look at his face and saw his smile. "It's been awhile."
"Not long enough, I can assure you of that," Sonny remarked bluntly.
The man smiled, "You remember me?"
"I never forget the people who tried to work their way up the ladder by kissing the ass of the man in power. I must admit that I'm surprised to see you alive. Usually your kind of people don't make it very long in the business, because you spend so much time trying to talk your way up that you're not prepared to get dirty when the time comes."
"I'm more than able to multi-task. Scully knew that."
"Scully knew a lot of things," Sonny thought of his old boss. "But he didn't know how to keep himself alive after being shot. I was under the impression that any conflict I had with any of his people would be ignored since I was the one that killed him. You've got no reason to avenge his death, Asp."
"True," Asp responded. "But who said that the reason I came here was to get back at you for killing Scully? My reasons for being around this area are entirely my own. I've come to show you that I was so much more than what you thought I was when you and I were with him."
"Trying to show me that I shouldn't have been the one that was his right hand man?" Sonny asked. "He knew you couldn't hold a candle to me, Asp. That's why he had me do all the dirty work and you were just there as a poster child."
"You have to admit that you had a lot of fun doing what he asked you to do, Sonny."
"I never admit anything to the people I don't like."
"I can't tell you how many times I've thought about how much fun it would have been to be the one that did beautiful Latina in Los Angeles. You didn't look like you had much fun then, but what man wouldn't enjoy a fine piece of ass like that?"
"I'm going to make sure that you pay for what you just said," Sonny remarked. No one talked about Ana-Maria like that, especially not some third rate wannabe mobster.
"You're in no position to make idle threats," Asp commented, his grin widening by the second. "You do realize that I've got you surrounded with my men."
"I've come out of worse situations than this unscratched, Asp. That's always been your problem. You underestimate everyone else but overestimate yourself."
"It's funny, you know," Asp began. "I came to this area thinking that I would have to kill that woman that slaughtered the five families in order to get to you. I even tried to ambush her, but one of her guards took the bullet instead. Yet she's been wiped out of the picture, and the only person that I had in my way when it came to doing you in is gone. I must say that you provided me with something very useful when you got rid of her."
"My reasons for doing anything are mine alone. I'd suggest that you get out of my territory before I actually try and retaliate."
"It won't be your territory much longer, Sonny." Asp pulled out his gun, "Kill them all!" He demanded as the hail of bullets began.
Sonny jumped out of the way of the bullet as he rolled and took out his own gun. He and his men looked for cover, but they were surrounded on both sides and cover wasn't readily available. Things didn't look all that great, but Sonny and his people wouldn't be giving up anytime soon.
Jason took out some of the henchmen on both sides as he kept an eye on Sonny. His own safety wasn't important.
Elsewhere-
Damian was walking extremely slow. He knew that his dad wanted him to be safe, and he certainly didn't want to be shot at, but he didn't want his father, his Uncle Jason, or any of his father's employees harmed either. He needed to make sure that everything was going to be okay. When he heard the hail of gunfire going off, faintly but still very noticeable, he knew that everything wasn't. Damian turned around and headed back for the docks at full speed.
Port Charles Docks-
No matter how many times it happened, no one could really prepare for a gun battle. The way that time seemed to move at a standstill despite the fact that your heart was racing at speeds that would make a hummingbird envious. The battle that Sonny, Jason, and the others were involved in was no different. Sonny was right about something: Asp had given himself too much credit. The people that he had employed were novices at best. They didn't understand the tactics that went into surviving a gun fight the way that Sonny and Jason did. It made them very easy to dispose of.
Soon enough the rapid sounds of gunfire were all but a thing of the past. Sonny looked over at Jason, "Everyone okay?"
Jason took a look around, "That work for us? Yeah."
"Good."
Sonny didn't notice the fact that Asp was still alive. Bleeding, blacking out, and on the brink of death, but still alive. Asp pulled out his gun and fired a shot.
"Sonny!" Jason tackled Sonny to the ground, the bullet lodging in his knee cap.
Sonny, on the way down, pulled out his gun and shot Asp in the heart. Asp fell to the ground, dead. "Jason!"
"I'll be fine," Jason said as he grabbed his bleeding leg. His body was shaking in pain, but his voice didn't show any of the pain that he was in.
"Dad!" Damian ran up, breathing heavily. He saw Jason on the ground, "Uncle Jason!"
"I told you to go back to the Penthouse!" Sonny yelled.
"I heard the gunshots and I had to make sure that everything was okay," Damian walked over to Jason and knelt down. "You need to get Uncle Jason to the hospital."
Sonny heard the sirens of the cops coming, "We don't have time to get him to the hospital! The cops will check there first and if they see us they'll know we were involved somehow."
"Dad, Uncle Jason was shot!"
"I'll take care of it at home!" Sonny yelled. "We need to get out of here, fast! Help me pick him up!"
Damian nodded as he and his father picked Jason up and walked away. He was unaware of the fact that his wallet had fallen out of his jacket pocket. There were so many things that were racing through his mind at that moment that he didn't even bother to make sure that there were no traces of his being there.
By the time the cops got to the scene, everyone was gone. The only evidence that there had been a scuffle of any kind was the body count that had been made during the encounter. Lucky was one of the cops that was on duty. Ric was there with him. He had already ordered a scan of the area for any evidence. When Lucky appeared next to Ric, the Assistant DA was in full job mode, "Do we have any positive IDs on any of the dead."
"Some of them were known to be associates of Faith Rosco," Lucky said. "It's possible that she was involved."
"Unlikely," Ric muttered. He knew that Faith was gone. Maybe not dead, but certainly out of the picture after trying to use Damian against Sonny. She played a gambit and lost. Ric was happy to see her gone. "Anything else?"
Lucky took out the wallet, which was wrapped in a cloth to prevent any further fingerprints from being displayed on it. "We found this."
"Any identification?"
Lucky eyed Ric, "Yeah."
"So?" Ric asked. "Who is it? Lucky, tell me."
"The wallet belongs to your nephew, Damian."
Ric's jaw dropped. "What? There's no way," Ric didn't believe that Damian was the type of person that Sonny was. Ric grabbed the wallet and opened it, keeping his own prints off but still being able to look inside. He saw the identification card, "Dammit..."
Story-
Try as hard as he did in order to prepare for whatever was about to come, Sonny found it actually impossible to not focus on the fact that his son was still in the area. Sonny did not like the idea of Damian being around in case something did happen. While he knew that his oldest boy was much more equipped to deal with the reality of the situation than Michael, there were still too many things that Damian didn't know, nor should he ever know. Sonny wanted to keep the more lecherous aspects of his chosen path in life out of the minds of his boys. He may have succeeded in that, but there was no telling if he really had. A part of him wanted to chase after Damian and make sure that he went to the Penthouse without seeing anything, but that would likely cause another rift between the two and Sonny couldn't afford having an estrangement from his son again. He only hoped that the boy would remain as safe as he possibly could.
Sonny quickly realized that he shouldn't have been feeling as if something bad was going to happen. After all, Myer had organized the entire operation himself, and Myer had a very high success rate. He didn't trust Myer as much as he trusted Jason or Max, but Myer was certainly up there in the people that Sonny felt he could turn to in case things got too bad. Still, Sonny went into every situation, no matter how safe it appeared to be, with guns blazing and ready for anything. He had learned a long time ago that things happened that people couldn't really prepare for both in and out of the business.
Jason casually and only very rarely turned his gaze from the incoming ship onto Sonny. Sonny was easy to read. When he was overcome with any given emotion he had no way of hiding it. Most of the time that emotion was anger, but Jason knew that this time it was worry. Sonny was worried about what Damian saw, and if he would really just leave the area. Jason doubted that he would. He wasn't ready to give anyone, even Damian, who he admitted was a lot different than his first inspection had concluded, that much benefit of the doubt. No, he was too much like Courtney. They had a very admirable but at times very dangerous trait that made them want to keep their family members safe at all costs, even the costs of their lives. If Courtney had been around she wouldn't have left. She would have pretended to leave, but she would have found some place to hide and watch, just to make sure. Jason didn't have the time to go and look around the area for a hiding spot that Damian could have found, but that didn't change the fact that he was almost certain Damian was lurking around somewhere. Now, Jason had to make sure that he watched Sonny as well. When he was emotional it made him very irrational. Jason would protect Sonny at all costs. Not only because he was Jason's friend, mentor, and brother-in-law, but because his death would cause so many people pain. People that he cared about.
Minutes passed as the men stood in silence. They watched as the boat docked and some people came off the vessel, unloading the cargo. Finally, one of them came up and eyed Sonny, "You're Sonny Corinthos, correct?"
"That's right," Sonny said blankly.
"We've got your shipment, as promised. You agreed to pay us in cash the moment that the shipment arrived. I certainly hope you can keep your end of the bargain."
"I'm a man of my word," Sonny replied. He pointed to one of his men who was carrying a suitcase, "The money is there, as you requested."
"Then I suppose we are done here, are we not?"
Sonny smiled and shook his head, "How foolish do you think I am? One of the first rules of the business is to make sure that the shipment is what it was intended."
"You don't trust me?" The man asked.
"I don't trust anyone, especially people I don't know." The first part was a lie. Sonny did trust some people. But this guy, whoever he was, didn't need to know that. "You don't object to an inspection of the product, do you?"
"I can assure you that it is what you asked for."
"Well then there's no reason why you should be afraid that I might not like what I see, is there?"
The man was silent for a moment, "I suppose not."
"Good." Sonny turned to Max, "Max, make sure that everything is in order."
"Of course, Mr. Corinthos." Max, ever the dutiful soldier, walked up to the crate and propped it open. He dug through to make sure that everything was as ordered, not just the top layer and then the bottom was filled with things that were not what was on the agreement. Less than a minute passed as Max continued his inspection, "Everything appears to be on the level."
Sonny was handed the briefcase and he walked it over to the delivery man, "You gave me the goods, I provide you with the cash. That's how it works, right?"
"You'll never get the chance to use those goods," A voice said from behind.
"What the hell?" Sonny asked as he turned around to see himself and his men surrounded.
"The great Sonny Corinthos," The same voice repeated. Sonny got a good look at his face and saw his smile. "It's been awhile."
"Not long enough, I can assure you of that," Sonny remarked bluntly.
The man smiled, "You remember me?"
"I never forget the people who tried to work their way up the ladder by kissing the ass of the man in power. I must admit that I'm surprised to see you alive. Usually your kind of people don't make it very long in the business, because you spend so much time trying to talk your way up that you're not prepared to get dirty when the time comes."
"I'm more than able to multi-task. Scully knew that."
"Scully knew a lot of things," Sonny thought of his old boss. "But he didn't know how to keep himself alive after being shot. I was under the impression that any conflict I had with any of his people would be ignored since I was the one that killed him. You've got no reason to avenge his death, Asp."
"True," Asp responded. "But who said that the reason I came here was to get back at you for killing Scully? My reasons for being around this area are entirely my own. I've come to show you that I was so much more than what you thought I was when you and I were with him."
"Trying to show me that I shouldn't have been the one that was his right hand man?" Sonny asked. "He knew you couldn't hold a candle to me, Asp. That's why he had me do all the dirty work and you were just there as a poster child."
"You have to admit that you had a lot of fun doing what he asked you to do, Sonny."
"I never admit anything to the people I don't like."
"I can't tell you how many times I've thought about how much fun it would have been to be the one that did beautiful Latina in Los Angeles. You didn't look like you had much fun then, but what man wouldn't enjoy a fine piece of ass like that?"
"I'm going to make sure that you pay for what you just said," Sonny remarked. No one talked about Ana-Maria like that, especially not some third rate wannabe mobster.
"You're in no position to make idle threats," Asp commented, his grin widening by the second. "You do realize that I've got you surrounded with my men."
"I've come out of worse situations than this unscratched, Asp. That's always been your problem. You underestimate everyone else but overestimate yourself."
"It's funny, you know," Asp began. "I came to this area thinking that I would have to kill that woman that slaughtered the five families in order to get to you. I even tried to ambush her, but one of her guards took the bullet instead. Yet she's been wiped out of the picture, and the only person that I had in my way when it came to doing you in is gone. I must say that you provided me with something very useful when you got rid of her."
"My reasons for doing anything are mine alone. I'd suggest that you get out of my territory before I actually try and retaliate."
"It won't be your territory much longer, Sonny." Asp pulled out his gun, "Kill them all!" He demanded as the hail of bullets began.
Sonny jumped out of the way of the bullet as he rolled and took out his own gun. He and his men looked for cover, but they were surrounded on both sides and cover wasn't readily available. Things didn't look all that great, but Sonny and his people wouldn't be giving up anytime soon.
Jason took out some of the henchmen on both sides as he kept an eye on Sonny. His own safety wasn't important.
Elsewhere-
Damian was walking extremely slow. He knew that his dad wanted him to be safe, and he certainly didn't want to be shot at, but he didn't want his father, his Uncle Jason, or any of his father's employees harmed either. He needed to make sure that everything was going to be okay. When he heard the hail of gunfire going off, faintly but still very noticeable, he knew that everything wasn't. Damian turned around and headed back for the docks at full speed.
Port Charles Docks-
No matter how many times it happened, no one could really prepare for a gun battle. The way that time seemed to move at a standstill despite the fact that your heart was racing at speeds that would make a hummingbird envious. The battle that Sonny, Jason, and the others were involved in was no different. Sonny was right about something: Asp had given himself too much credit. The people that he had employed were novices at best. They didn't understand the tactics that went into surviving a gun fight the way that Sonny and Jason did. It made them very easy to dispose of.
Soon enough the rapid sounds of gunfire were all but a thing of the past. Sonny looked over at Jason, "Everyone okay?"
Jason took a look around, "That work for us? Yeah."
"Good."
Sonny didn't notice the fact that Asp was still alive. Bleeding, blacking out, and on the brink of death, but still alive. Asp pulled out his gun and fired a shot.
"Sonny!" Jason tackled Sonny to the ground, the bullet lodging in his knee cap.
Sonny, on the way down, pulled out his gun and shot Asp in the heart. Asp fell to the ground, dead. "Jason!"
"I'll be fine," Jason said as he grabbed his bleeding leg. His body was shaking in pain, but his voice didn't show any of the pain that he was in.
"Dad!" Damian ran up, breathing heavily. He saw Jason on the ground, "Uncle Jason!"
"I told you to go back to the Penthouse!" Sonny yelled.
"I heard the gunshots and I had to make sure that everything was okay," Damian walked over to Jason and knelt down. "You need to get Uncle Jason to the hospital."
Sonny heard the sirens of the cops coming, "We don't have time to get him to the hospital! The cops will check there first and if they see us they'll know we were involved somehow."
"Dad, Uncle Jason was shot!"
"I'll take care of it at home!" Sonny yelled. "We need to get out of here, fast! Help me pick him up!"
Damian nodded as he and his father picked Jason up and walked away. He was unaware of the fact that his wallet had fallen out of his jacket pocket. There were so many things that were racing through his mind at that moment that he didn't even bother to make sure that there were no traces of his being there.
By the time the cops got to the scene, everyone was gone. The only evidence that there had been a scuffle of any kind was the body count that had been made during the encounter. Lucky was one of the cops that was on duty. Ric was there with him. He had already ordered a scan of the area for any evidence. When Lucky appeared next to Ric, the Assistant DA was in full job mode, "Do we have any positive IDs on any of the dead."
"Some of them were known to be associates of Faith Rosco," Lucky said. "It's possible that she was involved."
"Unlikely," Ric muttered. He knew that Faith was gone. Maybe not dead, but certainly out of the picture after trying to use Damian against Sonny. She played a gambit and lost. Ric was happy to see her gone. "Anything else?"
Lucky took out the wallet, which was wrapped in a cloth to prevent any further fingerprints from being displayed on it. "We found this."
"Any identification?"
Lucky eyed Ric, "Yeah."
"So?" Ric asked. "Who is it? Lucky, tell me."
"The wallet belongs to your nephew, Damian."
Ric's jaw dropped. "What? There's no way," Ric didn't believe that Damian was the type of person that Sonny was. Ric grabbed the wallet and opened it, keeping his own prints off but still being able to look inside. He saw the identification card, "Dammit..."