A/N: Well, another chapter. Hope it hasn't been for too long. Please keep on reviewing! Thanks.

"Another massacre has occurred yet again in Los Santos. Members of the aggressive street gang, the "Ballas" have been found slaughtered in the middle of a street in Idelwood. Rumours have spread that several army planes and helicopters neutralized the gang members as they were charging through that particular street, and left no-one alive. As we speak, police are still identifying bodies, although it seems no citizens apart from the gang members were killed in the fire."

CJ had returned home, sent by one of the Rustlers back to his house just in time to check out the evening news. As soon as that particular newscast ended, he gave an exhausted sigh of relief. For once, he had some spare time. Noticing it was almost dinner-time; he phoned the Well Stacked Pizza and ordered a large pepperoni pizza with a can of Sprunk and garlic bread. He was starving, and needed something to take his mind off a renewed Ballas offensive that was failing, but still sent out danger signs. He turned on his video games console, and played for a while, which was totally unlike Carl Johnson, until the pizza arrived.

Robbie finally arrived back at the Ballas mansion, his AK-47 almost empty, and covered with sweat and blood all over. Jumping off the police bike, he headed inside, shaking his head. They really needed a healthy alliance with those pigs, those Da Nang Boys to have access to some new options. A double-pronged attack would be useful, but the Ballas didn't have allies that could fund themselves for a good effective one. Slowly, he headed to the TV, turned it on, and watched the breaking news.

The Chartered Libertines lay in ruins. It was bounded off by long yellow ropes, and was left for everyone to see its charred, burnt remains. The SPANK production seemed to slow down for a while, and Tommy sent some men on hit-and-runs against the Cartel plans. Several were successful, and in one particular raid involving Tommy himself, two vats of SPANK were stolen and stashed in Vercetti Estate. Tommy was having a lunch at the Café Robina when his cell phone, one he had taken off the chef and assassin Leo Teal six years ago, rang. Answering it, he heard the familiar voice of Kent Paul, who had just come back after a world tour with the band Lovefist.

"Hello, old friend. Heard from an old matey of mine about some people who want your head on the gallows. Come 'over 'ere to the club Malibu and let us talk some business, mate," he heard that familiar English accent say.

Anxious to here the information, Tommy bolted down his lunch, waving a hurried goodbye to Umberto, and jumped into his Cheetah to see Kent.

Arriving at the Malibu after getting rear-ended by a rather aggressive Stinger, he headed inside, up to the mini-bar where he found Kent Paul waiting for him, not surprisingly sipping a glass of wine.

"Paul. Nice to see you again. How was the world tour?" Tommy asked his friend that he hadn't seen for four years.

"Ah, not too bad, matey. Let's talk about this nuggetty thing. The Cartel seems to want your head on the boiler. They've been sending and carefully placing those death squads all 'over the Vice. And most of 'em seem to be citizens with a menial job 'ere."

"How many, Paul?"

"I dunno, but I can tell you, a bloody lot of them."

"Well thanks for the information, Kent. I think I'll have to go to safer harbours soon."

"How many bloody times do I have to tell you, mate? The name's Paul, from Kent in England, you idiot."

Tommy shrugged as he headed back outside.

Yet another meeting was called that night. All of Tommy's business partners, past and present attended. Avery Carrington, Colonel Cortez (who had sneaked back to Vice City a year after another series of events in California), Phil Cassidy, Steve Scott and several others attended to sort everything out.

When everybody was present, Tommy announced what he had to say:

"Well, at the moment, the Cartel is trying to blow us open. We could all be sunk. Although I, with the help of explosives expert 8-Ball, have blown up their main supply of SPANK. Kent Paul here, as told me about the hit squads placed to take me out. There fore, I will be leaving Vice for a while, maybe to Liberty or San Andreas The meeting I called today is to discuss our arrangements and how I should get out of this city."

The answer to Tommy's question was answered by Phil.

"I know this guy, Tommy; we fought together in the same platoon in 'Nam, his name's Ray Machowski. He's been in Liberty since the end of the war, and he's a police officer-crooked one. He works for the Yakuza, the Japanese who hate the Mafia and Cartel, and he just might be able to get you to stay there, make some money and disrupt the Cartel operations."

"Well, Ken Rosenberg in San Andreas is always an option; if we can get to him again," Avery said.

"Somewhere in San Andreas seems fine, but I'm trying a rather risky two-pronged task. I want to try and get back at those stupid Cartels for their actions." Tommy replied.

"So Liberty City would be a better option, Tommy?"

"Although I don't want to go back to that hellhole, yes, it would."

CJ took a bite of the pizza, savouring the taste before he washed it down with a gulp of Sprunk; the lemon flavoured soda pop fizzing in his mouth. It had been quite a while since CJ had time to relax and enjoy moments like these, having slaughtered Ballas, cops, and killed people such as Ryder, Big Smoke and Frank Tenpenny over these last few months. As he swallowed the liquid down his throat, the door of the Johnson house opened.

It was Kendl and Cesar, with Sweet trailing behind them tucking into a slice of pizza. Noticing CJ already sitting on the couch and eating, all three of them gave them a look of surprise.

"We thought you would be out until at least after dinner. We heard about the Ballas raid." Cesar said.

"It's fine. The Triads and I stopped it." CJ replied.

"Sure as hell, man! Come on; let's have a little party of celebration!" Sweet yelled, reaching into a bag and pulling out a bottle of cola.

As all of them settled down to eat their pizzas, Sweet went over to the video player, and pulled out a movie.

"Which one? I got these random videos at the video store a couple of days ago." Sweet said.

However, he was cut off by a massive explosion nearby.

"What the?" CJ muttered as he headed outside.

He didn't need to. Bullets were piercing the air. Any nearby cops were opening fire as three cars sped down the street, sweeping Grove Street with bullets.

"Oh shit," muttered Sweet as he rushed into the bedroom, returning clutching two M4s and a Desert Eagle.

Quickly, he tossed the weapons and a few clips to Cesar and CJ, who readied them, and ran outside, Cesar pulling Kendl behind some safe cover, before he took cover next to CJ.

Holding the M4, CJ aimed at the Ballas doing the drive-by, and squeezed the trigger. A hail of bullets took down the three Ballas in one car firing their Uzis, and Cesar had taken down two in another car. Immediately, the Ballas gave up. They turned off, and sped right back to their original turf.

But now CJ, Cesar and Sweet had another problem. The police cars and SWAT vans that had appeared had just decided to crash CJ, Cesar and Sweet, having been told by Tenpenny before he got killed, that they were "dangerous gangsters" on the loose. The cops and SWAT had already opened fire at them. CJ heard bullets strike the wall right next to him, as he hid. Peeking around, he squeezed and dropped a couple of cops firing nearby, then made a run for it. CJ, Cesar, and Sweet all sprinted for an alleyway, with Kendl following them fast, sprinting hard, but tiring. They ran for a car that CJ and Sweet always parked over, just in case a quick getaway was needed. Unlocking the doors, all of them jumped in, CJ driving and Sweet to him, with Cesar and Kendl piling in at the back. Gunning the engine, CJ floored it, speeding out and dodging the police cars racing to trap him. Sweet pulled out an SMG, and began spraying at the pursuing cops. The bait worked. The police cars veered off from the constant wave of bullets, and only accelerated again when Sweet had to reload.

CJ swerved to the right, then the left as he tried to throw off the pursuing police cars. Rounding a tight corner, he sped to the left, and then shot through another street. Seeing that the police cars had been lost, he slowed down the speed, and headed for the nearest Pay N' Spray, as quickly as he could without attracting any more cops. Once the car had been repainted and CJ had paid the money, they all drove slowly back to the Johnson house. Sweet, expecting more resistance, pulled out his SMG, but to his and CJ's surprise, it was deserted. All four of them got out, and quickly ran into the house, finally safe. The movie didn't turn out to be bad either; it was a Steve Scott film and starred Candy Suxx and Kent Paul.

Tommy hefted his sports bag into the trunk of his car, and drove off to Escobar International Airport. It was just 5:20 in the morning, and the flight he wanted to catch was at 6:30. Arriving at the airport, he hefted his bag over his shoulder, glaring at the security guards standing at the metal detectors. They nodded; getting the message of "This is Tommy Vercetti. Don't mess with me or you will be very, very dead". He headed over to the ticket booth, where he bought one business-class seat on the flight to Liberty City.

Running over to the metal detector, he quickly lied to the inspector that somebody wanted him on that plane, and he couldn't afford to lose any time. Once he sat down on his seat, he gave a sigh of relief, and waited for the plane to head off to his old haunting ground.

Several hours, a meal and a good sleep later, the Vice City Air plane officially landed in a docking bay at the Francis International Airport. Tommy got off the plane, slightly jet-lagged, and carried his bag on his shoulders as he walked into a small lobby, for the arrival of the flight from Liberty City. Immediately, a man approached him, and asked him the question:

"Are you Tommy Vercetti?"

"Yes, and I presume you are Ray Machowski?" Tommy replied politely.

"Course I am, pleased to meet you, son," Ray greeted Tommy like an old friend.

"What should I do about now?" asked Tommy.

"Well, do all that check-out crap like that, go get a hotel in Portland, once you settled, and drive over to Kenji's Casino. Here-"Ray began to produce a map, but Tommy stopped him.

"Don't worry, Ray, I'll remember this city like yesterday. Despite the last time I had much of a chance to explore this place was twenty-one years ago."

"Well, take care. See you soon." With that, Ray strolled off to his car.

Tommy gazed at the surroundings, before he hailed a cab nearby. Asking the cabbie to drive him over to a decent hotel in Portland, the cab eventually pulled up next to the Deacon Hotel-Liberty City one. After paying, he headed inside, talking to the clerk and booking himself a room. As he dragged his baggage, he checked the money in his wallet. 800. Probably enough for a while to settle in before he got any more money. When he dropped his bag near his bed, he took a moment to think, and then looked out to gaze at the magnificent city.

For the first time in six years, the Harwood Butcher was back in Liberty.