A/N: OK, sorry if the end of that last chapter was bad, just was really tired and wanted to get it over and done with. Well, here's the next chapter. Oh yeah, and E-Z B, The Chronicler, thanks for your ideas. I think I might incorporate some of them into this story.

As Tommy got back from his job, driving back to Kenji's Casino, he discovered a roadblock parked with several Cartel Cruisers. Cartel men were parked all over the place, keeping lookouts. At least half of them had M-16s, while the others sported AK-47s. A lot of firepower, and it would be almost impossible to force a way through with this light Yakuza sports car.

"Gaijin? What are we going to do about those idiots over there?"

Tommy pulled out the rocket launcher and handed it to the Yakuza who had asked him the question.

"Well? Do you want to pull the trigger?" Tommy asked.

The man nodded. Aiming the rocket launcher at the group of Cartel, he fired. Several of the cruisers were either blown up, or flipped over, along with several Cartel men getting blown sky-high into the air.

Immediately, Tommy raced the Yakuza Stinger, taking his chances. As he sped towards the temporarily disorganised Cartel, he yelled at the Yakuza men to clear any threats to the car. The Stinger raced through the now-broken roadblock, and the remaining Cartel men opened fire, but were quickly taken down by the accurate bullets by the Yakuza marksmen. One of the Cartel Cruisers even gave chase, but Tommy pulled off a lazy U-turn and outfoxed the Cruiser back to the Casino. He was surprised to see Asuka, Kenji, Ray and several more Yakuza men all holding M4s, waiting for them to come back.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked.

"The Cartel. They're hitting us pretty hard. Here's your money, Tommy. Quickly, get it to the bank, and then come back in half an hour. Use this car, so the Cartel won't notice you." Ray said, handing him a briefcase full of green and showing him a Cheetah. Getting inside, Tommy drove off towards Liberty City Bank to deposit his 4000 of cash.

When he was done, and had arrived back at the Casino, Ray was waiting for him. Motioning for Tommy to follow, they headed upstairs to a normal Bell Maverick.

"We have to send you to Carcer City for a while. It's too dangerous here for us to continue any further for a while."

"What? But that's like the Cartel's main operational city." Tommy yelled.

"Yes, it is, but only recently, they have managed to retake the city. They are still trying to regain order, especially after that Lionel Starkweather person made snuff films with the city. Come on, get in. We don't have much time."

Tommy jumped into the helicopter, and seconds later, it began flying over for the long, long trip to Carcer City. Tommy, feeling like he needed a rest, closed his eyes for a while.

Tommy woke up a while later, and he could see the gloomy city of Carcer in the distance. But as he watched, he could hear fire from below. Just then, three bullets clanged into the belly of the Maverick, and the helicopter began to lose height. Several more bullets smashed into the undercarriage, and one struck the pilot in the shoulder.

"Oh shit!" Tommy yelled.

Quickly telling the pilot to get his wounds dressed temporarily, Tommy took the controls. But it was too late to land in a proper area. The helicopter landed on a patch of bush. Cursing, Tommy got the pilot out, and using the first-aid kit to dress his wounds, decided to try and get him to the nearest hospital. But first, he phoned Ray.

"Hello? Ray? Some idiots shot down our helicopter. It's operational, but out of gas. The pilot and I are going to the hospital to check out his wounds," Tommy said.

"OK! But watch your back. Cartel is crawling all over the city. Plus all those other gangs mucking around. We'll need to cover-up your arrival like a business trip. Can you phone somebody you know that can come to Carcer City here?"

"Sure. See you around, Ray. If I make it out alive."

Tommy closed the call, and started dialling a number. This time, it was the phone number of an old colleague he hadn't seen for years.

The Rustler landed nearby. Ken and Woozie got out, taking their stuff into a house, where they could lay low and phone CJ. But as Ken pulled out his cell phone, it rang, and he answered it almost immediately.

"Hi, Ken. Remember me?" came a familiar voice on the other side.

"Tommy!" Ken yelled, bewildered.

"Yes, that's me. What have you been doing over these last four years, after in '88 you left for some rehab?"

"I tried phoning you a while ago, but some goddamn prick slammed it down!"

"Sorry, I bet it was one of my rather…paranoid guards while I was taking out some Haitians. Listen, you want to go to Carcer City with me to take care of some business?"

"Business? But…but…the last time that happened, we almost got killed! Damn it!"

"Look, the Cartel is crawling everywhere. What did you expect back in Vice? Sonny and the mob tried to get us in, and they had their fat asses pushed off the bench and into the sea? Come on, Ken, be reasonable. I got an old associate from the old days in the Forelli Mafia; got betrayed by Sonny like me, he broke away from them about fifteen years ago. He'll get you some place to lie low. Just keep me company for a while."

As Ken digested this, all sorts of things ran through his mind.

"Well, I'll think about it. Where are you?" he asked.

"My helicopter pilot and I are stuck somewhere in the Carcer countryside. Shot down by the Cartel." Tommy's voice came over the phone.

"But don't worry. If you can, book a flight to Carcer, and phone me, and I'll meet you at the airport. See you around."

The phone call was shut before Ken could reply.

"Damn." Ken said.

"Who was that?" Woozie asked

"An old business friend. We fell out when I came over here to Las Venturas to get rehab from my coke addictions. He wants me to go to Carcer City."

Woozie's jaw dropped. But then he, unusually for him, spluttered:

"He wants you to go to a goddamn city which has only just been reopened after being the setting for a snuff film, and yet is still crawling with those stinking Columbian Cartel?"

Ken shrugged. Then he said:

"I'm phoning CJ."

After quickly telling CJ about their location, Ken headed into the fridge for a bottle of wine and two glasses. Pouring one for himself, and offering one for Woozie, but Woozie declined.

While he drank, Ken thought about this offer from Tommy. He could do with somewhere else to go. It got boring living in Tommy's mansion in Vice City, despite the luxury of everyday life, and now it was getting boring here as well. He was glad when he left Caligula's Palace, that hellhole that stupid Salvatore Leone had been putting him through. Yet, it was too dangerous. He remembered the calls Sonny made threatening him and his family, and that fateful day where he had hid in a room and watched Tommy ruthlessly slaughter around thirty Mafia men, Sonny, and that insecure bastard Lance. He watched Tommy yell at Lance, spraying his sorry ass with M60 fire. Then when Sonny arrived with his Ruger, Tommy killed him as well.

Ken's thoughts were put off line as CJ came inside, knocking on the door. When Ken let him in, CJ gave a sigh of relief.

"What happened, Carl?" Woozie asked.

"Mafia idiots ambushed me. I stole a Bullet and headed off with it, but I got ambushed by four Mafia vans. When I went through them, three Hotknifes came after me, and I had to shake them off."

"Well, I guess we have another problem." Woozie said.

"The Mafia are going try and peg us out." CJ muttered.

"Well, do you reckon we should take some of them out? A first strike?" CJ asked.

"I'm not going to." Ken muttered.

"Then Ken, you may as well go to Carcer. Because once we go to hitting them, it's going to be difficult for you."

Ken thought for a moment, and nodded.

"I'll see you two around-if I make it out of Carcer alive." Ken said, before he jumped into the Idaho he parked nearby, and driving towards the airport. When he arrived there, he booked a flight for tomorrow, the 10:30am flight to Carcer. Once that was done, he gave a sigh of relief, and went off for one more night of sleep.

Tommy and the pilot watched as three gang members with yellow smiler face masks sneaked nearby. Tommy remembered the description of them from a guide he had read of Carcer City's criminal and gang underworld. They were ideally, the Smileys; the mental and psycho gang members more likely to be in the mental asylum rather than lurking around the city. Motioning for the pilot to be quiet, Tommy sneaked up on one of them, and punched him in the head hard, knocking him unconscious. Then, dodging and weaving, Tommy used his Colt Python to take down the other two pretty easily. Luckily, they dropped Colt Pythons and Colt-45s: important guns that Tommy would need if he was going to survive. Seeing the hospital up ahead, he and the pilot quickly ran into it, to get then Yakuza man some treatment. As the pilot was taken to, Tommy walked outside, and looked for some place to lay low.

End note: OK, the description for what the Smileys (Manhunt) have as weapons is inaccurate, but I didn't want Tommy to run out of Colt Python ammo, so I made it so Smileys carry Pythons as well. Oh yeah, and sorry if this chapter was a bit lacking of action. Next chapter up soon. Please keep on reviewing!