AN- I know, two chapters in one week. You guys are probably worried that I'm going to kick the bucket sometime soon.

I can assure you, I am alive and well. I just may not be able to post this weekend (I'm going camping, what fun). So here's the next chapter early.

18

JETTING AWAY

The next morning (the drive took a few hours, even with the '01 roadster), I stood about fifty feet across from the entrance to Hanger 6. Peering through my binoculars, next to a blue and white privet jet.

I had been standing there for little more than an hour. I had seen a lot of activity from Rocky's comrades pulling in wooden crates of (I guessed) more of that counterfeit money (where the hell was he getting all those dirty bills?). So far I hadn't seen Rocky, but I had a feeling that wouldn't be a problem soon.

I heard foot steps nearby. At first, I took no notice. I just figured it was airport security or the pilot of the small jet that I was by.

It was then I heard an all too familiar musical voice ask me, "See anything interesting, Nicky?"

I lower my binoculars and turned around to see Jill in a, almost, innocent girl pose. Well, it would have been more innocent if it wasn't for the tranquilizer gun that was in her left hand.

"Actually, yes, Jill," I replied, my voice, at first, casual.

"THAT THING IN YOUR HAND!"

I went to kick the gun out of her hand, but she was faster. Before I could stop her she fired a familiar blood red dart into my stomach.

Oh Damn…it…!

The effects of the drugs took a hold of my almost instantly. Drowsiness hit me like a slap in the face, I could feel my strength ebbing away. Every thing was getting fuzzy, I could sort of feel my binoculars slip from my hand.

I fell to my knees.

"Men are so easy sometimes. Night-night," I could hear Jill say. At least I think it was her, the musical voice seemed so far away.

I didn't even feel my self fall to the concrete ground as my world went blank.

---

I have idea how long I was out, but when I woke up I was sorer than hell.

I could feel stinging cuts on my cheek, sore bruises forming all over my arms and legs. I could taste something metallic in my mouth, blood. I could feel something in the corner of my mouth that I also guess to be blood.

At first I had no idea what had happened, then it hit me.

Jill.

I groaned. Damn it, Why did it seemed that all the pretty, sweet, and innocent one's in these cases turned out to be homicidal maniacs? This hasn't been the first damn time this has happened to me. I mean, Shit, haven't I learned my lesson?

No, I told myself, because you have a goddamn soft spot for damsels in distress, Nick.

Sometimes, I just friggen hate that.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a hard punch in the jaw. I could feel blood leap from my mouth on to the gray concrete floor.

I felt a claw like hand grab my jaw and pull it up, so I was facing upwards. I opened my unfocused eyes to see a fuzzy face, but my drowsiness cleared up quickly as I heard a frighteningly familiar voice in a thick Russian accent say, "Rise and shine, Kang."

It was Rocky.

He released his claw like grip on my jaw.

"Or is it Wilson?" He asked me with a dark smile.

I didn't answer, I pulled my hand to punch him when I somehow couldn't. It was then I realized was handcuffed and sitting on a wooden chair. Taking a quick glance around I could see wooden crates, metal containers, a black Christler 300, a bubble gum pink Cadillac, and a red Ferrari. I guessed I was in Hanger 6. I looker back to Rocky with a glare, it was then I saw someone not that far behind him to the right. It was a weary looking Rafferty. As soon as I saw Rafferty I gave him a look of pure contempt and he looked away.

Good, I thought.

"Hey Kang," Rocky said, once again getting my attention. "How about I solve the family mystery for you, eh?"

I yanked hard and the cuffs. I guess Rocky took that as a yes.

He walked in front of me.

"Back in the seventies, Raf and I invested in enough coke to fill this whole valley," Rocky said. "Sadly, your goody-two-shoes daddy got in the way."

He circled me, as if he wanted to see my full reaction to this.

"We tried to turn him, but he wouldn't budge. So…"

Rocky made his fingers into the shape of a gun and poked me in the jaw as he said, "Bang-bang, off he went to the bottom of the ocean."

I yanked harder at my cuffs. That old anger had came back at full force, and was now pounding raw in my chest.

"Raf even planted a stash or two, so Internal Affairs figured your pop was dirty. But you already knew that, didn't you?" Rocky said, a malicious glint in his eye.

I yanked as hard as I could at my cuffs.

That mother fucking BASTURD!

"Rock, please," Rafferty spoke up suddenly, "He doesn't need to know all this."

"Oh, Come on Raf!" Rocky said, patting Rafferty on the cheeks like a grandparent would a baby. "Everybody loves a good story."

Rocky turned to me, a malicious smile on his face.

"Right, Kang?" He asked.

"YEAH!" I spat bitterly at him. "ESPECIALLY ONE WITH A GOOD BANG UP ENDING!"

"Right on, Kang," Rocky replied. "Except this isn't a matinee from your favorite cinema, it's the real shit. And guess what? The bad guys win."

Rocky turned his back to me, and I yanked harder at my cuffs. But it didn't change anything.

He was right.

I was the only person that stood between him and LA. No detective had even gotten close to cracking this case, like I have.

And now he could kill me, anytime he wanted.

Suddenly, a vaguely familiar reedy voice, softer than a whisper spoke in my ear.

"Nicholas."

I looked over my shoulder. No one was there.

Strange, I swear heard a voice say my name.

Great, I thought sarcastically to myself, I'm sitting here, about to get my friggen head blown off and now, of all times, I start hearing voices. This is just wonderful.

"Nicholas."

I turned to look over my shoulder so fast that I got a crick in my neck. I know I had heard it that time. I also recognized it as well.

"I implore you to take revenge on those who truly disserve it." Spoke that soft voice.

"Ancient Wu?" I whispered, surprised.

Suddenly, my handcuffs gave a gentle shudder. Somehow, I don't know how, I just knew that Ancient Wu was helping me unlock my handcuffs.

"You see this," Spoke Rocky, suddenly getting my attention once again.

He was by one of the crates patting it, almost, lovingly.

"One billion of the best counterfeit ever made," Rocky said. "My hook ups with the Triad smuggled it here."

He turned his back to look at the crate, but I could hear him say,

"Now, while Wu's shops launder it, along with my shirts, I sit back, I drink vodka."

He turned to me.

"Me, I love this country!" Rocky exclaimed.

Rocky starting stepping towards me. His footsteps covering the soft click of the handcuffs as they opened, and the soft metallic clang as the cuffs fell to the floor.

Rocky stopped around four feet in front of me.

"The thing is there's a lot more laundry to be done," He said reaching in to his black jacket.

From it, Rocky pulled out a handgun.

"And I don't need a little creep, like you, getting in the way."

Rocky aimed so I could see straight inside the barrel of the gun. My hands found the bottom of the chair. As soon as he cocked that damn gun of his I planned to have this chair meet the top of his greasy long hared head. But was I quick enough?

"Time to join your father, Detective." Rocky said, cocking the gun.

Suddenly there was a loud cry of, "NOOO!"

There a flash of black and gray and a gunshot.

Someone had jumped in front of me and the bullet!

Rocky yelled something in Russian to the man he had shot, who had fallen to the floor.

I took this chance to get off my chair and raise it above my head.

Rocky then turned to me.

"WHAT!" He yelled in surprise.

And then I sent the chair slamming against his head as hard as I could. It broke against him with a loud CRASH!

"Nick," wheezed a weak voice.

I swung around to see the man who had saved my life.

"YOU-?" I said, shocked.

I couldn't belive my eyes.

It was Rafferty!

Rafferty had jumped in front of me and the bullet.

"I'm really sorry, Nick," He said wincing, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. "I'm sorry I couldn't do the same for your father."

I went to him. And crouched down next to him, he had been shot in the left lung. He didn't have much time left.

"But, why? Why did you-?" I asked.

"I made a promise long ago, along with a bad choice," Rafferty said, he pulled out two guns from his holsters and held them out to me.

"This is my only way of redemption, Nick."

At once I could see that the guns he was holding out to me was my own Desert Eagles. I took them.

"I'm so sorry, Nick," He wheezed. "Now, go get that bastard."

Suddenly, Rafferty's shallow breathing stopped. His eye's glazed over. And I understood.

I swung around to finish off Rocky, once and for all, but to my surprise he was gone!

Where had that bastard gone off to? I wondered. He can't be far.

Suddenly, there was a clicking noise that got my attention. I looked up to see a highly trained figure roll out from behind one of the wooden crates, and look around. He wore a bulletproof vest, black mask over his face and in his hand was an Uzi.

Suddenly, several other's appeared, all dressed like the first.

My first thought was the SWAT team had showed up. Damn, where these guys trained.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed when I saw those few others show up, carrying AK-47's, Shotguns, and Thompson's.

"Hey guys!" I yelled to them. "It's all under control!"

Suddenly they all turned to the first figure who had appeared. I guessed this was their leader cause when he motioned to move foreword they, all did so, alert.

"You fellas with SWAT?" I called to them.

They didn't answer, they just crept foreword, hunched over their guns like commandos.

The closer they got then more obvious something became, something that was pretty alarming.

"I haven't see those uniforms… before..."

Suddenly there was a series of clicking as they cocked their guns and aimed, AT ME!

"OH SHIT!"

I quickly ran and dived behind one of the wooden crates as bullets fired at me. I rolled onto my back made sure that I had enough ammo before I did anything else. I waited until they had to reload until I jumped out, guns blazing, letting of bullets.

"Here comes a lead inema!" I yelled at I shot at them.

I was careful not to shoot at their bullet proof vests, if I did it may be the last mistake I ever made.

I got at least three of them down before they started shooting back.

I dived behind another crate and changed clips. Then I jumped out, shooting the last of them.

As soon as they fell I ran to their fallen bodies and snatched two of their machine guns, a MAC10 and a AK-47. I made sure to put my faithful Desert Eagles in my jacket.

I looked around to see a where the commandos had come from.

There was a space between one of the huge metal containers in the hanger and a small shed looking like area.

Despite the fact that there might be more of those 'commandos' I went through that small space.

It might lead to the only exit, and wherever that bastard Rocky had run off to.

As soon as I went through that opening I was greeted by gunshots. I swung around, but saw no one. Instinct told me to look up. As soon as I did I received a bullet in the shoulder, luckily I had that bullet proof vest installed inside my jacket, but it still hurt like hell.

A sniper on a high catwalk had shot me!

I aimed both of my guns at him as he quickly tried to reload.

"Suck on these, Bitch!" I yelled so loud my throat felt raw.

And then I pulled the triggers. Firing bullets at his ass. Needless to say he didn't live very long after that. Not long after he fell back on to the catwalk.

I marched forward below that catwalk. Guns still in my hands.

I didn't go at least fifty yards down the way, and made a turn to get into another shootout with those commandos. This time one with a Sig. He tried to fire at me, but I just gave a side roll and shot at him. He fell to the floor not long after.

But he wasn't the only one. As I rolled shooting at one commando another appeared with a shotgun. So I ended up shooting more than one of them.

As they fell to the ground I realized that my two machine guns where out of ammo.

Damn.

I threw them aside and took up my Desert Eagles. And pressed on.

I hadn't gotten far until I ran into another set of commandos. This group had three of them and they appeared, suddenly, on the scaffold just in front of me.

Oh Dim Sum!

I dived sideways trying to avoid more damn bullets, as they shot at me with AK's and MP5's. As I dived I couldn't help but notice how close that scaffold they where on was next to a big-ass propane tank.

I landed with a roll and jumped back shooting at the propane tank yelling:

"Fire in the hole!"

It exploded with a loud echoing BOOM!

The commando's where in engulfed in a big fiery explosion. Their clothes caught fire instantly. They ran blindly on the scaffold.

It wasn't long before they where toast (Really bad pun, sorry).

Suddenly the sound of ricocheting bullets reached my ears just in time to avoid another catwalk sniper's bullet.

I rolled behind another of those metal containers and changed my clips. I waited until I knew for sure that the sniper was reloading his rifle before I jumped out shooting at him.

Just as he had fallen another commando appeared with a Arson Gun I dived forward as he pulled the trigger. Launching a deadly grenade-like bomb at me. I had just barely missed that explosion that would have killed me. Now I was pissed. I then fired back at him yelling:

"I'm not going to reason with you! I'm just going to shoot you!"

It took a few more dives and a few more pulling both triggers until I knew for sure that he was dead. As he fell bleeding to the cold hard ground. I sighed, and wiped my sweaty forehead.

I looked to my right.

And there was the exit.

I sprinted to it and just as I did three more commandos appeared. All with M16's!

Shit!

I ran forward shooting at two of them. They hadn't even gotten a shot when I killed two of them, but that left the third one with a full clip of bullets, and me in need of ammo.

I was just able to dive for cover behind a wooden crate before the commando tried to put half a pound of lead in my ass.

As soon as I changed clips I jumped out shooting at that jackass.

After pulling the trigger several times he fell to the ground and I ran out of the Exit singing quietly to my self, "You fought the law and the law won!"

---

I ran out of the hanger, and looked around, looking for that bastard Rocky. I was determined to find him and give that son of a bitch what has been coming to him.

At that moment a privet jet had started to take to the double figure 8 of Santa Monica's runway with it's take-off gear. It was that same blue and white jet I had been standing by several hours earlier.

As it passed I got a good glimpse of it's pilot.

It was Rocky!

He smiled at me in mock cheerfulness, and waved.

At once my rage boiled over.

"OH NO!" I bellowed to him. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THIS TIME!"

I swung around, looking for something, any thing that could possibly get me beside that privet jet.

And there was Rocky's red Ferrari.

I ran to the driver's side, and yanked on the door handle. It opened and I jumped in. I pulled on to the runway and tore after Rocky.

He made the first turn in a series of eight turns to get on to the run way with me in the Ferrari hot on his ass. I pulled out one of my Desert Eagles and started shooting at his left engine. Bullets hit it but it looked like nothing was really happening. But I knew I had to keep it up, I just had to get Rocky out of the air.

Rocky then went to make the second turn and I kept right on his ass and kept shooting. He then went to make the third turn and I still kept close and still kept shooting at him as best as I could.

Rocky and his jet was making the four turn (halfway to taking off) when finally his left engine gave out from all my bullets and, well it gave a small explosion.

But Rocky kept going. And I knew he wasn't going to give up on trying to take-off the ground even with one engine.

I changed clips and started shooting at his right engine.

Rocky made his fifth turn to taking off, already he was gaining speed. I was trying to push the car to keep up, add that to trying to shoot out his right engine. He made his sixth turn, me still behind him and still shooting his right engine. By his seventh turn, I was having a hell of a time trying to keep up. But I, somehow, kept up shooting at his only engine.

Then it came, the last turn Rocky had to make then it was onto the runway.

He took to the runway. At once I had the gas pedal to the floor. I was firing at the engine.

Rocky had fifty feet down that runway until he would be clear for take off. I started shooting franticly at Rocky's jet, not caring where the bullets hit. Determined to take Russkie down.

Rocky was closing in to taking off.

I then aimed one last time, and fired.

As soon as the bullet connected with the engine it exploded.

Suddenly the nose end dived forward and the rest of the plane gave a sudden lurch and exploded in a great ball of smoke and fire.

---

The plane wreckage had made a perfect circle of five foot flaming inferno about one hundred in diameter. I parked the Ferrari (leaving my empty Desert Eagles in it) and went at the plane wreckage at a dead run. I flipped over the flames and landed on my feet. I looked up just in time to see Rocky.

He had made it out of the burning wreckage and was alive, but barely. His clothes and hair on fire. He was screaming from the pain.

"I'M BURNING!" He yelled blindly running.

I just stood there, hand on my hips, breathing in the burning fumes. Satisfied at what I was seeing in front of me.

"Try laundering that, BITCH!" I spat bitterly at him.

Rocky suddenly collapsed, wither from the pain or to finally die I can't really say.

"Well done, Mister Kang," spoke a voice, suddenly, behind me. A voice I had never heard before.

I swung around.