CHAPTER 6

None of this belongs to me

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"To all units: six star warning has been called at Chinatown. Prepare for arrival of army tanks. To all units: prepare for attack of tanks in Chinatown"

Machowski called Claude as soon as he heard his car police radio.

"We have to get out of here! Quick! Their sending the tanks"

Claude jumped into the backseat and CJ followed helping George into the car as well. Machowski pushed the accelerator and went towards the Red Light District.

"Ill get you to your hideout there. I don't wanna see you round the streets in one week"

"Who the hell are you?" CJ interrogated

"Never mind that" Ray responded as this wasn't the time for presentations.

From the distance Cortez saw them start the car and leave.

"Follow them" he ordered his bodyguard who immediately moved him into the car and started driving.

"Who takes me?" Ken Rosenberg asked knowing the answer. He'd go by foot. Again.

Minutes passed and the army forces arrived with their Rhinos. Later the Forensic police and taped the zone starting the investigations, but not before the pretty blonde reporter for Love Media news appeared and made her reporting.

"…Clara Martin. Love Media News." She ended and Mike cut the camera.

"A dead crimelord and I got the news first." she told Mike "Get into the van and let's drive to the studios"

Mike did as he was told.

"I need to find an apartment here;" she continued "A crimelord does not die like that without anyone doing anything. Specially the chief of the Enterprise, they have only been active for a few months and they are already creating havoc in the whole structure of the city. I need to investigate his background more thoroughly also. Hey! what's that!"

She pressed her nose against the window and looked inside a passing police car. Right in the back was sitting none other than the man who had escaped a gun attack previously that night, who we know as CJ; and couple of other people. Clara photographed them.

The car entered a little corner street and went into a garage. Mike parked nearby as ordered. Few minutes later the police car left the compound with the backseats empty. "Follow the cop and remember this place, we need to get back here later." Clara commanded and Mike did so.

The van exited the place and a black Landstalker took its place. It was a modified car, with all the commodities of the most expensive limousine and the power of a 4x4 including a special segment for wheelchairs. It was Cortez's favourite car for travel.

"Marcelo keep driving. I've changed my mind" he ordered his bodyguard "we will do this later"

Marcelo drove towards the hotel. It had been a very long day for him.

It had been a very long day for everyone. Fortunately, the moon came and brought the night ending the day and giving all hope of seeing the new day with a new light.

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The city awoke calm, but still derelict. The first rays of the sun brought the workers who started the removal of cars and other things from the streets. The injured recovered and the dead were picked up and the criminals also woke up.

The last remaining building of the Syndicate, of unknown location to anyone outside the top managing circle of the Syndicate, contained inside it a meeting of the 6 leaders of The Syndicate.

"There was no need to do that!" Shouted Marco Pentangelli from his seat

"I killed Tommy Vercetti! Last night was a victory!" argued Nicolas Forelli

"At the cost of many of our soldiers!" repeated Johnny "Big Head" for the fifth time that day

"And the loss of all our places!" added Giovanni Leone

"I think it was a good battle" opined Carlo Briaglia.

"Easy for you to say, you only provide this place. You lost nothing last night. We lost practically all" responded Big Head standing up

"But now the Enterprise is taken down we can rebuild" pointed Briglia

"The Enterprise is not pulled down, you only killed Vercetti" Giovanni said

"Vercetti was the head of the Enterprise. He was an important target" Briaglia said now out of his seat.

"Face it Forelli you only did all that crap last night to kill Vercetti on vendetta for Sonny" Pentangelli accused

"I killed Vercetti because he was the top of our problems which I have solved!" Forelli shouted agitated

"I say we kick Forelli out of the Syndicate, we had enough of his bullshitting us and usin' us for his personal problems!" Proposed Big Head

"I second it!" Pentangelli said "And Briaglia as well. He is only here because he is friend of Forelli"

"Shut up!" Forelli protested at the top of his voice "I brought you together! I made the Syndicate! Me! I have made the Cosa Nostra stronger than it has been since 1950! You owe me all this!"

"We owe you nothing Forelli!" Giovanni said "I will cut your throat anytime you want!"

"You will do what! You piece of-"

"ENOUGH" shouted the voice from the highest chair, and belonging to who had remained silent all the meeting. This was Joey Leone. There was total silence.

"Sit down" he continued "We will put any action of expelling to voting but what is more important now is to rebuild and regain our territories. The Enterprise will have to find a new leader and will not be able to attack for some time. "

"Which means it is time to attack them!" Forelli said

"Which means we have time to become strong again" continued Joey paying no attention to Forelli "if we attack now we will most surely lose."

"Not a chance! You are devastating my whole plans without consulting!" Forelli argued

"You did not consult the Chamber of Leaders either!" Joey said

"You are trying to discredit me, Leone. You are trying to mess with me. I won't have it." Forelli shouted "I will leave peacefully if that is what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you"

Forelli turned around and left the room closing the door behind him. Briaglia stood up and followed him. The members of the Chamber allowed a few seconds to pass before continuing.

"We should start the reorganisations now" Giovanni said impatiently

"Wait a second" Joey interrupted "that was too easy. He gave in too easily. Something can't be right."

Pentangelli started "what do you-"

But did not finish the phrase as a bullet went through his head.

"What the?" shouted Giovanni launching for cover.

Armed men stormed the room

"What happened to the soldiers we put on the door?" Big head asked as he shot back from behind a corner.

"These are the soldiers" Shouted Joey "Forelli has organised a revolution. He wants to take control"

Giovanni produced a shotgun out of nowhere

"Where did that come from?" Questioned Big Head but Giovanni was already blasting the intruders away.

"Follow me!" he shouted at his companions, however as soon as he said these words a gun went flying to his head knocking him out. The thrower had used his small distraction to aim and fling his weapon at his head. It would be only seconds for Joey and Big Head to go down as well.

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Ray Machowski attended his office the next day to not lift any suspicions. His captain knew nothing of his past affiliations with crime, Shrub had seen to that, and Machowski didn't intend to let anyone know.

The day was pretty boring, with lots of papers to fill in and sign due to last nights events. Papers justifying the use of firearms, the deaths caused by police officers, the numerous property destroyed and of course the letters to the poor mothers of the cops who had given their life that night in order to protect and serve, which were not few. The exciting job was at the crime scene and investigation where the majority of the department destined, which left the office almost empty and made the job even more boring. Sometimes Ray wondered if Captain Harris really did know about his past and that's why he hated him so much.

When Ray was through his fourth pile of papers and his eleventh or twelfth coffee, Captain Harris entered the room followed by three men. One, Ray recognised as the mayor the other two he had no clue who they were.

"Gentlemen" Harris said "as you know the mayor and I have been debating all night about the state of Liberty and we came to the decision that gangs are again out of control in our city."

"We cannot tolerate this" The Mayor took over. "And after seeing the absolute incompetence that the department demonstrated yesterday, Liberty city has called for the help from national forces. I present the C.R.A.S.H. representatives who have arrived from Los Santos this morning: Dr. Jean-Michel Leblanc and Captain Peter Bedford. The rest of the unit will arrive in the next few and already count with maximum authority levels which you will respect. Now continue working."

The mayor left without another word.

The few agents at the place retook their works as if nothing had happened, except for a few furtive looks and some murmurs in between them.

"Mr. Harris" said the bearded man with a French accent "Where will our office be?"

"Well if you give me a few seconds I will empty one of the unoccupied offices for you, Dr. Leblanc."

"Very well" responded the tall man beside Leblanc, Bedford. "We'll be studying the city. I expect that in half an hour we will be back and find everything well"

"Of course" assured Harris as Leblanc and Bedford left for the street.

As soon as they were out Harris turned to Ray.

"Machowski" He called "Empty you office"

"What?" Ray exclaimed astonished.

"Exactly what you heard. Your office is the next biggest after mine, I'm not sure how you got it as you are a total fool; you must have friends in high places, but I need the office for the CRASH people, and it needs to be good to give a good impression. I'm risking my job here; you heard what the Mayor said."

Ray remained silent

"Empty your office boy. Take that cubicle their" Harris commanded with a final tone and went into his own office"

Machowski started to remove his stuff and move it to the tiny table in between three plastic walls at the other end of the room.

Bob Harris stretched his back on his chair. It was the third visit of the mayor this month. With the increasing activity of those two new gangs; Vercetti Enterprise and Mafia Syndicate. Harris turned his head to look at the hierarchy hart on the wall for both gangs. One was topped by Tommy Vercetti whose face now had a red cross on it indicating he was deceased. Harris picked up the copy of Vercetti's file that had been lying on his desk for a long time and binned it. "The Harwood Butcher" It read in several places "The Harwood Butcher" Harris murmured with a laugh, and wasn't sure why. He started clearing up other files as well; the mayor had ordered he was to make copies of everything for The C.R.A.S.H. As he did this he realised how his Department was being taken over, the job he had fought for many years was being taken from him. "I must fight for it" he thought as he picked up papers from the floor.

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"Got it" Clara Martin said. "Carl Johnson, he was profiled as suspect in a murder at a garage in Portland, he worked there. I've got enough to find everything about him anywhere in the world. A quick call to my friend from the FBI and we will have all about this man"

Clara closed the folder and gave the police files security guards his "tip" and went up the stairs followed by his always faithful Mike.