CHAPTER 6: THE SINS AND THE FATHERS, PART 3

The organized element of crime has many roots, and is known for many of its high points than its low points. For years, all organized crime in Hillwood was overseen by the kid kingpin known as 'Big' Gino Russotti, before his untimely and short death brought by the serial killer and supervillain known as 'The Freak'. Little, however, do many people think of what had come before 'Big' Gino and reigned before him.

As with most kingdoms, the rule was passed down from father to son. Where 'Big' Gino was the son in this passing, allow us to take our attention towards the father:

The man known as 'Little' Nicky Russotti.

His name is well-known throughout the city of Hillwood for his single-handed iron grip on all crime in the city, and, though he no longer holds the same control he once did, his name is still known through the halls of this place as well. This place where he resides now is the Hillwood Maximum Security Penitentiary; housing multiple of the city's other high-profile criminals as well.

The building is not as 'maximum security' as many would assume; an open secret is that the prison itself is kept under the payroll of 'Little' Nicky and is used as his new base of operations for what control he still holds. For when a man who has made a career for himself in the crime, and made much profit from doing so, such a person can be impossible to keep down without being stopped by money.

Sitting in his cell, laying down in his bed and staring at the ceiling, 'Little' Nicky takes some time out his day to think over his life; something that he has never ceased to do during his stay in the prison, but always has remained an important staple in his life. Overall, his thoughts are not focused on his business, but, rather, today's date, and why it remains important to him.

As one of his business managers, a man named Weston, made his visit to the cell, his thoughts are put back on business now; having much to discuss in the way of his empire to be rebuilt. His thoughts, however, still find their focus on today's date, and why it matters today. The others do not understand why today is important, so he will share the story.

"Sir? I have today's reports on some of our sales going on these past months. We've been doing quite good, considering the environment with the Hillwood Heroes. They've mainly been going after more of the smaller gangs, and we've still managed to stay safe." Weston said.

'Little' Nicky did not seem to care for the news, as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Sir?" The manager asked.

"Do you know what today is, Weston?" Nicky asked.

"...No, sir."

"Did I ever tell you how I got started in this business?"

"I've heard the story, sir."

"Sure, you've heard it. But have I told you it?"

"No, sir, I don't believe so."

"Then allow me to reinstill that belief in you. I was born in the 1960s; my parents were second-generation Americans. They ran a restaurant that their parents, my grandparents, started. Little place called the Russotti Italian Restaurant. My parents couldn't hire a lot of help, so they had me handle busing and washing dishes."

"Respectfully, sir, could we perhaps discuss business as usual? I've gotten a few reports regarding some rivalry in the eastern side of town where-"

Not wishing to be interrupted, 'Little' Nicky rose from his bed and stepped towards Weston, giving a commanding look to his subordinate. Where 'Big' Gino was known for having a short stature, 'Little' Nicky was proven to be quite the opposite; standing as a towering mass of muscle and flesh, more than enough to tear any lesser human apart.

Unfortunately for Weston, his average size made him fall into the category of 'lesser' than Nicky, leading him to silence himself.

"Uh... Apologies, sir. Please continue, I'm listening." Weston said.

"As I was saying, most of my life revolved around working around the restaurant. I didn't have much other than that and school, and I wasn't even that great at school. What other time I had, I spent on the streets." Nicky said.

The 1970s were a bustling time for the drug and sex industries, bringing with it crime and misery, and big cities like Hillwood being no stranger to their effects. The streets of Hillwood were no exeption; filled with various dangers and hazards like prostitutes and drug dealers; no place for a child to explore.

Still, the young Nicky Russotti explored his world anyways, having nowhere else for a boy his age to go other than a poor home without much in the way of recreation. Many of these street dwellers offered him tastes of their world, giving promises of sin for the change in his pocket, but Nicky avoided them dearly.

One item for sale on this street, however, caught his attention and his heart. This item was a comic book, an issue of Ace Savvy, hanging off the rack of a newspaper sign. Never having seen anything quite like the comic book before in his life, the bright and colorful images caught his attention in an instant, inviting him to pick it up and read it.

"Hey, kid! You gonna look at it, or are you gonna buy it?" The vendor said.

Snapped out of his trance only temporarily by the vendor's question, Nicky turned to answer the man's question.

"Uh... What is it?" Nicky asked.

"It's a comic book." The vendor said.

"A what?"

"Y'know, a comic book, a floppy, a funny paper. The kind where all them superheroes beat up supervillains, and all that stuff. You're tellin' me you ain't never seen one before?"

"No, sir."

"Huh. A kid who never heard of a comic book, eh? Funny. I get plenty a' kids lined up monthly for these things. They love 'em."

"Really? How much?"

"Says right there, kid: 35 cents."

Instinctively digging in his pocket for his money, Nicky pulled out an exact 35 cents out. He had just received this money out of his allowance for lunch, his parents only able to give him so much, but he instead found something else to spend the money on. The prospect of food might have been important to the young boy, but the promise of a story to take him away from his own troubles seemed like a good way to escape the real world, if only for a little.

Making his decision, he handed his money to the vendor.

"I'll take it, sir." Nicky said.

"Alright, go ahead an' take it." The vendor said.

"Thanks, sir. Can I read it here?"

"Sure, I don't mind. Just don't bother my customers."

Sitting down on the ground and promising to remain quiet for the vendor, Nicky took his newly-purchased comic book and opened its pages, preparing to read it. Within minutes, his young and malleable mind was put into the world away from his own world; putting him somewhere away from his troubles and into somewhere else to forget his troubles.

Back in the prison cell of 'Little' Nicky, the aforementioned gangster took an item out from under his mattress, revealing it to be the exact same issue from all those years ago. Taking it out from its protective plastic cover, Nicky briefly flipped through the pages of the story, reminiscing on the first time he picked it up.

"I didn't take you for a comic fan, sir." Weston said.

"I'm not much of one. I see all these other comic books coming out, all this Danny Phantom and A Stranger's Journey nonsense; I could never keep up with it. Still, I look at the original superhero comics every now and then, take a look into how all this could have started, how we ended up with people like the Green Eye and all these other costumed weirdos." Nicky said.

"If I'm not mistaken, sir, the value on that particular issue might be quite high. Don't you wish to keep it somewhere safer than here?"

"I like to keep it with me sometimes. It reminds me of when that day and when I met her."

"'Her', sir?"

"My wife."

Back in the era of 1970s Hillwood...

He does his best for forget the real world, but it does not forget him any time soon. The reminder of the real world and its existence came to him in the voice of a young girl.

"Hey, whatcha reading?" A voice asked.

Taken out of the world of his comic book for a brief moment, Nicky looked up to see who could be asking this question, finding himself face-to-face with a young girl with long brown hair. This girl was not much younger than him, but very different in terms of appearance. Where his clothes were visibly old and withered, hers were brand-new and stylish, and displayed much better signs of wealth than him.

His heart was already stolen once by his comic book, but he found himself even more enamored by the appearance of this young girl, feeling his own heart jump at her appearance. Never having spoken to another girl before, Nicky felt his words fumbling as he tried to push them out of his mouth, unable to form them into a full sentence for this girl.

"Uh... I, uh..." Nicky stammered.

"Oh, you're reading one of those comic books? What's this one called?" The girl asked.

"It's... Uh... It's Ace Savvy."

"Is it good?"

"S-So far, I guess."

"What's it about?"

"It's, uh... It's about a guy who fights crime and bad guys. He's looking for this one guy to fight, a guy named the Card Shark."

"Really? Can I read, too?"

"Uh, sure, yeah, absolutely."

The young girl, wasting no time on her invitation being accepted, sat herself beside him, leaning in to read the comic book along with him. Not only was the very experience of meeting a girl exhilarating to the young boy, but to have her lean on his shoulder was even more for him to take in, almost being too much.

Throughout it all, however, Nicky pushed himself on to read the comic, continuing its story. Where this story had an audience of one before, it now has two; bringing together a pair of children in a moment of warmth and togetherness in a world so cold and tries to separate itself from one another.

Having his moment of recreation shared with this strange girl, Nicky forgets his troubles once again, still engaging himself in the comic book. Once again, however, the real world would once again come for his attention again. This time, however, it is in the form of a man sharing concern over the girl.

"Hey, kid, what are you doing with my daughter?" A voice asked.

Taken out from the world of his comic once again, Nicky looked up to find himself in a similar situation to Ace Savvy; looking back at a man several feet taller than himself. Intimidated and frightened under the size of the man, Nicky cowered back behind the cover of his comic book, holding a juvenile belief that it would protect him.

"Dad, it's okay, he was reading a comic and I joined him." The girl said.

"I told you not to walk away from the store. I was gonna be out in just a minute, and I don't want you being all by yourself." The man said.

"Dad, it's fine, really. He's a nice boy, believe me."

"Is that so?"

Watching the man's eyes meet with his own, Nicky realized that the question was directed at him. He wanted nothing more than to be invisible to this man, but he knew very well that such a wish could not be granted here. To avoid any sort of trouble, the boy answered the question promptly and politely.

"Uh, yes, sir." Nicky said.

"Heh. Yes, 'sir'. I like that. Your parents must have taught you to have respect for your elders, right?" The man asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Very nice. Good to see at least some kids have been taught some respect. What's your name, kid?"

"Nicky Russotti, sir."

"Little Nicky. Tell you what, Little Nicky, since my daughter seems to take a liking to you, how'd you like to take a ride with me? I could use some kids like you in my business."

"Uh... I really have to get home before 5:00 PM, sir. I have to be ready for work then."

"Work? Where's a kid like you work on this kinda street?"

"The Russotti Italian Restaurant. I wash dishes and bus tables. They can't afford to hire any other workers, so they need me."

"Is that so? Well, what a coincidence; I was going to pay them a little visit sometime this week. Tell you what, kid: You take a little ride with me, and, not only will I get you home in time, I'll see that your folks have some money to hire some new hands. Sound good, Little Nicky?"

Overwhelmed by the offer so generously given to him and without any sort of hesitation, the young Nicky found himself barely even able to speak from hearing the question. He might have been unfamiliar with this individual, but, he knew very well that he did take a liking to his daughter, and that was enough to drive him to answer...

"Uh, sure. Sure, I'll go." Nicky answered.

"Alright. Hop in, kid. I got the heater on." The man said.

"Um, sir? What was your name?"

"These people know me by the name 'Mr. Martin' Lombardi. My friends call me 'Marty'."

"So what do I call you?"

"That depends on how good friends you and I can be. You can get off to a good start by gettin' your butt in the car before you make us all freeze ours off."

"Oh, right, sorry."

Following Mr. Martin's orders, Nicky proceeded to make his way to the car, which was, to his surprise, much fancier and more expensive than anything he had seen before. His astonishment did not, however, make him forget his manners, as he made sure to hold the door open for Mr. Martin's daughter before entering. As the strange man and the two children are seated, as well as a few other individuals accompanying the group, the car began its drive to its next location.

The young Nicky still had a sense of doubt in his mind; his eager and naive mind taking the promise of a better life for his family leading him to walk into a stranger's car. His nervousness, however, was not unnoticed by the other child passenger. Taking notice of his hands timidly twiddling his thumbs together, the girl reached out and took one of his hands in her own, leading him to stop trembling in his place.

"I'm Bellissa." The girl said.

"Uh... Nice to meet you." Nicky said.

"So, you gonna read more of that comic book?"

"Oh, uh, sure."

Taking out his issue of Ace Savvy, Nicky continued to read along with the story, further indulging himself in epic tales of fantasy to seek escape from his hard life on the streets of Hillwood. His escape does not take him far, however, as the feeling of Bellissa leaning on his shoulder gave his mind a warm anchor into the real world.

Back to the present, in the prison holding 'Little' Nicky Russotti...

Continuing to reminisce on the days of his youth, 'Little' Nicky went on with his story, sharing with Weston his past experiences in the early days of Hillwood. Making their approach to the dining hall, 'Little' Nicky received his lunch, seating himself down at a bench to eat. Accompanied by Weston and his own bodyguards, the head gangster relaxed himself in his lunch to further his story, eating a low-rate version of salisbury steak and corn.

"You know you don't have to eat that, sir. We could get you a steak or something better." Weston said.

"I like to eat something low-rate every once in a while. It reminds me of being a kid without much good food to eat. Of course, once I took that job offer, I was eating much better, even if I spent every meal getting bad looks from my parents. He bought their restaurant out, got them some better help, but never did they forgive me for allowing him in our lives."

"Not even when it benefited them, sir?"

"They wanted to live straight. Being children of immigrants'll do that to you. Young little me, of course, didn't see that far ahead. As far as I knew, it was just something that would help them."

"And what did they have you do, sir?"

They had me starting on courier work. I never asked what was in the packages, I never looked to see what was in the packages, and I always delivered on time. They liked to use kids like me so cops wouldn't get too suspicious. Of course, that wasn't the only reason he picked me." Nicky said.

"No?"

"No. Bellissa was mainly at home a lot of times, under his watch. He was overly protective of his daughter. Of course, if you have a kid, you'd sympathize with that."

"I don't, sir."

"Well, he did. And her and I got along smoothly... even if it was too smoothly for his liking. We might have just been kids back then, but we really did love each other. Growing up together only furthered that."

"So, that was when you got married, sir?"

"Not yet. Mr. Martin did like me as an employee, but he didn't approve of me being his son-in-law."

Back to the past of Hillwood, somewhere in the 1980s...

As the ones known as 'Little' Nicky and Bellissa began to reach their teen years, the friendship they shared started to grow into something else, but not yet fully realized or brought to attention by the two. Always a man of manners and respect, the first one to take these emotions to was Mr. Martin himself, seeking out permission from the father for her heart.

So, one fateful day, Nicky stepped into the office of his boss, voicing his thoughts to Mr. Martin.

"Mr. Martin, sir?" Nicky asked.

"Ah, Little Nicky, you've been doing a great job on your courier shipments so far; I love how the cops never think to look twice at you kids. Take a seat, son." Mr. Martin said.

Following his instruction, Nicky seated himself across from Mr. Martin, sitting to share a personal conversation with his boss.

"What can I help you with?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Well, you see, sir, uh... Well, you know that I've known Bellissa since I started working for you." Nicky said.

"Indeed I do. I thought you two would make good little playmates. I'm a man who can see many connections, and I saw how you two hit it off right from the start."

"Well, that's it, sir. You see... I... I, uh..."

"You what?"

"I'm... sort of... I think I love her, sir."

Hearing this confession come from the mouth of his subordinate, Mr. Martin stopped in his speech for a brief period, taking a moment to process the words that came to his ears. The emotions that followed were an uncomfortable mix of disappointment and amusement; Mr. Martin expressing them by giving out a laugh and sharking his head.

"Oh, I see where this is going now. You want to ask for her hand in marriage, don't you?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Well, sir, I don't know. I do want to, but I wanted your permission first." Nicky said.

"I definitely respect that classical move, coming to me first, but I'm afraid that I have to give you the harsh answer: I don't want you marrying my daughter."

"But... But why not, sir?"

"You're a good courier, kid, but you're just a kid. I can't have my daughter being stuck with some kid. If somebody comes to marry my daughter, it needs to be somebody who's capable of running this business, you get me? I need a successor."

"Then what do I have to do to be worthy, sir? I'll do anything you want."

"Hmm... 'Anything', huh?"

Taking a drink of a shot of whiskey laying on his desk, Mr. Martin thought over the plea of desperation made by his employee. He had recalled the very time when he picked him off the street as a boy, and had managed to watch him grow alongside his daughter. In this moment of remembrance and nostalgia, the prestigious Mr. Martin thought of a solution to the plea of his subordinate.

"Heh-heh. I like your dedication, son; going after a promotion. Tell me this: Have you ever killed somebody?" Mr. Martin asked.

Not expecting such a question from his employer, especially not so blunt and so soon, Nicky stumbled in his voice for a moment.

"Um... What?" Nicky asked.

"Ha! C'mon, kid. I know you're not as naive as to what we do as you'd like to think. Yeah, we've killed some people before, people we needed dead to keep our business running. You do like working in this business, don't you?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Yes, sir."

Concluding his conversation with his employee, Mr. Martin pulled a revolver out of his desk, the sight of said weapon sending a shiver down the spine of the young Nicky. Placing the gun on the desk, Mr. Martin slid the weapon towards the cowering Nicky, providing him the tool needed to carry out his assignment.

"Well, then, here's your first assignment... 'Little' Nicky." Mr. Martin said.

Back to the present, in the prison holding 'Little' Nicky Russotti...

The group soon made their way to the courtyard, where other prisoners were socializing and interacting with one another to help keep fit as well as their own sanity. Still continuing to reminisce on his past, 'Little' Nicky sat over on the sidelines, still telling his story regarding his past.

"They handed me a revolver and pointed me to a guy they wanted dead. And, just like that, I stepped up from being a delivery boy to being a hitman. I hadn't ever even seen a gun before until then, so holding one for the first time was a new experience in itself." Nicky said.

"And you took difficulty in your assignment, sir?" Weston asked.

"Not as much as I thought. All I had to do was think of Bellissa, and everything else fell into place. Seeing her face in my head, it was easy to put a bullet in someone else's. Love will make you do a lot of crazy things, Weston."

"I wouldn't know, sir. I've put much of my focus in this job."

"A fact I appreciate. Still, I'm sure you at least understand where I'm going."

"I do, sir."

"Of course you do. So, I became one of his top hitmen, and pretty fast. People were saying I had a good career ahead of myself in the organization, saying I had the drive to do anything I put my mind to. A few were even saying that I could be good enough to run things myself."

"And that was when you married Bellissa and took place as the new head, sir?"

"Not quite, my friend. I still had some ways to go. See, Mr. Martin saw my potential, but he didn't have enough faith in me. He thought Bellissa would be better off with somebody else."

Back to the past of Hillwood, somewhere in the later half of the 1980s...

Following a few years, the progressing 'Little' Nicky Russotti became known as one of the top soldiers in the mafia under Mr. Martin, making his goal all the closer to becoming completed. Stepping through the door to Mr. Martin's office once again, Nicky found the lovely Bellissa in the room as well, giving him a sense that he had stepped through the finish line itself.

Taking a glance at each other, the two shared smiles between one another; just subtlely enough to go not too noticed by Mr. Martin. The gestures did, however, go noticed to a large, towering man standing behind Bellissa, prompting him to approach her closer and watch over her.

"Hey, Mr. Martin, I waxed Tony and Marco. The two shnooks went down easy." Nicky said.

"That ain't sayin' much, anybody goes down with a .357 round in their head." Mr. Martin said.

"True, but nobody hits a head better than me."

"All too true. That's why I send you to do the jobs."

"Right. Hi, Bellissa. Who's the new bodyguard?"

Bellissa did not answer his question, instead looking down at the floor in shame. Mr. Martin and the 'bodyguard', amused by Nicky's question, both shared a look of chuckles towards one another.

"What? Am I missing something?" Nicky asked.

"Yeah, the wedding." The 'bodyguard' said.

"Excuse me?"

"'Little' Nicky, I'd like you to meet Vinnie. We call him 'The Terminator'." Mr. Martin said.

"What, you gonna replace me?"

"No, sir. You're one of my best soldiers without a doubt, but he's the number one. That's why I want him to marry Bellissa."

Hearing the dreaded words come out of the mouth of his employer, Nicky felt a punch of despair and heartbreak come to him all at once. Where the hand of Bellissa in marriage was his one and only driving force in his life, fueling all his decisions and driving him away from his family, the news that she was about to marry someone else shattered all dreams in his heart.

"What?! What about our deal?! You said you wanted me to shape up so I could marry her, and I did, didn't I?!" Nicky asked.

"You definitely did, but I just don't believe you're the best fit. You're good with a gun, but that's not all that you need to be right for this business. See, my dad, before he died, shared with me this vital piece of information: It's not about being the best with a gun, it's not about being the best with money, and it sure as hell ain't about havin' the most charm. It's about being the biggest man there is. Vinnie 'the Terminator'? It's in his goddamn name. You? You're just 'Little' Nicky." Mr. Martin said.

"So, that's it? You don't think I can beat this brainless Conan-looking asshole, so, you'll shove somebody else on Bellie?"

"Well, if you think you're good enough, you're welcome to try. Vinnie, do your thing."

"You got it, boss." Vinnie said.

"Dad?!" Bellissa protested.

"Relax. He won't kill him or break anything. But he is gonna hurt." Mr. Martin said.

Stepping towards the lone 'Little' Nicky, the tall and built Vinnie 'the Terminator' stood tall over his opponent, visibly much more intimidating up close. Where Nicky was of somewhat average size and was noticeably very skinny, hence his nickname of 'Little' Nicky, Vinnie was tall, muscular, and clearly more hardened from his past fights, worthy indeed of the name 'Terminator'.

Before Nicky could land his first punch into his enemy, Vinnie grabbed his fist in his hand; his larger hand gripping it tightly and crushing it in his palm. Falling to his knees from the painful experience, Nicky was soon sent falling on his back from a kick delivered to his chest, all but putting him out of the fight.

Bellissa, her heart always belonging to Nicky, immediately protested the use of violence towards her helpless love interest, begging for both her father and Vinnie to put a stop to the fight.

"Dad, what are you doing?! Can't you see he can't defend himself?!" Bellissa asked.

"I know. That's what I want you to see. If he can't even defend himself, how's he gonna keep you safe?" Mr. Martin asked.

Still cringing from the pain in his hand, Nicky continued to lay curling on the ground, suffering from the attack, and having no chance of winning this fight. Watching his prey lay on the ground, Vinnie 'the Terminator' approached the frail and feeble 'Little' Nicky, preparing to deliver his final blow of death and end the life of Nicky Russotti along with his dreams.

But, no. He would not make any attempts on his life.

"I can kill you in 10 different ways right now. I can stomp on your ribs, bend you in half, break your neck, and a few other things off the top of my head. But I ain't gonna. Not only because Mr. Martin wouldn't be too happy with me for that, but because I, like him, want you to know that you ain't fit to have Bellissa. In this world, you gotta be strong to protect your family, willing to kill to do it, and make sure that you can kill any bastard in your path. Might makes right." Vinnie said.

"I'm afraid Vinnie is right, 'Little' Nicky. My daughter needs someone strong to protect her; a man. You're not a man. You're just a kid." Mr. Martin said.

The biggest defeat in the mind of 'Little' Nicky Russotti was not of his physical defeat by Vinnie 'the Terminator', nor even was it the loss of not having won the hand of his love interest, Bellissa. No, this one particular loss was something far greater, and something he would be ill to get back.

This loss was of his pride; the very thing that made him the sort of man he was. Laying on the floor in defeat, it was very clear that he was not a man at all.

"Now, go on and get home and get some rest. I don't want you gettin' dead on me just from those little scuffs." Mr. Martin said.

Before departing from the office of Mr. Martin, Nicky took one last look into the eyes of Bellissa, taking from her a look of pity and an offer of comfort. She knew she could not give him the comfort he needed here, and he could not bear to be seen as he was in the eyes of the woman he loved most, so, he left without a single word.

This departure had left him without his pride on this day, but, he was given something back in return, something to change the tide of his life once again:

Drive.

Back to the present, in the prison holding 'Little' Nicky Russotti...

Heading to the prison's gym, the man known as 'Little' Nicky began hitting a punching bag, putting in some exercise and honing his own fighting skills. Where most average fighters would require a 70 or 90 pound bag, 'Little' Nicky used a 150 pound bag, one of the heaviest for sale. Every hit from his strong fists sent the bag swinging back forcefully, leading the other to steer clear of its path.

After a few minutes of punching at the bag, 'Little' Nicky paused in his workout, getting a bottle of water to rehydrate himself. While sitting down to rest from his exercise, the large gangster continued on his story yet again, answering beckoning of Weston to finish.

"You used to be skinny, sir?" Weston asked.

"I did. You don't eat a lot when you don't have much to eat. I could afford more food when I started working for Mr. Martin, but I still never changed my eating habits. Guess I was more watchful of my money that way. After that, though, I forgot all about that. All that was on my mind now was to prove Mr. Martin wrong. I started hitting the gym every day and as hard as I could, and eating a lot more to gain some weight. As you can see, I've made damn sure to keep it that way."

"Indeed you have, sir."

"Right. During that time, my parents started to stay further and further away from me. They already thought they had lost me when I started that hitman job, but seeing me grow obsessed like I was then only made them worse. They eventually just changed their names and moved away, leaving the restaurant to someone else."

"Your family left you, sir?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"And that never bothered you at all?"

"I was on my way to start my own family, Weston. Sometimes a bird has to leave the nest. I eventually built myself up again, and I wasn't nearly as 'little' as my name implied. Needless to say, everybody got a pretty good shock when they first saw me."

Back to the past of Hillwood, somewhere in the early 1990s...

With his progress being made, it came time to prove his worth to Mr. Martin. The aforementioned mob boss, accompanied by Bellissa and her arranged fiancee, Vinnie 'the Terminator', all took a journey to a warehouse under his ownership, beckoned to come from a note received by an anonymous sender. Not aware of the plot set up by the man known as 'Little' Nicky, most of his guard was with him as well, keeping the group safe.

"So, what do you think this is, boss?" Vinnie asked.

"I don't have a clue. You just keep your eyes out, I don't want my daughter hurt." Mr. Martin said.

"You know me, boss. I don't lose."

"Not until today." A voice said.

The voice that spoke, while somewhat familiar somewhere beneath its speech, was far different from anything they immediately knew in terms of tone. This new voice spoke in a deep, commanding tone unlike any they had heard before. While the mystery of the identity of the voice lingered in their heads for a brief moment, it was soon revealed with the presence of its owner shortly.

Upon seeing the large and bulging man make his appearance, the group were all too familiar with the face belonging to the body, but the body itself not matching what they had known the face originally being from.

"Lit- 'Little' Nicky?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Do I look 'little' to you?" Nicky asked.

"Dear god, Nicky, what did you do to yourself?"

"You told me that I wasn't fit to marry Bellissa because I was too skinny. I gained some weight. You say Vinnie's your strongest guy, the best to protect Bellissa. Care to put that to the test?"

For a brief moment, Mr. Martin is not sure what to do. Out of all the things to unfold from this strange invitation, seeing the boy he knew as 'Little' Nicky grow to massive proportions and call to take on Vinnie 'the Terminator' was not even closely in the realm of his idea of possibility. Still barely able to believe his own eyes, all Mr. Martin can do now is try to process this event for himself.

For others, more specifically, Vinnie 'the Terminator', he has no need to process anything. He is a simple man and a soldier, intent on following through whatever orders he may be given, and fulfill his own needs for violence. At this moment, he sees all the opportunity for violence, as well as the chance to rid himself of a rival for his soon-to-be wife; all he now needs are his orders.

"Hey, boss, why not? He's only going to throw some more monkey wrenches between me and Bellissa. I'm already having trouble trying to get her to open up, maybe she'll come around if I 'open up' Nicky's skull. Whaddya say?" Vinnie asked.

Letting a slight 'hmm' from his mouth, Mr. Martin still continued to think over his options, not sure whether to allow this fight to take place or not. Part of him wished to see where this fight would lead, and if 'Little' Nicky was indeed now fit to wed Bellissa. The aforementioned Bellissa, however, was not in favor of this fight at all, tugging at his arm to put it to a stop.

"Daddy, don't let them do this, please. I'll marry Vinnie if that makes you happy, just please don't let him hurt Nicky." Bellissa said.

Finally, coming to his answer, Mr. Martin had a smile coming across his face, knowing that he would finally have his problem handled.

"Hold on, honey. I think if anybody's gonna get hurt, it ain't gonna be Nicky." Mr. Martin said.

"What?! So you think I can't take him on?! I don't care how big he got, I'll crush that little pissant!" Vinnie said.

"Alright. Prove it."

Carrying out his orders, Vinnie made his approach to Nicky, keeping his arms up in preparation for the fistfight to ensue. Making the first strike in the attack, Vinnie began throwing his own punches towards Nicky, keeping his moves fast and hard, just as his name 'The Terminator' would show.

However, Nicky had proved himself to be no pushover in the fight, blocking away Vinnie's strikes quickly and almost flawlessly. Despite many of his punches being more than enough to down anyone with one strike, Vinnie's punches here were proving him to be no good against this opponent.

His arrogance kept him from seeing this fact right away, but feeling Nicky's first punch brought him to terms with reality. Of course, it wasn't truly the punch itself, but, rather, his broken arm that snapped from just the single hit of Nicky's punch. Watching the man known as 'The Terminator' be broken with one simple punch and groan in pain from the strike was not something any in the room had expected, leaving them to watch in surprised and shock that this was truly even happening.

Their surprise continued just as the fight did, although the situation could barely be called a fight at this point. Throwing his other fist towards Nicky, Vinnie's hand got caught in his grip, followed by the rest of his arm. Being stuck in his grip was the least of his worries, however, as the arm itself was being pulled back on by his foe.

Soon, the arm was not of much worry anymore, and it now belonged to Nicky as he ripped it clean off his body. Laying on the ground in pain, letting screams out of his mouth as the empty arm socket let out blood, Vinnie began to no longer be seen as 'the Terminator', but instead as an object of pity by the others as they let out their gasps and trembling looks.

Taking Vinnie and flipping him on his back, Nicky began to grab his opponent's head, pulling on it as hard as he could. Hearing his vertebrae crack and his muscles snap, Vinnie soon understood that his career would suddenly come to an end, brought upon by his death.

Rather than cry out for any help or mercy (not that he could with most of his spine being destroyed), Vinnie instead closed his eyes, not wanting to be seen in defeat by his employer; keeping his pride to the bitter end.

And, with his head and spine being ripped from its socket out of his body, that end came for the man known as Vinnie 'the Terminator'. Looking at the severed head as it hung in the grip of 'Little' Nicky, the innocent view that they shared of Nicky was now far gone, and it became clear that he was now the new top killer in the organization.

With his enemy defeated, 'Little' Nicky dropped the head on the ground, letting it roll back to its body.

"You're terminated, sucker." Nicky said.

Having finally proved himself to be a worthy killer, 'Little' Nicky made his approach to Mr. Martin, seeking out his approval at last. The surrounding bodyguards were trained to keep their firearms out when such a threat would come into contact with their boss, but, after witnessing the display of violence that just unfolded, part of them began to wonder if bullets would even make a difference.

"Impressed now, Mr. Martin?" Nicky asked.

Where the other in the warehouse all gave out shocked and horrified looks, Mr. Martin looked to the towering mass of man with a smile on his face, being more than impressed with the work displayed before him. Finally satisfied with the boy he took off the streets become a suitable bachelor for his daughter, Mr. Martin laid his hand on 'Little' Nicky's shoulder, giving his full endorsement.

"Call me Marty." Mr. Martin said.

Back to the present, in the prison holding 'Little' Nicky Russotti...

Satisfied with how his day had progressed, 'Little' Nicky returned to his cell, preparing himself for a rest. Before allowing his subordinate Weston to take his leave, 'Little' Nicky brought his story to its conclusion, finishing his shared experience of his origins in the crime world. Of course, after listening in to this point, you would have to drag Weston away from hearing the ending.

"And that was when you finally married and took over the business, sir?" Weston asked.

"Soon after. It wasn't quite the same as I had pictured, though. I guess watching me tear somebody's head off changed her perspective of me. Don't get me wrong, we still loved each other, but she always had a bit of fear in herself. Soon, though, she started to forget that fear, because we were having our first child." Nicky said.

"And that was Gino, sir?"

"Yeah. Bellissa... she died in childbirth. I don't know what happened, but it took me a long time to get over that. I still had Gino with me, though. He was my big boy. That's why I called him 'Big' Gino. He had a lot of his mother in him, but he sure as hell had plenty of me when he said he wanted to take over the business."

"Your son did an excellent job of keeping the business on track, sir."

"I know he did. He learned from the best. And then he died."

"He said that he wanted to run the business because he felt closer to you, sir. He wanted to make you proud."

"I know. I was very proud of him, running things or not. If it wasn't for this prison sentence, maybe I wouldn't have lost him."

"Nobody could have expected someone like the Freak to happen, sir. The world itself still hasn't fully gotten used to superheroes and supervillains being real."

"Neither have I. But that doesn't change the fact that this psycho killed my son. I didn't even get to go to his goddamn funeral."

"Sir, if I may, why exactly share this story?"

"Why? Well, I've been thinking about 'Big' Gino a lot lately, and I wanted to think back on how it all happened, and how I could have done things differently. I owe that much to my big boy."

Taking out a cigar, 'Little' Nicky lit the cigar as it laid in his mouth, taking in a large inhale of smoke as it burned in the paper.

"Do you know what today is, Weston?" Nicky asked.

"No, sir." Weston said.

"It's 'Big' Gino's birthday. His 18th birthday. So, in honor of my big boy, I've planned a little celebration in his honor."