CHAPTER 17: THE LAZARUS EFFECT, PART 2
Since his very birth, Arnold Shortman has been no stranger to the strange and unexplained in the world. His life seems to be entangled with the supernatural and unusual workings of the world; finding himself caught up within the most bizarre phenomena that the Earth has to offer.
Upon entering the world, his birth silenced the eruption of a volcano, stopping all of nature in its chaos for one brief moment. In his quest to bring his parents back home from the country of San Lorenzo, he found that he was the destined savior of the Green-Eyed People, and ended the disease known as the Sleeping Sickness over their city.
With the help of those same people, he had become a being that was the peak of human potential itself: A Spirit Master, a person with superhuman powers meant to bring peace to the Earth. His newfound life as a Spirit Master has led him to accomplish impossible tasks and accomplishments that no other man could hope to reach, but, on this day, something very different has come to him.
A few moments ago, Arnold had found himself under the intense pain of birth and death all at once; a phenomenon that he had never experienced during even these strange days that were now his life. Not understanding the meaning behind this event, he sought to gain advice from the man who had given him his powers in the first place:
Luz.
Making his way to the roof of the Sunset Arms Boarding Home, Arnold's quick ascent was followed with a slow and steady moment of relaxation, readying his mind for the mental state needed to reach his teacher. Soon, he found that his mental state would not need to be as focused as he thought, as he found Luz standing right before him in his astral form.
"Arnold. You have felt it, too." Luz said.
"That weird attack of pain? You know what it was?" Arnold asked.
"I fear not, child. My mind can reach to many corners of the Earth, but whatever the cause of this sensation is somehow outside my reach. That being said, I do believe I have some idea as to what this strange feeling was."
"You do?"
"Yes, child. This transmission of thoughts came from a Spirit Master, that much I can tell from the message."
"Another Spirit Master? How is that possible?"
"I do not know, child. In any case, I would advise that you search out any clues that could give us an answer. I fear that some sort of strange danger could come your way if you are not careful."
"I know, Luz. I'll be careful."
"Very good, child. I am sorry to have disturbed you at this time, but this was a topic of great importance to discuss."
"No, it's okay, Luz. I wanted to talk to you about that. Thanks."
"Of course, Arnold. I will meet you another time."
Luz prepared to dissipate his astral form to return back to his body, taking his mind back to the city of the Green-Eyed People in San Lorenzo. Though Luz was almost on his way to return home, Arnold still was not truly finished talking to his teacher, needing to discuss one last thing with him.
"Luz? Wait, there was one more thing that I wanted to ask you." Arnold said.
"Yes, child?" Luz asked.
"It's... It's about Curly. I know we brought him up last time we talked, but there's something else about him I wanted to talk about. When I felt that sensation of dying, I... I was reminded of when I dropped him off the roof of P.S. 118. When he fell, I could... I could feel him in pain as he hit the ground. He was so close to dying when I threw him off, and he just barely made it. And... And when I was fighting him on the roof, I was beating him nearly to death. I could see into his mind, and I knew damn well that he was a victim, but I still hurt him badly. I wanted to hurt him."
"I understand your concern, Arnold. Lest you remember, though, it was I who told you that you should have ended his life, but you chose not to, stuck by your decision, and I supported your decision. Also remember, you had nearly lost Helga in the struggle, and it drove you nearly mad; a moment of weakness that would come to even the best of us. What you should remember is that you prevented any harm from coming to anyone else, and you still had not ended his life."
"I know, Luz, but... I just don't know how to feel about it. I crippled a man for life. I've never liked hurting anybody unless I need to, and I always try to do the least damage. I've never actually hurt anybody that bad before, and I've barely been able to look at him in the face since. Come to think of it, I haven't even seen him in a while."
"Then, perhaps, child, you should pay him a visit. It is better to make peace with an enemy personally rather than alone."
"I don't know, Luz. It's not that easy. I'll probably need some time to work up to that."
"Very well. In any case, Arnold, I bid you good wishes and give you my full support, as always. We shall meet again."
Luz dissipated at last into the air, making his return back to San Lorenzo where he was most needed among his people. Leaving Arnold alone with his new advice and own thoughts, the football head was left to ponder on this idea to build up courage towards moving through with it, gaining the strength to look at the Freak in the face once again.
At the moment, however, Arnold put his mind to moving back downstairs, joining Helga once again within the house. Still holding onto her concern, Helga inquired into his conversation with Luz, hoping that all was well with her significant other now that his sudden and strange instance of pain was over.
"Hey Arnold. Is everything better now?" Helga asked.
"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine now, Helga. Thanks." Arnold said.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Helga, really."
"Oh, I just don't like that whatever this was happened to you. Listen, you remember that week-long poetry convention I was supposed to be at in Seattle?"
"What, that thing? That was this week?"
"It was, but I'm not going now. If you're not feeling good, then I want to-"
"No, Helga, please, you don't have to do that. I'm really, honestly fine."
"You were screaming in pain on the floor. That's not 'fine'. Not by a long shot. I'm gonna stay here and-"
"Helga. Listen. I've overcome all sorts of injuries and attacks like nothing. You know how fast I can heal. This wasn't anything; I'm fine now. Luz said not to worry about it, and I'm not worrying about it. Trust me when I tell you I'm fine. I know how important your art is to you, and I don't want to take that away from you."
"But, Arnold, I-"
"Please, Helga. I want you to go. Do it for me."
Despite her best efforts to convince Arnold to let her stay, it was obvious that he was not accepting anything less than her continuing on her plans like normal. Though the trip was meant for her to enjoy herself, it seemed that the knowledge that Arnold could be in some kind of trouble would prevent her from actually enjoying herself.
Nonetheless, placing her trust in her lover, Helga accepted his wishes all the same.
"Okay, I'll still go, I guess. But call me so I make sure you're okay." Helga said.
"I will. You go get your things packed, okay?" Arnold asked.
"Sure. You just shout for me if you need something."
Heading back to their shared bedroom to pack her bags for her trip to Seattle, Helga left Arnold alone once again, preparing herself for a week's worth of activities out of town. Able to be alone with his thoughts once again, Arnold headed back downstairs, placing himself on the couch, relaxing himself after a long state of mental affairs to work through.
However, in this state of relaxation, he soon found that there was one more affair to be dealt with. Hearing a buzz from his cell phone, feeling it vibrate in his pocket, Arnold pulled it out to show a text message from Lila, speaking about their date that day and her enjoyment of it.
Hey Arnold. I really enjoyed our day together. If you're not too busy, would you be interested in doing the same tomorrow? I feel like there's much more we could catch up on. Lila texted.
Interested in continuing their conversations from this day and building their friendship back up, Arnold quickly replied in favor of her idea.
Sure, I'd love to. Arnold texted.
How delightful! I'll see you tomorrow. Lila texted.
Setting his phone away, Arnold allowed himself to relax on the couch once again, hoping to calm his mind from the strain it was put under through his various activities this day. Now, with Helga enjoying herself for a week and an old friendship to build back up, it seems that this would be an easy enough week for the football head to pass through.
Of course, were other factors not in effect, it just might be.
This factor comes into effect very soon now at the Hillwood Maximum Security Penitentiary, with the man known as 'Little' Nicky Russotti. Pushing through his standard morning workout in his prison cell, finishing 100 pushups in one single sitting, 'Little' Nicky rose to his feet once more to catch his breath, feeling his body gain the oxygen it needs to start the day.
Where most of his days are relatively the same, this day is very different to 'Little' Nicky, something very different was planned for this day. For at least a month now, there have been rumors floating around that he was planning himself an escape attempt, a rumor floating around the walls of this prison, and the ears of certain interested parties, like rival crime families.
This is the day he plans that escape.
Standing in his cell, 'Little' Nicky is soon joined by his right-hand man, the individual simply known as Weston, entering in the cell following an escort. The first thing he does is hand 'Little' Nicky a cigar out of a box, preselecting his favorite Cubans. Pleased as always with Weston's service, 'Little' Nicky took one and lit it, inhaling the fumes.
"So, sir, today's the day?" Weston asked.
"Yep." 'Little' Nicky said.
"You know, it's not too late to change plans. The other families are still on us for this stunt."
"Let them be. We can take them. We had them by the balls in the old days, and we can have them again."
"But at least tell me, sir, why the need for all this? Nobody could know."
"That's the point, Weston. I want people to know. I want them to know that I'm back. The world's been forgetting about what a real criminal is, focusing on all these costumed freaks, and it's time I give them a reminder."
In the command center of the prison, the warden remains hard at work, doing everything he can to keep his prison running smoothly and keeping all criminals and wrongdoers within locked up tightly. His career was built on the hard work he had put himself through; doing everything he can to keep a strong foundation to his job.
For a while, it worked, and got him far, but only so far. When push came to shove in the goal of getting the next promotion, he was hit by roadblock after roadblock in that goal. Despite his best efforts to overcome those obstacles, he could never seem to reach the goal to be the highest in the force.
Until came the money from 'Little' Nicky to get him where he is now, through some slightly different career choices. His position was bought with blood money, but it has got him the job of being prison warden; posing as a man keeping away the most dangerous individuals, but practically acting as nothing more than another servant for 'Little' Nicky.
Now, he has gotten the order to let him free.
"Sir? Orders are through from the Boss. Today's the day." One guard said.
The warden said nothing, remaining in his own head to find an answer.
"Sir?" The guard asked.
"How long you been here, son?" The warden asked.
"Uh... About 2 years, sir. Why?"
"You went in knowing damn well what was going on. I wasn't always here. I was a regular cop, you know. I eventually took money from that man and transferred to the Department of Corrections to keep myself well-off."
"What are you getting at, sir?"
"I was a good cop once, and I put a lot of men in these bars. The only reason I found myself able to take his money was because I could keep him here, where he couldn't do any more damage. I might have sold my soul, but I'll be goddamned if I'm gonna let that son of a bitch walk."
"Are... Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting, sir?"
"That's right. We're keeping him right here. Where he belongs."
Back in 'Little' Nicky's cell...
Taking a look at his watch, Weston noticed that the hour began to grow past the designated time scheduled for 'Little' Nicky's escort. In a business run by 'Little' Nicky, there is no such thing as 'late' or 'delayed' in the realm of acceptability, leaving there to be only one interpretation of this event.
"Sir, the escort hasn't shown up yet. This could be a double-cross." Weston said.
"Be patient, Weston. I was counting on this. All part of the show." 'Little' Nicky said.
"What? Sir, I was under the impression we were to simply walk you out."
"You've been working with me for quite a long time, my friend. If there's one thing you should know about me by now..."
'Little' Nicky took out his cigar and tapped out the ashes, letting them fall into his ashtray.
"...you should never make any assumptions about me. I'm always full of surprises." 'Little' Nicky finished.
Back in the command center...
Not able to accept the answer that the warden gave, the guard began to grow nervous under the words, knowing what the alternative to this solution was. Afraid to lose his own life, the guard began to sweat and breathe heavily, trying to compose himself for what he had to do next.
"Son? You alright?" The warden asked.
Trying to move as quickly and as discreetly as he could, the guard moved towards the fire alarm to the prison, preparing himself to pull it.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing?" The warden asked.
The guard reached out for the fire alarm, preparing to pull it down. Unable to let his subordinate follow through, the warden pulled a handgun on him, making the guard freeze in his tracks. All other guards in the center, catching onto what was going on, all watched the event play out, staying silent to observe every detail.
"I'm sorry, sir... I have to do this..." The guard said.
"No, son, you don't have to do this. We got him right where we want him, there's not need to do any of this. Just step away from that switch and come over here. Just take it easy." The warden said.
"I can't do that, sir. My little sister's in the hospital, he won't pay her bills if I don't-"
"Don't try this, kid, I'm not gonna put my gun down until you get away from that switch. If you don't, I'm gonna shoot you. I've done a lot of bad shit in my career, but one thing that I cannot and will not allow is to let him go free. You think all these caped clowns on the street are bad enough to deal with? This guy was way worse. He's the reason that Hillwood was as bad as it was. Step away from that switch."
Back in 'Little' Nicky's cell...
"Gentlemen. If you will, my suit." 'Little' Nicky said.
At the beckon of the gargantuan gangster himself, two armed guards entered the cell, bringing a suit wrapped up in a bag. Laying the suit on the bed, the guards then stepped back outside the cell, keeping their rifles in hand and watching out for anyone approaching.
Opening up the bag and taking a look at the white suit inside, 'Little' Nicky gave a satisfied smile with the product, eager to wear it. Taking off his orange shirt and white undershirt, he prepared himself to do just that, making sure he was well-dressed for his official return to Hillwood.
"Uh, sir, what are you doing?" Weston asked.
"I'm going to see my boy again soon. I want to make sure I'm well-dressed to see him again." 'Little' Nicky said.
Back in the command center...
For a good long minute, the guard stood in a state of indecision, unable to bring himself to pull the fire alarm to the building as ordered. Watching the warden point a gun straight at his head, and witnessing every other guard in the room watch him in anxiety, this one guard still found himself hesitant to carry on the order.
Behind him, however, there was one other guard who was not so hesitant to do what he was preparing to do. Sneaking up behind the guard near the fire alarm and preparing to tackle him, this guard attempted to stop the chaos from taking place, hoping he would spare all from the event of 'Little' Nicky escaping.
Hearing the approach of the attacking guard come near, the traitor guard quickly ducked down, causing the warden to fire his shot into the other guard, and thus preventing him from stopping the fire alarm from being pulled. As the traitor guard had ducked, it was quickly seen that he had managed to pull the switch, setting off the fire alarm and setting the events in motion to free 'Little' Nicky.
"What the hell did you just do?!" The warden asked.
"I'm sorry, sir. I did what I had to do." The guard said.
With the fire alarm being pulled down, a loud wailing noise began to echo through the halls of the prison, sounding the alarm as the guard pulled. While there was no fire to be found, the alarm being pulled did have another effect from being activated, one that would lead to more serious damage than any fire:
Releasing all the prisoners.
As if there were confusion enough in each guard concerning the sudden fire alarm, their concerns only grew when the chaos truly began. Throughout the prison, each cell door opened up, letting each prisoner stumble out of their cells, all pondering on this sudden sense of freedom as it came to them.
Not soon after, however, they all began to stop questioning it and took full advantage of it. Within seconds, the prison turned into one massive riot, with guards and prisoners clashing together in massive and bloody brawls, fires being set across the prison, and all sense of order coming falling down.
Back in the command center...
Watching the disorder all come to fruition on the security footage, the guards all soon realized that there was no way to stop what was happening now. The prison was thrown into utter chaos, and, out of all of it, there was the man known as 'Little' Nicky trying to escape.
Realizing this, the warden grew a mixed sense of anxiety and anger; knowing the danger at hand, enraged at how it had come to pass, but not even sure at how he would manage to resolve it all. No... if he could manage to resolve it all. If he could handle the issue of 'Little' Nicky.
Speaking of the feared crime lord, his loyalist still laid on the ground in fear, still in question if he had made the right choice.
"Sir... Please... I had to do it... Sir... Please, forgive me, sir..." The guard said.
Taking his handgun and firing a shot through the eyes of the guard, the warden sent his body falling on its back, left to soak in a puddle of its own blood and brains. The guard had only the one question of whether he took the correct action or not, but he was now left unable to contemplate that any farther.
The silence from the remaining guards would have been deafening if not for the sounds of violence over the security footage or the calls from the guards within the prison, but their mouths are not the only silent things in the room. Their minds also go silent; none having an idea on what to do in this crisis.
"Sir? What do we do now?" One guard asked.
"I'll tell you what we do. All of you get your gear on and head straight for Cell #9. If you see 'Little' Nicky, your orders are to shoot him on sight. Don't let that son of a bitch even breathe near the exit. Anybody lets him through, I'll kill you myself. Our goal is to make sure he does not leave here alive." The warden said.
"What about the other prisoners, sir?"
"If Nicky gets out, the other prisoners aren't going to be anywhere near as much trouble as he'll be. Nicky is the priority. Nicky must die."
Back in 'Little' Nicky's cell...
Giving his tie a nice and tight pull, 'Little' Nicky finished dressing himself up proper, attiring himself in a white suit and black tie. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out again, 'Little' Nicky took a moment to enjoy the feel of his suit, remembering how good it felt to feel the embrace of fine British wool on his skin.
While 'Little' Nicky was seemingly in no real hurry to leave, Weston was all too eager to leave, recognizing the threat of the riot and the guards sure to prevent any sort of easy escape.
"Sir? If I may, if we are to leave soon, I must insist we do it soon." Weston said.
"I know, Weston. Just enjoying this one moment before we leave. I've spent a good number of years in here. Simply paying my final respects." 'Little' Nicky said.
Holding his hand to his mouth, 'Little' Nicky gave his fingers a kiss, subsequently placing them onto the wall of his cell as one last farewell to the place where he resided for many years of his life. Now, with all the last rituals and holdups out of his way, it came time for the gargantuan gangster to make his way out of the prison, and at last see his son again.
"Let's go." 'Little' Nicky said.
Following their orders, the guards began escorting 'Little' Nicky and Weston out of the prison, keeping their rifles in hand and readying themselves for any threat that would come their way. In a coordination of two guards in front of their VIPs and two behind, the group stuck close together to ensure that no harm would befall them.
Despite their best efforts and tactics, however, that did not stop some from trying. With many prisoners running rampant throughout the facility, all with violent and horrifying pasts and atrocities stained on their lives, all were too eager to find someone to kill in the midst of this riot. And, since many were put in these cells by being under the employment of 'Little' Nicky himself, it seemed like a good opportunity to get revenge for their current situation.
They try all too well to attack and reach 'Little' Nicky, but none are so lucky to get close enough. Many try to bum-rush, but they get shot down in an instant. Some try to throw various bombs and explosives, but they are shot before, leaving them to blow themselves up instead. The few who try to flee when all look lost are also gunned down, leaving no signs of resistance surviving.
Soon, the group made their way towards a hallway filled with several prison guards attired in riot gear, each with batons and riot shields. Making their choice in this particular hallway, coordinating themselves to block their way, it was clear that they were coming specifically for 'Little' Nicky, preventing his escape.
"Head back to your cell now! This is your only warning!" One guard shouted.
'Little' Nicky's escorts raised their weapons to the blockade of guards, but he lowered their weapons as quickly as they were raised, leaving the group to look back at him in confusion. Weston, the most careful of the group, questioned his tactics out loud, wanting to know why he would not let the guards simply be shot down.
"Sir? What are you doing?" Weston asked.
"Please, you and the guards stay here, Weston. I'll handle this." 'Little' Nicky said.
"Sir?"
"I was a big Sonny Chiba fan as a kid, Weston. Led me to go to Japan and take up karate. I could use the exercise."
"Sir, I cannot allow that to-"
"Weston... stop. Please, step aside."
Taking his orders in a stride of fear, Weston stepped back with the escort, allowing 'Little' Nicky to make his way up to the riot guards. Before making his approach to the guards, 'Little' Nicky stopped for a moment to allow himself an opportunity to stretch, flexing out his arms and back, ensuring he was limbered up for the fight at hand.
Loosening up his body sufficiently for this battle, 'Little' Nicky held his hands up, clenching his fists tightly and keeping his face covered from any coming blows. Ready for the fight at last, 'Little' Nicky began walking up towards the riot guards, leading them to begin approaching him as well.
As the guards made their approach, they began beating against their shields to try to get a scare out of 'Little' Nicky, but he did not even flinch at the sounds of bulletproof plastic being bombarded like war drums. Instead, he reveled in the moment, waiting for the first strike to come.
Finally, after a long period of waiting, the first strike came from the lead guard, sending his baton pummeling straight down towards his target. 'Little' Nicky, waiting for just that moment to come, caught the guard by his arm, subsequently following it with a sharp punch to his chest, sending him flying across the floor and into the guards laying behind him.
Following this first strike, the other guards were in no more state to wait for a fight to come, instead all rushing forward to attack their target and put him on the ground. They try their best to make sure that 'Little' Nicky does not make his way through the prison, but 'Little' Nicky himself does not have to try his best to make his way through these very guards.
Each blow that was sent by the guards were blocked by the towering mass of a man, being followed with a sharp punch or kick in retaliation. Even being armed to the teeth with riot gear and padding, the force of 'Little' Nicky's punches pushed right through the bulletproof kevlar, almost as if the protective coating was never there.
With one guard sending a baton towards his arm, 'Little' Nicky would break his.
With one guard sending a baton towards his head, 'Little' Nicky would punch him in his.
With one guard sending a baton towards his kneecaps, 'Little' Nicky would break his with his bare fist.
So this continued for most of the fight, with the guards falling before 'Little' Nicky either dead or dying. One of the heavier-set guards attempted to tackle 'Little' Nicky and prevent him from moving any further, but his approach was not as effective as he had hoped. There was no such thing as a 'clean' fight any longer in this moment, but none of the guards could fight as 'dirty' as 'Little' Nicky.
Reaching a punch lower than honorably accepted in a fair fight, 'Little' Nicky sent a blow straight to the tackling guard's gonads, but he did not finish with a simple punch. Keeping his hand near, 'Little' Nicky grabbed hold of the guard's gonads, ripping them clean off his body like pulling wrapping paper off a Christmas present. Shoving the bloody and torn testicles into the guard's screaming mouth, he delivered one last punch to the nose, sending the cartilage of his nose to pierce his brain.
With this tackling guard dead and out of his way, 'Little' Nicky then chose to implement this same tactic for himself, leaping towards the troupe of guards and knocking them all down like dominoes on the floor. Getting himself up before any of the other guards could, 'Little' Nicky then gained himself the convenience of picking off many of them at a more leisurely rate.
Though not particularly interested in a moment of leisure in a fight, his first opportunity for a kill came from one guard rising to his knees. The guard tried to take a swing of his baton, but sadly missed, only able to watch 'Little' Nicky make his own strike just as it was intended for him.
Taking opportunity of the guard's helmet falling off, 'Little' Nicky threw a falling punch straight down on his head. With the hard white knuckles of the karate-trained fighter combined with his massive body weight in muscle, the guard's skull instantly caved in; the bone of his skull squashing his brain, leaving him to spit most of it out before falling to his face and dying.
The next guard to rise from the ground was not so quick to get on his feet again, as 'Little' Nicky was quick to ensure that he would not rise up from the ground again. Stepping on his back, 'Little' Nicky grabbed the guard by the back of his head, subsequently throwing a hard punch right in the middle.
As a result from his punch, the guard's eyes popped right out of their sockets, hanging outside by their optic nerves. With his eyesight being sent into a strange, spinning kaleidoscopic view and his eyes themselves in extreme pain, the guard would surely be going blind soon, if he had not perished soon after.
The last guard managed to get himself back on his feet, charging to take down 'Little' Nicky once and for all. Though his helmet was secured on tight and his baton was ready in hand, his throat was still open to attack, which 'Little' Nicky exploited with a quick grab of his neck.
With one swift tear, 'Little' Nicky ripped all of the flesh and muscle from the neck of the guard, taking with it the trachea, leaving him unable to breathe. In seconds, the guard began choking to death, falling dead on the floor, his uniform stained and covered with his own blood seeping from his open neck.
Dropping the contents of the guard's neck on the ground, 'Little' Nicky grabbed the folds of his suit and gave them a firm tug, cracking his neck after victoriously fighting his way through the guards. Miraculously, even though his suit was a bright white, not a single drop of blood made its way onto his suit; clean as a whistle just as it arrived to him.
Though Weston always thought highly of his boss and was confident in his own abilities, the sight of seeing him tear apart armed guards with his bear hands was a spectacle to the young man, never having seen a brawler like him before. Making an amusing mark towards the stunned Weston, 'Little' Nicky gave a smirk and said...
"Gentlemen. Care to lead the way?" 'Little' Nicky asked.
Following their orders as loyally as ever, the guards marched up and put themselves around 'Little' Nicky once again, continuing to escort him through the prison. Just as he did prior to this fight, 'Little' Nicky continued to walk at a calm and steady pace, as if walking down an empty street all by himself.
Weston, however, found himself walking much more nervously.
Eventually, after walking through chaos and disorder throughout the rioting prison, the group made their way outside, preparing to make their final escape from the prison. Before making their way out towards freedom, however, the gangster and his subordinates were met with a group of prison guards all lined up outside the building, each armed and preventing their escape.
Making use of whatever they had left at their disposal, the guards placed several cars and buses around the entrance as compromised barricades, each armed with an assault rifle and pointing their weapons straight at the group. The armed guards surrounding 'Little' Nicky kept their own weapons high just as well, keeping them in a Mexican standoff.
The leader of the remaining prison guards, the warden himself, took a step forward to the group, holding a handgun pointed straight at 'Little' Nicky himself.
"Not bad, Nicky, but not good enough." The warden said.
"Warden, this is pointless. You know I'm going to just walk out of here. You know you're not going to survive this. Why are you wasting your life and your men's lives?" 'Little' Nicky asked.
"The only thing I wasted was my whole life selling my goddamn soul to you, you piece of shit! I took your money and I transferred to be a prison guard so I could keep you safe and sound, but never in a million years would I just give up my job like that. You assholes have 5 seconds to drop your guns and surrender now before we put you down."
Rather than take the threat of the warden seriously, 'Little' Nicky casually reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigar, but not before offering one to the warden. The warden showed no sign of accepting the cigar, leaving 'Little' Nicky to put it back in his suit. His hand soon returned with a match, lighting it and beginning to burn his cigar.
"Sir, we're finished. There's no way we can fight our way out of here. We'd better do what he says." Weston said.
Still not taking this situation as seriously as anyone normally would, 'Little' Nicky gave a smile and chuckle; his laugh sending off puffs of cigar smoke in the air.
"Weston, Weston, Weston, you've still got a lot to learn. I told you, I'm always full of surprises." 'Little' Nicky said.
Driving in from the distance, a motorcade of cars began to drive into the arena, each heading straight for the blockade of guards surrounding the entrance. The guards' focus was only brought to the cars for one small moment, but that one moment was enough to bring to their attention that the occupants of the cars were armed, which they soon found out the hard way as well.
Stopping just outside the barricade, several men in suits began heading out of the cars and firing all manners of automatic weapons and guns on the guards, knocking many down within seconds. Being brought to the blitzkrieg of invading shooters also took the guards off the attention of 'Little' Nicky, leaving his guards to finish the lot from behind.
Once all the bullets had flown and landed, the last remaining barricade of prison guards were all left dead on the ground, save for one stubborn survivor reaching for his handgun. The survivor was, of course, the warden, still the most dedicated to keep 'Little' Nicky inside.
His dedication was noble, but the foot of 'Little' Nicky stomping on his hand prevented him from carrying out that final goal. Scooping up the handgun off the ground for himself, 'Little' Nicky readied it to use on the warden for himself, but paused in his process of doing so for one last talk.
Crouching over the downed warden, 'Little' Nicky looked at him with a warm smile; a smile exhaling the thick smoke of Cuban tobacco and hiding behind it a brief spot of amusement by way of a light discussion.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Just kill me and get it over with." The warden said.
"Tell me, you got a son?" 'Little' Nicky asked.
"What?"
"You got a son? Are you a father?"
"No."
"Well, sir, I happen to be one. Or, at least, I was one. You know that killer who calls himself 'The Freak'? He killed my boy. Today was supposed to be his 21st birthday, and I wanted to go see him. All you had to do was just let me walk out the door, but you couldn't do that, could you? No. You had to do it the hard way."
"Justify it any way you like. Doesn't make a difference. They're gonna get you. They're gonna send the goddamn army to bury you. Nobody's done anything like you did. Capone, Hoffa, Gotti; none of them ever pulled this kind of shit before. They're gonna get you good. They're gonna get you good, you fat motherfu-"
The warden's last warning was interrupted and answered with the feeling of 9mm rounds entering his head, forever ceasing any and all protests he would have regarding 'Little' Nicky's plans.
"They can try." 'Little' Nicky said.
Dropping the handgun on the warden, 'Little' Nicky began making his way towards his armed escort, getting inside the middle car, with Weston sitting by his side. Relaxing in his Corinthian leather seat, inhaling some of his cigar smoke again, he issued out his next orders to the driver.
"Take us home." 'Little' Nicky said.
[Soundtrack Cue: Coolio feat. L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise]
At 'Little' Nicky's order, the driver began heading his way back to Hillwood, leaving the prison behind and driving far out of the country back into the city. Keeping with their formation, the car containing 'Little' Nicky was blocked by one car in the front and another in the back, keeping the VIP well-protected.
As the monsterious mafioso left the prison, 'Little' Nicky looked out of his window to observe the roads as he made his way back, taking in all the sights of the countryside and anxiously awaiting his return home to Hillwood. The mere and humble countryside was not something he had been used to from living in a big city for so long, making this a good time to contemplate on the past.
Letting his mind linger on to his time before prison, he remembers the time before his son had died; how he had been out of the most important years of his life and leaving him on his own to lead the business, how his untimely death came about by a crazed maniac. He remembers when he heard the news, and he remembered how it drove him so mad behind the bars of prison.
The past begins to take its toll on his mind; it is time now for him to think about the present. Just as the drive has left the countryside of Hillwood, he stopped his thoughts regarding any past mistakes to think about the potential of the future; a future coming to light with the lights of Hillwood coming into view over the horizon.
He remembers how he took control of the family long ago, how hard he had pushed himself to stay out of poverty, and how hard he worked to keep it all running in order. His time for retirement is now gone and over, and his time to enter the game once again is here.
"Hello, Hillwood. Big Daddy's back home." 'Little' Nicky said.
[Soundtrack Cue End]