The Grand Escape
I was shit out of luck. Not long after the incident with Tattoo in the yard, the warden Dewayne Sickle called me into his office. Mayor Pinnacle was there, along with his personal bodyguard, former boxer Rafshoon Diggs. I knew I was fucked, but just how was the question.
When I was convicted, I was sentenced to death row, but ever since I became protector for Wireboy and Preacherman, several other inmates wanted my head and theirs. But this was different. Mayor Pinnacle had declared that my sentence be shortened. In other words, this had become a fast track death row sentence.
There was something not right about this. First I was sentenced mainly for killing Blatz, despite having all of the motivation in the world to do so. Then I was sentenced to death row, and now my sentenced wasn't long from now. Someone must really want me dead so bad.
But there had to be a way out of this.
For the past five to six months, Jack had to keep looking over his shoulder. It seemed that word had gotten out that his sentence was shortened, but due to being so unpopular among the general population for being a cop, some people wanted to make sure that his death would come sooner than the exact date he would be given the chair. The issues with Tattoo and his crew were still not done, but after that one day Jack almost got shanked, Tattoo bided his time, at least until something better came along.
One day, Jack was in the cafeteria with Wireboy and Preacherman during the lunch hour. It was a quiet time, especially with the population already aware of Jack's imminent execution that was to come not too long from now.
Jack sat there looking at the table, away from his food on the tray. His eyes and facial expression was at a major stand still, like thoughts went through his head. He knew that he wasn't going to get an appeal, especially with the execution coming soon. One reason was that he was certain that Blatz's lawyer probably got paid off, as did the judge. If he waited it out, he was going to get fried with 1,000 volts going into his body, and there is no way he was going to survive it.
"There has to be a way," Jack said. Suddenly, Wireboy and Preacherman looked up. The silence had been broken right then.
"What are you talking about?" Preacherman said.
"There has to be a way to get out of here," Jack said. "I have unfinished business. I can't go just yet and I can't let my dad's murder go unpunished."
"Jack, I have faith that there is a way out of here," Preacherman said. "In fact, I heard some stuff through the grapevine."
"Talk to me, Padre," Jack said.
"I heard from Tattoo that he, Mad Dog, and Big Arm Tony are planning a break the minute old Sparky makes the lights dim, if you know what I'm saying," Preacherman said. "It turns out that he and his boys got the hookup from some connections on the outside, like a map of some kind."
"Wait, what did you say?" Jack said.
"I don't know much," Preacherman said. "But that's all I heard."
"Wait, I know something." Wireboy cut in right at that moment.
"What do you know, Timmy?" Jack said.
"Could you please not call me that? Just call me Wireboy or Tim," Wireboy said.
"Okay, I want to know what you know," Jack said.
"Look, I think it would be best if you meet me in the workshop soon so I can tell you," Wireboy said. "I don't want anybody around to be listening in on us."
"Okay, I'll swing by after I work out," Jack said. "You need to fill me in on this."
Wireboy nodded and looked up and saw Johnson, one of the prison guards standing around and signaled to him. What was going on now?
Later that day, after Jack had completed his daily workout routine, whether it was hitting the weights, using the punching bags, or even sparring with Stinger, who had shown him some new moves for months now, Jack kept on his word to meet with Wireboy in the prison's workshop. It was only down the hall from the gym.
Jack walked through the door. The workshop consisted of eight different workstations where people would be building stuff. Right at the end, Jack saw a guard standing there.
"Johnson, what are you doing here?" Jack said.
Johnson, one of the prison guards, stood by the door to what appeared to be an office of some sort.
"I hear you need to speak to Wireboy about something," Johnson said. "But I am here because I want to help you bust out."
"Did Wireboy fill you in on this?" Jack said.
"Why don't you go in and talk to him yourself?" Johnson said. "Besides, I owe you for all of the bullshit with Mac."
Jack nodded and went right into the office. Months prior, Johnson had gotten into some stuff with Mac, the same guy who tried to shank Wireboy that one time and got into it with Jack. It appeared that Mac had stolen a picture of Johnson's girlfriend and threatened to have some guys he knew on the outside to rape and maybe kill her if Johnson didn't play ball with him, in that he wanted to try to take out Jack himself, along with some fellow inmates. Of course, Jack wouldn't have any of it and got into another fight with Mac, who was one of the inmates who wanted to cut Jack's sentence even shorter by killing him while in prison. It appeared that Mac had ties to the Scorpions, the same gang that Jack and Chris thwarted at that supermarket. But Mac ended up losing and getting put back in solitary. Jack got the photo back and gave it to Johnson.
Inside, Wireboy sat in the office working on something, using a screwdriver to build something.
"Hey, Wireboy, what do you know?" Jack said. "Do you know of a way out of here?"
Wireboy put down the tool and gave Jack his undivided attention. "In fact, I do, but this is not going to be easy."
"When is anything in life easy?" Jack said. "Remember, you tried to hack into Julian Temple's files."
"Touché," Wireboy said. "Okay, you want to know how to bust out of here. Preacherman told you about how Tattoo and his boys are planning to bust out of here the night of your execution. Well, I know of a way. Johnson has been helping me out. He knows some people out there who provided me with a way to get me out of here. The thing he needs to provide you with is a way to get old Sparky shut down."
"Okay, what would I need to do?" Jack said.
"We would need to pour some battery acid on the conduits," Wireboy said. "Theory says that it will bring down the whole grid for a couple of hours. You put it on the contacts and it will bathe into sudden darkness, at least until the security light comes on."
"Are you sure about that?" Jack said.
"This place is older than the pyramids," Wireboy said. "Then again, that's only theory. As for the straps, you would need a razor blade, but you're on your own for that. I could have Johnson bring one in, but you'll need someone to give it to you then."
"I think I'm covered for that," Jack said.
"Okay, but all of that shit is useless without an escape route," Wireboy said.
"Preacher told me that Tattoo has connections on the outside who provided him with a map," Jack said.
"That guy is not the brightest bulb out there, he can't keep his mouth shut," Wireboy said. "You'll have to find a way to get his map to find his route, as well as the entrance. Unfortunately, I can't help you with that."
"Don't worry, I'll figure out something," Jack said. "You can follow me out that way."
"Uh, I have a different way of getting out of here," Wireboy said. "But just know that for all you have done for me, I owe you a lot and I will repay you somehow should we meet on the outside."
"I will keep that in mind, Wireboy," Jack said. "I'll think of something. Anyway, do you know anything about Tattoo's connections?"
"Considering Tattoo's got a big mouth, I hear he knows some people, connected to the Sandman or Mayhem Inc. That's all I can tell you."
The Sandman, as in John Sanderville? Mayhem Inc, that assassin's guild out of Broadway? I think that guy who shot Blatz and got me framed worked with those fuckers. Looks like I'm getting closer to my father's killer I can almost taste it.
Jack left the room. Johnson still stood outside, standing guard.
Jack said, "You're still here, Johnson?" Or maybe he wasn't.
"Look, Slate, I owe you big time for the stuff with my girlfriend," Johnson said. "Mac would have given his guys outside the green light on my woman. I couldn't let that happen. If you hadn't fucked him up, those guys would have done serious fucking shit to her. I know you're planning a breakout. Let me help you. Besides, I heard somewhere that you want justice for your old man. You probably have more support here than you think. Besides, I don't agree with Sickle's methods. He made Sorreno, another inmate in here eat his cigarette, and it was still lit."
"I'm listening, what do you got for me?" Jack said.
"Okay, so this place is pretty old from what I hear," Johnson said. "I hear that there are some areas that are old that a simple sledgehammer or you can even pick through vents and enter the sewers. I will keep you posted."
Jack shook the guard's hand. It was not going to be easy, but if Johnson was willing to help him out, he had to make sure he was worthy of his trust. If Johnson was opposed to Sickle's methods, then maybe he couldn't be too bad.
The end was near. It was coming. No one suspected how soon it would come, but it was just about here. Jack already had it down regarding his escape plan, but in the meantime he had to bide his time until then.
One day, Sickle stood around as the convicts walked in single file lines, as they were doing their usual work detail of the day. But when it came time that Jack passed by him, he had other ideas.
"Hey, Slate, I need to talk to you," Sickle said. Jack walked out of the line as the other inmates continued being guided to their cells.
"What do you want, Sickle?" Jack said.
"Just wanted to tell you that it will be a pleasure to see you getting fried on the chair really soon," Sickle said.
"Fuck you," Jack said.
"Yeah, you'll be saying that when you're begging for your fucking life once you have a thousand volts going through your body," Sickle said with an evil smile on his face. "Yeah, I know all about what you did. I'm sure that Augie Blatz will be waiting for you once you get into hell, wanting to give you the punishment you so greatly deserve."
Jack stood there in silence, turned away. At a moment's notice, he moved his head forward directly right to Sickle's face, butting his head right to Sickle's nose, causing him to move backwards a bit.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Sickle yelled. Several guards ran forth, with Johnson being one of them.
"Hold on, I got this," Johnson said and whipped out a taser. BZZZZZT! Johnson held the stun gun right to Jack, causing him to drop. Johnson picked him up and carried him away.
"I got this, Sickle, none of you worry," Johnson said to the warden and the guards.
Johnson carried Jack away from the rest. As soon as they got far enough, Jack quietly said to Johnson, "What are you doing?"
"Relax, just be cool," Johnson said. "I got something you might want."
Johnson pulled out something that looked folded.
"What the hell is this?" Jack said.
"It's a map of the prison," Johnson said. "After Tattoo left his cell earlier, when the other guards weren't looking, I went in and saw that Tattoo had this lying around. You might want to look at it."
"Won't he know that it's missing?" Jack said.
"I'm sure that he has looked at it multiple times and shown it to his men," Johnson said. "He might also know about an entrance to the sewers once the power goes out."
"Do you know where he is?" Jack said.
"He's been skipping out on his work detail," Johnson said. "With the day he coming up, he's been hanging out in the shower area, obsessing over a certain area."
"Whoa, the showers? I don't even want to know," Jack said. "You know what, I need to know about this entrance."
If this guard is helping me looking for that weasel, then maybe I should look into this. If there's any funny business going on in there, I'm getting the fuck out of there.
Johnson led Jack to the shower area. Once Jack walked through the door and down the mini hall to the main door, Tattoo's voice was so loud that he was able to hear everything that was said. Jack peered over a corner. Despite the setting, Tattoo stood there with Big Arm Tony and Mad Dog, all of whom were fully clothed. It was like they made the showers their office or hangout. From the distance, Tattoo stood near a shower stall that had some cracks on it from the wall down to the floor right next to the drain. The sign on there said "out of order," which was an indication that it was no longer in use until further notice.
Tattoo chuckled. "'Bout the time they flip the switch, we're gonna be halfway back to a hot babe and a cool drink. We're gonna be free, boys!" Tattoo chuckled some more.
"You sure you can trust our ride to be there?" Big Arm Tony said.
"Please, Marvin is my sister's old man's deadbeat brother," Tattoo said. "Thinks he's hot shit because of his connections, but no ride, no money, he'll be there. He's been helping us out lately."
"I hope you're right," Mad Dog said. "I just can't wait any longer."
"That fucking cop is going to wish he never fucked with us," Tattoo said. "I wish I could be there to watch, but all I want is to fuck me a hot babe and get a drink. Maybe we can go to the Black Orchid. I hear they got some nice pussy there."
Jack stood there and listened to everything that was being said, but he did his best to keep out of sight. All his attention was directed towards was that shower in particular. The cracks looked so broken that all it could take is a simple stomp to break through.
Well, Tattoo, I got your map now. Jack thought. I better not see you on the outside, or is it the other way around?
As Tattoo and Big Arm Tony continued to talk, Mad Dog looked around but the moment he looked towards one doorway, he noticed something highly irregular. Jack quickly got out of sight and behind the wall.
"Mad Dog, what's wrong?" Tattoo said.
"Thought I saw someone, but I can't tell for sure," Mad Dog said.
It wasn't long until another guard walked into the area from the other entrance on the other side.
"What the hell's going on in here?" the guard said.
"Tupperware party, what's it look like, Keystone?" Tattoo said so snidely.
"Ha ha, very funny," Keystone the guard said. "Hey, you guys seen Slate? Sickle's looking for him and he's pretty pissed. Last we checked, Johnson took him away, but Sickle had a bone to pick with Slate."
"Watching him was your job, Keystone," Tattoo said. "I don't got to fucking worry about Slate no more. The moment he gets on the chair, we're going to be free thanks to you."
"Hey, you better repay your debt somehow," Keystone said.
"What's it to you?" Tattoo said.
"Hey, I found this area, I even had to hide your shit before I gave them to you," Keystone said.
"Okay, okay, we'll work something out," Tattoo said. "Besides, you're okay, Keystone."
Jack peered and listened behind the wall. It seemed that maybe they had their own guard on their side helping them break loose.
I had the map and I found what I was looking for. Jack said. Now it was time to drop below radar and square up some place safe to review the map, like my cell for instance.
Jack went back to his cell. Johnson was close by because he had to put up the act of him walking Jack to his cell. According to the other guard, Keystone, Sickle was so upset that he wanted to give him a piece of his mind after what happened earlier. But right now, Jack was more interested in finishing the final piece of the puzzle for his escape. With Wireboy, Preacherman, and Johnson on his side, there was no way that this plan wouldn't work.
When Jack got back to his cell, Preacherman sat in his bunk bed reading the bible. He then looked up and saw his cellmate returning.
"Jack, where were you?" Preacherman said.
"Finishing my plan," Jack said. "Look when it happens next week, when you do the last rites, I want you to bring in the blade and the acid."
"I'm way ahead of you, Jack," Preacherman said.
"Hey, if this works, Chris and I will be back to get you out of here, Preacherman," Jack said.
"The lord don't like empty promises, son," Preacherman said.
"Faith, Padre, Faith," Jack said.
Jack and Preacherman shook hands at that. Though it would be better to have the Preacherman join in on the escape, he would not be able to keep up, as well as needed to ensure that to any of the prison's staff that he was not involved. Jack was going to keep his word on this, but he had unfinished business.
Jack climbed up to the top bunk and pulled out the map that he had. He looked over it and there was quite an escape route that he could follow.
Tattoo's map wasn't half bad. It traced a route through that shower drain and a bunch of underground tunnels and ancient drainage pipes. If anything, the sewers were right under the prison. This place was solid, but old and hadn't seen a whole lot of maintenance since Eisenhower was in the White House. I just hope the same could be said about "Old Sparky."
The day was finally here. In a lounge, the TV was on with the news doing a report of the countdown to Jack's execution, with Kip Waterman covering the story. According to the news report, it appeared that Mayor Pinnacle was the person who warranted for Jack's fast-track execution, despite opposing pleas from mayoral rival candidate, Gloria Exner, who felt that this was unjust.
To a lot of people, not just in Iron Point Penitentiary, but also Grant City, this was Jack's last day on Earth. For the most part, he continued to study the map of the underground. But Jack knew otherwise, as well as a few others in the prison.
Night had finally fallen. The execution was going to happen. Sickle walked Jack to the room where the electric chair was, along with Johnson and Keystone. Though this prison had a gas chamber, it seemed that for some sadistic reason, someone really wanted to see Jack fry, which was why it was declared that he was going to get the chair.
Outside of the room, Waterman stood there with a microphone talking directly to a camera, as he was providing news coverage of this event.
"In just a few moments, the raging controversy surrounding the murder of Augie Blatz will be put to rest with the execution of fallen police officer, Jack Slate," Waterman said. "Bearing witness today are Mayor William Pinnacle, Deputy Chief Dick Hennessey of the Grant City Police Department, and a number of friends of the victim, among them is former heavyweight champion, Rafshoon Diggs."
Inside, the chair was there with the clock on top as it was almost midnight. Preacherman stood there with a bible in hand. Sickle went up to the chair and shoved Jack to the floor.
"Get in that fucking chair, Slate!" Sickle said. Jack crawled into the chair. Though he wanted to give Sickle his comeuppance, it wasn't the time to do it. Sickle went ahead and put the straps on Jack, including the headpiece.
"Cost me a lot of money to get the pleasure of frying you, Slate," Sickle said with a malicious smile. "And I was a pig, too, you know. I even knew your old man."
Jack sat there. As much as he wanted to attack Sickle again, he was in no position to. Right in front of him was a large man in a pinstripe suit, black hair and a mustache, and started lighting a cigar. That man was none other than the mayor himself, William Pinnacle. Right next to him was Hennessey, rocking a suit. It appeared that he got promoted to Deputy Chief in the time he was in jail. Plus, he was the man who headed the investigation of Blatz's murder and arrested Jack that same night. After that was a muscular African-American man with a blonde man-bun, wearing a vest, a tie, a white shirt with slacks. It was Rafshoon Diggs, a former boxer who was also a bodyguard for the mayor. Then there were the Volkoff brothers, Boris and Dimitri, both of whom worked for Blatz at the time of his death. There were even others such as Hector Cruz, who managed the Blue Fly Club and was also rumored to take part in shoots for pornographic videos. Maybe he even had a hand in some other illicit activity.
I didn't think Augie had this many friends. Jack thought. For me to get sentenced like this, they all must have wanted to see me fry so badly.
"Well, well, how nice to see you again, Slate," Hennessey said as he walked up to him sitting in the electric chair. "Too bad it was under these circumstances. I knew I couldn't trust you after what you did."
Jack didn't say anything. He knew that Hennessey has had it in for him for a while. If anything, the more supportive superiors he had in the department were Inness and Redwater. Even though Inness was iffy about Jack's methods sometimes, he knew that Jack knew how to get the job done.
None of that was important. He shifted his eyes right to Preacherman, who nodded. Sickle stood right by the electric generator, hand on the switch and everything.
Preacherman before everyone, including Jack, about to do his routine.
"Oh, heavenly father!" Preacherman said. "Look into this man's heart and find the goodness!"
Preacherman did things dramatically, enough that he shook the bible right close to Jack's hand, open and everything, as the razor blade dropped flat into the palm of Jack's right hand. He then went to Jack's left and pulled out a clear tube with some liquid in it.
"Look into his soul with mercy and welcome him into your kingdom with open arms!" Preacherman said as uncapped the tube and poured the liquid onto the conduits, causing smoke to emit. It was definitely the acid, as small sparks flew as well as the smoke.
"Oh, dear God, give us a miracle!" Preacherman said, closing the tube and looking at Jack in the eye and made a nod.
Pinnacle took a puff from his cigar and then cleared his throat. "Okay, okay, now that we're done. It's time."
"Hey, Slate!" Sickle said, still with his hand on the switch. "When you get to Hell, tell them Dewayne Sickle sent you! I'm sure you have some people waiting for you."
"Jack Slate," Pinnacle said. "On behalf of the people of Grant City, I sentence you to death by means of electrocution for murder. Do you have any last words?"
Jack looked right towards the mayor in the eye and said, "Not yet."
"You fucking son of a bitch!" Sickle said and quickly pulled the switch down. Suddenly, the lights went off. A huge flash went off from sparks flying from the damage done to the chair. More sparks flew and flashes went off. Many of the people inside the room yelled out things like "What's going on here?" and "Shut it off!" Another sound was heard, as it sounded like a cry of pain, like someone was attacked.
"What the hell is going on?" The voice sounded like Pinnacle.
"What happened?" It sounded like Hennessey.
"Somebody turn on the damn lights!" Pinnacle said.
Suddenly, the red light turned on, likely the security light. On the floor, Sickle lied there in the fetal position, like he was hit below the belt.
"Sickle, are you alright?" Hennessey said and went ahead to help him get to his feet.
"That Slate!" Sickle said. "After that fucker! Now!"
"I want this place on lockdown, now!" Pinnacle said.
"You don't have to tell me, Pinnacle," Sickle said and got his transceiver. "I want all of you to find Jack Slate. Now, god damn it!"
Many of the guards that were present got out their shotguns and pistols and ran right out of the room. Jack couldn't have gotten far.
Meanwhile, all Preacherman could say was, "Thank you, Lord. Praise Jesus."
Jack ran down the halls. He knew where he had to go. Many of the guards were now on him. The alarm was blaring all over the prison. If that wasn't bad enough, some of the inmates had found themselves out of there cells as well. It seems like some people were seizing the opportunity to get their early release. As soon as any guards grabbed Jack, he quickly threw them off of him. It was time to bust out of here. It was now or never.
As soon as Jack found the shower room, he went right in. Many guards ran in from the other entrance, as did a certain trio of inmates.
"Fuck, it's Slate!" Tattoo said. But Jack wasn't going to have it. He went right to that shower and kicked the wall down as a hole was broken into the sewers. Jack went forth and jumped down there.
The sewers had some light down there, as well as a terrible stench that was in the air, but what could one expect from being in a sewer?
This was no easy feat. All Jack had to do was remember where there was a storm pipe that led into the outside. Being that this prison was massive, he knew that it would take a bit to get out. Luckily, there were dotted lines on the map to lead into the outside. So Jack continued to follow any plausible paths.
"Hey, I thought you knew where you were going." Jack turned around and heard a voice say that.
"I am sure that I do. Someone stole the fucking map!" That voice sounded familiar. Jack turned around. It was Tattoo, along with Mad Dog and Big Arm Tony.
"Fuck me," Jack said and ran down the path.
"Hey, there's that fucking cop! He's got my fucking map!" Tattoo yelled.
The only thing Jack could do was run, or at least try to. The ground was wet from all of the dirty sewer water. The water was shallow enough to try to run a bit.
The whole sewer was damn maze. Jack had to follow it to get out of there. The dotted lines on the map went eastbound, so he needed to head east in order to make sure he could be on the right path.
It wasn't long until other convicts were seen in the sewer. It seemed that Tattoo couldn't keep his mouth shut. But nonetheless, it didn't matter. None of these convicts were important to Jack, and he wasn't important to them as they didn't try to attack him.
If that wasn't bad enough, many of the guards had come down into the sewers, as well as guys dressed in all black gear. It would have to be some of the riot squad. It really shouldn't be that much of a surprise. With a corrupt warden at Iron Point, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that riots would take place. Hell, Jack even experienced some in the seven months he had been in there. Pinnacle must have had them come in and Sickle may have agreed to it.
Considering that they were armed, all Jack had to do was run faster than before. Much to his surprise, Tattoo and his two cohorts weren't too far behind. After all, they were in the sewer around the same time Jack got in there. That was their plan when the power would go out, until the security lights went on and the prison went into lockdown.
Jack, along with Tattoo and his cohorts, and other convicts that made it far enough, were getting closer. They all have traveled a distance. The one thing that Jack noticed at the far end of the tunnel was a gate of some sort.
Freedom, that's all Jack could think. There was no going back. He was going to make it out of there.
"Hey, Slate!" Jack turned around.
Tattoo, I didn't think he'd get this far without his picture book. Jack thought. Somehow he managed. I'll give him that.
But Jack didn't want to turn his attention to him. He just kept going until he passed through the door and went forth until he saw a ladder that went up. The moment he started climbing, he knew he was home free. No turning back now. Jack started climbing up and climbed up until he reached something solid above him. Jack looked up and pushed the thing up. It was definitely a hatch of some sort to get into the sewers. Once he opened it, he climbed out. Right behind him were the spotlights and alarm still sounding from the distance. But Jack didn't care; now he wondered how he would get into town.
As soon as Jack walked right onto the road, lights came on from his right. He looked that way. They were headlights. Could he have had a ride back into town and he just didn't know?
The car was a four-door sedan. The second Jack stepped onto the road, the car came rushing towards him. Jack looked on and quickly ran and jumped out of the car's way onto the ground across the street. The car hit the brakes. Jack went and hid behind a rock. He was out in the sticks and that was where the prison was located. Suddenly, Tattoo, Mad Dog, and Big Arm Tony were seen approaching that same car. Jack hid behind the rock and faced the front of the car. The license plate was visible, as was the number. The number was just word that said "MSILT" on it. The driver of the car had a bald head and facial tattoos, but not to the extent of Tattoo himself, who even had tattoos on his head. That should narrow it down.
Lucky for Jack, he may have to give his good friend Chris a call soon, as well as someone else, like Hildy. But in the meantime, he needed to get back into town.
For about an hour, Jack walked down the open road. It was going to be a bit before he would head into any part of Grant City. Also, he wondered where he would need to lie low. A light glared on him and on the road. Jack turned around and saw what looked like a truck of some sort. It was probably someone passing through Grant City to drive along the open road at night. The truck stopped and opened the window to the passenger side.
"Excuse me, sir, I couldn't help but notice you walking along the road like that," the trucker said. "Would you like a ride into town?"
Jack approached the door. "Yes, please. Just drop me off at the Bay Bell Hotel if you can."
It was around 1:30 AM, close to 2 AM. The nightlife in Grant City was still going for some reason as the hotel lobby was still bright with its lights on. Jack knew that he would look suspicious going through there in his prison outfit. But there was one place in particular that he was going as the moment he walked in, he approached the elevator. The woman at the front counter looked like she could barely keep herself awake in that moment. Jack pushed the button and headed the top floor. Jack walked through a door with police tape that looked to be broken over time. It was definitely a familiar place that no one bothered to look at in months, especially after a certain incident.
They say every criminal returns to the scene of the crime, but very rarely do the good guys. By now, Hennessey would have my apartment under watch 24/7. But I was willing to bet that that crime scene was still open thanks to the usual assortment of bureaucratic snafus. I'd hole up in Blatz's penthouse, let things cool down for a bit while I plan my next move. I wasn't going to get very far dressed like an escaped convict, so I figure I'd borrow some of Augie's clothes. He wouldn't be needing them anymore now that he's six feet under.
I had plenty of work ahead of me – solve my father's murder and find the guy who set me up. And to do that, I was going to need guns and information, more or less in that order. And there's one place where both exist in profusion – Chinatown.
But right now I need to get some rest. Tomorrow, I got some calls to make, and then I'll see about my next move.
Jack looked himself in the mirror. He knew he did not have a pleasant smell on him. But he rinsed his face a bit and then went into the bedroom to crash onto the bed. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
Meanwhile, at Sanderville Heights, Mr. Sanderville sat in his office wearing his bathrobe over his pajamas. He had trouble sleeping, especially with the news coverage of the execution saying that things went horribly wrong. Palmer and Dutch stood before their boss.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Sanderville?" Palmer asked.
"No, nothing that we can't handle," Sanderville said. "Right now I'm wondering if maybe Slate survived."
"Well, Marvin went to go pick up some friends at the escape," Dutch said. "From what I've heard, it seems that Marvin was supposed to run over anybody who wasn't his friend got out."
"Well, if Slate did survive, then that means shit will get even more fucked up," Sanderville said. "I mean I'm not sure if there is more to it than that."
"Slate shouldn't get too far," Palmer said. "He's got nobody to turn to, at least I don't think so."
"That guy killed one of the city's most known crime bosses who was also my protégé," Sanderville said. "That takes a lot of balls and skill. As for Marvin, I'm not sure what that guy will do. One thing I could do is see if one of you guys could handle Slate."
"I would be up for it," Dutch said.
"Wait, Mr. Sanderville, are you sure that's necessary?" Palmer said.
"Why would you ask that?" Sanderville said.
"Well, because it might be bad for our business if we just go and kill an ex-cop like that," Palmer said.
"What the fuck are you talking about? He's convicted murderer, for fuck's sake!" Mr. Sanderville said.
"I'm just saying that it would be better if we went outside the family, that way we don't fuck up our business," Palmer said. Dutch looked at Palmer with so much confusion on his face.
"Good point, Palmer, I've always admired your ways to play it smart," Sanderville said. "I think I'll make a call soon to one of the best assassins in town. I hear she is one ice cold killer, too."
"She?" Dutch said.
"Yes, 'she,'" Sanderville said. "I will call this person now."
Inside a room at the Pink Starfish Motel, a young white man in his 20s lied in a bed in his underwear. Standing before was a stunningly attractive woman of Chinese descent with a red dye-job in her hair. She was in her black bra and had on a black miniskirt with the waistband of her thong showing, almost like how when a guy sags his pants. This would be the female equivalent to it. She also had red boots on along with long nylons.
"Wow, you are one hot chick," the man said. "I mean I've seen some sexy women of your kind at the Black Orchid, but you're something else, lady."
"Oh, I am different from the women at the Black Orchid," the woman said.
"Well, whatever do you mean?" the man said, hinting that he was ready for sex as he was already turned on at the sight of this woman.
The woman slowly unbuttoned her skirt and slowly pulled it off. She climbed into the bed, started crawling in a very seductive fashion and moved really closely to the man. Close enough that she was ready to kiss him.
"You'll soon find out," the woman said seductively, leaning in towards his face, locking her lips to kiss the man. However, the reaction was not what he expected as the young man started choking, convulsing, his eyes rolled back a bit, and started to foam in his mouth. It wasn't long until blood started coming out of his mouth as well.
"I heard that you and some friends raped a woman, but you were the one who lead this terrible action," the woman said. "She was the daughter of a very powerful man."
The woman watched as this guy die right in front of her. She pulled something off of her lips, which signified that the thing on her lips had something connected, like poison. Suddenly, her cellphone rang.
"This is Eve Adams speaking," the woman said. "Ah, the Sandman. How are you doing, Mr. Sanderville? I see. No, I'm not free, but I am available. I will look into this. Just got to give me the right price for the job. Okay, just have one of your men meet me to give me the details and I will do it. Thank you."
Eve looked at her mark as he was now dead on the bed with a smile that was both evil and in a mocking fashion.
"Men, always thinking with your dicks instead of your brains," Eve said. "This was too easy for me."
Eve went and put her miniskirt back on and went to a chair where she had a long red coat hanging. She put it on and only buttoned the top button. She then left the motel room.
"Jack Slate, I see," Eve said. "I think this should be worth it."
Author's note: Man, what a chapter. For the most part, this was not an easy chapter to write, primarily the part about the prison break. I even had a part in there that I had to take out because I didn't like where it was going. I realized that this story wasn't about breaking out of jail but it was not easy coming up with a plausible way to break out of jail. In the original game, Jack escape through a manhole that was in the showers. But really, you wouldn't find a manhole like that in a shower. So I had to come up with another way.
Also, the original game had some over-the-top elements, especially one thing involving the warden. Believe me, his fate in that one was pretty crazy.
I also will note that I have since beaten Dead to Rights: Retribution. Yes, I already knew the story going into it after watching the walkthrough, but it also helped to get an idea for this story. If I am including some elements from that one in my story, it could help matters a bit.
As for the part with Eve and the deadly kiss, well that was mainly a reference to the movie, "Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins Ball." I wouldn't doubt if the writer for that also took that from "Batman & Robin" with Poison Ivy having those venomous lips. Wouldn't be surprising in the least bit.
I will continue with this soon.