Chapter 8: Trap or Die
Yo, Nightmare up in this bitch! Rebel and Ruler out here doing work and putting out literary art, though. Check it out. See you in the authors notes. Deuces!
Carnel laid in bed and stared at the ceiling as he tried to fall asleep but the scene from that day thirteen years ago kept playing through his head, he sat up in bed and snapped his fingers. A small rift opened beside the bed and Carnel reached into it, he pulled out his silver briefcase and made his way toward the door. Falcon looked up from his book as Carnel was pulling on his shoes "Yo, you want to blaze?" Carnel asked as he put the other shoe on, Falcon shrugged and put a bookmark in his book before he put on his shoes and got out of bed.
Carnel and Falcon made their way to the roof that looked out over the desolate courtyard, Carnel leaped up onto the railing and sat down with his feet dangling over the edge. Falcon followed suit and sat down next to the dealer as he opened his briefcase, he pulled out a long, thin cigar and used a razor blade to slice open the cigarillo. He took the top off of his grinder and dumped the tobacco out of the wrapper, he refilled the cigar paper with grounded weed and a little keef from the bottom of the grinder.
He licked the edge of the wrapper and rolled the blunt tight, he grabbed his lighter from his pocket and lit the end of the blunt. He took a deep drag before he passed it to Falcon, Carnel exhaled slowly as Falcon took a hit and held the smoke in his lungs as he passed it back to Carnel but he started to cough as he exhaled "You don't smoke often, do you?" Carnel asked as he took another toke. Falcon shook his head "Nah, I didn't smoke often since I lived at home before Alicia and I came here. Man, that stuff is good, what is it?" Falcon asked as Carnel passed the blunt back to Falcon.
Carnel snapped his fingers and pulled a medium box out of his Rift before he closed the portal again, he flipped the latch up and lifted the lid on the box. The box was filled with organized baggies of weed that were sorted by strain "This is Blue Dream but I also got Sour Diesel, OG Kush, White Widow, Granddaddy Purple, Pineapple Express, AK-47, Strawberry Cough, Cherry Pie, and GSC. But, this is just one box of some of my favorites, I got like twelve others in my Rift." Carnel said as he showed Falcon his collection.
Carnel snapped his fingers and put the box away before he pulled out another one, he sat the new box on his lap and lifted the lid, he pulled out a sandwich filled with some sizeable buds and closed the lid again. He placed the box back into the Rift and closed it again, he handed the baggie to Falcon as he took the blunt from his teammate "This is Banana Kush." Carnel said before he took another toke, Falcon opened the bag and took a deep breath "Mmm, it smells sweet." Falcon said before he handed it back to Carnel but Carnel stopped him "You keep that, think of it as a gift amongst friends." Carnel said as he handed the blunt back to Falcon.
"So what got you into this type of life?" Falcon asked as he took another hit and passed the blunt back to Carnel, he took the blunt and flicked the ash off the tip "Well, that's a long story. I would say it all started thirteen years ago." Carnel said as he took another toke.
*13 Years Ago*
A woman sat on the floor with her son while he played with his toy truck "Vroom vroom." The little boy said as he pushed the toy across the floor, the woman had long dark red hair that ran down her back and topaz yellow eyes that looked at her son who was playing in front of her. "Do you like your truck, Carnel?" The woman asked in sweet tone, her son looked up at her with his red eyes full of wonder "Yes I love it, thank you mommy! I love you." He said as he got up and wrapped his arms around her, she wrapped her arms around the boy and held him close. A couple tears streamed down her cheeks as she held her child. "I love you, too, Carnel. Mommy loves you too." She said as she wiped her tears away.
"Haley! Haley where the fuck are you!?" A man yelled with a slur in his voice, Haley looked up while holding Carnel in her arms but the love in her eyes was replaced with fear. Haley picked Carnel up and took him a closet, she sat him inside the closet and handed him his toy truck "Alright baby, stay here and don't come out no matter what." Haley said with tears streaming down her face, she closed the door as another door slammed open.
"There you are bitch, why didn't you answer me!?" The man demanded, the woman grabbed the man's hand "Hunter, calm down. Why are you so angry?" Haley asked her husband, Hunter laughed "I know you were planning on leaving me, bitch!" Hunter said before he back handed her across the face, Haley fell to the ground and held her face as she cowered on the ground. Carnel busted out of the closet "Mommy!" Carnel said as he saw he mother on the ground and his father towering over her, Hunter stared at Carnel as his drunk eyes filled with anger.
"There's the bastard I wish we never had, you hear me you little shit! I wish you were never born!" Hunter yelled at his six year old son who started to cry, Hunter laughed to himself "Wow Haley, you turned him into a cry baby!" Hunter said as he swayed back and forth, Haley tried to get up but Hunter pulled out a pistol and cocked it "I wish I never married you." Hunter said before he shot Haley in the head.
Haley's lifeless body fell to the ground and was motionless, Carnel stared as he watched scared and confused. "It's all your fault, I hate you." Hunter said before he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Carnel ran over to his mother's body and rocked her "Mom. Mom wake up, Daddy's hurt. Mommy?" Carnel asked as he started to cry again, the door flew open as someone ran in "Haley? Is everything ok I heard a… gun." A woman said as she stopped in her tracks "Miss Marigold, mommy won't wake up." Carnel said as he tried to wake his mom up.
Miss Marigold ran over to Carnel and wrapped him in her arms "It's alright, mommy is just going to sleep for a little while." Marigold said as she picked Carnel up and carried him out of the house. A man stood outside on the sidewalk while he was on his scroll "It finally happened." Marigold said to her husband, the man sighed as he closed his scroll "The poor boy, the police will be here shortly. I wish she got out sooner." The man said, the woman nodded "I know, Sheldon. I tried to get her out with her son but she said he would hunt her down." Marigold said as four police cars pulled up with sirens blaring.
*Eight Years Later*
"Get back here!" A man yelled as he chased a teenager down the street, the teen had shaggy brown hair and crimson red eyes, he bounded the corner and ran down an alley as he hid behind a dumpster. He held his breath to try and slow his breathing, the man ran past the alley and took a right, the teen laughed lightly as he counted the Lien that he stole.
"Nice haul, what is that, like three hundred Lien?" A man with dark skin asked as he slowly rose out of the ground, the teen shrugged "More or less, who the fuck are you?" The teen asked, the man sat down against a wall "I'm Diam, you?" Diam asked the thief.
"Carnel." The teen said as he stuffed the Lien into his pocket and shook Diam's hand, Diam looked out at the road where the man who was chasing Carnel was now talking to two cops "Say, you got a place to stay?" Diam asked Carnel who shook his head "No, I ran away from the orphanage I was in about three years ago." Carnel said, Diam nodded his head as he stood up "Want to come live with me, I got some friends that I want you to meet." Diam said as he extended his hand, Carnel took his hand and stood up.
"Alright, grab a hold of my arm and hold on tight." Diam said as he extended his arm to the young thief, Carnel grabbed his arm before the pair slowly sunk into the ground. They slowly reemerged from the ground inside of a lightly furnished house, it was a room full of people who were carrying weapons.
"Guys, this is Carnel and he'll be staying here with us." Diam said as he introduced Carnel to the room of thugs, the men approached the teenager and sized him up menacingly but the men simply grabbed him and wrapped him in a bear hug "Welcome to the family, kid. From this day forward, you're a member of The Undead of Atlas." One of the men said.
"Carnel, these are the Undead. This is Colby, Bress, Red, Sall, Brans, and Emert. They're about your age, in fact we all are." Diam said as he introduced everyone, Carnel looked at Diam confused "Wait, what?" He asked confused, Diam wrapped his arm around Carnel's neck "To put it simply, we're drug dealers but we don't work with no organized drug syndicate or terror group unlike the Vajo of Vale, those fuckers work with the White Fang." Diam said, Carnel nodded "Sweet, I'm down. Let's get this mother fucker poppin'!" Carnel said gung-ho but Diam stopped him "Easy there, Amtrack. You need a strap first." Diam said as he led the new member to a back room.
He flipped the light on and showed the teen a room lined with weapons and ammo "Pick your strap, fam." Diam said as Carnel walked into the room and looked around, he looked at a line of pistols but picked up a gold Colt 1911 with chrome trim down the barrel "I like this one." Carnel said but Diam stopped him "Wait! That belongs to Angel, our leader." Diam said but he was cut off by a deep voice "No, he can have it." A man with eagle wings on his back said as he walked into the room.
"Carnel, this is Angel. Angel, this is Carnel." Diam said as the two men shook hands "You know, I see a lot of myself in you, son." Angel said as he patted Carnel on the shoulder, Diam shrugged as the two conversed.
*Two hours later*
"So I snatched this guy's wallet and booked it down the street before I hooked a left down an alley, that's where I met this mother fucker." Carnel said as he took a hit from a blunt that was being passed around the room, Angel shook his head "Man, I'm sorry for what happened to your mother. She sounds like she was a wonderful woman, your dad on the other hand was a piece of shit." Angel said as he took a hit from the blunt, Carnel exhaled a cloud of smoke "Yeah, if I saw him again I kill him in an instant." Carnel said as he snapped his fingers on his right hand to symbolize how fast but suddenly a portal opened in midair.
All nine men shot up from the table and drew their weapons at the portal "Where the hell did that come from?" Diam asked, Carnel stared at the white portal and slowly walked closer to it "Careful Carnel." Angel said as the teen got closer, he picked up a soda can and tossed it at the portal. The portal devoured it in an instant, Carnel nodded before he stuck his arm into the portal "Huh, there's nothing here." He said as he felt around inside the portal "What did you throw in?" Colby asked Carnel.
"Just a can." Carnel said before his eyes went wide and he pulled the same can out of the portal "It's the can I threw." Carnel said as he sat it on the table. "How did you open that?" Red asked as he looked at the can, Carnel shrugged "I just snapped my fingers like this." Carnel said before he snapped his fingers again, the portal closed shut and disappeared.
"Holy shit dude, you got a storage portal as a Semblance." Angel said as he laughed to himself, Carnel looked at his hand "I think I'll call it 'Rift'." Carnel said as he looked at his other hand "Try it and see what happens." Diam said before Carnel snapped the fingers on his left hand, this time a larger portal opened up.
Colby picked the can up and threw it at the portal but it simply passed through it to the other side and clattered to the ground "Damn it." Colby said as he tried to walk through the portal to grab the can but he disappeared into the portal, Carnel stuck his hand into the portal but didn't feel anything "It's… It's cold inside, uh. Colby?" Carnel said unsure but felt a solid object as he grabbed onto something and pulled it from the portal.
Colby fell to the ground and took a deep breath as he breathed rapidly "Oh fuck that!" Colby said as he laid face down on the ground "It's a prison." Angel said as he approached Carnel. "What are you going to name that one?" Diam asked curiously, Carnel thought for a moment but chuckled to himself "Lock-up." Carnel said as he looked at his hands "Lock-up and Rift." Carnel said referring to his left and right hand. Angel looked like was in deep thought "Carnel, I know you're new to the syndicate, but I want to make you one of my Lieutenants. I think everyone would agree." Angel said, everyone nodded and agreed with one another.
"Damn guys, I don't know what to say." Carnel said as he looked at the eight men that looked at him, Diam smirked "Don't say anything bro, because from today on, we're family and we got each other's back. We all got one thing in common, we all grew up on the street and we slowly came together as a family." Diam said, Carnel smiled "Thanks guys, it means a lot." Carnel said, Emert shot up out of his chair "Wait, I got something I've been waiting to give to someone and I think it just found a new owner." Emert said as he ran to his room and returned a minute later carrying a medium size box, he sat the box down on the counter and lifted the lid.
"I found this on the body of one of the Third Street dealers, apparently it negates aura levels and is made of solid steel." Emert said as he pulled out a stainless steel baseball bat and handed it to Carnel, he took the bat and felt the weight in his hand "How do you know it negates aura?" Carnel asked as he gripped it with both hands, Emert chuckled "Who do you think killed the dealer from Third Street." Emert said as he felt his left arm.
"He was in a cast for like seven months, that guy got him good but Emert dumped a couple clips into him." Colby said as he leaned back in his chair, Carnel snapped his fingers and opened the Rift, he stuck the bat in and closed it again. "Are confrontations with Third Street common?" Carnel asked as he sat back in his chair, Angel shrugged "Sometimes but it's only when they try to take over our turf." Angel said as took one last toke from the blunt and placed the roach into the ashtray.
"Well since you got what is essentially a mobile armory, why don't you go load up some weapons and ammo." Angel said as he gestured toward the armory in the back room, Carnel stood up and made his way to the back room.
He snapped his fingers and opened the Rift in the middle of the room, he grabbed two AK-12s, two AK-103s, two UMP-45s, an AA-12, two Kriss Vectors, two Benneli M4s, a Berretta M9, an IWI Uzi, a TAR-21 and two MX4 Storms. Diam walked in behind him and pulled out a full crate of ammo, Carnel lifted the crate into the rift and closed it afterward. "I got plenty of weapons, I just need to grab spare magazines." Carnel said but Diam stopped him "They're already in the crate. Seeing as how you grabbed one or two of every weapon in here." Diam said as they walked back into the main room.
*Two Months Later*
Two months had passed since Carnel had become a member of The Undead of Atlas and he was enjoying his time with his family, Carnel and Diam were always together wherever they went, like partners in crime. Angel walked into the room and looked at all of the Undead who were sitting on the couch playing PS4 "Alright boys, we got big score tonight at the docks. Apparently a big shipment of Cocaine is being shipped to the Vajo and we're going to break that shit up." Angel said, Carnel cracked his knuckles in anticipation "Finally, I can't wait. Who is shipping the product?" Carnel asked as Diam passed him the controller and he started pressing buttons rapidly.
"Well, it's the White Fang and since they want a war with everyone, then we'll give them a war." Angel said, everyone stared dumbfounded as the game announcer yelled "Fatality!"
"We're going against the White Fang, just us nine?" Colby asked, Angel shook his head "Third Street reached out and extended an Olive branch, they said that we have to come together and defeat these bastards. Also, the other sectors of The Undead are coming in to help so we'll have at least fifty plus." Angel said, everyone nodded as they considered the facts.
"Angel, you want to fight Diam? He's undefeated." Carnel asked as he held the controller out, Angel took the controller and selected his fighter, the announcer said the name of the character "Scorpion!" Diam nodded "Alright, I see you Angel." Diam said as he chose his fighter "Quan Chi!" The announcer said before the match started.
As soon as the match started, Scorpion hit Quan Chit with a Hellfire Punch as he teleported behind Quan Chi and kicked him in the back of the head, Scorpion teleported again and shot out of the ground and struck Quan Chi in the jaw with an uppercut. Scorpion delivered a roundhouse and sword slice to Quan Chi's abdomen, Quan Chi attempted to activate his X-Ray but Scorpion blocked it and countered with his own.
Scorpion flew through Quan Chi and grabbed him. Firstly, he delivered a knee to the jaw and broke it and sent him into the air. Next, he fired one spear into Quan Chi's abdomen and the second one into his skull, puncturing it. Lastly, he violently pulled back and sent Quan Chit headfirst onto the ground, partially cracking his skull and breaking his neck.
As Quan Chi stood up, the screen got darker as the announcer yelled out "Finish Him!" Angel pressed a couple buttons rapidly before Scorpion laughed an evil laugh, Scorpion summoned a pillar behind him and threw his spear into Quan Chi's head. He then pulled out Quan Chi's head, Scorpion threw it against the pillar and impaled it there with a short sword.
The announcer came back on "Fatality! Flawless Victory!" The announcer said as Angel stood up victorious "Nobody can beat the champ!" Angel said as he walked away from the couch.
*Seven Hours Later*
A black Cadillac Escalade pulled up at the docks with three Hummer H2s in tow behind them, the SUVs emptied out onto the concrete as two more MRAPs pulled up, Angel walked up to Carnel and put his hand on the teen's shoulder "Alright kid, today is when shit goes down. Third Street should be flying in now." Angel said as three Boeing V-22 Osprey flew overhead and landed in a field nearby, the backs opened as men in purple and black body armor piled out of the back with weapons in hand.
Third Street formed up near the Undead and waited for their leader to arrive, a man with broad shoulders and long black hair walked up while carrying an AK-74 "Well boys, shall we get this show started?" The man asked, Angel chuckled "How you doing, Barney?" Angel asked as he shook Barney's hand, Barney shrugged "Eh, it's been alright. Oh, Emert, sorry for what Sal did to your arm, he was out of line and we were about to kick him out." Barney said, Emert nodded "It's all good, I gave his bat to our new recruit." Emert said.
Barney perked up and looked over at the crowd "New recruit?" He asked curiously, Carnel stepped forward and extended his hand "Carnel Melone, nice meet you sir." Carnel said as he shook Barney's hand, Angel spoke up "So Barney, want to meet this weekend to discuss an alliance?" Angel asked, Barney nodded "That sounds great, let's get this cleared up and let me take care of what I suspect is a splinter cell within Third Street. I think this splinter cell is aligned with the White Fang." Barney said as he pulled back the bolt on his AK.
Carnel pulled out an AK-103 and pulled back the bolt to load a round into the chamber, Barney looked at the crowd of Third Street foot soldiers behind them "Alright boys, tonight we shut this shit down. The Undead are our new allies and your equals, they will be fighting alongside you tonight so watch their back and they'll watch your back. As I speak, the Third Street's air unit is on their way." Barney said to his street soldiers, Angel looked at the fifty plus members of The Undead that had arrived.
"Alright, what he said. Tonight, this White Fang terror group is gonna learn that they don't fuck with the streets because the streets will fuck you up! We're going in there and we're gonna take the product, kill every White Fang you see, and seize the weapons caches if there are any." Angel said as three Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallions flew overhead and circled the port.
"Let's go!" Barney and Angel yelled as the joint syndicate stormed the seaport, the MRAPs pulled in front of the charging force and shielded them from bullets. The MRAPs engaged the insurgents with M2 Browning .50 HMGs mounted on the roof, the bullets ripped through their bodies like wet paper and ripped them to pieces. Gunfire rained down from the Pave Lows that flew above, Miniguns spun-up from the sides of the Pave Lows and ripped into the opposition force.
"Charge!" Angel yelled as the joint street force continued their charge, they stormed the warehouse and opened fire on the insurgents that were loading a Bullhead. Carnel took point and dropped three insurgents quickly with his AK, Diam stacked up behind him with an AR-15 and dropped two more White Fang. "Colby! Emert! Take point and secure that Bullhead!" Diam yelled as they shot two more Fang insurgents.
Three crates of Dust exploded and sent burning debris flying across the warehouse, Angel ran by and slid behind a metal crate as bullets hit the concrete barrier that Carnel and Diam hid behind. "What now, sir?" Carnel asked before he popped up out of cover and shot another Fang, Angel reloaded his IWI X95 "Where are Colby and Emert? Bress and Sall are securing the ship with some of Third Street, Red and Brans are securing the containers." Angel said, Diam pointed to the Bullhead "I sent them to secure the Bullhead." Diam said as two bullets whizzed overhead, he popped up and shot two Fang in the head, their bodies dropped like a sack of potatoes.
Gunfire within the warehouse fell silent while the gunfire in the next two warehouses was muffled by the wall, Colby and Emert hopped out of the Bullhead "VTOL is secure sir." Colby said as Emert jumped out of the Bullhead and loaded a fresh magazine into his Uzi.
"Well, look what we have here! Street scum that needs to be cleansed!" A somewhat high pitched voice said as it echoed around the warehouse, Carnel and Diam looked in the rafters while kept their weapons raised. A pale man walked out of the shadows with his arms to the side, the five Undead raised their weapons at the man.
"Who the fuck might you be?" Diam asked as he put his iron sights on the man's head, the man bowed with one arm outstretched "Tyrian Callow, at your service." The man said, Angel stared at him "What do you want, Mr. Callow?" Angel asked, Tyrian looked at the leader of the Undead.
"Hmm, a man who has respect for someone he has never met. I like it, you will live however you four will not." Tyrian said as he pulled out two bladed gauntlets, Carnel snapped his fingers and opened a Rift "I guess no better time to try it out, right Emert?" Carnel said as he put his AK away and pulled out his baseball bat.
"So fuck face! Who sent you?" Colby asked, Tyrian's grin turned to a grimace as he looked at Colby "You have no respect, you will die. I was sent as an attaché of Lady Salem to oversee that there are not interruptions and I see that Lady Salem was correct." Tyrian said before he charged at the group, Carnel ran forward and cracked him in the ribs with bat which sent an audible crack echoing through the building.
Tyrian attempted to stab Carnel with his gauntlet but he leaped out of the way, Emert and Colby ran forward firing their SMGs but Tyrian deflected the shots back into the wall. Carnel ran forward and slammed the bat into Tyrian's back which sent him down to the ground, Tyrian howled in pain but leaped up as the sound of the bones in his back healing was audible.
A man in a black jacket with a red rose on the back leaped down from the rafters and landed next to Tyrian "We need to leave, we're out numbered!" The man yelled, Carnel charged forward and swung his bat but it was deflected by the man in black who blocked it with a sword, the man kicked Carnel back and sliced at him but Carnel moved out of the way. Carnel tried to speak but found it hard, Diam and Angel looked on in horror as Carnel dropped to his knees while blood gushed from his throat. Colby and Emert charged at the pair as Diam and Angel ran over to Carnel.
Carnel slowly opened his eyes as Diam held the wound closed, Colby drew a knife as he tried to stab Tyrian but the scorpion Faunus thrusted his gauntlets into Colby's gut and disemboweled him swiftly, Carnel tried to move but found it impossible. Emert was caught off guard by Colby's cries of agony that he was decapitated by the man in black, Emert's body collapsed to the ground as his head rolled across the warehouse floor.
Carnel slowly closed his eyes as he started to feel cold and weak, he was surrounded in darkness as he heard muffled yelling and scattered gunfire. "Hang on, kid. You'll be alright!" A muffled voice said as all the sound slipped away.
'This is it, I'm dead. I fucked up.' Carnel thought to himself as he was swallowed in darkness.
*Four Hours Later*
Carnel slowly opened his eyes when he heard the sound of helicopters flying overhead, he tried to get up but found it impossible. Diam rushed over to him and held him down "Easy there buddy, you're alright! Medic!" Diam said as he called for aid, a man in purple body armor ran over and helped hold him down. "Stop thrashing or you might tear your stitches!" The medic said as Carnel slowly stopped moving and settled down.
Carnel tried to speak but found it impossible again "Your vocal chords were cut, it's gonna take time to heal. You're lucky kid, not everyone can survive having their throat slit." The medic said as he injected Carnel with morphine. Angel walked into the makeshift ICU and looked at Carnel "Don't ever do something so stupid kid, what were you thinking?" Angel asked, Diam handed Carnel a notepad and a pen to write with.
Carnel wrote his response down on the paper 'That man was going to kill you, I could feel it so I struck before he did.' Angel read from the paper and sighed "I appreciate it kid but please don't throw your life away like that. Don't end up like Colby and Emert." Angel said before he left the tent, Diam sat back down next to Carnel "Don't worry buddy, I ain't going anywhere." Diam said as Carnel closed his eyes again.
Hours passed since Carnel passed out and he slowly woke up again, this time he had more strength in his body. "God my throat's dry." Carnel said in a raspy voice, Diam sat up "Welcome back to the land of the living." Diam said as he handed the teen a bottle of water to which he chugged. Carnel placed his hand on his neck and felt where the stitches were sown into his neck "Man, he got me good." Carnel said as he laid back. "Yeah, you're lucky we were able to stop the bleeding enough until one of Third Street's medics came and patched you up, one of them can project their aura into others so they used it to patch any wounds around your jugular." Diam explained as he sat back in the metal folding chair.
"And what about Colby and Emert?" Carnel asked with remorse in his voice, Diam shook his head "They didn't make it out, we managed to drive out the White Fang but they were the only casualties aside from a few members of Third Street." Diam said as he filled Carnel in on the events of the raid.
Carnel lowered his head "They're dead and it's my fault, if I hadn't rushed in like that, then they would still be alive." Carnel said as he cradled his head in his hands, Diam stood up and looked at the teen "I knew those two for a long time and there is one thing I know for sure, those two would have down the same thing you did. That Tyrian guy is a terrible person, he has allegedly killed dozens of huntsmen and huntresses." Diam said as he sat back down, Carnel looked at him confused.
"What are huntsmen and huntresses?" Carnel asked confused, Diam looked surprised "Wait, your parents never told you…. Oh, right. So huntsmen and huntresses are some OG shit that dates back to that fucking war over art and colors and shit, right so these hardcore mother fuckers will fuck up some Grimm, please tell me you know what Grimm are?" Diam asked.
"Yeah, I know that much. But please go on." Carnel said intrigued, Diam chuckled to himself "Right so, these bad mother fuckers go to these uppity and pretentious schools that wouldn't even give gangsters like us a second thought. So they study for years to become hunters that merk Grimm and anyone who has ill will against the people of Remnant, like those fuckboys we went toe to toe with. They're like real life superheroes but they get paid so their mercenaries essentially." Diam explained, Carnel's eyes were lit up with wonder.
"Wow that sounds pretty cool. You think I could become a huntsman one day?" Carnel asked, Diam chuckled "I don't see why not, you just have to be the very best at what you do and from what I saw out there, it seems like you need a little training and with that semblance you have, you could become one that goes down as a legend." Diam said as he ruffled Carnel's hair.
Angel walked back into the tent where Carnel and Diam were "How you feeling kid?" Angel asked as he pulled up a chair, Carnel shrugged "I feel a lot better than I did before." Carnel said pulling himself out of the bed. "So what are we doing with the stuff we seized?" Carnel asked as he followed Angel and Diam out of the tent. Angel led the teen to a storage container and opened it to reveal crates of Ammo and Dust "I want to see what all you can store inside that Rift of yours." Angel said as he pulled out a crate of Ammo.
Carnel snapped his fingers on his right hand and opened a medium sized Rift, Carnel lifted the crate up and placed it inside the Rift with ease. "Now, pull out a box of .308." Angel said, Carnel stuck his arm into the Rift and pictured the ammo in his head, he quickly pulled out a box of ammo and presented it to Angel.
"Hmm, so you can pull anything out of there, even if it's in a box or is locked." Angel said as Carnel tossed the ammo back into the Rift. As they conversed, a man ran up to them "Angel, we got a situation." The man said, Angel moved aside so Carnel could see the man "Carnel, this is Harlequin. He's one of our enforcers, but he's also one of our tech specialists. What's wrong, Harlequin?" Angel asked after introducing the man, Harlequin pointed to an object off in the distance "Atlas PD is on their way here now, we got to bug out. Third Street is loading up what they can and their bugging out but they'll meet us in the red light district." Harlequin said.
Angel looked at Carnel "Kid, if you want to show us what you're made of, now is the time. Make that Rift as big as you can and we'll push everything into it." Angel said as Harlequin and Diam got behind the stack of crates.
Carnel held his thumb and index finger together as he felt power surge through him, his body started to shake until he snapped his fingers. A giant Rift formed behind him, standing about ten feet tall and five feet wide, the Undead pushed the stacks slowly into the Rift. The crates slowly disappeared into the portal as Angel opened another shipping container, the three men pushed another stack of crates into the portal, Carnel started to sway slowly as he struggled to keep it open.
"Hang on, kid! You're doing great!" Angel said as they pushed yet another stack, three Pave Lows flew over and hooked onto the remaining crates "Don't worry boys! We'll take these and you can pick them up later!" Barney called down from one of the helicopters before it took off.
"Close it!" Angel yelled before Carnel snapped his fingers to close the Rift, the black Escalade pulled up as two Police Interceptors plowed through the gate. Two officers bailed out of their vehicles with their weapons drawn as the Escalade took off, Diam popped out of the sun roof and flipped them off with both hands "Fuck off, pigs!" Diam yelled as the Escalade drove onto the highway.
Carnel laid his head back against the headrest as Bress drove down the highway, Red sat in the passenger seat. Another black Escalade pulled up beside them with Sall and Brans inside the SUV "Where are Colby and Emert's bodies?" Carnel asked as he looked over at Angel, he sighed "Third Street is preparing a burial for them." Angel said.
Carnel sat up "If Third Street is so great then why aren't you guys allies before this?" Carnel asked, Angel sat up "Well, that's because those fuckers known as the White Fang have tried to get us involved like they got the Vajo, Third Street resisted too so we have been sort of allies but this meeting will cement the Undead Syndicate and the Third Street Syndicate as allies but we won't be absorbed into them." Angel explained as he looked out the window.
After what felt like hours of driving due to traffic, the two Escalades pulled into an upscale neighborhood and drove down the road until they reached a cul de sac at the end of a road. The two Escalades pulled into the driveway and shut off, Carnel stepped out of the SUV and slowly walked into the before he collapsed onto the couch.
*The Next Night*
Angel, Diam, Carnel, and Red pulled into the Red Light District and got out of the SUV, the four men walked down the street until they came up to a building that was lit up with red neon lights that said 'Poppy's Pleasure Palace'. Angel put his hand on the door but stopped "Carnel, when we're in here, don't touch anything." Angel said as he pushed open the door and led the three others inside.
Women were lined up along the staircase dressed scantily clad, the madam walked up to Angel "Well hello Angel, nice of you to show up here again." The madam said, Angel chuckled "Nice to see you too, mom." Angel said before he hugged the woman, he let go and looked up at the roof "Is Barney upstairs?" Angel asked, his mom nodded "Son, are you eating enough? You look sickly." His mother said as she scolded him about proper nutrition, Carnel leaned over to Diam "What is going on here?" Carnel whispered to Diam, Diam chuckled.
"The walls are lined with lead so nobody can listen in, have you ever heard of the Golden Lion Syndicate?" Diam asked, Carnel nodded "Yeah, they were a notorious crime family in the underworld of Atlas, why?" Carnel asked confused, Diam gestured to the madam "This is Poppy Lion, wife of Silver Lion." Diam said, Carnel looked stunned "No way, that makes you Angel Lion. Heir to the Golden Lion Syndicate." Carnel said to Angel.
Angel shook his head "No, I wanted to do my own thing, my dad offered me a position but I turned him down to form my own. Barney took his offer and branched off to form Third Street. We don't talk about this outside of this building though." Angel said to Carnel, Carnel nodded.
"So what about these ladies here?" Carnel asked, Poppy chuckled and snapped her fingers, the women suddenly pulled out guns and knives. "You mean my girls?" Poppy asked Carnel who looked amazed "That is so cool." Carnel said but stopped when a thought popped into his head "Wait, I thought you said that we didn't work with organized drug syndicates?" Carnel asked, Angel laughed.
"We don't, this isn't a drug syndicate. It's a white collared crime syndicate and a brothel, and before you turn into a white knight, these ladies a well taken care of and all male clients are required to be tested and this is by appointment only. The women here are also sexual deviants who love their job, nobody is forced into this job. We actually hunt down the sex traffickers and put them in the dirt. Because of the Golden Lion, sex trafficking has dropped significantly and the number of sex traffickers found dead in the harbor has spiked." Angel explained, Carnel looked stunned "That is a lot to analyze." Carnel said as he sat down on a chair but immediately shot up.
Angel and Diam busted out laughing "I knew it!" Angel said, Diam muttered something as he handed him a hundred Lien. Angel sighed "That part about 'don't touch anything' was a joke, Diam didn't think you would fall for it and I bet him a hundred Lien." Angel said as he put the Lien card into his pocket.
Angel led the guys upstairs and pushed open the door at the end of the hall, Barney was sat at the end of a rectangle table "Welcome brother, you're looking well." Barney said, Angel chuckled "You look like shit." Angel said as the four men sat down, Barney looked at the three men "Brother, do you not trust me?" Barney asked.
Angel looked shocked "What? Oh, no! I was showing Carnel here what we're actually about and Diam is always with Carnel. Red is just here cause he was bored but he's also my finance advisor." Angel said, Barney nodded and pulled out a briefcase, he pulled out a stack of papers and slid them across the table to Angel.
"Oh, the rest of your supplies are in the next room." Barney said, Angel looked to Carnel and Diam, they both nodded and made their way to the next room. Carnel and Diam came to a stop when they saw stacks of boxes "This is gonna take a long time." Carnel said as he snapped his fingers.
*Two Hours Later*
"Oh god that took forever, it doesn't help that I almost passed out." Carnel said as he snapped the Rift closed, Carnel and Diam walked back into the meeting room as Barney and Angel were finishing their meeting. "Alright, sounds good." Barney said as he stood up to shake Angel's hand, they stopped when they heard a strange ticking noise "Do you here a ticking noise?" Diam asked. Suddenly the window at the end of the room exploded and filled the room with smoke "Fuck! Run!" Angel said as bullets ripped into the room, Carnel snapped the fingers on his left hand "Sorry Barney but this is going to hurt." Carnel said "What are you talking about?" Barney asked as Carnel grabbed his arm and threw him into the Lock Up portal. He snapped his fingers and closed it again before he ran out of the room.
"Carnel! Weapons!" Angel said, Carnel opened a Rift and pulled out two AK-12s and a Tar-21, the gunfire ceased before they peaked around the corner. Red raised his M4A1 and walked back into the room "Guys, get in here!" Red yelled, Carnel, Diam, and Angel ran into the room and looked at what Red was pointing at.
Eight men stood on a rooftop while they held LMGs "You thought you were so swift, didn't you Angel!" A man yelled, Angel scoffed "Hey there, Slater! Why are you here?" Angel asked, Slater laughed to himself "You know damn well why I'm here, this little alliance isn't going to happen. Especially after that bullshit last night!" Slater yelled. "Vajo?" Carnel asked, Diam nodded.
"Fuck this, open fire." Slater said before a hail of bullets ripped into the building, Red clenched his fist as he started to glow yellow. Suddenly the destroyed brick started to reform and rebuild itself, the wall started to take shape until Red took one in the shoulder and made him lose his train of thought. Carnel slid behind the table and fired over at the gunners on the roof, Angel popped up and took out three Vajo before he ducked behind the wall.
Carnel popped out from behind cover and opened fire, the bullets ripped into the Vajo and dropped two more. "Three more!" Angel said, Diam nudged Carnel "Be careful, Slater's Semblance is called Deadshot, it makes him insanely accurate when it's activated." Diam said, Angel peaked out and took out another Vajo but caught a bullet straight to the chest. Diam and Carnel grabbed Angel by the arms and drug him out into the hallway.
"Hang on, Angel! Stay with me!" Carnel said as he tried to stop the bleeding, Angel reached up to Carnel and grabbed his hand as his shook "Carnel, you're in charge now. Take care of them and lead them to glory, you were like a brother I never had." Angel said before he coughed up blood, Poppy ran up the stairs to see Diam and Carnel on their knees over Angel.
"Angel! Baby! Momma's here." Poppy said as she held his other hand, Angel smiled "I love you, mom." Angel said weakly, Carnel snapped his left hand and opened a Lock Up portal, he reached in and pulled Barney out. Barney fell to the ground and took a deep breath, Barney looked over and saw Angel "Baby brother!" Barney yelled out as pushed Carnel out of the way.
"Please, keep this alliance going. For me at least." Angel said to Barney, Barney nodded as Angel closed his eyes. Diam placed two fingers on Angel's neck but he didn't feel a pulse "He's gone. I'm… I'm sorry." Diam said as Poppy and Barney cried over Angel's body.
Carnel clenched his fist as he felt his body swell with anger, he grabbed his Tar – 21 and ran back into the room. Carnel raised the rifle and quickly eliminated the last gunner, leaving only Slater who held a Mosin-Nagant Model 1891. Slater pulled back the bolt and ejected a spent shell, he gave Carnel a two finger salute before he disappeared into the shadows. Carnel clenched his fist and slammed it into the wall, his fist went through the drywall to the other side.
*Present Day*
"So that's how I became the leader of the Undead, how I lost parents, and how I got this scar on my throat." Carnel said, Falcon looked stunned by the massive amount of information. "Holy shit, you did so much and only at the age of fourteen. Did you ever get Slater?" Falcon asked, Carnel shook his head "No, I never found that mother fucker. But I did take over the Vajo so that's good." Carnel said as he opened a Rift and tossed the briefcase into the portal. The sun slowly began to creep over the horizon as they conversed "Oh fuck, how long did we talk for?" Carnel asked as he tried to find his Scroll.
"You two spoke for quite some time." A male voice said behind the two, Carnel turned around to see Ozpin standing behind them "Did your friend Diam really call my institution Uppity?" Ozpin asked, Carnel chuckled "Yeah, he did." Carnel said, Ozpin shook his head before he drank from his coffee mug "I suggest you two get back to your dorms and get some sleep." Ozpin said as the two stood up and ran back toward their dorm.
Carnel and Falcon walked back into their dorm room, Carnel collapsed onto the floor and passed out while Falcon climbed into bed before he fell asleep. Crys woke up when she heard the thud of Carnel's body "Carnel, why are you on the floor?" She asked tiredly, Carnel groaned "Fuck. Off." Carnel said before he passed back out.
"Dumbass." Crys said as she rolled her eyes and went back to sleep.
A/N: What's good!? So this was a little back story for Carnel and I'll pass the torch onto RebelKira, so do it up good boi!