New chapter should be finished and edited in a few weeks :)
Please review! It helps me write better :D
"Jess! Wake the fuck up already! We need to get the new security systems online, dammit!" Lopez yelled at her over the intercom booming in her room. Her eyes fluttered open and her body stretched a bit under the warm blanket. But she did not get up.
"Jess, come on!" A female voice yelled. It belonged to her best friend, Alexis.
They had known each other since 3rd grade. So many years they had stuck together, and now they led different lives than they could ever have imagined as elementary schoolers.
Because they were not average people with average jobs. They were mercenaries. Skilled, money-crazed, territorial mercenaries. They worked with a team of people possessing these same qualities to get contracts done. And they were done quite well.
It's been nearly a year since they relocated to a new base of operations in Mexico and Lopez, the tech expert, had suggested investing in better security systems and alarms to assure their safety in case of an attack.
And attacks were definitely something to be worried about in Salcedo, Mexico. One would be crazy not to be worried about violence here. Nearly half of the city was controlled by Jess and her mercenaries, more commonly known as Los Pistoleros, and the other half was controlled by a subsection of the largest and most powerful gang in all of Mexico, Cinco Reyes. There was extreme tension between the two, both being very territorial and violent. Los Pistoleros were kinder to the people who lived on their half of the city, and few people lived in poverty there. But those living in Cinco Reyes territory were as good as dead. Due the bad relationship with Los Pistoleros, anyone even trying to escape Cinco Reyes territory with intentions to live in Pistoleros land was severely punished. People couldn't get in or out of the place.
In the past few months, the relationship between the mercenaries and drug cartels had deteriorated extremely, leading to constant violence at the border where their lands meet. It would not be long until the situation escalated into a war. And Los Pistoleros were preparing for that day to come; for them, victory would result as the day Salcedo is finally freed, and Cinco Reyes' grip on Mexico is weakened. Until then, Los Pistoleros needed to raise as much money as possible in order to safeguard the base, buy supplies and weapons, establish a perimeter along their side of Salcedo, and try to protect their people as much as they could.
Recently, Jess put Alexis in charge of finding contracts around the world to earn some money, Luke and Roberto in charge of managing and profiting from the city's economy and businesses, Lopez, Victor, and Erik in charge of the base and city's protection as a whole, and left herself to observe Cinco Reyes activity around them, just to be sure they didn't get any funny ideas.
So far, they were doing well in terms of earning and spending wisely, but Jess still felt cautious about an incoming attack despite purchasing the new security system, which she still hadn't gotten up to check on.
"I swear the minute you get your lazy ass down here, I'm slamming my foot on your face!" Alexis threatened.
Jess groaned, coming to the realization that she would have to get up soon, not because of the threat her best friend delivered but because a loud voice wouldn't help her sleep anyway. Pushing the respond button next to the speaker beside her bed, she yelled "I'm coming, bitch!"
After taking a short shower and brushing her teeth, she pulled on some jeans, combat boots, and a white tank top. Then she geared herself up with the usual: SMGs strapped to each thigh, black holster diagonally across her chest that held a pistol, a blade strapped to her leg (concealed by the jeans), fingerless gloves with carbon fiber sewn on the knuckles, and lastly, a blue and white bandana tied around her left leg. Not only did it represent her as a member of Los Pistoleros, but it was also a memoir of the time she served in the US Air Force.
Out the door she walked, where, after descending the stairs from the hallway, it seemed that all her friends were in the midst of chaos.
The HQ room was fairly large, but it was quite bland. A navy blue carpet covered the floor, while steel colored walls reflected the cheap, basic lights from the ceiling. Several computers and electronic equipment took up at least half of its space. And there were some desks lying around, each one belonging to a Pistoleros member. Now, no one was or is the leader of Los Pistoleros, but if there was anyone who could be considered to earn more respect than the rest of the members, it would be either Jess or Alexis, who founded Los Pistoleros a few years back.
"What is going on!" she yelled loudly to grab their attention. Lopez and Alexis were in the far left corner of the room, arguing. They were surrounded by electronic equipment and screens. To her actual left, Jess saw Luke and Roberto, not arguing, but rather having an enthusiastic conversation, most likely relating to business strategies. Nerds. But she still loved them. Those two were one and the same, almost as if they were twins.
In the center of the room, Victor and Erik were just chatting it up like there was no tomorrow. This didn't really bother Jess, but it was the fact that they, like everyone else in that room, were too loud for her to hear her own thoughts. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Her naturally loud voice boomed and echoed in the room. Everyone froze to look at her. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned to the pair of mercs closest to her.
"Luke! Roberto! What's going on with city profits?"
Luke, the taller one, had light brown hair that was cut short. He had light green eyes and was great at creating distractions in dire situations. Roberto was a bit shorter, but his fighting spirit made up for that. He reminded everyone of Paquiao, so that was sometimes his code name. He was good at close quarters fighting, but his true mastery was knife and grenade throwing.
"Business is good so far. I think we should start trading with nearby cities to get some extra cash rolling in." Luke's voice responded, almost mimicking Jess's military tone.
Nodding, she said, "Alright. Get on that as soon as you can. We've got enough surplus products to go around anyways."
With that, she turned to Victor and Erik. Victor had dark brown hair that swooped slightly over his forehead. He sometimes had a temper that got the best of him, though he and Erik were most known among Los Pistoleros for their crude and dark sense of humor. He also was the demolitions and vehicle expert in the group. Erik had dark brown hair with light highlights and it was almost always slicked back with gel. He was generally a good fighter all around, but he was a natural at sniping and covert ops.
"What's the situation with defense tactics, guys?" she walked towards them.
"We've set up a decent perimeter. It's a little more advanced than basic; it should hold for now. We didn't know how serious you wanted it to go as far as border control." Erik motioned to a computer screen behind him.
Walking closer towards them, Victor spoke. "I'd set up electric fences and more cameras and motion sensors, unless that's going too far."
She shook her head. "We can't take any risks. How much would that cost?"
Erik showed her stacks or paper with writing and calculations. "We've done estimations, but it's obviously not cheap. Then we have to worry about stocking up on armor, weapons, ammo, bombs; the list goes on. Not to mention what we're going to do about keeping the city safe."
Jess winced at the thought of so much money they'd have to spend, and wondered about one of the worst-case scenarios: if they did successfully defend themselves against Cinco Reyes, what would they do if they called in for reinforcements, when Los Pistoleros were completely out of resources and were weak from fighting? She sighed. The last few weeks had been tough on all the mercenaries. They knew an attack was sure to come, and time to prepare was running out.
"Assume we're going to get the whole package. 15 more cameras and motion sensors surrounding the border and the base, a 7 foot electric fence along the city's perimeter, one new set of armor and $30k in ammo for each person, $75k in explosives total-that includes c4, grenades, flashbangs, smokes, and incendiaries. We need 6 automatic turrets covering the base, and 15 covering the perimeter along the fence," she stopped to catch her breath, grateful to see that Erik and Victor were writing down each request.
"$250k in armor reinforcements for the jet, $250k worth of joint strike missiles, $350k in turret ammo for the plane, three fuel tanks...am I missing something?" She asked. They shrugged.
"Okay, well that's our shopping list. Crunch the numbers for me and I'll get back to you." They nodded and got to work.
Lastly, she turned to Lopez and Alexis in the far corner. Lopez had short black hair and was pretty much the Hugh Hefner of Salcedo; the guy was always out with a new chick every time. His specialty was dual weapons and endurance—he was the fastest runner out of all of them. Alexis had black hair past her shoulder, had a curvy body, and was the shortest Pistolero. She was most skilled in stealth missions as she was silent and could fit almost anywhere. She also carried dual weapons, but usually equipped herself with an assault rifle across her back just in case.
"What are you two girls crying about?" she crossed her arms.
"This ass didn't want to set up the security system until he finished eating!" Alexis pointed at Lopez.
"A guy's got to eat or else he turns into a little bitch. Let him eat. Are you guys seriously arguing over that?" she replied.
"He's been 'eating' for the last few hours!" she complained.
"Come on, man," Jess looked at Lopez. He had a grin on his face. What a lazy ass. Especially for being the fastest on her team.
"Chill, girl," he laughed, raising his hands up in protest.
"Alright I'll do it, damn. I just felt that doing it without you by my side felt wrong," he enhanced his pathetic excuse by clutching his chest dramatically.
Jess rolled her eyes at him. Every once in a while he tried to get in Jess's and Alexis's pants. It seemed the guy always got a hard-on if he had any decent-looking girl near him.
"Problem solved? Good. Can we all get back to work now?" Jess said accusingly at both. They nodded, then she walked over to her desk. At least everyone finally shut up.
She sat down in front of the computer and gained access to the few cameras they had set up at the border. "Hmm," she said to herself when she tried to look at Cinco Reyes activity. Two cameras had been shut down or disconnected from the northern part of the border, where the ghetto Pistolero and Cinco Reyes parts of Salcedo merged.
"I'm heading to north Santo Domingo," she alerted them as she slowly and cautiously got up from her chair. Her eyes did not leave the half blank computer screen that caused her so much worry.
"Santo Domingo? Are you crazy!" Luke scrunched his eyebrows at her.
"Two cameras were taken out there. I'm going to find out why," she headed towards the stairs. She saw Roberto tense up to her right.
"Relax, Rob. It could just be an animal or something," she reassured him. It didn't seem to work.
"At least take a radio with you. Just in case." Alexis's voice pleaded from behind her, all the way in the back of the room.
Jess sighed, turned around, and grabbed the earpiece Alexis handed to her. Leaving the base's perimeter, she knew she would have to be on her guard now. Sure, if she felt she was in danger she couldn't handle, she could simply use the earpiece to call for her team to help out. But still, the most dangerous thing to her was the unknown. Walking on the streets, many people recognized her, and moved respectfully out of her way. Los Pistoleros always received this attention because they treated the people with respect unlike the Cinco Reyes.
After what seemed like a lifetime of walking across their half of the city, she finally reached a small shack a few feet from the border. Camera 4, which was offline, had been set up around the area. Although most people avoided being this close to the city's border, she was surrounded by an odd, eerie environment. There were a handful of abandoned houses built along the dirt road; the camera was set up on the roof of one of them. The problem was remembering which one. She pulled out her pistol from its holster and moved cautiously toward the nearest house. Her eyes quickly scanned the exterior and she concluded that this was not it. Gripping the pistol as her hands began to perspirate slightly, Jess took a deep breath in order to calm her anxiety. Next, she crossed the street over to a shack on the corner of the closest block.
All of a sudden, she had the feeling she wasn't alone. She heard foggy footsteps as she sensed another heartbeat nearby. Cocking back the pistol, she raised it to the elevation of her chest, ready to pull the trigger should she feel threatened. Taking slow breaths to calm herself, Jess walked slowly across the street. Then she heard the familiar sound of another gun being cocked. She froze when its barrel lightly touched the back of her head. Shit. Slowly she turned around to face the threat. The man who was closest and posed the greatest threat was tall, muscular, with black hair. He was wearing a black shirt with aviator sunglasses and dark pants. Behind him were 5 other men, all pointing their guns at her.
One of them was dark skinned, another looked Asian, and another one was bald with odd looking ears. There were two more she didn't have time to observe, but she knew this was not a good situation for her.
Pointing her gun at the man in front of her, she said, "Pistoleros. North Santo Domingo. The shack. Apurense." They probably thought she was crazy for saying such random words like that; their faces said it all. What they didn't know was that Jess was calling for backup from her earpiece, which was hidden by her long brown hair. All she needed to do now was stall for time.
"What the hell is she saying?" Asked the bald man.
"Not your problem, dipshit." She bit back.
"You better watch your mouth," said a tall, ragged looking one in the back.
"How about you stick your suggestions up your ass!" She responded.
"Alright, how bout we all calm down now? You're coming with us, if that wasn't already obvious to you," Aviator Guy stated.
"You're not taking her without a fight!" Erik and the rest of Los Pistoleros appeared from a nearby rooftop. They were all wielding guns and were in formation behind Jess. She raised her eyebrows at the man with aviators, challenging him.
"Let me get straight to the point: Rupert Pelham sent us to deliver you to him. Simple as that. Now, you can either cooperate, or try to put up a fight. Either way, in the end, we'll get paid cold hard cash in exchange for you. So-what's it going to be?" He one-upped her.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Alexis asked apprehensively. Jess could almost imagine her tense up as she finds out the fate of her best friend. Jess sighed; Los Pistoleros had enough trouble on their hands, she didn't want to cause more stress.
"Let it go, guys. I'll come quietly; this is between me and Pelham." She lowered her pistol to her side, looking at the men aiming at her.
Mercenaries. They had to be. Hire a merc to kill a merc; it seemed a bit ironic. The man with aviators smiled at her, lowering his weapon slightly.
"Yang," he motioned for the Asian guy to come closer. Yang handcuffed Jess after disarming her. He handed her weapons to another man with short dark hair.
"Thank you," he said nonchalantly in a British accent.
"Let's go," the tallest one said. Jess looked back at her own team. They seemed confused, desperate, angry, and disappointed.
"Don't worry about me. Focus on the attack. Focus on Cinco Reyes. It's coming soon. Those people are counting on us, give them something to be proud of. Fight and defend them." She told them as she was led away. They disappeared in a cloud of dust from the road as they drove away.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Well that went better than I thought," the darker one said.
"You realize you aren't getting your money, right?" Jess asked them.
"What are you talking about?" Asked the one with the British accent.
"I'm saying you don't trust Pelham. He's not giving you your money when we meet him. I bet you he'll have all his guards ready to shoot when I'm in his hands."
She heard a man scoff.
"And why should we believe you? You're just the package. You're not important," the tall one scrunched his brows at her. As if she thought she could convince them to let her go. That would be like letting money walk away from them, and good money at that.
Needless to say, the Expendables weren't going to let a girl outsmart them. She chuckled at his words. They really thought she was lying to them to escape. Anything she would say wouldn't change their minds, but it was fair for them to know what they got themselves into, setting a deal with Pelham. If they weren't going to hear it, then screw it. They could deal with Pelham on their own.
"How much did he offer you for me?" She asked as they hopped off the Jeep and walked towards a plane.
"None of your business," a British voice snapped at her.
"Ouch," she winced sarcastically as they loaded her onto the plane.
"Lee, you're my wingman," said the man with aviators to said British guy.
"I got your back, Barney," he replied as he stepped into the cockpit. Barney turned to the rest of his team.
"Keep her company. Make sure she doesn't get into trouble." He eyed her for a few seconds before joining Lee.
While the plane's engines kicked into high gear and it roared to life, Jess couldn't help but look out the window. She tried hard to resist but ultimately gave into her regretful pain.
They were at the border between Pistoleros and Cinco Reyes territory. Los Pistoleros were preparing for what might be the biggest and most dangerous battle of their lives, and there she was, sitting in a plane, all tied up like a pretty little princess waiting to be rescued. She couldn't help them one bit; all she did was give them a shopping list and left. Not even a goodbye before she left.
"You ok?" Yang asked her. Instead of reacting to his civil gesture, she sighed in response and leaned her head against the window.
"No threats? Impressive." The bald guy taunted. She shot him a quick glare, which he returned back, then leaned her head back again. She needed to find a way to get out of here. But how? She couldn't spot any parachutes from her peripheral vision that she could use if she damaged the plane. She wasn't even properly armed for Christ's sake! All she had was the blade strapped to her leg. How could she possibly get back to base now? Every passing second meant a greater distance from Los Pistoleros. It meant she was farther away from her team, her friends. Heronly friends at that. I need to get out of here,she thought.
She spent several minutes, maybe even hours, trying to think of escape plans, but nothing useful came up. She would need more intel on her surroundings to make a proper escape plan. Then she considered the drop-off.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"Pelham," said the dark skinned guy.
"And where is Pelham?" She persisted.
"None of your business." The bald guy retorted. She rolled her eyes, disappointed.
"London? France?" She tried again.
"You ask way too many questions." The tall one glared at her.
"Well what do you expect? I'm a girl." She responded, upset, and gave up their game of 20 Questions. It wasn't long before they touched land-a few hours, give or take.
Her guess was proven correct when she felt the plane slow down significantly and lower itself down on a runway. Barney and Lee escorted her inside a warehouse, the rest following closely behind. She took her time observing her surroundings, trying to pinpoint where in the world they were. It looked like they were in England. The cold weather and the essence of sketchy criminal alerted her eyes back to an old, slate grey warehouse ahead of them.
It was a fairly large building; the rusty sheet metal covering the walls made it look out of place in the midst of wet streets and lamp posts. She tried to look inside windows from where she was standing to foresee an ambush, but it was difficult the way her captors urged her to keep walking. Soon, she would meet Pelham once more. This time, she wasn't sure if she would survive. Once inside, there were many crates and construction vehicles almost right at the door, as if they were put there to distract curious eyes.
Making their way through this maze, a black SUV was parked in the middle of the building. Four guards accompanied Pelham; two beside him and two behind him. The one on his left held a black case: the payment. The rest were armed and in position. There he stood, the bastard, wearing shades, a fedora hat, a suit, boots, and a cane; all black. As if the place didn't look depressing enough.
Despite the shades attempting to cover part of his face, he definitely looked older. The years etched into his face like a racecar made burnt rubber marks on a road. He smiled at the sight of Jess. He was like a child in a candy shop. Her life was his for the taking. She was another woman to get his revenge on.
"Pelham," she tried to act as calm as possible. "Heard you couldn't wait to get your hands on me."
Lee restrained her from walking any closer to Pelham. She gave off a sort of manic effect into the air. It was kind of creepy how she was willingly walking to her death.
"Well, after realizing you survived that bombing in Iraq, I simply had to be sure you couldn't survive anything else. You are one of the reasons my empire has declined over the years. And I cannot let you walk around after causing that much harm. I think I'd be doing everyone a favor by taking your life." He smiled.
Jess scoffed. "I think it would be the other way around, actually. You are reputable for going against your word. And who would want to do business with an untrustworthy man?"
She relaxed under Lee's grasp. Now it was his turn to tense up.
He frowned at her. "Whichever way you'd like to turn it, you will die tonight. Painfully. Slowly. And by my hand. Now," he motioned to the men behind her.
"The girl," he struck his cane once against the ground. Immediately, the armed man to his right walked up to Jess and walked her over to Pelham.
"In the car," he waved to his side.
It's now or never. "Fuck you, Pelham!" She yelled as she tried to break free from the guard's grasp.
"The payment?" Asked Lee, ignoring the commotion Jess was causing.
"Of course," Pelham smiled at the team. The guard holding the case walked over to the formation of mercenaries. He held the case faced away from them and opened it, so that they could not see the content inside. But Jess saw what was in that case.
"The amount we agreed upon is all in here," Pelham smiled at them.
As he reached into the case, Jess yelled out, "Gun!"
The guard holding her slammed her head forcefully against the SUV. And thus, the fight began.
SPANISH TRANSLATIONS:
Apurense—Hurry up