IT WAS THE third day of the new year, and just as planned, Claude and Asuka drove toward Torrington in his BP Patriot.
As he drove, his mind drifted back to three days ago, when fireworks thundered and invaded the sky, their magnificent lights sparkled and exploded, coloring the endlessness up above. He recalled slowly climbing up the loft and approaching the bed where Reena was lying. He was not sure how to reconcile with her. She had not talked to him since the night on the balcony.
While he watched her, unsure whether she was asleep or just deliberately pretending that she was, he sat on the other side of the bed that she was not facing, badly wanting to touch her hand. He missed lying beside her, feeling her hair on his face, sharing a pillow while she rested her head on his chest, and draping his arms around her shoulders… things that seemed impossible for him to do anymore after she made it clear that she wanted to stop whatever they had.
"I know you don't want to do anything with me at all, but I want you to know… I don't wish to spend this day with anyone else."
He waited for her to turn around, or at least, move a little… a clue to tell him she was listening, but she just lay still. Claude reached out, yet, he halted midway. Realizing that she wouldn't budge, he ultimately settled with just staring at her.
"Happy New Year, Reena–"
"We're already here." Asuka's voice broke his daydreaming. Not far ahead was the mighty Casino Royale, standing amid shorter buildings and establishments.
Sighing heavily, he pulled over in the driveway of the casino, right in front of the entrance door. When they entered the building, they headed to the second floor where Claude found Yakuza guards staring at him fiercely. Following Asuka as she entered a room with neon lights surrounded by Japanese wall dividers and bamboo at the side, he observed his surroundings. The room was lined with an indoor water pathway that continuously flowed and circulated, the canals displaying large tri-colored carp swimming aimlessly. A couple of katanas were also displayed on the wall, converging in the middle and forming a cross. It rather felt like he was in another country.
She went behind a huge curtain draping over a small stall at the back of the room. Whatever she and the other person were talking about, Claude could not hear them. The sounds were muffled, but he could see their silhouettes behind the sheets. There was a man sitting on what seemed to be a bench, who lazily stood and followed Asuka as she emerged from behind. A man with more slanted eyes, a bald head, and an abnormally-shaped beard and mustache came after her. The man looked at Claude like a hawk aiming to grab its prey on the ground.
"This is Kenji Kasen, Waka-gashira of Yakuza here in Liberty City. He's my brother, and he's looking for someone to be his henchman. I trust that you will do a great job for him."
Kenji looked less friendly than Asuka. His eyes were full of… judgment. The shateigashira told him that her brother particularly despised hiring foreigners, but due to her insistence, he agreed to meet Claude. Ray Machowski also testified on his behalf, telling Kenji that he was trustworthy. Nonetheless, he seemed hard to appease, and he didn't even hide from Claude his detesting of him.
First impressions always lasted.
"Caucasian…" he scoffed, "If my sister did not speak for you, I would've asked my men to dispose of you already."
Clearing his throat and remembering what Asuka told him about paying respects to the Japanese, he reluctantly bent forward and bowed his head. He kept both his arms at his side as stiff as he could while he acted the ojigi.
A puff of mocking air blew through Kenji's nose, and he looked around his men to see their reaction to the foreigner's preemptive stooping. The other Yakuzas were snickering at his sight and some were pointing at him, delighted by how ridiculous he looked to them. When Claude stood straight, he saw them still laughing. He tried his best to ignore them, or he would be adding more to the list of people he murdered out of fury.
Kenji raised his hand, and in an instant, all the chuckling Yakuzas stopped and went serious. He walked closer and said, "A Yakuza Kanbu is in custody awaiting transfer for trial. He is a valuable member of the family."
"What do you want–"
The Japanese once again raised his hand, stopping Claude from talking. "When I'm speaking, nobody's allowed to interject." He turned to Asuka and asked, "Haven't you told him about that rule, sister?"
"I didn't, brother. It's my fault." The shateigashira muttered under her breath.
Looking back at Claude, he continued, "Prove what my sister's said about you. Break him out of custody and get him to the Dojo at Bedford Point. Uninjured."
0-0-0-0-0
At the back of the Ammu-Nation was a vacant lot where Claude parked a police car. As he got out of the car, 8-Ball arrived and sprinted toward him, shaking his hand and smiling widely at his return. They had small talk, discussing their stay in Vice City and the job offering of Asuka Kasen before Claude mentioned why he was there. Upon his request, 8-Ball agreed without a question to strap the timed explosives he brought under the vehicle.
His torso was beneath the car while his legs were exposed. "So, Brother…" he said as he stretched out his hand, asking for Claude to give him the pliers. "How's the holiday?"
"We really talking about this?" Claude crouched and gave him the tool.
"Yeah! It's your first celebration together! Must be special!"
He sighed very deeply, almost painstakingly, as if drawing every breath he had stored in his lungs. "Christmas was great. New Year's not. She still doesn't talk to me since we got back." In fact, he intended to leave out telling 8-Ball about what happened to them, although he found himself confessing to him in no time. He told him about the Cartel, Maria's unsolicited calls, and his fight with Reena.
"I was surprised when she called me that morning, telling me you're coming home already…" 8-Ball gave back the pliers to Claude and asked for the screwdriver.
"That was the morning after our fight. My friend was an ass and agreed to lend us the yacht."
"Don't worry, Brother. Chics are like that. She's gonna forgive you soon. Just… show her some more love, ya know?"
"Wish it would be that easy," he mumbled only for himself to hear while standing and grabbing the uniform on the hood. He knew well that the mistakes he made toward her were not easy to mend, and he couldn't admit them to himself, much more to 8-Ball. Taking off his leather jacket, he put on the police attire over his inner shirt, trying to refocus his attention on the task at hand.
"Bomb set!" 8-Ball exclaimed as he crawled out from under the car. "Where'd you get this paddy wagon anyway?"
While Claude buttoned the shirt, he walked around the car toward the trunk, and 8-Ball followed him. After he tucked in the uniform beneath the belt, he threw the lid open – shocking 8-Ball when he saw a tied and restrained man in his boxer shorts laying in a fetal position inside. The man grunted and wriggled, trying to get off his ties. Claude briefly shrugged his shoulders, and then he closed the trunk nonchalantly.
"Got some job to do for the Yakuzas." He walked back to the side of the car and grabbed his jacket and cargo pants. Giving it to 8-Ball, he asked, "Can you bring these to Reena?"
"Sure thing, brother." 8-Ball glanced once again at the closed trunk, putting his face close to the compartment when he jumped in surprise after the sudden thud followed by the faint grunts of the person inside. "Damn brother, you getting back to business real quick..."
"Thanks. I had to, and you know why." Claude quickly got in the driver's seat, waving 8-Ball goodbye before he pulled up the window, driving toward his destination.
0-0-0-0-0
The LCPD had a huge compound, which was accessible only at the back of Liberty City Hall through an underground entrance and exit. The gate would only open to registered police cars. Unlike before, the compound's parking lot was not as heavily guarded. The security strategy had shifted to CCTV cameras and scanners, letting go of the traditional police inspection upon entrance and exit as the budget was cut short. Some police officers passed by but not as many as before.
According to Kenji's men, the Kanbu was imprisoned in the cell facing the parking lot. The wall was marked with a cross for easier spotting. Given the window time provided, the Yakuzas claimed that he should not expect any officer to come out.
Claude drove the car into the compound seamlessly passing the entrance. As soon as he made it inside, he moved slowly and surveyed the walls until he saw the cross mark that the Yakuzas mentioned. He parked in front of the cell window, the hood facing the wall and the trunk outward. He got out and set the timer, and from the window a foot above his head, he threw a rock to get the attention of the Kanbu.
"What are you doing?!" an officer passed by and yelled.
Shit.
Looking at him without saying anything, Claude began to walk around the car, aiming for the wall. In his mind, he was thinking about how he would dodge the intimidation. He'd followed the time carefully. Nobody should be in the parking lot at that point. The officer – an outlier in the equation – just happened to have crossed the compound.
The officer approached and inspected the car, looking at him suspiciously. "Are you from here?" he asked, dauntingly glaring. As if it couldn't be worse, Claude heard the restrained man in the trunk grumble. Noise catching his attention, the officer quickly went to the back of the car. When he opened it, he saw the man in his underwear with wrists and ankles tied and a piece of cloth in his mouth.
"What the fuck?!" the officer exclaimed as he pulled out the man from the trunk.
Claude knew all too well how this was going to end. Torn and exasperated within, he just stared at the formidable officer, the latter challenging him with the same arduous glares. When the officer suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed at him, as quick as a reflex, Claude likewise drew a pistol and aimed at the officer.
"Woah, easy," the officer hummed.
"Woah, easy," the officer hummed. Slowly, he reached for the emergency button at his side when a sudden static noise came out of the radio, making him jump and curse. "Shit!" the officer yelled, looking at him once again. "You won't get out of here alive!"
But he knew he would. Upon reaching the end of the wall, Claude slowly lowered his arm, tucking in the gun to his side.
The police car exploded, bursting the walls of the cells facing the parking lot and throwing the officer and the restrained man to the ground. Sirens within the station started blaring a throng of noises signifying an alert of a sudden breakout. Claude heard the gates locking down, and as he scoured his surroundings, he saw all the entrances and exits in the compound had been barricaded by an extra layer of the steel gate.
When he looked ahead through the hole in the wall, he saw the Kanbu ducking for cover as the debris of the explosion scattered around him. While the smoke and flames dissipated, the Kanbu looked at him. Claude motioned for him to follow, and although he seemed hesitant, the Kanbu ran in his direction. However, as soon as the Japanese stepped out of the cell, the other prisoners also began running out as well.
The explosion did not only destroy a wall – it had torn down half of the prison's barrier facing the parking lot. Despite the gates barred heavily, some of the felons climbed over the fences while others resorted to hostility against the guarding officers. People were going berserk, both the authorities and the prisoners, each trying to scramble against the other. With the Kanbu following him close behind, he watched as the police panicked, trying to catch the escaping inmates that were scaling up the walls. Instead of pushing through the exits just as planned, Claude pulled the Kanbu back inside…
0-0-0-0-0
Claude arrived in the casino still wearing a police suit with a few smears of dirt on his arms and face caused by the fumes and rubbles of the explosion. He did the ojigi again, this time more relaxed, which Asuka found amusing. She stood from her seat and slowly clapped her hand while she made her way toward him.
"You have almost pleased my brother. Congratulations."
"The Kanbu is safe, Mr. Kasen."
"Oyassan," Kenji emphasized, his teeth gritting within his mouth. "Call me boss or oyassan, not with your disrespectful American courtesies. And have you brought the Kanbu in the Dojo just like what I said?"
"Yes, oyassan." Claude made sure to emphasize the last word.
"Was he uninjured?"
"Flawless," Claude answered, but instead of the Kanbu, he was actually thinking about and referring to Reena.
"We aren't done yet…"
Asuka proudly whispered, "I told you, brother. He's good with his job."
"A dishonorable man like him's not someone to admire," Kenji refuted. He glared at Claude once again, seemingly scrutinizing every piece of him. His thin eyes narrowed even more, and as he walked up to Claude, he mocked, "Are you scaling me up?!"
Bowing his head and looking down, Claude answered, "No, oyassan, I'm not. I've no honor." Albeit saying the words out loud, it was rather grueling than it should have been.
With a snide smile on his face, Kenji turned around and walked away from him, saying, "Wait for my call and I might give you another job." He waved his hand away to dismiss him, and Claude turned around without talking and left the office swiftly.
CATALINA WATCHED THE chief of police as he leaned his back against the door of his car. She had no plans of showing up anytime soon, especially in such a public place, but the scoop she got was something she couldn't turn away from.
Aside from the seven inmates that escaped, a high-ranking Yakuza official was also busted out of prison. The informant said that after reviewing the CCTV of the compound, they discovered an officer helped the Kanbu. The Japanese prisoner even changed into a police uniform while the turmoil happened in the exterior compound. Then, with the aiding officer, they used a squad car for their getaway, driving along with the others credulously.
The officer? Who would've thought Claude could be that handy to those fucking Asians? Her fugitive ex-boyfriend seemed to be getting along really well with the Yakuzas...
Elmer closed his eyes, seemingly exasperated. Catalina wanted to laugh at his face for fuming over the defenselessness and insecurity of the compound. It was his fault. What kind of a stupid moron would downsize the security staff of the compound that was supposed to be the strictest of all correctional facilities in Liberty City? Only Elmer Groove would do that.
Pathetic.
In the press conference, he was questioned by the media about the change in security strategies. It was he who proposed the shift to technology, which the critics claimed to be "too reliant", decrying that it had only been done due to the budget cut in the force. An uproar rose among the crowd, and Elmer looked so flustered before the flashing lights of cameras and a throng of microphones on the podium. When he refused to respond, another representative of the press raised a question about the LCPD's apparent scandal with a foreign criminal organization. That question seemed to be the last straw as Elmer called for the dismissal of the conference and left the interview area immediately while being followed by the mob.
Catalina smiled to herself. She wondered what would be their reaction if Elmer admitted that he was getting some good pussy in exchange for the partnership?
"Chief…."
Elmer drew a pistol and pointed it immediately at her until she was recognized. He dropped the weapon and tucked it into his belt quickly. "Catalina," he huffed, "you fuckin' scared the shit out of me!"
She approached him and leaned on the hood of his car. "I saw you in the interview," she said.
His jaw clenched. "You should've shot him in the head…"
Ever since becoming the chief of police, Elmer Groove had been more complacent in his duties. Most weekends, he'd go to her and fuck with her in the Mansion in Shoreside Vale, or get some quickie or blow job in his car. He'd never taken seriously Claude and the other guy's escape in Callahan Bridge, and now, all his neglect was crashing back to him like a tide. Nonetheless, it was them who he blamed for the bad image of LCPD, embarrassing the police force from Portland to Shoreside Vale.
"Why are you here?" Elmer looked left to right warily as if he was ashamed to be seen with her. "You know we can't be seen together, right?"
Catalina chuckled. "Relax, chief. You're too tense…"
"The mayor said I must do something," he grumbled, face twisting in disappointment. "Or else, he'd need to let me go."
"What do you plan to do now?"
"I don't know…" He scratched his head and moved closer toward her. "Do you know where they are?"
She reached for his collars and pulled him close. Elmer tensed upon the contact of their skin. Such a horny bastard. "I don't know…" she said, sensually moving her hands on the chief's scruff. She tiptoed and whispered to his ears, "But I know someone who can lead us to them…"
Elmer's face glowed in surprise. "Who?!"
Beaming, Catalina took a folded picture between her cleavage and handed it over to him. She watched the chief of police as he slowly opened the photo, then looked back up at her with a confused expression on his face.
"Someone who can get us directly to them…" Catalina jerked her head toward the photo. "Sereena Lane…"
This is in reference to Kanbu Bust-out (GTA III).
I'm not a native English speaker, so I appreciate it if you can correct my expressions and choice of words, or suggest better ways to express things! I also highly appreciate receiving favorites and comments if you like the story! Thank you so much for reading! 3
