Chapter 5: The Trap
Disclaimer: Just in case anyone has forgotten, I own nothing from GTA. The only thing I own is my own creations. So please don't sue me!
Leon sped through the Porter Tunnel like a madman, bobbing and weaving through traffic dangerously. Anyone looking at him would've wondered how he got a license, but they didn't know what was going on. No one knew that he was racing to save his sister from the clutches some unknown man who's real agenda was to probably get Leon in his clutches. Leon knew perfectly well that he might be walking into a trap, but he didn't care. If Violet was in danger, he would go to any lengths to save her.
As he exited the tunnel all the way in Shoreside, his cell phone rang. It was Kai with an update.
"Leon, she's not here! I don't know what the fuck happened after we left, but she's certainly gone!"
"Okay, be cool. Just stay there and wait for me to call you back."
"Why should I stay here? I can come out there and help you!"
"No, this is personal. Stay there, and I'll call you back."
Leon hung up before Kai could try protesting any more and concentrated on where he was going. He was pretty sure he knew of the mansion the strange caller had mentioned, seeing as there was only one place in Shoreside Vale that fit the bill. It was located close to the edge of Shoreside Vale, near the Cochrane Dam. Leon was sure that it had been occupied by the Columbian Cartel just three years ago. He knew this because Kai had told him. After all, being in the Yakuza gave Kai access to some good information.
It didn't take long for Leon to reach the mansion. There were two guys in purple waiting at the gate inside. Leon bet they were guards or something. Seeing Leon, the two guys signaled to another who operated the gate. It opened up, allowing Leon to enter. He drove in slowly, feeling a bit nervous watching the gate close, but he shook the feeling off and exited his car, making sure to grab his gun and stuff it out of sight.
Leon was met by two of the purple clad gangsters at the door who escorted him inside. The three walked to a room close to the back of the mansion. The purple-wearing gangsters followed Leon inside, their hands suspiciously close to their hips. Leon suspected their guns were located there, and they were ready to pull them out if things got bad. The first thing Leon saw was Violet gagged and bound to a chair. Leon felt his blood boiling and contemplated killing the two guys who were with him. He quickly decided that that was the plan and turned to face the two gangsters, whipping out his pistol as he did so. Before they could react, Leon shot them and sent them to the ground, bleeding rather badly. Satisfied, Leon rushed over to Violet and untied her. As soon as her hands were free, she removed the gag and looked at Leon fearfully.
"Leon, we gotta go. It's a trap, he's here!"
"Who's here?"
"Oh, I can answer that for you," came a voice from behind them. Leon turned around nervously. The voice was familiar and he was sure he knew who it belonged to. His fear was confirmed upon seeing a tall black man blocking the doorway. The man had a smirk on his face, like he had just won the lottery.
"Hi Jerome. Didn't expect to see you here," Leon said.
"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't. I guess I got lucky when my contact here in Liberty told me he had seen you. Once I had that information, all I had to do was arrange to meet you," Jerome told him.
"So this is your doing?"
"Yeah, it is. I mean, sure, I could've just showed up at your house and killed you there, but it's much more fun setting traps for people. At least that way, I know you couldn't escape."
"Maybe not, but did you ever consider that I might kill you before you killed me?" Leon asked. Jerome answered with a laugh.
"Do you really think you can? I don't think so, not when I've got my loyal Ravens accompanying me."
Several Raven Syndicate members rushed into the room at that point, making Leon's nervousness worse.
"I think we should keep the talk to a minimum and just get on with your death," Jerome said. "If you can just stand still, it'll be over in a second."
Jerome pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Leon, who gripped his own gun tightly. Leon hadn't planned on dying, but things were looking bad. Jerome gave Leon a look that displayed his clear joy and put his finger on the trigger.
The sound of gunfire erupted throughout the mansion, but not from Jerome's gun. At the very moment he was about to pull the trigger, a gun went off in another part of the building. This took Jerome's mind off of what he was doing, giving Leon and Violet a split-second chance of surviving. He took hold of Violet's arm and dragged her over to the window in the room and jumped out of it. Luckily, their fall was cushioned by the fact that they dropped onto some rather thick grass.
"Come on, we gotta move!" Leon told Violet, helping her up and hurrying her along. A gunfight had been started inside the mansion, as nothing but gunfire could now be heard. Leon and Violet ran around to the front of the mansion where they were met by two Ravens. Leon quickly dispatched of them and headed for his car. Unfortunately, he found his tires popped and his ride useless.
"Damn! Now what do we do?"
Violet answered his question by pulling him along through the open gate and telling him to run. Apparently, whoever was inside the mansion shooting the place up took care of the guards. The two made it all the way down to the next street before stopping. Leon was trying to figure out which way to go, figuring that it would be best to get back to Portland as soon as possible. He was sure that Joey would be able to help him with this mess and get Jerome off his back for good. Thinking the tunnel would be the best route, Leon whipped out his pistol and headed into the street, flashing it at the first car that stopped at the light, which happened to be a Patriot.
"Come on, don't be an idiot! Get out, now!"
The driver didn't seem to happy about being told to get out of his own car, and decided that he wasn't moving. On the contrary, the driver revealed a gun of his own and tried to shoot Leon, but the teen was too quick. Leon had already moved over to the driver-side window with his pistol. All it took was one shot to the head. The driver was down and out. Without thinking, Leon tried to open the door, and it was unlocked.
"Guess this guy thought he wouldn't get jacked," he said to himself.
Pulling the guy out and getting in, he motioned for Violet to do the same. After she obeyed, Leon sped off toward the tunnel entrance. The ride wasn't smooth, however, as two Landstalkers driven by Syndicate members managed to catch up with Leon and started trying to run him off the road. Leon shot at the car closest to him, although his aim was thrown off by an oncoming car that had swerved into his path, trying to avoid all of the commotion. Leon barely managed to avoid tipping the car over as he zigzagged around traffic, which was surprisingly heavy. Matters were made worse by the somewhat unexpected involvement of a police car, which had seen the chase going on and moved in to put a halt to it. By the time Leon entered the tunnel, there were now three police cars involved, one of which had stopped one of the Landstalkers.
As the chase continued, Leon realized he had made a mistake in entering the tunnel. He expected some traffic, but it was heavier than he anticipated. Dodging cars was not easy, and he nearly caused a major accident. Leon decided that it would be better to escape on foot, thinking he could cause a big enough traffic jam to stop his pursuers. He hit the brakes and spun the wheel, putting the Patriot directly in the way of traffic, effectively stopping it's flow. He then got out of the car and made a run for it, with Violet right behind him. The Syndicate members followed suit, ditching their Landstalker to give chase on foot. The police even got out of their cars and started running. Leon felt like this was going to end badly. His pursuers were closing in, guns drawn. Once they were close enough to aim effectively, that would be it. Leon stopped at the Staunton Island exit and turned around to face his adversaries. He didn't want to be a coward; it wasn't his way.
"Leon, what the fuck are you doing? Keep running!" Violet exclaimed.
"You go on ahead. I'm gonna take care of these bitches!"
As Violet grabbed hold of Leon and tried to force him to run, a burgundy Greenwood drove into their path coming from Staunton Island. Leon recognized the driver as the man who had helped him earlier that day.
"If you wanna live, get in!" the man said.
Leon and Violet wasted no time in doing what the man said and climbed into his car. The man then sped off down the tunnel, leaving the Syndicate members to deal with the police themselves.
"Hey, thanks man. I wasn't sure what was gonna happen," Leon said.
"Don't mention it. It was just yo luck that was even around," the man told him. "I'm just interested in smokin' them Balla bitches."
"Who?" Leon asked.
"The niggas in purple, the Ballas. I don't know who those other fools were, but I'll take them motherfuckers out too if I have to."
"The other guys are members of the Raven Syndicate, a gang from Cordell City."
"Never heard of them before. Matter of fact, I ain't never been to Cordell City. I don't travel much."
"Mind if I ask who you are? I like to know the names of the people who help me out?"
"CJ, Carl Johnson."
The name sounded somewhat familiar to Leon.
"Well CJ, I think this could be the start of a very beneficial friendship."
"Why do you say that?"
"If you drive me to a little place in Saint Mark's, I'll explain along the way."
