(At first glance, Francis appears to be nothing more than a love rival. However, if we take a closer look we can see that he's far more complex than that. If you couldn't already tell, this Character Side Story will be the start of Francis' story, Insecurity, where he'll be put to the test and must maneuver various obstacles, some legitimately life threatening, and overcome his deep, deep insecurity.
Francis might be a happy, go lucky teen when he was introduced, but deep down he's nothing more than a frail teen who's unsure about himself and constantly feels uncomfortable with the way he is. This story will show a different side to Francis and will show just how chaotic his insecure life can be.
But that's the thing about life. It just doesn't go the way you wanted it to go, does it?)
Through the eyes of Francis, the teen slowly opened his eyes, his eyelids feeling like a thousand pounds as he felt like death all over, flames and smoke flying in the air in front of him. He groaned as examined his surroundings, immediately spotting the fallen helicopter crashed in the junkyard as the flames engulfed the downed aircraft, smoke rising into the air. The night sky dwelled over him as he rubbed his face only to spot that his hand was coated in blood. Not that far from him was another person, lying motionless in a pile of junk and debris from the helicopter. Whether they were unconscious or dead was unknown. The teenager turned to his left, finding another person lying beside him stomach down, his eyes closed as his face was towards him. This time, it was clearly obvious that he was dead, evident by the third degree burns on his face as well as a missing leg.
Francis turned back to face forwards only to be met with a horrid sight. Part of the helicopter's blade had pierced right through him, impaling his body as it was coated in his blood, yet he felt nothing. Mustering up the strength to not vomit, he gently grabbed the blade in an attempt to try and pull it out, only realizing it was futile seconds later. At that moment, the sounds of debris clunking and clashing were heard as a person stumbled from the flaming, crashed helicopter, obviously badly injured from the crash. The man stumbled forwards as he caught himself, holding his side before spotting Francis stuck in his death trap. The man picked himself up as he wobbled his way towards the teen, momentarily bending over to pick up a Desert Eagle that had fallen from the crash. Francis made no attempt to try and escape as the man finally approached the teen, a ferocious scowl on his face as he continued to hold his bleeding side.
In a moment, the man suddenly aimed the Desert Eagle right at Francis' face, the same scowl still plastered on his own. "Do svidaniya… Frankie." the man says in a Russian accent before pulling the hammer down.
*BA-*
SEVERAL MONTHS EARLIER…
FRANCIS: Insecurity
Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole
The morning sun shines over Sanjo City as doves and pigeons fly in the cloudless sky, a sheet of blue covering the entire city. The sound of a radio turning on followed by the sound of the channel changing before finally reaching a station.
"Direct from Hove Beach! This is Radio Alpha FM with your favorite DJ from the future, DJ Eddie!" the radio announcer exclaims before finally tuning into the station.
"Good moooorning Sanjo City!" Ed's voice could be heard as a single story blue house came into the panning shot. "This Alpha FM and I'm it's host, DJ Eddie! Now I know all of you aren't looking forward to today. Because it's Monday. The most hated day of the week. Next to Thursday for no other reason than just not being Friday."
Inside the blue house, a very messy, dark room with a purple lava lamp could be seen housing a person underneath the covers, the curtains slightly opened letting in some sunlight.
"But don't worry folks, that's why I'm here. I'm here to brighten up your morning and help you get ready to make it pass today. Welcome to Alpha FM! Japan's only multicultural radio station in the Kanagawa prefecture! Stuff from so far from the East, it's virtually West. We play all kinds of music genres ranging from rap to some smooth jazz, heh heh. You like jazz? No? O- Okay, anyway this is Alpha FM! Hit it!"
The person underneath the covers groaned before popping their head, revealing themselves to be Francis, whom had a tired look in his eyes. "I hate Monday." he groans.
As Francis started off his day, a song started playing in the background thanks to the radio station. To start off Francis' day, the first thing he did was head to the bathroom to take a piss, holding in a night long supply of water in his bladder. After relieving himself, he began to strip from his nighttime wear, which consisted of a baggy black shirt, his boxers, and a pair of black socks.
"You ever wonder where the phrase, 'skeletons in your closet' came from? Like, did someone find a literal skeleton in someone's closet? What if your neighbor is hiding skeletons in their closet? Or your best friend! Your uncle! The only person I know who's hiding a real skeleton in their closet is my dad… Don't ask. Just don't. It's better for everyone."
Skeletons in your closet
Itchin' to come outside
Messin' with your conscience
In a way your face can't hide
After stripping all of his clothes, aside from his one middle finger ring, the teen stepped inside of a shower stall and turned on the faucet. Warm water spilled down onto Francis as his bed head was instantly dampened, the teen quickly grabbing some body wash and shampoo. After taking his shower, which had fogged up the mirror, the teen stepped out and wiped the mirror to reveal his reflection, a towel over his waist. He opened up the mirror cabinet and pulled out some toothpaste and a toothbrush, getting ready to brush his teeth.
Oh things are gettin' real funky
Down at the old corral
And it's not the skunks that are stinkin'
It's the stinkin' lies you tell
After taking his shower and brushing his teeth, Francis went back into his messy room to get clothed for the day. As usual as with all animated characters with a single outfit, he wore the only clothes he has ever seen outside of his house. First off his put on a pair of black socks followed by a pair of gray fitted jeans as he placed on a pair of green and white sneakers. Up top, he put on a white T-Shirt with the Neversoft eyeball logo on it, fitted with a spear impaling the actual eyeball. Over his shirt he put on a short sleeve, open buttoned green shirt before placing on a digital watch on his left wrist. To complete his accessories, he placed on a car bolt tied to a string around his neck like a necklace while topping everything by placing on a pair of sunglasses on his forehead.
What did your mama tell you lies?
She said it wasn't polite to tell a white one
What did your daddy tell you about lies?
He said one white lie turns into a black one
After putting on some deodorant and some cologne, the teen exited his room and made his way to the living room where his aunt, Aunt Lily, could be seen sitting in the reclining chair smoking a cigarette. "Morning, Aunt Lily." he greets the woman.
"Morning you stupid jackass." Aunt Lily replies harshly before taking a hit from her cigarette.
Francis walked passed a young, thin woman wearing an apron with a VERY traumatized and disturbed expression on her face, a bowl in her hand as she mixed whatever was in there. "Morning, mom." he greets her as he opens up the fridge.
"Gotta clean. Gotta clean to make everyone happy. No yelling means happy people." his mom mutters in a catatonic state, not even noticing her son.
Francis pulled out a tray of eggs, some tomatoes, cheese, as well as some shredded chicken before placing them all on top of the kitchen island. "Are you making your famous 'Frankie Omelet' again?" Aunt Lily asks from the living room.
"Yes, because it is the greatest omelet that has ever existed and you know it." he tells the woman with a playful smile.
"My ex-husband made a better omelet back in the 50's and he died in the war so who really gives a crap." Aunt Lily says as she smokes more of her cigarette.
"Where's dad by the way?" Francis asks as he pulls out a frying pan.
"Where do you think? In his garage playing with his toys like he always does. I have no idea what my sister, god rest her soul, sees in him."
Francis glanced at his mother, whose eye was twitching as she continued to mix whatever was in the bowl, catatonically staring into the abyss before glancing back to his aunt. "But she's right here." he says, pointing to his mom.
"No, she ain't." Aunt Lily denies, taking another hit from her cigarette.
The fact she considers her sister dead even when she lives with her says a lot about Aunt Lily.
So, it's gettin' ready to blow
It's gettin' ready to show
Somebody shot off at the mouth and
We're getting ready to know
It's gettin' ready to drop
It's gettin' ready to shock
Somebody done turned up the heater
An' a it's gettin' ready to pop
A small montage of Francis preparing his 'Frankie Omelet' was shown as he whisked some eggs before placing them on a hot pan. After adding in some cheese and meat, he flipped over the omelet before adding the vegetables. After a while, his omelet was officially done as he grabbed some hot sauce from the fridge, dripping small drops on the omelet before placing it back in the fridge. He grabbed his plate before making his way towards a door, opening it to reveal a very messy garage filled with various parts of machinery lying lazily on the floor. Francis turned to the corner where he could see his dad, wearing a lab coat with a pair of goggles on his messy head, whom was in the middle of prepping whatever he had invented.
"Morning dad." Francis greets his father as he sits on top of a washing machine.
His dad turned to the side to see his one and only son, a smile forming on his face. "Aaaah, Frankie. You're up. Good." he says before grabbing a wrench. "Here. Help me with the muffler. I need to make sure it's as tight as possible for this to work."
His dad carelessly threw the tool towards his son, completely missing him as he continued to eat his omelet. "What're you making by the way?" he asks.
His father wiped away some sweat from his forehead before facing his son. "Ah, something I'm trying to get the city to fund. We need the money so I need this to be perfect."
"What is it?"
"It's a machine that takes in waste, such as sewage or fecal matter, and turns it into energy! Energy we could use for our house! For our cars! Even the whole city! I just need to present this to the city so they can fund the project and then we'll be set for life, Frankie!"
Francis took a bite from his omelet, eyeing the machine in question. "Looks like a normal dryer to me." he says.
Sure enough, his father's 'invention' was nothing more than a dryer wrapped in Christmas lights along with various other household objects. "It's a work in progress." he says. "By the way, you remember when we got rid of that kitchen sink years ago? The one you buried in the backyard for no reason?"
"Heheh." Francis chuckled at the memory.
"I'm gonna have to need it soon so you think you can un-bury it sometime today?"
Francis finished the rest of his omelet before handing his dad his empty plate and fork. "Sure." he says. "Here. You can use this as test subjects for your machine."
"Aaah, thanks my boy." his dad says with a smile, taking the plate afterwards.
Crevices in your pantry
Now what do we have in here?
Havin' a day time nightmare
Has always been your biggest fear
Francis was on his way out the door when his dad spoke up once more. "By the way, Sammy is dropping by today." he mentions.
Oh things are gettin' real crucial
Up the old wazoo- *glass breaking;baby crying*
Francis immediately stopped in his tracks upon hearing his sister's name. "Sammy is visiting?" he shutters in fear.
Up front, said sister had rudely kicked in the door and proudly made herself home. "I'm baaaaaaaaack!" she loudly shouts.
Sammy in question had raven black hair in a ponytail, wore a yellow turtle neck shirt as well as a pair of denim jeans followed by a pair of yellow sneakers. She had hazel eyes along with a single mole on her left cheek. Francis peeked his head from behind the door but was immediately spotted by his sister.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Frankie." Sammy greets her brother in a mocking tone.
Francis looked away embarrassingly in response. "Hey, Sammy." he mutters, avoiding eye contact.
"How's my loser of a brother been doing since I left for college?" she asks him, obviously taunting him.
"I've been-"
"Yeah, that's great. Yeah." Sammy interjects, earning a glare from Francis. "Listen, while you've been at home failing your classes, this girl got accepted to Japan's top university! My major? Engineering. Just like dad."
"Hooray." Francis dryly says in a sarcastic manner with lidded eyes.
Speaking of their dad, he had finally popped his head out from his man cave to greet his one and only daughter. "Sammy! So good to see you!" he greets her as they share a tight hug.
"Oooooh, I've missed you so much Dad. You too Mom and Aunt Lily."
"Feeling's unmutual." Aunt Lily harshly says, her eyes still glued to the TV.
"Must clean. Must clean." their mom mutters, still in her catatonic state.
"What's this I hear about you getting into the top university of the country?" their dad asks with excitement covering his words.
"They liked my thesis on engineering a power plant based on using air as a power source so much they already set me up with some classes. I start next week!" Sammy gloats with a huge grin.
"Congratulations!" their dad shouts as he hugs her once more. "I knew you could do it! You should learn something from her, Frankie."
"Yeah." Francis mutters, not wanting to even be in the room by now.
"Awww, is Frankie Wankie mad that he can't engineer a toilet? Ha!"
"Knock it off, Sammy." Francis tells her, shoving her hand away from his face. "Why do you gotta be such a cock sometimes?"
"Because making fun of you is so easy, it writes itself." Sammy rudely replies with a mocking smile. "Hey, while you're hear, you think you can pick up my dry cleaning for me?"
"What?! No!" Francis yells.
"Aw, c'mon, Frankie." his dad responds, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just this once for Sammy. She just got accepted to the best university. The least you can do is pick up her dry cleaning."
Francis glared at his sister whom mockingly grinned back. "Fine." he says. "But I'm not doing this all the time, you know."
"Don't worry. I know picking up laundry is hard for a simpleton like you." Sammy tauntedly replies.
Francis suddenly punched Sammy to the ground, knocking her down as he stood over her. "I wouldn't want to pick up your dirty laundry anyway! They probably reek of shit since you like to rub your ego into everyone's face you egotistical bitch!" he yells at her in uncontrollable rage.
Except this happened inside Francis head as Sammy was untouched, her smile still on her face as Francis balled his fist so hard his nails were cutting his skin. "I'll be back." he mutters in anger before walking out the door.
After he left, Sammy turned back to her dad and smiled at him. "It's good to be back." she says.
Francis marched his way to the family van, getting inside the front seat and turning on the engine. "Why'd it have to be study day today?" he asks as the engine comes to life before adjusting the rear view mirror. "I'd rather spend my day at school then be anywhere remotely near Sammy anytime of the week."
Francis backed out of the driveway before driving down the street to his destination, the radio continuing to play inside the car.
You're gettin' ready to lie
They're gettin' ready to spy
Somebody' s been put on the hot seat
And you're gettin' ready to fry
"If there's a blind man singing songs out there," Ed's voice was heard over the radio. "does that mean there's a deaf person doing… something related to eyes out there- I swear, I just had it a second ago."
Francis suddenly drove by a bicyclist, whom had accidentally crashed into a light pole.
"Hey, hey! You're listening to Alpha FM! I really enjoy music so much I couldn't decide which genre I should pick for this station so while sitting on the couch eating Cheerios, I thought to myself, 'Who cares? They're all great!' And that's what I did. Best decision I ever made! Well, that and choosing Madeline in Survivor of the Next Super Model. I always knew she'd win!… Oh wait, Jennifer took it away last night. Darn it! And I gambled my priceless pirate ship collection as well!"
"DJ Eddie. On Alpha FM. MUSIC FOR EVERYONE! WOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I LOVE YOU DJ EDDIE! Alpha FM!"
"Somebody! Help!"
Francis suddenly stopped his vehicle after hearing the cry for help, turning to the side to see two men down an alleyway with a third one lying beside them. The first man was shown covering a bloody wound on the second man as he coughed up blood, lying in the man's lap as he gasped violently. "Someone help! He's been stabbed!" the first man cries out.
"Oh shit." Francis mutters, not even thinking as he quickly exited the vehicle. "Hey! Hey, what happened?!" he asks the two men.
The first man, whom was helping his friend, had straight and flat black hair while wearing a black suit shirt buttoned up halfway with a white collared shirt underneath. Down below, he wore a pair of black jeans and brown loafers. The second man wore a black suit, which was coated in blood, was bald and had a small caterpillar mustache along with a pair of glasses.
"Oh thank God!" the first man exclaimed as he helps his friend up. "Help me pick him up! He needs to get stitches fast!"
Francis didn't even think twice as he helped the stranger up, completely ignoring the dead guy beside him, as he helped the two make their way to his car. "Get in. I'll drive." he tells the two as he gets in the driver seat.
"UGH! Fuck!" the second man cursed as he gets in the backseat.
"It's alright, sir, you're gonna be okay." the first man says, hopping in the passenger seat. "Drive! Now!"
Francis quickly stepped on the pedal and floored it, accelerating down the street while leaving a smoke trail behind him. "Aaaaargh!" the second man groans in pain.
"It's gonna be okay. We're gonna take you to get fixed up." the first man tells his friend.
"The nearest hospital is on the other side of town. Why didn't you call an ambulance?" Francis asks the men.
"No! No hospitals!" the wounded man shouted.
"What?! Are you crazy?! You're bleeding all over my car and you're saying you don't want to go to a hospital?!" Francis yells at the man.
"There's this doctor I know. He owes me a favor. He has a clinic down in South Sanjo. It's on Welker Boulevard." the wounded man explains.
"You want to go to a clinic?!"
"Just drive!"
Not wanting to start an argument, Francis rounded the corner and began heading to his new destination. "Think good thoughts, Mr. Kotaru. Think good thoughts." the first man says to his friend, revealing his name.
"Shut up, Izumi! You talking isn't making this better! AH! Shit." Mr. Kotaru grunts in pain.
"How am I gonna explain the blood in the backseat to my aunt?" Francis says aloud.
"Tell her you saved a man's life. She won't be mad at you." Izumi replies, trying to make Francis feel better.
It didn't help one bit. "You obviously don't know my aunt then. Tell me again why you aren't going to a hospital."
"It's just easier." Mr. Kotaru grunts.
"Sounds sketchy to me." the teen replies.
"Well, nobody asked you- AH! Damn it." Mr. Kotaru grunted.
"You okay, sir?" Izumi asks his friend, turning to the backseat.
Instead, he was met by a glare from the bald man. "I was just stabbed by a man trying to kill me, Izumi. No, I'm not okay you idiot! Why are you always so dumb?!"
"I mean, I did kill the guy trying to kill you." Izumi plainly replies, not even offended by the insult.
"Hey, I know I just met you guys and all but… he makes a point." Francis sides with Izumi.
"I know he does! I'm just aiming my anger at him because I can't yell at a dead man!" Mr. Kotaru shouts in pain.
"I've seen my aunt yell at her husband's grave one time so I think it's possible."
"Really? I gotta meet your aunt then. She sounds like my type of woman."
"Trust me, she's not."
After a few more minutes of driving, the three finally arrived at their destination and sure enough, it was a sketchy clinic on the street with boarded up windows. "This is the clinic you want to go?" Francis asks with skepticism in his voice. "This place looks sketchy as hell!"
"It's perfect." Mr. Kotaru says before getting out the vehicle. "I got it from here, Izumi. You're free to do whatever now. I'm gonna go get stitched up."
"Take care, Mr. Kotaru! Call me when you get better!" Izumi yells from the seat.
Mr. Kotaru entered the clinic, activating the bell on top of the door. "Miguel! I need you!" he yells.
Izumi then turned to Francis, a warm smile on his face. "Can you take me to my place up in Ocean Courts? I live on Masterson street." he asks the teen.
Without giving an answer, Francis stepped on the pedal and began to drive to his new destination. "What happened back there?" he asks the man.
"Nothing you should worry about. I'm Izumi by the way."
"Francis."
"Pleasure to meet you, Francis." Izumi politely says. "I can't thank you enough for doing this. Most people would just walk by without a glance. Not only did you take in a stranger but you didn't even question where he wanted to go. Even if it's a sketchy place like an unnamed clinic."
"I've learned that the best thing to do is to not ask in these situations." Francis replies, rounding the corner.
"Still, I can't thank you enough, Francis. You saved a very important man today. Mr. Kotaru WILL thank you in the future."
"Tell him that I'm just glad he's alright is all." Francis replies, not really knowing how to properly respond to the man.
"Hey, this might sound weird, but I like you." Izumi nonchalantly reveals. "Not in the 'fun in the showers' kind of way. As in 'you're an alright guy' type of way. If you ever need something to do, come to me and I might have something for you. I pay really well."
"As long as it's not taking anyone else to some back alley clinic." the teen replies.
"Trust me, that was only a one time event… I hope."
After several more minutes of driving in silence, the two arrived at their new destination, which was a simple apartment complex. "Thanks again for saving my boss' life." Izumi says as he gets out of the car. "Here's my number. I'm serious about earlier too. If you ever need a little cash, just call me. I'm always looking for help."
Francis grabbed the card Izumi wrote the number on and placed it in his pocket. "And I'm always looking for work, but not really from strangers. I'll have to think about it." he says.
"No problem!" Izumi happily exclaims. "It's alright if you don't want to. But if you ever need a friend to talk to or just hang out, you know where I live. I know we just met but I have a good feeling about you, kid. See you around."
With that, Izumi turned around and entered his apartment, albeit bumping into a man making him spill his coffee in the process. "Can't you see I'm urinating here?" the man asks Izumi in an angered tone before walking off like nothing happened.
"Strange guys." Francis mumbles before driving off.
*GTA 4 Mission Passed theme…*
With nothing else to do, the teen drove off and up the hill before grabbing his phone and dialing a number. "Hey, Sammy." he says. "Something came up and I'm not gonna get your dry cleaning in time. I need to wash the car real quick."
"I knew it! I knew you couldn't handle a simple errand like laundry! Jesus, Frankie, how pathetic are you that you managed to fuck up a simple errand so badly?"
"I'm sorry. Would it help if I cleaned the car with your clothes instead?" Francis angrily asks in a sarcastic tone.
"You dirty my clean clothes and I'll make it my personal mission to make your life as miserable as possible."
"You're already doing that by existing. I have to go, Sammy. Not good talking to ya."
With that, Francis hung up the phone as he sped down the street, crashing into another car as he was flung out from the windshield. "AAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screams as he's thrown out of the vehicle before tossing and rolling on the pavement. He laid there motionless for a few seconds before picking himself up like it was nothing. "I. Hate. Mondays." he says to no one in particular.
LATER…
Several holes could be seen in Francis' backyard, the teen having been tasked with digging up a buried kitchen sink for his father's invention. As we all know, the D-Kids had helped Francis dig up his entire backyard only to come to the conclusion that the kitchen sink was nowhere in sight. By now, the D-Trio had left with Aunt Lily to head to the junkyard to find that recently new dinosaur, leaving Francis to himself in his backyard.
However, instead of continuing to dig holes in his backyard, Francis had accidentally fell asleep while leaning on his shovel, audibly snoring.. "ZZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZZ… ZZZZZZZ…"
The garage door suddenly opened as Francis' father stepped outside, immediately spotting his son as he approached him. "Frankie. Frankie." he calls out.
"ZZZZZZ…" His father picked up a pebble and threw it at his son, the small rock bouncing off his head, successfully waking him up. "AH! AH! What?! I'm awake! I'm-…" He took a moment to check his surroundings, realizing he was still at home. "Oh."
"Frankie." his dad calls out again.
Francis turned to his father, dropping the shovel in the process. "Wassup?" he asks.
His father smiled at him and gestured for him to follow him. "Come take a look." he says. The teen obliged as he approached his father, a yawn escaping from his mouth in the process. "Didn't sleep enough last night?"
"I have insomnia. You know that." Francis answers. "Anyway, what did you want to show me."
His father smiled before gripping his hand over a mysterious object underneath a blanket, which he pulled off revealing a crude invention made out of everyday household objects. "I think I have just finished the next step in my project. Let's test it out."
His father plugged in some cords into an outlet before switching the machine on, a whirring noise emitting from the engine as his father opened up the compartment door and placed an empty soda can inside. "Now," he begins. "if I engineered this correctly then it should use this empty soda can and transform it into energy that could theoretically keep it powered for up to 3 hours."
He closed the door and pressed a button, a miniature blue laser striking the can inside the invention as it slowly began to do its work. Francis and his father patiently observed the can as it began to glow light blue like the laser, beginning to vibrate in its place. "Come on. Come ooooooon." his father prayed.
The soda can continued to shake in its place before it suddenly exploded inside the machine, setting off a miniature fire inside it as the machine's engine died down. His father's enthusiastic attitude was destroyed like the can in a matter of seconds as a disappointed expression took over. The man grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher as Francis ran his fingers through his hair, watching his father quickly put out the fire inside the machine. After extinguishing the flame, his father gave out a defeated sigh before sitting in his folding chair, taking off his goggles as he stared up at the ceiling.
"I need this to work, Frankie." he tells his son. "I need it to get approved so we can finally get some money. With your mom unable to work and your aunt… being your aunt, I'm the family's only hope to keep this house and prevent us from living on the street. It'd help if Sammy at least sent money but she's using it all for her research."
Francis snapped at his father and gave him a raised brow. "Wait," he says. "Sammy isn't sending money?" He earned a shake of the head as an answer. "Dad, no offense… but Sammy's a bitch."
His dad chuckled in response. "Heh heh heh. Yeah. But she's my daughter and I love her no matter what." he says, trying to keep things positive but his frown betrayed him.
Francis looked down briefly and thought to himself momentarily. "You really need the money, don't you?" he asks his dad.
"More than you think." he answers. He suddenly stood up from his seat and stretched, letting out a relieved groan from his mouth. "Well, I'm gonna take a break. All work and no play makes dad a dull man. I'll see you around, Frankie."
With that said, his father entered the house, leaving Francis alone in the garage to himself. He took a moment to examine the machine before pulling out a piece of paper that had Izumi's number written on it. After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, the teen pulled out his phone and dialed the number, hearing it ring a few times before it answered.
"Hello?" Izumi's voice was heard.
"Izumi," Francis says. "it's me… I uh… I think I'll take you up on that offer."
After calling Izumi and confirming his plans, Francis left the house and walked out the front door, just as Aunt Lily had came back from driving the family van. "I just drove your fagola friends to the junkyard where they were born. I need a cigarette!" she complains as she passes by Francis and heads into the house.
The teen said nothing, instead hopping into the van before backing out of the driveway, beginning his travels to Izumi's apartment. While that happened, he had opted to turn on the radio where a news report had just begun about today's events.
"This is Channel 69 News." says the announcer. "Man found dead in alleyway! The Internet's new social media already has controversy! Shocking news for Sanjo City as a man was found dead in an alleyway off of Steinwick down in Hove Beach. Police have identified the man as Ivan Rostova, a high ranking member of the Russian Mafia, while also identifying that a second victim may have been in the same alleyway. DNA has confirmed that there is an unknown male out there possibly bleeding from the abdomen. No leads are known at the time."
"The internet has created another social media app, named Stalker, which has already invaded many people's privacies. Here are their thoughts."
"It's horrible! Someone took a picture of me taking a sponge bath, now no one wants to be my friend!"
"Others on the other hand have different thoughts about the app."
"This app is great! I took a photo of my ex-girlfriend taking a sponge bath and it's the best thing ever! I jerk off to this photo at least three times a day!"
"This has been Channel 69 News!"
While reporting the recent events on the radio station, Francis had already driven eastward of Sanjo City where he had arrived and parked out front of Izumi's apartment. He entered the building and made his way to his apartment, don't ask how he knows which apartment is his. The teen approached the door and knocked, grabbing Izumi's attention inside.
"Izumi, it's me. Francis. Open up." he says.
"One second." Izumi was heard from the other side. Francis waited for a brief moment before Izumi exited the apartment, closing the door and locking it on the way out. "Hey." he greets the teen.
"Hey." Francis awkwardly replies.
"Didn't think you'd actually take up on my offer." Izumi reveals after locking his door, the two now walking down the hallway. "Not that I'm complaining but I'm glad you did."
"Why? What's wrong?" Francis asks with a perplexed expression.
"It's uh… complicated." Izumi vaguely answers. "All you need to know is that you need to come with me while I do a little… 'favor' for someone. I'll pay. Don't worry."
"Well, if you're paying, sure. But what's this favor?"
"It's hard to explain to the general population. I'll explain when we get there." Izumi says as he motions Francis to follow him, which he gladly did.
"Drive us down to the recycling factory down in the Quakeford Projects." Izumi instructs Francis as they both get in the car.
Upon starting the vehicle, the teen stepped on the gas pedal and drove down the street, making an unsafe U-turn as he headed the opposite direction.
"You feel like helping out the Earth or what?" Francis asks the man, trying to strike up a conversation.
"What?" Izumi asks, not realizing what he meant.
"The recycling factory. Do you feel like recycling?"
"In a way. Yeah." Izumi vaguely replies.
Francis raised a skeptic brow in response. "In a way?" he repeats in a skeptical tone.
"What we'll be doing would be more like 'taking out the trash' rather than recycling. We'd be cleansing the city of dangerous pollution."
"Carbon dioxide?" the teen guesses.
"No."
"Sewage?"
"No."
"Seagulls getting stuck in soda can plastic rings?"
"Just stop."
"Burning trash that gets into children's lungs, potentially leading to long term, life threatening disorders?"
"N- Well, kind of."
"Close enough."
The teen rounded the corner as they suddenly drove by the junkyard, where explosions were shown being shot out from. Just from driving by, the two males saw fire being fired in the air followed by lightning and water. Along with these blasts were paired with roars of various, unseen animals of a large size.
"Jesus. What's going on in there?" Izumi asks, eyeing the situation.
"Ah, they're probably filming that new movie Spinoberg is making. Galeophobia or something, I don't know." Francis answers.
"Spinoberg?" Izumi repeats as if he's heard that name before. "You mean that hotshot filmmaker that got sued his ass off by BOTH Universal Studios and Spielberg himself and won? THAT Spinoberg?"
"Is there anyone else named Spinoberg?"
"His mother maybe?"
"True."
"Wait, he's using the $8 mil to produce another movie?" Izumi asks the teen.
"If it's anything like his other movies, it's probably just as tasteless and boring." Francis replies.
After a few more minutes of driving in silence, the two finally arrived at the recycling factory where many cars were shown parked in the parking lot. "Okay, we're here." Francis says as he and Izumi get out. "Tell me again what we're doing."
Izumi said nothing, instead reaching into his pocket to pull out a pistol, immediately setting off red flags in Francis' head. "WOAH! WOAH! WOAH!"
"Calm down. I'm not gonna kill you." Izumi tells him.
"Then why'd you pull out a gun?!" the teen frantically asks.
Izumi extended the gun forward, gesturing to the teen to take it. "You're gonna need this." he tells Francis.
Francis gawked at the man before glancing at the gun, second thoughts running in his head before he hesitantly took the gun. "Izumi… what're we doing?" he asks the man.
"Don't worry. It's just for protection." Izumi reassures him. "If it all goes to plan, we won't even have to fire a single bullet. You do know how to fire a gun, don't ya?"
"Of course I know how to fire a gun. It's not my first time." Francis replies as he checks the magazine, revealing that it was fully loaded.
"You ever fired at someone before?" Izumi cautiously asks.
"W-Well… just once." Francis sheepishly reveals with a neck scratch.
"Good enough for me. Now come on. Let's get this over with and get you home, yeah?"
Izumi casually walked away as Francis hesitantly followed suit, the two entering the recycling factory through an open door. When the two walked in, Francis realized quickly just what he walked into, based on examining his surroundings. All the machines were off and none of the recyclables were being recycled, instead several sketchy men were loitering around the building. As soon as the two entered the building, all eyes were on them as some of the men quickly grabbed their guns beside them.
"Gentlemen! Hello!" Izumi calls out.
No one answered, the men only glaring are the two as some of them hovered their fingers over the triggers of their assault rifles. "What are you doing here?" asks a man in a thick Russian accent.
"This is no place for your kind." says another Russian.
"Racist." Francis mumbled with lidded eyes.
"Gentlemen, I'm only here for a colleague of mine." Izumi continues his polite manner. "You see, one of your kind had rudely tried to kill my boss and in return, I was sent here to… 'even up the score', as one would say. Now, before you start getting all guns blazing, I'd just like to say that this kind gentleman right here," Izumi gestured to Francis, whom meekly waved his hand.
"Hi." he sheepishly greets with a nervous smile.
"is only a civilian." Izumi continues. "So please, do not harm, maim, or kill an innocent, unarmed civilian."
Francis turned to the man and gave him a raised brow. "What're you talking about? You gave me a gun before we entered this place." Francis dumbly says aloud.
Silence loomed over the area as every single one of the Russians glared at the two, some even slowly aiming their rifles while some set their firearms from semi-automatic to fully automatic. Francis pretty much had a terrified expression while Izumi kept his optimistic grin, though this was nothing more than a facade as the man himself was too shocked to even have a proper expression for the situation.
"You were bluffing, huh?" Francis caught on to Izumi's plan.
"Yeah. Yeah, that was a bluff." Izumi replies, his optimistic grin still on his face.
Francis slowly began to back up when one of the Russians pointed his finger at the two, an enraged expression on his face. "Ubeite ikh vsekh! (Kill them all!)" he shouts as all hell breaks loose.
Before Francis could even react, he was pushed to the side by Izumi as the two quickly crawled into cover, bullets being fired from all over the place as they hit the pavement. By now, all of the Russians were either running frantically or getting into cover themselves.
"Ikh vsego dva! U nikh net shansov! (Its just two of them! They stand no chance!)" yells one of the Russians.
"Izumi! What the fuck did you get me into?! I didn't prepare myself to get killed today!" Francis yells at the man in rage and panic.
"Okay," Izumi began. "so I maaaaaaaaay have left out some tiny details. Details like these are Russian mobsters part of the Russian Mafia and that I'm Yakuza and we're here to kill all these guys for being in our territory."
"Those are small details?!" Francis yells at the man.
"I got them!" shouts a voice from behind them.
Francis and Izumi snapped around to see a Russian aiming his rifle at them, only for Francis to completely panic as he frantically aimed his pistol at the Russian and fired a bullet. "AAAAH!" he screams, pulling the trigger. The bullet pierced the Russian's throat as he began to gurgle blood before falling off the catwalk and onto the concrete ground below. "Oh my God." Francis mumbled, his first time taking a life.
"See! You're a natural!" Izumi congratulates him with a shoulder shake.
"This isn't a good thing!" Francis yells at the man. "Whatever! Right now, I don't really care about my own morality or whatever! I just want to leave and live! There's like dozens of men here and only two of us! We're screwed!"
"Eh. I've had worse odds." Izumi says as he peeked around the corner and fired his submachine gun at the enemy. "Just stick close to me, hug the wall and you'll be fine."
"Are you saying that to make me feel better or are you lying to me?" the teen glares at the man.
"Both actually." Izumi shrugs, firing his gun once more.
"At least you're honest."
Without having any other choice, Francis decided that the best thing to do was to see how long he could live in this shootout while at least defending himself. He peeked his head around the corner to see a group of Russians firing their rifles at his cover, not even looking at his direction. Using this to his advantage, Francis carefully aimed his pistol at the middle Russian, quickly pulling the trigger as many of his shots either missed or hit the other Russians beside him. Needless to say, he managed to take out at least three, killing one while injuring the other two as the one he killed fell off the catwalk.
"Okay, yeah. This- Nah, I'm kind of getting used to this." Francis reveals, a somewhat calm expression now on his face.
"You getting used to taking a life?" Izumi asks with a raised brow.
"It helps to remember these are criminals." Francis shrugs.
"Hahahaha! I will destroy you!" laughs a Russian from behind cover.
"Ya ubiu tebya! (I will kill you!)"
Izumi stuck his gun over from the cover and began to blindly fire, managing to kill several more Russians as the room was getting empty pretty fast. Francis however used his surroundings to his advantage, managing to fire a bullet at a lock holding a gate full of barrels. The lock broke as the gate opened as barrels began to roll down the ramp and into the Russians, knocking some off the catwalk while tripping over others. Francis and Izumi both peeked at the same time and fired at the incapacitated Russians, taking out a few more.
"Follow me!" Izumi shouts as he runs out of cover.
Francis followed suit as the two ran through the recycling factory, all while Russians continued to fire at them. "I haven't run this fast since track practice!" Francis comments as he gets in behind cover.
Izumi slid behind a pillar as a few bullets grazed the pavement spot he was at before the Russian ducked his head behind the catwalk. "Well, I must say this is rude hospitality! Ivan the God damn Terrible!" Izumi taunts as he headshots a Russian behind a barrel.
"You really think insulting them is a good idea?" Francis asks as he narrowly avoids a bullet to the head.
"I fuck your ass!" shouts a Russian in broken English.
"Hey, Izumi!" Francis calls out from his position. "Remind me if we get out of this alive to punch you in the gut for bringing me into this nightmare! I just wanted some money! I didn't want to become a vigilante!"
"I'll keep that in mind!" Izumi yells as he trips an unsuspecting Russian down a flight of stairs. "Technically, I'm a criminal too, and since you've already taken a life, that would make you a criminal as well. But don't worry! I'll keep you from becoming some jailhouse bitch or worse. Dead."
"Gee. Thanks a lot." Francis sarcastically replies, popping off a few more shots at a Russian behind a forklift, striking him in the leg.
A few more bullets whizzed right by his head, a few more millimeters lower and it would've grazed his scalp. "Ha ha ha! This is too easy!" taunts a Russian from behind a pillar. Francis quickly sniped the same Russian's ankle with his pistol, prompting him to fall forward onto the ground. "I will fuck your moth-"
The Russian was cut shortly off when Francis fired a bullet into his temple from across the room. Izumi peeked his head from behind the corner and quickly unloaded a full magazine into an unfortunate Russian. "Go to the box truck." Izumi ordered as he jogged over to said truck.
Francis quickly followed suit while reloading his gun, trampling over a dying Russian in the process although he paid no attention to him. "Are we finally leaving?" the teen asked, hoping the chaos was over.
Instead, Izumi handed him a walkie talkie before opening the back of the truck. "Here," he says. "take this walkie talkie. I'm gonna be in the back prepping up the final part of our plan. You're taking us down to Hardon Industrial Park, where we can really shave their numbers down. I'm talking blowing up one of their hideouts at that stinkin' fish factory of theirs. I want them sleeping with the fishes, not eating them. We're talking some real biblical shit. Raining fish from the heavens."
"My God, man! You're insane!" Francis yells at the man in absurdity.
"That's what I said to the boss when he told me this." Izumi agrees with a smile, taking a step inside the box truck. "I'm glad I'm not the only one with his head on right."
"Seeing how I joined a complete stranger in this chaotic mission, was forced to get in a firefight, as well as kill people and fight for my life, all at the age of 15, I don't even think my head is on right." Francis retorts in response.
"Ah, sooner or later this city gets into your head. Now come on. Let's go before more of Ivan's men arrive."
With that said, Izumi entered the box truck and closed the doors, leaving Francis outside for him to get in the driver seat. He turned on the engine and immediately began to drive away, leaving behind a recycling factory full of dead Russians behind. "Remind me again why I'm doing this." Francis says to the radio.
"You said you wanted money." Izumi's voice was heard on the other end.
"Oh yeah. That's right. I'm stupid. You wanna inform me on a bunch of stuff you didn't tell me about?"
"Yeah, fair enough. You deserve that much." Izumi begins as Francis continues to drive down the road. "Well you already know I'm Yakuza and that this whole idea was my boss'. Anyway, he's been looking to expand his territory, not just for the Yakuza but for his civilian job as well. You see, Sanjo City has been split up by three different crime syndicates. The Yakuza, yours truly, those Russian shitheads that tried to kill you, and the Chinese Triads."
"The Triads? What're they doing here?" Francis asks, making a left at a signal.
"Same as both us and the Russians. Taking advantage of the city's economic downfall for our own gain."
"At least your honest." Francis repeats with lidded eyes.
"Anyway, yeah. The boss has been itching to take over some territory. The Russians hold down Hardon and the Quakeford Projects and those Chinese jerkwads are all over Springfield and Midnight Gardens."
"What about you guys?"
"We mostly stick close to Hove Beach and Ocean Courts."
"I thought the Russians had Hove Beach?"
"They did but then the Triads kicked them out. Soon after that, we took over and they hid down in Midnight Gardens."
"I can't believe I got myself into this. Why don't I ever just use my head?" Francis berates himself, clearly regretting his decision in calling Izumi.
Francis continued to drive down the road when a few cars suddenly drove up beside him, the men inside all sketchy looking as the windows were rolled down. The teen turned to the side to see one of the Russians aiming a sub machine gun towards him; without thinking, Francis quickly rammed the car to the side, successfully knocking the vehicle off the road.
"Hey! Hey! What's going on out there?" Izumi asks from the walkie after the sudden road shift.
"I'm sorry. Some of your Russian friends are following us and are trying to kill me!" Francis yells at the walkie as he steps on the gas pedal.
"Oh. Oh, okay. Sorry for snapping at you." Izumi apologizes over the radio.
Francis quickly swerved around the corner, almost hitting a few unsuspecting cars as more Russians continued to chase him. The teen purposely slowed down as he grabbed his pistol, rolling down the window as the car got close to him. Without giving them a chance, Francis quickly popped off a few shots, striking one of the men in the shoulder before firing a bullet at the front right wheel. The wheel instantly flattened as the car began to lose control, forcing the driver to pull over as his passengers yelled angrily at the car. The wounded Russian was also shown falling to the ground as he tightly gripped his wounded shoulder.
"Hey, I appreciate you trying to lose the tail and all but can you keep this steady? One wrong crossed wire and this entire truck is donezo." Izumi's voice was heard over the radio.
Francis fired a few more shots out the window before grabbing the walkie. "Izumi, please tell me you're not making a bomb in the back of this truck." Francis angrily tells his ally.
A moment of silence passed by before Izumi spoke up once more. "Okay, I won't tell you."
"Jesus fucking Christ! What is wrong with me?! Why am I doing this?! I should have never called your fucking number!" Francis angrily yells at his life and death situation.
"If we survive, I'm paying you double for compensation. Oh whoops. That's not supposed to go there."
Francis continued to speed down the street, swerving to the side to avoid cars as well as ramming the vehicles chasing him. Thankfully the street was mostly empty, but this didn't mean he was safe from the few vehicles still on the road. The teen pushed his foot on the pedal as he sped right through a red light, the Russian vehicle colliding with a bus behind him which ultimately cut the chase. Francis looked at the side mirror to see that the accident had blocked off the entire street, finally ending the chase once and for all as he continued to speed down the street. "I think we lost them." Francis says to the walkie.
"And I think I armed the bomb."
"WHAT?!" Francis yells at the walkie in horror.
"Yeah, turns out you shouldn't arm a bomb if you have no idea how to arm a bomb. We've got at least 2 minutes before this thing blows! How close are we?!"
"We got a few more corners. I am not dying in this damn truck, Izumi!"
"You think I want to? Just drive!"
"Naw, I thought I'd stop by Wendy's first and get a Baconator instead." Francis sarcastically replies as he rounded the corner.
"Now you got me hungry for Wendy's. Let's pick some up after we're done, yeah?"
"That's IF we survive this." After driving for a few more seconds, Francis finally spotted the fish factory after he crossed a small bridge. "I see the factory. What now?"
"Ram through the gates and park near the gas containers and run like hell!"
A couple of Russian guards could be seen at the gate in front of the fish factory, immediately spotting the box truck driving their way. Once they realized it was speeding, they immediately started to panic as they quickly jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, one of the Russian's legs got caught in the truck's wheel which caused him to get dragged across the pavement as Francis rammed right through the gates. After entering the fish factory, Francis spotted two large gas containers on the side of the building, immediately parking the truck in between the two containers. Without wasting a second, Francis jumped out of the vehicle, not even bothering to turn off the truck, as Izumi opened the back doors, both of them running towards the exit as fast as their legs could carry them.
"RUN! SHE'S GONNA BLOW!" Izumi shouts as he and Francis make a run for it.
*KA-BOOM!*
A couple of seconds later, the truck exploded which also caused the two gas containers to explode as well, creating an even bigger explosion as flames and smoke shot up in the air, the entire building collapsing within seconds. Thankfully, Francis and Izumi were far away from the explosion and weren't affected by it at all, instead watching smoke fly in the air as they spotted several Russians running for their lives out of the factory.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH, BABY! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Izumi cheers as he and Francis bump fists.
Surprisingly, Francis had a smile on his face as he watched the explosion unfold. "I can't believe I just did that." he says before reality struck him in the face like a truck, his smile immediately disappearing. "I can't believe I just did that." he repeats, this time in a horrified tone.
"Come on. Let's get out of here before the cops arrive." Izumi says as he runs off, Francis following suit.
After escaping the area, the two spotted police, firefighters, and EMTs arrive on the scene as the firefighters immediately begin work on putting out the flame, the two of them watching from atop a nearby hill. While Izumi had a content smile on his face, Francis had a more traumatized expression on his face, an appropriate one given the situation he was in. "You did good, kid." Izumi tells Francis.
"Did good?" Francis repeats in a horrified tone. "I just killed several people, endangered innocent lives, and blew up an entire factory. I'm going to hell… I am going to hell… I'm going to jail."
"Relax. I've been doing this for years and I haven't been caught… Okay, well I have a record but it never sticks. You're fine. Besides, those Russians were bad guys so in a way, you helped the city out." Izumi tries to reassure his friend.
"Yeah…" Francis meekly replies. He couldn't take his eyes off of the blazing chaos down below, replaying the earlier events in his mind. It wasn't until a wad of cash was waved in front of him that broke him out of his trance. "What's this?" he asks, taking the money.
"I told you I'd pay double for endangering your life." Izumi replies with a smile.
Francis momentarily stared at the man before glancing down at the wad of cash, taking a moment to count it in his head. "There's like five Gs here." he says to him.
"What? You want more? The most I can get you is 6K." Izumi says as he grabs his wallet.
"NO! No! No. It's okay. It's just…" Francis was at a loss of words.
Something Izumi noticed. "Just what?" he asks.
"I never made this much money before." Francis says in an astonished tone. "I feel… dirty. Like I don't deserve this at all… Izumi, I committed several crimes for money… What am I now?"
"I don't know." Izumi shrugs with a lazy expression. "Listen, if you want to quit, just say so. I understand this line of work isn't for everyone. Especially for a kid your age. I'm sorry I brought you in on this, I really am." All of a sudden, Izumi's smile faded as it changed into a more crestfallen expression. "I was just desperate is all. It was stupid, I know. It was stupid to ask some stranger for this kind of help without letting them know."
"You could've killed me!" Francis yells as he punches him in the chest.
Izumi rubbed the spot where he was punched, a pained frown painted on his face. "That's deserved." he replies in a stressed tone. "Look, just take the money and head home. Go to bed, play video games. Do whatever. I doubt the police will tie you to this. You have no record and you aren't in the system. It's gonna be hard to pin this on you. For now on, you can live your normal life… But… you have my number."
"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Francis nods with an angry look on his face.
As the two continued to watch the blazing scene in front of them, neither of them noticed a shadowy figure approaching them from behind, their figure hidden in the shadows of the nighttime forest. It wasn't until Francis heard the sound of a twig snapping behind him that caused him to turn around, only to be punched right in the face instead as he fell to the ground. "Francis!" Izumi calls out.
Izumi was stopped when he felt the barrel of a gun pressed up against the back of his head followed by the sound of the hammer being pulled down. "Do not move." says a Russian voice.
Francis, now with a bloody nose, looked up to see a middle aged man in front of him. Said man wore a nice black overcoat over a buttoned up black shirt followed by dress pants and shoes as a gray scarf hung over his shoulders. The man was burly type, having a five o'clock shadow with a burn scar on the left side of his face with short black hair. "Privet (Hello)." the man greets in Russian.
Francis instead gave him a raised brow in confusion. "I don't- I don't speak Russian." he stammers out of fear.
"I do not expect you to." the man replies, pressing his gun against Izumi's skull even further.
"Vlad." Izumi says, immediately recognizing the voice behind him. "Long time no see. Literally. I can't see you. You're holding a gun to the back of my head." The man, now known as Vlad, turned Izumi around so he could face him while still pointing the gun to his head. Izumi now had a full view of the Russian's face, growing a somewhat surprised expression on his face once he noticed the burn scar on his cheek. "Wow. You look-"
"Pissed off?" the Russian asks with a glare.
"Well done." Izumi quipped with a smile. "So that's what an iron does to the human skin. You know, I still can't get that smell out of my nose and seeing your beautiful face just takes me back to when it happened. How long has it been?"
"A week." he answers with an enraged look.
"A week? Wow. Time is moving slower I swear."
"Izumi," Francis cuts in, wiping blood from his lip that leaked from his nose. "who's this guy and how do you know and why does he want to kill us?"
"Not you. Him." the man says as he presses the barrel of his gun against Izumi's forehead further. "My name is Vladimir Jerkov." Francis was silent upon hearing that name before stifling a laugh, a smile threatening to expose itself as soon as he heard his last name. "Do not laugh." Jerkov replies, momentarily pointing the gun at Francis' direction, immediately shutting up. "Where are your manners, Izumi? You haven't introduced me to him yet."
"Right. Yeah. How rude of me." Izumi goes along as he turns to Francis. "Francis this Vladimir Jerkov-"
"Yeah, he just said that." Francis interjects for a brief second.
"And he's… He's the leader of the men… we killed." Izumi stammers.
Francis momentarily stared at Izumi before rotating his head towards the burly man in front of him, gawking up in him in utter shock and horror as fear entered his system. "You're… Russian Mafia?"
"Head of the Jerkov Mafiya to be precise." Jerkov corrects. "And if I'm being honest, if someone were to tell me that an idiot was running around the city with a puppy that has been weaned too early," Jerkov glances at Izumi. "I would have laughed at their face. In fact, I still do! So tell me how a teenager like you managed to take many of my men like it was nothing?!"
"Plot armor?" Francis guesses with a shrug, not knowing himself how he managed to do it.
"Kid's got skills. He'd make a great hitman." Izumi compliments with a smile. "Just with a little more skill and practice, he'd be the best hitman ever. You should've seen him at the recycling factory. Taking shots behind corners and using the environment to his advantage. It was like he had done that before."
"I play a lot of GTA 4 so I guess that helps." Francis questionably says, not knowing how to properly respond to the information.
"Man, you really should've been there, Vlad." Izumi says to the man with a warm smile.
"I was." Jerkov replies with a hardened glare.
This immediately shut Izumi up as his smile disappeared in an instant. "Oh." he squeaks.
Jerkov suddenly turned his head to Francis. "Give me your wallet." he orders. Francis raised a brow at that moment, wondering why a man who was about to kill him was now suddenly about to rob him blind. It wasn't until Jerkov suddenly pointed the gun at Francis' face as his glare tightened. "DO IT!" Not wanting to get murdered right then and there, Francis obliged the man's orders as he pulled out his wallet, tossing it to Jerkov who caught it in his hand. "Pure leather. Nice." he comments before rummaging through his wallet.
Francis leaned to Izumi and whispered, "The salesman said it was fake leather."
"Reverse scam." Izumi responds.
Jerkov suddenly pulled out Francis' ID photo, his thumb covering his last name while also revealing the teen's personal information. Like how his birthday was 07/11/05 and that he lived on 42069 Skeet St, Hove Beach, Sanjo City. "You were born 6 years before the day of 9/11?" Jerkov asks with genuine confusion in his tone.
"Yeeeeeah, we don't really celebrate my birthday because of it." Francis sheepishly replies as he looks the other way.
Jerkov just gawked at the teen before shaking his head, trying to get back on track. "Whatever." he mumbles. "I know where you live now. If I find out that you are disrupting my business ever again, I will personally break into your house and murder your entire family in their sleep. I will slit their throats and make you watch as they gargle on their blood, watching as their life fades away from their eyes." Jerkov then pressed the barrel of his gun against Francis' skull deepere, frightening the teen even more. "Do I make myself clear?"
The teen gulped down his fears as he looked Jerkov directly in the eyes, not even daring to even fight back. "Crystal." he mumbles.
The Russian retracted his gun before placing it back in the back of his waistband. "Good." he says. "This will be first and final warning. I am man who gives second chances. That is why I haven't killed Izumi yet for burning my face."
"Gee. One little mistake. I said I'm sorry." Izumi whines as he rolls his eyes.
"If you love your family, you will stay far away from me as possible. And to make sure you are keeping word," Jerkov then lowered his head as he was now barely touching Francis' nose, the teen smelling the man's cologne as he stared back at the man's crazy eyes. "I will be personally watching your house. Every… Day…" Jerkov then retracted his head before he began to walk off into the forest, not before turning around all of a sudden. "Oh, and Izumi."
"Yeah?" the man questions. Without hesitation or warning, Jerkov suddenly pulled out his pistol and shot Izumi in the leg, earning a loud scream from him. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Fuck you." With that said, Jerkov holstered his gun back in his waistband before walking off into the forest. "Duratsky zheltye ukoly. (Stupid, yellow pricks.)" he mumbles to himself before disappearing into the darkness.
Francis snapped to Izumi whom was writhing on the ground grabbing his bleeding leg in pain. "Here. Let me help you up." he says as he offers a hand.
Izumi hissed in pain before accepting the teen's hand. "Thanks."
Francis pulled up the man for a brief second before suddenly punching him in the face, knocking him back down on the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Francis yells at Izumi.
"What?" he groans in pain as he lies on the ground.
"Because of you, I have the head of the Russian Mafia threatening to kill me… AND MY FAMILY!" Francis yells at him in absolute rage. "Damn it! I should have never picked you and your friend up! None of this would have happened if I had just went along with my life! Instead, I'm involved in some criminal organization, doing jobs for money to help keep a roof over my family! The same family that jerk-off is threatening to kill!"
"As opposed to your other family?" Izumi asks in genuine curiosity.
He was met with a kick to the face by Francis for his smart ass remark. "Shut up!" he yells at him. "I've gotta go. I need to lay low for a while and do what that asshole said and leave him alone. Don't ever call me again, Izumi."
"Duly noted and well deserved on my part." Izumi groaned in pain as he picked himself up. "Yeah, just leave me here with a bullet in my leg. I'll be fine."
"Oooooh,, shut up, Izumi!" Francis yells as he begins to walk away.
"I wasn't being sarcastic!" Izumi reveals. "I'm actually gonna be fine. Like, this isn't the first time I've been shot in the leg before."
"How are you not in a wheelchair?!" Francis yells from afar.
Izumi looked back at the hole in his leg as he covered it up with his hand, adding pressure to it before limping away. "Oh, that hurts." he mumbles. "Aw man. These were my favorite pants as well. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."
As Izumi walked off to get help, Francis had left the small woods and had met the sidewalk of a street where he began to walk away from the scene. "I am never being a good samaritan again." Francis mumbles as he walks down the sidewalk.
*sad GTA 4 mission passed theme*
While walking down the sidewalk, Francis had accidentally bumped into a man in a business suit, inadvertently shoving him aside as the man glared at him. "Fuck outta here!" he exclaims before falling to the ground humorously.
"I deeply apologize." Francis replies in an uncaring, lazy tone as he continues to walk down the sidewalk, passing by two people having a conversation he overheard.
"I am the poster child of second hand smoke."
"Don't you have anyone else to talk to?"
Eventually, the teen made it back home safe and sound, though he had a sinking feeling he was being watched and followed along the way. His suspicions were confirmed when he peered out his living room window, spotting a black car with tinted windows parked by his house. Even though he couldn't see who was inside, he instantly knew the vehicle held some of Jerkov's men in there, confirming the man's threat. Wanting some peace, Francis closed the blinds before walking back in the living room, rubbing his nose as he got blood on his hand, his nose still somewhat bleeding from being punched.
"Gee, what happened, Frankie?" asks a mocking voice behind him, prompting him to turn around to see that it was his sister Sammy looking down on him. Physically and metaphorically. "Did someone steal your lunch money from school?" she continues to mock him.
"Go to hell, Sammy." Francis mumbles as he looks away, a scowl on his face.
Even just seeing Sammy already ruins his day and she doesn't even have to talk. "Wish I would. I'd see less of your ugly mug down there." Sammy mocks as she slaps his head, earning a grunt from him. "Sorry I can't stick around. I have to get back to my dorm. I got a 7 A.M. class tomorrow that I cannot miss. Aaaaah, that's the life of a brilliant mind. Something you'd never get."
"You done?" Francis tiredly asks, already annoyed by Sammy's taunts.
She suddenly bent down to his level. "Face it, Frankie." she says in the same mocking tone with an equal mocking grin. "You'll never accomplish anything more than graduating high school in your life. And even then I doubt you could even graduate. This is why I'm the favorite child." She finishes this off with an arrogant grin while Francis scowled at her, trying his best to resist the urge to punch her in the face. "Later loser."
With that, she had finally given him peace as she left the house, leaving only him in the dimly lit living room. Without nothing else to do, the teen walked over to the couch and turned on the TV, which was currently showing a commercial of some fast food place titled Burger Shack.
"Come on down to Burger Shack!" the announcer exclaims. "Home of the Heart Attack Burger! All our fries are deeply fried in yesterday's oil and made fresh just for your fatass! If you don't want fries, try our new spicy onion rings! Limited time offer! Burger Shack! A guarantee heart attack! BurgerShackisnotresponsibleforanyuntimelydeathsthatmayormaynothabebeencausedbythecontentsofourfood. Burger Shack! More than a snack!"
The commercial was suddenly interrupted when Francis' phone began ringing, startling the teen in his seat before picking it up. Once he saw that it was a random number, fear entered his system, thinking it may have been Jerkov who had somehow gotten a hold of his number. Not wanting to anger an actual mob boss by ignoring his call, the teen hesitantly answered it after letting it ring a few times.
"Hello?" he sheepishly greets.
"Am I talking to Francis?" says a voice that DEFINITELY did not sound Russian.
Instead of being scared, Francis was now confused as this was clearly not Jerkov or one of his men. "Who is this?" he asks.
"The name is Dr. Z." Yep. It's him.
"Who?" Francis asks, not having a clue who that was.
"I just said it was Dr. Z!"
"How'd you get my number?"
"Never you mind that! Is it true you took out an entire factory full of those Russian gangsters and blew up their base?"
Fear reentered Francis' system as he now thought that this was the police he was dealing with.
"Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about." Francis immediately declines, peering out the window to see if the black car was still there.
Surprisingly, it was not. Having drove off sometime before the phone call. "Relax, kid. I'm not a cop. Far from it." Dr. Z sets aside Francis' anxiety. "I know about everything you did today. Don't ask how, I just do. And an idea came into my reptilian brain of mine."
"Reptilian? Are you FBI? What's an FBI agent doing in Japan?" Francis asks with a raised brow.
"I'm not FBI either!" Dr. Z shouts over the phone. "Anyway, I have a little offer for you. I heard you're in need of money and seeing what you did today just made you the perfect candidate for me."
"You want me to kill more Russian mobsters? What is this? Hotline Miami? I'm not gonna wear a chicken mask or some pig mask or a crocodile." Francis responds to the crazed doctor.
"Relax, I'm not gonna turn you into a vigilante for the gangs of the city. I just need a few… 'jobs' from you. I'll pay. Something you clearly need. If you want to hear more, stop by the Backland. You know, the giant spaceship crashed on the side of the hill? Meet me there and I'll tell you more."
And with that, Dr. Z had hung up leaving Francis to ponder on his decision. On one side, he wanted nothing to do with some stranger asking him to do a favor. On the other side, he clearly and desperately needed money to help his family. If he did do these "jobs" for some doctor he had never heard of before, then he'd be the only person in his family to be making money. With his mom pretty much unable to function properly for some unknown and obscure reason, his aunt being a deadbeat, and his father in between jobs, and his arrogant sister Sammy being so uptight for her to even provide for her family.
Reminding himself of these things was enough motivation and determination for Francis to agree to meet with this "Dr. Z" to the giant, freakin' spaceship that had crashed into the side of the second hill next to the D-Lab. Surprisingly, everyone had gotten used to this at that point and didn't even give it a quick glance at it anymore. But the only main reason why Francis had agreed to this was simply because he had no other choice.
If no one would bring money to the table, then he'll have to.
The only thing Francis is genuinely worried about is if he can both physically and mentally hand it. After all, the only person he doesn't have faith in is himself.
*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*
Francis' deep thoughts were rudely interrupted when someone began knocking on the door. Paranoia suddenly riddled his body, his fist thought that it was Jerkov or some of his men. Wanting to at least go down in a fight, Francis quickly pulled out the handgun Izumi had given to him earlier that day. He slowly approached the door while tightly gripping the handgun behind his back, his finger over the trigger.
However, when Francis looked through peephole, instead of several scary looking Russians, he saw a short, purple humanoid that looked like he just came from Comic Con. Realizing he was safe, Francis placed the handgun back in his back waistband and opened the door.
Immediate regret.
"GREETINGS MORTAL!" the purple, humanoid alien thing loudly greets in a dramatic tone. "It is I, Goma - Emperor of the Shadow Kingdom! You puny mortal seem like a good fit for Goma's living quarters for Goma requires the bed and breakfast every day and in order to have that he requires a lair! For now on, Goma shall live with you, and you shall obey every one of Goma's commands!"
Francis simply stared at Goma with a confused expression, not having the slightest idea what he was talking about. "Are those wings behind you?" he asks with a bewildered look.
The moon stayed in the sky as it looked over the city, another day, another near death experience that would be one of many for Francis.
"No, seriously. Are those actual wings?"
"One day. We will rule this country. Self. Destruct. Sequence. Activated. The only way to save the world is to listen to Radio Alpha, *beatbox* FM! WOOOOO! WOOOOOOOO! Alpha FM!"
"Hey, what the heck, Sanjo City?! What is going on today with all these explosions and gunfire? It feels like it's Chicago and Iraq put to one! Chiraq! I'm DJ Eddie with Alpha FM here to bring you your daily report. The police have found multiple, yes that's right, MULTIPLE bodies of men at the recycling factory down in the Quakeford Projects.
And get this. While they were investigating the scene, a fish factory blew up near Hardon Industrial Park. Murder and explosions. Feels like straight out of a video game! Don't worry folks, the only people who were killed were members of the Russian Mafia in this city.
Speaking of the mafia, can you believe parts of Sanjo City have been divided into three gang territories? We got Russians AND the Chinese here! I missed it when it was just the Yakuza. At least they kept things calm and controlled.
The police have no leads on these crimes and suspect it was the work of a rival gang. Question is: which one? My money is on the Chinese. Those guys are always yelling and causing explosions. Why do they do that? Is that like their form of greeting? Wake up in the morning and throw a firecracker at your neighbor's lawn? 'Hi, Jack!' 'Hey-a, Kenny.' So weird.
Anyway, this has been your daily report from Alpha FM and if I'm being honest, I don't really see these as crimes but as a ray of sunshine peeking from the clouds because that means there are less bad guys out there… Wait, actually I don't think a gang war is much safer if it turns out to be a rival hit. Yikes. Stay safe everyone. I'm DJ Eddie and this has been Alpha FM. Now let's play some tunes! WOOOOO!
"Music from all over the world! Gifts from the music God, Elvis Presley himself! Rap. Country. Rock. Reggae. Rap. This is, *vinyl scratches* Alpha F to the M, holmes. WOO!"
(Well, there you have it. There's Francis' first chapter in his side story. Like I said in the above chapter notes it's gonna be about him getting over his hidden insecurity. And you may have guessed that he's gonna do that by pretty much being an errand boy for various people in Sanjo City. Heavily based on Grand Theft Auto 4 so it'll be fast paced with guns involved. Also, everyone in Sanjo City is an NPC so they're not all totally 'in there' ya know what I mean.
Anywho, back to writing the actual Dinosaur King story… KOKBYE!)