Let's Get Started

Minor note: It had been a while. So many things happened in that time, but here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!


"I have heard about you," OG said. This man stood there as if he ran the streets of Bed-Stuy. He had the kind of air that he was a respected leader of the community, maybe a crew of his own that kept these streets safe.

"Oh, really?" Proof responded with a touch of sarcasm.

"Hey, easy there, buddy," Manny cut in.

Proof nodded his head to Manny and shifted his attention to OG. "What do you know?"

OG smirked. "I know you race on the streets of Queens and that you also won the Face Club tournament recently."

Proof scoffed. "Shit, I beat those chumps."

"Right," OG said. "But those punks ain't shit compared to the fighters you may step up to soon. I know more than you think."

Right then, Proof's confidence and sarcasm went out the window after he heard that.

"So what do you want with me?" Proof said.

"Maybe I can train you. Those chumps you fought, that's only the beginning. However, D-Mob runs the entire underground. He's got a whole crew running the clubs. The whole underground. You think you could take them?"

Proof looked up when OG mentioned that name. D-Mob. A bad memory from Proof's past came back. He shook his head. That was all in the past. However, it had been said that D-Mob currently runs a whole network of followers. He was powerful and has various men working under him, some of whom have their own sub-crews as well as ties to other crews across the board.

"I can take them."

"We shall see about that. First, you might need to show everyone what you got before you step into the fighting world. Yeah, I heard about you taking on some of those cats at the Face Club but they ain't shit compared to other fighters in other clubs."

OG looked at Proof. While Proof had made a name for himself as a fighter on the circuit a couple of years before, he had been out of the life for a while.

"I hear you're a good biker, though," OG said.

"What?" Proof said.

"Look, I got my ear to the street. You want to make in that world? I could train you. I got plenty of guys here who can help. My whole crew. You can be part of it."

"Hold up, I ain't about that gang shit." Proof held his hands up like he didn't want to accept this proposal. "I have seen a lot of shit like that back in my hood in L.A."

Manny looked at Proof with some disbelief after he heard that. In Manny's case, this was not about being involved in "gang shit" like Proof said, but something else. Despite what Proof may believe, while D-Mob may have a crew of his own, many fighters in the circuit have their own crews of some sort, whether it's being teams in tournaments or being aligned with some people who may have your back. However, these types of crew weren't about gaining power and control of the streets of New York.

"You don't get it, do you?" OG said. "This ain't about being in a gang, but rather us training you and you working for us. You ain't trying to control shit that's mine or D-Mob's. Manny may have gotten into some shit with D-Mob, and I know this. I just want you to know that if you try doing this on your own, you got no one to look out for you, because I see the fire in your eyes that you want to go after D-Mob. I train you, you can work for us, and we can protect you if D-Mob wants your blood. "

OG lets his hand out. "So what do you say?"

Proof turned towards Manny, who nodded at him. Although Proof felt a touch of anger towards D-Mob, doing this on his own would have some consequences to go with it. All he had was T'ai and Manny in his corner, but even then, he came back mainly to try to help Manny pay off his debts.

"Okay, I'll do this," Proof said, but then looked at Manny and turned to OG again. "But if he has problems with D-Mob, why haven't you dealt with it?"

OG replied. "Manny and I have an understanding. I may run part of the streets, but D-Mob runs the underground. Manny ain't a part of my crew no more, but that don't mean we got beef. 'Sides, he owes me a favor. Word won't go out to D-Mob about this agreement."

"And what if he doesn't pay him off?"

"Then I would have no choice but to go after D-Mob. Like I told you before, he is more powerful than me. I may run shit around here, but this is all business we talkin' about, son."

Proof nodded his head. It was puzzling to him that despite Manny having a connection with OG, he was still in debt with D-Mob. But like what OG said, this wasn't about a gang war. The crews weren't at war with each other, and one would need a crew in the underground fighting world.

After Proof left, Manny had filled him in how crews worked in the underground. There were some crews in The Bronx, as well as Queens, and also Chinatown. Some of which were connected with D-Mob's crew, as well as crews independent from them. In Proof's case, he would work with the crew, but mostly as an associate, if an outside party.

At the end of the day, all he wanted to do was help out Manny, but he can't be too distracted after seeing D-Mob and Angel recently.

After some time, Proof and Manny left OG's place. While they stood in the streets of Bed-Stuy, Proof let something out.

"Okay, I got to ask, how did you get mixed up with D-Mob?"

Manny sighed. He knew this was going to be tough to talk about, but it was bound to come up sooner or later.

"Some opportunities came my way. Working with OG was fine and all, but working for D-Mob was where the money was at. Sure, I made some money working for OG, but D-Mob paid the real bucks. I had enough to open Manny's Tats when I worked for OG, but D-Mob needed me to run numbers for him.

"The money was good, but then I got into the habit of gambling on fights. I had been losing each bet and it led to me to the serious debt with D-Mob. So I took part in a lot of fights and then I broke my arm."

Proof had already known that Manny was in deep shit already. He was more than willing to help him, but this whole thing about OG training him was new to him.

"Look, I will help you, but I hope I get a cut of the money," Proof said.

Manny replied, "Don't worry, bro. With your skills, soon enough I will get D-Mob off my back and I will move on. But I got one question to ask you – I saw looking at D-Mob and Angel the other night. You're not still mad about Angel leaving you, are you?"

"What? No. I got T'ai, remember?"

"Okay, just making sure, because you don't want to get mixed up with that again. Angel is with D-Mob. The end." The way Manny said that, it was as if Angel was trouble and not worth it for Proof to not only jeopardize his current relationship, but also get himself into trouble with D-Mob.

"I hear ya, dog," Proof said.

"Anyway, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do, maybe go meet up with T'ai, but she out with the girls."

"Well, you might want to get started on this soon. OG can train you soon. There are some fights in Soundview soon."

"The Bronx?"

"Yeah, in the South Bronx. One place is called The Warehouse where some people who ain't so good but try to make some money. Another place is The Terrordome, at some old factory but it's like a fucking pit, man. There is another place in The Bronx. It's called The Foundation. It's up in Highbridge. I suggest you go to The Warehouse or The Foundation first. Show those cats what you're made of. What do you say?"

Proof nodded. "A'ight, I could do this." The two slapped dap and then shook hands. Proof was ready to help out his friend, and also make some money in the process.


It was another day in Queens. Rafael Oliveras, better known as "Spider," went to a beauty salon called "Elegance" where he saw a gorgeous Afro-Caribbean woman doing someone's hair in a section closest to the front desk. The stylist was none other than Opal, who looked up towards Spider and smiled but signaled that she was almost done with her client.

Spider was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico but moved to Spanish Harlem when he was 9. He was a star player for East Harlem High School's varsity basketball team. However, in his senior year, he was a victim to a random act of street violence. When he was walking home, he was hit in a drive-by shooting. He was hit by two bullets: One shattered his left leg, and the other lodged in his shoulder, as well as a bullet that barely grazed his head, which left him a coma for several weeks to a month, but he was lucky that the other bullet didn't get lodged into his head. Unable to pursue his basketball dreams, he had an interest in music and became a DJ, as well as turned to fighting to make some extra money and release some of his rage. Despite being shot in his left leg, he showed he could still kick as he learned some kickboxing when he trained.

At some point, after moving to Queens, he met with some guys and was taken in by a crew that ran the bar known as The Limit. Even though he was a fighter, having a crew to back him up was a good idea because there were crews in the fighting world, along with circuit fighters who fight to make ends meet but still have to find someone to team with, like having a camp by your side.

"Looks good as new," Opal said to her client, who then paid and tipped her. "Thanks for that. Have a good day." Opal looked to her fellow stylists. "Anyway, my man is here. I'm about to go out to lunch. See y'all in a bit."

The two exited the salon.

"So, baby, how is your day going?" Spider said.

"Goin' good, getting good tips, I've learned a few new tricks when it comes to styles," Opal said.

Opal was raised in LeFrak, Queens, but moved out to Corona at some point. She often finds herself going back and forth as her family still lived out in LeFrak. She also knew some people out there who run the streets over in "The Heights," which the area was sometimes called "Grimeyville." Opal had met Spider when she went out with some friends to The Limit. Because some fights take place there, sometimes Spider was there to stand guard for any inappropriate behavior from some people, especially towards the ladies. One guy got handsy with Opal, but Spider intervened and it escalated into a fight because the harasser was drunk and tried to fight him.

In fact, Spider had been a part of a crew that had run The Limit. Spider had rolled with some other people in the area, but he often rolled with two Mexican-American guys who came from Los Angeles to New York, but there was also someone higher up who led them all.

The two went to a Puerto Rican restaurant to grab a bite somewhere close by.

When the two were seated, Opal started a conversation.

"So how are things going at The Limit?"

"Not bad," Spider said. "Me and the boys got the place under control. Sometimes we'll be in fights, but we mostly get our money for running the club."

"I get it. A lot of fights go down everywhere we go. I know fights go on all the time at the projects my folks stay at in LeFrak, all the way up on the roof."

Despite the fighting being underground, it was amazing how it was well known in some communities. As long as word doesn't go anywhere near authorities.

"Do any of your co-workers know what I do?" Spider said.

"Yes, they do. They know you DJ at some clubs sometimes." The way Opal said it, it felt like she masked the truth. She wasn't completely wrong, because Spider was a DJ on occasion. However, a lot of the time he did some work with his crew. It was not as if he chose that life for himself, though.

"Speaking of which, what do you got going on soon?" Opal said.

"Not sure yet. The crew wants me to go up against someone in The Bronx. Maybe at The Terrordome or The Gauntlet. Some big cat, calls himself 'Crack,' probably as a means to show what I am made of."

"Made of for what?"

"The leader of our little crew knows someone trying to put together a crew, but I'm not sure if I want to do that."

"Why not?" Opal looked at him like she was a little puzzled.

"I think I just want to look for a good challenge, that's all."

"Well, you got my support. I'm in your corner when you fight."

"Thanks, Opal."

When they ended their lunch date, Spider walked Opal back to the salon. He said he'll meet with her later because right now, all he could think about was what he wanted to do.

The funny thing about this was that he saw two familiar faces on the corner.

"Hey, Spider, what you doin', homes?" said Skull, a tall and muscular Mexican-American man with long hair.

"Just dropping off my girl, what's up?" Spider said.

The other man, Cruz, another muscular Mexican-American man started talking. "I was wondering what you were up to. The boss wants to talk to you."

Spider folded his arms. "Okay, where is Danny?"

"I'm right here, ese. And it's not Danny, it's Mr. Trejo to you."

Out of the blue, another Mexican-American man with a really grizzled and hard-edged look about him appeared from behind Skull and Cruz, wearing an open leather vest, revealing a large tattoo of a Mexican woman on his chest. This man appeared older, but despite that, he looked like someone you don't want to mess with.

"What's going on, guys?" Spider was oddly calm in this situation, though he wondered one thing – were these guys following his every move? How did they know where they would find him?

"Did you give it any thought?" Trejo said.

"Give what thought?"

"Don't fucking play dumb with me, ese. I'm talking about the opportunity to fight that big vato in The Bronx."

"Why do you want me to fight Crack?" Spider said.

"It's for an opportunity. I know a vato from back in LA. I told him you're a good fighter, but he wants to see what you're made of. So he said you should fight Crack."

Spider's eyes widened and sighed. He had seen this guy Crack before. This guy was huge and was no slouch in the ring. He had crippled a few opponents of his before.

So many questions ran through his mind. Was this really an opportunity? Who was this connection that Trejo knew? Also, why should he fight that guy in particular?

"Let me think about it. Besides, I got to do some training first. There are some fights at The Foundation soon. Maybe I'll go fight there soon to get myself into shape."

"Okay, homes, don't wait too long. Don't want to think my best fighter es una puta ('is a bitch'). Come on, carnales." Trejo left along with Skull and Trejo. Trejo said

While Spider stood there and said nothing, he knew that his boss had insulted him to his face. Who was this new connection that they spoke of? Why was he kept out of the loop?

It was at that moment he questioned why he ran with that crew. The reality of it was that when he fought somewhere, those men approached him and told him that they could have his back and he could work with them. The money from The Limit was good, along with the money he made from the fights including the money he earned from people betting on him. At the moment, he just wanted to look for a good challenge, especially since fight tournaments are coming up.

I can't lose focus. Spider thought.


In Staten Island, inside a gym called Stapleton Athletics, Briggs trained hard. He lifted weights, did cardio, and used the punching bags. He trained so intensely, but for what reason? He didn't have any fights coming up.

"Hey, man, are you all right?"

Briggs looked up and saw Rollins, who was the head trainer at this establishment. Muscular and tattooed, he was the head trainer at this place as he knew a lot of moves.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just get too into my workouts." Briggs took a deep breath.

"All right, well, listen." Rollins looked him directly in the eye. "If you want to look for a fight, there are places you could check out, like The Warehouse or The Foundation. They're in The Bronx."

"All the way out there?" Briggs knew the distance between Staten Island and The Bronx, but the fighting world expanded through various parts of New York City.

"If you want to get your fix or put those skills to use, that's a place you could start. In the meantime, let's see what you got."

"What?" This hit Briggs like something was thrown at him.

"I'm serious." Rollins stood before him. "If you want to fight out there, you need to show me what you got."

A minor smile rose on Briggs's face. He wanted to prove himself. He didn't get that chance nearly a week prior at The Face Club. He could show what he was made of. He had to show this trainer his skills.

Hopefully he doesn't go too hard. I have a date with Deja soon. Briggs thought. "Okay, let's do this."

The two men stepped into the ring. It was now time for a sparring session.


Author's note: I am back! It had been a while. I had gone through some stuff, and wasn't sure where I wanted this to go. But here I am now.

I must inform you guys – I am not from New York, so I had to look up certain things. I also had to study the map from "Def Jam Vendetta" that was used in story mode to pinpoint certain areas. It may not be 100% accurate, but I hope it was accurate enough.

Like I had said before, I wanted to include the other three story mode guys in this story. They all have their own motivations and stories, but that isn't to say that they won't intertwine with each other.

And yes, you may have seen Trejo, but there won't be any story elements from "Fight for NY." That doesn't mean some characters can't be in this story, but for the most part, I'm trying to keep it within the story of "Vendetta."

I will try to do more soon.