*sobs immensely and clutches my Cowboy jersey, once more having my dreams crushed before my eyes*
*entire family from eastern Europe stares openly dumbfounded by my love for a sports team*
It's alright… There is always the next year, and the next, and the next, and so on… Till one day my hopes and dreams are fulfilled. Dad left too soon; we still have work to do here.
To say I am in a great, fantastic mood is selling it. But! Aside from having my heart broken and my soul fractured- Christmas came and went peacefully with a healing light. The loss of my dad wasn't as soul gutting as it was the last 3 Christmases. Not saying the pain is gone. That won't ever leave. But I wasn't spending the weekend horribly depressed and tuned out. Kids had a blast thankfully. Their joy and excitement is what I vicariously live through. Rest easy Dad. I can do this now and carry on your traditions to make you proud.
You would've loved to know that I'm finally writing and putting myself out there.
Anyway! Hope everyone had a blessed and safe holiday! Happy New Year 2024! I pray everyone can start the year in good thoughts and optimistic goals. I have mine and I strive to be a better person, work through some trauma holding me back, and find that hidden little girl who once viewed the world as a fun, safe, and endearing place. Where there is no hate. No war. No dictators. Peace and understanding that we are all differently the same.
I spent several days *weeks* writing, rewriting, and deleting sections till I got this where I want it. I think I'm more nervous about this chapter than any of the others.
Without further stalling- Here is the next chapter of "The Price They Paid"!
aaaaaa
Johnny gripped the weathered knob of the abandoned building's door, swinging it open swiftly. Niko charged through the opening targeting one of the surprised bikers to his left while Trevor stuck closely to his back and lined up a shot to the right- the biker spinning around from viewing the burning bar, only to be greeted by a bullet to the head from Trevor's pistol. An echo of another shot blended into the awakening gunfire.
Johnny used the security of his now fellow partners to crouch-walk towards the larger bike, taking aim with his machine pistol at yet another stupefied member of the Angels of Death. When the closest member to him was killed, he immediately started to attach the sticky bomb to the tank, wires being strung to the fueling component.
"Guard Johnny!" Niko barked out when the people around them figured out they were creating a diversion. And not just trying to escape.
"My priority is you, Pakhan." Anton dropped his empty magazine and loaded another in effortlessly, quickly targeting and killing someone who had moved too close to his boss for his liking, "And don't you dare tell me otherwise!" He exhaled noisily to get this point across. He would not leave Niko's side.
"What's the score now? Alek four and Pops two? Better catch up now." Aleksei teased over the comms, before someone trying to bum rush them was knocked over in a violent way, "Five."
"What yer lover got separation anxiety?" Trevor let out a couple of chuckles, absolutely loving every second he was allowed to kill. He held no real consequences if his partners got taken down. Outside of them, who all would know he was backing up a Russian Mob? It was a complete and astronomically grand license to kill freely. In his carelessness he failed to notice the biker approaching him from behind, weapon raised and primed to fire.
Anton's eyes widen and forced his attention off of guarding Niko's back to cover Trevor and Johnny. Letting the bullets fly to his intended targets, "No. But your face might get some separation anxiety if you don't pay attention! And that is eight kills DarkAngel!"
"That fire business in the bar doesn't count! Shit- Flanking the left. Your left. BUZZZZZZZ-"
Niko took off from his established kill zone and slid over the compact sand to surprise the enemy forces. A low whistle blasted past his shoulder dropping someone trying to attack Niko's open side, before the faint clap of artificial thunder lightly touched their ears.
Shot after shot flooded the enclosed space. The shadows wove between hole riddle bodies, splattered, pooled blood, the ping and cooling sounds of hot metal, caressing the cheeks of the ones dealing out Death's wishes. The sun scorched the dusty camel brown sand and sizzled and hissed against the edges of darkness and light.
Johnny rose from installing the sticky bomb on the largest motorcycle fuel tank and handed over the trigger switch to Anton for safe keeping. Doing his best to keep his feelings in check. He knew where Anton's immediate loyalty resided. But it was hard to shake the feeling that he'd be on the chopping block if things got real hairy.
A firm hand landed on his shoulder and had him looking up from where he had placed the explosive trigger, shielded resentment sunk away from the surface at the weathered look Niko's second in command was sporting.
Anton tilted his head ever so slightly and creased his forehead in acknowledgement "You are Bratva. I would give up my life if it meant the survival of those Pakhan has marked as valuable." He gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before releasing him to look at the small button device in his hand. He wasn't sure if they would need an explosion and he really didn't want to be the one who accidentally sets it off. 'Just another day in the office it seems…'
Trevor turned toward Niko, releasing his empty magazine and nodded his thanks at Anton who tossed him a full spare magazine, in return he tossed the truck's keys to Anton. He would much rather sit in the bed of the truck and mow people down as they escaped to the airfield. Trevor slammed the new mag up the handle and yanked the slide back to seat the first round, "Call it out pal! Ain't got time to sit 'round to wait 'n find out if we can make it out of here alive!" His voice gravelly rose above the ambient noise.
Noise that was creating its own twisted and deadly dance. Sand and gravel crunched and shifted under heavy steps, the rumbling of the waiting bikes, moans and groans of the ones dying huddled between the newly made-up team, their breath filling with dust to suffocate the pleading of being helped or saved.
Niko swatted at the thick air trying to clear his sight free of miniscule particles. The heat, accompanied with nose assaulting smells was pounding his inner killer's cage. Resonating with past transgressions... Past killing sprees. Twitching his fingers in glee at getting to be free to kill as he pleased. He inhaled greedily. Letting the musk greet the inner darkness with open arms. His sharp, glinting eyes in the low light glanced over his shoulder to meet the ones of a different breed of killer.
One in the same…
"да (da, yes). DarkAngel?" Niko ducked some to see the hilly terrain and where he imagined his Captain had taken up position, "DarkAngel? Check-in. Over." Alert chocolate hazel eyes scanned the hilltops for a reflective light or a change in color amongst dusty, jagged rocks.
"Reset your channel responder. Could be some kind of cellular interference." Anton paused in opening the truck's driver door to tap at his own earpiece ensuring it was open and receiving transmissions. Static snapped and hissed loudly in his ear causing him to jerk involuntarily at the assault to his ear drum.
"bbbbbbuuuuzzz- Perrrsooon- BUZZZ BUZZZ- right-" Static continued to overload the open radio channel, words mangled between pops and hisses were hard to decipher. Niko and Anton shared a glance with one another unsure of what was being said from Aleksei.
"Alek. The room number at the Plaza, over?" Anton held his hand against his ear and closed his eyes to better focus on the static and broken words. He had spoken in Russian the emergency phrase given when one thought the other might be in danger.
"900! RIGHT! ON YOUR-!"
Niko stumbled back as an enraged man charged him from around the corner of the wrapped wood paneling of their hiding place, feet tripping over raised boards of the front porch, the gravity lugging him down to the filthy floor.
"Boss!" Anton retreated from next to Trevor's truck to lunge after the two men who tumbled out of the raging sunlight and into the devilishly welcoming shadows. He watched in horror as Niko struggled between holds while on his back, preventing the jagged blade from sinking into his chest, the weight of the larger biker quaked Niko's arms and dipped the sharpened tip into the thick bulletproof vest.
"AaaahhHH!" Trevor frustrated battle yelled as he sprinted at the two fighting men, tackling the heavy male off his temporary boss. He rolled with the momentum and snapped his hands to the crossed wrists of his enemy, catching the blade before it could cause him any damage.
Bang. Chest shot.
Bang. Head shot.
Anton dropped the other assailant who was in the motion of pulling his pistol free to kill Niko. Without missing a breath, he closed the distance between him and his boss, kneeling at Niko's side to check for injuries and help him stand up.
"T! I-Iya I's have to warn you!" A semi-slow, broken cadence, lisped voice frantically screamed as the back door flung open, a frail and shaking body slid and fell to their hands and knees with a huff.
"T! They are everywhe-!" Another nasally and haughty scared sounding voice called out in desperation and hope that his life would be spared. The knee brace worked to keep him upright but eventually met its tipping point and ungracefully dumped the body on top of the smelly black jersey of his friend.
Anton jerked his rifle up from his knelt position by Niko's side and readied a shot, finger seconds away from pulling back on the trigger. These unknowns were either a diversion or simply an innocent bystander. His eyes shifted to the exit in the back of the tiny room and changed his target to the emerging bikers- Angels of Death patches prominent amongst the rushing bodies who did not sport the ornate logo.
The loud bang from his gun flushed the room of noise, bringing a high-pitched ringing to fill everyone's ears as Anton kept killing the next unfortunate male to cross the threshold and into his waiting sights.
The static cleared from Niko's and Anton's earwig, jarring the two out of their fight or flight mentality. Niko locked his eyes on Anton's who had looked down to him with the strange silence that reverberated in their ears. Each one of them lifted a hand to cover their earpiece to talk to Aleksei.
"DarkAn-!"
"Fuck! Another sniper is about a click or two away! I can- No clear shot. Moving position…!" Aleksei's voice crackled over the radio waves causing Niko to roll to his side to readjust and press firmly against his earpiece, seating it correctly, and nodded his acceptance at Anton's outstretched hand to lift upward slightly, till volatile pain ate away at his flesh from hip bone to shoulder blade.
Niko inhaled harshly and slumped down to the dusty floor, desperately trying to breathe through all the thick, stuffy, scorching air.
"Negative! Follow my movements!" Anton snarled out in Russian and anxiously patted around Niko's vest on his back, trying to find what had caused his boss to jerk slightly and collapse before him. The handle of a throwing knife protruded directly from the letter H of his title patch. Anton sneered and dislodged the blade, only to flip it once in his hand to chuck at a tan skinned armed enemy.
"Чертов кусок дерьма! (Chertov kusok der'ma!)" Anton roughly stated as the body collapsed into the growing pile of dead remains. Satisfaction fading as he once more took up a protective position over Niko's prone body. He would ensure nothing got close to his boss… His friend… His friend that had messed up and wasn't sure how to fix everything on his plate. A force struck his chest, and he was flung backwards.
Niko gulped deeply at the thick air as he tried to move with the sharp metal no longer cutting away at his shoulder blade. He struggled to place his hands under him, only to have something strike his side and back, tumbling him down to the filthy cracked wooden floorboards close to Anton.
His eyes urgently sought out his second as his ability to defend himself was fleeting. All thoughts of escape or returning fire got stripped from him when he found Anton on the floor unmoving. Blood was starting to form sticky, clinging lines on his dress shirt peeking out from the edges of his bulletproof vest.
He willed his body to crawl, roll, shift- anything! He wanted, no needed, to ensure Anton was alive. He had a family for fuck's sake! And Niko wasn't about to have Anton's son waiting by the window every day for him to come home, just to have his heart break all over again when his mother ushered him to the dining table.
The echoing, booming sound of a sawed-off shotgun almost stopped all movement amongst the ragtag team, but Niko was shoved forward into Anton's body, in agony that yanked him in all directions. Limbs stretching their joints' limits. It was as if he was being quartered at an alarming rate.
A pain filled haze clouded his vision as he lifted up to see if Anton was breathing. He could ignore his own injuries for now. They weren't as pressing as saving his temporary second in command. With another forceful shove and boom of the shotgun that ripped the room apart- Niko willed his body to lift up enough to place his fingers to a pulse point. The shaking was unbearable…
Still he needed to know if Anton was breathing.
His mind started to give him the warning signals that something was wrong. It rammed at him as the burning waves of nausea continued to flash over him.
'Am I hit? Did the vest save me…? Fuck that hurts!'
Blistering, hot, mangled metal marred the vest close to the edge of the thick padding of Niko's exposed side; another smaller broken off piece was lodged in the center of his spine, the vest absorbing most of the bullet. His hand dropped away when his arm could no longer strain over his back.
It was the same side that held the massive healing bruise from Kate's near miss.
Anger the likes of which he had once before felt long ago pumped his blood and focused his eyesight on the man who had the audacity to shoot his men. His rifle elatedly awaited his command. Shaking arms steadied in on the man triumphantly gloating with his supposed kill. The trigger felt lighter and accepting of being pulled back. The restraint was no longer in control. Everyone was going to pay! He swung his rifle back down to the unknown people on the ground and got within a hair's width of firing before a hand outstretched in his direction, smacking the floor urgently.
"Don't!" Trevor gritted out as he fought for control, somehow taking Niko's place of keeping the knife from penetrating his unprotected chest. He slapped the floor once more hoping the idiot wouldn't go and shoot his friends and employees. He jerked over to his side allowing the man on top of him to jam the knife into the wooden floorboards. Without missing a beat Trevor placed the end of his barrel flush on the toned stomach and fired a round.
"Shit!" Johnny yelped as he stumbled over his own feet to avoid the slash that was mere inches from taking his nose off. He thrusted the end of his machine pistol against the forearm and forcefully shoved it away, before bending his elbow and jabbing it vehemently upwards into the dark stubbled chin. The man's head cracked back with a painfilled grunt and hair-raising grinding of teeth.
Before Johnny could turn around to face his attacker, another biker body slammed him through the entrance of the shabby shack, picking him up to slam him down onto a splintered crate- his body taking the brunt of it as the crate gave way and shattered below him. His air fled from his lungs at the impact and the gun clattered amongst the numerous jagged pieces of wood.
"Ahh T! He-He's got a gun pointed at me!" The panicked voice from the dreadlocked head that was forced to tilt away from the end of a rifle to rest flat against the filth that covered every surface in the space. The other man in glasses cowered down to be closer to his companion, as if shrinking his mass would keep someone from shooting him in the back.
Niko glanced over his shoulder to the stationary body of his Captain. His eyes widen with a renewed hope when Anton groaned and rolled to his side to clutch his chest, patting around to find the bullet. Anton wrenched several tiny pieces of metal free, throwing them off to the side. Too slowly for Niko's comfort level, he lifted and crawled over to be next to him… his Pakhan.
"St-ssta-stay dow-down. I will get yu-you outta here." Anton fought to rise to his knees by Niko's side and shakily got ready to kill more people. A glint of metal caught his eye, and he lowered down some, placing his rifle across Pakhan's title patch, to tug free the bullets in Niko's vest. His head bobbed some and his eyes could barely focus on what was right in front of his face.
Anton dropped forward to rest over his boss' back. He would shield Niko with his body- his last resort.
'To my dying breath…'
More men filed into the extremely small-scale room pointing their weapons at whoever was the closest target. Anton's head shoved to the side as someone placed the end of a double barrel shotgun in his blind spot right behind his ear. Niko did his best to ignore his reinjured side to help out. The tender flesh and bruised skin from where Kate had almost shot him was scratching and rubbing every nerve ending raw. The building, blinding torment soaked into his overworked muscles. Laughing at how it caused involuntary twitches to light up his spine.
The men who took up dangerous positions in the room did not exhibit riding jackets. They were in varying styles of dress clothes with a black bandana tied tightly over their nose and mouth. Anton did his best to study his new enemy and find a weakness- an out- something to go in his favor of protecting Niko. But his gut dropped and began to knot intensely as his eyes landed on the closest goon's tattoo.
"Mossa. E muori idioti!" Hostile foreign sounding voice sliced through the chaos and halted all movement within the creaking shack. And with the tone used everyone had an educated guess at what was said.
Niko closed his eyes as the voice of his cousin-in-law bounced around in his ears calling 'Rrrrow-Mon an Idiota' over and over again since he landed in their lives. 'They might as well name the kid idiota at this point…' The thought of Mal giving birth, worrying over hurting Kate, and missing out on her moment sloshed his empty stomach. Mal deserved to have her moment praised as new life took its first breath on earth.
But then…
'Kate I'm so sorry… For so many reasons.'
The stressed immobility of everyone created a humid cloud to form. Adding to the thick, almost poisonous, air. Eyes glanced from person to person trying to silently communicate. Anton was somewhat hunched over Niko, shielding him as best as he could, drops of blood dripping from his chest. Trevor was on his knees, blood soaking into his jeans from his recent fresh kill, eyes trained on the ones who held his friends hostage. Johnny had a better view of the room but was still pinned in place by an Uzi submachine gun.
The wood creaked and moaned as the wind picked up outside, knocking the door against the doorpost, its hinges moments away from crumbling into rusted ash to set free the door. The roar of a dozen or so four-by-fours rose in volume as they neared the captured unwelcomed group.
"Ya speek English asshole? You know- Inglés. Hablar Inglés?!" Trevor spat his words and started to sweep the suffocating space to formulate an exit strategy. Who he needed to kill in sequential order to avoid having his new partners harmed. The rage curled and licked through his veins. It whispered grueling, unrelenting, and vicious ways to inflict pain and death. The one who had spoken in a foreign language had this weirdly delightful stare in his direction. 'Oh. He's the first to go.'
"I speak a multitude of languages Mr. Phillips. They just happen to be languages your uneducated brain can't decipher." The sound of shuffling footsteps and the jab of a cane crossed the threshold of the back exit to reveal who had articulated their words in an even, trained voice.
Niko felt Anton stealthily slide his hand over his hidden from view chest in search of the throwing knives attached to the bulletproof vest. Niko lulled his head into the searching arm to mask any movement from the surrounding forces. It was their only hope to crack the frozen glass-like held positions. Create a diversion of killing one of the hostiles with a knife to the head- a recoiling murder to stun their enemies. It should give a couple of seconds for everyone to grab a weapon and start killing their captors.
'It's worth the risk… Aleksei better see my signal to help out…'
Anton's shaking fingers weakly brushed over the looped endings of three knives. He kept the frown from forming. They were the style of knife he grappled to throw correctly. A normal fixed blade with a smooth and aerodynamic handle was his preference. But he would dig deep into his training to hit his target.
"Yeah you're right. I don't speak idiot, or dipshit, or sex doll lover-"
A kbar landed in between his knees with such speed one would think it was there all along.
"Glad to know which ones you know how to speak and enjoy." The smooth, professional voice goaded Trevor as the cadence of foot shuffle and cane tap came to a pause, "But I think you left off moocher and pain in the ass!" The man folded his hands over the top of his decorative cane and soundlessly drummed the pads of his fingers in rhythmic order.
"Boss. Which order should we start executing them?" The tall, overbearing looking jerk asked the small-framed gentleman who had come to a stop in front of Trevor in their shared language. He was hoping to be the one to shoot the lethal looking assassin. For only assassin's would recognize each other's marks. And the man hovering over their main target was on his watchlist.
"Silenzio, chiaro?" The man boring his eyes down into Trevor's mad ones only lifted a finger in the direction of his lead man. This was his show to run. And it was he who would ensure they reached their goal of successfully capturing the high-seated table member. He pursed his lips as he turned his head slowly to the side to set his glare on Niko.
"Yes, but Don wanted the extras killed, the target brought to her alive, and the location of An-"
"And I said silence. So help me God I don't replace you with the next disposable asset!" The shorter man practically breathed fire in his second's direction, hurriedly speaking a language Niko could nor decipher or understand key words. The ignited fuel rose to the surface as the head enemy snapped his attention off of pesky henchmen and back to the mission at hand.
"Now. Where was I…?" The not to be taken lightly smile began to lift the edges of his lips- licking his lips in anticipation, "I do wonder if your blood will reek of fear as well as…"
"What is your business with the Petrovic Bratva?" Anton dug deep to callously ask in Russian to test the waters on who did and didn't understand him. At the narrowing of eyes and readiness of the men surrounding them, he knew he couldn't use Russian to yell out directions for their escape. 'Shit. Can't even warn Aleksei.'
"Plenty. Our main focus is with the one who bears the title of my last tortured soul." In a creepy slowness the man shifted around to directly face his main target, hands searching his torso for a knife or sharp object, "You are the unfortunate man who took over for Kenneth Petrovic and currently carries the revenge I seek. Only I have been given a recently changed new task of tracking down a certain femmina, capito?." The edge of each syllable was exaggerated, and the annoying roll of the tongue caused both Niko and Anton to flinch. He lifted the cane and passed it off to one of his men that approached with a trained hand, crossing his arms to take in the position his enemies were in. His men knew to cater to his every whim.
"So? My friend? Shall we do this the easy way? Or do I need to jump straight into castration and amputation to get her location out of you. Hmm?" The sneering man, dressed in the finest of Italian suits one could have made, addressed Niko and left no room for backing out of his question. A long, thin, sharpened boxcutter blade was pulled from the breast pocket of his jacket. He only hoped this target would be more forthcoming than the last. He sucked his teeth in a tisking manner as his sunken eyes took in the slumped over form of the newly establish Pakhan, "My assumption is he perished as planned once he was dumped on the northern shores of Liberty.
"You dared to attack my Pakhan!" Anton was livid! Ignoring the stabbing pain to his chest, he nearly yanked the knife free to end the life of the one responsible for his beloved boss to nearly die! He felt a firm, but gentle brush against the back of his hand and knew Niko was wanting to wait this out and gain some more information. And with a budge of Niko's head into his arm let him know that Aleksei was also listening in and could get a better read of the room.
But even with the silent command from Niko, he slipped the knife free and threaded his fingers over the cool, deadly metal. He would avenge his boss- carry the code to the end. They were driven to seek revenge if Kenny were to ever pass. This was mandated law! And now he knew who his target was. He would let nothing get in his way. Aleksei also operated under these rules, was listening in, and he could imagine the red dot hovering over this triumphant looking male.
To give life, blood, body, and service to Pakhan's will. An unbreakable blood oath that forever ties me to the law held within the Bratva...
"I simply kept asking him the same question over and over again trying to get the correct result. Each time he refused, I in turn inflicted increasing levels of pain. Bastard held out. I'll give him credit. But now I pursue the same answer from the new head of the mafia." With a trained release of air the man lowered some to tilt his head to be in Niko's main line of sight. The cool metal slid over Niko's stubbled chin and jaw in warning. Eyes that possessed decades of knowledge and probably knew every trick in the torture book slowly held Niko's matched understanding.
This was not going to end well…
For any party involved.
The slightly older man lifted his free hand and snapped his fingers. His men stalked forward and grabbed everyone by their clothes. They fought against their hold to get free but quit their attempts when they were dropped into a line in front of the sharp dressed, armed man. Guns poking their heads letting them know there was the option of instant death if they didn't obey. The leader reattached the blade to under Niko's jaw.
To my dying breath, I take arms with my brethren, to see the end of the storm…
Niko kept his breathing even; cool, calm, and collected. He had been in similar situations when he worked under Bulgarin… And knew who had to die and who would walk away grievously injured. He wanted to frown with his thought process. The assassin held firm, blocking his emotions and attachments.
The double barrels turned in Anton's direction and fired, but not before she jumped into the path… The projectile shrapnel ripped through her. A scattered buck shot from a shotgun punctured numerous holes in a concentrated group on her abdomen.
Frightened eyes glued to his own. The once beautiful blueish green sank into her black pupils, disappearing into nothingness. Her hands came away with rich, thick blood before she crumbled to the wretched wooden planks- blood pooling underneath her as a lifeless stare twisted her features into disbelief…
Niko shook his head once to clear it of the images his brain kept taunting him with as well as put some space between him and the lethal looking blade. Trevor, Johnny, and Anton knew how to handle themselves in a gun fight. The other two by Trevor's side were unknowns, but Kate wasn't with them. She was safe and protected back at the compound. Guarded and given the best care Liberty City had to offer to heal her- um… to reconstruct? To remo-
Niko scowled with a ignited hate he usually kept locked away. The one that left nothing behind. Only broken promises, ash, terrors that bled into nightmares. It encircled them all, and upped the heat in the room, he could imagine the older looking man collapsing from one of his throwing knives or a bullet from his trusted rifle. There was no Kate to interfere with his choices.
There was some hope in their precarious situation.
'She can't interfere because she is laying at your feet swiftly bleeding to death…'
His inner assassin whispered in his ear then focused on the new target, 'Just who is he to attempt to take on the most powerful Bratva? Hm? Something is wrong- would help if we knew the language and possibly his name.'
A hand roughly fisted in Niko's hair pulling back with one mighty jerk, the blade barely nicking the curve of his chin as the man lowered the boxcutter blade.. The action caused the barely scabbed over flesh to be ripped open once more. The blood oozed down the side of his head, caressing his ear, brushing the edge of his jaw- like a kiss of encouragement, removing the ghostly feel of cold metal. It welcomed the freedom to paint his battle scars. Show off how skilled he was to come away from a fight… While the other didn't move from the crumpled heap on the ground.
'The bastard who dared touch you is first. Then the fucker who challenged your rightful place at the table. You are Pakhan of the most powerful Bratva. Where is your power? Buried from years of avoiding this? Don't worry. The darkness has patiently waited for you to return…'
"Easy, easy, facile Lorenzo. Don't hurt him too much. I haven't even introduced myself or asked the burning question of the hour. I swear I am a glorified babysitter with these idioti." The man sneered at his counterpart who held Niko at a weird angle, exposing his neck.
"Well who the fuck are you, so I know what to put on your headstone?" Trevor lowly, maliciously, and grimly threw the question from his captured position. Fingers lightly brushed over his hidden pistol, biding their time for the right opportunity to present itself.
"For real. Never seen the likes of you 'round these parts?" Johnny looked like he was mere seconds away from lunging forward to the discarded rifle a few feet in front of his knees. Not to mention the floorboard kept moving every time he shifted. It was highly annoying and painful against his legs. It would also give away his surprise attack.
"Manners John-boy." The lead man snapped out, "It appears none of you know who I am…" He grew thoughtful for a millisecond. Perhaps this was good they had no clue who he was. It wasn't every day that he cornered his prey, and they had zero clue of their wrongs or entrenched enemies.
"Hey shithead you don't have the right to talk down to me!" Johnny barked out agitated he was called by the nickname Boccino and Billy loved to use when addressing him as lesser than their statuses.
With the speed that was unexpected, the gentleman straiten his spine, pride flexing his muscles, rushed forward, and slapped Johnny across the face. His other hand grabbed his chin to twist it back to facing him and slapped his face harder, "If you don't start behaving I'll have your entire trailer park burned to lumps of disfigured metal. Or maybe I'll force that pretty little girlfriend of yours to start serving my leadership council." Once more he struck Johnny enjoying the grunt of pain he elicited from Johnny.
"Slow down their Mister professional accent. That female is MY girlfriend. You touch her. Or even just look at her- I will tear you to a DIsfIguREd luMp Of mETaL!" Trevor's voice rose in intensity with his anger spurring him on, mocking the way the man had threatened Johnny and his crew. He didn't exactly hate Johnny or have any real issues with him. But he was NOT going to let someone else touch a hair on Ashley's head. She was slowly becoming his outlet for his uncontrollable rage. Just her simply listening to him helped curb his need to lash out. So because he was starting to grow attached to her, or if it was the way Niko hadn't come to Johnny's defence, Trevor was going to throw gasoline on the burning embers.
To watch it all burn down.
A bullet zipped by his ear, carrying a searing heat with it, to embed in the warped floor under him. Trevor jumped in surprise at how close that was to hitting his head. It only added bloodlust-laden fuel to his inner demon. He twisted slightly to be able to stare at the gunman, who held him in place, in the eyes. 'Oh yeah. You are definitely first… I'll enjoy putting a hole in that snotty head and watching the brain matter scatter everywhere… The place could use a makeover.'
"Lorenzo! Must I repeat myself?!" The man who still gripped Johnny's chin tightly clipped at his captain. He would have a word privately with him about his neediness to kill people when he wasn't ready to send them to the undertaker. He huffed then looked back down to Johnny, a sinister sneer curling the side of his mouth, "So we have a three-way going on? A better fate than the one I had imagined. You going to behave now JOHN-BOY? Hm?"
"Not worth the effort there mother fucker!" Trevor swore internally at the pain he knew was coming his way. Locking up and bracing for a punch, kick, or slap… that never came. He lowered his chin to assess the man in charge, or thought he was in charge, "Didn't catch your name bud. A blank headstone is just an insult. One that is growing as a desirable outcome." Trevor did his best to get the asshole away from Johnny. There was no telling how short Johnny's fuse was, and he really didn't want to discover that today. Especially since the dude looked ready to just kill them all with one more press of his buttons.
"Come on! Hit me! Show me what you got! Come on! Give me your best strike!" Trevor goaded the man and jerked against the hold his captor had. It adjusted just enough to have him calm down and recalculate his exit strategy. 'Yeah I don't give a shit if they make it, but me and Wade and Ron are getting out unscathed.' "That's right… I know who you remind me of! You remind me of my brother- Ryan… I mean after he was dead."
With the blankest of stares to ignore the ranting Trevor, the man made a slow trek over his captured prey, only to land back on Niko to watch his reactions. "You lot shall call me Sir, or Mr. Arthur Zapulla, but I do love the sound of, what is it you call your 'Don', Pisswash?"
"Fuck off you ignorant, no seat at the table, waste of a human being! You disrespect Pakhan and tried to kill the prior Pakhan- But yo-you…" Anton's struggle against the hold weakened as he kept yelling in Russian. A wheeze took his voice and drowned it in a coughing fit. With vengeance winding its way over his soul, he spit a blob of blood out, landing it on the shoes of Arthur Zapulla, "She cheat on you and leave, or was she no longer tight enough to-!"
Anton was kicked forward harshly to the floor landing on his side, blood rolling down his vest and shirt below. He cackled hysterically, "It was you who couldn't get it up for Don Mary Valvona. Ha! I was wondering when the Pavano Family would attempt to take charge. With the Gambetti Family gaining new leadership with Roy at the helm- Ugh alright, talking hurts too much…"
Static crackled and pinged loudly in their ears, the distant and unclear sounds of a fight pulsed through their earpieces. Their one chance at escaping was no longer available.
"Sss-ssssaaa- buuuzzzzzzz Same! POP- buzzzzz-Siiiid-" Aleksei's line cut out and silence once more filled their ears from the comms.
Anton let the blood drool from his mouth to the floor, his eyes dropped slightly trying to hide the fact that he had communication with someone outside of the decrepit building. His shoulders began to sag from the weakness pulling on him, "So you… You try to take out the mo-most powerful Bratva? To prove your undying love for that bitch?! Then lead an attack on Zito under the cover of all the bullshit we got with the Albanians?" Anton rolled to his back keeping the knife he held hidden.
Niko wanted to drop his mouth open with the truth bomb that exploded in the room. 'This Arthur Zapulla had some kind of relationship with the Don of the Pavano Criminal Family. Made sense they would strike with the newly established relationship between Roy and Kenny being fragile. So why did this man target us… Now of all times?' He locked eyes with Anton and instantly knew he was primed to attack in his weakened state, but could stall if need be for more information...
Or take another bullet or strike or two…
'Anton no… We will get out of this. Promise!'
Anton rolled his eyes to the ceiling to ignore his boss' pleading.He knew what to do. And that was to keep Pakhan alive. At all costs.
To give life, blood, body…
Arthur was fuming mad! He marched up to Anton and kicked him several times on his side eliciting a painfilled groan, "Call her a bitch again and you're dead!" Arthur stomped on Anton's chest causing a loud scream to push past his blood-stained lips.
"Dude stop!" Johnny instinctively yelled out.
Niko flinched at how painful the scream had sounded. The broken resolve due to the immense pain seeped into Niko's brain… Taking over to where all he could hear was his second begging for relief. The labored air that fought to enter and leave his airways.
Arthur noticed the blood stains on his polished dress shoe and struck Anton again on his chest, relishing in the squishing sound of flesh, bullet particles, and bone smashing into one another, "You're filthy worthless blood got on my brand-new loafers!"
Anton struggled to catch Arthur's shoe with his next downward strike, his arms shaking horribly… Only to slip on his own blood, letting the shoes to connect harshly to his wounded chest. The pain wanted to be heard in the silent, watching room.
The air snapped free from his lungs and left him gasping in agony. Grasping at nonexistent threads of hope. Hope that he would only get a couple of hits before they moved on to a different prey.
How wrong he was.
The bloodied shoe lifted again and swiftly crashed down on his chest.
"I kill in her honor!"
Stomp.
Blood curdling rasp.
"I intimidate her targets!"
"Sure ain't intimidating anyone! Just burning my fuse here."
Stomp.
"Do her dirty work!"
Stomp.
"Cut it out man! What's the fucking question?!"
"Terminate those who wish her harm!"
Stomp, stomp… Stomp-
"You wanna kill someone?! Over here! Kill me! Take a fucking shot!"
"Give it a rest already asshole!"
"I will drown you like the diseased rat you are!"
Small cries of pain, rushing labored breaths of air, choking coughs that split more blood from the corners of his lips… But still his ire remained and urged him to get it over with; "She is still a- a Una stronza sciolta!"
Hiked dress shoe over the bloody mess he created slammed down harder than the last few strikes. Arthur kept his foot firmly pressed into the scattered circle of buckshot, grinding his heel back and forth, grinning at the rattling and sputtering of blood, "Have anything else to say? Йокель (Yokel')?"
He lifted his foot once more, shifting to smash Anton's face in. Blood dripped to a song of its own.
Drip. Drip-Drip. Drip.
Time slowed the longer Arthur scorned his victim while continuing lining up his shoe.
Drip. Drip-Drip. Drip.
Anton dropped his eyes away from watching the blood drops and swaying hovering death above him to confidently say goodbye to his boss… As well as apologize for not saving him. He weakly nodded once, dragging the side of his face over the dusty floor, then returned to look back up to his fate.
To give life, blood, body…
'Vanya I will see you soon brother… -!' A restful peace softened his features as he accepted his death…
Drip. Drip-Drip. Drip
"Мои прекрасные Марта, Лова и Нина. Простите меня (Moi prekrasnyye Marta, Lova i Nina. Prostite menya, My beautiful Marta, Lova, and Nina. Forgive me)…" The words broke and cracked through each name of his growing family. Guilt and shame slashed through him- he'd never see Lova become a great firefighter captain. He'd never see Marta's first steps…
In the slowest of motion Niko had ever witnessed, the foot began its decent down to implode Anton's face.
'Life is a cruel and unfair game we play.
You know, if there is one thing that I have learned,
it is that we must obey the rules of the game.
We can pick the game, Niko Bellic.
But we cannot change the rules…'
'Јебати. То (Jebati. To).'
"You are not in the table's circle.
You have no clue as to what is going on-
You lowly ranked,
Insignificant Комад смећа (Komad smeća, piece of trash),
Wasted and used side piece who no longer serves their purpose!"
The shoe slammed into rotten wood beside Anton's face.
Niko dropped his voice and exaggerated his accent. He felt that uncontrollable impulse to kill flow through him. It calmed every nerve. It coaxed his muscles. Cracked his neck when he tilted it to the side. Dread fought to take over but was swiftly knocked back…
His soul wanted to run from it-
to go someplace else…
to Kate's side
basking in her comfort and love… the understanding light.
But it too was shoved away leaving room for evil to emerge and take over.
The time to act as head of the table presented itself. He had been fearing this day…
'Somewhat…'
'What was that dream again…?
The one you refuse to let rise from its prison- relive those awfulkills and delicious hours of torture?
Screams that created music in our soul.'
The assassin nudged Niko's soul. Death soothed his wounds.
'Go on. Show them what it means to fuck with Niko Bellic…'
"You should know the consequences of harming or insulting a table member or their close associates. You are beyond the scope of misunderstanding one another. The Commission will agree with me- For I AM The Commission!
If you so wish to present your request, ask it now.
As head of the table, I can either kill you, or you get back in line and act like this attempt never happened. Your Don will punish you how she sees fit- at my beseeching word. But I do hope you are as dumb as you look stupid. Been a long time since I've hungered for death."
The assassin was at the helm. His voice never shook. It never showed an opening or weakness.
It appeared as if he was born, then molded-
Harden-
Contorted, to be at the rightful end of the table.
Where his name had been all along.
The Leader of The Commission – calling the shots and overseeing the squabbles between the Families below his status. That knowledge massaged his shoulders to release the tension. He sent a death glare from the corners of his eyes at Arthur.
His life was forfeit; he just didn't know it yet.
Don Jon Gravelli would give his approval and never bat an eye at the decision. His family was in good hands.
Roy Boccino would've been so proud…
The darkness engulfed the remaining bits of light in his soul, HE was the one in charge and he would not let anyone get out of line. No one would dare to question him. Absolutely no one could overturn or sway his decisions. He'd finish off whoever this was in front of him and drag the Don of the Pavano Family down the streets of Little Italy using the intestines from Zapulla,
as a warning.
For whom he no longer was, faded into the void, and all that remained:
was on his knees…
with death in his eyes.
'If you fight with monsters long enough you become one,
and this monster…?
The devilish smile grew precipitously.
"Потез (Potez, move)…" The word whispered through the constant white noise in his earpiece, "Ја ћу ићи лево. Ja ću ići levo, I will take the left)…"
Ray Bulgarin's protégé slammed back into the man who had a firm grip of his hair, spun around once free, knife sliding out of its pocket just to be thrusted to the hilt on his captor's thigh. The scream of pain warmed Niko's chest. An unquenchable desire for more had him pulling another knife, leaping up to the next closest enemy, the one hovering over Johnny, tackling them down to slice their throat wide open.
Blood squirted everywhere. Coating the dried floorboards- it was his painting of vengeance. His warpaint as his hands accepted the coating of red.
Anton rolled to his stomach with all his dwindling strength and smashed the trigger for the explosive device attached to the running bike's engine just outside the rickety door. He threw his arms over his head in anticipation of a large shockwave followed by a fireball. He braced as he heard a whining trill building in volume.
Trevor whirled around and punched the crotch of his personal captor who folded in on themselves. Face mere inches from Trevor's, "You forget a thousand things every day, pal. I'll make sure this is one of 'em!" Trevor tilted his head thoughtfully as he recited his late friend's saying. It boosted the rage, jerking his pistol free and jabbing it under the enemy's chin, and not missing a beat he fired the gun… Pleasurably watching the soul move on to the next plane of existence. Blood and brain matter shot in every direction and refused to attach to the ceiling. So it simply fell down to Trevor who held his hands out wide as if relishing in the death of someone.
Every kill was one more in honor of Michael.
His bloodlust driving his movement, he targeted the man who was seconds away from killing his associates and unloaded a couple of rounds to the chest and head. The body collapsed down beside Wade, who scrambled to be away from the dead bloody body.
"Not enough…" Trevor mumbled under his breath as he targeted another helpless goon. The trilling of a remote timer caught his attention and he turned enough to see the guy who treated Niko like a boss bracing for impact. As the hiss blew through the shack, Trevor dived down behind a couple of rotted crates and covered his head.
Niko glanced up through his arms at Arthur, who was retreating quickly out the backdoor, with a prominent laser green dot ascending up his back for a headshot.
"No! чекати (čekati)!" Niko yelled as loud as he could to hopefully get whoever spoke on the comms to stall the kill shot. For somewhere in the back of his head he knew it wasn't Aleksei talking. But someone else…
The whistle of a small projectile blasted past his head on the left and tore into Arthur's leg.
The concussion blast hit first.
Every object was thrusted to the back of the shack. Wood creaked and moaned under the ensuing blast, unsure if they were going to fight the nails and be truly free or stay put. Niko reached out and caught Anton's limp form and with seconds to spare he dropped them both into the hidden pathway. Johnny, Trevor and his two unknowns followed Niko's lead-
The BOOMING sound and another shockwave carrying solid fingers and curling tendrils of fire blasted the barely kept together building. Planks of wood splintered and flew away with the force used against them. People tripped over themselves and smacked face first into the dirt.
The shadows had been swept away. Leaving the sun to scorch its victory on yet another plot of land with junk piled up on it. Long floorboards twirled as they came crashing down in random places where the building once stood. Fire eating away at most of them.
"Само још топлоте. Јои. (Samo još toplote. Joi.)" Niko whispered as vines of flames danced between the cracks of the trap door, doing their best to get the hatch open to ingulf the wood.
"Sppeeee-Speak Русский (Russkiy, Russian)." Anton managed to mumble out between the inky blackness that soaked into his vision. He knew it wouldn't take much to send him to the undertaker. His sternum was splintered and sawing away at muscle, veins, and working its way down to his heart. Walking, running, shooting a gun- None of that was feasible now.
"Save your strength Captain. That's an order." Niko helped Johnny, and a reluctant Trevor, lay his second down to the cooler, slightly damp soil that made an underground passageway between the newly destroyed bar, and the now obliterated abandoned shack. The near pitch-black surroundings made it impossible to assess Anton's condition.
"Fuck. So I got Italians, Russians, and now the Angels of Death after me. Thanks a lot buddy for shoving me out in the spotlight to die!" Trevor threw his hands up and plopped down against the wall by Anton's feet. He really didn't care. He was more grateful for not just dying in a fiery explosion.
"Um hey? Trevor? Is now a-a good time to-to ask what's goin' on?" Wade shifted to sit across the small tunnel from Trevor. He felt beyond scared and was barely mollified when Ron sat down next to him, unusually quiet for a conspiracy theorist. His silhouette hard to read with the dwindling light the fire produced.
"Right now you are all going to help me get my second in command loaded in Trevor's truck- and we are going to hightail it to where my plane is waiting." If they could see him they would be cowering in fear. Blood caked and saturated the side of his head and neck where the open wound continued to trickle down. His eyes were darkened and just his presence alone would make the two unknown people feel as if they were in danger.
"Wwwwah-why should we? T?" Ron turned to where he thought the person was knelt over the wounded one. He had nearly been killed after being kidnapped. Not exactly the favor he figured Trevor would send him and Wade one.
"Ron. Not know. Find me my truck keys- I think it's in one of… of his pockets and I'll go ahead to pull the truck up close to the bar. Too much fire to handle where we were." Trevor crossed his arms and from the corner of his eye studied someone extremely high up in the criminal world. "Just who exactly is this guy,,,?!'
"Do not hound me with questions. It is simple. We get my second safe, get to my plane, and we leave. Nothing to it." Niko's voice was void of any warmth, accent on full display. It bit and slapped the other three' exposed skin, including across the face. Lifeless, bordering on forever disinterest settled in his facial muscles. He didn't have the time to babysit. Anton was in need of serious help.
He would not leave his men behind again.
"The uh. The truck is manual. That a problem?" Trevor could somewhat taste it in the atmosphere. A buried hemorrhaging pain, the yearning want of death to be drawn upon, and an unleashed temper. It choked the air out of their tiny hiding place. Making it hard to breathe- Even if it was all in his head.
"No." Niko ignored the others in the tunnel to start searching Anton's pockets for the truck keys. He needed to see the mission through. Trevor was no longer going to be an issue- he paused moving and turned his face in the direction he had heard the question from, was he now loyal to them? Or was he still a lone wild wolf scavenging what he can from whoever crossed his path?
"Look. Uh. I'm not much for small talk- but what kind of fucking animal do you take me for?! We ain't leaven' him. So Ron, Wade- take the legs. Niko? You and me can handle the shoulders and arms." Trevor shoved up from his seated position and knelt down by Niko's side, "We will need to hurry. Ain't no way that Zapulla dude didn't call for a backup team. One made up of crazies who live to kill."
"He's right Niko. We gotta move fast. I got a message from my backup guys- the trailer park is being attacked by a heavily armed chapter of the Angels of Death. They won't be able to send us a few guys." Johnny lowered down by Anton's head and tried to decipher the damage done… And if Niko's friend was going to make it.
The sound of tires crunching sand and gravel echoed overhead. The team looked up and tried to figure out if the vehicle was by the crackling fire or the semi cooled off bar. The sound passed them in the direction of the bar then faded away.
"That's it. Johnny go see if you can open the trap door in the bar. We are sitting ducks here." Trevor slid his hands under a finely toned shoulder and looped a lifeless strong arm over his neck.
"Do as he says." Niko kept his words short and to the point. They needed to get on the move toward the airport. If you wanted to call it an airport. He watched for as long as he could of Johnny's retreating form. He slowly breathed in to keep his body clam and avoid the shaking that wanted to be set free.
"There ain't no way we can go through the trap door we just fell through. It's going to have to be the bar exit." Trevor waited for Niko's signal or movement to start lifting the severely bleeding body, "Actually Ron, Wade. Go ahead with Johnny. We will need people up top to help lift him up."
"Kay, T. Will do!" Wade saluted Trevor in the dim lighting and tugged on Wade's open button-down t-shirt. Ron hesitated to move till Trevor did the head tilt that usually signaled the plight of Trevor's anger. He scurried down the recognizable tunnel with Wade continuing to blab and talk rather loudly. Talk about how insane the explosion was.
Their voices faded to muffled echoes and left Trevor and Niko down by Anton's body. They studied one another, not getting any answers or hints as to what the other was thinking or planning.
"Look. Uh. Niko?" Trevor bobbed from side to side to get the uncomfortable sentences out, "I can see you probably lost someone on a job or something. I- I lost my closest friend. Really the only one I could call friend. And I left him behind. He got shot by a sniper right in front of me. I should've stayed behind to rescue him-"
"I lost twelve at the start…" Niko waved Trevor on to help drag Anton away from the wall so they could both carry him better. He did his best to ignore the barely audible moans and gulps of pain. Anton was in bad shape, he knew that, but he refused to believe he wouldn't make it. Not on his watch…
With a heave they lifted Anton with a sharp cry of anguish. Niko saw no reason to continue the conversation. He was focused. His main concern was getting them all away from the fires and to safety. Would Trevor be safe now that he was seen and identified as an associate of the Commission? His eyes lifted from Anton's pain twisted face to lock on matching scorn, hurt, and most importantly survivable hardened eyes. With a sharp negative nod, Niko knew he did not need to worry about him being out west.
"So you… You had a contact or something to hook me up with?" Trevor shoved away the camaraderie he was beginning to feel aside. Only Michael and Brad could be at his side when he needed friendship or nearness of another human being. Loneliness is a silent killer that chips away at the soul till there is nothing left to destroy.
Only hollow emptiness.
"Ortega. Gun smuggler and arms dealer. He has a lucrative trail between Canada, The US, and Mexico. He claims to be a member of Los Aztecas, but he hasn't been seen communicating or interacting with any known members. I have him under thumb. So you can join him- Protect shipments that come in, or even make the runs yourself. He travels by air mostly." Niko droned on about who and what Trevor would be doing to stay out of trouble, while still making large sums of money.
"Cool. Cool… Cool… I'll check up with him once we get out of here. I don't like getting my hopes up, but there is bound to be a welcome party waiting for us.
Light flooded the narrow passageway, bringing heat in its wake. It was almost blinding how bright the outside light was. It forced Niko and Trevor to duck their heads till their eyes could adjust. The drastic change in environment was hard to manage while in a life-threatening situation.
"Pa-Pakhan. You ar-are going to need t-to leave me." Anton gulped in air and did his best to tell his boss his wishes. He knew the risks. The outcomes should they have to drag a useless body around. The time lost for escape. This was his duty- to get Niko back to the compound in one piece, and he had already failed in that mission for letting his boss get injured multiple times.
As well as nearly sleep with his ex! Now deemed enemy of the Bratva. That scowl tugged and cracked his blood parched lips, but he didn't care. He was still recently hurt by it all and just couldn't see her reasoning after the long conversation held in the car on the way to the motel from the club…
"I said save your strength." Niko bit out with authority. In his mind there was no outcome where he ditched Anton to save himself. Wasn't an option. They reached the end to the tunnel and looked up into bright, happy sunshine. Johnny, Wade, and Ron leaned over the opening and started communicating where they were going to lift Anton up at.
"We got a window to get out of here. Arthur is gunning toward the interstate tail between his legs, and there is no sign of the Angels of Death MC. Come on Niko, hand him up. We got some plywood we can use as a gurney." Johnny laid down on his stomach and placed his hands on the tops of Anton's shoulders.
"Wouldn't count on them being gone for too long…" Trevor huffed as he lifted Anton's dead weight body up over his head with Niko's help, "You know this kind of reminds me of this time where I was-"
"T! Come on! Not that story again. It's so not funny!" Wade rolled his eyes, cross linked his arms across the trap door entrance with Johnny to begin lifting Anton completely out of the tunnel.
"Fine. Fine! See if I ever tell you a story again!" Trevor grunted as he braced his hands on Anton's knee, waiting on Johnny and Wade to adjust their hold.
"Shit! T! We got lots of pissed off looking bikers headed our way!" Ron called out from his spot next to the makeshift gurney, using a pair of binoculars he found amongst the wreckage. Which was still burning in some places. The western wall that held the bar shelfs was the only real structure left after the place was nearly burned to the ground.
"Fuck. Hurry it up!" Niko and Trevor shoved Anton upwards with all their strength, standing on the tips of their shoes. With one more heave, Anton slipped out of the trap door entrance and out of Niko and Trevor's sight.
"Come 'on. You next bud." Trevor refused to make eye contact with Niko and simply cupped his hands together to give his partner a lift up. 'Just keep moving. Don't stall. Focus!'
Niko watched as Trevor backed into the end wall to give him a running boost, "You got this?" 'Quit stalling. Get moving! And for the love of Kate focus on the mission at hand!'
"Yeah. Should be fun! On your count." Trevor bent his knees slightly and gave his arms and hands a bouncy appearance. He had done this a million times with Michael and Brad when they needed to get to the roof of the place they were hitting up. He'd boost Michael. Then Brad. And then he'd take a running jump to catch their outstretched arms. The memories soured his mood, and he glanced up to see if Niko understood what he was prepping to do.
"On three. Ready?" Niko jogged back a few steps to be able to get enough momentum to reach the edge of the trap door opening. The others were calling out positions of the new round of enemies and firing weapons. The volume was rising considerably. The fight was once more trying to take them all out.
"One- Two -Three Niko!" Trevor roared out and shook his clasped hands in urgency. Niko's footfalls were near perfect in timing and Trevor watched the dress shoes getting closer and lowered once Niko got to the right spacing to catch his foot. Niko jumped up to the level of Trevor's hands, landing his shoe effortlessly in the palms of his hands, and used the boosted momentum to find the edge of the trap door.
"Ugh." The wind was knocked around in him as he struck the tunnel's wall. His eyes widened at the sheer number of people charging in their direction. With another puff, Niko dug his shoes into the cool, damp soil and climbed his way out. Bullets flew past him in random places, striking whatever piece of wood was left of the bar. One bullet had him ducking down to the hot sand and he hissed in pain at the juxtaposition between the cool of the soil and the unrelenting heat of the sand.
"Could use a hand down here!" Trevor's voice was lost in the pure chaos of the battlefield.
"померите удесно (pomerite udesno)." Crackled sternly in both Anton and Niko's ear. The words foreign to Anton, but a normal, everyday language Niko loved to use to call Kate Лепа (Lepa).
Niko immediately shot his eyes over to Anton who was also looking just as confused as he was. Where was Aleksei? Was it safe to go to the airport? Why weren't Sergei and Ivo on comms? So many questions kept swirling around in his mind that he could swear the words were dripping out of his ears.
"Helllllooooo…!" Echoed up the trap door shaft.
Niko understood the words and with his eyes still locked on Anton, he leaned to his right. A large caliber sniper round zipped past his face and into the head of a biker racing up to the ruined bar building. He couldn't move. There was just-?
"померите удесно…
Смена.
Десно…"
Niko whispered the words over and over under his breath trying to unlock his mind to be able to find a logical reason for Aleksei being absent on comms. With autopilot pulling the strings, Niko lowered down to grasp Trevor's hand when he sprinted forward and jumped. Niko's arm shook slightly with the full weight of Trevor hanging off of it.
Trevor held on tight and jabbed his feet and free hand into the soil to climb up with some assistance. Niko extended his other hand when Trevor lost his footing for a split second and started to fall. He had grown cold and distant since Michel's death. Decided to work completely alone and branch out on his own. To create something in honor of his lost friend. Yet this near stranger held Trevor with a solid, unmoving grip. Eyes still clouded with the want to kill clear as day to see locked on to his own.
Was he going to end up as one of the nameless kills notched in a belt?
The stab to his gut jolted him into putting everything he had to climb out of the tunnel using Niko's help to the light of war.
Niko yanked and hauled his newly gained associate up from the darkness. Trevor wasn't given a second to adjust to the blinding light as he was picked up and rolled to the side in the nick of time. A rapid succession of bullets shot past them over their heads. Niko shifted his head while being underneath Trevor to see where the bullets ended up.
Four bikers swayed before collapsing to the ground.
"Boss. Up! Transportation idle and waiting. Let's go!" Sergei darted his rifle at another group of people trying to get close, pelting the fuel tank till it exploded and knocked out the other two, "Clear!"
Niko sat up with Trevor's help and both of them crouch-walked to Trevor's beat up red truck, holding the other up to help shield their internal wounds from those they had lost. Ivo jumped from the driver seat and scurried to the bed of the truck to lower the hatch. Anton's pale and lulled face greet his boss. Before the giant pool of blood nearly had him recoiling.
'That's. He isn't going to hold out much longer…' Niko accepted the duffle bag of ammo as well as another long rifle as he lumbered into the metal bed of Trevor's truck. He settled down with his back to the cab and a hand on Anton's right shoulder. His thoughts were right. Too much blood and damage had been inflicted on his second in command.
The bounce of the truck and the slam of the trunk door jarred Niko from letting his dark thoughts get carried away. He would not lose another person under his care again. His title held responsibilities greater than the meager one's he kept tucked away in his chest. He was no longer just Niko Bellic. He was boss, teacher, provider, guardian, father figure… Uncle to Roman's first child. Silent overbearing protection to Mal and Roman…
… Soon to be husband to the love of his life…
So help him God she still wants to be by his side.
Just the vision of her being shot by Natalya spurred him on. He gave Anton a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder as he moved to the end of the truck to take up post. He'd kill them all. Every last one of them. There was no hesitation or uncertainty. It was a headshot or chest shot. Nothing more and nothing less.
"Great idea Europe!" Trevor rolled his eyes seeing a near perfect reflection of his own bloodlust in Niko's dark brown eyes, he bit back the scoff, and followed his lead to take up position next to him at the back of the truck.
Tires peeled out causing them to jerk forward then backwards some. Niko lifted his scope to start picking people off one by one, but most of his field of vison was the rental car. Sergei, Johnny, Wade, and Ron. With trained memory, he signaled Sergei to get in front of them to have protection, as well as give a prime location for dealing out death.
"Ni-BUZZZZZ-Boss-!" Aleksei's hurried and worried voice crackled through the earpieces letting Niko know that he was still there and fighting to get the line of communication clear and working. Would be nice to have shots called out so they didn't double down on someone to shoot. He lurched forward when the rental car and Trevor's truck floored it. Separating them from the pack of bikers. It wouldn't last, but the reprieve was welcomed wholeheartedly.
"Surge change on three. Copy?" Sergei flipped his open channel over to see if he could talk to everyone in a better capacity.
"Ivy growing on three. Copy and over." Ivo's nervous, but strong voice called over channel four before disappearing to channel three.
"Pah-Pahs- Pops o-on thr-three. Over aa-n and out." Anton weakly lifted an arm to twist his dial over to the newly established channel and dropped his arm once he heard the confirmation codes in Russian from his men. They at least lost the weird interference and voice that was overriding all other commands.
"DarkAngel 100." Aleksei whispered it so low that Niko and Anton thought they had imagined it. But…
The Plaza floor!
"He!" Anton screamed in pain as he forced himself to sit up against the cabin, willing his arms to hold the rifle the way he had drilled into his muscle memory. Fresh, warm, thick blood rolled down his shredded bullet proof jacket- his head dropped for a second before he caught himself passing out. Fearfully he stared at the back of Niko's head. Yearning for him to turn around.
"You gotta save what energy you got left." Trevor called over his shoulder, not letting the blood curdling scream affect him. He lined up another headshot and let the sway and bumps of the truck guide him to when he needed to pull the trigger.
"Trevor is right. You've lost blood. Too much of it. Why did DarkAngel call out 100?" Niko glanced to his side at Trevor, hand lifting to the radio box attached to his chest. He blinked once. Then twice. Then threw his channel over to three and nearly jumped at the onslaught of a scuffle loudly filled his ear.
"He… He is in trouble. Last known location is the rocky terrain just on the outskirts of the airstrip." Sergei looked at the rearview mirror of the rental car to gauge the distance between their vehicle and Trevor's riding their tailgate.
"Get me within range NOW Ivo! Sergei go straight to the plane and ensure we are prepped and sitting at the end of the runway, waiting on us to get there." Niko seethed his commands as he nearly plopped down on Anton's legs when trying to get a better view of the rocks. His trusty rifle didn't have a large enough scope or range. He felt the agitated frown forming before a silver, magazine loaded fifty caliber rifle was passed over to him from Trevor.
"Ain't going to see shit with that scope. This on the other hand? Start making heads roll!" Trevor held the rifle out for Niko to take, still leaning down to keep his sights on the next unfortunate group of assholes trying to kill them all.
"Спасибо. (Spasibo.)" Niko let the word in Russian hang between them as he dialed the scope out to get a clearer field of view of where hopefully Aleksei was at. He felt Anton place a hand on his ankle of the grounding leg. It let him know he was there and wouldn't need to keep losing his targeted area to check in on him.
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're welcome or whatever." Trevor grumbled dropping his rifle for a second to yank a grenade free from Niko's vest, "Adios los bikeros!" Trevor butchered the Spanish completely and chucked the pin free sphere in the intended path or the motorcycles.
Niko rolled the dial to calculate the distance and height needed with the curve of the planet. And allow for gravity to pull the round down. His mind filled with math and calculations that he nearly missed the flash of black amongst the boulders. His thoughts slowed as the shape and form of the black rounded object jerked at his memories. Using the sway and bump of the truck he relocated where he had seen the disturbance within the large scalable rocks.
A small black motorcycle helmet dashed between the rocks and had Niko's full attention. He watched in horror as Aleksei was thrown back to where the helmet was first spotted. The body attempted to roll to their side to get up but was slammed down by the man in the helmet. Oh. There was a good target to get the hang of the new rifle in his arms.
Once more something in his subconscious warned him. Stayed his hand.
"Not now Kate!" Niko nearly yelled as he fired the weapon…
And missed.
Frustration boiled over at not only missing his target, but now alerting the person that someone else knew their location. Niko blinked rapidly to clear his focus and went back to tracking down the person who had knocked out his hunter. The large, glistening, private jet rolled into his vision for a second- Till he spotted Aleksei in his desert ghillie suit. Unmoving. Sprawled out on his back, head lulled over the side.
His sights followed the new movement and felt the electric shock rip through his system. Fingers rapidly changed the calculations based on rough math. The enemy was raising a small boulder in their hands above their head- with the intention of snapping it down on Aleksei's prone head.
'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Florian call it out-!'
Wait.
Florian…
He adjusted hurriedly and locked in on the light reflecting black helmet. Disbelief wanting to shake the crosshairs off the kill shot.
"Збогом Дарко-"
The light touch to his ankle vanished with the bump of the truck.
And did not immediately return.
'No…'
Frantically realigning his rifle he pulled the trigger. The bullet blasted out of the barrel, shoving harshly back into his shoulder, knocking him over with the turn of the truck.
Trevor spun around and offered his help to sit up- Niko brushed the hand away as he yanked the scope free from the rifle and quickly tried to identify where he had shot the round to… 'At…'
"Just tryin' to help, Geez!"
His whole body was trembling on the inside. Had he just killed another member of the band of fifteen?
A unseen force grabbed his throat and started to constrict his airways.
A slumped over form on the ground next to Aleksei's body had a massive spray stain on the boulder flowing out to the side, away from the direction of Aleksei… And not back like it would have if it was his bullet.
'No.'
The rifle scope clattered to the metal bed of the truck.
Niko shakily crawled over to Anton and lifted his tucked down face.
"Come on! The plane is right there!" Burning fluid stabbed the backs of Niko's eyes. He blinked rapidly to remove it as he lightly tapped his hand to Anton's slightly bloodied cheek, "Anton?"
His panicked hazel eyes dropped down to the major wound on his second's chest.
The blood was stalled.
"Anton! We made it damn it! Wake up and protect me while we load up!" Niko jerked Anton by the velcro straps of his vest and couldn't believe the lightness to the body and how easy it was to move him.
"Niko! The bikers are closing the distance. We need to get goin'!" Trevor gripped Niko's shoulder and shook it violently to get him away from the lifeless body. He felt bad and could relate tenfold. He wasn't given a second to say his goodbyes to Michael. Or be there in his final moments.
"Отвали! (Otvali!, Back off!)"Niko's hoarse, cold-blooded voice shattered the silence between the two vehicles.
"Anton. Don't leave me unprotected. You still have your mission to complete…" Niko cupped Anton's face and lifted it up so he could rest his forehead against the cool, bloodied one of his Kapitan.
"Вы хорошо справились со своей службой мне. До свидания, капитан… (Vy khorosho spravilis' so svoyey sluzhboy mne. Do svidaniya, Kapitan…)
(You have done well in your service to me. Goodbye, captain…)
He didn't feel or see how his radio clicker switched back to channel four on its own. White noise slowly flowed into his slowly disengaging brain. Broken thoughts no longer held meaning. The assassin was about to jump the cliff…
Before the language he shared with so few in Liberty City smoothed over the radio waves.
"Niko- To the end, to be free once and for all.
The fight is finished for him-
for now.
But you still have the war."
aaaaaa
Whew! Excuse me while I cry for the millionth time over this chapter. It is simply only a catalyst for the rest of the story. Which unfortunately is reaching the end.
So? What did y'all think about this heavy hitting chapter? Did I go too dark there? Or not enough?
Does it have you itching for more?
You will just have to wait and see what the next chapter does to complete the LS arc. And lemme tell you- It. is in.- sane.
Till next time- One Love,
CzechKris