Night Work

Hey, this is my first post, really a copy paste i had made from the apb forums. Seems like nobody reads over there. Its a 4 part story.




Night Work ... Part 1

Halorin looked from where he sat on his plush sofa in the V.I.P. room to the dance floor below. The club was packed with some of the most dangerous people in the city. They either paid the five thousand dollar ticket to get in the club or they produced a badge, hopefully without a dead cop attached to it. The badges were displayed behind the ticket counter, the wanted posters were on every wall of the club along with the fiery drawings of demons and devils and they didn’t call this place “Club Inferno” for nothing.

He smirked as he raised his drink behind the sound and bullet proof windows of the room and took a sip. Another busy night at the club which was good news since he owned it. Not the first club either or the only one but that’s what you get when you think ahead and more importantly when you planned ahead. Too many folks in this city played their lives like it was poker game when they should have really been thinking of chess. Halorin seen too many with promise meet their ends because they didn’t bother to see into the long term. He promised himself he would not be as short sighted as those before him and it paid off.

He faired much better than a lot of his patrons below that were either getting high, having sex, dancing, or all three at once. They didn’t think ahead, he did which was why he was up here and they were down there. He did well and so his clan did well also, they knew who they were and where they placed in this city. He chuckled softly to himself as he spotted the woman that entered the club and said lowly to one of the two women that were sitting next on either side of him. “Carol” he said “be a dear and escort our guest up here. No need to check her bag.” She nodded and left as he took another sip of his drink. Life had to play like a chess game, each move with three or four optional future moves in mind. You stayed ahead of the competition and you out think them at every turn. Tonight’s meeting was with that same philosophy in mind, just another game in the city where the pieces were already in motion for the final check-mate.

The G-Kings and the Blood Roses were the largest of the clans and they basically dominated the territories they called their own. All it meant to Halorin was that there were unique opportunities to be exploited. Most clans swore loyalty to the G-Kings or the Blood Roses, Halorin’s clan swore loyalty to no one, only to him and each other. When it suited him he would do business with either clan but he made sure it was on equal terms. It was this standard that opened the door to a lot of business ventures normally excludable to folks like him.

Everything was appearance; everything was a show of strength and power. The three other men of his clan in the same room with him were just for show as the two ladies that sat and drank with him, each of them armed, deadly and more importantly, battle tested. It was always a good habit to have for his well being and a little extra security never hurt either.

The door opened to the V.I.P. room, letting in a blast of music and Halorin smiled as he settled back casually in the sofa and said “at last we meet, is it “Oke” or is it “Okelani?” “Oke is fine” she said as she looked around. Halorin gestured to the chair in front of him and said “have a seat, would you like something to drink?” Oke shook her head and sat as she said “no, I am fine” she unshouldered her backpack and settled in between her feet. Halorin still smiled and nodded to Carol when she leaned over and whispered something into this ear and then settled back in her place on the couch.

Halorin knew Oke was probably armed, like it mattered in here. Although the policy in the club was no weapons he would allow this infraction to slip by. Besides if she was crazy enough to pull a weapon on him he doubted she would survive long enough to even pull the trigger. He took another sip of his drink and looked at her through his dark sunglasses. She looked more like any skate park rat found by the highways than an actual criminal. She was dressed in a colorful way that hinted of an island past. The skateboard that was tied to her back pack was just as colorful as the sneakers she wore. She could have passed off as a tourist in the city for some fun and excitement; surely the police and maybe some enforcers would have been fooled by her appearance, he however was not.

What he knew of the woman that sat in front of him was impressive and dangerous. This one arrived in San Paro only a year ago and already she was making a name for herself as a ruthless criminal. There was a laundry list of laws she had violated and crimes she had committed. Her name and face was fast rocketing up the wanted list but all that came with a price. He cleared his throat and said “you know you cannot keep up as you have been, don’t you?” Oke smiled and said “oh I don’t know, it seems to have been working out ok so far.” Halorin took another sip of his drink and then set his glass on the low coffee table between them. “It has worked for you” he admitted “but then again you hadn’t started killing enforcers until about a month ago and like everything else you have done, you did it to an outrageous excess. You must have noticed that they have been actively hunting you.” “Oh?” She inquired and then said “I hadn’t really noticed. It seems they have had bigger fish to fry then going after me.” “Just how long you think your luck is going to hold out?” Asked Halorin “How long you think it will be before they gun you down? Because if you think they are after your arrest, think again. They want to kill you my dear and sooner or later it will happen.” Oke bit her lip at the thought. She wouldn’t admit it right now but she had been feeling like they were closing in on her as of late. Maybe she killed one too many of their number and now they were after her blood. “I’ll lay low for a couple of weeks” she suggested and Halorin chuckled and said “oh I am sure you will do that and about an hour later you will be out on the streets, knocking over a liquor store or a mini mart store because let’s face it you don’t have much in the fridge at home.” Oke eyes widened slightly but she said with a shrug “I make do, but I don’t think that the reason you invited me here is to warn me of the danger I am in.” Halorin leaned back in his sofa and said “quite right, in fact I may have some work for you that will make you some money and get the heat off your back. If you are interested of course.” Oke nodded and said “I’m listening.”

Halorin nodded to one of the men in the room. The man reached behind him and grabbed a package the he set on the table as Halorin said. The contents in the package contain a jacket and a c.d. plus instructions on how to get to W.K.R.I.M. I take it you have heard the radio station?”

Who hadn’t? Oke as well as most of the community that favored breaking the law knew of the radio station. The radio station had essentially a pro criminal policy. They were the ears and voice of the criminal side of San Pro. They’re top D.J. called “Dangerous Dave” had a sleepy deep voice that made may of the ladies swoon although no one ever really saw the guy. The station was considered a beloved commodity by almost every criminal out there and with Dangerous Dave hosting racing contests, riot giveaways, even so far as interviewing clan leaders it was no wonder the popularity of the station.

Oke looked first at the package and then at Halorin asking “so you need me to go down to the radio station? For what?” Halorin answered “You will convince Dangerous Dave to play the c.d. believe me after the first few seconds of the message he will be more than glad to do it. You do have to wear the jacket provided and you must hide your face, a mask perhaps. After that you are free to go on your way. I will contact you in the morning after the message has been broadcast to arrange for your pay.” “And just how much “pay” are we talking about?” asked Oke to which Halorin said immediately “twenty five thousand.” Oke shook her head and said “fifty thousand and you supply the car.” Halorin chuckled then and said “thirty five thousand and you get your own wheels.” “Deal” answered Oke with a sigh knowing that was the best offer she was going to get. Halorin smiled “then we have a deal. I can’t stress enough though the importance in keeping this as low profile as possible. I don’t want you to go on a kill crazy rampage out there and most assuredly I do not want to see you on the evening news, the less publicity the better.” Oke nodded and then stood grabbing the package and her backpack. Before she left she asked “anything else?” Halorin nodded and said “as a matter of fact there is. A lot of what you do tonight is going to reflect my decision on your future with us. Believe me I am considering it but it all depends on you now so take heed my advice and instructions and I think you may have a chance with a future with us.” Oke nodded and then silently left.

No sooner than the door closed behind her when one of the men spoke up. “Do you really think she will be able to pull this off?” Halorin shrugged and said as he looked out on the dance floor “I have no idea Alex but at least the risk to us is very minimal. As long as this doesn’t get traced back to us then we go ahead as planned. If she fails and is killed or incarcerated then she takes the fall alone and no one need know our involvement.” Halorin looked back at Alex and said “Get the crew together though. If she does pull this off and I don’t see why not, we are going to have to be able to move on this quickly before either side knows what happened.” Alex nodded and then headed out of the room as Halorin diverted his attention on the dance floor but his mind was already strategizing of the two or three moves he would have to make to see that his plan would go off without a hitch, life is a chess game indeed…

Night Work Part 2….

Thunder was off in the dark horizon and the smell of rain was already in the air. Oke grimaced as she pushed her skateboard with her foot and then glided along past Ander’s Street. No one on these dark streets that were framed by apartment buildings tonight and this, as many other streets like this would be well avoided by the sheep-like citizens of San Paro. Oke was no meek minded victim. Obeya FBW pistol in her backpack would see to that and if not she would fight tooth and nail to make sure she would survive to see another day, however she would keep and eye out for trouble just the same.

San Paro was like any other concrete jungle with the startling similarities to a real jungle. You had your sanctuaries where the weak would huddle around the enforcer’s precinct like frightened rabbits; you had your watering holes where the prey and predator meet to drink and socialize like “The Inferno”. The one other thing that was similar was that the night brought the predators out and the hunters as well. Oke put a foot down on the street, stopping her skateboard and pulled her backpack off a moment and reaching inside she pulled out her Obeya FBW and jammed it in between the waistband of her shorts before moving on.

Like any other predator you had to have a sixth sense about things. Not only when you are hunting your prey but when you have become one of the hunted. Oke felt this nagging feeling the moment she glided onto Ander’s Street there was something wrong and soon enough the source of her concerns appeared. “Look what we have here” the voice said from between two parked cars. She stumbled off her skateboard as someone put their foot down on it, stopping her suddenly. She gained her balance on the street floor and turned around seeing three men now in the middle of the street. She should have known better to go down this street. The Crow’s Gang were small potatoes compared to other gangs, laughable really but they did claim this area as their own and they were very protective of it. It wouldn’t have mattered to them if they knew who she was or that she was a criminal as well. To them she was just another of the herd to be hunted. “Cute too” another commented as they neared “maybe we can have some fun with her first.” The others chuckled nastily as one reached for her backpack. She jerked back just getting out of their reach and said “just give me back the skateboard and we all can walk away from this without a mess.” “You hear that Chino?” said one of the men to the other “she’s giving us a break!” Chino smiled showing the lack of teeth and the unhealthy ones that were left behind and said as he reached for her again saying “sure sweety, we’ll give you the skateboard back as soon as you give us what’s in the knapsack and maybe if you are extra nice to us we may let you walk out of here alive.” He reached her and already had his hands on her shoulders and then he stopped and looked at her wide eyed and suddenly unsure. She wedged the barrel of the Obeya FBW between his neck and chin and pulled the trigger twice. Chino’s eyes filled with blood as the back of his brains exploded through the ragged hole of his skull, bathing the other two gangsters in gray brain matter and blood. Already Oke was diving between two parked cars and scrabbled on her hands and knees to the rear of one of the cars. The other two men were busy wiping what was left of Chino’s brains off of them as Oke came around the rear and shot both of them in the back until she emptied the magazine. She stood and sighed as she pulled her skateboard from the dead fingers of one of them that she shot. Three dead and not even ten minutes she left the club telling Halorin that she wasn’t going to go on a kill crazy rampage. She skated around the three corpses as she rolled the skateboard away from Ander’s Street. Crow’s Gang were not known for negotiating anything or for standoffs. Reasoning with them would have been a fatal waste of time, better to kill off three before more of them would show up. Besides she was more than sure that Halorin just wanted to make sure she didn’t kill a bunch of innocent bystanders. No one would care if she killed a bunch of Crows and truth be told she was doing the enforcers a favor by doing it.

Ten minutes later she left the slums and reached the busier part of the city, lit up to keep the night at bay. Financial District was like a combination of Rodeo Drive and 5th Avenue, only bigger and always open. The first drops of the rain were starting in and she cursed under her breath, she could almost count on getting soaked before morning came. She wished she could postpone the whole thing for tomorrow. If she skated real fast she could make it to the outskirts of the city before morning. The woods and the old abandoned gas station where she could see the lights from the city, the place she called “home” only home wasn’t going to be any better as far as comfort to her. She frowned as she thought of Halorin’s words and how he guessed correctly that there wasn’t anything in the fridge, there wasn’t. If she had to guess right now she had a bottle of mustard and three slices of stale bread waiting for her at home. The power was a free gift from San Paro Power and Light, she supposed they forgot all about her dilapidated dive but she wasn’t about to let them know that. She could go home and starve for another night and sleep in a cold cot as she shivered and looked up at the ceiling wondering if things would always be like this or she could do something about it tonight. She gritted her teeth and pressed on; she was never one to let a bad situation take over her life. She didn’t let it happen to her in Hawaii and she certainly wasn’t going to let it happen to her here now. She rounded the corner in front of a Mikro dealership and then stopped and fell in love.

She didn’t believe in love at first sight until that moment when she looked through the showcase window and saw the purple Mikro that slowly revolved on a circular metal platform in the store. She was in love once with a guy named Dan in Hawaii but this was much different. Already she could see the designs she would make for the car, already she could see herself in it. She bit her lip as she thought of all the risk she was about to take, was it worth it? She looked once more at the car and that decided it for her. She reached into her backpack again and pulled out a fresh magazine, the last one she had and slammed it into the Obeya FBW. After tying her skateboard to her backpack she walked into the store.

The dealership was empty save for one salesman that looked like he was about to close the place for the night. He looked at Oke that walked in looking like someone that definitely could not afford the cars that were on display. He sighed to himself, a waste of time and not the first time he would have to throw someone out of the store, didn’t they read the sign outside not to come in if they didn’t intend to buy? “Look” he said tiredly “if you are not here to buy you may as well get back on your skateboard and wheel out of here.” Oke pulled her gun and said with a smile “oh I am not here to buy and I am not interested in your lease options, just hand me the keys to the purple car over there and make sure it’s got a full tank.” The salesman’s eyes grew wide as he muttered “damn metal detector is broke.” He raised his hands and said “look lady we got security cameras and already the silent alarm is on if you leave right now…” Oke shot the floor by the man’s feet making him jump with a shriek as she said slowly “a full tank of gas and the keys, let’s go.”

Two minutes later she hit the gas pedal hard, making the tires screech on the platform. She changed gears and the car roared out of the dealership, crashing through the display glass pane. She laughed out loud as she wrenched the wheel to the left causing the car to skid on the street and then hit the gas again as she took off just as a police car was pulling up. Already the police lights bathed the interior of the Mikro as she looked at the rearview mirror. She took off past Anderson Drive and Battlement Square and then made a hard right. Damn this car handled like a dream, it took the corners easily, and hardly a skid as the cop car behind her wasn’t doing so well to keep up and perform the same way. She made a left at Roger’s Park and then took an alley between Jefferson and Wayne she slowed the car and wedged it between two dumpsters. Looking at the rearview mirror she smiled as she saw the police car pass the alley in search for her. She looked in her backpack again and thought of what she had to do tonight as she rummaged through the bag until she found what she needed; she knew a Obeya FBW wasn’t going to be enough for what she had planned. She took a deep breath, she knew where she had to go but ripping off a car was a hell of a lot easier and safer than trying to rip off a gun shop. She put the car into gear and slowly left the alley, one more stop and she would head to the radio station.

There was a Joker Gun Shop in almost every part of the city. In a place where there was gang warfare and street shootouts, guns were a hot commodity. The Joker shops were heavily fortified, no criminal in his or her right mind would try to rip off a Joker shop unless they were real tired of living. Oke pulled up next to the shop. She knew the metal detector would go off the moment she walked through the door and most likely a security guard would react the moment she stepped through. If that wasn’t enough the cashier would just laugh at her from behind the bullet proof glass before calling the enforcers and locking the store down. Trying to break in the place when no one was around was impossible as it was manned twenty four hours, seven days a week, that just left the front door and all the obstacles that came with it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she sat in her car, the sounds of rain hitting the windshield was peaceful, she could go to sleep at that moment and dream of warm sandy beaches where the waves were perfect for surfing. She opened her eyes and stepped out of the car and walked purposefully to the store.

The woman that walked through the door set off the alarms the moment she walked in. The guard was already rushing toward her when she pulled out a gun and shot him three times, once in the face and the other to in his chest. If she just shot him in the chest the guard would have probably survived the assault as he was wearing a bulletproof vest. He slumped and she grabbed him around the waist and pushed him ahead of her until he sagged against the bullet proof window. The cashier was fat, old, greasy looking and the tanktop with his hairy belly showing just put the whole image over the edge. The cigar he was smoking fell out of his mouth as he stared at Oke like she was from Mars and said “You made a big mistake little missy…” Oke ignored him and slapped a clay-like substance on the window the size of a quarter with a small receiver that stuck out from the glob. “Get down” she said as she pulled the dead guard over her and fell to the floor on her back. She reached into her pocket and pressed the button sized detonator. It wasn’t some earth shattering blast, in fact it sounded like some bottle rocket going off. The hole it left in the bulletproof glass left cracks that were spreading along the pane. Oke rolled the dead guard off of her and got to her feet an shot the glass two times, shattering the whole thing causing the shards to collapse all along the counter. She pointed her gun at the cashier who was reaching for his own gun and said “yeah you have a lot of guns here but I got the only one that counts for now. Drop it and do what I say.” “You know who you are robbing?” The cashier said with a disbelieving smile and Oke shot the counter next to him and said “I am not here for a conversation. Get the N-Tec and all the magazines for it plus three boxes of rounds for a Obeya FBW and do it fast or I won’t try to miss next time I shoot at you.” The cashier shook his head and began to grab all the items she asked for as he said “you just brought a whole world of hurt on you, you know. When the cops see the video they are going to be after you day and night.” He slid the N-Tec and the magazines over to her. She didn’t say anything in response but shouldered the N-Tec and tossed the rounds and magazine boxes in a plastic bag. She looked back at him and finally said “they are always after me so it’s no different than any other day or night here.” The cashier chuckled and said “girl just leave while you still are able to breathe cause I get the feeling it won’t be long until they shoot you like a dog on the street.” Oke turned and was about to head out when the first bullet struck the wall next to her. She crouched and spun on her heel pulling her Obeya FBW out again and firing wildly back, only one of the rounds in the whole magazine hit the cashier but it was enough to knock him back. She got up as he sagged to the floor behind the counter and panted in fear and excitement, that was too close for comfort. She could already hear the sirens in the distance and knew she couldn’t dwell on her incredible luck; she had to get out of here and fast. She was just about to leave when she saw that Joker was having a sale on OSMAW rocket launchers, she half smiled and grabbed that as well before leaving.

She left the N-Tec in the backseat, the OSMAW in the trunk and the magazines in the passenger seat with her backpack. She peeled out in the rain just as the first cop car turned on the street she was on a few moments before. Still more work today before she call it a night, so far she couldn’t complain about her lucky streak but she had to wonder how long it would hold out…

Night Work Part 3…

“This is Dangerous Dave, with you all night at W.K.R.I.M. bringing all my friends without a badge the top sounds and all the latest news and talk on the street. Tonight’s top story, The Bank of Midtown was hit today with three Enforcer casualties as a result! You go Crims! Lt. Parker of course was on the scene an hour later talking about the repercussions for the ones responsible for the robbery. Yeah Lt. Parker and just how long have you been telling us this? Some Joker gunshop was hit as well, tonight with two deaths! All I have to say is the one that hit that place has a death wish. Mr. Jones of Joker Inc. says this “we take the robbery of any of our products at our fine stores a serious matter and we will make sure that justice will be served”. “Heh, that will be the day. Ok more news in about an hour right now I got the “Dingleberries” with their new hit “Worship My Love Gun!” Dangerous Dave turned off the mic and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. The life of a criminal was not an easy one, he knew all about that listening to all the police reports and interviewing the criminals but there was a danger to him as well. He knew when he walked down the street the enforcers were always out there looking for him to do something wrong so they could bust him. Not that he was ever arrested or even involved in any criminal activity but he knew his voice and popularity was the pulse of the city, the ones that the criminals depended on to set the story straight so in his head it made him something of a criminal as well. He picked up the empty can of orange soda and hissed lowly under his breath, see? This is the things he had to go through! “Cathy!” he yelled as he opened the soundproof door “how many times have I told you to have a can of orange soda ready on my breaks?” A mousy looking woman with glasses and straight black hair said “sorry Dave I’ll get you one right now.” “And some chips too!” he ordered and shut the door. He shook his head as he straightened out some of the music cd’s on his desk, the things he had to do put up as a criminal deejay…
Oke pulled up to the radio station and parked her car on the curb. She rummaged through her bag again and pulled out a mask, looking at it a moment before putting it on. She made the mask out of bamboo that she found washed up on the shore; she liked to think that those husks of bamboo came from Hawaii. She spent a lot of afternoons and evenings carefully carving the mask and then painted it to give it the image of some cartoon monkey. She hadn’t ever really planned on using it and only had it in her bag as some good luck charm but this night was full of improvising situations. She reached in the back and grabbed three magazines from the Joker box and the N-Tec, she really couldn’t say what she would expect inside but she didn’t want to be without some means of protection. She grabbed the hoodie and stepped out of the car to put it on, looking down she had to pause a moment. The symbols and words were simple enough; this was a G-King’s jacket. Just what the hell was Halorin planning anyway? She reached back in the car and grabbed the cd, she could stay out there all night and debate on what could possibly be the plan that Halorin had but it would get her no closer to getting the job done and her safely home. She put on the hoodie raising the hood over her head and stowed two magazines in her pockets as well as the cd case, she slapped the last magazine into the N-Tec and headed for the entrance of the radio station.

She was expecting a lot of things when she went through the doors, most likely a gun fight or at least people screaming and running way from her but she didn’t expect a smiling receptionist who said “ah! Welcome to W.K.R.I.M.! You must be here to get interviewed by Dangerous Dave! Just follow me and I’ll take you up to see him.” Oke just looked at the receptionist confused as she got up and walked to the elevator. Oke shrugged inwardly, well it was unexpected but she supposed they must see a lot of dangerous types every night, so one weirdly masked woman wasn’t going to faze them much. The receptionist didn’t say anything on the elevator ride up, she only smiled as if Oke was some celebrity. Oke stayed quiet and waited for the elevator to reach its destination figuring she would find out what was the deal here. They reached the second floor when the doors opened, the receptionist stayed in the car but pointed down the hallway saying “It’s the last door at the end, if there is anything you need please do not hesitate to call me.” Oke nodded to the receptionist and then turned and walked down the hallway as the doors of the elevator closed behind her. A mousy looking woman opened the door before Oke reached it and jumped at the sight of her and then chuckled as she said shyly “Sorry, the mask startled me. Please come in. I am sure Dangerous Dave will be happy to see you.”

Dangerous Dave dropped some cd’s on the floor and cursed quietly to himself as he leaned over from his chair to pick them up, at that moment Oke walked in. Dangerous Dave saw two shapely legs and then looked further up at her chest and then froze when he saw the mask. “Aw baby” he said ‘you got the bod’ but why cover up the face with that?” Oke looked down and reached in her pocket, pulling out the cd case and said “play this.” Dave straightened up in his chair and with a chuckle said “hey that’s no problem but I got to hear what’s on it first you understand?” He saw that Oke was carrying an N-Tec and said “hey baby, you don’t have to worry about anyone hurting your sweet bod here. You’re with Dangerous Dave, yes THE Dangerous Dave. One phone call and I’ll have all the protection you could need.” “You’re Dangerous Dave?” Oke said and was immediately disappointed. She as many other girls that heard his voice on the radio thought he was some burly, tall, deep voiced man. Instead this pip squeak looked like he just graduated high school a few weeks ago. He was a skinny long haired guy and his coke bottle glasses was not doing him any favors. He did have an ego though, that much she could see. Dave smiled and grabbed Oke’s free hand and said “you see baby? I live a dangerous life, I probably been through more sc****s in a day than most of you criminal types see in a week. Why just the other day I was buying bubblegum and I thought I saw a cop…” Oke took her hand away and said “look, Dangerous Dave I am sure it is an interesting story but I really am here to have you play that cd so could you hurry up and listen to it? I really have to be going soon.” He looked at her with a smile and said “damn…I bet there is a cute face behind that mask, god you got a sexy voice. Hey after my set let’s go out and I’ll show you a real good time, you like video games? I got a cops and robbers game that will freak you out.” “The cd” Oke repeated patiently. He was harmless as far as she was concerned and his interest in her wasn’t getting under her skin but she had this feeling that things weren’t going to be this peaceful and annoying for long. “Ok, ok” he said with a chuckle as he put on his headphones and said “let’s see what’s on this.”

He set the disk in the player and began to listen. First he frowned, then his eyes went wide then he started tapping the desk with his hands like he was playing the bongos then he put his hands in the air, shaking them making this strange “Wooo! Wooo!” sound as Oke looked at him with more and more concern and surprise. “Are you ok?” She asked and Dave took off the headphones and asked “you know what’s on this cd?” Oke shrugged as Dave pressed a few buttons on his console and said into the microphone. “This is your pal Dangerous Dave with an important announcement. As you may know I always have an ear to the ground as I deliver the sound along with the tunes that make the ladies swoon….hey that rhymes. You know I never really considered a career as a rapper but “Dangerous Dave” does sound like a cool rap name, what do you folks think?” “WILL YOU PLAY THE DAMN TAPE ALREADY!?” Oke shouted and Dave spoke again into the mic saying “uh but enough about me here is the announcement” and he pushed the button.

“We of the G-Kings have decided to eliminate the Blood Roses. For years now the Blood Roses have despite previous and numerous warnings made land grabs into our territories. On top of that they have actively tried to turn away our members to their side. We have warned them time and time again that such actions will not be tolerated but they have chosen instead to ignore us. Well, now they will have to answer for it now. To those of the Blood Roses that have no interest in the afterlife we suggest most strenuously to leave town, in fact leave the country because we will hunt you down and kill everyone of you. That is all.”

“War is declared!” Dave said into the mic “You heard it here first on W.K.R.M! On the Dangerous Dave show no less! Lock up your daughters! Your sons! Your wife and the family dog! Gonna be blood on the streets tonight for sure and your pal Dangerous Dave is going to be on the air to give you all the latest and the greatest but for now back to the Dingleberries!”

Oke’s face was concealed behind the mask but she thought her jaw was down on the ground like most of the citizens in San Paro after listening to that. She thought about this as she sat down heavily on an empty chair as Dangerous Dave stood and began to dance like it was Saturday Night Fever as he yodeled “Yeah baby! Love my Love Gun! You know you want one! Hearts for bullets! All you need is to pull it! Yeah!” he stopped dancing and looked at Oke who sat there in stunned thought and said in awe “you know this is going to make me very famous! I may get a television spot! Even the stupid Mayor might give me a medal!” He took his chair and grabbed a paper and pen saying “I should write an acceptance speech right away!”

The broadcast spread through the city like wildfire. Already frantic phone calls were made from either side but the damage was already done and Halorin nodded to Andy as he stood on the balcony of his penthouse and said “The broadcast went through. Gather the troops, make sure they have the proper jackets and go to work. Let’s see if we can turn up the heat a bit more.”

Some wore G-Kings jackets and some wore Blood Roses jackets as they headed out in black non-descript vans. Eyewitnesses would claim in the following hours that they saw members of the G-Kings shooting up a Blood Roses hangout or members of the Blood Roses attacking a car full of G-Kings. Attack after attack was witnessed and soon the enforcers were sent out with an army of police to stop the carnage. Halorin would listen to the reports and look at the news, still too early to claim a checkmate but a stalemate would mean doom at this point and it was too late to turn back the situation now, so maybe it was poker after all…

Oke sat and looked at her hands as she thought. Her eyes widened as everything came into play “son of a b*tch!” she said to herself. Halorin was setting the two largest clans against each other. It had to be the only explanation. “and then he will take down what is left of the two clans and put himself on top of the whole thing” she muttered to herself “he could run the whole city if this works…” “What’s that baby?” Dave said as he scribbled on his paper. Oke shook her head as she stood saying “nothing, is there anyway out of this room other than the door that I came in?” Dave jerked his thumb and said while he continued to write “the other door that leads to the offices, you’ll have to use the stairs to get to the ground floor but why do you want to go? I thought maybe we could hang out later.” Oke was about to say something when the door to the studio opened and four men with G-Kings jackets walked in and looked at Oke and Dave through the soundproof glass. “Oh sh*t” muttered Oke and opened the door on the opposite side of the room as she heard Dave say “oh hey! More G-Kings! Great! Let’s do an interview!” “Get her!” one of them shouted and the rest pulled their weapons…

Night Work Part 4…

Fires in San Paro….

Gunshots and explosions in San Paro…

It happens from time to time but never on such a massive scale in this city where crime and law are always at war with each other. Halorin was on the phone as he kept his eyes on the news “That’s right Andy” he said “Time to recall our guys, looks like it is all going according to plan.” According to plan was right, The Prelude clan disguised as members of the Blood Roses and the G-Kings was able to touch off the spark that led to this war. Smaller clans that swore loyalty to either side was out there as well, fighting this misunderstood conflict. The body count would be high and of course the millions of dollars in damages to the city would be considerable. Halorin knew he only needed to maintain his patience a little longer before he made his bid for power. Even though it was going as he planned there were still unknown variables that could present itself. One wild card was a certain skateboarding girl that he sent to deliver the message to the radio station. Sure she did her job but who knows what was to come after that? He would wait until morning, for now he would look at the news and glance at the flashes of lightning in the dark sky as he waited for his troops to come home.

“Get that monkey faced b*tch!” someone shouted and all four men opened up with their automatic weapons in the cramped studio. Dangerous Dave screamed and dived under his desk, only reaching with his hand blindly to grab his microphone and pulling it down with him. Oke frowned as she ducked to the side of the open door that led to the offices. She had been called many things but “monkey face” was a new low. She growled and pointed the N-Tec in the cramped studio and opened fire as she yelled “hey man! F*ck you!” The room filled with smoke as both sides opened fire hitting cd cases, shattering glass and making a hell of a lot of noise in the process.

“This is Dangerous Dave” he shouted into the mic. “The studio is under attack! We got G-Kings here! We got Blood Roses here! We got Enforcers here! And I think we got some wild monkey up in this b*tch as well! There’s blood all over the floors! On the walls! Even on me!” Of course if Dangerous Dave would have looked down he would have saw that it was orange soda and not blood that dampened his shirt but he was on a roll. The room went quiet as both sides reloaded their weapons while Dangerous Dave was giving his wild commentary from under the desk. “It got quiet folks for a moment but I am going to keep on the air!” He rummaged in his duffel bag he kept under the desk and pulled a gun out…a B.B. gun to be exact as he said “Listen up folks because Dangerous Dave is going to take out some of these enforcers!” He brought his gun from out under the desk and began firing blindly as he screamed “take that you b*astards!” One of the G-Kings slapped his hand on his neck as a pellet struck him and Oke hissed when one of the pellets struck her arm. Both ignored Dave and started firing again as Dave screamed in the mic and squeezed the trigger from below the desk until he ran out of pellets. “I think I got one!” he shouted as the large sounds of weapons fire grew louder. Oke pulled away from the door and headed down past the cubicles of the office until she arrived at the end where the window was. The G-Kings ran past Dave who continued to yell into the microphone and squeezing the trigger of the now empty B.B. gun. “They are coming after me!” he shouted “this may be the end for ol’ Dangerous Dave! Ahhhh! I WANT MY MOMEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” Oke kicked the door that led to the steps and as expected the damn thing was locked and wasn’t budging. She could see the shapes of the men coming to get her from down the hall and then she looked back at the window. She cursed and shot the window pane until it shattered and then leapt out as a hail of bullets fired past her. The G-Kings in pursuit stopped for a moment as she sailed from their view out the window and then rushed to it, pointing their weapons down and firing.

Dangerous Dave sat under the desk alone for the moment as he said into the mic. “Folks, Dangerous Dave here, alive and wounded but still kicking. Looks like I scared off the enforcers for now but I will be on the air all night!” he clicked off the microphone and muttered “this has to be the single greatest broadcast of my career…”

Oke landed in a dumpster full of wet garbage. She had no time to curse or even wretch when she smelled the garbage she found herself in because they were already shooting at her. She jumped out of the dumpster as a hail of bullets followed her around the building. Her car was up ahead and she just made it in and peeled out before a van full of G-Kings pulled up behind her. She made a hard right and got back on the slick, wet, street even as the van behind her made the tight turn. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw two of them lean out the window bringing their weapons to bear down on her. She made a hard left, cutting off an oncoming truck belonging to the Blood Roses. She darted her eyes to the mirror again and saw that both vehicles collided with each other but still at the intersection only now the occupants were getting out of their respective vehicles and were firing on each other. “Yeah!” Oke cheered and made another right taking her to Midian’s Bridge. Just a few more miles and she would be home.

She saw no one was following which was about the best news she heard all night. The rain was coming down in buckets now with flashes of lightning streaking across the darkened skies. The moment she got on Midian’s Bridge she knew she was in trouble. No cars on the road she was on save for hers, worse there were no cars going in the opposite direction. She got half way across the bridge when she saw why the bridge was empty. The red and blue flashers of the police cars that blocked her path were too many to be just for her. She suspected they were here for either the G-Kings or the Blood Roses or any of the other clans that were sworn to either side. She gritted her teeth knowing there was no way she would be able to talk her way out of this one, especially since she was driving a stolen car and had an arsenal in the front and back seat in plain view. They didn’t even bother warning her, they opened fire the moment Oke’s car came into view. She uttered a curse and slammed the brakes. Before the next volley of shots was fired she was already out of the car, using the driver’s side door as a shield as she shot back at the roadblock with her N-Tec. A losing battle and she knew it as she kept firing, there were just too many of them on the bridge and in the distance off to her right she could hear the sounds of helicopter blades. She saw the floating red and blue lights of the police chopper as it neared the bridge while she tossed the N-Tec back onto the passenger seat. She ran to the back of the car and opened the trunk, pulling the OSMAW out. She loaded the first missile in the OSMAW briefly wondering how it was she wasn’t shot yet or her car for that matter. Maybe it was the rain or maybe the car was some sort of a lucky talisman for her. She shrugged as she set the OSMAW on her shoulders, stranger things have had happened tonight but right now she needed to focus on the red and blue lights in the sky that were coming closer to the bridge. Whoever was on the chopper was probably already aiming in on her as the street around Oke began to chip and break apart from the gunfire. The chopper came into full view over the bridge just above the roadblock and Oke could see the gunner in the open carriage aiming for her. NOW…she thought and pulled the trigger. The missile launched and made a smoke trail that led to the helicopter. There was no time for the pilot to evade the shot and soon the helicopter went up in a fireball as it crashed and exploded on top of the roadblock. Oke loaded another missile and launched it straight at what was left of the roadblock; she wasn’t going to take a chance at any survivors getting a shot off at her. She tossed the OSMAW back in the trunk and got back in the car. The second missile shot left a gap in the burning roadblock that she drove through, she didn’t breathe again until she was off the bridge.

The storms raged in the skies and on the streets of San Paro all night, only it was nature’s storm that would end first. Morning came with the sun and clear skies even as the fighting continued in the city. Oke sat on an old couch as she drew from a sketch board of her car in the “living room.” The gasoline station here out in the woods was forgotten by everyone but that’s just the way Oke wanted it. One dirt path led to it and to the day Oke could not remember how she found this place, probably not important anyway. The garage was converted into her living room but the car lift still worked. Her Mikro was held up on the lift as she drew the car from different angles and then began drawing designs on each side. Those years in high school back home in Hawaii where the only class she showed interest in was art and shop class was going to pay off for her when it came to her new car.

Her cell phone rang and she first reached into the paper bag and grabbed a cheeseburger, taking a bite and chewing on it as she ignored the cell phone. She knew who was calling her without looking at the cell phone screen; it had to be Halorin if what she was seeing on the television screen was anything to go by. She took a sip of soda and continued to draw as the cell phone rang again. She sighed and then put down the sketch pad and rubbed her eyes. She really wanted to just grab a shower and go to sleep but she knew business had to be taking care of first. She grabbed the phone and pressed the button saying “aloha” into the receiver. Halorin chuckled briefly on the other end and said “good morning Oke, I trust you had a successful mission.” “Something like that” she answered and Halorin said “you’ll never believe what I saw on the news this morning. It shows a woman in a stolen car with a very interesting mask on shooting down a police helicopter from a bridge and then blowing up a police roadblock on the same bridge.” Oke grimaced and said “yeah…well I can explain that…” “And then” said Halorin “I heard that there was an on air shootout in Dangerous Dave’s studio “Oh” said Oke, biting her lip monetarily “well that wasn’t my fault.” Halorin chuckled again and said “no doubt, it would have been preferable that all of this was handled more quietly but I do understand that there are always going to be unknown variables that can present itself no matter how hard we plan to avoid just such things.” Oke nodded and said “well I am glad you understand but I think what I did last night kind of snowballed into a full blown riot.” “Exactly as planned” Halorin said but before Oke could reply he asked “I am inquiring when and where you wish to receive your payment.” Oke looked up at her car on the lift and said “three days, Franklin Park in front of the hot dog stand, just send one guy. I’ll be there around 1 PM.” “2 PM” Halorin amended “and you get another car unless you are anxious to see what the inside of a San Paro cell looks like.” “Deal” said Oke and hung up the phone and stood. She stretched as the morning sun’s rays made a small beam through the small window of the garage bathing her in its light. The paints for the car wouldn’t be a problem, she knew what to get and more importantly how to detail the car the way she wanted it. The drop off for the money would go off without a hitch and she expected the streets to be a little quieter in three days. Whatever Halorin had planned by all of this wasn’t her business. All she knew that for at least today she was content.


End.