A Green State of Affairs

[Lethal Nizzle]

 

 

CHAPTER I : SCORN

 

 

The subway train darted through the tunnel, its metallic white body appearing as a blur as it showed no signs of stopping. It seemed that the driver was on a tight schedule, and needed to get somewhere fast. The driver glanced upwards at the small portable television which hung from the ceiling. The screen flicked in between different feeds of the train, and at the moment the TV showed the carriage nearest to the driver's cabin. It was nearly empty, which wasn't rare on the subway. The driver saw only three people in the carriage; two men and one woman.

 

The woman was old and frail-looking, and was glued to the middle pages of a newspaper. The man nearest to the cabin was young, probably a student at the local school, judging by the uniform. And finally, the driver's gaze met the final person in the carriage. The man looked older than the student, but by at least four or five years. He looked in his twenties, with short brown hair and a prominent face. He looked like any other citizen would, with a baggy white t-shirt and stonewashed jeans.

 

But this man was Matthias King.

 

The driver looked away from the TV as a light activated on his dashboard. He grunted as he began to slow the train down as it approached the largest subway station in the state; Heart City Central.

 

The student sensed that they were approaching the station and stood up, using a hand to grab onto the pole next to him. On the black marquee above the cabin door, gold letters flew past stating that they were nearing Heart City Central. From the back of the carriage, Matthias stood, both hands firmly dug in jean pockets. In a few seconds the train began to grind to a halt, and a large green and white tiled room came into view.

 

The station had seen much better days; some tiles had been ripped off or cracked, and rubbish littered the platform. A small group of teenagers were backing into the toilets, and a flash of white from one of the boy's hands told Matthias that they were off to snort coke. It seemed the norm in today's society. When the train finally stopped, the doors hissed open and Matthias walked out. He was expecting waves upon waves of commuters to jump onto the train, but out of the people standing on the platform, only three stepped into the train.

 

When Matthias had finally taken in the sights, or lack thereof, in the underground station, he made his way to the steps. As he did, he flipped out a tatty mobile phone. Accessing the menu, Matthias pressed the icon named "Contacts". He scrolled down the small list until he found who he was looking for. Pressing the call button, Matthias raised the phone to his ear, hearing the dial tone.

 

"Yeah? Who is it?" A gruff voice came from the other end of the line.

 

"Danny it's me. I just arrived."

 

"Ah Matt bruv! What's up?" The tone of voice jumped up considerably into a near high pitch squeal.

 

"Um, not really much mate. Just stepped off the train. An-"

 

Matt was cut off by a rather excited Danny. "You're at Heart City Central yeah?"

 

"Yeah." Matt began to skip up the steps, glancing up briefly to see if anyone stood in his way.

 

"A'ight. I'll be there in a bit. Hang tight bruv. Oh, and welcome Green State, mate."

 

And with that, Daniel King hung up. Matt was standing at the top of the stairwell and before him sat a rather empty taxi bay. He buried the phone back into his trouser pocket and began to look around. Matt's official time in Heart City had begun.

 

____

After at least ten minutes, a crimson red Esperanto pulled up in front of Matt. He knew instantly from the pictures his brother had sent him that this was Danny's ride. Whatever he's been up to, he's done well, Matt thought, as he slowly walked toward the passenger side of the car. As he did, the window lowered. It was obvious Danny and Matt were twins; both had the same facial structure, and hair colour. They were both roughly the same height too, but what differentiated the two was Danny's clothing style.

 

Danny was wearing overly large aviator style glasses with a blue tint. His baseball cap was tilted to the side and from what Matt could see, he was wearing a basketball vest and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. From Matt's point of view, he looked like an idiot, and the epitome of a wannabe gangster.

 

"Matto, my bro! Hop in then!"

 

Matt frowned, but still followed Danny and got into the car. When he did, he felt a skinny arm wrap around his neck.

 

"It's great that you're here Matt. How was the trip down?" Danny leaned in closer and brought his glasses down so Matt could see his eyes. "No trouble?"

 

"Nah, it was alright." Matt thought back to the train, and how empty it was.

 

"How's Mum?"

 

"Um, she's good. Nic's looking after her."

 

"Ah right. How's Nic?" Danny replied, referring to their younger sister. Danny slowly guided his Esperanto out of the taxi bay and turned into the street. "The last time I heard from her she was doin' some art crap."

 

"Yeah, she passed that exam."

 

"B*llocks! She's sh*t at art!"

 

Matt frowned again at his brother. It seemed like his memory had been erased. "Nicole's sick at art. Remember she drew that drawing for Mum?"

 

"The one with the vase?" Danny shook his head, before imitating a female voice. "Ooh Nicole, that's so chic. Ooh, that's so abstract."

 

Matt laughed. If it was one thing Danny was good at, it was making people laugh. Everyone knew him as a very naive person, yet he thought of himself as a comedy genius. Matt looked away from his brother and looked outside from his window. Endless blocks of flats lined both sides of the street, and each seemed to have the same amount of graffiti on their walls. The murmur of the radio was suddenly turned up full blast as Matt realised the sheer power of the huge speakers in the back seats.

 

"I blooooody love this song Matty boy!" Danny yelled over the noise, as a wave of hard drums and synths blasted through the speakers. "As our sun goes down! C'mon Matt, you know this song! I hear your voice is calling me!"

 

"Danny, I seriously don't." Matt shook his head and turned his attention to the world outside of the sudden rave inside the car. The apartment blocks seemed to thin out into the distance. Matt could see traffic lights ahead and waited for Danny to stop.

 

But he didn't.

 

Instead, he ploughed through the crossroads, and made a sharp right, throwing Matt's head dangerously out of the open window. Matt leaned back into Danny as they began to drive in a straight line once more. Matt looked over at Danny, who was acting as if nothing had happened, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other pounding into the air.

 

"You stupid c*nt! You could've sent me through the bloody windshield!" Matt held his hands up in protest, but Danny carried on pounding his fist in the air. With a swift smack around the back of Danny's head, the older brother's attention changed unwillingly to Matt.

 

"What the hell was that for!?"

 

"You coulda killed us then!"

 

"Matt, my boy," Danny began, turning his attention back to the road, flicking off the radio as he did. "This is how it is in Green State mate; no holds barred. Like I said on the phone, this place is a bloody mess, the scorn of the world. Back home, the only gang was the police, and maybe those kids that hung around at the skate park. But here, gangs rule every single inch of this place."

 

"What's that got to do with your crap driving?"

 

Danny seemed to wave off Matt's reply as he said something which related in no way to what he had just told Matt. "Welcome to hell mate, just bloody make yourself at home."

 

Matt turned away from his brother again, and looked into his lap, arms crossed. He already had a bad feeling about his brother, and Green State.

 

____

The masked men moved quickly down the alleyway, their shallow footsteps bouncing off the walls. Each carried a Glock handgun, a well known fire-arm in the international gun ring. As the alley slowly transcended into the sunlit pavement, their clothing became visible. Each had a black tight t-shirt, with dark jeans and trainers. And of course, balaclavas. Then, when they finally hit the pavement, the guns were drawn.

 

It was a swift manouvre, one that would've been seen in any military tactics textbook. The lead men had ran around the front of the apartment block and barged in through the front door, while the other two remained outside, keeping the pedestrians at bay.

 

The two men inside the building were progressing down the hall at speed. Civilians who had come out of their apartments at the wrong time were told to stay down on the ground. When they began to move up the stairs, the gunmen had left a trail of trembling bodies along the hallway. While one began to bark more orders at other civilians, who were startled by the yells from downstairs, and by the gun being pointed at them, the leader of the group made his along the corridor.

 

As he pressed his back against the wall, he began to count the apartment numbers as he moved down. After a few seconds at glancing at the gold numbers on doors, he reached the last door.

 

"Apartment nine, this is it." The gunman thought aloud in a thick Scottish accent. Stepping away from the wall, the gunman prepared to kick down the door. Bringing his leg down with force, the door opened abruptly, leaving the Scotsman with a wry smile on his face. "Idiot forgot to lock up."

 

Lifting his Glock once more, the man swiftly ran into the living area. Aiming his gun at various spots around the room, the gunman began a sweep, checking inside the other rooms to see if his target was inside. When he emerged from the bathroom, he had come to the conclusion that the target wasn't here.

 

Moving to one of the open windows, the Scot leaned out to inspect on the rest of his team, who were calming the gathering amount of people down. "Lads, King's not here." The leader paused for a minute, shooting them all another sly smile. "Trash the place."

 

____

".. and that should do us for the week Matty boy!"

 

"I hope so. Pretty skanky prices in there though."

 

"I know mate. But it's only a stone throw away from my apartment."

 

The King brothers emerged from the store with both hands full with shopping bags. Matt hadn't experienced the tedious experience of shopping with his brother. They had spent minutes in one aisle, with Danny pondering over what brand to buy, and which was better tasting. As Matt took another peek inside the bags, Danny eyed the scene before him, and only one word escaped his lips.

 

"F*ck!"

 

"Wha'?"

 

Before Matt could look up, Danny was sprinting along the empty street, leaving his plastic bags on pavement. When Matt did look up, he saw something that looked like it was straight from some TV show. There was an ambulance parked outside an apartment block, and a frail-looking woman being loaded into the back. Around the ambulance were several other people getting comforted by others.

 

"Danny wait up!"

 

Matt bent down to pick up Danny's bags and set off in his brother's wake. By the time he reached the opposite pavement, Danny was inside. As he passed the crowd of people sitting down, he heard a few stifled sobs of "guns" and "balaclavad men". Frowning, Matt set off for the stairs, where his brother's legs blurred out of sight.

 

"Oi, Dan!" Matt yelled, but his brother didn't stop. When Matt reached the landing, he glimpsed his brother standing in the doorway of the far left apartment. He slowed down when he saw the expression on his brother's face, which was a mixture of shock and anger. Stepping next to Danny, Matt inspected the room inside.

 

To put it bluntly, someone had trashed the place. Two leather sofas were overturned, with slash marks embedded in their brown bodies. The coffee table between the two was also upside down, with magazines and cups smashed or lying askew around it. A mirror lay broken behind the sofas, and out of the corner of his eye, Matt spied a wrecked kitchen.

 

"F*ckin' Delaney!"

Yeah, so here's the first chapter of my GTA fan fiction. Beforehand, I asked for permission from Tony to use Green State as the backdrop, just clearing that up. Expect the second chapter soon. Edited June 22, 2008 by Lethal Nizzle

[Struff Bunstridge]

Excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed it mate. Probably the first GTAF fan fiction installment I've read to the end; I tend to get bored with them (fan fiction for anything not really being my cup of tea), but yours certainly has something different. I've not had time to read through TonyZimmzy's Heart City stories yet, so maybe it's the new location and setting that's keeping me interested (as well as the great writing, of course).

[TonyZimmzy]

Finally read it. It seems good so far. I like the relationship Matt and Danny have.

[Danny Phoenix]

Very nice. The writing is very good, and I love his brother's name.

[Lethal Nizzle]

Very nice. The writing is very good, and I love his brother's name.

Wonder why?

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

[Lethal Nizzle]

 

CHAPTER II: DEE DEE

 

"Who the hell's Delaney?" It had been a few minutes of silence between the two before Matt had spoke. He had watched as his brother frantically examined his trashed apartment with a mixed expression of shock and anger.

 

"A guy I owe money to.." Danny said half-heartedly, sitting himself down on the only standing chair. He sunk into it, letting the leather eat him up. By the looks of things, he wasn't thinking of leaving his position soon.

 

"Hang on, how much money are we talking?"

 

"Enough.. a few grand?"

 

"What the hell Dan. I come here, expecting to roam the place freely, and I find out you're in debt!"

 

"I'm not in f*ckin' debt Matt!" Danny retorted, springing up from his seat. His glasses flew off as he did so, revealing eyes that were slowly filling up with tears.

 

"Oh really?" Matt yelled back, not noticing that his brother was close to tears. "Owing someone sh*tloads of money? I call that debt mate!"

 

Without warning, Danny snapped. Bringing out a knife from his shorts, the bewildered brother aimed it at his sibling. Matt wasn't expecting this, and froze instantly. He had discovered, while at knife point, how unstable his brother was. He now regretted talking to Danny like he had.

 

"Danny! Chill the f*ck out!"

 

In a moment of realisation, Danny looked over the person who he was holding at knife point; his own brother. Slowly, he dropped the knife and fell back into the chair, his knife hand shaking as he did.

 

"Jesus f*ckin' Christ Dan! Get a grip!" Matt yelled once more, his words drilling right into Danny's skull. The older brother was propping his head on one hand as he thought over what he had just did. "Listen man."

 

Matt bent down so they were eye level. The expression of anger that Danny wore seconds before was slowly fading, making way to a malicious smile which spread from one side of his face to the other. "We can hit these pr*cks back Matt!"

 

"Wait, what?" Matt was surprised at how fast Danny had recovered. One minute he was close to tears, and now he was grinning from ear to ear. Matt began to play along. "What are you thinking of doing?"

 

Danny reached into his pocket and retrieved a mobile phone. Hitting a few buttons, he put the phone to his ear as the dialling tone began to ring. After a few seconds, a muffled voice from where Matt was sitting spoke.

 

"Hello? Who 'dis?"

 

"Dee-Dee, it's Dan. We need to have a little chat mate."

 

____

 

Two black Faggios droned down the motorway. They weaved through the traffic effortlessly, leaving only a trail of smoke behind them. On each scooter sat two men, all wearing the same clothing; the same men who had trashed Danny King's place about an hour before. All four of them were related, and were known as the McEllis Brothers. The eldest and leader of the criminal family was Gerry, who was driving the lead scooter with the youngest sibling Alec on the back.

 

Suddenly Alec's pocket began vibrating. Reaching into his pocket, Alec brought out a phone. Through his helmet visor, he could make out the word "Boss" on the screen. Tapping his brother's shoulder, Alec began making the gesture to pull over. Gerry began to slow the scooter down, crossing two lanes in the process as he made it to the hard shoulder, narrowly missing several cars.

 

Alec had signalled for the last two brothers to follow, who slowly pulled up next to them on the hard shoulder.

 

"-Yeah, he wasn't there, so we decided to trash the place."

 

"Oh I do know that Gerry. It's bin' on the bloody news! Some ol' bat died of a heart attack thanks to you idiots!" Delaney screamed down the headset, making Gerry hold his phone slightly away from his ear.

 

"Boss I-"

 

"Shut up Gerry, and listen." The gruff voice lowered. "Get back to the warehouse and please try not to get yer ugly mugs on the telly again, got it?"

 

"Yes b-" But the line cut off. Delaney putting the phone down abruptly wasn't rare when he was talking to the McEllis'.

 

____

 

"So this Dee-Dee.. what does he do?"

 

The two King brothers were walking down the street outside of Danny's apartment. Danny had briefly told Matt about Dee-Dee, mentioning that he was Jamaican and had contacts. But Matt needed to know what was going down.

 

"Jack. He just sits around smokin' green, like any other Jamaican would do."

 

"Right, so why are we going to meet him?" Matt asked again. Danny turned to his brother with a frown on his face.

 

"To get some heat! What else?"

 

Matt knew too well what heat meant, and it definitely didn't mean a trip down to the sauna.

 

"Guns? You're bloody insane."

 

"No I'm not bloody insane." Danny retorted, turning onto another street, with Matt trying to keep up with his brother's pace. "Like I said we need to hit these Scottish bagpipe-playing ginger b*stards where it hurts!"

 

"Listen Dan." Matt grabbed hold of his brother's shoulder, spinning him round to face him. "I came here expecting a place where I could relax, get away from Newton Grove. Your hands are dirty already and you only want to make them dirtier."

 

"P*ss off Matt. You and your sayings." Danny laughed. Looking up, he spotted an Esperanto similar to his parked in an alley, but only the paint job was different. Stepping out of his Jamaican-coloured car, Dee-Dee swaggered over to the two, puffing on a joint as he did.

 

"Wha-gwan Danny?" Dee-Dee said in between puffs of smoke, his voice a mixture of broken Jamaican and Cockney,.

 

"'Sappnin' Dee. This is Matt, my brother, the one I told you about." Danny stepped away to let Dee look over Matt. Taking another drag of his joint, Dee held out his fist in a "respect" greeting. Matt gingerly stepped forward and hit his fist.

 

"Matt, heard a lot about you and ting. Yo' brother said you good with pieces?"

 

Matt looked at Danny. Dee was probably referring to Matt's brief stint in the army, where he was kicked out for unnecessary conduct. Danny had sworn to keep it a secret, and Matt was raging inside. But instead of exploding, Matt looked back at Dee, smiling.

 

"Yeah I'm alright. Whatcha got?"

 

Dee gestured for them to follow, leading them over to his car. Opening the passenger door, Dee let the two brothers look into the car. Across the seat sat a decent array of weapons, everything ranging to a combat knife to an AK-47, a weapon that Matt had seen way to often. Dee picked up a small piece, a Glock, and handed it to Matt.

 

"Fully loaded. The safety's off mind, so watch out." Matt began to weigh the weapon in his hands. It was heavy since Matt hadn't handled a gun for quite a long time, but he could handle it. A Mini-Uzi was passed to Danny, who began aiming it at the shops beside them.

 

"Yo Danny. How 'bout this. I give you these weapons on de house, but you gotta let me come wit you onna this raid?"

 

"Sounds like a plan Dee. Sounds like a f*ckin' plan."

A shorter chapter this time, but I hope you enjoy!

[Danny Phoenix]

Very, very good, Lethal. I'm backing this all the way, and I've added you to my respect list. Very good job, darling.

[Lethal Nizzle]

Very, very good, Lethal. I'm backing this all the way, and I've added you to my respect list. Very good job, darling.

Thanks man!

[Rhoda]

I'm glad I finally read this, it's looking great. Your grammar is fantastic, especially when writing more informal colloquialisms, which is hard to do as it is. It's also refreshing to see a story that you're thrown straight into. Already there's a lot of plot windows. I'll be following this.

[Lethal Nizzle]

 

 

CHAPTER III: PAST

 

The AH1 helicopter cut through the sickly desert air like a knife through butter, it's dark green body standing out against the pale blue canvas that was the sky. Private Matthias King was sitting closest to the open hold, the barren atmosphere similar to the one inside the chopper. Matt looked around him, spotting some of his friends in the squad, all with stone cold expressions adourning their faces.

 

They had been ordered to rendevous with a struggling squad pinned down under enemy fire. The situation was textbook; men had to come in, aid the stranded, evacuate any wounded and carry on the job. Matt hadn't experienced this scenario before since this was his first time in the field; in the heat of battle. Matt itched at the only patch of hair that wasn't hidden underneath his MK-6 helmet.

 

"First Platoon! Ready up!"

 

Everyone in the hold stood up, grabbing hold of the bars at hanging from above. With one hand firmly gripping the bar, and the other cradling his SA80 assault rifle, Matt was slowly preparing himself for what he had been waiting for, what he had signed up for. Action.

 

The chopper descended, and the odd gunshot graced everyone's hearing. Matt licked at his dry lips as the chopper slowly guided itself inbetween a small hill range, which by the looks of things was serving as the pinned squad's fallback point. Two soldiers were standing beside a downed man, who was lying under a tan blanket with his head bandaged. As soon as the chopper touched down, Matt and his squad proceeded down the ramp.

 

_____

 

Matt awoke from his peaceful flash slumber when a lighter was ignited under his chin. His flurrying hands was met by a round of laughter, and Dee stepped back. When his eyes re-adjusted, Matt looked around the room he was in. There were four men sitting down on sofas similar to the ones at Danny's apartment, and Danny was amusing himself with an arcade game. Everyone around Matt was smoking dope, which made a toxic smog hang over them.

 

Matt remembered getting into Dee's car, and Dee driving him and Danny to his place. He had said that they could lay low at his "'til the 'eat dies down, ya know?" A loud curse from the arcade machine forced Matt to sit up, rubbing his eyes as he did.

 

"F*ckin' piece of sh*t!" Danny yelled, sending a barrage of kicks into the machine.

 

"Never got the gist of losin' did you Danny?" Matt spluttered through the smoke before stifling a yawn.

 

Danny didn't speak and resumed his seat next to Matt, accepting a joint from one of the other men.

 

"A'ight Danny, 'ow we gonna pull this stunt off?" Dee asked, sitting down on the other side of Matt. Suddenly the tone of the room changed. The men, presumably Dee's gang, leaned in towards the conversation.

 

"Well, we ain't gonna go for Delaney, since that's grade A suicide. The c*nts that ransacked my place were the McEllis brothers, a group of Scottish thugs that work for Delaney."

 

"How many of 'em be there?" One of Dee's gang spoke up in a heavy Jamaican accent.

 

"Last time I checked there was four, unless their slut of a mum did some more dirty with owner of the laundromat."

 

A chorus of laughs echoed around the room.

 

"How old is she like, sixty?"

 

"About that I guess." Danny laughed, but quickly got back to business. "They're regulars at this pub near Heart City Central, The Thistle Arms or sommat like that."

 

"Fitting." Matt replied, coughing again as he breathed in more toxic fumes. He could slowly feel himself getting high.

 

"Yeah anyway. Recently the only brother heading down this pub is Alec, the youngest. About your age Matt." Danny paused to take a brief drag, before continuing. "I say we f*ckin' clobber the guy, send a message to those ginger tw*ts."

 

A round of nods and approvals came from everyone around Danny. He smiled, finishing off his joint in one drag. "But right now lads, I think it's time we get fookin' high!"

 

_____

 

If someone had drove down the motorway and saw the large, battered warehouse spearheading the industrial district, they wouldn't have spared a second glance. The building was old, and slowly nearing its inevitable end. This made a great place for a certain gang of thugs to meet. Parked outside the huge sliding doors were two black Faggios, with four helmets painted in the Scottish flag hanging from their handlebars.

 

Inside the frail structure sat five men around a polished mahogany table. The interior of the warehouse was a world apart from the exterior; it was plush, with crimson red furnishings and a huge Scottish flag hangin from the ceilin. Four of them looked roughly the same; the McEllis brothers, brutal Scottish thugs who like nothing better than terrorizing the Green State citizens. Opposite them sat a short man, who was flanked by two suited men.

 

"Fellas, we've just found out that King's brother has rolled into town." The short man began. "A lil' birdie told me that this guy is an ex-Para, and a very good one at that. I'm puttin' all my chips down that King will use his brother as an advantage against us."

 

"Plausible." Gerry began, his voice adapting a more mature tone. "But Danny King also has another ace up his sleeves; he has Dee and his cronies on his side."

 

Delaney didn't react to Dee's name, but simply took a lighter and cigar from his jacket began to spark up. Maybe if Dee was mentioned a few weeks prior, Delaney would've flipped. There had always been a heated rivalry between Dee and Marcus Delaney, it was if it had been written in stone. Each headed rival gangs, had their own turfs and a selected array of arsenal at their disposal.

 

Delaney puffed away as he reminisced on the way things were. The brothers had seen their boss do this several times. So much had happened in the last few decades because of Delaney, and topics such as Dee and his gang brought the memories flooding back. But then, Delaney suddenly snapped back to reality. His eyes widened and he had to take out the cigarette since his mouth turned into a mischievious grin.

 

"I nearly forgot lads." Delaney said, sticking the cigarette back in his mouth. With one hand, he gestured towards the back of the room with his thumb. One of the suited men left his side to go to one of the back rooms. After a brief few seconds, the suit emerged from the room with a large, stocky black man.

 

"As I said boys, King's brother has a military past." Delaney stubbed out the half smoke cigarette, a move he would later regret. "This man knows plenty about Private Matthias King.." Delaney turned to the tall man. "Don't you Lance Corporal.."

 

_____

 

"..Cole!"

 

It had been several minutes since Matt had touched down in the AH1. Since then, he had entered the battlefield and had come under immediate fire. In between his squad and the enemy lay a large field with a decent amount of shrubbery around the edges. Somewhere behind those trees was a machine-gun emplacement and it was the platoon's job to take it out.

 

Lance Corporal Nicholas Cole snapped his head one hundred and eight degrees clockwise, with his body following suite. Standing before him was Leftenant Warran, and next to him in crouched positions were two soldiers, one being Matt. Cole gave a sharp salute.

 

"Do you have a sitrep for me Corporal?" Warran boomed over the gunfire. He quickly returned a salute and dropped his arm.

 

"No sir, just touched down a few minutes ago." Cole began, wiping beads off sweat off his face. "From what I've heard, we have two fire teams pinned down on the other side of that treeline."

 

Cole pointed to the clump of trees nearest to him. Warran frowned after he had looked. "Well, can't you get down to them?"

 

"No sir. In the compound across the field behind the treeline there is an enemy sniper located in a a small shack off ground level. We've tried to get some UAVs to scan the area but we haven't maintained radio contact with Abraham." Cole replied, Abraham being the name of a small Army base not far from their current position.

 

"Any casualties thus far Corporal?"

 

"Yessir. One airlifted not long ago. Ricochet to the crown sir, nothing major though."

 

"Good to hear Cole." The Leftenant said before barging past Cole to get to a few more soldiers down the hill, slowly descending to get to the treeline. "King, Travis; on me."

 

Matt and Lucas Travis stood up and promptly followed Warran. As they neared the base of the hill a sharp crack to Matt's right caused him to yell out. Warran turned round to see Matt and Lucas running down the hill.

 

"A lesson lads. Don't stay still in a situation like this. Oh and Private King?"

 

"Sir?" Matt asked, hand placed over his chest like he had been shot. The sudden shock of the sniper fire had made him slightly bewildered.

 

"That's the fastest I've seen you run since basic."

[Rhoda]

A deeper yet shorter chapter this time, and I like it a lot. You've developed your characters with depth already, and you're barely 3 chapters in! Good stuff. If I had to give a criticism, it's one based on personal writing preference and not actual writing itself. The smaller paragraphs are disorientating for me, I'm more used to a paragraph determining an event at a time, but that's just me, and it's a style of writing rather than the content so try to disregard it. Like I said, great work!

[Danni]

Very good, Lethal. Very detailed and skilled writing, and I think each chapter gets better and better.

[Lethal Nizzle]

Masterkraft: Thanks man! I'll try and get a few fleshed out paragraphs in the next chapter for you.

 

Danni: Thanks again for the link in the sig. And thanks for the opinion.

 

School's nearly finished guys, so I'll be writing more. At the moment I'm a little engrossed with end of year exams so when I can write I will.

[Lochie_old]

Probably the best fan-fic I've read in awhile, and considering the fact its based on someone elses fan-fic makes it even better.

[Lethal Nizzle]

An unexpected chapter this. I was lying in bed and thought of a great idea for the plan to take down Alec. Here it is, and you might see two familiar faces.

I'm warning you though, this chapter has graphic violence.

 

CHAPTER IV: SHOOTOUT

 

The black, yellow and green Esperanto pulled up in front of the Thistle Arms. Inside, Matt stared down the pub in front of him. The pub itself was a one storey building, with an outside area with plastic chairs and tables, and Scottish memorabillia covering nearly every inch of the exterior and of what interior could be seen. Matt traced the outline of his Glock handgun in his pocket, he had been told to use it only if the target tried to escape. Next to Matt sat Danny and Ray, one of Dee's men. Danny tapped the gang member sitting up front's shoulder and the radio suddenly cut off.

 

"Alright guys this is how it's going down," Danny began. "Me and Matt will go in there and have a lil' chat with Alec. If it gets out of hand, Alec will presumably scarper into the side alley-"

 

"Why?" Ray spoke up. Danny shot a glance at him but continued.

 

"'cos I saw his Faggio parked there. When this happens, I want you Dee to block the pavement off with the car. Box him in, y'know?"

 

"I gotcha." Dee murmured, smoke trickling from the corner of his mouth.

 

Danny turned to Matt who nodded. Matt opened his passenger door and Danny opened his, leaving Ray on his own in the middle. Danny began to feel the gun he had in his jacket pocket too. He was itching to use it, and he was hoping to steal the kill from Matt if it got out of hand. Bagpipes blared out of the sound system as Matt and Danny stepped in. Just like in films, half of the pub turned to stare down the newcomers.

 

After a few seconds, everyone went back to their business. Matt felt a tap on his shoulder and a hand point out a young man sitting at the bar, presumably Alec. Going along with the plan, the two brothers went up to the bar, acting as casual as possible. Matt sat up on a barstool and got ready to order.

 

"Lager please." Matt whispered to his brother, who nodded and took out a crumpled up five pound note and slammed it on the bar.

 

"One lager and one cider please 'tender!"

 

"Comin' right up sonny!" The Scottish bartender boomed over the racket that was the bustle of the pub mixed with the music.

 

As the barman began filling up the glasses with liquid, Matt began to pick up a conversation from two men next to him. One of them had cropped brown hair, and was wearing a purple t-shirt and baggy dark green cargo pants. His friend was wearing a white baseball cap, a white shirt and baggy jeans. Matt had began eavesdropping to hopefully find some more information about Delaney or the McEllis', but the conversation was the complete opposite.

 

"Nice place this is mind, P." The baseball capped man said, downing a shot of vodka. "We should go here more often. Bangin' prices, bangin' tunes."

 

"P*ss off Maccer. Ever since we began comin' 'ere all I've heard in my sleep are f*ckin' bagpipes." The man called P retorted, shaking his head. "Anyway, back down to business."

 

"Alright."

 

"I got a fresh new act signed for the label. Nice band as well, hails from Australia."

 

"Sounds okay. What're they called?"

 

"Oh I don't know. Some soppy crap. They got a nice singer mind, huge bajungas if you know what I mean Maccer me boy!"

 

"Y'know we're meant to sign bands for their talent not their tits, our P." Maccer laughed.

 

"Oi Matt."

 

Matt's head snapped round to Danny, who was holding out a pint of lager. Matt took it and began sipping at it, knowing that the drinks were a waste of money and time. Matt followed the plan and shot a cursory glance over to Alec, who was on the phone. Suddenly the conversation with whoever was on the receiving end heated up and Alec's voice rose. Matt looked back at Danny, who nodded and stood up.

 

Both slowly made their way around the bar towards Alec, who was finishing off his conversation.

 

"Fine, I'll be back in a bit.. I don't give two flyin' sh*ts if his name's Cole! A'ight, later."

 

"Alec McEllis?" Danny said as Alec cancelled the call.

 

"What the f*ck do you- hang on. You're-!"

 

"Matt smack 'im!"

 

Matt took out his handgun and smacked the butt of it into Alec's temple. Alec slammed into the bar but recovered swiftly, sending a punch towards Matt who wasn't quick enough to dodge. Matt felt a wave of pain and warmth in his face. He looked down at his hand to see droplets of blood falling onto it. Before he could look back up a beefy fist slammed into his own temple. A large man who had been watching the fight had jumped in. Danny managed to draw his gun but another hand grabbed at his wrist. The barman pulled the hand holding the gun towards him but wasn't expecting Danny to pull the trigger.

 

The bullet lodged square into his head. This gunshot caused the pub to go silent for a moment. Then it all kicked off. Men clashed with fellow drinkers in an all out brawl, just like in the Western films. No-one seemed to notice the bartender slump behind the bar, leaving the line of bottles of vodka behind him awash with blood. Matt managed to hear the two men from earlier panic.

 

"Fookin' hell P! It's all kicked off!" Maccer yelled as a fat man barged into him causing him to sprawl over the bar.

 

"Ah sh*t. I left my piece at home. C'mon lets get outta here!" Kent grabbed a hold of Maccer's shirt and dragged him through the crowd. Matt switched back to the mission and managed to see Danny and Alec scramble for the door.

 

____

 

Dee was sitting back, finishing off his spliff when the pub became a riot. He was rudely awakened by Ray, who shook him thoroughly, knowing that when Dee slept, he hardly ever woke up. This time however Dee jumped and hit the horn with his head. Rubbing his forehead he turned round to Ray.

 

"Whadda f*ck is ya problem?"

 

"It Matt and Danny! Alec's escapin'!"

 

"Sh*t."

 

Dee saw two men run to a parked Greenwood with their faces battered and bruised. Dee looked down at the car and shifted the car into reverse, driving up onto the pavement and parked awkwardly at the mouth of the alley. Dee then switched the radio station to a reggar-themed one and sat back.

 

"Now we wait bredren. Now we wait."

 

____

 

Danny was thrown out into the damp alley, slamming into the gravel head first. Alec lunged for him again, but Matt aimed a kick into his abdomen. Alec didn't slump though and threw another punch, which slammed into Matt's nose. Matt cursed and held his nose as the familiar noise of an engine starting up graced his ears. He looked up through blurry eyes and saw the black Faggio revving up. Matt heard a cry from Danny and the sound of metal slamming into stone. Danny had been thrown into a large rubbish compactor and was now lying next to it.

 

Alec dusted off his hands and jumped onto his scooter, fitting on his helmet. The scooter wheels than peeled off the wet tarmac and headed for the road. Alec was too busy looking back to notice an Esperanto painted in the Jamaican colours pull up in front of him. But instead of slamming into it like planned to, something else happened.

 

The last thing Alec McEllis saw was a glint of silver against the light of the Esperanto. Cheese wire? One thing managed to escape him, a scream, as he hurdled towards the fixed wire. In an instant, thanks to the speed he was going at, Alec's head was cleanly severed from the rest of his body. Dee and the rest of the men inside the car watched in horror as a headless body on a scooter slammed into the side of the car.

 

Dee stepped out, hands on head. What had happened, why was Alec McEllis lying without a head before him. A trail of crimson trickled down from the head, which was lying among piles of rubbish.

 

"Matt, Danny, ya might wanna see th-"

 

A silenced bullet cut through the air before Dee and slammed into the passenger window next to him. Ray's head dissolved into a mess of brain matter and blood in an instant. All of the rear window was now painted red.

 

Dee didn't say anything but let out a small cry and leapt over the bonnet, hearing the sound of another bullet hitting the car's frame. The other gang member fell out of the other passenger door covered in blood and bits of brain. His face was getting paler and paler by the second.

 

"Ez you hit?" Dee yelled. Ezekiel didn't reply, but simply shook his head. He was in a state of shock as he looked over his once bright yellow clothing, which was now covered mostly in blood. Then another shot was fired and Ezekiel instantly slumped against the side of the car, blood spurting from his head.

 

"Sh*t! Ezekiel!" Dee moaned, feeling the vomit building up in the back of his throat. "This was not meant to happen!" Dee finally said before the vomit took over.

 

____

 

On the other side of the alley Matt was standing. His vision was still blurred, but he could still see the slumped figure of Alec and the Esperanto. Another bullet caused Matt to hit the deck. He was instantly reminded of his time in Afghanistan and began shaking his head. Movement from Danny stopped Matt in his tracks.

 

"Danny! You alright?"

 

"Yeah.. yeah.. did we get him?"

 

"Yeah we did, but we're getting shot at. From up there!" Matt pointed up to the roof they were standing under. Confirming this, an empty bullet casing fell next to Danny.

 

Matt grabbed hold of Danny's shoulder and stood him up. Matt began to count down from three to one. On one, he made a break for it. He didn't move fast with the dead weight that was Danny. As was expected, shots began landing next to Matt's feet only making him speed up. Soon he was standing in front of the car looking at the horrific scene that was before him. Two headless bodies and a bloodied up car. Another shot landed through the window next to him. Suddenly someone spoke up.

 

"Sh*t Ezekiel! This was not meant to happen!" Matt recognised the sound of Dee's voice and began to lift Danny over the bonnet. The gunman was reloading when Matt looked back. When Danny rolled over the bonnet he jumped over himself, landing beside Dee, who was now retching.

 

"Dee, what the f*ck happened?"

 

"I dunno. One minute that Alec boy had a 'ead, and so did poor poor Ray." Dee sounded like a man about to crack. "Someone else was afta Alec, an' us!"

 

"F*ck. Right, get Danny away from here and into a car. Get the engine running and wait for me."

 

Dee nodded and, remaining crouched, dragged Danny away from the shootout and towards a parked white Sentinel. Matt looked back up to the roof, and saw an unmistakable silhouette of a man. The man seemed to nod his head and disappear, sniper rifle in hand. Confused, Matt began to run towards the revving Sentinel and was relieved to see the pub disappear from sight.

Edited June 22, 2008 by Lethal Nizzle

[Danni]

Awesome. Just flat-out awesome. Love the cameos too.

[Lethal Nizzle]

~PhusioN~: Thanks buddy.

 

Danni: Cheers mate. I'm thinking Kent and Maccer might play a bigger role later on in the story. We'll see.

[Lethal Nizzle]

Sorry for the double post guys, but I've made two graphics for the story. The first has been added to the first post:

 

 

 

And a boxart I quickly threw together.

 

 

 

Top left to right: Matthias King, Maccer

Middle left to right: Danny King, ( yet to be decided )

Bottom left to right: A orange Banshee complete with black racing stripe, Dee-Dee

[Danni]

Very nice, hombre!

[Lethal Nizzle]

Thanks man. I'mma start writing on the weekend. Time to celebrate having my Xbox back!

[Vercetti21]

I'm not really in to fanfics (mostly because the majority of them are scripts), but this looks pretty cool. Seeing that game box makes me feel like I should really get around to reading it.

[Lethal Nizzle]

Thanks V!