Grand Theft Auto VI Story Concept (Chapter One Addendum Out Now!)

[Agent Edward]

9 hours ago, One of Wisemen said:

I think you can omit and replace the scene. It's a different story if you decide to add an Honor meter like in RDR2 where Jason/Lucia can either be a violent thieves or Robin Hoods. So said scene would only play if you have a high honor. In low honor, Jason would just shrug it off.

Honor system in a GTA game? Honestly, it sounds boring to me, being punished for doing regular GTA activities like stealing vehicles and doing cop chases, this wouldn't really work.

[Pashaforever]

Bro, release a new part I'm begging you

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Pashaforever said:

Bro, release a new part I'm begging you

The info drought has really catched us up 

[TheHoover69]

On 10/20/2024 at 3:15 AM, Pashaforever said:

Bro, release a new part I'm begging you

I'm currently working on an addendum to Chapters One and Two which is a basically a concept of some notable side missions from the leaks. I'm halfway through with it! Chapter 3 is halfway done as well but I wanna get this addendum out first and then I'll finish up on Chapter 3. I'm essentially pulling a @DuPz0r at the moment, just got a lotta life and work stuff that's been happening that's been keeping me occupied. 

[gta6fan712]

Still nothing. Hopefully something comes soon.

[TheHoover69]

 

Hello everyone! Glad to be back finally posting and updating this concept! I know it's been a long time but your patience has paid off. This update to the concept is meant to be a supplement to Chapter One, going over some of the side missions and various world events that occur during this point in the story. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think. I'm currently in the works with Chapter Two's addendum which will be posted here soon, and then hopefully I'll have Chapter Three finished sometime before May this year.

 

One new thing I'd like to note in this update you will notice that I have updated and changed the format somewhat. I'm going to try and minimize mentions of 'the player' and other 4th wall breaking terms, only using them when I feels it's necessary to do so. I'm also aiming to go for a more 'conventional' storytelling style by writing out how the events play out as they occur. I'm choosing to refrain from coming up with multiple/alternative approaches to missions as due to the open-ended (if still somewhat restrictive) nature of Rockstar's open world design, many players will often come up with their own strats to complete missions and I simply find myself burning out from trying to accommodate all of that. Instead, I'll be deferring to how I'd typically play through a mission when playing GTA when writing about missions as this makes the writing process for me a little easier.

 

DISCLAIMER: I did use an AI art program to come up with character designs for this concept. If you see any weird little imperfections with the character portraits, please know it was the AI as it still isn't perfect.

 

I just wanna say thanks to @One of Wisemen, @CrumMunchers, @Agent Edward, @Dom., @FannoF, @Ivan1997GTA, @HadACoolName, @Pashaforever, and many others for the kind words and support! Stay tuned for the Chapter Two Addendum that is coming soon and for Chapter Three.

CHAPTER ONE ADDENDUM

WORLD EVENTS AND SIDE MISSIONS

Due to the massive amount of world events and random encounters discovered from the September 2022 leaks, it'd be too monumental of a task to cover most, if not all, of these events. Instead, for each chapter, I'll only cover a certain number of events between each playable protagonist. I found myself struggling to pick which events to cover because most of them sound very intriguing, however, in the interest of not wanting to spoil them when the game comes out (assuming any of my concepts are even close to what we see in the final product), I'll only choose a small handful of events from the leaks and the rest will be original events I came up with purely for this concept. In this concept, for the world events, I wanted to give some context to explain how the protagonists end up in these random encounters, while also briefly delving into the possible psyche of Jason and Lucia to get a sense of who they are.

 

LUCIA

 

WORLD EVENTS

As seen through her eyes.

Spoiler

Wyman Initial Meet

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One. To discover it, the player will need to head over to the mini-golf venue in Port Gellhorn Beach. In the parking lot, the player can encounter Wyman towing a vehicle where, once within proximity, he’ll call out to the player. This event was first discovered in Americas_1 2021-12-14 19-52-44.

 

It’s a busy day for Lucia working as a rideshare driver in Port Gellhorn, quickly chauffeuring locals and tourists alike to and from their destinations all over town. It’s hot, humid, and the traffic is a nightmare by the beach as everyone wants to go out and soak up the sunshine. Luckily, Lucia’s last fare of the day is just about complete as she nears the customer’s intended drop-off, Whack-Off Mini Golf. The venue is a local hotspot popular with drunken locals and ditzy tourists as they scramble to pound their balls into all sorts of tight holes, with many kooky and silly obstacles standing in their way. 

 

After Lucia drops the fare off in the parking lot, she checks the app to see that she earned herself another great tip and 5-star review. She signs off on the app, ending her shift for the day and decides to treat herself to something sweet and cold to cool off on this muggy day. A small ice cream and milkshake joint, Reggie’s Ice Cream & Pies, is located across the road that Lucia decides to go try out. After parking her BF Club S (exterior/interior) and stepping out, Lucia makes her way through the parking lot to cross the road when she sees a man reversing and lining up his 1998 Bravado Wrecker 350 (exterior/interior) to tow a Bravado Gresley Hellfire (exterior/interior). He gets out of his truck to quickly make sure it’s aligned correctly before operating the towing mechanism to hook it to the Gresley Hellfire, but notices Lucia approaching from behind him. He turns around to greet her, before asking if the Gresley is her vehicle.

 

The player has the option to interact with Wyman by way of either pressing the Greet or Antagonize commands, recording him with her smartphone, or just simply ignoring him. During this event, Wyman is known to the player as just Tow Truck Driver as he has not been properly introduced to the player yet. 

• Greet: If the player chooses to greet Wyman, Lucia will answer honestly and tell him that it’s not her car. Wyman then asks her if she might’ve seen the owner of the vehicle around the area at all, to which she replies that she hasn’t. Lucia then questions him and asks why he’s out here towing the car. Wyman plainly states that it’s a repossession, claiming the owner hasn’t been keeping up with the monthly payments. Lucia, being quite perceptive, notices that the man’s truck has no company livery or branding on it and that the front license plate is covered with a tinted film to make it hard to read, especially for traffic cameras. Plus, it’s pretty well known that Bravado cars such as Buffalo STX, Gauntlet Hellfire, and Gresley Hellfire are common targets for car thieves. Knowing this, she suspects that the tow truck driver isn’t telling the truth but decides to keep it to herself. Wyman then makes a wisecrack about her ankle tag, sarcastically warning Lucia that he may come after her car if she doesn’t stay out of trouble. Lucia chimes back and tells him straight up that he can take her car if he wants to, describing it as junk, and then asks if he’d like to trade it for the Gresley Hellfire. He laughs, telling her that he’ll have to politely decline her offer before saying goodbye and towing the SUV away. Choosing this option slides the slider on the Cool/Chaotic meter slightly towards Cool. 

• Antagonize: If the player chooses to antagonize Wyman, Lucia makes a snide remark, accusing him of being just another scummy tow truck driver preying on and ripping off decent hardworking people. Wyman just grunts and spits at the ground while ignoring her, hooking up the Gresley Hellfire to the tow hook. Looking to antagonize him further, Lucia quickly glances at the man’s tow truck and notices the concealed license plate and the lack of company branding on it, to which she begins questioning his legitimacy and whether or not he has a contract with the city to operate. Wyman notices her ankle tag and begins laughing, calling her a “nosey parker bitch” while pointing out the irony of their situation. With the Gresley Hellfire now successfully hooked and lifted, Wyman gets back in his truck and drives away while giving Lucia the finger. Choosing this option moves the slider on the Cool/Chaotic meter towards Chaotic.

• Record: If the player decides to keep their distance so that Wyman doesn’t notice Lucia, the player can have her pull out her phone to record him towing the vehicle. Once recorded, the player can have Lucia upload it to her social media accounts where they can choose how to present the event. The player can have Lucia paint the event as either just a guy doing his job and carrying out a repo or describe it as something more predatory and criminal. Her friends and followers will comment and react accordingly. 

• Ignore: If the player decides to simply ignore the situation, Lucia will say nothing at all. Wyman will ask her again if the car belongs to her, but if the player chooses to continue ignoring him, he’ll just shrug his shoulders and carry on towing the vehicle away.

Whichever option the player chooses, the event is completed when Wyman gets back into his truck and tows the Gresley Hellfire away.

 

Trivia

• If the player is quick enough, they can get back into Lucia’s car and follow Wyman. Following Wyman around will see him actually arrive back at his shop where he will dump the car in the backlot area of his business. However, his shop remains inaccessible until Chapter Two.

• If the player completes this event before completing the Chapter One mission In On The Kill, Lucia will receive a unique phone call from Wyman. After completing In On The Kill, Wyman calls Lucia and tells her that he just now remembers running into her some time ago at the mini golf course by the beach. The conversation will be slightly different depending on whether Lucia greeted him or antagonized him.

• If this event is encountered after completing In On The Kill, Lucia will recognize Wyman and strike up a short conversation with him. The conversation sees Lucia asking Wyman how he really makes his money, to which he replies that he’s nothing more than a simple mechanic. He then asks her about the bag of money her and Jason had, but she then rhetorically asks “what money?” Wyman laughs and sarcastically quips that he must’ve been mistaken. Lucia will ask him if he’s looking for some extra help, adding that she’s always on the lookout for new opportunities. Wyman will tell her that they’ll be hearing from him soon once he has something before departing in his tow truck with the Gresley Hellfire hooked up.

 

Lucia’s Friends

Hang Out

This world event is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One. It is a scripted event that occurs when the player is prompted to return to the safehouse after completing the first mission. Its purpose is to serve as a tutorial for the revamped friend system and teaches the player how to engage in friend hangouts. This event was first discovered in Americas_1 2021-12-14 19-52-44.

 

Back at the house after an interesting first day working as a rideshare app driver, Lucia plops herself down on the couch in the living room. She turns on the television with the remote and flips through some channels, stopping on the CNT channel where a rerun of an episode from the ninth season of Rehab Island is currently airing. Lucia comments on her excitement for the new season of Rehab Island that’ll be premiering in the coming days. Moments later, a car can be heard pulling into the driveway and parking up in the carport. Lucia pokes her head up to look towards the front door, in which we see her best friend Krissie enter the house after having just got off of work herself.

 

The two of them greet each other and Krissie asks how her old car is doing. Lucia replies that the car is good, thanking Krissie again for helping her out since she got out of prison. 

 

KRISSIE

Sitting on the other end of the couch.

 

Hey, so guess what?

 

LUCIA

Why, what’s up?

 

KRISSIE

You remember Daisha and Lexy right?

 

LUCIA

Yeah, I do! How are they? They still live around here?

 

KRISSIE
You can see for yourself tonight, we’re hanging out by the beach to get some mini-golf in before drinking over at Lenny’s. I told them that you got out a couple days ago.

 

LUCIA

Y’all are hanging out tonight?

 

KRISSIE

Yeah! You wanna join?

 

From here, the player has a choice to make. They can either accept the invitation to hang out or decline. For the purpose of this concept the player accepts the invite to hang out.

 

LUCIA

I’m down! I can’t wait to see them again, it’s been so damn long!

 

KRISSIE
Alright, let me get changed out of these and we’ll be ready to go. 

 

A brief timelapse occurs and we see Krissie emerge from her room in a new outfit consisting of a black t-shirt with the logo of a band called More Than Drake (an obvious parody of Florida’s Less Than Jake; furthermore, one of their songs is featured on the modern/alternative rock station), distressed black jeans, and black Slab sneakers. Lucia has changed to one of her default outfits which consists of a white t-shirt, black leggings, and her white sneakers. As they leave the house, Krissie pauses and asks Lucia which one of them should drive.

 

From here, the player has a choice in deciding who should drive. If the player decides on driving, the two of them will get into Lucia’s car and drive out to meet with their friends with the player in full control. If the player chooses Krissie to drive, the two of them will enter Krissie’s car with her behind the wheel and Lucia in the passenger seat. From there, the AI-controlled NPC will drive to the destination while obeying the rules of the road, similar to getting a ride in a taxi or letting your partner drive in L.A. Noire. The player can choose to let the camera stay in a first-person perspective or select a cinematic camera option. The player will have the option to “skip the ride” or fast travel if they’d like.

 

For the purpose of this concept the player chooses to let Krissie drive.

 

Lucia picks Krissie to drive, citing she’s already had enough of moronic Leonida drivers the minute she had gotten back onto the road. They both get into Krissie’s Annis Pinnacle SLX (exterior/interior) and begin heading out to the Whack-Off Mini-Golf by Port Gellhorn Beach. Along the way, the two of them conversate after Krissie switches the radio over to the 90s music station which is currently playing Deep Shag by Luscious Jackson.

 

LUCIA

I still can’t get over the glow up you’ve had! You look so gorgeous and healthy! I’m proud of you, you know? I can’t imagine how difficult it was for you in rehab to work through all that.

 

KRISSIE

Thanks, I appreciate it. Yeah, I must say, the power of self-acceptance, positive thinking, and a punishing physical exercise regimen will do wonders for you!

 

LUCIA

Trust me, I know all about a punishing exercise routine. That’s all I did while I was locked up. Positive thinking, on the other hand? Yeah, that’s not happening. Self-acceptance? That’s still a work in progress.

 

KRISSIE

Optimism doesn’t suit you, huh?

 

LUCIA

That’s something I’m pretty positive about.

 

KRISSIE
You know, and no offense or anything, I don’t think it’d kill you to sometimes see the bright side of things every once in a while.

 

LUCIA

I don’t know.

 

KRISSIE
Oh, come on! You really think the best way through life is to see the bad in everything and everyone?

 

LUCIA

You mean being skeptical? Look, I’ve always believed that it’s better to be occasionally pleasantly surprised rather than perpetually disappointed. 

 

KRISSIE

There’s that line again. You sure do love to trot that one out!

 

LUCIA

It’s f*cking true!

 

KRISSIE

That doesn’t make it right. And don’t you say that you’re just “trying to be realistic!” That ain’t bein’ real. Skepticism? Please! There’s a very fine line between skepticism and cynicism. 

 

LUCIA

Maybe we live in two different realities then.

 

KRISSIE

I’ve known you since we were both nineteen, we’re living in the same reality.

 

LUCIA

Okay, but don’t make me out to be some doomer-nihilist because that’s not me. We’re hangin’ out and I’m lookin’ forward to having fun with friends! You know, despite how you feel about my worldview, I actually do enjoy life from time to time! In spite of everything.

 

KRISSIE

I didn’t say that you were, though, and I’m not talking about the here and now.

 

LUCIA

You know, funnily enough, I don’t recall you being such an optimist. Years ago, I’d argue you were way more cynical and pessimistic than me.

 

KRISSIE

People change, you know that.

 

LUCIA
Sure. Some do.

 

KRISSIE

It’s just that… oh, I don’t know. Things seem so simple when you’re growing up and you have all these dreams and fantasies about how you think things are gonna turn out for you.

 

LUCIA

And life just then swoops in and knocks that right out of you!

 

KRISSIE

I guess, but do you know why?

 

LUCIA

Because… Generally speaking, life sucks?

 

KRISSIE
It can seem that way, sure. The reason why, though? You let it become that way.

 

LUCIA

Oh god, here we go! Life lesson time from the self-help guru herself! Preach to me, sister!

 

KRISSIE
Just listen to me, alright? You let it become that way. You let life happen to you and you just accept what it throws at you. Instead, what you need to be doing is making life happen for you! You need to be the change.

 

LUCIA

Well sh*t, put me in coach!

 

KRISSIE

I’m just giving you some advice, that’s all. You gotta put yourself out there and do it.

 

LUCIA

Well gee, thanks. What part of the twelve-step program did you learn all this from?

 

KRISSIE

I believe it was either Step 6 or Step 7.

 

LUCIA

Is it too late to ask for a refund?

 

KRISSIE

You see? That’s your problem right there. You don’t believe in anything!

 

LUCIA

It’s just that it sounds like some basic-ass sh*t you’d find off a cheap bumper sticker! ‘Instead of letting life happen to you, make life happen for you!’ Both of those mean the same f*ckin’ thing!

 

KRISSIE

Maybe it does, but I don’t see how that cheapens the message. We’ve both had our struggles, our own ups-and-downs in life. The difference between us is that I accept that that is only a part of life. You, on the other hand, see all these bad things as all of life. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. You should find something to believe in, it might actually change your worldview.

 

LUCIA

Yeah, like what? Love?

 

KRISSIE

She smiles.

 

Well… you know, meeting the right person can—

 

LUCIA

Girl, get real.

 

KRISSIE

Look, I’m just sayin’...

 

LUCIA

I heard you.

 

Eventually, the two of them arrive at the mini-golf venue. In the parking lot waiting by the entrance are Lucia’s other friends, Daisha and Lexy. Upon the two of them seeing Krissie and Lucia walking up towards the entrance, both Daisha and Lexy run screaming in excitement towards Lucia. The both of them try hugging Lucia at the same time, which almost causes all of them to fall over onto the ground. Reunited, the group hastily makes their way inside the venue eager to hang out and game on. 

 

As they play mini-golf together, the group chit-chats about various topics such as Lucia’s time in prison; Lucia’s best fight while locked up; the parole process and how she nearly wasn’t granted parole; how she’s been doing since she’s been freed; Krissie’s time in rehab; Daisha’s recent breakup with her boyfriend; Lexy and her on-again-off-again relationship with her boyfriend who goes by the name of Hondo. After completing the mini-golf minigame (winning is not required to progress), the ladies pile into Krissie’s car and drive over to Lenny’s Saloon (based on Patches Pub, circa 2015) on the south end of PG Beach. During the drive, the ladies can be heard singing along to a popular song on the contemporary pop station, even hanging out of the windows and generally being loud and wild.

 

Once they arrive at the bar, which is packed with people inside and outside, another brief timelapse of a few in-game hours occurs before stopping at 1:00am (01:00). Daisha can be seen departing from the group and saying goodbye to her friends as she leaves with a man she met at the bar, while the other three then head to Krissie’s car as the scene fades to black. The game fades back in at the safehouse with Lucia waking up in her bed with a headache due to the drinking from the previous night.

 

Trivia

• After completing this event, Daisha’s and Lexy’s contact information will be added to Lucia’s phone. Lucia can call them to hang out whenever the player is not currently engaged in a mission or activity. Both of their places of residence will be added to the map.

• If the player declines to hang out, both Daisha and Lexy will text Lucia sometime later about hanging out sometime in the near future. They will then be automatically added to Lucia’s phone contacts. Both of their places of residence will be added to the map.

 

Lucia’s Friends

Small Favor

This is a dynamic world event that becomes available after Lucia’s Friends - Hang Out, regardless of whether or not the player completed the event or declined it. To discover the event, the player must drive over Daisha’s apartment complex any day between 7:00am-5:00pm (07:00-17:00). Alternatively, the player can call Daisha on her phone in which she’ll tell Lucia that her ex-boyfriend is hanging around outside her place and won’t leave. In doing so, an event icon will be placed on the map that the player can set a waypoint to. This event was discovered in Americas_1 2021-12-14 19-52-44.

 

After having a hell of a time at Lenny’s Saloon, Lucia is keen to check up on Daisha to catch up with her. Lucia pulls up her smartphone and calls her up.

 

DAISHA

Whispering into the phone.

 

Lucia! Thank f*ck that you called!

 

LUCIA

Are you okay? What’s going on?

 

DAISHA

It’s my f*cking ex. He’s hangin’ around outside and pounding on my door, sayin’ he wants to talk, but I ain’t tryna talk to him!

 

LUCIA

Did you call the cops?

 

DAISHA

Man, f*ck 12! I called them over an hour ago and they still haven’t shown up. I’m startin’ to get a little worried now because—

 

LUCIA

Because what?

 

…

 

Are you still there?

 

DAISHA

Yeah I’m still here! I thought he left but now he’s just sittin’ in his damn car. You think you can do me a favor and help get his ass outta here? I’ll owe you!

 

LUCIA

I’ll see what I can do. Wait for me.

 

Lucia runs to get into her car and then races over to Daisha’s place. Upon arriving at the apartment complex (based on The Enclave apartments in Panama City, FL), Daisha calls Lucia to ask if she’s there already, to which Lucia confirms that she is. Daisha then points out that her ex-boyfriend is sitting behind the wheel of a silver 2011 Annis Rook (exterior/interior). 

 

OBJECTIVE: Find a way to lure the ex-boyfriend away from Daisha’s apartment.

 

The player is prompted, via a game tip in the upper left corner of the screen, to check out around the dumpsters near the apartment complex to find something strong enough to break a window on the ex-boyfriend’s car. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Throw the object at the ex-boyfriend’s car window.

 

Once a suitable object (i.e. a brick, cinder block, etc.) has been picked up, Lucia walks towards the ex-boyfriend’s Rook and throws it towards the vehicle's rear windscreen. The object completely shatters the rear window which startles the ex-boyfriend, who was sitting in his car ranting and typing out a long-winded text message to Daisha.

 

OBJECTIVE: Get in your car and escape.

 

With the ex-boyfriend sufficiently pissed off, Lucia sprints towards her vehicle as he moves to pursue her in his car. Once inside her Club S, she backs up and speeds out of the parking lot with the ex-boyfriend in hot pursuit. Lucia makes a sharp left turn at a four-way intersection, nearly colliding with a vehicle approaching from the right that had the right-of-way. Continuing on, Lucia comes up to another intersection and races through the red light despite a lane of oncoming traffic entering to make a left turn. Lucia brakes, steering sharply to the right to avoid a collision before correcting to proceed straight through. The ex-boyfriend enters the intersection too fast, however, and proceeds to understeer directly into the passenger side of a crossing Vapid Aluetian. The resulting crash totals both vehicles as Lucia watches the impact from her rear view mirror. 

 

Completing this event affects Lucia’s Cool/Chaotic meter, resulting in the slider moving towards Cool.

 

Fentanyl Addict Tweaking Out

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One. To discover it, the player needs to go over to the Gas Stop gas station just past the Port Gellhorn Raceway. This location is first seen in Americas 2021-11-05 11-09-23, with part of its interior seen in Americas_1 2022-07-20 17-59-49.

 

While stopping to get some gas for her car, Lucia walks to the Quickshop convenience store to purchase some snacks and drinks. As she draws closer to the entrance of the store, she can see through the glass that there is a small crowd huddled in front of the door, along with muffled sounds of yelling and shouting. Opening the door, Lucia is greeted by the sight of a shirtless, emaciated man in tattered black sweatpants and dirty white sneakers shouting random nonsense about Epsilonism and other assorted gibberish while trashing the store. His face is horribly scarred from what was possibly the result of a knife attack, with many other boils, cigarette burns, and scars located in scattered points along the man’s torso. It’s very apparent the person is a drug addict who is clearly in an agitated state, desperately looking for a fix. The cashier daringly tries to keep the addict at bay with a broomstick while on the phone with police, while the other patrons are just filming and taking pictures with their phones instead of helping. 

 

One of the customers sneaks off through one of the aisles and creeps up behind the addict that’s freaking out and shoves him to the ground, causing the other patrons to burst out in laughter. Before landing on the ground, the addict grabs onto a display of cheap sunglasses and souvenir postcards to maintain his balance before slipping and falling over, slamming the display onto the floor with him. The crowd continues  to laugh and make fun of the addict, who becomes increasingly more agitated. The junkie gets back up on his feet and attempts to retaliate against the other customers, but is slapped hard in the face by one of them and ends up falling out of the store. A PGPD squad car soon arrives on the scene and the officer immediately moves in to cuff and secure the disoriented suspect before placing him into the backseat. The crowd begins to disperse while the officer has a brief conversation with the cashier regarding the event that just unfolded in the store. Once the conversation between the cashier and the officer is concluded, the officer gets back into his cruiser to haul the suspect off to the precinct to be booked.

 

During this event, the player has the option to either further antagonize the addict with insults (this moves the slider on the Cool/Chaotic meter to move slightly towards Chaotic) or they can record the incident and the subsequent arrest with Lucia’s smartphone (no effect to the Cool/Chaotic meter). Recording the event allows Lucia to upload it to her social media accounts where her friends and followers will comment and react accordingly.

 

Road Rage Incident

Tailgating Motorist

Road Rage Incidents are a series of ambient world events that can be encountered and experienced by both Jason and Lucia. This event is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One. To trigger this event, the player, as Lucia, must be on Route 2 driving northbound towards the Bocamar Bridge any day between 8:00am-6:00pm (08:00-18:00).

 

While driving out towards Port Gellhorn Beach to pick up a fare while working as a rideshare driver, Lucia merges onto Route 2 to get on the Bocamar Bridge as it’s the quickest way to that part of town. Traffic is a little heavy during the afternoon, filled with locals and tourists alike jamming up the roads to soak up the sun at the beach or spend time having fun at one of the many different attractions located nearby, such as the boardwalk, the pier, mini golf, go-karts, and the many restaurants and bars located on the main strip.

 

Once on the bridge, traffic begins to speed up a little which helps create a bit more space between vehicles sharing the roadway. Lucia moves over to the right lane and finds herself cruising at a nice steady pace behind an Emperor Savina GS (exterior/interior), a vehicle she remembers somewhat fondly as it was the first vehicle she got busted for stealing and joyriding when in her teens. The song that’s currently playing on the mainstream pop station, Fast In My Car by Paramore, further evokes memories of her turbulent teenage years. Reminiscing about the time she stole a Savina GS, she remembers the rush of adrenalin and how intoxicating it felt to do something like that. 

 

Lucia’s trip down memory lane is soon interrupted by the bellowing sound of a horn directly to her left, coming from a white Benefactor Schafter V12. The luxury sedan is seen driving very close to the rear of an old beat-up Dinka Perennial EX (exterior/interior) that is cruising along in the passing lane, the van occasionally emitting blue-ish smoke from its exhaust indicating that it’s burning oil. Lucia looks over at the Benefactor and can see that the driver is visibly losing their cool, gesturing wildly and aggressively at the Perennial driver. Lucia slows down a bit, curious to see what happens next, opening up a gap for the Benefactor driver to pass. The Benefactor driver goes to make the pass, but then the Perennial moves over to the right lane as well, blocking the other driver from passing. The guy in the Benefactor is fuming at this rate, swerving back over into the left lane and, in the process, nearly clipping a Vapid Bobcat XL towing a sh*tzu Suntrap creating a pretty dangerous situation. The Schafter V12 zooms in front of the Perennial, purposely cutting it close while making the pass and slams on the brakes. Lucia seemingly predicts that this would happen and quickly switches over to the left lane, squeezing in behind the Bobcat XL and its trailer and a Cheval Fugitive to avoid having to hit the brakes and get stuck behind them. Once safe to do so, Lucia moves back over to the right lane and then pulls over and stops in the breakdown lane as she’s eager to see what happens next with the two road ragers. 

 

Exiting her car, Lucia walks back towards the two road ragers who are now stopped in the right lane on the bridge and are out of their vehicles arguing and shouting at one another. Eventually the driver of the Perennial gets fed up and punches the Benefactor driver, causing a fight to ensue. At this point, the player has the option to intervene in the fight and try breaking it up, antagonize either of the two road ragers, or record the event on her smartphone. 

• Intervene: If the player chooses to intervene, by pressing the button to Greet after locking on to one of the ragers, Lucia will attempt to persuade one of the two men to let it go and back off. Choosing this option will move the slider on the Cool/Chaotic meter to move slightly towards Cool.

• Antagonize: If the player chooses to antagonize, by pressing the button to antagonize after locking on to one of the ragers, Lucia will shift the blame onto whichever driver the player is focused on. Continuing to antagonize will see Lucia begin insulting them and/or encouraging them to fight it out. Choosing this option will move the slider on the Cool/Chaotic meter to move slightly towards Chaotic.

• Record: If the player decides to record, Lucia will pull out her smartphone and record the confrontation between the two drivers. Lucia can later upload this to her social media accounts for her friends and followers to react and comment on. 

 

Trivia

• While the fight between the two road ragers is scripted, the outcome of the fight is not predetermined. This means that either the Benefactor driver or the Perennial driver have a chance at winning the fight and knocking the other one out.

 

Road Rage Incident

Passengers Throw Beer

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One. To trigger the event, the player will need to be approaching the intersection of Beachview Road and McElroy Avenue in Port Gellhorn Beach any day between 6:00pm-12:00am (18:00-00:00).

 

Lucia is on her way to meet with her best friend Krissie after having just got off the phone with her to arrange a hangout. The two of them haven’t hung out in a while, and with Lucia’s balancing act between keeping her freedom and getting pulled back into the criminal lifestyle becoming ever more taxing to her well-being, any opportunity to distract herself from this harsh reality is a welcome one. Plus, it's also a good way for Lucia to get Krissie to dish the dirt on her brother, Jason. The plan is to pick Krissie up from the tattoo shop she works at by the beach and then head over to Lucenay’s (based on the ‘Lil Rascals Billiards in Panama City, FL), located in downtown Port Gellhorn for some drinks and a few rounds of pool.

 

During the drive to the tattoo shop, Lucia approaches the intersection of Beachview and McElroy and comes to a stop behind a waiting dark blue lifted Declasse Walton L35 in the center lane. The truck is covered in dirt and dried mud, with a ton of profanity-laden bumper stickers and right-wing slogans covering the tailgate, and there’s a small group of young college-aged people sitting in the bed of the truck drinking alcohol. The light turns green and the truck proceeds through the intersection with Lucia following behind. Before the truck is able to pass through the intersection completely, a white Übermacht Zion Cabrio cuts off the truck by making a right-hand turn without stopping to yield the right-of-way. This causes the driver of the Walton L35 to suddenly hit the brakes to avoid a collision, with the group in the bed nearly falling over as a result. Now pissed off, the truck driver accelerates and gets up alongside the Zion Cabrio and starts forcing his way into the lane while running the other car almost off the road. The Zion driver throws his hands up and flips them off in response, to which the passengers in the truck bed begin pelting the Zion driver and his car with half-empty beer cans. The driver in the Zion hits the brakes and pulls over, while one of the men in the truck bed stands up, turns around, and pulls his swim trunks down to moon the other driver. Unfortunately for the drunk and rowdy partygoer, the driver of the Walton L35 suddenly hits the gas which causes the man to fall out of the bed and land on the pavement. Lucia can be heard laughing hysterically once the man falls out of the truck. 

 

If the player stops to bring up Lucia’s phone, they can take a picture of the man who fell out of the truck bed and upload it to her social media. 

 

Furry Fetish Couple

This is a world event that is unlocked by completing the first mission of Chapter One. To trigger this event, the player, as Lucia, needs to go over to Naked Eyez in downtown Port Gellhorn any day between 5:00pm-11:00pm (17:00-23:00).

 

If someone were to ask people to describe the nightlife of Port Gellhorn with only a single word, one would certainly be inundated with a myriad of adjectives. Some positive, others negative, but perhaps mostly of the monosyllabic variety though. Despite that, one word you most certainly will not see being used to describe PG’s nightlife is cosmopolitan. No, that sounds too fruity, and only women and flaming homosexuals like fruity drinks. Besides, what kind of self-respecting man drinks a cocktail for Christ’s sake? It also sounds too European, which of course to the uninitiated average American, evokes feelings of fear and confusion stemming from a lack of understanding of things like socialism and actually valuing education. It also implies a sense of being welcoming to foreigners, which of course in this right-wing, overvalued, sinking swampland is a big no-no. 

 

It’s perhaps best to experience it from Lucia’s perspective. After all, who better to ask than an ex-con with a troubled past, struggling to get through the soul crushing reality that is everyday life? A young Latina woman forced to temporarily stay in this hellhole located in the literal armpit of the state, decided on by a corrupt board and bought-and-paid-for judges in the pocket of for-profit corporations seeking to privatize and pervert the justice system through the prison-industrial complex. Simply because profits matter more than actual rehabilitation for those most at-risk and prone to fall into a life of crime, ironically resulting in the cycle of crime perpetuating itself. Cliché you ask? Maybe. 

 

Lucia finds herself strutting out of her favorite hair salon, Deep Cuts (based on the Elevation Salon in Panama City, FL), in downtown Port Gellhorn ecstatic with her new and refreshed look. She stops to take a quick selfie, taking advantage of what little sunlight is left, by the entrance to commemorate the moment before pounding the sidewalk like it was her very own runway at a fashion show. Her attention is quickly taken by a rather curious sight as she passes by the entrance of the business next door, an adult entertainment and fetish store called Naked Eyez (based on the Thistle & Thorne in Panama City, FL). Situated next door to Naked Eyez is a popular gay bar known as The Ball Pit, and since it’s the weekend, business is booming with a sizable crowd hanging around outside.

 

Standing near the entrance of Naked Eyez is a couple comprised of a woman dressed in a leather dominatrix outfit with a leather cat mask and a man on his hands and knees wearing nothing but a leather harness, a latex thong, and a leather dog mask while being led around on a leash. The crowd from the bar next door are also hovering nearby looking on cheering and jeering, as the couple sort of “put on a show” in public involving a whip, while Colder Than Ice by Grant Miller can be heard playing from the bar’s sound system. Lucia is quite visibly weirded out, but also curiously amused by what she’s witnessing.

 

From here, the player can interact with this event in one of two ways:

• Pressing the Greet button will have Lucia awkwardly complimenting the couple while voicing her support for “unconventional relationship dynamics.” However, under breath she calls them a couple of degenerates.

• Lucia can record the “show” on her smartphone, which can then be uploaded to her social media accounts where her friends and followers will comment and react accordingly. 

 

Homeless Clown

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the fifth mission of Chapter One. To trigger it, the player, as Lucia, must drive onto Telegraph Road past Dexter’s Transportation & Logistics at the northeast edge of Callahan any day between 10:00pm-4:00am (22:00-04:00).

 

Lucia finds herself riding high after another successful night of working at The Slutty Fox, having earned another few hundred dollars in tips. It’s currently 3:34am (03:34) as Lucia drives back to Port Gellhorn after doing a favor for a co-worker and giving her a ride home to Callahan. The GPS route takes Lucia onto Telegraph Road, an old and empty backroad which causes her to be more cautious for any wildlife that may try to cross the road without warning. It’s very dark out and there’s a slight haze that lingers in the air, partially hiding some of the finer details of the road from view, but not enough to warrant much caution. 

 

As Lucia passes Dexter’s Transportation & Logistics to her left, she glances at the radio and switches through the stations before settling on one of the Latin music channels. As she looks back at the road, she immediately realizes she’s within a few short seconds of running over what looks like a hobo in the road. She swerves to the left and slams on the brakes, coming to a screeching halt. She tries to catch her breath, muttering to herself in Spanish, before glancing at her rear view mirror to see who it was she almost hit. Standing under a light pole, flickering brightly and rapidly, all she can see is a silhouette of a person dressed up looking like a clown looking in her direction. As she reaches for the gear lever, she sees the figure turn and begin sprinting towards her car. Seeing as she’s currently unarmed, she makes the smart decision to shift the car into first gear and peel out of there and away from danger. Somewhat disturbed by what she saw, but still remaining cool and calm, she reaches for her phone and calls Jason.

 

JASON

Hey, what’s goin’ on?

 

LUCIA

You’re not gonna believe what the f*ck I just saw! Like, holy sh*t! 

 

JASON

What happened?

 

LUCIA

I almost ran over some dude dressed like a clown! I thought it was a hobo at first, but no! He had the makeup on and everything, it was crazy!

 

JASON

A f*cking clown? What is this, 2016 again?

 

LUCIA

I know, right!? That’s what I was thinking.

 

JASON

Where did you run into him?

 

LUCIA

On Telegraph Road, just past the trucking place on the edge of Callahan. 

 

JASON

What are the odds I run into him as well?

 

LUCIA

I wouldn’t bother, it’s just some asshat with nothing better to do than to revive a stupid trend.

 

JASON

Are you okay though? You didn’t get hurt, did you?

 

LUCIA

No, I’m fine. Just got the worst wake-up call of my life! 

 

JASON

I’m glad you’re alright! Be careful out there, okay? Stay safe.

 

LUCIA

I’ll try to! I’ll see you later.

 

JASON

Later!

 

Trivia

• If the player steps out of their car, the clown will change direction and bolt for the forest. The player can chase after the clown but will receive a wanted level once entering the forest since the area is located in the immediate vicinity of a boundary that Lucia cannot cross yet due to still being on parole. Due to Lucia wearing the ankle tag, the player cannot lose the wanted level and will be busted by the police.

• The clown immediately de-spawns when entering the forest out of the player’s view. This is to prevent the player from possibly attempting to kill the clown, as Jason has two encounters with the homeless clown later on. 

 

Taco Bomb Freakout

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One. To trigger it, the player must enter the Taco Bomb location across from the motel on the outskirts of Port Gellhorn to the east, any day between 12:00pm-8:00pm (12:00-20:00).

 

Mac DeMarco once explained, during his brief stint as the horoscope reader on Kult FM, that to uncover the secret that would bring enrichment and joy into our lives, you may need to think outside the box or read between the lines to get on the right track. Something about ordering that off-the-menu burger with extra banana peppers at Up-n-Atom. Indeed it does bring that much needed laughter into our lives, particularly when the employees make it with so much extra grease that when you bite into the burger, the second beef patty becomes a projectile aimed squarely at your date’s face as the rest of your burger implodes all over your food tray. Good times, indeed. The same principle can be applied to Taco Bomb, although it’s highly recommended you get a colonoscopy every time you eat from there. 

 

However in the case of Taco Bomb, sometimes the laughter doesn’t always begin when you hear your roommate’s colon having a nuclear meltdown in the bathroom. No, sometimes the laughter starts as soon as you enter the door of your nearest Taco Bomb branch, such as the case with Lucia who’s in the mood for some of their world famous (especially among gastroenterologists) nachos. As she enters the building, Lucia can hear yelling from a belligerent customer at the front counter. The other patrons in the building are either trying to finish their meals, while others are filming the childish tirade on their phones. 

 

The customer, an overweight middle-aged Caucasian woman, berates a young employee for “messing up” her order. The customer complains that they didn’t put enough cheese on the four 2lb Foaming Beef-ish Bazookas she ordered and so she wants a refund. The problem is, the customer already ate all of her food so there isn’t anything to refund. The cashier, a young Latina woman, tries to politely explain this to the whining customer but the fat bitch keeps interrupting and starts resorting to insults and asking for the manager, even calling the young girl’s citizenship status into question. Eventually, Lucia gets fed up with this exchange and thinks about what to do.

 

From here, the player can interact with this event in a few ways:

• Support: To go this route, the player will need to press the button to greet. Lucia comes to the aid of the employee and essentially shames the customer for behaving in such a childish manner. Lucia gives a firm, yet concise explanation as to why the cashier cannot give a refund at this point and tells her to just cut her losses and leave the building. The customer then whines about feeling “ganged-up on” and then turns around to leave in a huff. As the customer waddles out of the store, she can be heard making racist remarks about the cashier and Lucia, to which the customers can be heard reacting with shock and hurling insults of their own towards the angry customer. Choosing this option will affect Lucia’s Cool/Chaotic rating, moving the slider slightly towards Cool.

• Antagonize: If the player chooses to antagonize the woman, Lucia will begin insulting her in order to bait her into a fight. As the belligerent customer begins stumbling towards Lucia, she backs away through the door to the outside in the parking lot. The woman follows Lucia out threatening to stomp her ass, but because she’s distracted, the woman forgets about the curb on the sidewalk and ends up losing her balance and falling over. Lucia quickly runs back into the restaurant while snickering and laughing and proceeds to hold the door shut. The woman gets back up and pounds on the glass, yelling to be let back in but eventually runs out of steam. Exhausted and embarrassed, the woman turns around and gets into her Willard Solaire wagon and reverses out of her parking space. Since she’s so mad, however, she backs out of the parking space too fast and ends up reversing into a parked Vapid Sadler which shatters her rear windscreen. She then proceeds to speed out of the parking lot and back onto the main road to, presumably, go home. Choosing this option will affect Lucia’s Cool/Chaotic rating, moving the slider slightly towards Chaotic.

• Record: Going this route, Lucia will pull out her smartphone to record and shame the belligerent customer for berating the employee just trying to do her job. The woman asks for Lucia to stop recording, asserting she has a right to privacy, to which Lucia balks at the notion and states she won’t put the phone away. The woman gets angrier and begins marching towards Lucia in an attempt to swat the phone out of her hands. Lucia quickly side steps out of the way as the woman swings, causing her to lose balance from her momentum, resulting in the woman tripping over herself and falling out through the entrance. Lucia and the customers, in turn, laugh at the woman who proceeds to get up in a huff and leave the restaurant. She gets into her car and backs out angrily, accidentally hitting a parked Vapid Sadler which shatters her rear windscreen upon impact. She then speeds out of the parking lot and back onto the main road to, presumably, go home. 

 

Talented Sign Spinner

First Encounter

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One. This event will only be active until the completion of the third mission, at which point it’ll no longer be available to complete. To trigger it, the player must head towards downtown Port Gellhorn to the intersection of Lee Avenue and 8th Street any day between 8:00am-4:00pm (08:00-16:00).

 

While walking down the main strip in the downtown area of Port Gellhorn, Lucia notices a man standing at the corner of a busy intersection with a big arrow-shaped sign spinning it, throwing it, flipping it, and doing all sorts of other neat tricks as well. Curious, she walks over to the man to get a closer look and to continue watching him show off his skills with the sign. The young man looks to be in his mid-twenties, average height, medium complexion, is dressed in a white polo shirt, off-white chino shorts, white Slab sneakers, and a white ball cap and he speaks with a pronounced Cuban accent. At one point, he does a backwards somersault that he lands successfully, but his hat falls off which reveals he has a buzz cut hairstyle. He keeps up with the sign spinning for a few more minutes before putting the sign down to take a small break and drink some water. At this point, the player can now have Lucia interact with the sign spinner by using the greet action. 

 

Upon pressing the Greet button, it transitions to a cutscene where we see Lucia will pick up his hat and hand it to him with a smile, to which he thanks her for that. She then asks, as a joke, which way she should be going to the business he’s advertising for since he was flipping and spinning the sign around. The guy laughs, and then points her in the right direction to where the business is located. He then asks her if she enjoyed the show, with Lucia responding that she did like what she saw, complimenting his moves. They proceed to talk for a bit and during their conversation she learns that the guy’s name is Bruno, he’s 25 years old, currently attending the Port Gellhorn campus of Leonida State University living in the student apartments, and is working part-time for a recruitment agency doing advertising for them. Lucia doesn’t reveal too much about herself, other than her name, her age, that she’s on parole, and is, in her words, “in between jobs.” She asks him what he’s going to college for, as in what he wants to major in, and he replies saying that his focus is on computer engineering. She remarks that it sounds like a tough course, to which he says that it is but he loves it. He then asks her if she might go back to school, but Lucia just stands there with her eyes darting towards the ground. She then sheepishly admits that she doesn’t think she’s college material, adding that she dropped out of high school due to family troubles. Bruno tells her that it’s still possible for her to go to college and make something of herself, that being a high school dropout doesn’t have to be the thing that defines her. He then asks her what she wants out of life. Lucia hesitates to answer at first, but then looks him in the eyes and says “...more than this.” He nods his head and wishes her good luck. She then asks him if he’ll still be here advertising on this corner in the coming days, to which he replies that he won’t be. He explains that he’ll be doing some advertising for a Fleeca bank franchise starting tomorrow and that if she wants to see him again, to look for a walking stack of bills acting like an idiot. Lucia laughs and they then exchange their goodbyes. As she departs, she turns around to see that he resumes his sign spinning. 

 

Talented Sign Spinner

Second Encounter

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One and the prior first encounter. This encounter will remain active only until the completion of the third mission of Chapter One, at which then it’ll be unavailable for the remainder of the story. To trigger it, the player must head over to the Fleeca bank franchise in Port Gellhorn Beach any day between 12:00pm-4:00pm (12:00-16:00).

 

A few days later, with some time to spare in between picking up fares for cash through the rideshare app, Lucia swings by the Fleeca bank branch (based on this bank building)  Bruno told her about, curious to see if he’ll actually be there. It’s currently a quarter until 4:00pm and traffic is moving a little slow due to congestion, as people rush home from work to enjoy what little is left of this beautiful sunny day. As she gets near the bank, she keeps her eyes peeled for, in Bruno’s words, a “walking stack of bills acting like an idiot.” She soon spots Bruno at the corner of the intersection, indeed dressed in a costume resembling a stack of dollar bills, waving and spinning a sign around. 

 

She drives past him and pulls into the parking lot of the bank, so that she could go and chat with him. Exiting her car, she walks down the grassy knoll to greet him. Just as he’s about to complete a trick involving him spinning after flipping the sign up into the air and then catching it while still spinning, he notices Lucia. Much to his surprise, he smiles at the sight of her and momentarily forgets that he was in the middle of a trick as he stops to greet her. Due to being distracted, the sign he tossed into the air promptly lands on his head in a comedic fashion. Lucia laughs at the blunder.

 

LUCIA

Wow! You weren’t kidding, it really is a walking stack of dollar bills acting like an idiot!

 

BRUNO

Ay! You remembered! The sad thing is though, I wasn’t acting.

 

The two share a laugh and Lucia asks how he’s doing and if business has been good, to which he responds that he’s been trapped in a box on a humid day for the last six hours while earning a mere dollar over the state’s minimum-wage. He finishes his humorous little rant by sarcastically saying that he’s doing great. He checks his watch and notices that his shift is almost up and asks if she’s willing to wait a few minutes for him to get out of the costume and freshen up a bit. She agrees and the two of them walk back towards the bank back over the grassy knoll. A few minutes later, Bruno reappears in some casual clothes after having cleaned up some.

 

Walking up to Lucia, seen leaning on her car, Bruno asks if she’s currently busy with anything at the moment. Lucia notices that his demeanor has changed, the tone of his voice, while still sounding rather innocuous on the surface, giving off a slight undercurrent of flirtation. Playing coy, Lucia asks why he wants to know. He chuckles and then asks, leaning on her car right next to her, if she really went through the trouble of seeking him out just to see him act like an idiot in a costume. The two of them exchange witty banter with each other a bit more before Bruno decides to ask her out for a drink.

 

From here, the player has a choice on whether or not to accept the invitation to go out drinking.

• If the player declines, Lucia will tell him that as much as she’d like a drink, she needs to be able to drive and she needs to also be sober in case she has another run-in with her parole officer. Bruno smiles and says he understands and says that perhaps another time they can go for a drink. They then exchange goodbyes and depart from each other. 

• If the player accepts the offer, Lucia asks which bar Bruno has in mind. He suggests a place that neither of them have been to before, and the two of them spitball some ideas for before agreeing on a club by the beach called The Playhouse (based on the old Players Saloon in Panama City, FL). The scene then cuts to a montage sequence showing the two of them drinking at a crowded bar, chatting and laughing together. The next scene shows the two dancing rather suggestively on the dancefloor together, alongside a sizable crowd of other patrons while bass-boosted Reggaeton music plays. It then cuts to a brief scene of the two of them having sex and then sleeping in bed together at Bruno’s place, where we then see Lucia sneaking out at 5:30 in the morning. 

 

SIDE MISSIONS

For Chapter One, Lucia only has one side mission strand that is divided into two parts.

Spoiler

Keep It a Buck

Part One: A Fistful of Trouble

This is the first part of a two-part side mission strand that is unlocked after completing the first mission of Chapter One and the Lucia’s Friends - Hang Out world event. The mission becomes available after Lucia receives a text message from her friend, Daisha. To start the mission, the player must head over to Daisha’s apartment complex and approach the door to her apartment.

 

Two days after Lucia helped Daisha to get rid of her angry ex-boyfriend, Lucia receives a text from her asking to come by her place whenever she’s free. Deciding to take her up on that, Lucia drives over to Daisha’s apartment to see what’s what. Knocking on her door, Daisha opens it and the two greet each other with a hug before entering inside. The apartment, which has a studio layout, is very clean and orderly, featuring a lot of geek-themed decorations, such as posters, action figures, a bookcase filled with books and video games, an elaborate three-piece shelf for her vast collection of vinyl records, a 65-inch flatscreen 4K TV with a few gaming consoles hooked up, and finally a brightly lit computer gaming rig centered along the north wall of her apartment. Over in the kitchen, Lucia sees that her friend, Lexy, is also in attendance having just opened up a beer from the fridge. The three of them then plop themselves onto the couch facing the flatscreen.

 

LUCIA
So… I like what you’ve done with the place.

 

DAISHA

Thanks! I think I’ve re-organized it like twenty different times over the last two weeks. I think this layout works best.

 

LUCIA

Right, so what’s the move tonight?

 

LEXY

Big party goin’ down over at Riptides tonight. The organizers rented out the venue for some kinda listening party for a local rapper.

 

LUCIA

Local? Like who?

 

DAISHA

Some dude known as Rio Quando, I think?

 

LUCIA

Aw hell no, that dude is trash! Him and all them goofy asses in the YKN crew.

 

LEXY

She smirks at Daisha.

 

I told you she was gonna hate it!

 

DAISHA

Yeah, the dude is trash, but still they got a DJ with a dancefloor, a car show, the go-kart track is open, food and drink; the event is gonna be packed!

 

LEXY

Yeah! It’ll still be fun, plus plenty of cute guys as well, I mean, for you two at least. I’m taken!

 

LUCIA
f*ck it, I’m down. When does it start? 

 

DAISHA

About a couple hours from now. You down to pre-game?

 

LUCIA

f*ck yeah, especially if I’m gonna have to hear Rio spit garbage bars into a mic all night. I don’t wanna have a f*ckin’ memory of it. 

 

The ladies go to the fridge to get some alcohol to drink in preparation for tonight’s event. As the camera cuts to an exterior shot of Daisha’s apartment, a very brief timelapse of two in-game hours occurs. Afterwards, the camera pans down to ground level where Daisha, Lexy, and Lucia can be seen getting into Lucia’s car to drive over to the party.

 

OBJECTIVE: Drive to Riptides

 

DAISHA

So, Lucy… how have you been dealing with things lately?

 

LUCIA

I’m doin’ okay, I guess. I still don’t have any regular work yet—

 

DAISHA

No, I mean… how have you been doing since that, you know, that thing?

 

LUCIA

What thing?

 

LEXY

She’s trying to ask you how you’ve been coping with shooting your ex-boy—

 

DAISHA

Jesus, Lexy! Can you try practicing a little f*ckin’ tact once in a while?!

 

LEXY

You’re the one beating around the f*ckin’ bush askin’ her ab—

 

LUCIA

Guys! Guys! Look, I appreciate the concern but it’s not something I wanna relive or talk about, ya know? To keep it a buck with y’all, I don’t really think about it much anymore. The fact of the matter is, I can’t let myself just be stuck in the past. I gotta move forward with my life. I did my time and I was lucky enough to get out as early as I did. That’s it.

 

DAISHA

That’s it?

 

LUCIA

Yeah. That’s it. 

 

DAISHA

She shrugs her shoulders. 

 

If you say so…

 

LUCIA

What the f*ck is that supposed to mean?

 

LEXY

Wow, Daisha! And you tell me that I need to learn some tact? Jesus!

 

DAISHA

Shut up, Lexy! Look, all I’m gonna say is this… as f*cked up as your situation was back then, all things considered, I think you did the right thing. I’m not sayin’ that to, you know, exonerate you or some sh*t, but you know. I mean, we all did some bad things together, so I can’t really judge, it’s just that—

 

LUCIA

Daisha, I really don’t wanna talk about this right now. If you really, really wanna know… I didn’t really feel anything or any type of way once I shot him. I mean, after everything he put me through? f*ck him! He’s dead, and there’s nothing more to say about it. This isn’t like that one movie, okay? You’re not gonna sit here and hugbox me, and then tell me that none of it was my fault or that I was some sort of victim of circumstance. You got that? End of discussion.

 

DAISHA

Alright, alright! Forget about it then! It’s time for a subject change. Lexy, is Hondo gonna be there at the party?

 

LUCIA

Wow, you’re still dating that dude?

 

LEXY

Yes and yes… He texted me saying that he’s already there and that it’s wild as hell right now!

 

LUCIA

That is until Rio Quando gets on the mic and starts rapping with his trashy ass! Why does anyone like him?

 

DAISHA

Girl, you askin’ the wrong one. His only claim to fame was that his song got used in a viral meme! Then people found his mixtape that he uploaded to Electric Tit, and it now has over two billion views! The even sadder part? This all happened within the span of the last two months. 

 

LEXY

Did you know he overdosed like four times over the course of three weeks at one point? And the motherf*cker has been shot on five different occasions. Yet, he’s still alive and walking!

 

LUCIA

No cap? That’s straight up demon sh*t right there!

 

DAISHA

He definitely made a pact with the devil or somethin’! I mean, the fact that a record company signed this clown and gave him a studio to record an album is equivalent to committing a war crime!

 

LUCIA

Speaking of war crimes, anyone know what’s goin’ on with Shanese lately?

 

LEXY

Shanese? Girl, she’s like a celebrity herself now! Or, you know, an influencer. God, I hate that f*cking word!

 

LUCIA

Yo, what!? Is she really?

 

DAISHA

Oh my god, yeah! She’s been all over LifeInvader, Bleeter, Snapmatic, she’s even got a podcast, and her Electric Tit channel is super popular. Plus, she’s been making bank off of selling her lewds and nudes!

 

LUCIA

That’s crazy! I never thought she’d pop off like that. And now she got an army of simps around her too? Girl is gettin’ both her bags! Does she still live in Vice?

 

LEXY

Yeah, she’s still there. She’s always gonna be reppin’ the 305!

 

LUCIA

That settles it, we’re starting a podcast. Like tomorrow! 

 

DAISHA

The f*ck are we gonna talk about?

 

LUCIA

Honestly? Probably anything. You just know dudes will come in droves just to watch hot chicks yap while smoking weed and doing DMT.

 

LEXY

We could just sit around and talk sh*t about those incel “alpha male” podcasts! Like exposing them for the losers they actually are. It’ll be perfect because all their sh*tty, dumbass followers will just seethe and cope while hate-watching us. Which, in turn, generates more attention and hype for us!

 

DAISHA

Holy sh*t, that’s a great idea! Then we can invite that idiot, Evan, from Bills ‘N Bitches, onto the show and just clown on him. You just know he’s such a sensitive little guy, getting overly defensive any time you try to dish it right back at him.

 

LUCIA

Sensitive? Girl, he’s just straight-up bitchmade punk. Remember when he tried cozying up to a bunch of those alt-right bros and they spent his token ass? He then acted all surprised about it, crying about being betrayed!

 

LEXY

Dude is such a weenie!

 

She reaches for smartphone and connects it to the radio.

 

So, what do we say to some music right about now?

 

LUCIA

You right, I gotta get myself in the party mood.

 

DAISHA & LEXY

Vibing and snapping their fingers to the song that’s playing.

 

Ayyyyy! 

 

Lucia turns up the volume as Attitude by La Goony Chonga starts playing through the car’s speakers. It’s not long until they arrive at Riptides by the beach. The place is buzzing with activity and the parking lot is completely full with rows of neatly parked vehicles showcasing the amazing creativity of car enthusiasts. The parking lot has everything from V8-powered muscle cars both new and old, JDM tuner cars, luxury sedans and SUVs, sports cars and supercars, cars that are stanced and bagged, cars on donks, lifted diesel trucks, and cars that look like they’re ready to tackle a time attack at the circuit. Lucia manages to find a spot to park in along the street and the three of them exit and begin walking towards the party. Trap and Drill music can be heard booming and shaking the ground from high-end custom audio systems, while go-karts whiz by on the nearby racetrack as a rowdy crowd watches. There’s a couple of food trucks nearby serving tacos, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, and alcohol, all of them with lengthy lines as people are eager to satisfy their hunger and thirst. Lingering in the air is the unmistakable aroma of marijuana, which makes Lucia a little bit nervous because of possible second-hand contact, but she soldiers on anyway as she looks forward to enjoying herself. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Enter the party.

 

The three of them then run into Hondo, Lexy’s boyfriend, who was waiting for them at the entrance of the party with a couple of his friends. Hondo introduces his two friends, Ryan and Carlos, to Daisha and Lucia and they all greet each other politely and warmly. Eager to let loose, the group enters the party excitedly. Along the way however, as they walk through the car meet, someone calls out to Hondo and says they need to talk to him. Hondo looks over and seems to recognize the guy, shrugging him off and continuing to walk away. The guy becomes a bit more aggressive and starts following them, to which Hondo and his two friends tell the guy to back off and that “there’s nothing to talk about.” The guy curses at the group and throws his hands up at them as he departs. Concerned, Lexy asks what that was about but Hondo doesn’t say much. He tells her that the guy is just a sore loser, which prompts Lexy to ask if it’s related to his street racing. He nods and tries to assure her that it’s nothing. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Follow the group.

 

The group make their way over to the entrance to the go-kart track where the landing area had been converted to a dance floor for the night, complete with a DJ playing a mix of EDM and rap music for a crowd of partygoers. To give it that club-like feel, the dance area has an expensive lighting rig and multiple strobe and neon light displays brightly pulsating and flashing in an array of vivid colors. The group squeezes their way through to the center of the crowd to finally let loose for the night. It isn’t long, however, before the DJ stops the music to make a quick announcement. He hands the mic off to a member of Rio Quando’s entourage who then proceeds to take on the role of a hype man to get the crowd excited for the debut of the album tonight. With the crowd cheering enthusiastically in anticipation, Rio Quando reveals himself, stepping out from behind his entourage and is handed the mic from his hype man. The crowd cheers even louder, in which then Rio decides to make a speech about how thankful he is for the opportunities he was given to make music and for all the support from his fans. Lucia, rolling her eyes at this, convinces the group to head over to the food trucks out in the parking lot, stating that she’s starving to eat. They all nod, shrugging their shoulders, in agreement and leave the dancefloor area together. As the speech ends, Rio’s new album can be heard playing in the background causing Lucia and the group to run as far from the sound system as possible, mocking it and laughing at it.

 

While they walk to the food trucks, the same guy from earlier that was hassling Hondo for a chat, returns with a crew of friends. He once again asks Hondo to talk with him, but Hondo reiterates that he’s not interested in talking, revealing that the guy’s name is Clayton, and tells him to “line his car up” if he wants a rematch. 

 

CLAYTON

Nah, we ain’t lining up! You’re gonna pay back $5,000 you robbed off me and then we’ll call it square.

 

HONDO

Bro, I didn’t rob you of your money! You lost fair and square.

 

CLAYTON

Fair and square?! You call winning by deceit fair and square?!

 

HONDO

Bro, what?! How the f*ck did I deceive you, homie? That’s bullsh*t and you know it!

 

CLAYTON

You swapped the engine in your ZZ-8! Those old Imponte V8 motors don’t sound the way yours did that night we raced! You swapped it for something that made more than the agreed amount of power.

 

HONDO

So what if I did? Like bro, we agreed to no slicks, that we’d start the race at a dig and not a roll, and no more than 500 horsepower to the wheel. I didn’t have to tell you sh*t about what engine I used. I showed you the dyno sheets to confirm that the motor made no more than 500 at the wheel. You didn’t say anything about not swapping engines!

 

CLAYTON

Bro, I know my car! I know its power-to-weight ratio, the gearing, and the tune I was running. By all accounts, I should’ve been the winner! You f*cking cheated!

 

HONDO

Homie, I don’t know what to tell you! This is street racing, you either put up or shut up! You want your money back? You gotta race me for it. 

 

Hondo then reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the rolled up wad of cash and displays it to Clayton tauntingly. At that point, Clayton menacingly states that racing for the money is off the table. He and his guys rush towards Hondo and his two friends, starting an all-out brawl in the lot. Lucia, Daisha and Lexy hang back, but when Lexy notices that one of Clayton’s crew sneaks around and puts Hondo in a standing rear-naked chokehold, she rushes in to help him. Lucia tries to hold her back, but Lexy breaks free from her grasp and goes to intervene in the fight. Unfortunately, she suffers a punch to the face from another member of Clayton’s crew and is knocked to the ground.

 

OBJECTIVE: Help Hondo and his friends take down Clayton’s crew.

 

Seeing this, Lucia goes in to join the fray but is grabbed by Daisha who tries to give her something. Daisha desperately rummages through her purse before quickly producing a set of knuckledusters that she hands to Lucia. She slips them onto her right hand and charges into the fracas while Daisha carefully maneuvers through the melee to pull Lexy away from it. Lucia runs up behind the young man holding Hondo in a chokehold and punches him twice in the back of the head, knocking him out. With Hondo freed, he gives Lucia a nod for helping him out and furiously goes after Clayton. Another one of Clayton’s crew tackles Lucia to the ground and attempts to deliver a ground-and-pound after pinning her down. Luckily, Hondo’s friend, Carlos, performs a brutal punt to Lucia’s opponent’s head, resulting in a knockout. Lucia quickly scrambles back to her feet and sets her sights on another one of Clayton’s crew. The two square up and her opponent attempts to strike first, with a hook, a jab, another jab, and another hook. However, Lucia manages to dodge each strike with the fluidity of a trained boxer, something she can thank her father for teaching her while she was a teenager. Lucia waits for an opening and once she sees it, she steps forward and hits her opponent with a right jab and then a right hook. The impact from her brass knuckles stuns him, to which she then shoves him to the ground, causing him to fall onto his back. She quickly moves in and secures a knockout with a vicious kick to her opponent’s head while he’s still down. In the meantime, both Ryan and Carlos knockout the last two remaining members of Clayton’s crew, while Hondo can be seen taking Clayton down to the ground and handing out several punches to his head.

 

As soon as the brawl had begun, a crowd had gathered around to cheer, jeer, and record it all from the sidelines. The chaos from the melee had managed to spark a few other fights as well that were unrelated to the original brawl between Clayton and Hondo, further disrupting the party. With disruption throughout the event becoming more widespread, a security team hired by the event organizers, along with Rio Quando’s personal entourage, rush in to restore order and break up the fracas. Within minutes, the rowdy crowd is dispersed and people involved in the fights, including Clayton and his crew, are rounded up and ejected from the event. Lucia and her friends quickly disappear into the crowd in order to not be ejected from the event. As they try to blend in, however, gunfire erupts from the parking lot area which causes everyone to panic and flee in all directions. 

 

The group hurriedly escaped from the event area towards Lucia’s car, hiding behind it. They quickly decide that it’s best to leave now and call it a night, to which Lucia is in full agreement due to her ankle tag placing her at the scene of a crime. She dreads the thought of the kind of interrogation her parole officer will subject her to once they find out what had occurred tonight. Lucia offers to take Daisha and Lexy home, but Lexy opts to stay with her boyfriend Hondo and his friends. Hondo tries to get her to go with Lucia and Lexy, claiming that she’ll be safer with her friends, unsure if Clayton and his crew was responsible for the shooting. Lexy insists on staying with him and the two have a brief argument before Hondo gives in and lets her stay with him. The group splits up, with Daisha sticking with Lucia as the two get into her car to go home.

 

OBJECTIVE: Drive Daisha back to her apartment.

 

DAISHA

Well, that’s not how I saw things going! Quite the party, eh?

 

LUCIA

I just hope my PO doesn’t figure out I got involved in that fight… that’s the last thing I need. 

 

DAISHA

Speaking of fighting, girl, where did you learn to fight like that?! You went toe to toe with those boys and whooped their ass! That was insane!

 

LUCIA

From my dad, mostly, he taught me some boxing back in the day. He was an instructor at one of the gyms back in Vice. No daughter of his was gonna grow up to be defenseless! That’s what he’d always tell me. You remember how high school was, right?

 

DAISHA

Yeah, it was pretty rough. Anyway, I think you’ll be okay for now, legally speaking, I think. You jumped in to help a friend and you didn’t throw the first punch. I’m sure any lawyer worth his salt could totally argue that it was some sort of self-defense. We are a stand-your-ground state after all!

 

LUCIA

Yeah, with a weapon that is illegal to use in this state! Not to mention my prior record! You better clean the blood off those knuckles really well. Hell, maybe even get rid of ‘em.

 

DAISHA

What? You think they’re gonna do forensics just because of a fight? No one died… well, from the fight at least. I’m not sure who was shooting, but we didn’t stick around for that. I don’t think you should worry that much!

 

LUCIA

Yeah because you telling me not to worry is gonna soothe my anxiety just like that!

 

DAISHA

Girl, relax! For real though, I hope Lexy’s okay. She’s tough, but did you see how badly she got decked?

 

LUCIA
She’s got quite the chin on her! Good job on pulling her out of there, by the way.

 

DAISHA

Do you think we made the right call? You know, leaving her with her boyfriend? Especially after what went down?

 

LUCIA

As dumb as Hondo is, I know he wouldn’t do anything stupid that would put her life in danger. Whatever this beef is that he’s got with Clayton, though? I imagine it just got worse.

 

DAISHA

Over five G’s? Yeah, that motherf*cker isn’t gonna let that go. Plus, you know that dude’s ego is hurtin’ big right now too.

 

LUCIA

I’ll text her or call her in the mornin’ or somethin’. I’ll make sure she’s okay.

 

DAISHA

Yeah, good call. 

 

Lucia soon arrives at Daisha’s apartment complex, pulling up onto the side of the road and letting her exit the car. They exchange goodbyes and Daisha walks over to her apartment, where she stops to smoke a cigarette before entering.

 

Post-Mission Aftermath

• The following day, there will be a news article that can be read online from Weazel News that details the murder of a 29 year old male by the name of Clayton Paul. The article explains that Clayton was shot to death at a gas station a few miles away from town during the early morning hours. The only witness, the store clerk, witnessed two masked men arrive in a black Fathom FR36 with no plates and open fire on Clayton with automatic pistols. The article mentions that this shooting comes on the heels of a massive brawl at a party in Port Gellhorn Beach, followed by what authorities originally thought was a road rage shooting that occurred a few hours later. The police believe now that the two shootings were connected to the brawl and are pursuing all leads to find out who the killer is. The article notes that the police have several persons of interest that they’re looking for to bring in for questioning. 

• The following day, Lucia will receive a phone call from Lexy where she reveals that Hondo killed Clayton. Lucia cuts her off, angrily ordering Lexy to shut up and to stay quiet about the incident before ending the call.

• Lucia will receive a call from Stephanie who asks her if she knows anything about the brawl that led to a shooting and a murder the previous night, claiming she heard about it on the news. Lucia admits to being at the party and hearing the shooting, but feigns ignorance about Clayton’s murder. Stephanie warns Lucia that this is going to look really bad for her and that she better be telling the truth. Lucia pleads that she is being honest and asserts she had no connection whatsoever to what happened that night. She explains to Stephanie that it was her friends’ idea to drag her to the party that she wasn’t even interested in going to originally. Stephanie tells Lucia that her parole officer will be in touch with Port Gellhorn police regarding their investigation of what happened that night, reminding her to stay out of trouble and to find new friends.

 

Keep It a Buck

Part Two: Crushing Weight

This is the second part to this two-part side-mission line. It becomes available following the completion of Part One and the fourth mission of Chapter One, Taken For a Ride. To unlock the mission, the player must answer Lexy’s phone call. To start it, the player must head over to her apartment.

 

Lucia stands motionless in the shower, her back leaned up against the wall as the water washes all over her. It helps soothe her anxieties, the steam from the hot water creating a shield around her to help organize her racing thoughts. It’s only been a matter of days since being released from prison on parole, but so far it’s felt like nothing but one disaster after another. She now finds herself walking a tightrope precariously balancing her freedom between either f*cking up and getting caught or falling back into her old ways. She’s angry at herself, but also at everyone and everything else as if the universe had conspired against her and dealt her a bad hand in life. She thinks back at her deprived homelife, growing up poor with an abusive, narcissistic bully of a mother who drove the only loving person in her family, her father, to suicide. Her mother would go on to take her own life three years later when Lucia turned 18 years old, but by then, Lucia had already been long gone from home. She would get by staying with friends and living with her various boyfriends over the years, whilst getting into crime in order to eke out some sort of existence. Despite the excitement one gets from the kind of life she lived, with the constant parties, getting high all the time, lots of sex, selling drugs, and stealing cars, it’s never gotten her anywhere. She was always just getting by, something that she detests. Having grown up in poverty, she’s always had an unrelenting ambition, a desire, a strive to get more out of life. It’s never enough to be just content with what she had, she needed more and more.

 

As she gets out of the shower, she soon gets herself dressed in some sweatpants, a loose-fitting tank top, and a hoodie to get comfortable for the night. She hears her phone ringing and goes to check the caller ID, which shows that it’s her friend Lexy calling. Hesitant to answer, she decides to do so anyways on the off-chance that it could be about something rather innocuous. 

 

LUCIA

Hello?

 

LEXY

Hey! 

 

LUCIA

Lexy? What’s goin’ on?

 

LEXY

Nothin’ much, you got some free time?

 

LUCIA
It depends.

 

LEXY

Can you come over to my place when you got time? I could use your help with something.

 

LUCIA

Of course you do.

 

LEXY

Yeah, yeah! Come soon, please!

 

LUCIA

Alright, I’ll see you later.

 

LEXY

See you soon!

 

After hanging up, Lucia crawls into bed and drifts off into sleep. She wakes up in the early morning and gets ready for the day. After getting dressed, she heads out the door and drives to Lexy’s apartment to see what she needs. Upon arrival, Lucia makes her way over to Lexy’s apartment and knocks on the door. After a few seconds, Lexy opens the door just a crack to get to see who’s there. Once she recognizes that it’s Lucia, she opens the door further and pulls her inside. In the apartment, Lucia notices that Hondo’s friend Carlos, who she met at the party, is there hanging out in the living room watching TV. The two greet each other and then her and Lexy head into the kitchen to talk.

 

LUCIA

Okay, what’s the deal and why is he here?

 

LEXY

I’m guessing you haven’t heard?

 

LUCIA
Heard what?

 

LEXY

Hondo got brought into the precinct for questioning recently.

 

LUCIA
What?

 

LEXY

Don’t panic, okay? He wasn’t brought in as a suspect, apparently.

 

LUCIA

You mean the cops labeled him a person of interest?

 

LEXY

Exactly.

 

LUCIA

Okay, so? What does that mean for us?

 

LEXY

It means that I’m also a person of interest and I’m gonna have to go down to the station for questioning as well. In the meantime, his lawyer overheard that they’re going to be getting warrants to search our apartments for evidence. 

 

LUCIA

She looks visibly annoyed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

 

So you need me to help get rid of evidence?

 

LEXY

I hate to ask, but I really need your help!

 

LUCIA

This is the first and last time I’m doing anything like this for you, do you understand?

 

LEXY

Crystal clear!

 

LUCIA

So what am I doing?

 

LEXY

You’re gonna go with Carlos to pick up the car that was, uh, allegedly used and have it taken to a scrapyard to be crushed. Hondo knows the guy at the yard so he won’t ask no questions. It’s the one southwest of PG near the power plant. 

 

LUCIA

Where's the car? 

 

LEXY

It’s being looked after by a friend of his who wants it gone as soon as possible. It’s at a house out in Callahan. The guy’s name is Dean

 

She scribbles the address down on a sticky note, handing it to Lucia.

 

Here’s the address.

 

LUCIA

You owe me for this!

 

LEXY

She smiles.

 

Big time!

 

Lucia rolls her eyes and walks back into the living room, asking Carlos to come with her. She asks that he drive, handing him the note with the address on it. The two get themselves seated in Carlos’ modified 2003 Dinka Suzuka (exterior/interior) and then head out to get the car. During the drive, Lucia attempts to converse with Carlos in Spanish, however, it becomes quite apparent to her that his Spanish is quite broken. Perplexed, she asks him if he’s joking around with her, to which he admits that he doesn’t know much Spanish at all. This surprises Lucia somewhat. She admits to having known that such people exist, but states that she’s never met a fellow Latin/Hispanic person who doesn’t know Spanish until now. Carlos goes on to explain that while both his parents are both South American in origin, specifically Venezuela, they were both born in the US while his grandparents on both sides had immigrated to the country. He further adds that while his parents had attempted to teach him both English and Spanish, they eventually just settled on making him learn English to fit in and be more Americanized. Lucia relates to his experience somewhat, explaining that her mother was born in the US to immigrant parents from South America, while her father was an immigrant who moved to the US from Nicaragua after fighting in the Contra War of the 1980s. Her father originally settled in Northern San Andreas, specifically around the San Fierro Bay Area, before traveling Southeast and finally settling in the state of Leonida. 

 

Arriving at the house, they are greeted by a message spray painted on an old decrepit shed on the edge of the property threatening looters and burglars. Both Carlos and Lucia get a chuckle from it as he turns right onto the dirt driveway to the house. After parking up by the house, a man pokes his head out from the front doorway to get a look at who arrived. Lucia steps out of the car, asking him if he’s the one known as Dean.

 

DEAN

He steps out from behind the door of his house onto the porch.

 

Yeah, that’d be me, although some know me as… Greg.

 

LUCIA

Her and Carlos briefly glance at each other in slight bewilderment of his statement before Lucia returns her gaze towards Dean.

 

Right… uh, we’re here for the car?

 

DEAN

I know. Follow me.

 

OBJECTIVE: Follow Dean.

 

The two follow him around to the back of the house where a vehicle hidden under a large blue tarp can be seen parked under a homemade carport. Dean removes the tarp, revealing the black Fathom FR36 used in Clayton’s murder. The car looks to be in rough shape, with some small rust spots around the fenders, the front bumper hanging loose on the driver’s side, and faded paint on the hood and roof. 

 

LUCIA

Uh, does this car even still run?

 

DEAN

It should!

 

He points towards Carlos.

 

He oughta know!

 

CARLOS

Hey man, shut the f*ck up.

 

LUCIA

Seriously. Now, where are the keys?

 

DEAN

Inside.

 

LUCIA
Well? Go get ‘em!

 

DEAN

Uh-uh! First, you need to give me $1,000.

 

CARLOS & LUCIA

What?!

 

DEAN

$1,000! Did I stutter?

 

CARLOS

Have you lost your f*cking mind? Aren’t you tryin’ to get rid of this thing!?

 

DEAN

I am, but I got expenses! I don’t mean to take advantage, but you know how things is! Besides, the cops are gonna wanna know what happened to the car. I tell ‘em that I sold it for cash and that it’s now in another state.

 

LUCIA
No f*ckin’ way! Hand over the keys!

 

DEAN

He brandishes a 9mm pistol that was tucked behind him in his waistband as soon as he notices Lucia’s ankle monitor.

 

What the f*ck is that? What is that? Is this a set-up? Huh? WHAT THE f*ck IS THAT?

 

Carlos suddenly charges at Dean, tackling him to the ground, and the two struggle on the grass for the gun. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Help Carlos get the gun.

 

Lucia goes to help Carlos wrestle the gun from Dean’s hand, but the gun goes off with a loud bang. Carlos falls back, thinking he might’ve been grazed by the bullet, while Lucia keeps wrestling for control of the gun. She manages to almost get the gun out of his hand when another round is fired off, striking the FR36. After realizing that he wasn’t grazed or hit by a bullet, Carlos rejoins in the struggle to get the gun from Dean. She manages to position herself to be able to deliver two hard blows to Dean’s face, using her elbows for the strikes. She then forces the gun to be aimed towards Dean’s head, despite Carlos’ protests saying that he’s nearly got the gun out of Dean’s hand, and squeezes the trigger. A bullet is fired off into Dean’s temple which kills him instantly. 

 

CARLOS

Oh, f*ck! You capped him! sh*t! What the f*ck did you do that for?

 

LUCIA

This asshole was either gonna kill us or rat us out. He saw my f*ckin’ ankle tag!

 

CARLOS

All we had to do was take his gun from him, knock him out, and restrain him. Not this!

 

LUCIA

And then what? He calls the cops and says he got robbed? 

 

CARLOS

They know that this car was used in the murder, what would he have to gain from ratting us out!?

 

LUCIA

Dumbass, he could’ve copped a plea and gave us all up for a reduced sentence or some sh*t! Think for a f*ckin’ minute! I’ll be damned if you think I’m goin’ back to prison for this bullsh*t! I shouldn’t even be anywhere near this!

 

CARLOS

f*ck! I can’t believe he tried this sh*t! I thought we were all friends? Him and Hondo were tight, I don’t know how I’m gonna explain this to him!

 

LUCIA

Just stay quiet about it! Don’t say a f*cking thing. If anyone asks, we’ll say that we think it might’ve been a revenge thing after Hondo wasted Clayton.

 

CARLOS

Damn, this is so f*cked up! So what now?

 

LUCIA

We gotta get outta here, obviously! I’ll go find the keys to the car so I can take it to the crusher. You bring your car around and we’ll load him up in your trunk.

 

CARLOS

Why does he gotta be in my car?

 

LUCIA

Because the last thing I need is someone at the scrapyard finding out there’s a body in the trunk and then it gets traced back to me! I shouldn’t even be anywhere near this sh*t! I’m the one taking the real risks here. Just find a swampy area that’s nice and secluded and dump him in the water. The gators will take care of the rest.

 

CARLOS

Fine. Let’s get this over with!

 

OBJECTIVE: Go in the house and find the keys.

 

Lucia rushes into the house in a frantic search for the FR36’s key. She checks cabinets, drawers, tables, and anywhere else a key could be located. It isn’t until she walks by a coat hanger on the wall by the front door to the house does she see the key hanging from it. She pockets the key and runs back outside where she sees Carlos having just closed the trunk of his car after getting Dean’s body inside it. 

 

LUCIA

Now get outta here, and don’t breathe a word of this to Hondo, Lexy, or anyone, got it?

 

CARLOS

I ain’t stupid, I know what to do.

 

LUCIA
Good. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Drive to the scrapyard.

 

As Lucia drives to the scrapyard, she’s careful to avoid being seen by the cops as they have an APB out for this car with a full description. She utilizes alleyways and side roads to minimize her chances of being spotted. A while later, she finally arrives at the scrapyard, driving through the open gate and over to where the car crusher is. A man is seen waiting for her, approaching the FR36 after she parks up. The two nod at each other and she tosses the keys over to the scrapyard worker. He pulls a wad of cash from his pocket and hands her a couple hundred bucks for the salvaged materials that’ll be recycled from its parts.

 

As she walks away, a crane can be seen grabbing the car with a powerful magnet, lifting it into the air, and then depositing the vehicle into a huge hydraulic crushing device. Once she hears the sounds of metal being crushed, she continues walking out of the scrapyard where she pulls out her phone and proceeds to call Jason to give her a ride back to the house. 

 

JASON

 

WORLD EVENTS

As seen through his eyes.

Spoiler

Influencer Pizza Review

First Encounter

This is a world event that is unlocked after Jason becomes a playable protagonist in Chapter One. To discover this event, the player needs to head over to the House of Dreary Pizza in the downtown district of Port Gellhorn any day between 12:00pm-4:00pm (12:00-16:00).

 

There’s an ancient Chinese proverb that states, “Beware lest your eyes are bigger than your belly.” Anyone who understands this, however, has clearly never eaten from House of Dreary Pizza (its building based on the Ferrucci Ristorante in Panama City, FL). A hip and trendy pizza joint that caters to gamers and geeks with sci-fi and fantasy RPG memorabilia, particularly of the aging MMORPG Loot & Wank,  the place has been somewhat of a local mainstay in Port Gellhorn for almost a decade now. Looking to conquer his hunger, Jason decides to try it out now that he’s back in Leonida.

 

After parking his Declasse Tulip down the road, he walks along the sidewalk towards the entrance of the restaurant. As he approaches, he notices a guy with a camera filming the entrance and then a man steps out with a pizza box in hand.

 

INFLUENCER

Alright guys, it’s your boy Rusty here with another cheesy review! I’m outside the House of Dreary Pizza here in Port Gellhorn today, and y’all know the drill so let’s get into it. 

 

The influencer takes what looks like a nice slice of a supreme pizza, folds it, and takes a big bite out of it. The enthusiastic smile on Rusty’s face soon turns to an expression displaying indifference, then settles onto an expression conveying slight disappointment as he continues chewing. Once he’s ingested what he had bitten off, he proceeds to give his initial thoughts on the pizza. He praises the toppings, citing that they taste pretty fresh, but expresses concern over the pizza dough and the tastelessness of the sauce. At this point, the player can have Jason approach the influencer and interact with him. 

 

Upon greeting the influencer, it’s revealed that Jason knows Rusty and has watched some of his content relating to food reviews. Rusty thanks him for the support and then asks Jason if he was going to go in and try the pizza. Jason replies that he isn’t so sure now and then asks for a slice of Rusty’s pizza, to which he hands Jason a slice. Jason takes a bite out of it and gives his thoughts to the camera.

 

JASON

Eh, it’s decent, nothing to write home about. I feel like I need to be high to enjoy this pizza.

 

RUSTY

What if I told you I was high already?

 

JASON

Well, sh*t…

 

At this point, another guy comes walking out of the store and tries to get to Rusty’s attention. The guy claims to be the manager of the business and introduces himself as Mr. Orosco. 

 

OROSCO

Alright, look, I understand why you do what you do but I gotta say that I don’t appreciate it. What you’re doing is wrong.

 

RUSTY

A look of confusion develops on his face.

 

What am I doing that’s wrong?

 

OROSCO

This! This right here, it’s not helpful and you’re actually hurting small business owners.

 

RUSTY

Excuse me? I don’t think so, pal. I help businesses! People watch my content to find good places to eat. I’m not out here slandering your business for clout, now that would be wrong! Are you saying I can’t criticize your product?

 

OROSCO

You can’t judge the quality of our pizza off of just one bite! 

 

RUSTY

I’m still in the middle of the review, man! I haven’t even finished it yet! You realize this isn’t a good look for you, right?

 

OROSCO

No, what I’m realizing is that you’re an asshole, now enjoy your pizza! Oh, and thank you for the money by the way.

 

Rusty, his cameraman, and Jason all awkwardly glance at each as the owner slams the door behind him before bursting out into laughter. The owner hears the laughter and comes right out the door again with an even angrier expression on his face. Jason manages to stealthily snag another slice from the pizza box. 

 

OROSCO

In case I wasn’t clear enough already, let me be clear now: Get the hell away from my store, got it?

 

RUSTY

Displays his middle finger towards the business owner

 

Oh yeah? Hey, let me be clear: f*ck YOU!

 

OROSCO

f*ck me?! No, f*ck YOU! GET AWAY FROM MY STORE!

 

RUSTY

You don’t own the sidewalk, ya prick! I can stand here if I want to! What the f*ck is the matter with you?

 

OROSCO

Where the f*ck do you get off spoutin’ all this bullsh*t to idiots online?!

 

RUSTY

Why don’t you go back inside a find a shirt that fits you, you tubby f*ck! That Loot & Wank shirt is lookin’ six sizes too small for you!

 

OROSCO

Oh, I’ll go in and find somethin’ for your ass!

 

The owner swiftly walks back inside the restaurant, only to emerge with a baseball bat ready to swing. Nearby onlookers can be heard gasping and excitedly murmuring amongst themselves, while others pull out their phones to record the event. The cameraman puts the camera down and pleads with the owner to relax, while Rusty keeps on provoking him with taunts and getting into a fighting stance. The player has the choice to have Jason either intervene and break up the fight, or just stand by and record what’s going on.

• Intervene (Rusty): If the player locks onto Rusty and chooses to intervene, Jason will get between both him and the owner and persuade Rusty to relax and to calm down. Eventually the hostilities will cease with the owner calling Rusty a “chickensh*t” and walking back into his store. Rusty responds by throwing the pizza box at the store window and proceeding to leave the area. He’ll thank Jason for making sure things didn’t get too ugly and apologizes that he had to witness that, to which Jason shrugs off and laughs about it with him. Choosing this option will affect Jason's Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider slightly towards Cool.

• Intervene (Orosco): If the player locks onto the owner, Mr. Orosco, Jason will disarm the owner of his bat by grappling with him for it. Jason eventually snatches the bat as he headbutts the owner, causing him to fall to the ground clutching at his face in pain. Jason will throw the bat into the street and yell at the owner to stop acting stupid and to get his ass back inside the store. The owner spits some blood out of his mouth onto the ground as he gets up and stumbles his way back into his restaurant. Choosing this option will affect Jason's Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider slightly towards Chaotic.

• Record: If the player pulls out Jason’s phone, they can have him record the event. Rusty keeps on provoking the owner who soon gets fed up and takes a swing with his bat. Rusty dodges and grapples with Mr. Orosco for the bat. The two struggle with each other, eventually falling to the ground and getting into a hilarious, but pathetic fight with both of them throwing really weak punches at each other as they both simultaneously try to make the other tap out or submit. Eventually, a random pedestrian walks over and untangles the two guys and yells at them to grow up and stop acting like children before walking away. The owner turns around and quickly walks back into his restaurant, forgetting his bat, while Rusty gets up and walks away with his cameraman in tow. Jason can later upload the footage to his social media for his friends and followers to comment and react. 

 

Trivia

• This event is a reference to a video by One Bite Pizza Reviews in which Dave Portnoy gives his review of a pizza from Dragon Pizza in Somerville, MA, which results in him getting into a verbal altercation with the store’s owner/manager. 

• If the player intervenes by appealing to Rusty and then later goes into the store to buy food, the owner will then thank Jason for getting him away from his restaurant.

• If the player intervenes by getting into a fight with the owner and then proceeding to enter the store afterwards, the employees will refuse to serve Jason. He will also be temporarily banned from the restaurant for five in-game days. Entering the store during the ban will result in a wanted level as the employees will report him for trespassing. 

 

Off-Duty Cop

This is a world event that is unlocked after Jason becomes a playable protagonist in Chapter One. To discover it, the player needs to visit any one of three specific Blow ‘N Go stores in Port Gellhorn any day between 7:00pm-2:00am (19:00-02:00). This event was first discovered in the leaked world events list seen in Americas_1 2021-12-14 19-52-44.

 

It’s late into the evening and Jason finds himself doing a favor for his sister, Krissie. He’s driving over to a Blow ‘N Go store to pick up some cigarettes and beer, while also getting some snacks for himself should he decide to roll up a blunt and smoke back at the house later tonight. The drive isn’t too bad as he chose to go to the one that's closest to the house (its building based on this specific location). Pulling into the parking lot, Jason notices that for once it’s quite empty around the building. Normally there's quite a lot of people hanging around the store and others just chilling in the parking lot to pass the time. It’s also known to be a popular meet-up for street racers as there is a gas station (based on this location) nearby with a road that connects directly with a major interstate and a few empty backroads with long stretches of straight road that are perfect for late-night drags. 

 

Parking up in a spot on the side of the building, Jason walks through the door and is greeted by a loud, gravelly voice to his right ordering him to stop. Looking over to his right, he’s face to face with a 9mm pistol and an armed robber in a bright red ski mask, black ProLaps track jacket, matching black track pants, and white Eris sneakers. The robber demands Jason get on his knees and place his hands behind his head, threatening to shoot him for non-compliance. Letting out a heavy sigh with a visible expression of annoyance, Jason follows the thief’s command and gets down on the floor. While on his knees, Jason takes a moment to scan the store if there are any other people or threats inside. He sees another guy, middle aged in appearance and dressed casually, also on his knees with his hands behind his head. They both make eye contact and give each other an awkward nod as an acknowledgement to the predicament they find themselves in. 

 

The thief focuses back on the cashier who is visibly scared out of her mind and looking like she could faint at any moment. He demands the cashier to go ahead and empty the second register, but she advises him that she would need to get a key from the manager’s office which is locked. The thief threatens to pistol whip her if she doesn’t find a way to open it, threatening her by raising his arm and pretending to swing at her with the pistol. Since the thief has his back turned to both Jason and the other patron, Jason slowly takes one hand and begins to reach for his .45 pistol tucked into the waistband of his shorts behind his back. However, the thief decides to briefly check on his hostages which foils Jason’s plan as he reflexively moves his hand back behind his head before he’s caught by the thief. 

 

The armed robber then walks behind the counter and shoves the cashier aside before ordering her to the floor, to which she quickly complies. He begins pressing buttons, punching the register, and using a knife to pry open the cash drawer but nothing seems to work. Since he’s distracted, the other patron quickly stands up with his firearm in hand and aims it at the thief. He orders the robber to drop his weapon and to walk out from behind the counter. Thinking the customer just wants to play hero, the thief ducks down and begins blindly firing from cover. Both Jason and the other patron scramble for cover away from the gunfire. 

 

The gunfight only lasts for a few seconds as both combatants fire a hail of bullets towards one another. In the end, the robber is struck and killed by the patron who then finally reveals that he’s an off-duty cop. The cop puts his gun away and uses his cell phone to call police for backup and EMS services. Jason compliments the cop on how he handled it before quickly grabbing the beer and cigarettes Krissie asked for along with a plethora of snack items. Before leaving, he leaves some cash on the counter by the register to pay for the items.

 

Overdose

Ferris Wheel

This is one of a series of world events that is unlocked after Jason becomes a playable character in Chapter One. To discover this event, the player will need to head over to the ferris wheel attraction near the Gas Stop station close to the Port Gellhorn Raceway any day between 6:00pm-10:00pm (18:00-22:00). This event was first discovered in the leaked world events list seen in Americas_1 2022-03-03 10-43-31.

 

After pawning off some recently ill-gotten goods for a couple hundred dollars, Jason is able to finally relax for the day and just kick back. Before heading home to the safehouse, he decides to walk over to the nearby ferris wheel attraction and grab something to eat from a food truck serving burgers and sandwiches. After buying and eating a perfectly made cheeseburger for five dollars, Jason makes a call on his phone to his sister, Krissie. 

 

KRISSIE

Hello?

 

JASON

Hey sis,  how are you?

 

KRISSIE

I’m good, how about you?

 

JASON

Oh you know, I’m peachy. I got some good news.

 

KRISSIE

Oh yeah? What’s that?

 

JASON

Saw an old friend who’s still hustlin’, found out about some guy named Tony Zuko who had some dealings with this Ray-Ray guy.

 

KRISSIE

What did he say, like specifically?

 

JASON

All he said about Zuko is that he moves some coke for Ray-Ray and is an associate to his crew. Sorta like a middleman or something. Seems like a good lead to me.

 

KRISSIE

Looks like things are coming together on this, finally! When that pig, Ray-Ray, is finally gone, I feel I’ll be able to close the book on that part of my life. 

 

JASON

I’m glad I could help with this. It’ll be over soon, I promise. I’ll see you later.

 

KRISSIE

See ya.

 

After hanging up the call, Jason walks over to the ferris wheel and gazes at it for a bit. The lights against the dark evening sky are almost hypnotic as the wheel slowly spins round. Nearby, Jason overhears some murmurings from two people expressing some concern about one of the riders on the wheel. According to them, there’s a man who looks disheveled and filthy, like a homeless person, supposedly having been on the ferris wheel for a few hours now. Looking up at the cars on the wheel, Jason seemingly spots the man that the two women are talking about. Indeed, the man looks like a hobo, but he also appears to have either nodded off or is sleeping on the ride. It instantly clicks in his head what may have happened.

 

Jason approaches the ferris wheel operator and asks him to stop the ride, pointing at the car that the man is riding in. The operator stops the ride as the car in question reaches the platform and the two of them take a look at the passenger. As Jason approaches, the stench of death quickly confronts him, causing him to recoil in response. Holding his nose closed, he inspects the body and shines a light from his cell phone on it. Sure enough, the skin has started turning blue and there’s a large concentration of foam around the person’s mouth. On the car seat beside the man is some drug paraphernalia and a container filled with what looks like Fentanyl pills. Jason turns around and tells the ferris wheel operator to call 911. It’s a tragic, but grim reminder of the continued worsening of the opioid epidemic that is gripping the state of Leonida and the country at large.

 

Overly Packed Vehicle Crash

This is a world event that is unlocked after Jason becomes a playable character in Chapter One. To discover this event, the player needs to be driving on Interstate 404 heading south past the Port Gellhorn Raceway any day between 8:00am-3:00pm (08:00-15:00). This event was first discovered in the leaked world events list seen in Americas_1 2022-03-03 10-43-31.

 

“Do not worry if others do not understand you. Worry if you do not understand them.” That’s the most recent ancient Chinese proverb Jason has found himself pondering about after a recent visit to a local Chinese dive in town. It’s a saying that means that it's more important to focus on understanding others' perspectives and viewpoints rather than stressing if they don't fully grasp yours; essentially, empathy is key. A pretty novel concept, especially if recent times are anything to go by, however, it can be a struggle to be empathic when you’re dealing with someone who is very bull-headed and ignorant. There comes a time when one must realize that some people should really just know better, which is a situation Jason soon finds himself ensnared in as he drives out of town to attend a Thrillbilly Mud Club event. Cruising along the highway in his Declasse Tulip, the V8 engine gives off a very smooth and soothing purr. Traffic isn’t too heavy and it’s another beautiful sunny day despite the awful humidity. With the window down, Jason tunes in to the modern/alternative rock station where we can hear the DJ introduce the song Remedy by Leonida-based Alt-Rock/Punk band Hot Water Music. Stoked to hear one of his favorite bands, Jason cranks up the volume and can be seen vibing to the music with a smile on his face. 

 

The good vibes are interrupted when, midway through the song, Jason spots something odd in his rear view mirror quickly approaching his vehicle. Looming behind him is a Declasse Yosemite 1500 that has been completely overloaded with furniture and other junk in the truck’s bed. Feeling incredulous at what he’s witnessing, he shakes his head in disappointment.

 

JASON

Wow… Classic Leonida f*ckwit!

 

The truck moves over to the left lane and slowly overtakes Jason’s car. However, the truck starts merging too soon and is dangerously close to Jason’s Tulip, prompting him to quickly stomp on the brakes while blasting the horn. The driver of the truck jerks the wheel to the left to get back in the left lane, but the sudden weight transfer destabilizes the incredible load that it’s carrying. As a result, the truck fishtails around, hits the concrete divider with its front end, and then flips onto its side in a spectacular crash. The furniture and other junk that the truck was carrying is now strewn about the highway, with Jason narrowly missing it as he darts off into the shoulder to avoid the debris. Some of the other motorists are not so lucky and end up being caught up in the crash. A Canis Terminus slams on its brakes but is rear-ended by a Bravado Bison, causing a speeding Annis Euros to swerve and hit the rear left quarter panel of a Karin Vivanite. The Vivanite, having been pitted by the Euros, fishtails around and smashes into the flipped-over Yosemite 1500 that started this pileup. The other motorists further behind manage to safely come to a stop and begin slowly navigating around the crash to continue their commutes. 

 

From here, the player can have Jason pull over and take a quick snapshot of the crash using the Snapmatic app. The picture can then be uploaded to his social media accounts for his friends and followers to comment on and react to. 

 

Protesters

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing the fifth mission of Chapter One. To discover it, the player must navigate through Jason’s LifeInvader page where a political page that he stalks is promoting a scheduled protest. According to the post, the protest happens on Friday and starts at 8:00am outside the Port Gellhorn Town Hall building. This event was first discovered in the leaked world events list seen in Americas_1 2022-03-03 10-43-31.

 

Andrew Bode can be described in many ways: determined, passionate, ambitious, and a straight shooter. It’s a shame, however, that he’s determined to passionately shoot straight into his constituents’ collective foot for his ambitious cronies in big business. The worst part is his idiot supporters, the blue-collar working class who are now worse off than ever before, are blindly cheering him on despite the fact that he’s actively making their lives worse through Republican policies (designed to look like he’s “sticking it to the libs”), all in an attempt to kiss-ass and curry favor with the bigger idiot currently in the Governor’s office. In this country, this is just par for the course however. A feature not a bug, as some would say. It is what it is. Andrew Bode had originally started his political career as the Superintendent of Schools for Bloom County (named after the USS Bloomer, used by the Union Navy in the American Civil War), of which Port Gellhorn is county seat, before weaseling his way into a position within the state legislature. It wasn’t enough for him to plunder and embezzle from the county school budget, now he’s doing coke with trafficked sex workers, brushing shoulders with businessmen with questionable ethics, taking bribes, and allegedly arranging to have his ex-wife and her new husband murdered. The murder-for-hire scheme was uncovered by the FIB during a sting operation where they were investigating a drug ring with alleged links to a corrupt narcotics task force in Port Gellhorn. The charges brought forth by the authorities created a media firestorm for the disgraced state politician who has been doggedly denying the allegations, stressing that the whole thing was, in his words, “A joke that was taken completely out-of-context and is being completely blown out-of-proportion!” Andrew Bode went on to appeal to the public by asking, “Who else hasn’t made jokes about murdering their ex-wife? Especially when they take more than half your money and possessions in a rigged court case, while also spreading untrue rumors about the size of my penis to the tabloids!” When questioned about his links to corrupt police officials and organized crime figures, Andrew declined to comment as per his lawyer. 

 

With some spare time on his hands after getting up early, Jason finds himself over at the town hall building (based on the Parker City Hall building) after finding out about a planned protest on social media. The purpose of the demonstration is to drum up more support from the people to put pressure on the state government to either impeach Andrew Bode or force him to step down and resign from his position. A small gathering of around 30-40 people can be seen in front of the town hall waving signs, chanting, and blocking the entrance to the building to prevent local government workers from entering. Aside from that, there’s a table with t-shirts on display that are for sale, a person with clipboard gathering signatures for a petition, a Weazel News crew covering the demonstration, and a small police presence to keep things orderly and peaceful (although the player can overhear them making disparaging remarks about the protesters). 

 

From here, the player can interact with the protesters in a few ways. The player can talk to them, either through using the Greet command or Antagonize command. The player can also sign the petition that one of the demonstrators is promoting. The player can also buy t-shirts from the nearby merchandise table, and there are multiple t-shirts with different political slogans on them including one that says “Arrest Andrew Bode!” Causing trouble by constantly harassing the demonstrators through continual antagonizing will see Jason getting removed from the area by police. If the player does not leave, or re-enters the demonstration area after having been removed, the player will gain an automatic wanted level. Physically harming the protesters in any way will also trigger an automatic wanted level, as the police are there to keep the peace. The player can also record the protestors and take pictures of them to upload and share on his social media accounts. 

 

Hit and Run Incident

Merge Gone Wrong

Hit and Run Incidents are a series of world events that can be discovered across the map. The events become unlocked once Jason becomes a playable character in Chapter One. To discover this event, the player must head over to the Opium Nights hotel by Port Gellhorn Beach any day between 10:00am-10:00pm (10:00-22:00).

 

After a fun little date with Lucia playing some mini-golf and getting something to eat afterwards, Jason finds himself cruising by the beach at night looking for anyone interested in some late-night drags for cash or if there’s a car meet going on. As he approaches the entrance to the parking lot of the Opium Nights By The Beach (based on the Watercrest Condominiums), he sees a tastefully modified Imponte Phoenix pass by in the oncoming lanes. He makes a right into the lot to make a quick u-turn to catch up to the Phoenix, but is cut-off by someone in a Benefactor XLS illegally driving through vacant parking spaces to quickly get to the exit. The driver of the SUV makes a right turn onto the main road but doesn’t stop or yield the right-of-way, causing a 2004 Imponte Bravura GT (exterior/interior) to slam on its brakes. Despite the vehicle braking hard, its tires screeching as they try to bring it to a halt, it’s not enough to avoid a collision and so the car ends up clipping the rear of the XLS.

 

At first, it appears the XLS is slowing down to pull over but then it quickly accelerates away. The owner of the Bravura GT can be heard loudly venting their frustration and anger with the situation. From here, the player has a few options on how to proceed with this event. The player can either record the incident or snap a picture of the XLS’s license plate to give to the owner of the Bravura GT, chase after the offending driver, or simply leave the scene without providing any help. If the player manages to capture a clear image of the plate belonging to XLS, providing it to the victim will affect the player’s Cool/Chaotic meter by moving it slightly towards Cool.

 

Should the player decide to pursue the offending driver, the player can follow them back to their residence. If the player keeps cool, they can simply just tail them through traffic. If the player is spotted, it will turn into a high-speed chase and the player will need to keep up so as to not lose them. In either situation, the driver will head back to their residence but their demeanor will be different depending on whether or not the player was spotted. If the player was not spotted, when confronted the driver will feign ignorance about the collision and ask the player to leave. If the player is spotted, the driver will be hostile and will try to fight the player with a melee weapon. Once the driver is cornered and/or subdued, the player can then have Jason extort money from them. The money ranges anywhere between $300-1000 in cash and the player can either choose to keep it or give it to the victim so they can repair their car. If the player decides to keep the money, this will affect their Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the meter towards Chaotic. If the player decides to share the money with the victim, it will have the opposite effect and move the slider towards Cool. 

 

Hit and Run Incident

Pedestrian Struck

To discover this event, the player will need to go over to the Cluckin’ Bell restaurant in the northeast side of town any day between 12:00pm-8:00pm (12:00-20:00). This is not to be confused with the Hit By Car world events.

 

It’s a quarter past six in the evening and Jason is sitting alone inside a local Cluckin’ Bell enjoying some peace and quiet with some wonderfully cooked and seasoned fried chicken. It’s a pleasant break from the craziness he’s been involved in lately. Between helping his sister, Krissie, get her revenge and now getting entangled with her best friend, Lucia, who’s struggling with her own issues, any opportunity for a break is a welcome one. Jason knew coming back to Leonida wasn’t going to be easy, but he didn’t count on it becoming this messy. Still, any chance to mend his strained and damaged relationship with the only family he has left, his sister, is worth undertaking no matter the risks. He knows that he can’t keep on running and drifting from place to place forever with only himself to rely on. Eventually, your legs are going to give out one way or another whether it’s from exhaustion or from just one more bad decision. Without anyone else to depend on to help you back on your feet, you might just be as good as dead.

 

Finishing his meal, he gets up to exit and walks over to his car. Upon opening the driver’s door and climbing in, he suddenly hears a very loud screeching noise (loud enough to jumpscare the player) coming from a nearby intersection. There’s no mistaking it, the screeching is coming from locked up tires. Turning around just in time, Jason witnesses a dark colored sedan strike a pedestrian who was crossing the road. The pedestrian goes up and over the vehicle as the car finally slides to a halt. Jason sprints over to the victim who was hit and examines them, however it is quite clear that the person is dead. The car that struck the victim then suddenly accelerates away from the scene, much to the shock and dismay of nearby onlookers.

 

From here, the player can either chase after the vehicle or simply leave the scene. If the player decides to hang around, an ambulance and a police vehicle will show up to tend to the scene. The police officer will keep bystanders from getting too close while the paramedics tend to the body. After confirming that the victim is dead, the police officer will call for the coroner to arrive along with additional backup units who show up within a few minutes. The cops document the scene and keep order while the coroner loads the body up to be taken to the local morgue.

 

If the player decides to chase after the car, the driver will eventually abandon it after a brief pursuit. Jason will have to continue the chase on foot through a forested area and then through some backyards in a neighborhood to catch up. Once the player has cornered the driver, they can beat up or waste him. Doing so will affect Jason’s Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider towards Cool. Looting the driver’s body will reward the player with a few hundred dollars in cash and a smartphone that can be pawned for money. 

 

Road Rage Incident

Double Parked

Road Rage Incidents are a series of ambient world events that can be encountered and experienced by both Jason and Lucia. To discover this event, the player will need to head over to the Raymond Theatre on Main St. any day between 3:00pm-9:00pm (15:00-21:00).

 

Down at the local billiard hall, Petey’s, Jason is wrapping up another good game of pool as he gets ready to take the winning shot. So far he’s hustled a total of $150 from two of the patrons and is set to win another $50 from this game once he pockets the 8-ball. He lines up the mark after chalking up his pool cue, takes a breath, and shoots. The cue ball has a beautiful counter-clockwise spin to it and hits the 8-Ball at the right angle to propel it into the top left corner pocket. Jason and his opponent then shake hands before being handed the $50 he won. Jason calls it a day and starts making his way over to the exit, only to pause when he hears his phone ringing in his pocket. Fishing out his phone, he sees that the call is coming from his sister Krissie.

 

JASON

What’s up?

 

KRISSIE

Not a whole lot, what about you?

 

JASON

About the same.

 

KRISSIE

Wanna go race some go-karts over at Riptides? I’m feelin’ the need for speed! 

 

JASON

Yeah, I’m down for that. Just remember it’s go-karts, not bumper cars!

 

KRISSIE

Oh, whatever! I’ll see you soon. Pick me up from the house.

 

JASON

Alright, I’ll see you soon.

 

After ending the call, Jason then dials up Lucia’s number and invites her to join up with them. Lucia eagerly accepts the invite and asks to be picked up over at the bar she works at from time to time, The Slutty Fox. Exiting the local billiards hall, Jason turns right and walks down the sidewalk to go around the block to where his car is parked. As he passes in front of the historic Raymond Theatre, Jason’s thoughts are interrupted by the loud blaring of a car horn. Looking over to his left, he sees a 2024 Annis Empyreal XR (exterior/interior), double parked with its hazard lights on, holding up traffic with a Vapid Caracara 4x4 behind it blasting its horn.

 

The driver in the double parked car yells out that he’s waiting to pick someone up and asks that traffic go around him, however, the vehicles behind him cannot do so as the oncoming lane is at a standstill due to an unusually large amount of traffic at this time causing congestion. The driver in the Caracara 4x4 keeps inching closer and closer to the Annis’ rear bumper whilst revving his engine loudly and incessantly holding down the horn. The other drivers behind the pickup are getting impatient and begin blaring their horns, demanding the double parker to move. In response, the guy in the double parked car throws his hands up in frustration, blaming everyone else for being impatient, and remains stationary waiting for his passengers to arrive to get into his car. From here, the player can interact with the situation in a couple of ways:

 

• Persuade: Choosing this option, by pressing the Greet command, will see Jason have a brief chat with the double parker. He soon manages to convince the guy to stop being an insufferable prick and to just move his car around the block where parking is available. Choosing this option will affect Jason’s Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider towards Cool.

• Threaten: Choosing this option, by pressing the Antagonize command, will see Jason ordering the double parker to move his car immediately. The driver refuses and asks that the people behind him just wait a minute or two. Jason then reaches into the car and aggressively grabs the man by his shirt collar and threatens to beat the everloving crap out of him if he doesn’t move his vehicle quickly. The guy folds and finally capitulates, moving his car forward and turning right at the intersection so that traffic can finally proceed as normal. Choosing this option will affect Jason’s Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider towards Cool.

• Do It Yourself: Choosing this option, the player commands Jason to simply carjack the man out of his vehicle and drive away so that traffic can proceed as normal. Choosing this option will affect Jason’s Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider towards Chaotic.

• Record: If the player decides to do nothing and instead record the situation on Jason’s phone, the driver in Caracara 4x4 stuck behind the double parker will take matters into his own hands. The Vapid driver may either exit his vehicle and assault the double parker to get him to move, or he may use his truck to push the sedan out into the intersection to clear the lane. The footage recorded can then be uploaded to Jason’s social media accounts for his friends and followers to comment on and react to. 

 

Road Rage Incident

Gas Station Beatdown

To discover this event, the player needs to go over to the Gas Stop gas station located past the Port Gellhorn Raceway any day between 4:00pm-9:00pm (16:00-21:00).

 

Eighty-one dollars and eighty cents. This is what the meter reads on the gas pump after it had finished filling up the tank on his Tulip. Jason briefly stares at it with a deadpan expression before chuckling to himself, placing his hands in the pockets of his camo cargo shorts. He smirks to himself that he had just re-fueled the car over five days ago.

 

JASON

He turns around and faces his car, hands still in his pockets.

 

Well, I guess it’s back to the pool hall or maybe it really is time I get a hybrid sh*tbox…

 

He sighs to himself and goes to get back inside his car, but suddenly he hears the sound of screeching tires and car horns being blasted. He looks over to his right and sees a silver Dinka Chavos V6 frantically pulling up to the gas station and stopping at one of the pumps. Inside, he can see a young woman who looks visibly frightened and shaken up. Immediately afterward, a customized Karin Everon and a bright blue Vapid Sandking XL pull into the gas station, both of them covered in dirt, dust, and mud from some recent off-roading. The Everon parks up behind the woman’s car while the Sandking XL circles around and parks in front of her, essentially blocking her in. Both men exit their trucks and begin angrily shouting and banging on the woman’s car and her windows. From their shouting, it seems that the woman had cut off the trucks while switching lanes so as to not miss her exit off of the highway. For some reason, these two guys think the most appropriate response to this is to chase the young woman down and terrorize her for such an affront. From here, the player can proceed by either intervening or doing nothing. 

 

• Intervene: Choosing to intervene, Jason shouts at the two men to get their attention. Jason then threatens to knock the both of them out if they don’t leave the woman alone. In response, the two men shrug off Jason’s threat and tell him to mind his own business before continuing to vandalize the woman’s car. Seeing no other way, Jason steps up to fight the both of them. Jason approaches the younger redneck guy first who throws a left hook, while his friend keeps terrorizing the woman. Jason dodges it, delivering a swift and painful counterpunch to the guy’s solar plexus, sending him to the ground struggling to breathe. The younger guy’s friend is next and squares up with Jason. The man Jason is now fighting against is an older guy, appearing to be middle-aged with a portly figure while being similar in height. Despite his appearance, the man knows how to handle himself, proving to be a formidable opponent in this fight as he hands out a few vicious blows of his own. The man then pulls Jason into a grapple, and the two struggle briefly. Jason quickly breaks out of the grapple and pulls off a nasty three-piece combo that ends with a hard right hook to the man’s jaw. The punch is enough to make the man fold up and collapse onto the ground. The man’s head bounces from hitting the concrete, causing him to go into the fencing response as a result. After beating the two men, Jason walks up to the woman’s car and asks if she’s hurt. She responds, still looking visibly shaken, that she’s not hurt, but just wants to get out of there. Jason will then need to move one of the trucks so the woman can exit the gas station. 

• Do Nothing: Choosing to do nothing will result in a group of other bystanders getting involved to help the woman. One of the bystanders brandishes a firearm and orders the two road ragers to leave immediately. The two men insult the group of people helping the woman before giving up and getting back into their trucks to leave. However, the younger redneck guy in the Karin Everon will purposely rear-end the woman’s car before backing out and speeding away.

 

Fly Tippers

This is a world event that is unlocked when Jason becomes a playable protagonist in Chapter One. To discover this event, the player will need to go north towards Hank’s Waffles and then turn right onto Route 5 heading east towards Domed Hills any day between 7:00am-7:00pm (07:00-19:00).

 

The answers Jason needs feel like they’re just around the corner. The adrenaline coursing through his veins have been steadily increasing as he continues to follow the tracking signal coming from the tracker he planted on Tony Zuko’s car the previous night. As he comes up to the intersection where the Hank’s Waffles is located, Jason makes a right turn behind the wheel of a stolen Dinka Kanjo SJ going up Route 5 towards Domed Hills. A few miles down the road, Jason eventually comes upon a dirt track that branches off the main road where he sees a parked white Bravado Rumpo van and a pile of trash and rubbish nearby. 

 

JASON

What the f*ck?

 

He slows down and pulls a U-turn and then pulls over onto the side of the road, turning on his hazard lights as he parks up. Getting a better look, he realizes that there are two men illegally dumping waste and chemicals on the side of the road. The two men quickly notice Jason staring at them and they ask if he has some sort of problem. Jason retorts that he does, pointing his finger at the two of them. 

 

FLY TIPPER 1

Oh I see, you’re one of those pansy-ass hippie liberals that care so much about the environment and all that. I’ll tell you what, once me and my buddy leave here, you’re welcome to call all your little commie friends to come over and clean all this up! You can then feel like you accomplished something instead of just whining all the time!

 

JASON

Oh trust me, it’s gonna get cleaned up. By you two!

 

FLY TIPPER 2

He smirks at Jason.

 

Oh yeah? And how did you figure that, amigo?

 

JASON

He steps out of his car.

 

I thought you’d never ask!

 

FLY TIPPER 1

He lifts up his t-shirt, showing a handgun holstered in his waistband.

 

Careful now! You might wanna choose your next action very carefully!

 

FLY TIPPER 2

Homie’s gettin’ a little brave, I think! 

 

FLY TIPPER 1

Well, as the saying goes… the good die young, after all!

 

From here, the player can either choose to antagonize them, rob them, or defuse the situation and leave.

• Defuse: Choosing this option, Jason will very passive-aggressively apologize while raising his hands up allowing the player to now walk away from the situation or change their mind to either antagonize or rob them. If the player does not walk away, the man with the gun will brandish it and aim it towards Jason and threaten him if he continues to hang around. Continuing to do nothing will make them hostile and the man will shoot at the player in response, forcing the player into a gunfight.
• Antagonize: Choosing this option, Jason will raise his t-shirt to show off his .45 pistol tucked in his waistband and taunt the two men with it. This provokes the situation into a tense standoff with both Jason and the armed thug ready to draw on each other in an RDR2-style duel. After gunning down the armed fly tipper, the other fly tipper will proceed to run away into the forest. The player can then optionally chase after the guy to either beat him up, kill him, and/or rob him, or just simply let him go. If the player loots the corpse of the dead fly tipper and robs the other one, the player can net themselves $500 in cash along with smartphones and watches that can be pawned off for extra cash. The player must not hang around for too long as potential witnesses will drive by the scene and call the police upon discovery. The player can prevent this by carrying the bodies away and hiding them out of sight from passerby. This action will affect Jason’s Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider towards Chaotic.
• Rob: Choosing this option, Jason swiftly brandishes his .45 pistol and takes aim at both men, causing them both to raise their hands. He moves in quickly to disarm the one fly-tipper of his gun, pistol whipping him in the process. With the both of them disarmed, Jason orders them to empty their pockets of any cash or valuables they have. Once the cash and loot has been collected, Jason then orders the two men to clean up their mess. A very brief cutscene is triggered, showing the two men putting their rubbish back into the van while cursing at Jason and insulting him as he keeps his gun pointed at them. The two then climb into their van and drive away. This action will affect Jason’s Cool/Chaotic meter by moving the slider towards Cool.

 

Homeless Clown

First Encounter

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing Lucia’s encounter with the Homeless Clown. To discover this event, the player needs to head over to the same location as the previous encounter any day between 11:00pm-5:00am (23:00-05:00).

 

Having lived most of his adult life drifting from town to town throughout the Midwest, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest, Jason is no stranger to witnessing strange sights and hearing about local urban legends during his travels. Hell, having lived in Leonida during his teen years, Jason has seen and heard all sorts of weird and odd things. The case of Joshua Hampton back in 2008 was one he was especially familiar with, considering the fact that the whole thing came to a grisly conclusion next door to his home at the time. Since then, he’s acquired a keen interest in reading about and seeking out bizarre folklore, urban legends, and baffling mysteries. Having been spurred on by hearing about Lucia’s recent late-night encounter with a creep dressed as a clown, Jason heads out to where she said the event occurred. However, he’s not convinced that this is a case of something eerie happening, rather the opposite. To him, this is just a matter of some idiot with too much time on their hands looking to revive an old viral trend from several years ago. 

 

During the drive, Jason remembers the first time where he and a few friends out in the Midwest, during the summer of 2016, encountered two clowns on a rural road that were armed with fake machetes looking to frighten passersby. They pulled over and promptly beat the two clowns up and took the masks as “trophies.” As the trend began to pull the nation and parts of the UK into a mass hysteria, a page was created on LifeInvader that quickly grew in popularity where users who stalked the page could submit “bounties” on clowns that were spotted. Jason took part in it and managed to “scalp” (meaning to steal the masks off of clowns after beating them up) an impressive thirty clowns. This didn’t really help the situation much, rather it made things worse with clowns beginning to carry real weapons with them for protection. In the end, two people were killed in separate incidents with one of the victims being a clown and the other a civilian that brandished a firearm at a clown. In Leonida, families went trick-or-treating while armed during Halloween, which led to a few panic-induced shootings that thankfully didn’t result in any fatalities. The last clown-related incident of that year happened in Leonard County, Leonida in which a family was attacked by a mob of people dressed as clowns. 

 

Turning onto Telegraph Road, Jason drives by the trucking center Lucia mentioned and slows down. Reaching over towards the passenger seat, Jason grabs his flashlight and aims it over to the trees on his left hoping to catch a glimpse of this clown. However, he doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary and so he continues down the road a bit before pulling a u-turn. As he comes back, he shines his flashlight to his right at the trees again but still doesn’t see anything odd. That is, until he momentarily looks forward to keep an eye on the road when, suddenly, he spots a figure standing a few meters away from his car. Alarmed, Jason slams on the brakes in order to stop so he doesn’t hit the person with his car. Owing to the decade of when his Tulip was originally built, it lacks anti-lock brakes from the factory and so his wheels lock up and it slides to a halt. 

 

Jason looks up from his steering wheel and sees a haggard man in old dirty and baggy clothes, indeed, wearing clown makeup. He steps out of his car, flicking his wrists at his sides as he gets ready to hand out a beating.

 

JASON

Got lost on your way to the circus?

 

CLOWN

Speaks with a very gravelly voice.

 

No… the circus done left me behind.

 

JASON

Tough luck.

 

CLOWN

I don’t need your pity!

 

JASON

Right, of course. You know, you shouldn’t be standing out here on the roads. I coulda killed ya!

 

CLOWN

I wish you had!

 

JASON

He smirks.

 

Okay, buddy. 

 

CLOWN

Starts to giggle nonsensically

 

It’s in me, ya know? Somehow it’s in me, but I’m also in it! I ain’t it and it ain’t me! But we’re stuck together like so, you see? Can you help to get it out?

 

JASON

You can drop the act now, pal. I know what you’re doing out here. Go the f*ck home.

 

CLOWN

I am home! My home is here! Right here! But it’s also not, you see? 

 

At this point, Jason lets out a frustrated sigh and the player is prompted to antagonize the clown. In doing so, Jason grabs the clown by the shirt collar and pins him down onto the hood of his car.

 

JASON

I’m not playin’ your f*ckin’ game anymore, asshole! You ain’t funny! Knock this sh*t off!

 

CLOWN

Is this about the girl? Is that it? I didn’t touch her! It wasn’t me! I was forced to bear witness!

 

JASON

Visibly taken aback by what he heard.

 

What did you just f*cking say? What did you say!?

 

He turns the clown over so that his face is pressed against the hot hood of his Tulip, causing the clown to cry out while Jason takes one of his arms and forces it into an unnatural position that can cause it to break. Before he can do more harm to the clown, Jason sees the bright flash of approaching headlights coming over the horizon. The clown realizes he’s distracted and weasels his way out of Jason’s grasp, pulling out a switchblade with his other arm that wasn’t being held down. He takes a swing at Jason, who luckily dodges it, before dashing into the woods.

 

JASON

Oh, you’re really gonna get it now, bozo! You better run!

 

Jason sprints after the clown but quickly loses sight of him once in the forest. He pulls out his flashlight, but it’s no use as he doesn’t know if the clown had changed directions when entering the woods. He turns around and sees the car in the distance getting closer, and so he decides to turn back and leave but with a plan to come back later during daylight hours. 

 

Homeless Clown

The Dwelling

This is a world event that is unlocked after completing Jason’s first encounter. To discover this event, the player will need to locate the clown’s dwelling, which is a ruined and condemned home located in a forest a few miles east of where Jason last encountered him.

 

The following day, Jason arrives back at the spot he last encountered the clown. It’s an overcast afternoon with a rainstorm that is going to be passing over the region soon, so it’s also pretty windy outside. Jason pulls over to park up on the shoulder, flipping on his hazard lights as he sits in the car. He looks to his right at the dense forest and replays the encounter he had last night with the clown, where he comes to the realization that he most likely isn’t dealing with some ordinary prankster. The thing that sticks out to him the most about his encounter was when the clown mentioned a “she.” Just who could the clown be referring to? His mind instantly thinks about Lucia, knowing that she had her own encounter with this clown recently. Jason still hasn’t even mentioned to Lucia about his encounter with the clown, let alone the fact that he even went out looking for him in the first place. His mind soon turns to a more sinister line of thinking, however, wondering if what the clown really meant by “she” was just some random innocent civilian. Unsure of what he expects to find out here, Jason leans over and opens the glovebox where he retrieves his pistol and some painkillers just in case. He takes a moment to examine his gun, pulling out the magazine to check that it’s fully loaded before loading back in. He then pulls back the slide and checks that there’s a round in the chamber ready to be fired. 

 

Stepping out of the car, he begins his trek through the woods. He glances at his watch to check the time where he sees that it’s currently 12:43 p.m. It doesn’t take long before he finds his first clue, a children’s toy wagon that’s covered in dirt and filled with random rubbish. He carries on eastward, eventually arriving at a very large clearing. There’s a dirt road that runs through the middle of the clearing that Jason decides to follow, staying vigilant by keeping his head on a swivel. Soon, he spots what looks like a humanoid figure in the distance standing in a field. Approaching it, he sees that it’s nothing more than a makeshift scarecrow, however its face is painted to resemble a clown which makes it another clue. Could just be a coincidence of some sort, sure, but Jason continues to push on in search of the man he had an encounter with the night before. 

 

It’s now 1:56 p.m. (13:56), with Jason now feeling the gentle rain drops drizzling down from the dark thick gray clouds above. The wind has also picked up a bit more as it howls through the trees, the rustling of leaves and foliage sounding like the loud cheers and applause of an audience encouraging him to go on. It isn’t long before Jason finally spots some footprints on the dirt road, uncertain if they belong to the clown that he’s searching for. It’s clear that whoever did recently walk on the dirt path, looked like they were dawdling about almost aimlessly as the footprints occasionally veer on and off the path from time to time. Eventually, the footprints veer off the trail a final time in the direction of another patch of dense forest to the north. 

 

The rain begins to increase in intensity as Jason enters another wooded area in search of the clown, with the overcast skies growing even darker now. Within the forest, Jason spots what looks like the remains of a ruined and condemned house that is partially collapsed and covered in overgrowth from the surrounding vegetation. Looking around the property, he locates a cellar that is locked with a padlock. He pulls out a snap gun which he uses to pick the padlock open in just a few quick seconds. With the cellar door now unlocked, there’s a sense of reluctance or hesitancy that Jason now feels. After waiting a several seconds he takes a deep breath and opens the cellar door, only to be hastily greeted by the overwhelming stench of death. Cringing backwards and holding his nose tightly shut, Jason grabs his flashlight and shines it down into the cellar whilst slowly proceeding down the stairs.

 

To no one’s surprise, the place is absolutely filthy with rubbish and junk everywhere like a hoarder had been living there. All along the walls are the markings and scribbles of a madman consisting of nonsensical rants, riddles, and screeds. There are old photos from the 1940s-1980s of clowns and messages that strongly imply some sort of dissociative personality disorder. Going further, Jason finds a makeshift bedroom where a body can be seen lying on it. Upon further inspection, it appears to be the body of a middle-aged vagrant woman who has clearly died a few days ago. Curiously, her face has also been painted to resemble a clown. Opening a nightstand by the bed, there are several notes and scribbles left behind by the clown. Reading them reveals the harrowing depths of madness that the clown had descended to all these years. 

 

In the notes, it’s revealed that the clown’s real name is Kevin Waterson, the son of the late Edward Waterson and the grandson of Charles Waterson. Both of the elder Watersons had been heavily involved in the circus business and had made a successful career out of performing as clowns under the stage name of Dopey Donny. After Edward had retired, Kevin felt it was his turn to carry on the “legacy.” For Kevin, it was a long and hard road filled with hardships, setbacks, and allegations of indecent behavior around children that essentially ruined his chosen path. At some point, he suffered a mental breakdown and became a recluse while losing everything in the process. Another note details a murder he committed a few years ago since becoming a vagrant. The last note sees him lamenting taking on the clown persona, blaming it for his problems and claiming that there is some sort of curse or supernatural force associated with it, explaining that he fears that the persona is attempting to take him over and essentially replace him. 

 

Jason drops the notes and decides to quickly leave the cellar, now knowing he’s dealing with a full-blown lunatic. As he rounds the corner to run up the stairs, Kevin suddenly emerges from the shadows and ambushes Jason with a kitchen knife. Jason fights for his life as he struggles with the incoherent clown, who’s giggling uncontrollably in a disturbing manner. After suffering a few cuts from the blade, Jason manages to get the upper hand by tripping the clown and making him fall backwards to the floor. He quickly reaches for his pistol and fires several rounds into the clown before he can even get back off the ground, finally ending the threat. Jason rapidly ascends the stairs to the outside, where the rain is now coming down in a torrential downpour. He takes one look back at the cellar, trying to process the horror he just witnessed but quickly shoves it away to the back of his mind as he trudges the long way back to his car. 

 

 

SIDE MISSIONS

In Chapter One, similar to Lucia, Jason only has one side mission strand during this chapter that is divided into four parts

Spoiler

Family Matters

Part One: B.O.L.O.

This is the first part of a four-part side mission strand that is unlocked after Jason becomes a playable protagonist upon completing the fourth mission of Chapter One. To trigger Part One, the player must greet Krissie in the safehouse. She can be found in the living room lying on the couch watching TV. 

 

It’s a quarter after twelve in the afternoon when Jason finally awakes from his slumber. He hadn’t planned on sleeping in this late, but at least he now feels like he actually got a good night’s sleep for once. He takes a shower and shaves down his facial hair, going from a scruffy beard to a nice thick stubble. Getting dressed, he puts on a gray t-shirt, featuring a prominent T-East logo, denim shorts, and his Slab slip-ons paired with gray socks. Walking over to the living room, he sees his sister, Krissie, lying on the couch watching TV. They acknowledge each other with a simple wave as Jason makes his way to the kitchen to grab a can of eCola to drink. He then returns to the living room, sitting next to her, where he asks Krissie if she has the day off from work.

 

KRISSIE

Flipping through different channels using the TV remote.

 

Yeah, I needed a break so I’m off today and tomorrow. 

 

JASON

Nodding his head.

 

Cool, cool.

 

KRISSIE

She sits up and looks over at him.

 

It’s weird being back, isn’t it?

 

JASON

Kinda, I mean, it feels like it’s changed so much but at the same time… not? I’m probably not making any sense.

 

KRISSIE

No, I get it.

 

JASON

Look, I know we haven’t really talked about it much, but I’m sorry about how I left you all those years ago.

 

KRISSIE

Stop. You don’t need to keep blaming yourself or feeling sorry, I mean, I practically encouraged you to go out there. I understood why you felt like you needed to go. I.. I wanted to go too, believe me, but I just couldn’t. You’re here now, that’s all that matters.

 

JASON

That doesn’t make it any better. I should’ve been here to help.

 

KRISSIE

I managed just fine without you. Yeah, Mom and Dad just kept on getting high and treating me like sh*t, but I got by. When Dad disappeared, I looked after Mom right up until the day she died despite what she put us through. She was a victim too, ya know? She was just too broken to change.

 

JASON

She was certainly complicated, yeah, but I’m not just talking about all of that. I’m also talking about what happened afterwards. The whole reason I’m here in the first place.

 

KRISSIE

Don’t feel guilty, okay? I messed up and got involved with bad people. I didn’t know how to cope and it’s my fault I—

 

JASON

He stands up and raises his voice.

 

It isn’t your fault what they did to you!

 

KRISSIE

She stands up and raises her voice as well.

 

It’s my fault for letting myself end up like that! I put myself in that situation! If it wasn’t me, it was just gonna be someone else!

 

JASON

Jesus Christ! How can you even say that about yourself? For f*ck’s sake, Kristina!

 

KRISSIE

Because that’s just how life is! Actions have consequences, you should know that. Bad decisions lead to bad outcomes. 

 

She sits back down on the couch.

 

When I was in rehab, I was taught that one of the most important things in life was self-acceptance. I’ve acknowledged my role in this, I’ve owned it, and I’ve accepted it. I can’t change what happened to me, but I, and by “I” mean “we,” can make sure it doesn’t happen to someone else.

 

JASON

He sits back down on the other end of the couch.

 

Care to tell me which part of your twelve-step program covers mending strained family relationships through conspiracy to commit murder?

 

KRISSIE

She smirks.

 

Oh, I made that one up. Consider it my bonus thirteenth step.

 

JASON

Thirteen? How unlucky.

 

KRISSIE

Unlucky for those that wronged me.

 

JASON

He stands up from the couch and proceeds to walk towards the front door of the house.

 

Oh, I’m sure there’s plenty of bad luck to go around. I think I know someone who lives around here, an old friend of mine, who hustles. I think he might be able to point me in the right direction. 

 

KRISSIE

Good luck to you! Let me know what you find out. 

 

JASON

Opens the front door and walks out.

 

I’ll talk to you later.

 

Jason walks over to his Declasse Tulip parked in the driveway next to his sister’s car and climbs inside. After starting the car, he pulls out his cell phone and looks through his contacts for a guy named Brian, calling him up once located. Brian and Jason go back years, where they met in high school before the both of them dropped out. Brian is a dedicated fan of the band Fatal Incursion, being part of the Fooliganz subculture, and is also a small-time independent drug dealer. Both Jason and Brian had left Leonida at around the same time and traveled together, but the two parted ways after getting waylaid in Otra Costa County in northern San Andreas in 2020. The two had run afoul of a Norteño street gang after getting into an altercation with some members at a bar, resulting in them stealing a shotcaller’s car and torching it after a reckless joyride at a street takeover. In response to this, a dealer affiliated with the Norteños who had heard about the incident sold the pair ecstasy and marijuana that was laced with Fentanyl. Jason and Brian didn’t find out about this until a friend that they were temporarily staying with smoked the laced weed and promptly died from an overdose. Brian and Jason immediately sought revenge, however, the gangbangers were prepared and ambushed the two of them upon their return. Narrowly escaping with their lives, the two agreed to part ways. Brian headed back to Leonida and Jason traveled further up north to Portland, Oregon. 

 

The two of them hadn’t spoken to each other since then, not because of any perceived animosity between them, but rather the two had drifted apart in an attempt to pick up the pieces since things went belly up so fast. Jason knows Brian has a good ear out on the streets, but is unsure if he’ll be willing to help with getting back at another drug dealer. Especially one that is much closer to home. Jason calls Brian up and both eagerly and nervously waits for him to answer.

 

BRIAN

Hello?

 

JASON

Hey, Brian! What’s up, man?

 

BRIAN

Who dis?

 

JASON

Bro, it’s me! Jason! Come on, man!

 

BRIAN

Jason? Yo! My brotha, how’s it going? It’s good to hear from you! Holy sh*t!

 

JASON

Hey man you forgot my phone number or somethin’? Answerin’ the phone like ‘Who dis?’

 

BRIAN

Nah, nah. I f*cked up my old phone and I got a new one, but then I f*cked up again and somehow lost all of my contacts when I transferred the card. These new phones, man! So much bullsh*t, you know.

 

JASON

Ain’t that the truth!

 

BRIAN
I thought the number that was callin’ me looked familiar but I wasn’t sure. Glad that I answered, though!

 

JASON

It’s all good, man, don’t worry about it. 

 

BRIAN

No sh*t. How are things by the Pacific? You still up that way, ain’t you?

 

JASON

I’m back.

 

BRIAN

You back? As in back in Leonida?

 

JASON

Bruh, the f*ck else I’m gonna be?

 

BRIAN

What? When did you get back?

 

JASON

Pretty recently, a few days ago. You still out here in PG?

 

BRIAN

Nah, homie. I’m up in Y-Town, been kickin’ it there for like two years now. 

 

JASON

Good sh*t, good sh*t. So, uh, listen man, you up to anything right now?

 

BRIAN

Ain’t got sh*t goin’ on today. You tryna come through?

 

JASON

Yeah, I got something I wanna talk to you about. Not on the phone though, you never know who’s listenin’, you feel me?

 

BRIAN

Okay, okay. I’ll send you my location so you can find me. Call me when you get here.

 

JASON

Will do, friend. Will do. I’ll see ya later.

 

BRIAN

Check ya later, bro!

 

OBJECTIVE: Drive to Brian’s apartment.

 

After ending the phone call, Jason shifts the car into reverse and backs out of the driveway to begin the trip to Yorktown. It’s a beautiful, sunny afternoon with medium traffic in most parts of town, but the main roads leading to the Bocamar Bridge are congested. Despite the congestion, the traffic is still moving and it eventually clears up once Jason gets past PG Beach along Route 2. 

 

Arriving at Brian’s apartment complex in Yorktown, Jason parks up and phones him to tell Brian that he’s here. Within a few short minutes, Brian exits his apartment and makes his way to the parking lot where he spots Jason. Brian enters the car and the two greet each other with a fist bump. Brian suggests they go get something to eat since he’s starving, offering to pay for Jason’s meal. Jason accepts and asks where they should eat at, with Brian suggesting they hit up Big Bunz which is a popular burger joint in town.

 

OBJECTIVE: Drive to Big Bunz.

 

During the drive, the two converse for a bit as Jason switches the radio station over to the contemporary hip-hop/rap channel which is currently in the middle of a commercial break before resuming playing music.

 

BRIAN

Man, it’s good seein’ you again bro! For real, man.

 

JASON

Hey, you too.

 

BRIAN

So what’s goin’ on? What brought you back?

 

JASON

Family matters, mostly my sister. We finally started talking again over a year ago and I’m bunking down at her place. Her best friend is there too, as a roommate. 

 

BRIAN

Is she okay? How is Kristina? I haven’t seen her in ages! I remember her being a really good artist, always drawing random things in her little notepad. 

 

JASON

She’s doin’ good, ya know? She finally got herself a career where she can express her artistic side. She works over at that tattoo shop by PG Beach. 

 

BRIAN
No sh*t? 

 

JASON

Yeah, for real.

 

BRIAN

I oughta stop by sometime, I gotta get this one tat right here on my bicep touched up. It’s all old and faded now. I wonder if she’d even remember me.

 

JASON

She might, I mean, you used to come around the old house all the time.

 

BRIAN

How’s your older brother?

 

JASON

Locked up in Bolingbroke. f*ckin’ moron that he is.

 

BRIAN

Some things never change. 

 

JASON

That’s for sure. What’s new with you?

 

BRIAN

Not a whole lot, I have a three year old now.

 

JASON

What?! You have a kid?

 

BRIAN

Yeah, it’s true! I love that little bastard. His name is Tyler.

 

JASON

Congrats man, I’m proud of you! I didn’t think you had the maturity to be a parent!

 

BRIAN

sh*t! Neither did I, If I’m honest.

 

JASON

So who’s the lucky lady?

 

BRIAN

You remember that girl, Erin?

 

JASON

Erin? I don’t think so.

 

BRIAN

Yeah! You remember her! I know you do. She was that chick over in Las Cruces that we met in 2019. I hooked up with her and you hooked up with her cousin, Lena.

 

JASON

Oh, the redhead! Yeah, I remember now. Erin had that crazy ex-boyfriend who stalked her and smacked her around.

 

BRIAN

That son of a bitch! You know that cocksucker once threatened me with a shotgun when I stepped up to him? That coke head motherf*cker. 

 

JASON

I remember when we dealt with him. We snuck into his house at night, kicked the crap outta him while he was sleeping, broke both his arms, threw him into the trunk of his Greenwood, took him miles out into the desert, and then left him stranded out there. 

 

BRIAN

He had it coming. Guys like that don’t learn until something real comes at ‘em. I still wonder if someone ever found him out there. 

 

JASON

I'm sure someone did, we didn't leave him too far from the road out there. So how did you and Erin get together?

 

BRIAN

After you and I had to split up when that sh*t went down, The first thing I did was head back to Las Cruces and stayed with her for a month. We pretty much became an item and we fell for each other, and so I convinced her to move to Leonida with me and now here we are. 

 

JASON

Glad it worked out for you.

 

BRIAN

What about you? 

 

JASON

Me?

 

BRIAN

Yeah, you! You ain’t been snatched up yet?

 

JASON

I haven’t been really lookin’, ya know?

 

BRIAN

Still playing the field, huh?

 

JASON

I guess. I will say though, my sister’s best friend, the roommate? She’s a firecracker! She’s trouble with a capital f*ckin’ T. A real dime too, and she’s Spanish. 

 

BRIAN

A Latina? Man, you better be careful! Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t stick your dick in crazy?”

 

JASON

Oh, I’ve heard it but you know how it is. sh*t goes in one ear and goes right out the other. Besides, she don’t seem crazy to me, she actually seems to be pretty cool.

 

BRIAN

And this girl is your sister’s best friend too? Homie, it sounds like it could get messy as f*ck. 

 

JASON

At least there’ll never be a dull moment.

 

BRIAN

True, but you’re gonna come to learn to treasure the dull moments. Believe me!

 

JASON

Uh huh, sure. 

 

Jason slowly pulls into the parking lot of Big Bunz (based on the Americana 50’s Family Diner), finding a vacant spot by the front entrance that he reverses into. Inside, Brian gets the two of them a booth and a server comes by to take their order. They receive their food and drinks shortly and begin eating. As they get close to finishing their meals, Brian decides to get into the nitty gritty of what Jason wants to talk to him about.

 

BRIAN

So, you had something you wanted to talk to me about?

 

JASON

I need your help, but now I feel like an asshole for asking.

 

BRIAN

He has a puzzled look on his face.

 

You might as well just ask!

 

JASON

Do you, you know, still deal a little on the side?

 

BRIAN

Is this what you wanted to talk to me about? Are you trying to find a plug or something? If you want some weed, I can sell to you no problem.

 

JASON

I’m looking for a plug, so to speak, but not for business. Apparently, the one I'm lookin' for is sorta big time. More of a distributor from the sounds of it.

 

BRIAN

I don’t get you.

 

JASON

You ever hear of a guy named Raymundo Moya? Goes by Ray-Ray.

 

BRIAN

Why do you wanna know?

 

JASON

So you do know him?

 

BRIAN

I didn’t say that.

 

JASON

So you don’t?

 

BRIAN

Can you answer my question?

 

JASON

He sighs.

 

This guy… I don’t wanna say too much. He messed my sister up a few years ago. I mean, he really messed her up. I’m looking to return the favor

 

BRIAN

Return the favor? Have you lost your mind, bro?

 

JASON

He begins to feel indignant.

 

What’s it to you?

 

BRIAN

Brother, did you not learn anything from the last time we went after a drug dealer? 

 

JASON

This is nothing like that

 

BRIAN

He almost raises his voice but stops to whisper.

 

Bullsh*t it isn’t like that!

 

JASON

What do you want me to say? Tell me! What do you wanna hear?

 

BRIAN

So this is what you came back for? To find and cap some asshole who f*cked with your sister a few years ago? Look bro, I’m very sorry to hear that someone messed up your baby sister, truly I am. I know she’s a total sweetheart, but dude why now and why me?

 

JASON

Will you just hear me out?

 

BRIAN

Bro, I have a three year old son now, you know, a family! I’m not gonna throw that away over something like this. It’s already risky enough dealing weed and pills to college kids, beach bums, and whoever the f*ck else around here. Look man, I don’t know if you realize, but it’s been five f*ckin’ years since we last spoke. It’s great to see you again, but you show up out of nowhere and you’re asking me to help out with something stupid like this? I know that I’m your friend and all and that we go way back, but f*ck you. 

 

JASON

So that’s it, huh?

 

Brian stands up from the booth and reaches into his pocket pulling out a wad of cash. He throws some bills on the table, paying for their meals, and tells Jason that he’ll get his own ride back home before saying goodbye. As Brian walks outside, Jason shakes his head a bit before angrily pounding the table with his fist. The sudden bang from Jason hitting the table startles the nearby patrons as they turn to look at him. A nearby server asks if everything’s okay, to which he responds nonchalantly that everything’s peachy. He gets up from the booth and walks outside where he sees Brian standing near Jason’s Tulip. He walks up to Brian, pulling out a cigarette carton from his pocket, and offers him a cigarette. Brian reluctantly takes one, thanking Jason for the offer, and then lights it up. Jason lights up his own cigarette and the two stand next to each other and smoke for a bit. 

 

JASON

Before you say anything else, just hear me out.

 

BRIAN

Say what you need to say, but I’m not interested.

 

JASON

Hey look, if  you don’t wanna help or get your hands dirty, that’s fine. I won’t fault you for that. What I really need is some information and then I can handle this myself. 

 

BRIAN

Information?

 

JASON

Yeah, information. 

 

Brian chuckles to himself, but before he can respond to Jason his cell phone rings. Brian checks the caller ID and sees that the call is from his girlfriend, Erin. Brian says he’s gotta take the call and then answers it, while Jason stands nearby and continues smoking. During the call, it sounds like Erin is distressed as Brian asks her to calm down and explain what’s going on. They soon learn that Erin’s car was stolen from the apartment complex they live at and that she witnessed it from her window. Brian tells her not to call the police yet, saying that he’s got a friend with him who can probably help locate the car before ending the call.

 

JASON

So I'm helping you out, huh?

 

BRIAN

Don’t let it get to your head, alright? But yeah, I could use the help.

 

JASON

Is this a “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” kinda deal?

 

BRIAN

What? You need me to spell it out?

 

JASON

Don’t bother, I’m always down to help a friend in need.

 

OBJECTIVE: Get a car.

 

The two of them clamor on back in Jason’s car and they haul ass out of the parking lot and back onto the main road. Brian opens up the Trackify app on his phone and taps into the tracker that’s located somewhere on the stolen car. Jason asks what kind of vehicle it is they’re looking for, with Brian replying that it’s a white Bollokan Virtus (exterior/interior). Once the tracker has been pinged, Brian sends the coordinates to Jason’s GPS on his phone so they can track its last known location. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Go to the stolen car’s last known location.

 

According to the tracker, the stolen car looks to be stationary at the Yorktown Mall (based on the mall complex in Panama City, FL). As they drive to the mall, Brian surmises that the thieves are probably stealing the car for internet clout citing the Bollo Boyz trend that went viral on social media a couple of years ago, adding that his girlfriend described the thieves as looking like teenagers. They then discuss the phenomenon of young people filming themselves committing crimes that are later posted to social media for views, deriding the stupidity of the younger generation whilst remarking that it makes for interesting entertainment nonetheless. 

 

Arriving at the car’s location, Jason and Brian soon spot the stolen sedan at the rear of the mall in a vacant parking lot. The thieves are not alone though, as there is a small group of other young guys in their teens and early-twenties standing around other, presumably, stolen Bollokans, including two Prairies, an Ulsan (exterior/interior), and two Fortissimos (exterior/interior). Jason asks Brian if he’s ready to confront them, to which Brian pulls out a 9mm pistol and nods his head. Jason then pulls up to the group and the two step out of the car, guns drawn, shouting at the two guys standing near the Virtus to step away from it. Instead, the group scatters as some jump into the other stolen cars to flee. A group of four teens jump into the Virtus and speed away, prompting Jason and Brian to chase them down. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Chase after the stolen car.

 

Hopping back into the Tulip, Jason quickly puts the car into reverse and executes a fast, but smooth J-turn before shifting back into drive to pursue the Virtus. The first part of the chase involves the various parking lots around the mall itself where there’s lots of both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Eventually, the teens make their way out of the mall grounds and back onto a busy main road with Jason not far behind. Getting onto the main road, he mashes the throttle down making the big block V8 under the hood give off a thunderous roar as it accelerates. Despite the turbocharged inline-4 in the Virtus being very quick to propel the sedan, it’s no match for the torque-y V8 following close behind. Both cars weave their way through traffic, going into the oncoming lanes, recklessly barreling  through several red lights at busy intersections, each time getting closer and closer to catastrophe as both cars push their limits. 

 

Soon, the chase makes its way out of town and into the outskirts where the surroundings are much more rural. While traffic decreases, the roads become twisty and curvy. Despite the teen driver’s best efforts to get away, Jason sticks to their car like glue. He even goes so far as to taunt the teens by getting mere inches away from their rear bumper as both cars do well over 100 mph on a straight stretch of road. The teens make a U-turn at an intersection and decide to head back into town, most likely to ditch the car and escape on foot. The chase soon ends up in a low-income neighborhood on the outskirts of Yorktown, which is where it also terminates as the teens approach a dead-end on one of the narrow residential streets. As predicted, the teens come to a stop and immediately abandon the car, splitting up and running through the neighborhood yards to get away. Both Brian and Jason hurl insults and taunts at the fleeing teens as they recover the car. 

 

BRIAN

Goddamn! I forgot how crazy you are behind the wheel! You still racing on the streets and tracks?

 

JASON

Oh yeah! As long as I got money in my pocket and a car with four wheels, I’m always lookin’ for an excuse to drive like the devil. One of my exes said I should’ve been a race car driver, but that's a rich man’s game I’m afraid. 

 

BRIAN

Yeah, no sh*t! I almost pissed myself a couple of times back there with all those close calls we had! Surprised the kids didn’t wreck the car.

 

JASON

Yeah, consider yourself lucky. 

 

BRIAN

He pats Jason on the back.

 

Well, I gotta say, you were a big help! Thanks for doing that for me.

 

JASON

Hey, it’s no problem. So I take it I can count on you now?

 

BRIAN

Information only, okay?

 

JASON

Information only, I got it.

 

BRIAN

I know this Ray-Ray guy. I mean, I don’t know him personally or anything, I only know of him. I heard he’s sorta big time now and that he may or may not have the backing of a cartel or some sh*t. Last I heard, some people known as the Guardia Brothers became his supplier and Ray-Ray distributes for them all along the panhandle region to a loose network of dealers and crews.

 

JASON

Are you part of that network?

 

BRIAN

Hell no, I got my own source who supplies me from out of state. Ray-Ray and those assholes have been raising prices since they pretty much own the panhandle. They’ve been trying to price out anyone not in their network, shoot them, or both. It’s why I live out in Yorktown now, PG is too heavy for me to be dealing.

 

JASON

But Yorktown is part of the panhandle though.

 

BRIAN

I know, but they only have two or three plugs in this town aside from me. Plus, I only deal Mary-Jane and psychedelics. No coke, dope, meth, Fenty, spice, or any of that hard sh*t! That’s what keeps me off their radar. Plus the strain of weed I get is unique to my source. No one else is able to provide it, so my customers know better than to run their mouth.

 

JASON

Anything else?

 

BRIAN

That’s all I know for now, but I’ll do some digging. I’ll call you once I find out anything important, okay?

 

JASON

Sure thing. I think it’s about time we got out of here though!

 

BRIAN

He gets into the driver’s seat of the recovered Virtus.

 

You ain’t gotta tell me twice! Thanks for the help again, friend!

 

JASON

No problem! It was a pleasure!

 

Brian then gets his car turned around in the cul-de-sac and departs, waving goodbye to Jason as he rolls out.

 

Family Matters

Part Two: Below the Surface

This is the second part of a four-part side mission strand. To unlock this mission, the player, as Jason, will need to wait for a phone call from Brian after completing Part One. To start the mission, head to the mission marker located at the taco place on Conklin Avenue in Yorktown. 

 

It’s currently late afternoon, as Jason hangs out with his sister at the tattoo shop she works at in Port Gellhorn Beach. He had just gotten a new tattoo on his back that was done by her, specifically on his upper back close to his right shoulder. Seeing the new ink in the reflection on the storefront window, Jason compliments Krissie’s art skills, clearly happy with how the tattoo came out. Suddenly, his cell phone rings to which Jason sees that it’s Brian calling. He excuses himself and tells Krissie that he needs to take the call. She, on the other hand, takes this as her cue to get back to work and they both say their farewells.

 

JASON

Brian! What’s up, bud?

 

BRIAN

I got something for ya!

 

JASON

I’m all ears, brother, lay it on me.

 

BRIAN
I asked and poked around to get a name of someone who could provide you some information on Ray-Ray. There’s this guy that sounds like he’s kind of a buffer or middleman to the dealers, goes by the name of Tony Zuko.

 

JASON

Tony Zuko?

 

BRIAN

Yep. The only way you’re gonna find out this guy’s whereabouts is by getting to one of his dealers. I managed to find one and I took a pic of his car and license plate, I’ll text it to you after this call.

 

JASON

Thanks man, I appreciate that!

 

BRIAN

Yeah, you better! I had to buy some coke to get you this info. I can’t even resell this sh*t without putting a huge target on my back!

 

JASON

I got you covered, don’t worry!

 

BRIAN

He was hanging around the taco joint on Conklin Avenue between Abbot and Wombosi when I met with him. If he’s not there, check out Weinergate, that hot dog place, across from the Yorktown Mall. He told me I can find him at either one of those locations if I needed a fix. 

 

JASON

Alright, I’ll head over there. We’ll speak soon.

 

After the phone call, Jason gets into his Tulip and heads out towards the taco place on Conklin Avenue that Brian told him about. Having merged back onto the road from the parking lot, Jason flips through the radio stations before sticking to the contemporary hip-hop/rap station where Burgundy by $UICIDEBOY$ can be heard playing. 

 

Arriving at the taco joint on Conklin Avenue (based on the defunct Cafe Twenty-20), Jason pulls into the parking lot and parks up. He reviews the text message sent to him by Brian containing a picture of the dealer’s car and his license plate. According to the picture, the dealer drives a modified Bravado Buffalo STX. Looking around the small parking lot, however, Jason does not spot the vehicle. He starts his car and proceeds to drive to the other spot the dealer is known to hang around at.

 

OBJECTIVE: Drive to Weinergate. 

 

Once near the Yorktown Mall, Jason gets onto the road west of the mall and locates the Weinergate restaurant (its building based on the Peppers restaurant). Pulling into the parking lot, Jason quickly spots the Buffalo STX belonging to the dealer. He pulls into a parking space opposite to the car and steps out. The dealer is seen exiting the restaurant, to which Jason quickly sneaks over to a parked vehicle and hides behind it so as to not be spotted.

 

OBJECTIVE: Take down the dealer silently.

 

As the dealer goes to open the trunk of his car, Jason rushes up behind him and puts the guy into a rear naked choke. The dealer quickly falls unconscious without making much noise. Jason takes a moment to look around for any potential witnesses, to which he sees that he’s in the clear so far. He picks up the body and stuffs it into the trunk of the Buffalo STX before taking the guy's 9mm pistol and his car keys. Before shutting the trunk, he notices that the dealer has a spare .38 caliber snubnose revolver holstered around his right ankle. Jason takes the gun and empties the rounds out of the cylinder, stuffing them in his pockets, before putting the gun back in its ankle holster and closing the trunk.

 

OBJECTIVE: Get in the car and drive to the secluded area.

 

Driving out into the countryside, Jason eventually finds a dirt road that he turns onto and follows. The dirt road takes him into a forested area that leads to a clearing located next to a small body of water. The land is marshy and swampy, so Jason takes care in making sure he doesn’t get the Buffalo STX stuck. Parking up by the water, Jason walks around and opens the trunk where the dealer he captured is just now waking up. Jason draws the 9mm he took from the dealer and aims it at the guy’s head, cocking back the hammer. The dealer’s eyes widen out of fear once he realizes the grave predicament he finds himself in.

 

DEALER

W-W-Who the f*ck are you, man? What do you want from me? This is bullsh*t!

 

JASON

Who I am isn't important. What matters is you play ball and give me what I want.

 

DEALER

f*ck you, man! Let me go! You have any idea who I work for?

 

JASON

That’s exactly what I was gonna ask you about! Your boss.

 

DEALER

I ain’t telling you a f*ckin’ thing!

 

JASON

Wrong answer.

 

He shoots the dealer in the kneecap.

 

DEALER

ARGH! You f*ckin’ son of a bitch! 

 

JASON

I want you to tell me about the man in the middle, the guy in charge of supplying you: Tony Zuko.

 

DEALER

Who?!

 

JASON

If I have to repeat myself one more time, I’m taking your other kneecap!

 

DEALER
WAIT! Wait! Okay! Zuko? He-He operates out of a grocer’s in Port Gellhorn. It’s near the port! 

 

JASON

He pushes the barrel of the pistol into the dealer’s temple.

 

What's the name of it?

 

DEALER

Relax, bro! Chill! Chill! The place is called Happy Family Market!

 

JASON

Thank you! That wasn't so bad, right?

 

DEALER

Alright, I told you what you wanted to know, now can I please go?

 

JASON

Go?

 

DEALER
Yeah, man! I ain’t gonna tell nobody! You won’t see me again. I ain’t gonna do nothing.

 

JASON

Yeah… you can go. Go to sleep!

 

He aims the pistols at the dealer’s head.

 

DEALER

PLEASE! I PROMISED MY MOM I WAS GONNA GET OUT OF THIS LIFE! DON’T!

 

Jason let's the dealer whimper a little more before deciding to holster the pistol away. He notices this and stutters, asking what Jason is doing. Jason tells him to get out of the trunk which the dealer quickly does, keeping his hands in the air. Jason tells the dealer to start walking down the trail and to not look back. The dealer, visibly trembling, is hesitant to do so at first but then bolts away from Jason. He resumes looking in the trunk but keeps his right hand on the grip of the 9mm as if he's waiting for something. Sure enough, he hears the running dealer's footsteps stop and then a sharp whistle. A small grin flickers across Jason's face as he slowly turns around to face the dealer aiming a snubnose revolver at him. The dealer insults him and then pulls the trigger. With nothing but a click from the gun's hammer, the dealer panics and tries to make a run for it.

 

JASON

You stupid motherf*cker.

 

He draws his pistol and quickly shoots the dealer in the back two times, causing him to fall to the ground and where lies there motionless. Jason walks over to him and drags the now lifeless corpse back to the car and stuffs him back into the trunk, throwing the 9mm into the trunk as well. He hesitates to close the trunk, getting one last look at the young man he just killed. Jason then decides to quickly rifle through the man’s pockets where he pulls out a roll of cash worth $2500. There’s also a black duffel bag next to the body that Jason decides to open up and examine. Inspecting the bag’s contents, he sees a few bricks of cocaine and several large cellophane-wrapped stacks of cash. Jason pockets the $2500 and zips the duffel bag back up before closing the trunk lid.

 

OBJECTIVE: Dispose of the car in the water.

 

Jason starts up the Buffalo STX, puts it into Drive, and quickly steps out as the car coasts into the swamp water. As it slowly sinks below the water’s surface, Jason hears the growl and hiss of a nearby alligator. Looking around, he spots one to his right, slowly lumbering it’s way over to him. As he turns his body to run in the opposite direction, the gator accelerates with deadly intent into a full-on sprint. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Run!

 

Jason sprints off, cursing to himself under his breath, looking for anything to help get him away from the pursuing gator. The gator continues to steadily close the gap, it’s galloping footsteps striking intense fear into Jason’s heart. In a last ditch effort to save himself, Jason climbs up a thick and tall tree nearly getting one of his legs bitten off as he narrowly escapes from the gator’s powerful jaw. He rests on a strong tree branch while he taunts the gator down below as it continuously struggles and fails to climb up the tree after him. Eventually the gator stops and rests at the base of the tree. Jason decides to also catch his breath and calm himself down, his heart is beating so fast and so intensely that it feels like it might burst right through his ribcage. In the near distance, he hears rustling grass and foliage as if something else is approaching. Sure enough, three more alligators show up and rest at the base of the tree.

 

JASON

You have got to be f*ckin’ kidding me!

 

Jason reaches behind him to retrieve his .45 pistol only to find out that it’s not tucked into his waistband! He frantically searches around himself, which proves fruitless as he soon realizes he left his gun back in his car at the restaurant. The only other gun he had was the dealer’s pistol which is now at the bottom of the swamp in the trunk of a car. He struggles to contain himself from having a furious outburst, his hands visibly trembling in intense anger at himself. Unsure of what to do, he decides to continue resting on the tree branch while biding his time. The screen then fades to black. 

 

As the game fades back in, several hours have now passed and the sun has already set. With barely any daylight, Jason looks down and sees that the gators are still there. He gets a phone call on his phone from his sister Krissie but decides not to answer it. Instead, he opens up the camera app on his phone and takes a picture of the gators below and then sends it in a text to Brian. A few minutes later, he receives a call from Brian. 

 

JASON

What’s up?

 

BRIAN

Bro, is that pic you sent me real?

 

JASON

If you want, I’ll call you on FruitFace and I’ll show you!

 

BRIAN

f*ck dude! Where are you? I’ll come scoop you up!

 

JASON

I’m somewhere north of Yorktown. Here, I’ll share my phone’s location.

 

BRIAN
I got ‘em. sh*t man! You’re really out there! Might take me an hour or so until I get there, think you can hold out until then?

 

JASON

I don’t think I have much of a choice!

 

BRIAN

Okay, I’m comin’!

 

After the call ends, the scene cuts forward in time by an hour. It’s now completely dark out, with the only light available being from Jason’s phone as it illuminates his face as he stares into the screen. As he waits for Brian to come help him, Jason bides his time scrolling through his friends’ social media accounts. It looks like he posted the picture he took earlier of the gators onto his LifeInvader page, where numerous people have commented and reacted to it. Suddenly, a loud crack is heard beneath him that nearly makes Jason’s heart stop. He realizes it’s the tree branch that he’s sitting on and it soon makes another cracking noise. The branch gives way, somewhat, causing Jason to slide down and almost fall off. He grabs hold of the branch, but loses his phone in the process. His phone bounces off the head of one of the gators below, agitating it. The gators start loudly growling and getting themselves ready to catch Jason in their jaws should he fall off the branch. 

 

In the distance, Jason can see bright lights piercing through the trees coming his way. He surmises that it must be Brian on his way to get him, and so Jason continues to hold onto the branch with all his strength. Unfortunately, it breaks further causing it to hang even lower. The gators begin to jump and snap at Jason’s feet, with him raising them up out of their reach just in time. The headlights soon brightly beam onto Jason as the vehicle comes to a stop, blinding him. With one final snap, the tree branch finally breaks loose and Jason plummets a short distance to the ground landing on his back. He sits up and tries to scoot away, but a gator comes right up to him, its mouth agape. Just as his life seems to flash before his eyes, the loud booms and bangs from shotguns can be heard. Jason quickly rolls over to his right onto his stomach and covers his head with hands, lying completely still. The shooting continues for a few more seconds before ceasing, to which Jason can hear Brian laughing. Turns out Brian didn’t come alone, instead bringing two friends with him both armed with pump-action shotguns. 

 

BRIAN

He extends his hand to help Jason up.

 

Got here in just the nick of time brother!

 

JASON

He takes Brian’s hand to help get him up on his feet.

 

What the f*ck took you so long?

 

BRIAN

Oh, I’m sorry! No ‘thank you’ for saving your hide from some nasty gators! How the mighty have fallen!

 

JASON

Yeah, yeah!

 

He takes a moment to catch his breath.

 

Look, I appreciate it. I do, really. Thanks, brother. Let’s just get the hell outta here!

 

BRIAN

My thoughts exactly! Let’s get goin’ before more turn up!

 

Jason quickly searches the nearby ground for his phone, soon locating it and then putting it in his pocket. Brian and Jason both jump into the bed of the Declasse Rancher that he and his two buddies arrived in, while the other two guys enter the cab, hightailing it out of there. Brian turns to Jason and asks if everything went okay and if he got what he needed from the dealer. Jason nods his head and pulls the $2500 he acquired, giving half of it to Brian. He asks what the money's for, to which Jason responds that it’s to cover him for purchasing the coke from the dealer. Brian asks if there was more, to which Jason replies that there was a lot more cash but that it’s now underwater. Surprised and somewhat disappointed, he questions Jason as to why he dumped the rest of the money. Jason replies, sounding a little exasperated, how Brian would even intend to spend that cash without drawing suspicion. Brian is unable to answer, to which Jason retorts that he made the right call and reiterates that they both still got some money out of it in the end. The scene then fades to black again before fading back in at the Weinergate restaurant. Brian drops Jason off at the restaurant so he can get his car back which is still located in the parking lot. 

 

Family Matters

Part Three: Every Move You Make

This is the third part of a four-part side mission strand. To unlock this mission, the player will need to wait for a call from Brian after completing Part Two. To trigger the mission, the player will need to go over to the electronics store marked on the map that’s located in Port Gellhorn. As a condition to start the mission, the play must have, at the minimum, $50 in cash.

 

The following evening, Jason finds himself driving up to a local electronics store after having recently talked to Brian on the phone. During their conversation, Jason reveals to Brian that the dealer had given the location of an operation being run by Zuko out of a grocery store in Port Gellhorn. The plan was originally to infiltrate the operation, identify Zuko, and follow him wherever he goes to abduct him for information on Ray-Ray. Brian, on the other hand, suggested a simpler plan involving the use of a tracker being planted on Zuko’s car. This would eliminate having to follow Zuko around and risk being spotted. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Purchase the tracking device.

 

After parking up, Jason enters the store and locates the tracking device Brian told him about over the phone. Fifty bucks later, he’s back in his car and traveling towards the port area in town. The weather is overcast, having rained an hour earlier, but the temperatures are still somewhat warm with a nice breeze to keep things cool despite the humidity. The roads are still soaked and covered in puddles, creating a dazzling array of colorful reflections from street lamps and lit signs on buildings. 

 

Jason soon pulls up to the Happy Family Market (based on the old Grocery Outlet building), parking in the farthest corner of the parking lot away from the building. The business appears to be closed, as the lights are off inside. Despite that, activity can be heard behind the building, such as the sounds of forklifts operating and trucks coming and going. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Infiltrate the loading bay.

 

Jason jogs up to the fence behind the building that encloses the loading bay, scaling it and climbing over once it’s safe to do so. He hides behind some crates, peeking over to get a look at what’s going on. There are several men hanging around and chatting while many others can be seen doing their jobs, loading and unloading Bensons and Mules with various company liveries displayed on the sides of the cargo containers. As Jason continues peering over the operation, he spots a man dressed in a red tropical button-up shirt, dark jeans, and boots overseeing the operation. Jason surmises that this must be the Tony Zuko he’s been hearing about. Jason decides to move in a little closer, taking care to not be spotted by the various CCTV cameras and the men acting as guards. 

 

Once in another safe hiding spot in the loading bay, Jason observes Zuko walking over to a black Pfister Vesta (exterior/interior) parked between two Maibatsu Mules. Zuko pulls out a cell phone and proceeds to call someone, speaking in Spanish. Unable to understand what is being said, Jason takes this opportunity to sneak around and plant the tracker in the driver’s side rear wheel well. Jason backs away when he notices Zuko ending the call, hiding in the shadows. Zuko enters his car and drives out of the loading bay and into the night. Jason checks the tracker’s signal through the Trackify app to verify that it’s working. A few seconds later, the connection is established.

 

OBJECTIVE: Leave the area.

 

With the tracker successfully planted and working, Jason carefully sneaks his way out of the loading bay. As he rounds the corner between two tall pallets of commercial goods, he’s nearly spotted by a guard turning around and walking between the two pallets. Jason crouches down and crawls under a Vapid Benson that is almost finished being loaded and waits until the coast is clear. Suddenly, the truck he’s under turns on and begins departing from the loading dock. Remaining absolutely still, whilst also a bit terrified of being accidentally run over, the truck slowly passes over him without making any contact. Jason breathes out a sigh of relief before realizing he’s just about to be spotted by a CCTV camera overhead. Without missing a beat, Jason rolls over along the ground to his right underneath another Benson that hasn’t been unloaded yet. He takes a moment to check that the coast is clear and then crawls out as soon as he has an opportunity to do so. He climbs the fence over to the other side and sprints back to his car, where he catches his breath before calmly driving away back to the safehouse.

 

Family Matters

Part Four: Burning Down The House

This is the fourth and final part of the Family Matters side mission strand. It becomes unlocked after 12 in-game hours have passed since the completion of Part Three. To trigger the mission, the player will need to head to the last known location that the tracker is transmitting from using the Trackify app.

 

Back at the safehouse, the time is currently noon as Jason gets himself ready for the day. After getting a shower and putting on some clothes, he goes to grab his gun out of Lucia’s room which the two of them have been recently sharing (since the completion of the sixth mission during Chapter One). He sees that he’s a bit low on ammo and so he tacks on a visit to the local gun store on his to-do list. After tucking the gun into his waistband, Lucia enters the room and greets him. The two then have a brief conversation with each other regarding the aftermath of the events that occurred previously during the sixth story mission. 

 

JASON

How’s your shoulder feeling?

 

LUCIA
It’s gettin’ better, you know, like it doesn’t hurt when I move my arm now.

 

JASON

That’s good, I told you that you were in good hands!

 

LUCIA

Funny, I don’t remember you sounding that confident when you stitched me up that night!

 

JASON

I prefer to let my actions speak for me in situations like that.

 

LUCIA

Well, I appreciate what you did for me that night. It was sweet of you.

 

JASON

Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Let’s just keep that between us, okay?

 

LUCIA

My lips are sealed.

 

Jason smiles at her as he leaves the room but stops to ask if she could give him a lift into town. She asks where he’d like to go, to which he replies that he’ll send her a waypoint to her GPS through his phone. He sets the waypoint to a gun store, known as the Port Gellhorn Pawn & Gun. This was the same place that was robbed earlier during the events of the fourth mission in Chapter One. Lucia agrees to give him a ride and the two get in her car. As Lucia begins the drive, she asks Jason a question.

 

LUCIA

Mind if I ask you something? 

 

JASON

Not at all, what is it?

 

LUCIA

When you picked me up from the PO office you told me you had, you know, shot someone before. Is that something your sister knows about?

 

JASON

No, but she knows I’m capable of it. 

 

LUCIA

Has she seen you hurt someone?

 

JASON

Yeah, although I wish she hadn’t witnessed any of it.

 

LUCIA

Mind if I ask who?

 

JASON

He lets out a sigh before retrieving a cigarette, lighting it up, and then taking a puff.

 

Growing up, she’s seen me get into my fair share of fights, but that I wish she hadn't witnessed. I mean, sh*t, she should've never witnessed any of the fights I've gotten into, but this one was no fight. When I was 17, I caught this guy trying to touch my sister while she was asleep in her room. 

 

LUCIA

She visibly looks disgusted.

 

Oh my god, like, what the f*ck?

 

JASON

This guy was one of my useless dad’s deadbeat friends. A druggie, alcoholic, gambling addict motherf*cker like all the rest. My mom worked most nights and it was common for my dad to bring friends over to drink and just bullsh*t around. It was late at night and my dad was passed out after drinking. I got up to make something to eat, and noticed my sister’s door was open which I thought was strange because she always keeps the door to her room closed. I went to close it for her and that’s when I saw him. 

 

LUCIA

So what did you do?

 

JASON

I didn’t even say a word. I marched in there and grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him outside the house. I beat the f*ckin’ brakes off that bastard. I just kept hitting him in the face, over and over and over and over again. Once it got to the point that my hands and arms started hurting, I switched over to using my feet and I just kept on stomping on his head.

 

LUCIA

And Krissie saw all this?

 

JASON

She was screaming for me to stop, but I guess, at that moment, I couldn’t hear her. Or maybe I just didn’t want to.

 

LUCIA

What about your dad?

 

JASON

At some point he came out and threw me to the ground to get me to stop. He was yellin’, asking what was going on, and so I told him. 

 

LUCIA

What did he do?

 

JASON

I just remember him saying that he’d take care of it. He put the guy into the backseat of his old Stanier and drove off somewhere. I thought he took the dude to the hospital but I later found out that my dad actually drove out to some swamp or pond or some sh*t out in the middle of nowhere, shot him and dumped the body. 

 

LUCIA

How’d that make you feel?

 

JASON

Felt like it was just too little, too late. When he got back to the house, I put him up against a wall and nearly beat him. I blamed him for what happened to my sister that night, since he was always inviting those losers over, but I hesitated. He ended up beating the sh*t out of me and blamed me for “not taking care of business” like he did. f*ckin’ asshole. 

 

LUCIA

I’m so sorry… So if this occurred outside your house, did other people see this?

 

JASON

The neighborhood I grew up in was a working class, low-income place that was also right next to a large trailer park. We were a pretty tight-knit community, as you’d imagine. We all hated cops, but a lot of people hated my dad as well since he was known to be a drunk and a bit of a bully towards others. Needless to say, however, that the neighborhood hated pedophiles much, much more than they hated some loud-mouth drunk like my dad. And so they covered for him when the police came around askin’ questions.

 

LUCIA

Good on them, I suppose,  but still I’m sorry that happened to Krissie. I never knew that about her. In all my years of knowing her, she never shared that with me.

 

JASON

I imagine it’s something she probably still struggles with. I don’t know if she ever truly processed that event, despite her whole “reinvention” of herself since getting out of rehab. Anyways, that’s part of the reason why I don’t share things like that with her. I’m afraid I traumatized her, you know? 

 

LUCIA
I get that.

 

JASON

Plus, legally speaking, the less people that know about your crimes, the less likely you are to get caught!

 

LUCIA

I’d say you got a fair point there.

 

The pair soon arrive at the gun store, parking up near the entrance. Jason thanks her for the ride and moves to exit the car. Lucia asks him if he needs a ride anywhere else, to which he replies that he doesn’t. He exits the car and tells her that she’ll see him later back at the house tonight, and then the two exchange goodbyes as Lucia departs. 

 

Going inside the gun store, Jason purchases two boxes of standard .45 caliber cartridges with cash and then leaves the store. He walks a fair distance away from the gun store to the rear parking lot of another business where a few vehicles are parked. In the lot is a Vapid Sadler, a second-generation Vapid Radius (exterior/interior), Karin Regal GE (exterior/interior), Declasse Yosemite 1500ZX (exterior/interior), and a Dinka Kanjo SJ. Choosing ease and practicality, Jason elects to steal the Kanjo SJ. With the use of a slim jim, he gains access to the car and then uses a snap gun to manipulate the ignition lock and get the car started. With the clutch pedal still pushed in, he shifts into reverse to get out of the parking space before then shifting it into first gear to get out of the parking lot. He pulls out onto the main road and drives a short distance around the block before pulling over to check the Trackify app. 

 

The Trackify app reconnects with the tracker Jason planted onto Zuko’s car the previous night and sees that it’s currently located a few miles west of Lake Leonida. Checking the fuel gauge, Jason sees he’s got plenty of fuel to get to his destination and so he begins driving towards where the tracker is currently transmitting from. About two hours or so later, Jason comes upon a dirt road that runs through a field that’s blocked by a locked gate. He walks up and turns the latch that releases the pin to unlock the gate, causing it to swing slowly open towards the dirt road. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Locate the tracker.

 

Hopping back in the car, Jason drives down the trail to find the tracker. It's not long before he sees that he has arrived at what looks like a ranch, complete with a barn and stable. Looking back at the Trackify app, it appears he is at the right location but doesn’t see the car he tagged with the tracker. He drives up onto the grass and parks by the barn which, according to the app, is exactly where the tracker is. Jason assumes that the car is parked in the barn and double checks to make sure. Opening the barn doors does reveal the Pfister Vesta he tagged the previous night, going so far as to check that the tracker is still in the right rear wheel well, which indeed it is still located. He then closes the barn doors and decides to make his way inside the ranch house. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Find a way inside the house.

 

Drawing his pistol, he stealthily sneaks around the perimeter of the house looking for an entryway. The whole area is eerily quiet, with only the faint sounds of the birds and insects in the distance. He sneaks around to the back of the house where he finds the cellar doors open. Also behind the house, Jason sees a black Bravado Bison with a camper shell over its bed. Examining the truck further, he takes note of a small sticker on the bottom left corner of the rear window of the camper shell, displaying the Venezuelan flag with a Spanish phrase under it. He then looks towards the open cellar doors, peering into the darkness below and whispers to himself that he’s got a bad feeling about this, but ultimately decides to push on through. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Find Zuko.

 

Down in the cellar, it is filthy and dusty and there is an awful stench that fills the air. It’s hard to see since it is so dimly-lit, but as Jason continues to look around he discovers a noose that’s hanging from a support on the ceiling. He is taken aback by the sight but continues to press on. He eventually locates a staircase leading up to the first floor of the house, to which he ascends as quietly as possible. Opening the door, he glances around at the house’s interior and notes that all of the furniture is wrapped in plastic which is something he finds curious. Continuing further, he questions what kind of place this is. Originally he thought that maybe this was some sort of stash house or an exchange point, but he quickly fears that there may be something more sinister going on here. 

 

With the first floor clear, Jason makes his way up to the second floor of the house. He keeps his gun drawn as he ascends the stairs, ready for anything that may jump out at him. After climbing the stairs, he makes a right and opens the first door he sees, which leads him to a bedroom. As he walks in, he’s quickly met with the unmistakable smell of a dead body. He tries his hardest to keep from audibly gagging in order to stay quiet, but as he looks to his left he sees what remains of Tony Zuko.

 

On a dirty mattress lying on the floor lies the headless corpse of Zuko, still dressed in the clothes Jason saw him wearing the previous night. Realizing that this is a trap, Jason rapidly turns around and sprints towards the nearest exit, but is suddenly confronted by a masked gunman holding an AR-style rifle. Jason struggles with the man but is hit in the head with the buttstock of the rifle, knocking him out and the screen cuts to black. 

 

Jason reawakens to find himself being propped up on a stool, his feet restrained together with zip ties, with someone holding him in place while another man positions the noose around his neck. He sees a third man standing to his right aiming an AR-style rifle at him, ready to shoot him if he makes any sudden movements. All three of the men are masked and are conversing with each other in Spanish. Behind Jason, there’s a radio with tinny-sounding speakers playing music. After the one masked hood gets the noose around Jason’s neck tightened up, he receives a call on his smartphone. The man answers the call as he walks over to the far right corner of the cellar and proceeds to speak in perfect English.

 

HOOD #1

Yeah?

 

…

 

Zucola has been dealt with.

 

…

 

The order came down from one of the Guardia Brothers.

 

…

 

We’re dealing with him now, it should all be cleaned up once one of you finds the source of that leak.

 

…

 

Just keep him out of the loop!

 

…

 

Raymundo Moya is next. 

 

He ends the call and puts his phone back in his pocket.

 

HOOD #2

Spoken in Spanish.

 

What did he say?

 

HOOD #1

Spoken in Spanish.

 

They’re still trying to find the source of the leak.

 

HOOD #2

Spoken in Spanish.

 

I’m telling you, it had to have been Eduardo. Why do you think nobody’s been able to locate him? He’s probably in police custody!

 

HOOD #1

Spoken in Spanish.

 

He was a weak link, sure, but something doesn’t feel right about that. I think it might’ve been that cop!

 

HOOD #2

Spoken in Spanish.

 

The cop? Which cop? I thought we’ve paid them their dues?

 

HOOD #1

Spoken in Spanish

 

I don’t know! Lets just take care of this rat and be done with this. 

 

Loud footsteps can then be heard coming from the first floor above, moving towards the cellar door. The door opens, revealing a fourth man who tells the three hoods in the cellar with Jason that everything is ready upstairs. Jason tries to ask what’s going on but the first hood orders him to shut up. Several seconds later, the man upstairs opens the cellar down and shouts for the three men to vacate the house immediately. The two men taunt and laugh at Jason before one of them makes his way over to the other cellar door that leads directly outside the house and opens it. The hood with the rifle keeps it aimed at Jason while moving towards the exit, while the third hood walks behind Jason towards the radio. The song that can be heard starting up is Burning Down the House by Talking Heads. The masked hood laughs, saying he really likes this song and then turns up volume on the radio before kicking the stool out from under Jason. The three men quickly hustle outside and leave Jason to die by hanging. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Find a way to free yourself to escape.

 

The three men retreat outside as Jason is struggling for his life against the rope that’s now strangling him. Reflexively, Jason grabs at the noose around his neck and struggles to fit his fingers in between the rope and his neck to loosen its grip on him. He knows he only has an extremely short amount of time to somehow free himself before passing out and losing consciousness. To make matters worse, smoke is starting to heavily seep down into the cellar which indicates that the house has been set on fire. In a desperate bid for survival, Jason struggles with the rope by constantly shifting his weight around to break the support beam from which the noose hangs, having noted earlier that it looked old and sort of weak. For what probably felt like forever, but was actually a matter of seconds, Jason manages to break the support beam and falls to the ground on his back. Coughing and gasping for air, he looks up and notices that the fire is steadily making its way down to the cellar. Avoiding the smoke, Jason crawls along the ground and up the stairs towards the cellar doors to the outside, which had been luckily left open, presumably because the hoods who tried to kill him didn’t think he’d survive. 

 

Once outside, he collapses onto the ground and rolls over onto his back. He notices that it is now nightfall, the smoldering inferno from the house before him burning bright like the sun. He takes a moment to catch his breath before getting back up on his feet and running towards the barn, taking off the noose that’s still attached to him. Opening the barn doors again, he sees that the Pfister Vesta is now gone. He staggers over to the left side of the barn where he parked the stolen Kanjo SJ, relieved to see that it’s still there and he quickly gets in. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Drive over to the gas station.

 

As Jason drives away from the scene going back down the route he originally took, he stops at a lone Arrow gas station and convenience store on the side of the road. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Go inside the store.

 

He parks up at one of the pumps and heads inside the convenience store. At first glance, it appears that no is inside the store. No customers inside and there’s no cashier manning the register. Jason decides to walk up to the checkout counter and wait when, suddenly, a door could be heard opening to his right behind the counter, the manager’s office. Out steps a young guy, probably in his late-teens or early-twenties, wearing a clean Arrow-branded polo shirt and khaki pants.

 

CASHIER

Man, smells like someone just came…

 

He notices Jason standing at the counter in dirty clothes, blackened by smoke, and his face having been bruised and battered by the masked hoods who tried to kill him. His demeanor changes from being jovial to one of apprehension.

 

…from a barbeque?

 

JASON

He manages to force out a smile.

 

You could say that.

 

CASHIER
Uhm do you need help or is there something I can do—

 

JASON

His smile disappears and his face changes to a more surly expression.

 

Can you tell me if that payphone outside still works?

 

CASHIER

Uhm, I, uh, I believe it does. Is that all?

 

JASON

How much for a pack of Redwoods?

 

CASHIER

It’s, uh, about $12 before tax, I-I’m afraid.

 

Jason reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash, placing down a $20 bill onto the counter. The cashier picks out a pack of Redwoods and then processes the transaction through the register. When he attempts to hand Jason his change back, Jason tells him to keep it. As he goes to exit the store, the cashier nervously asks Jason what happened to him. Jason turns around to face the cashier and tells him, in a deadpan tone of voice equal to the vacant expression on his face, “Nothing good.” The cashier awkwardly forces out a fake laugh and waves him on out the door as Jason exits. 

 

Using the payphone outside, Jason makes an anonymous call to 9-1-1 to report the fire at the ranch house. After hanging up, he hears a vehicle approaching the gas station. Peeking around the corner he sees that it’s the black Bravado pickup with a camper shell.

 

JASON

Whispering to himself as he peers around the corner.

 

Son of a bitch…

 

The truck parks up by the pumps and the occupants exit the truck. Jason hides himself back behind the corner of the building so as to not be seen. He can hear the guys exiting the truck speaking in Spanish and laughing before entering the store. Looking over to his other side, he finds a circuit box for the gas station. Inspecting it, Jason notices that it’s unlocked. Before he decides to do anything, he crouches down and sneaks over to the parked truck to make damn sure that the people who showed up are the same ones he was ambushed by at the house.

 

Once behind the truck, Jason spots the telltale sticker of the Venezuelan flag with the phrase under it. The world is a little too small for these kinds of coincidences. Jason glances at the store and sees two men through one of the store windows browsing the beverage area. He identifies them both by their clothing that they are in fact the same men who tried to kill him earlier. While they’re still distracted inside the store, Jason opens the rear tailgate and rummages through the junk and equipment. He finds a pair of bolt cutters which he can use to cut the power to the building. Quickly and quietly Jason closes the tailgate back up and sneaks back around the corner of the building where the circuit box is located.

 

OBJECTIVE: Cut the power.

 

Jason moves the lid to the circuit box out of the way and shines a light on the wiring inside using the flashlight on his smartphone. He then picks up the bolt cutters and cuts the wires, causing the whole gas station to go dark. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Eliminate your attackers.

 

With his pistol in hand, Jason sneaks around the rear of the building where he comes across an employees-only door. He takes cover against the wall as he hears the handle to the door being turned, signifying that the cashier is coming out to check the circuit box. The door swings open, with Jason springing into action and putting the cashier into a chokehold to knock him unconscious. With him safely out of the way, Jason goes inside to find his attackers. Sure enough, the four men are still in there but can be heard taking snacks and drinks off the store shelves to steal.

 

Jason lies in wait in the shadows with his gun aimed at the store entrance, waiting for one of the men to step into his line of fire during their exit. It only takes a few seconds before one of them does and Jason pulls the trigger. He fires three shots, all three of his bullets striking the center mass of his victim’s silhouette, and the target collapses to the ground. The other three make a mad dash through the exit and Jason fires at them, but all three escape back to their truck. Jason runs out after them, firing more rounds at their truck as they speed away.

 

Climbing back into the stolen Kanjo SJ, Jason takes off in pursuit of his attackers. With Jason being at significant power disadvantage since the Bison is powered by a powerful V8 engine, he has to rely on the Kanjo’s fluid handling in the corners and ambient traffic slowing them down on Leonida’s backroads in order for him to catch up. The chase eventually reaches the outskirts of eastern Port Gellhorn, allowing Jason a chance to close the gap due to increased traffic. As they enter town, Jason manages to get almost bumper-to-bumper with the fleeing Bison but is forced to pull back after being fired upon by one of the occupants wielding a rifle. With his windshield now perforated with several bullet holes, Jason returns the favor by getting in close behind the truck, taking both his hands off the steering wheel to aim his pistol at the rear right tire of the truck, and then pulling the trigger repeatedly. The tire is struck, sending the truck into a tailspin before colliding at high speed with a lamp post. The impact causes the truck to flip over multiple times, with the one occupant seated in the backseat of the truck being forcefully ejected into the air. The thug unfortunately lands directly on his head, hitting the concrete, which kills him instantly, leaving only two targets remaining. 

 

Once the truck finally comes to a rest on its wheels, Jason pulls up and exits his vehicle while reloading another magazine into his gun. He walks up to the front of the wrecked Bison and begins firing indiscriminately into the front windshield, killing the last two remaining thugs. 

 

OBJECTIVE: Leave the area

 

Jason hustles back to the stolen Kanjo coupe and flees the scene, the front tires loudly squealing as they scrabble for grip on the pavement. Once he feels that he has made sufficient distance from the scene of the crime, Jason looks for a secluded spot to ditch the stolen car before heading back to the safehouse.

 

Post-Mission Aftermath

• After abandoning the stolen Kanjo SJ, Jason calls Brian. During their conversation, Jason explains to him about the trap he narrowly escaped from and that Zuko is dead. Jason speculates that the people who tried to kill him might be from another gang or part of a splinter group looking to make a power grab from within their organization. Jason also mentions that one of their guys was talking about a leak that they were concerned about. Fearing the worst, Brian asks if that means he and his family are in danger, to which Jason assures him that he isn’t due to killing his attackers just recently. Brian pleads with Jason not to push things further and that he can longer help, citing his family’s safety which Jason understands. 

• A Weazel News article will be available to read covering the events of this mission. In the article, it details the recovery of a badly burnt decapitated body from an arson fire at a ranch house. The body has been identified as belonging to 39-year old Anthony Zucola, known on the streets as Tony Zuko. The article explains that the house was owned by a fraudulent real-estate company believed to be linked either to a South American drug cartel or to the ‘Ndrangheta as a way to launder money. The FIB are reported to be investigating this lead. Finally, the article covers the shootings that started at a gas station a few miles from where the house fire was located and where it ended on the east side of Port Gellhorn. Witnesses stated that two vehicles were seen driving recklessly through traffic and randomly exchanging gunfire at one another. 

• In other news, an article from a news outlet in Vice City reports on a recent event held in Central Leonida called the Legends of Leonida. In this event, competitors are pitted against each other to commit some of the most bizarre, brazen, and illegal feats in order to become the Legendary Leonida Man of the year. In one instance, a competitor managed to steal over a hundred catalytic converters in under 15 minutes. Another competitor, high on meth, managed to evade capture for over three hours on foot after punching a police officer in the face and was able to resist being tased over 20 times. Another competitor engaged police for over six hours in a slow-speed pursuit, while drunk and behind the wheel of a stolen go-kart, that ended on an interstate highway after causing a twenty-car pile-up. An interview was conducted with the event’s organizers with one of them stating, “People from all over the country flocked here to pay good money to witness stupidity occur on the grandest, most spectacular scale. We’re more than happy to deliver on that!” One of the contestants stated to reporters, “I have an absolute disregard for self-preservation. I will do anything!”

 

Edited March 6 by TheHoover69

[psychedtfout]

the great return

[CrumMunchers]

he... he has returned

 

 

Couple of things: been using your formatting for le VIsion and can absolutely see why you'd want to shift some things around. Plus, coming up with multiple approaches is something yours truly quickly decided against as well because of how open-ended it could be to readers, so yeah, write within how you'd like. Don't burn yourself out either like Dan Houser did lol, l find that taking time on things is a helpful approach, so don't worry about that at all

 

anyways lmfaooooooo time to grab a meal and sit down to read 

[HadACoolName]

Certainly didn't disappoint. Another great read.

 

You're single-handedly carrying the hype train atm

[FannoF]

Well I guess I’m not being productive at my internship tomorrow