Mafia!

[Vahktang]

A breaking news story that interrupts programming:

 

Graphic:

Gun battle at the airport!

 

Fades to:

Newsreader:

"Earlier today at a busy American airport, security was breached and a firefight ensued.

We have video tape:"

 

The video is grainy, as it always is in a surveillance camera. The producers put closed captioning down so the words can be perceived.

The view is from overhead, at a smallish airport.

Gutterball and his entourage are moving through the terminal.

One of them is speaking to Gutterball.

"Because the private plane is targeted. We can sweep, but they can have," looks around, "devices that can get us in the air. We've sold these devices to others.

"Whoever's doing this can't expect...

The view changes, another camera. Five armed security personnel a dozen feet from the entourage, all wearing dark glasses. One looks over to the group, seems to be staring. Suddenly yells:

"Gun!"

The captions also read:

"Stand down."

"Freeze."

"Don't move."

But there are no discernable sounds of those things actually being said, only screams and indistinct yells.

Both groups move with amazing speed. The security personnel grabbing out their weapons, the entourage suddenly producing small devices that went through the metal dectectors unnoticed but are still quite deadly.

Gutterball is covered by two of his men as he struggles to get his own shots in.

The first security personnel fires at Gutterball specifically, the others open fire on the entourage.

Two of the security men go down with wounds, while all of Gutterball's group goes down.

After the entourage are down, the security personnel continue to fire until their clips are emptied.

Finally, silence, and the video clip ends.

 

Newsreader:

"All members of the invading group were slain, while the security personnel received only minor injuries.

"Besides the weapons seen, two guns were found on the persons of the airport intruders.

"The groups' exact identities and motives are being withheld by the authorities.

"There will be a thorough investigation, but the pundits say that, with the existance of the guns and the violent resisting, the security personnel will be cleared of any wrong doing.

"Also being said is that there will be even more stringent and invasive security measures at the airport in the future."

"Thank you and more news later."

[Merelas]

"MOLLY!"

 

The cracked rib he had suffered mocked him painfully as he screamed for his new second-in-command. The door opened immediately, and he kept his face blank of pain or discomfort. Ne'er allow 'em t' see ye hurt, lad, Was the first lesson in the business his father had given him.

 

"Aye, mainshter?" she said, politely. His half-sister was good.

 

"Get me the recording of that special broadcast, and hop to it! That was Max Gutterball or my name isn't Shamus O'Brien!"

 

"Oh, and maishter--our agents from Moscow that were waiting for Klatz in Leningrad need direction."

 

"Scatter t' the winds with them, lass. Bring Argus home t' repart t' me directly. The damned security deprived me of showing that bastard how the Irish deal with hit attempts, but at least he got what he earned."

 

"Aye sir."

 

"Oh, and see if ye can't try and get us out of the doghouse with Saria. It wasn't us who leaked Gutterball's flight--we would've done him in on our own time."

 

"It shall be done, mainshter."

[cryptomancer]

Mickey grined as the news played, amused at Gutterball's error of letting his goons carry guns so visibly. Johannes had been a good man, but no room in this business for carelessness, and if three cannot handle one man they deserved what they got.

 

Putting his feet onto the table Mickey relaxed. his thoughts drifting to the meeting after the death of Tony Avocado.

 

"I told them we couldnt play nice" Mickey said to himself as he sipped his wine.

 

 

Standing Mickey dialed for a car.

 

[YanYanGanaffi]

*picks up his phone, dialing Mickey*" Mickey? Yeah, this is Sammy," the Gator began," I know we aren't on the best terms, but we have a common problem that we both need to take care of. I don't want to talk about 'him' now, but I'll send a man to give you a time and place for a meeting. Thanks."

 

*The Gator hangs up the phone and enjoys a nice glass of iced tea.*

[Tanuchan]

"Don't you talk to me in that voice, missy!" replies Saria sharply. "I would think Heartbreaker smarter than that! How don't you... okay, go and call her. I'm tired of your whining!"

 

Underlings... I would think also that Shamus had better ones...

 

"Molly? Good to talk to you. What nonsense did that half-brother of yours... mm? Not you? I know how hot Irish blood is, lass! And besides, that stubborn... ... yes, okay. Yes, you have a point there. ... No, don't. No, it's okay then. Yes, I will wait a contact."

 

She hangs up, a glint of irritation clear in her eyes although her voice is calm.

 

"So do you think now that the Irish is...."

 

"It's the Heartbreaker for you, Nime."

 

"Sorry, ma'am... I thought..."

 

"You don't have to think. Go and find Paolo."

 

As the girl leaves, Saria sighs. And it seems it's not just Shamus that needs better underlings.

[Lady Celes Crusader]

Tai Rong Xiang is furious when she heard the news about Gutterball's death. Who tipped Max's flight to the cops?

[LeifTheBunny]

Leif is sitting in the drawing room when Sven enters carrying a fresh glass of mead. "Sir, news reports showing right now indicate that Gutterball was gunned down trying to flee."

 

"That was expected. Gutterball made some enemies, I couldn't imagine that escape would have been feasible. Oh well. Sad to hear the demise. Any news from the organization yet?"

 

"Not yet sir, I'll let you know."

 

"Thank you."

 

With that, Sven left Leif in silence to ponder the death of Gutterball.

[Gnarlitch]

In the penthouse suite of TruelyNolen Tower, "X" paces furiously. His underlings imagine that they can even see smoke coming from his ears he is so angry. He suddenly stops and yells for a phone, of which 5 seem to appear as if by magic in the hands of his subs. He grabs the nearest and dials a number from memory.

 

"Shamus! Even a bloody daft mick such as yerself should be smarter than this public killin'. What are ye thinkin'? .... It wasn't you? And why would I be inclined to believe that? ... You sure? ... You damn well better be. I'll still be keeping an eye on you! *click*

 

"X" tosses the ohone back to the sub and then goes to his PC, logs on, and begins typing furiously.....

[cryptomancer]

Hanging up the 'Gater's' call mickey pulls open the small fridge in his limo. Taking out a can of coke and a small stick of biltong he leans back.

 

Sammy finally wants to talk, but wont say who about, interesting. A lot of the Bosses are going to be targeting Shamus now, they gonna think he squealed. this would cause problems if they do, time to go talk to the Irish.

 

Speed dail places the call, "Hello..... ja.... set up the meetings... same place.... oh and keep a eye out for one of Sammy's boys, he finally wants to talk it seems."

 

Next call.... "Shamus..... Rumour has it that your midnight snack was a bit off?...... Ja man..... I got the drugs too.... seems Gutterball was not liking you..... We need to meet... same place?........ ok... I wait your call"

 

 

[Vahktang]

It's been a bad week.

Opium Lotus's cook had tried to poison her, or so the yew leaves found seemed to indicate. Tracking down through her accounts had shown that she had just had deposited a particularly large amount in an nearly untraceable account in the Antilles, which has ties to Norway and certain cruise lines.

 

The Bunny has his own problems. Two of his men in Copenhagen had been butchered in the back room of bar they frequented. Painted on the walls was a message "Shhh...I'm hunting rabbits!" Police reports that The Bunny received showed DNA from a Celtic source, not native Norwegian or normal worker Turk or Algerian.

 

The Black Widow is nearly slain by a car bomb while entering a trendy nightclub. The reports she received showed that the bomb making material used was an untraceable semtex, but matched materials used in recent IRA bombs.

 

The Sakura is nearly assassinated by rifle fire. She is quickly taken to safety and her minions track down the marksmen, but are forced to slay him before he can be captured. Investigations show that his family was killed about the same time that the assassination was occuring and that it was done by strangulation by a silk cloth, an ancient Chinese method.

 

Finally, everyone gets a DVD disk.

It clears security and is played by a lieutenant before being seen by the boss.

 

The video clicks on showing a man, older, hair falling out, eyes rheumy, age spots all over the body in a wheel chair, several I.V. bags placed.

It takes a moment to realize that it is The Bunny, seemingly aged 50 years in two weeks.

"Hello," says The Bunny in a labored, horse whisper.

"If you see this, I am dead. While I am talking now, I am near dead.

"I was poisoned, but not in a conventional way.

"Several micrograms of a radioactive. Don't know if it was plutonium, or tritium or U238, but the point is that it was very poisonous and deadly and I ate it. I now have advanced cancer throughout my digestive tract and I've been told that the material was small enough to go through my blood brain barrier. I'm not right in the head now."

He laughs at his own feeble joke and that brings on a coughing jag. He waves away attendants.

"I don't know who did this to me, but I do know one thing.

"Get them. Make them suffer. Bring their children before them, kill the kids, then their parents then any other relatives. Then kill them slowly. Make it last.

"Nothing is too awful for them."

The video ends.

[Gnarlitch]

"X" watches the video and shudders a bit. A RADIOACTIVE POISON?!?! He had tried to immunize himself from every toxin known to man to prevent just such a thing from happening to himself, but even HE had been unable to find a way to immunize from THAT. The very thought made his flesh crawl. Odd, though, that no attempts had been made on his own life as of yet. Vitrually eveyone else had had problems except for him. That boded ill, any way you looked at it. Maybe someone was trying to make it look as if he was behind it...especially as the last death had been by poison! But who would be after him?

 

He couldn't think of why any of the others would want him dead. He had had fair buisness dealings with all of the others, and was not a competitor with any of them. Hell, his people even provided personal security for some of the others! It was time for a vacation. Go away for a while and let all this blow over. Come back after the smoke had cleared and make peace with the last man or woman standing.

 

He began placing calls. He had his planes prepped for a flight to Nova Scotia, his yacht prepped for his island in the Carribean, and first class plane tickets for Rome. His limo he ordered to his penthouse and his chopper he ordered to go to his office. A person matching his description went to each destination...but he went somewhere else, to wait and to watch.

[Tanuchan]

A continuous string of curses can be heard coming from Saria's bedroom, and a man is seen leaving hurriedly, escorted by Terane.

 

"And do not dare coming back with that kind of talk!"

 

She gasps, breathing heavily and biting back a wimper. Mariah approaches, but Saria shakes her head. "No... it's okay... tell Paolo that... next time he calls in ... a doctor who wants.... to drug me... I'll have his hide."

 

Pale, she proceeds. "Anything about Leif?"

 

"No, m'lady."

 

Saria closes her eyes, furious at her present invalid state.

 

"Bring anything you get, Mariah. I have to think about this. Almost everybody got targeted..." She waves her away.

[Lady Celes Crusader]

While her servants are already burning the body of Tai's cook, as she have no time to waiste with such traitors, she thinks about who might have paid the cook for such betrayal.

 

- Now... it is pretty obvious that someone's want me dead.

 

Then, a servant walks to her and gives her the news about the others.

 

- Leif had been killed by radiactive poison? Who is the nutcase who did that? Now that's weird.

 

Then, the servants gives her disturbing news.

 

- It seems that I have some calls to make...

[cryptomancer]

Mickey's remote to the DVD player destroyed itself in the attempt to pass through the wall. Mickey glared at the remains, furious that the bosses were being targeted.

 

He stormed out of his appartment, in the lift down his cell was already active.

 

"Shamus, we got to meet, I think I know who is behind all this...... Ja same place"

 

Closing the call he dialed another number, "Saria, no, who is this, get me Saria.... well then tell her to call me by noon, or I will just stop by, ...... It is Mickey...... Ja the skin..... tell her that is Shamus trusts her then I will too....... just tell her to call"

 

The second call ended as Mickey reached the car.

 

Dialing from his the back seat of the limo, Mickey placed another call,

 

"Gater?..... we must talk now.... cafe downtown..... look for my boys... we need to talk."

 

Closing the call, Mickey sat back, 'This will be fun, but I think that we need to get some factions talking.'

 

[Elwen]

Saya sets down the remote, perfect, delicate lips compressing to a thin line. This only topped off a very bad week, as far as the assassin was concerned.

 

Now, who could be behind this? It was too obvious to think that the Lotus had been behind this attempt, though it was always possible: in addition, the information that her aide had brought her had indicated that her rival, as well as most of the other bosses, had had similar "troubles" this week.

 

So who was responsible?

 

Tapping her lower lip with a slender hand, the young woman sat in thought, leafing through the papers.

[cryptomancer]

Mickey sat in the cafe', feet up on the chair opposite him, back to the corner of the first floor balcony. Hopefully the others would show up soon. Looking at his watch he dialed a number.

 

"Hello?.... Ja... Mickey.... tell her I wont make it today, but I will call....... Pass on a message please......Bombs and poison are a sign of flambouyance in a hit, only one boss has unlimited access to both...... yes I mean Vinny..... Who else would go to the extreme of a radioactive poison..... that is just to twisted..... Ja just watch him closely, I will call soon."

 

Closing the call Mickey drains the fourth cup of coffee that was getting just a bit to cold, and orders another.

 

'Those other two better put aside their differences and arrive soon.'

 

[Merelas]

"Aye Lad. I'm here now," says Shamus, striding in a bit more slowly than he normally would. The bomb in his kitchen had given him quite a turn, after all.

 

Molly walked in, and sat at a table not too far of, facing both the door and the table where Shamus and Mickey sat. Argus, limping badly, sat beside her.

 

"So lad... you wanted to see me again, and I'm here. We've just to wait for that Nolen lad, I assume?"

[Tanuchan]

Finally able to spend her time out of bed, Saria sits gazing out of her window.

 

"Lotus and the Sakurazukamori seem to agree... a most interesting development... and the Skin ... bombs... poison... it could be. " She mutters to herself. "X, then? Are we showing our claws now...?"

 

She waves Mariah out.

 

"Thanks, Mariah. I need some time alone. See that I'm not disturbed."

Edited October 20, 2004 by Tanuchan

[Lady Celes Crusader]

Tai Rong Xiang receives a brief phone call. She reads carefully the reports her loyal men made and nods. She calls in one of her more reliable agent and gives her a mission.

 

[cantonese speech]

- Be brief, discreet and courteous. You know what to do.

[/cantonese speech]

 

The servant nods and quickly leaves Tai's sight.

[cryptomancer]

Mickey looks at the Irishman, thinks for a moment before speaking,

 

"Ok, here is how I am seeing things. I have always looked after my information sources, and I think they are hinting at a X terminator for the hits. Poison, Bombs, his toys. No subtlety, his style. As for materials, Bombs, with IRA written all over them, he is out to frame you, I choose to take this view. We need to convince others though, they see it as you working with him."

Mickey lean forward, "I trust you, But others dont, we need to work on Gater today, find out where he stands."

 

[Tanuchan]

"It's confirmed. IRA bombs. With all respect, m'lady..."

 

"No." Saria frowns, looking at Mariah from behind a desk covered with reports. "What decent Irish terrorist would be foolish enough to use materials traceable to him? I smell a very clever set up in all this."

 

"Why not a trap within a trap... no one would believer he would do it, so he does it anyway," says Paolo.

 

"I have to agree with you, Paolo... this is full of traps within traps within traps. A seemingly endless chain of them. However, Shamus Heartbreaker would never use a bomb in my territory. But others can be trying to make me think he dared it."

 

"So we have the X, the Skin, and the Gator." Mariah picks another report, handing it in to Saria. "Two allies, and an unknown piece."

 

"Former allies," interrupts Paolo. "There are rumors they're currently on opposite sides."

 

"Backstabbing... " mutters Saria. "Mickey has always given me shudders. I wouldn't condemn Vinnie for wanting distance from him."

 

"But for trying to take over?"

 

"If it was him. I'm not convinced. There are too many coincidences. Traps within traps, Paolo. All the recent attacks can be traced to any of us. And all of us. Very clever. What do you have on the others, Mariah?"

 

"The Gator is an unknown piece. He may have been allied to the Skin once, but there's nothing on that recently. The Lotus and the Sakura have a somewhat uneasy deal. "

 

Saria looks at the reports already over her table. She discards some of them, and turns a critical eye on the remaining ones.

Edited October 21, 2004 by Tanuchan

[Gnarlitch]

"X" walks into the room where Mickey and Shamus are meeting.

 

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. You know, before one arranges a meeting in a given location, say a small cafe perchance, quite generally it behoves one to ascertain the proprietorships of aforementioned location. This is most especially true when one wishes a secret meeting to discuss betraying said proprietor. Allow me to translate that for you illiterate, *tone of speech and accent changes quite suddenly and quite drastically* backstabbing, bottom feeding sewer slimes. I OWN THIS JOINT! As well as every other piece of realestate between here and the river! So iff'n yews wanna talk smack about me behind my back ye might wanna doit somewheres else."

 

Vinny glares at Shamus and Mickey, staring them in the eyes until their skin crawls. Slowly, his gaze rests solely on Mickey.

 

"Yer a stinkin' coward Mick. Yer yellow. Yew make nice to my face, all the time lookin' ta stab me in the back. But thet ain't the worst of it. You accuse ME of sloppy work, like that bomb! You know very damn well I ain't never done a job so sloppy an' public in me life! I never been ta jail, ain't ever even been up on charges. 'Cuz I'm careful. I use a knife or a silenced gun, an' yew know it. Better yet, I use an untraceable poison. And you now accuse me of using something as crude as that bomb...OR THAT DAMNABLE RADIOACTIVE POISON!! Maybe you forgot how my mother died. She worked in that atomic power plant when I was a kid. Remember, the one with the reactor leak. She died a slow and horrific death from radiation poisoning. The doctors said it was even worse than cancer for the pain it caused. MY MOTHER! For that you die.

 

Oh, and if ya think yer boyz is gonna save yews, think again. They are all "indisposed" at the moment. The only way for you to make it out of here alive is through me. "

 

Mickey looks around the room and realizes that it's true. All of his men appear either drugged or have guns to their heads and are recieving shots at the moment. Even Shamus' eyes appear glazed and incoherrent. Just then he suddenly sees stars and his ears ring from the open handed slap Vinny has just given him...the ultimate insult between men on the street!

 

 

Edit: Each of the other Bosses recieves a live broadcast feed of the foreplay ond of the fight that ensues.

Edited October 22, 2004 by Gnarlitch

[cryptomancer]

Mickey leans back, watching the tantrum that Vinny seems to be enjoying.

 

"I know enough of your bussiness to know your ownership of this place, I came here to find out where you stood. I knew you would blow your top at talk behind your back. Now a direct attack on my men is not favourable in the eyes of certain control organizations that I have paid informants in. Maybe it is about time that you saw the inside of a cell."

 

Mickey grins in the face of the raging Vinny, killing us now prooves our susspicions of your involvment. You attacking us is going to make the otheer bosses very unhappy too."

 

Mickey stands and walks past Vinny, glancing at Shamus on the way to the stairs.

 

Prove your innocence and we will talk, attack my men again and leaks will happen. Then you can talk to the government."

 

[Lady Celes Crusader]

Tai Rong Xiang watches carefully the broadcast. X was right about the clumsy methods; they were definatly out of his style. However, when someone is trying to overthrow every other bosses, it's a totally different game of go. It's subterfuge over subterfuge. She understands why X was upset but then is it deception or not. She gets her attention totally focused.

[Tanuchan]

A sudden hand offers Shamus a glass of water, and he looks up dazedly to find Mariah. Sharia is seen at the door of the cafe, supported by a cane and Paolo's strong arm.

 

"Antidote for Vinny's drug, Shamus. Trust me."

 

Then she turns to Mickey.

 

"You know that Vinny is innocent, Mickey. You have been plotting and setting things up since Avocado's death. There's a network of information that knows what you are doing. There are people who know that you are planning to kill or take out of comission every one of us."

 

"And I think also that you and either the Opium Lotus or the Sakurazukamori are allied. Both are supporting you. I wonder how the next to be betrayed will react... and I think the surprised one will be the Sakura."