Chapter 9: Urban Ops

Jack sat at his seat patiently while the Vercetti Alliance members discussed current city matters they needed to deal with. Every once and a while they would call in a Yakuza agent, brief him or her on their mission, and send them off. Most of the topics were minor things, like making sure Salvatores assassination would never be traced to the Vercetti Alliance.

They discussed what would be of the Italian Mafia in Portland, now that Salvatore was dead. Who would be in charge? After much debate, they finally came to the conclusion that they would place Toni Cipriani, leader of the Hitmen, as Don. They knew it would receive hostility from some in the Mafia, especially Joey Leone, Salvatore's son, but they arranged how they would secretly maneuver it their way.

Jack felt as if he were sitting in on a meeting of the gods. Some supernatural beings that controlled everything that went about Liberty City. Jack never would have guessed that an organization like this existed at any level less than international, like the CIA. This was truly the organization Jack wanted to be a part of when he came to Liberty. He couldnt believe how lucky he had been to get where he was, or all the danger he somehow made it through.

The meeting later shifted from Mafia matters to a problem with the Columbian Cartel. All members were concerned the Cartel was becoming a major problem in dealing narcotics and arms on the street. They wanted an end to this menace that was beginning to plague the city.

Jack remembered how he unknowingly joined the Cartel when he first came to Liberty. It was through a contact he had made from someone in the Army. Ever since the night they used him and left him to die, he wished he could one day give them retribution. This was his chance.

"I've talked to Ray about the problem," Tommy explained to the conference members, "He can't do much about it from the precinct. They're not fast enough for the Columbians. The cops cant seem to close in on these deals. The Cartel is corrupting the city and laughing in all our faces. We've got deal with it now, while the cops and media are focused on Salvatore's little mishap."

Everyone who was seated had a flat screen monitor in front of them, periodically bringing up photo IDs and information relevant to the topic at hand. Tommy now brought up a citywide map of several locations of possible dealership and identifications of known dealers. He assigned Cortez's, Yakuza, and his own agents to various places.

"Jack and Vince," he pointed to them later on, "You two have to check out the construction site here." He pointed to his screen, and everyone else's screen lit up where he pointed, "Something's definitely going down there with the Columbians, and I wanna know what."

Jack was pleased to be assigned with someone he was familiar with that he could trust, but knew any time spent alone with Vince would still be awkward, considering the hidden relationship Jack discovered between Vince and Maria.

Tommy explained to all agents that their primary objective was to find out where all the cargo was coming from. Tommy wanted the Cartel shut down in their main base of operations, but he wasnt sure exactly where that was in Liberty.

"I have called old friends for assistance," Cortez said, "Though they are doing their best overseas, we cannot ignore the problem in this city."

Jack had been there for almost three hours when the meeting ended. Tommy gave some closing remarks, and reminded anyone that he would personally deal with anyone double-crossing another in the Alliance.

"Jack and Vince," Tommy said, getting up, "I want you two back at Avery Towers as soon as possible. People will be lookin' for you, so stay off the streets. Theres a garage next to this building, and two Sabres are waiting for you on the second floor." He threw them keys. "I'll see ya."

"Wait, Jack," he heard as he went to leave. It was Asuka Kasen, "I have heard of your reputation, and I think it would be wise of me to use your help in the future. Besides, Reiko could use some company."

Jack turned to see Reiko exiting the room, and nodded at Asuka, "Just let me know when you need me," Jack said, "Thanks for the offer."

Jack left the Kasen Technologies building alone. As he stepped out onto the street, he watched Donald Loves helicopter fly overhead. He saw Vince hurriedly run into the garage, so Jack decided to avoid further awkward contact with him, by giving Captain Ray Machowski a call.

Jack found the nearest payphone, and shut himself inside the booth. He remembered the number Tommy gave him and dialed. He waited for a long time, and was about to hang up when he heard a computerized voice.

"Talk" the synthesized voice said.

Jack was silent for a while, until he remembered what he needed to say, "Vice Call." He said slowly.

"Oh, it's you," the voice, said, "Didnt think youd call so early. How'd the meeting go?"

"Good," Jack said, "Is this..."

"No names!" the voice cut him up quickly, "Just to be on the safe side. But ya, its who you think it is. Anyway, you were identified in the incident this morning. No pictures or video or anything like that, but Mafia identified you to the officers. They think he took you hostage or something."

"Who?" Jack said, until he realized he meant Vince, "Oh, never mind."

"Alright," Ray said, "So you're a piece of work to handle here. I've been working hard to get cops off your back, but there's this Detective, and he's becoming more and more suspicious of you. I've been able to get everyone off your back except this guy. He must've been to the crime scene at your old apartment about 10 times. Just watch your back. I know you've met him, so just keep a lookout. Dont draw attention to yourself, and don't let anyone follow you back to where you're staying now. You understand?"

"Yes," Jack said, knowing Ray was talking about that Detective Tanner who briefly interviewed him at the police station the morning after 8-Ball was murdered.

"Good," said Ray, "Now I hear youre going to check out that construction site?"

"Right," Jack answered.

Ray went on, "This is something I couldnt ask a cop to handle. Just be careful and dont get caught. Your boss would deny every bit of contact he ever had with you. Think of this as an illegitimate CIA. He wants intelligence about whats going down in this city, and his guys will eliminate threats before they get out of my Departments hands. It all works out, huh?"

"Yes, it does," Jack stood there, still amazed at learning the existence of this secret urban operations force.

"Alright," Ray said, "Nice talkin' to ya. Just watch yourself, alright?"

"I will," Jack answered, and waited for a reply, until he realized Ray had already hung up.

Jack put the phone down, and naturally looked up to see if anyone was watching him. People were passing by on the sidewalks like usual. Some stopped to watch the TV monitors in the appliance store window across the street. Jack went over the pedestrian crossing to see. He peeked over the group of people, and heard the newscast from a female reporter.

A rough sketch of Jack came up. It was a little off, especially in facial features, but his hair and clothing was exact to his current appearance. Jack looked at the man next to him, looking at Jack with both fear and excitement in his eyes.

"Wait, y-youre..." he pointed at the TV, then to Jack, "You're the man in the sketch!"

Jack tried to remain calm and smile, "No, no, that's not me." He laughed and most of the people laughed along with him, while the man and a few others were still skeptical.

"Officer," the same man yelled to a nearby policeman, "It's the guy! The guy on TV! He's right here!"

The police officer didnt know what he was talking about, until he looked at the TV, which showed the sketch of both Vince and Jack. He peered at Jack from a distance, and began to walk over. Jack started to back away slowly.

"It is him!" one said.

"He's trying to get away!" the man yelled to the police officer.

"Stop!" the cop put his hand up.

Jack knew he would be brought in for questioning, and that would lead to trouble. He immediately turned and began to sprint past all the people on the sidewalk going about their morning business. He knew better than to run to the garage and use the Sabre to escape, because he did want them to find Vince too. He had run for about two blocks, and looked behind him, where about 3 or 4 cops and a large group of pedestrians were running after him. Jack figured the news program probably offered a reward for his head. He wished he had gone back straight to Avery Towers, like Tommy had said.

Jack ran onto the busiest section of Staunton, Times Square. He looked up on the large monitor on the building that showed his and Vinces sketch. People everywhere stopped to look at the running man, and the sketch that resembled him. Tommy quickly shot a glance at a large number at the bottom of the sketch, which was probably the reward for catching him.

More and more pedestrians tried to stop him, but Jack was quicker than most of them. A whole group waited for him in front of a television studio, so Jack ran onto the traffic-filled streets. He kept running in between cars, until a man stopped directly in front of him and was ready to spear him. Jack dodged him by sliding across the hood of the Taxi to his right.

Jack kept running and running, but he was starting to feel tired of running at full speed for more than 5 minutes. He needed to think of something fast, or someone would catch up to him. He saw the stairs to the subway, and went down them. He was still jogging and breathing heavy when he walked around the station. When he was sure he finally lost the people chasing him, he quickly went to a booth, bought a token, and boarded on a train going to the other end of the island.

He sat down, breathing heavy, and checked for anyone on the train that might recognize him, but found only a boy sitting with his mother, across from Jack, was looking at him because he was breathing so heavily.

The train came to a stop, and Jack quickly got off. He ran back to the surface, and found the nearest Taxi. He told the Taxi to drive to a restaurant. The restaurant was actually down the street from Avery Towers, but Jack didnt want anything traced back to there, just in case the driver realized later on that Jack was the man in the sketch.

The Taxi arrived at the restaurant in about a half-an-hour. Jack simply gave him $20, and told him to keep the change. He made sure the driver drove far off, and Jack briskly walked to Avery Towers with his head down. He took off his jacket and carried it to the building, where he took the elevator to Tommy's floor. There, he was patted down and escorted by bodyguards to Tommy's room.

Tommy was laughing when he came in, "Haha, that was a pretty good performance you put on out there! I was ready to give up on you!"

Jack realized Tommy was listening in on radio transmissions of his agents on the street.

"My guys had such a hard time keeping up," Tommy said, "They tell me the cops and a mob of people are after you, but youre going too fast for any of them! So I made a bet with Mario here."

Mario, a bodyguard next to Tommy, gave a disappointed grin. "Alright Mr. V, you win. He made it."

"And without a trail too, very impressive," Tommy clapped his hands standing up to meet Jack face to face. His voice suddenly got serious, and his eyes piercing Jacks, "But listen, Jack, I told you to come back here after the meeting. Sure, freedoms something we should all enjoy, but Im just lookin out for you." He poked Jack hard in the chest, "You made it this time, but one of these days Jack, you'll run out of luck, and no onell be there to save you. You can count on it that I wont. Everyone likes the daredevil, but not everyone'll be there when he needs them."

Jack swallowed a lump of saliva in his throat that built up from being reprimanded by Tommy. Tommy didnt even raise his voice, but his tone was so chilling. It struck more fear into Jack's heart than most of his officers back in the Army. He knew now why Tommy dominated the real estate market in the United States, and was the leader of the Vercetti Alliance. With a presence like that, Tommy could break down a man by looking him in the eye.

"Get Vince in here," Tommy said, looking at the large computer screen on his wall that showed a detailed overhead map of Liberty City.

Vince arrived, gave Jack a nod, and Jack did likewise. Tommy brought them to the screen, and briefed them on their mission. They went over it quickly, and Tommy let them go.

"Rest up, and stay in the hotel," he stressed, "Be back here by about 10 PM, and well start you two off."

Jack left, and took the elevator down to his room. The reconnaissance missions overlooking the construction site would take place every night at midnight. Jack figured hed sleep until then. He took a shower, and put on a pair of loose clothes that were left to him, among many others. He slumped down in the bed, thinking about how drastically his life changed once again. Before he knew it, he fell asleep, and awoke in the late afternoon.

He spent an hour training in his hotel room, practicing his martial arts. He trained intensely, and became sweaty, making him have to take a shower once again. After that, he opened the window shades, and sat on the table meditating in front of the beautiful late afternoon view.

He opened his eyes after he felt he was fully focused and awake. He checked the clock and it was 7 PM. He turned on the television and phoned in a dinner to be sent to his room. He ordered a pay movie from the hotel, and ate his dinner while watching it. He did anything he could to keep his mind away from Maria, Vince, or anything that would burden him with useless anxiety. He wanted to be fully rested for his first reconnaissance mission that night.

It was almost 9 when the movie finished, so Jack decided to meditate in quiet a few minutes, and then go up to Tommys floor early. After sitting on the floor in the dark for about 10 minutes, he went to the bathroom and fixed himself up. He used the elevator to get to Tommys room, where there were many of the agents he had seen in the conference room and IDd in the conference rooms computer monitors.

He saw Tommy briefing some people on the other end of the gigantic hotel room, so Jack just leaned against the wall, and tried not to get in anyones way, as they all prepared to gather information about the Columbian Cartel.

Jack figured he probably would not have to deal with as much action, now that he was only doing reconnaissance. As much as he would have liked to get revenge on the same people who almost killed him years ago, Jack knew he was one of many of Tommys henchmen now. It was no longer the Leone Clan. Jack wasnt as esteemed here as he was with the Mafia.

"Jack, right?" someone approached Jack.

Immediately Jack realized this person was missing an arm, but Jack fought not to notice.

"Phil Cassidy," he stretched out his only arm to shake Jacks hand, "If you hadnt noticed, I'm missin an arm, but dont you mind that. I can still shoot a fly off your nose any day. Anywho, Ive got your report here," he moved to a table and typed something in, and Vince and Jack's mission came up, "So I guess I can get you up and ready early. Follow me." They walked over to three large bags piled together. "I'll take one, and you take two. We'll go downstairs and suit you up."

Jack took the bags and followed Phil to the elevator, where they went down to Jacks room.

"Just put 'em down on that bed," he said as he put his down on the other bed. He opened up his bag, taking out the full black bodysuit, "This here's the bodysuit. It'll keep you warm out there in the cold." He began to take the other gear out too, explaining their purpose, "This is your handgun, and your 'lil silencer. These binoculars go infrared and night vision. Grapple gun, with lots of rope. The knife's in a sheath that wraps around your ankle. Heres your utility belt. There's lots of stuff in there. The camera's digital, so you can store a ton of video and still files in there." He fiddled around with the camera, " ... I don't really know how to work it, but you'll figure it out. Nice hardy boots, gloves, and a comlink round it all up. Oh, and MREs are in the belt in case you get hungry.

"You've been in the Army before, right?" Phil lightly punched Jack in the chest, "Shoot, you even made Ranger-class too, didnt you? Hoo-ah! Guess this 'lil mission'll be like a photography trip for you. Just put on this light bulletproof vest and youre ready to go. It'll protect you from small arms fire, but you shouldn't even have to worry about that, from what I hear." He laughed, and put the equipment back into the bag. "Alright, so you should get going. Wait for Vince at Tommy's floor, and you two have fun." He patted Jack on the shoulder, and left the room.

Jack put on the bodysuit that was very thin, but almost made him seem more agile. Something about it made him move quicker and with more agility. He went around the room, spinning and jumping around in a martial arts style, and was very impressed with how much the suit helped. He buckled the belt on, clipped on gear, and loaded the pouches with useful items from the bag. He took the gun, and took out the clip. He checked the bullets and clicked the clip back in. He made sure the safety was on, and he holstered it, putting the extra clips and silencer in pouches on the belt.

He put the bulletproof vest on, which was not as heavy as the ones he used in the Army. Over all of that, he managed to slip on very baggy jeans and a jacket, just in case people noticed him before the mission began. He carried the one bag he had left, and went back up to Tommy's room.

Again, there were many people there prepping for their missions, but this time Vince was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was obviously in full gear, with only his trench coat concealing most of it.

It was almost 10 o clock, so Vince probably wanted to get going. Without saying a word, he moved passed Jack to the elevator. Jack followed him, and he lugged his heavy bag down to the garage.

Vince walked over to a large van, "Don't open the back." He got into the driver's seat.

Jack went into the passenger's seat, and threw his bag into the back from the front. He realized Vince didnt want him to open the back, because there were some people in the garage, who would have seen what was in there.

The back of the van was almost a living quarters. On one side there was a bed, the other a seat going across the side. On one wall hung various assassin weapons, and on the other, several flat-screen monitors. In the middle was a sleek PCJ 2003 motorcycle, ready to leave through the back of the van. Behind Jacks seat was a computer, and behind Vince's seat was a large box-shaped thing that was probably a small refrigerator. It was all very impressive, and Jack couldnt help but have awe like a little boy, discovering the world of a professional assassin. The black van looked cheap from the outside, but inside was a sight to behold.

Vince started the car, pressing various buttons on a science-fiction-like dashboard. The windows changed color, and everything on the outside became brighter. Jack figured it was impossible to see the vans inside from the outside now. Vince drove away, heading for the construction site. He turned on a police radio that was a welcoming relief to the silence. Vince finally spoke up and said Jack could go into the back and look around or use the computers if he wanted.

Jack climbed into the back, and looked at the seat going along the side. He realized he could lift up the seat, which revealed various compartments of food and living supplies. The bed on the other side lifted up to, revealing more weapons and ammunition. The weapons on the wall were an impressive collection, including sniper rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, and handguns. The weapons under the bed were more unconventional, including even swords. Jack pressed a button on the flat-screen monitor, turning on a news television station. Jack sat on the bed a watched it for the rest of the trip.

The ride to the construction site took about half-an-hour, and Vince turned on ultraviolet headlights. Vince and Jack, who were looking through the special glass, would be the only ones to see these headlights. Vince turned on the advanced muffler, which made the van almost silent as it went. The van was practically invisible in the dark night now.

The construction site was large, so Vince drove up to a part on the side, that was high enough to overlook the entire site, and was far enough from the center, where they assumed the action would take place. He made sure to park it under an enclosing of unpaved granite rock, so they would not be seen.

"Let's go." Vince said, taking a PSG1 sniper rifle with him from the back.

Jack decided not to take a weapon, and only carried his binoculars with him. They silently crept along the wall, where they found a large steel beam they could hide behind. Vince pressed buttons on the side of the headset he wore, and looked around. Jack figured he was scanning the area for anyone.

"Someone's following us." Vince said, readying his PSG1.

Jack quickly screwed his silencer on, and undid the safety. He took his binoculars out, and put it on night vision, toward the location that Vince was looking. He couldnt see anyone, so he switched to infrared, where he definitely saw someone hiding behind a mound of rock.

"Is he alone?" Jack asked as he kept looking at this unknown person.

"Ya," Vince said, "Theres no one around here, but people are starting to show up in the middle of construction over there."

Jack saw the vans pull in toward the middle of construction as Vince said. Vince kept fiddling with his gear, trying to figure out who was following them. Frustrated, he pointed the sniper rifle in the unknowns position, and he silently, but quickly made his way in that direction. Jack followed him, with his back to Vince, guarding their rear. He darted his gun around, keeping himself alert to anyone that posed a threat.

"Maria?" Vince suddenly said.

"What?" Jack kept his gun fixed at the center on the construction, while turning to see none other than Maria standing there with her hands in the air.

"Don't shoot!" she said.

"Quiet!" Vince whispered fiercely, "What are you doing here?"

"Vince, I know you killed my father" she said, and tears began to form.

"How did you find us?" he asked.

"I followed your van," she sniffed, "But I really wanna know, Vince. Why? Why'd you... Jack?!" she looked at Jack. "Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Maria, you shouldnt be here," Jack said. "You have to get out of here, its dangerous."

Jack realized how strange it was that Vince and Maria were both here with him. It reminded him of their relationship she never told him about.

"Jack, there's something I needed to tell you" she said, crying again.

"Maria," Vince was frustrated and angry, and even brought the sniper rifle to her head, "He knows about us already. Shut up, and get out of here."

"H-he does?" she sounded surprised.

Before Jack began to say something, Vince grabbed his headset.

"Someone's coming." Vince said, and pulled Maria with them to hide behind some rock.

Jack saw it too. The Columbians were beginning to send out sentries to patrol the area. They were spreading out all over the place.

"Stay quiet," Vince said to Maria, "or we all die."

She nervously nodded her head, and it reminded Jack all too much of when he saved her life from the Triads months ago.

"We gotta move" Vince whispered as he ran away crouched down.

"Just follow him," Jack whispered to Maria, "I need to cover us from behind."

They followed Vince, who suddenly disappeared in the darkness. Maria stayed close to Jack, who walked cautiously, with his gun ready to shoot.

"Up here," they heard from the high mound of rocks to their right.

It was Vince, sprawled down on the rocks peering through his sniper rifle at the center of the construction site. Jack helped Maria up, and the three of them lay flat on the rocks, silently watching the activity going on in the midst of 4 or 5 vehicles in the distance.

Jack looked through his binoculars in infrared, seeing various figures talking and exchanging items. Vince adjusted his headset that had an amplifier mic attached to the side, so he could hear what was going on from such a far distance away.

"Those are all the major dealers," Vince whispered, "They're repaying the money back to their bosses."

Jackpot, Jack thought. Not only did this mean that this was the exact thing Tommy was looking for, but Jack knew that the people who tried to kill him years ago were probably down there.

Then Vince winced and hissed in pain, holding his ear. Jack and Maria could hear it too. It was a high-pitched noise that came from his helmet. It wasnt loud, but it might have been deafening from inside his headset.

"They're using a sound cancel beacon." Vince said, adjusting his headset some more. "If they have technology like that, then"

Suddenly, gunshots rang out from a distance to the right. Bullets didnt come close, but the three scrambled behind the heap of rocks. Maria screamed.

"Quiet!" Vince put his hand over her mouth. "Lets go back to the van."

They proceeded quickly back to the vans location, until Vince pressed himself against the wall, and Jack and Maria followed suit. Vince crouched down, and took aim far ahead. He fired two shots, and Jack heard bodies fall in the distance.

Vince kept himself pressed against the wall, and motioned for Jack and Maria to join him. Jack peeked over the corner to his left, seeing a Columbian with a submachine gun running over to where they were. Vince probably had a guard around his corner too, because he took a knife out in ready position. Maria squatted down and covered her head.

By now, the Columbian on Jack's side of the wall was about to come around the wall soon, so Jack prepared himself. When he saw the submachine gun, he immediately pushed the side of it with his left hand, and grabbed the clip of it with his right. He quickly slid the clip out before the Columbian was able to react and shoot. The gun clicked empty, as Jack took the clip in his hand and rammed it into the Columbians chin. Jack swung his leg behind the Columbians knee, pushing him down, and bringing the submachine gun down on his head, knocking him out.

Jack turned to see the other Columbian falling to the ground with a knife in his side. Vince had stabbed him in the lungs to prevent him from making a sound. He fell in front of Maria, and she watched in horror as the life left his eyes.

"Get down!" Vince said to them.

At that moment, bullets ricocheted everywhere, and Jack ran off in a different direction than Maria and Vince. He saw one of the shooters, and fired a few shots from his silenced pistol at him. Jack missed, but the Columbian took cover, giving Jack the opportunity to run away.

Jack couldnt get to the van without having to go around the whole construction site, so he decided to risk it, by going through, very close to the center of construction. He made it without anyone watching him, but heard people coming from behind. He dived and rolled under small opening of rock, where he wouldnt be seen. From here, he was very close to the vans and SUVs, and could see what was going on in the center.

Suddenly, he heard screaming, and it was Maria. He looked as they dragged her and Vince to the middle of the vans and SUVs. Vince was thrown into the center, and a female Columbian came out to talk to him. He was about to jump her, when several Columbians stopped him, by threatening to shoot him.

"No," she said to the guards, then came close to Vince, grabbing his face in her hand, "I know who you are. You are the famous assassin that has caused us so much trouble Vince Fiorentino. Yes, yes, it is you. It is quite an honor to finally come face to face with you. Now, tell me, who sent you? The US government? CIA? Cortez?"

Vince didnt respond, and only looked her in the eyes for a long time.

"Miguel," she called over a very large man, "make him talk."

At that, the big man delivered such a massive punch to Vinces stomach that Vince went down in an instant.

"Vince, no!" Maria screamed, until another Columbian slapped her to be quiet.

Jack, from under the opening, aimed his silenced pistol at the big Columbian. He wanted to save Vince and Maria, but knew how impossible it was. He was outnumbered 20 to 1. There was nothing he could do from under the rock hole. If he got out, hed be seen and shot immediately. Jack sadly admitted to himself the fact that Vince and Maria were on their own for now.

Jack winced every time he heard Vince grunt, as Miguel, the big Columbian, picked him up and beat him like a punching bag. Maria was crying, as the female Columbian told them to put her in a van.

"Catalina," Miguel said in Spanish to the female Columbian, "What do I do with Vince?"

"Take him too," she said in Spanish, "Lets go, there might be more of them here."

Vinces beaten body was thrown into the van with Maria, and was slammed shut. Jack tried his best to listen to what the Columbians were saying as they left. Even with his knowledge of the Spanish language, Jack did not pick up on any location they were headed. He was tempted to grab onto the back of a nearby SUV as they started to drive off, but knew how risky that was. He knew Vince had a tracking system connected to his van, so Jack would use that. He'd call Tommy for help.

All the cars were leaving, so Jack quickly got out of the rock formation and checked for anyone left. He cautiously, but quickly, made his way to the van. He looked at the radar on the dashboard, and saw one dot blinking. It was moving, and moving in the same direction as the Columbians left. It was definitely Vinces signal. He turned on the intercom and directed it to Tommy's signal.

"What's up, Jack?" Tommy said.

"Mission failure," Jack said urgently, "Mission failure. We found the central concentration of the Columbians, but they've got Vince and Maria."

"Maria?" Tommy was surprised, "Who, Maria Leone? What's she doing there?"

"I dont know," Jack said, "but they've got her and Vince. I'm in Vince's van, and I've still got his signal. Theyre probably taking him to their base of operations. We can move in on them now."

"No, not yet." Tommy said, "Weve got cops and the media creeping all over the place. Theyll be here the whole day. We cant afford to send out an attack force now. Itll draw too much attention."

"Then what are we going to do?" Jack asked.

"Nothing," Tommy said, "Well have to wait a few days before we move in"

Jack cut him off, "I thought you were the one who said we needed to act immediately?"

Tommy remained silent for a while, and responded with an annoyed tone, "Calm down Jack, dont do anything stupid."

"I'm going after them." Jack impulsively said, and held his breath for Tommy to respond.

"What did I say about this," Tommy said angrily, "If you screw up, theres no one there to save you. You are not going up against the Columbian Cartel by yourself. Just relax, Jack. You dont want to do this."

"I'm sorry, Tommy." Jack said, as he shut off the intercom.

Jack knew that disobeying Tommy was against everything he had worked for to get where he was, but he couldnt let the Cartel take Vince and Maria. Theyd be dead before Tommy's people could get to them.

Jack took a signal tracer with him, so he could know where to find Vince, and so Tommy would find him, in case he did decide to help him, which was unlikely. Jack opened the back of the van, and started the motorcycle. He took two MP5 submachine guns and hung them over both his shoulders, letting them hang on each side. He picked up several different grenades, and extra ammunition. He was weighed down by his weapons, but didnt let that stop him from getting on the PCJ 2003 motorcycle and driving out of the back of the van. He put on the heavy helmet, turning it on and reading all the Head Up Display information on the computerized visor.

He shut the back of the doors and went off into the street. He was amazed at how silent the motorcycle was, and then remembered it was Vinces. He looked down at the radar between the handlebars, and followed the blinking light.

Dont worry guys, I'm coming. He thought, as he zoomed down the empty late night road.