Part Three: Future
Prologue
Present
I looked at the list that the she gave me. It was a list of jobs:
- Kill Fei Dow
- Kill Alba Ferdinando
- Kill Aleksandr Maksimilian
- Kill Akemi Ai
- Wait for my call
Fei Dow is the boss of the Triads branch here; I had the pleasure of meeting him one night when he hired me for a job.
Alba Ferdinando is the head of the Italian mafia, word is that she was the most beautiful thing that ever set foot in New York, well, we'll see about that.
Aleksandr Maksimilian, leads the Russian mafia, other than that I don't know anything else about him.
Akemi Ai runs the Yakuza branch here in New York; she used to be an assassin, and probably still is, some even say that she has studied the art of ninjustu.
Well, it's not going to be easy, but at least it's better then spending the rest of my life in prison.
Chapter 1
2 days later
I paid the cashier and I left with my new ammunition.
My cell phone rung.
I reached into my pocket, took out my cell phone, and said, "Hello?"
"Hello Eric."
"Who is this?"
"Deankle."
"What do you want?"
"The question is, what do you want?"
I was puzzled, what the heck did this guy want?
"I see that you have forgotten, you did a job for me, and I have yet to pay you."
In my haste, I have forgotten to get my payment, well, lucky for me, my employer did not.
"Where would you like to meet?" I asked.
"As soon as possible, in Small-town Coffee."
I was shocked, for I was standing in front of Small-town Coffee.
"Okay," I replied, and the phone went dead.
Either this was the biggest coincidence ever, or something was going on.
I walked into the café, and I sat down in the chair across his table.
Neil Deankle lifts up a suitcase and puts it onto the table.
"Here's your money Mr. Tanko."
He got up, and said, "I'm sorry about your girlfriend, good luck with you next four jobs."
He left.
I sat there, maybe I heard it wrong, but I could have sworn that he wished me luck on precisely my next four jobs.
How did he know? Maybe I heard him wrong, but then again, what if he did know something.
I turned around, ran out the door with the suitcase, but he was already gone.
Chapter 2
4 days later
#1 on my list was Fei Dow, boss of the New York branch of the Triads.
Fei Dow was from Hong Kong; he dealt mostly in cocaine and heroine. Word around town is that he knew a thing or two about martial arts, pretty good with a knife too. The only time I ever saw him was when he hired me to take out another competing Triad boss in NY, never saw him again after that, though he did say that he'd keep in touch. That was a year ago.
To get to him, I'd have to go through his bar/night club/strip club/ whatever the heck it was.
Not an easy thing.
And so, I found myself, on the street across the 'club' called Dragon X, not where I want to be, still better then prison though.
I went up to the door.
"Name please?" I never really liked guards, and this one was pushing it.
"Eric Tanko."
They looked at their list, looked back up, and said, "Sorry sir, your name is not on the list."
"Just as I expected."
They looked at me as if I was mad or something.
That look turned into looks of terror at I revealed my silenced pistol.
Their looks turned blank after I shot them in the brain.
I dragged them out into the nearby alley, and walked into the club.
Inside, there were girls, beer, and more girls.
I took a look at the girls, and Judy's face came to my mind.
I quickly turned away, and headed towards to bar.
"Hello sir, what would you like?"
"I'd like a martini and a Mr. Fei down here on that stool."
The bartender looked at me, surprised.
He gave me my martini, "Please wait a moment," and went upstairs.
I drank my martini in one gulp.
The bartender came down, and asked me to follow him upstairs; I did ask for him to be on the stool next to mine, but I decided to let it go.
Chapter 3
Still 4 days later
I went up the stairs.
And there was a man wearing a black suit, with a black shirt and a white tie, throwing a knife in the air, catching it, and repeating that process.
Fei Dow and his knives.
"Long time no see, Mr. Tanko."
I replied, "Same to you."
"What's your business here, Tanko?"
"To kill you."
I took out my gun, and immediately the suits started coming at me. I shot down his bodyguards.
He just sat there, throwing and catching his knife.
"So, you want to kill me... Deankle's suggestion?"
"No." Even as I said that, I realized that something was wrong, why would the wife of the Secretary of Defense would want me to kill him, or any other gang leaders?
"I'm surprised."
He threw his knife at me; my reflexes quickly brought my gun up.
The knife flew away, it's course changed by my bullet.
Fei Dow laughed, "Not bad."
I pointed my gun at him, and pulled the trigger.
Nothing came out.
"Damn," I whispered under my breath.
"You assassins rely too much on stealth and guns, I, however can fight in the open."
"What? So you think I'll lose?"
He smirked, "Most likely."
And he unbuttoned his jacket to reveal his knifes.
Chapter 4
5 days later
The clock rang twelve times; it was a new day.
What a way to begin the day.
He took out two of his knives, one in his hand.
"You won't live to regret this," he boosted egotistically.
He threw a knife at me; I threw my gun at it.
The knife was deflected, and I jumped behind the sofa.
I felt the sofa getting pierced by a few more knives.
Damn it, why did I throw away my gun when I had plenty of spare clips?!
Fei Dow sneered, "Coward!"
I felt the sofa getting stepped on, and the next thing I knew was that Fei Dow was above me.
"Shit!" I cursed, jumped up, and jumped out of the way of the flying knives.
"Not bad for an assassin," he commented.
"Not bad with your knives," I admitted.
He smirked, and waved his hand.
I took out my clips and threw them.
Knives fell down, stopped by my clips, but in my haste I had missed one.
And it stabbed me in my shoulder.
"Ahh!" I cried out in pain, as my shoulder bled red blood.
I felt a kick at my head, and I slammed against the wall.
I grabbed the knife in my shoulder and pulled out.
A shadow loomed over me.
"Having fun?"
"Screw you!" I cursed.
He pointed a knife at me.
"Don't get cocky Tanko."
He smirked his hateful smirk.
"Did you think you could beat me?"
I didn't reply.
He lunged forward, and I rushed up, with his knife in my hand.
He stabbed me in my chest; I stabbed him in his heart.
He fell down, I loomed over him.
"H-How?"
I opened my jacket to reveal spare clips covering my heart.
He smirked, "S-Should have kno-own."
"Before I go, tell me Eric, who ordered this?" asked Fei Dow.
"The wife of the Secretary of Defense."
I turned and began walking toward the door.
"Heh, I was right."
"You said Deankle, Dow."
"I know."
I turned around, "What? What do you mean?"
It was too late, he was dead.
Chapter 5
6 days later
Something was wrong, I could feel it.
Pieces of the puzzle didn't seem to fit together.
What did Fei Dow mean when he said he was right?
Why would the Secretary of Defense's wife want these people dead?
It just didn't make sense.
I had no time to think about it now though; I have 8 more days left to track down and kill three other mob bosses.
I placed Fei Dow's daggers in my safe, as souvenirs and went out.
Chapter 6
1 week later
Alba Ferdinando, leader of the Italian mafia in New York. People say that she's the most beautiful (well, actually, they say 'hottest') girl in town, though I doubt that's what people will say when they see her cold corpse.
I went out to talk to some of her underlings, better do some research first, unlike what I did with Fei Dow, which cost me a lot of blood.
I entered Small-town Coffee, and sat down at a table across a guy with a leather jacket and spiked hair, he was a drug trafficker who worked for Ferdinando.
I slipped him a few thousand dollars in an envelope, he looked in it.
"What do you have?" I started the interrogation.
"Well, she's like, the most hottest thing I've ever seen man. Y'know, long beautiful legs, nice lips, nice big bou-"
I stopped him from blurting out more useless information; "I've already heard that rumour, tell me something that can help me kill her."
He looked thoughtful for a few minutes and said, "Why should I help you kill a sexy thing like her?"
"Because if you don't, I'll kill you too."
He panicked. "Look, I'm sorry, she doesn't have any weaknesses that I know of."
"Then give me back the envelope."
"No." He flipped the table over and ran.
I kicked the table away and chased him; I couldn't have him talk to Alba Ferdinando.
I chased him into an alleyway. This was perhaps clichéd, but it actually makes sense to do so because I couldn't kill him in the middle of a road now could I?
He ran into a dead end, he turned around; I knocked the gun out of his hand and pointed my gun at his head.
He started begging. "Please, I need this money for my kids, my wife, please don't kill me."
He stared at the gun, and my finger on the trigger.
He started weeping, "Please, please."
I had no bullets to waste on a minor character like him.
"Give me the money back, and I'll spare your life, but if you talk to Ferdinando, don't expect to wake up the following morning."
He gave the money back, and I left.
Chapter 7
1 week and 1 day later
I was on top of the roof of the Italian Mafia hideout.
I looked at my watch, 1:00 AM.
I opened the door that led my downstairs.
I heard voices, behind another door.
"Alba, the deal has been complete."
"Good."
I opened the door a bit, and looked.
In the room, was Alba Ferdinando, and her top executives, all female.
She was easily the most beautiful thing in the room, even dressed in a white sleeveless shirt, green pants, and brown boots.
Alba sipped some of her red wine.
"It looks like we have a guest," said Alba.
The door I was hiding behind flew open, and I jumped out of the way as the bullets came pouring out.
Damn, how did she know?
I took out my two guns, and waited for the shooting to stop.
It stopped.
I revealed myself in the doorway and started shooting.
I ran into the room as rain of bullets followed me.
I jumped behind the sofa, and started shooting.
Bullets missed me, ever so close.
I hid back behind the sofa, and I turned to my left and shot one of the executives as she was trying to sneak her way to me.
I took out a grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it over the sofa.
I hear a scream, then an explosion, and that was it.
Chapter 8
Still 1 week and 1 day later
I poked my head from behind the sofa, and shot the remaining executives who were barely alive, just in case.
However, Alba was gone.
I ran outside, and saw her standing there, clapping.
"Congratulations, Mr. Tanko."
"Thank you."
I pointed my gun at her, and pull the trigger.
She dodged and charged at me.
She pulled the guns out of my hands and punched me in the face.
I fell down.
She threw my guns away as I stood up.
"So, you want to kill me," she said, "Who sent you?"
I didn't say anything.
"No talking eh? Alright." She raised her fists. "A fistfight it is."
She punched me in the face as I charged at her.
Taunting me, she said, "Too slow."
I swung my fist, but she caught it in her hand and punched me in the stomach.
She then picked me up and threw me towards the edge of the curb.
My body hit the floor.
I heard the approach of a car, and I rolled out of the way.
"Well, you're lucky."
She charged at me, and I quickly got out of the way.
I swung around, placed my hands on her back, and pushed her out into the street.
She stumbled and fell to her knees.
The loud sound of a horn came, she turned around in the direction of the sound, and the truck crashed into her.
Chapter 9
1 week and 1 day later at dawn
I killed the driver and set the car on fire, disposing the witness and making it look like an accident at the same time.
I knelt beside Alba.
"Looks like you won, Eric Tanko."
"It was a fluke."
"It was."
Pause.
"I might as well tell you, Eric, Deankle has been trying to kill me, Fei Dow, and the others for some time now."
I took this information in silence. And then, "But he didn't order me to kill you."
"I know that."
"But then - "
"Figure it out yourself Eric. ... I'm ready to journey to the other side, just like a Ferdinando should be."
And with that, she died.
Chapter 10
1 week and 1 day later, in the afternoon
Two of the Big Five were dead.
Why was only four of the Big Five on the list?
Why was Nelson Deankle spared from the list?
Why did Fei Dow and Alba Ferdinando say that Deankle was behind what clearly was the Secretary of Defense's wife doing?
So many questions, so little answers.
Chapter 11
1 week and 3 days later
Aleksandr Maksimilian was my next target, and I doubt that the head of the New York branch of the Russian Mafia would like that.
He probably also wouldn't like the fact that I was in his warehouse of weapons right now, placing a bomb next to a box of grenades.
I snuck out, the same way I snuck in.
Outside, I pressed the detonator.
The building exploded, and I walked away.
Chapter 12
Still 1 week and 3 days later
As I was walking a car charged at me.
It was coming straight at me.
I jumped out of the way.
A man, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, got out of the car.
It was Aleksandr Maksimilian.
He stared at his factory, "Well, aren't I lucky that I was late for my meeting."
Damn it, how was he so lucky?
"Eric Tanko, I presume?"
"Yes."
"Well, now I have to defend my men's honour, don't I?" Immediately, he drew his guns, pointed them at me, and started sending bullets at me.
I jumped away, while pulling out my two guns.
I started firing.
He ducked behind his car, I kept firing.
My guns ran out of ammo. He jumped out and started firing.
I hid myself behind another car, reloaded, and jumped out.
We ran down the road, firing at each other.
Our bullets ran out, and we stood there, staring at each other.
I felt pain in my left arm; I looked at it. Blood was coming out.
"Tell me, Tanko. Who sent you? Deankle?"
"No, the Secretary of Defense's wife."
"Yes, I was right."
"Damn it! What do you mean by that?"
Silence ensued.
"Not bad, Tanko." He grabbed his chest, and then he fell down.
I went over to him, and saw that one of my bullets had entered his heart.
"Hehe, not bad, Tanko. But if I had brought my best guns, you would have lost."
He closed his eyes, and stopped breathing.
Chapter 13
1 week and 4 days later
I wrapped my left arm in bandages.
I have to figure it out, the connection between the Secretary of Defense's wife and Nelson Deankle.
But I didn't have time for that, nor did I have the time for my arm to heal, because I have to kill the New York branch Yakuza's boss, Akemi Ai in 3 days.
Chapter 14
1 week and 5 days later
Akemi Ai, ninja, assassin, New York Yakuza boss.
She is probably the best fighter of the Big Five.
Just like Fei Dow and his flying daggers, Alba Ferdinando and her punches, Aleksandr Maksimilian and his guns, Akemi Ai has her sword.
This isn't going to be easy, but I don't believe that a sword can beat a gun in a fight.
And so, that's how I in front of her Japanese nightclub at 9:00PM. This might seem like a regular nightclub, but that's just a cover for the illegal drug trader and weapon swapping that goes on in there.
And so, I went in, with my guns and my new daggers, just in case.
Chapter 15
Still 1 week and 5 days later
I went in.
It was full of Japanese people looking at strippers dancing on the stages; don't they have a life?
I go to the bar, and order a beer.
The bartender reaches for a cup, but then, she pauses, and looks at me. Her hand moves to another shelf, where another cup is sitting there alone. She takes that cup, fills it with beer, and gives it to me.
Obviously the bartender really, really sucked at being sneaky.
I lift my hand up, I nearly grab the cup, then I knock it over the counter.
The cup falls onto the floor, and breaks, the contents spill onto the floor.
"Sorry," I say.
The bartender kneels down to pick up the broken cup.
She looks up, and stares at the gun I'm pointing at her head.
And there was silence.
Then there was chaos.
The strippers detached the poles from the stage. Those that were staring at the strippers pulled out daggers. Those who were drinking beside me started pulling out guns.
I jumped over the counter and the bartender.
I grab the bartender and pointed my gun at her head.
Everyone in the bar pointed a weapon at me.
Chapter 16
1 week and 5 days later, after I pointed my gun at the bartender
Every single person in that bar was on Akemi Ai's side, there were no bystanders.
I had fallen into a trap.
The room was silent. They were waiting for me to make a move, and there was no move I could make that give me victory.
A voice break the silence, "Why don't you calm down?"
I looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a woman in a blue business suit walked down the stairs, carrying a sword, a katana to be more precise.
It was Akemi Ai.
"Hello Eric."
"Hello Ai."
She walked towards me, and touched my face, "How long has it been since we parted?"
"Two years," I said.
"Ah yes..., I've missed you."
She snaps her fingers.
Something hits me from behind, and I lose consciousness.
Chapter 17
1 week and 6 days later
I wake up.
My hands were tied behind my back and to a chair.
My jacket, which had my daggers and spare clips, was gone.
My gun and holster were gone.
At least I still had my clothes on.
I looked around, and there was a sofa in front of me, with Ai sitting on it, reading a book.
"What do you want?" I asked.
She puts her book down, "How was your nap, Eric?"
"Fine, now what do you want?"
She gets up, and snaps her fingers.
Out of nowhere, a person dressed in black drops down from the ceiling, and hands Ai a folder, and walks out the door.
"You and your ninjas."
"That isn't the point right now, Eric," she opens the folder.
"Nelson Deankle and the former Secretary of Defense's wife are working together," and she shows me photos of them together.
"Why?"
She looks at me with disbelief, "Well, look at the photos, they are obviously having an affair, and this probably has something to do with the wife inheriting a ton of money somehow if the Secretary of Defense dies or something."
"Right, sorry, just woke up."
"Ah yes, you never did wanted to concentrate when you've just gotten up."
"You know me Ai," I pause for a moment, "But even if what you say is true, then why send me on a killing spree?"
"If four of the Big Five are gone, guess who has control of the entire New York underground."
"The only one left, of course, which in this case would be Nelson Deankle."
"There is your answer."
"That doesn't matter Ai, they have proof that I killed the Secretary, you might as well kill me now, or I will kill you."
"Really Eric? Were you really going to kill me?"
She looks into my eyes, and I looked into her eyes.
I look away, "No, I wasn't."
"Yes, and did you really think I would kill you?"
"No..., I didn't."
"Then stop fooling around and get out of the chair, or have you forgotten what I've taught you?"
"No," and I got out the chair, and threw the rope aside.
She threw me my jacket, gun, and holster.
I put on my holster, put the gun in the holster, and threw on my jacket.
"What now, Ai?" I asked, "They still have proof on me."
"Wake up Eric, you really think that they have proof on you?"
I looked at her, and then I woke up.
Any proof that Deankle could have given to the wife would implicate him as well, the wife couldn't get any proof on me, there were no cameras in the washroom, and I had made it clean.
"No."
"Then let's visit Deankle, shall we?"
Chapter 18
1 week and 7 days later
Ai and I spent the rest of yesterday getting ready.
Now we're outside the wife's home.
I looked at Ai, dressed her kunoichi (female ninja) outfit, with her katana on her back.
She looked at me, "Ready Eric?"
I replied, "Pretty much."
"Good," and with that, she ran off, and disappeared.
I walked up to the front door.
The bodyguards stopped me.
"What do you want?"
"Tell her that Eric Tanko is here to see her."
The bodyguard talked into his microphone.
He then checked if I had any weapons, then he opened the door for me.
He closed the door, and I heard Ai do her job.
I walked into the living room, and there was the wife, sipping her cup of English tea.
She gestured to the sofa opposite to the one she was sitting on, "Have a seat."
I sat down.
"So, did you do the jobs?"
"You saw the news."
"Yes, but what about Akemi Ai?"
"They probably haven't found her body yet, now where is the proof?"
"Good job Mr. Tanko, I must congratulate you, as killing four of the Big Five is no easy task."
"Enough, where is the proof?"
"Well, you see Mr. Tanko, there was never any proof."
I felt something press against the back of my hand.
Then a voice from behind, "I'm afraid it was really too easy to get you to do what we wanted."
"Hello Mr. Deankle."
"Hello Eric."
"I guess you're planning to kill me to tie up the loose ends?"
"Of course Eric."
"Please though, before you kill me, tell me why you did this?"
He paused, "Sure why not. It's all pretty simple, me and Joanna were having an affair, the Secretary has life insurance, and a lot of money, so we hired you to kill him, then we killed Judy so that you'd think that Joanna knew who you were, and thus had proof on you. We sent you to kill four of the Big Five, allowing me to gain all their territory and at the same time killing all my enemies, then I'd kill you, and then me and Joanna could live in peace."
I grinned, "There is only one problem with that."
"What is that, Mr. Tanko?"
Ai's voice came from behind, "You're one of the four to be killed."
She sliced through Deankle's hands, he screamed, and she sliced his head off.
The wife, or Joanna, reached for the drawer next to her.
I jumped up and kicked her in the face.
She fell on to the ground and I stomped onto the head.
Ai tossed me my silenced gun, and I shot her in the chest twice.
I wiped the gun and threw it, and the towel onto the floor.
We took out the gasoline, and poured it around the house.
We set fire to the house and walked out.
Epilogue
Present (actually 5 months later)
After the whole mess, Ai and I decided to let go of our old ways.
Ai disbanded the New York branch of the Yakuza, and gave the money that they had stored up to various charities.
I gave up on my job as an assassin, and used the rest of my money to buy a place far in the countryside, where we can be at peace.
I might not have found my purpose yet, but at least I found my heart again.