2013

Hell's Kitchen, New York City

Warehouse District

 

(Brock POV)

"Please...allow me to speak to the one called Crossbones." The man said nervously through clenched teeth.

With a sigh, I took a moment to think about his request, considering whether or not meeting another gang without warning was wise given the current circumstances.

It wouldn't hurt for me to hear what kind of deal they wanted, especially since the man claimed to represent powerful men from Russia itself. Although unlikely, maybe this could provide me with some valuable resources

After thinking it over for a bit, I cleared my throat and then uttered into the mic, "Okay, Mr....?" My tone was indifferent as I studied his face.

"I am Semyon." He replied instantly after having heard my reply.

"Okay, Semyon," I repeated absently as I continue watching the monitor closely. "When and where is this meeting supposed to take place?"

Sitting stiffly upright on the chair beside me, Zeru began typing away furiously on his computer, pulling up any information he could find on the New York Russian Mafia.

"Tomorrow night," The stranger informed firmly, "At the abandoned Glenwood Power Plant located in Queens County."

I took a moment to think over the offer, before finally answering him.

"...Alright," I agreed noncommittally, deciding to humor the man's invitation nonetheless. If nothing else, it would give me a chance to get a better look at the other organizations operating in this city. Besides, if worst comes to worst, I'll kill everyone who gets too bold during our discussion.

Semyon gave a wide smile of relief, letting out a breathy exhale that seemed forced upon him and nodded gratefully. He started slowly backing away from the gate, keeping his hands raised and visible so no one would mistake his intentions. When he reached the edge of the sidewalk bordering the street, a black car pulled smoothly onto the road and picked him up effortlessly. A second vehicle soon followed right behind them, quickly driving past the compound and disappearing down the block.

Once alone again, I looked over at Zeru whose brows had furrowed heavily as he shifted through the info he gathered on the Russians. As he worked diligently on finding any relevant details pertaining specifically to these particular bosses, I let out a long drawn-out yawn stretching tired muscles cramping underneath my jacket. While doing so, I glance over at Dr. Cho, who was looking over at us with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Is everything alright?" She inquired quietly.

"Yeah, just an unexpected guest," I say, giving her a reassuring smile. "Shouldn't cause us any problems."

Dr. Cho nods distractedly, returning her attention to her own work once more.

Several minutes pass, when suddenly Zeru jumps up from his seat and rushes over to me with a small stack of papers in his hand. Looking over the documents carefully, he glances at me quizzically and asks, "Are you really going to meet with them tomorrow? It could be a trap."

Nodding my head, I respond nonchalantly, "Yeah. They already know we're here now anyways and they probably want to try to use me to help them control the current power vacuum we left by killing off the Irish."

"And the Carbone family..."Zeru added anxiously, handing me the small stack.

Giving him a sideways look, I shake my head dismissively as I piece together what happened while I was gone.

"Guessing they were the pests you mentioned?" I comment casually as I study the contents of the documents.

"...Yeah...I guess I probably should have contacted you first before I dealt with them." Zeru adds worriedly.

"No. You did fine." I assure him. "Besides, I would've just done the exact same thing."

Zeru looks up at me surprised and gives me an appreciative nod.

"Go help Dr. Cho, I got this handled," I tell him calmly as I flip through several pages, scanning them thoroughly.

He reluctantly agrees and heads over toward his station leaving me to my thoughts as I finish reading through the files he handed me earlier.

After reviewing their entire dossier, I think I had a decent grasp on what kind of people the Ranskahov brothers are. Both of them held significant positions among organized crime circles in Moscow, but only Vladimir (the older brother), served as the leader of the organization known as 'Bratva' – the Russian mafia.

Vladimir possessed intelligence and cunning far superior to most others of his ilk; however, he also suffered greatly due to being unable to fully master his vainglory nature. His brother, Anatoly, wasn't as gifted intellectually compared to Vladimir, yet he still managed to rise higher amongst the ranks thanks to his pension for violence and cruelty.

Both siblings spent years building their wealth across Europe by trafficking illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Eventually gaining enough capital, they decided to expand operations overseas, buying the controlling interest in a few legitimate businesses such as nightclubs, construction companies, and motels.

Going over the reports, it appeared that neither sibling was particularly fond of making friends outside their organization unless absolutely necessary. Which made me curious why they sent me a friendly messenger instead of sending assassins after me personally to try to eliminate me completely.

That question aside though, it became clear that they weren't stupid guys. At least not in terms of business sense anyway.

"Maybe this meeting will be more profitable than I thought," I mused aloud absentmindedly as a plan begins forming in my mind.

"Zeru," I call over to the small boy working intently at his desk. "Is that thing I asked you to make ready?"

***********

Yonkers, New York City

Abandoned Glenwood Power Plant

The Following Night

 

(Omniscient POV)

The sky above the Abandoned Glenwood Power Plant was pitch black as the sun set below the horizon hours ago. In the distance, darkness blanketed the land as the moon rose high overhead, casting its pale glow upon the building below. This desolate location sat empty for decades, deserted ever since the plant stopped functioning sometime prior to World War II.

Nowadays, few even remembered what purpose this old factory used to serve anymore - much less how exactly it ended up falling apart.

A squad of well-armed men surrounded a large front door near the entrance of the facility, securing each side tightly. Two armored vans parked nearby contained three separate groups: one group consisting of four members wearing bulletproof vests and holding assault rifles stood guard facing outward along the opposite wall of the power plant.

Another team composed entirely of soldiers dressed similarly occupied themselves inside the vehicles sitting idle in wait. Lastly, there were two additional teams positioned along the inside walls surrounding the main structure containing six individuals altogether between both sides.

Inside the Power Plant, five figures clad in various forms of protective gear huddled close around two men who were seated at a small table discussing something important. One wore a dark blue button with a black leather jacket hanging loosely around his shoulders, sporting short brown hair neatly shaved at the sides. The other person sitting alongside him sported a blond wavy mop atop his head and was wearing a dark grey suit with a matching tie.

Their faces bore similar characteristics, marking the two as family.

These two men represented different factions within the Russian mob hierarchy based on their respective roles, Vladimir representing the upper echelon of leadership and Anatoly serving as his loyal general overseeing day-to-day affairs involving daily operational issues like maintaining order and security throughout the territory controlled by the Bratva.

"Are you sure he'll even show up?" Anatoly questioned impatiently as he glanced briefly at Vladimir. "This whole situation has been getting worse by the minute because of this nobody meddling in our business. We should just take care of him."

Vladimir sighed loudly before responding curtly, "You must understand, Anatoly...we can't afford to ignore threats posed directly to us by outsiders."

Looking slightly annoyed, Anatoly crossed his arms aggressively leaning forwards in annoyance, "Then don't act weak! We need to send somebody to take care of these pests!" He shouted angrily staring daggers at Vladimir. "We cannot allow anyone to threaten us openly. That'd put us all in danger."

Shaking his head irritably, Vladimir responded coldly, "Anatoly...you forget yourself sometimes, this isn't our home… If we want to make a foothold in this city, we can't just go around killing everybody."

Pointedly ignoring him, Anatoly sneered sarcastically, "Do you honestly believe we couldn't handle things ourselves!?" He yelled hotly. "Why do I feel like you keep trying to run everything!? What makes YOU qualified to decide anything?!"

Ignoring the outburst directed towards himself, Vladimir continued speaking softly as he stared straight ahead, studiously studying whatever document lay open next to him on the tabletop. Then turning his gaze back momentarily he said, "...Negotiating matters with someone doesn't mean weakness, it is smart management. And besides…Father seems to think that this man might actually listen to reason. If you have a problem with our current plan of action...then feel free to take it up with him."

His words struck fear deep into Anatoly's heart, prompting him to sit straighter defensively clutching the armrests of his chair nervously. Yet despite feeling angry, he knew better than to argue with his Father's decision on this matter or risk incurring his wrath.

Turning abruptly away from Vladimir, Anatoli turned sharply towards the window overlooking the Manhattan skyline beyond. "…Fine…"

*Boom!*

A loud crash echoed off the concrete interior walls causing every single member present within the room to flinch violently in response to the sudden noise echoing ominously throughout the massive factory complex, startling the two brothers alike.

"What the fuck was that!?" Anatoly exclaimed furiously, gripping the pistol strapped securely beneath his coat.

Standing up swiftly beside him, Vladimir grabbed hold of another gun secured firmly underneath his belt and pointed menacingly outwards towards where the sound originated coming from somewhere outside the abandoned factory. Shouting orders harshly amidst hushed whispers, several guards rushed forth towards the front door, as Vladimir grabbed the radio to find out what caused the commotion outside.

"What happened!?" Vladimir demanded urgently as he listened closely to whoever answered his query.

"A...a guy just fell out of the sky, sir!" Someone replied tensely as they spoke hurriedly relaying information.

"…What!?" Vladimir pressed angrily as he scowled deeply at hearing the words relayed to him. Turning towards the doorway leading into the building he ordered hastily, "All units converge outside. Do not fire till I give the order!"

As everyone began moving frantically to comply with commands given by their boss, Anatoli moved to one of the windows lining the inner perimeter of the building and peeked out curiously.

Hesitantly peering down past darkened buildings lined in rows against the backdrop of sprawling steel and glass skyscrapers illuminated dimly under the bright full moonlight, Anatoli spotted movement in front of the power plant itself.

A lone figure stood in a small crater a few feet away from the building, standing motionless as he surveyed his surroundings silently as if waiting for something else to happen.

"Anatoli!" Vladimir called sternly, looking over at his younger brother.

Grunting unhappily, Anatoli moved to his brother's side without saying a word. Firmly grasping onto the weapons, the pair quickly moves through the doors, exiting behind their comrades and heading outdoors cautiously towards the source of the disturbance.

As soon as they stepped foot outside, they immediately realized what caused the commotion.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood alone on top of a hollow patch of rubble located in the middle of the property. Dressed in a black suit and dark red shirt, the stranger radiated a dangerous aura as he walked forward into the light cast by the rising moon, illuminating his features clearly.

Surprise registered plainly visible on the brothers as they saw the newcomer's face...or more accurately, the strange metal black skull helmet covering his head. On closer inspection, they could see long metallic plates running vertically down either cheek, extending upwards until disappearing right above his forehead and creating sharp points protruding downwards.

An angular chin extended down, giving way to a chiseled jawline, and below the prominent brow ridges rested piercing crimson-red glowing orbs that penetrated deep into the shadows as he glared intensely at those gathered around him.

"Who is that!?" Anatoliy whispered heatedly pointing accusingly at the newcomer with his gun while glaring fiercely in return.

At his words, the helmeted face stranger's face twisted into a threatening smile that sent shivers crawling up the brother's spine.

"Sorry for being late..." The mysterious masked individual greeted sardonically as he approached the assembled crowd with slow deliberate steps. As he got nearer, the guards guarding the area took notice of the obvious threat presented by this unknown intruder and drew their guns instinctively, aiming them squarely at the man.

"Hold your fire!" Vladimir commanded forcefully, stepping towards the new arrival as he gestured for calmness amongst his subordinates. Looking carefully at the approaching figure, Vladimir frowned lightly before asking hesitatingly, "Crossbones, I presume?"

Still smiling faintly, the stranger tilted his head quizzingly as he observed the two brothers, before reaching out a hand out casually toward Vladimir.

"What gave it away," Crossbones stated jokingly, sounding amused when addressing his host.

Noticing the gesture but unsure whether or not to accept an offer from a complete stranger in hostile territory, Vladimir hesitated only briefly before accepting the man's handshake.

He felt goosebumps rise suddenly across his skin once contact was established as power and strength radiated intensely from this singular touch.

After exchanging pleasantries briefly, Crossbones broke eye contact first, giving a subtle nod of acknowledgment to Anatoli whose expression remained stoic yet cautious.

"Now that introductions are done with... let's get started shall we?" Vladimir instructed calmly as he gestured inside the building.

"Lead the way," Crossbones stated casually, the faceplate of his helmet still twisted into a small unsettling grin as he followed after the two brothers.

***********

A/n: Hey guys, I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and as always, thanks for reading!

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