To Create Another Fable

[404 Yarrow Lane | 1250 Central time, Day 1]

"Suicide?!" exclaimed Becks to Mendez as they exited the 86 in front of Sui's supposed home, a four-floored apartment flat. "Why would they want to make it as if Sui offed himself?"

"Why not? Cops find the body, gun on his right hand, a suicide note on his table, they're gonna rule it at suicide, easy as. It won't be traced back to the rest of these guys."

"By the way, for 'the rest of these guys'," asked Becks again, readying his Beretta 92FS for action. "The crew got a name?"

Ah yes, thought Mendez. We haven't been properly introduced yet.

"Blackpoint."

"Huh, catchy."

Mendez noticed Becks' gun--and the fact that he'd already used it earlier. "That thing loaded?"

"I know that there's bullets in it."

"Yeah, but you don't want to run out of bullets during a gunfight. Got a spare mag on you?"

"... nah."

"Eh well," acknowledged Mendez nonchalantly as he entered the flat. "Then stick to the basics: shoot, scoot, and loot."

"Yo, I know what I'm doing," said Becks as he entered beside Mendez.

The flat was a modest place. The pair was immediately flanked by two sets of mailboxes on either sides of the wall, arranged like a locker room in a gym, with dozens of mailboxes on each side. Beyond the mailbox room is the corridors of the flat: a stairwell leading up on the left and a hallway on the right. The right side of the hallway were filled with doors which Becks presumed led to rooms; there has to be at least five of these rooms. The hallway and the stairwell don't have much space for people; it fits one, two people at the most.

Mendez and Becks walked through the mailbox-locker room. No one is there.

"Y'know, we probably got here before the rest of them Blackpoint dudes," chimed Becks from behind Mendez as they ascended the stairwell.

"Yeah, one man can hope, right?" acknowledged Mendez as he looked up towards the stairwell, noticing someone walking at their direction at the other end.

A man holding something with his two hands.

A Kriss Vector submachine gun. Fast, compact, and deadly.

Being halfway through the stairwell, Mendez is trapped. Go up and parry away the shot, he was too far. Go down and dodge the bullet burst, he was too far for that too. Becks was definitely in a better position since he 1) had Mendez in front of him as a human shield, and 2) he can jump out of the stairwell by vaulting over the handrail.

Becks was safe. But as for Mendez, he'll definitely take a bullet. Or two. Or twenty.

Not like it mattered anyway, since that's how Mendez would've liked it.

The submachine gun went off in a hail of bullets.

The Kriss Vector's bullet volley went off, its spread of bullets hitting the stairwell, the handrail beside it, the wall opposite it, and obviously--Mendez.

Mendez can feel pain shooting up his body all over again, albeit a lot sharper this time. It wasn't like a pool-cue stab like before, it was almost like being stabbed by a red-hot fire poker in ten times the speed.

There's no doubt about it--some of these bullets hit him, and they weren't caught by the rainjacket.

Mendez can feel his body staggering backwards from the shock of burst fire.

But as he fell backwards to the stairwell, he did something else.

He pulled the trigger on La Mutilar.

BANG!

As Mendez' view went for the ceiling during his fall, he can hear that sweet, satisfying sound.

The sound of La Mutilar's bullet finding its target, piercing through the neck of the Vector shooter followed by his sickeningly desperate but futile gargling for blood-drenched breath.

Mendez knew that he wouldn't be fast enough to reach his gun before the shooter pulled the trigger, nor would he be able to avoid the bullets from hitting him.

So he just stood there lining up his perfect shot, fully anticipating himself to be ridden with bullets.

And got ridden with bullets he did, but at least he took down his shooter with him.

Following the bloody exchange, Mendez tumbled down the stairwell that ended with him face-down against the ground floor.

He didn't move after that.

***

Becks saw what happened, right after he vaulted over the handrail to dodge the bullet rain that came shortly afterwards.

He saw Mendez--in a disturbingly calm manner--pull out his revolver and take aim with his two hands.

He saw bullets piercing through Mendez without inviting so much as a flinch from him.

He saw Mendez crashing down to the ground floor like a ragdoll, landing face-down on the floor, staying perfectly still afterwards.

Is he dead?

"Fucking hell!" shouted Becks as he went to Mendez while pulling out his own pistol.

When Becks got to Mendez' side, he instinctively looked up to the stairwell where Mendez got shot.

There's another one.

A gun being held from the first-floor handrail with two hands, clearly aimed at Becks.

In the split-second, Becks figured that the shooter doesn't want to expose themselves too much, hence the 'peek-a-boo' style of shooting resembling a blind fire.

With a jolt, Becks raised his pistol with his right hand and spammed on the trigger.

Becks' gun went off four times.

Bullets pierced through the wooden handrails sending splinters everywhere, forcing the shooter to retract his gun.

With the other guy temporarily retreating, Becks made his move.

Ascending the ladder, Becks kept on the suppressing fire.

Six bullets were discharged from his pistol before the pistol clicked.

Empty. Quarter-way through the stairwell.

Obviously the other guy realized that, since Becks caught a glimpse of his gun popping out from cover yet again. Just a glimpse though, since Becks is busy making yet another move.

Stepping on the handrail to his right, Becks leaped.

Not up, but sideways, towards the wall next to the stairwell--

--landing and very briefly sticking to the wall like a spider before spinning a full 180 degrees--

-- and leaping off the wall, clean over the first-floor handrail, tackling the shooter!

CRASH!

Both Becks and the shooter tumbled through the apartment door behind the shooter, with Becks kneeling over the shooter in an ideal ground-and-pound position.

Becks swung his right. Direct hit. Then another one.

Blood spat out of the shooter's mouth.

Surely the third would've knocked him out, thought Becks.

As Becks swung his fist the third time, the shooter did something as well.

He swiftly raised his left palm at Becks' forearm.

He'd just blocked Becks' third blow.

And in a quick counterattack motion, the shooter jabbed Becks' throat, causing him to choke and gasp for air.

Next thing Becks knew, he was kicked from his ground-and-pound position and was sent staggering into the handrail he'd leaped over earlier.

Not good, thought Becks.

The combined stun, shock, and stagger in the counterattack left Becks in a vulnerable position. He was left wide open for the shooter's next move.

If he goes for a wide swing, I'll duck under it, thought Becks.

But nope.

It was a knee against Becks' diaphragm. The impact was so powerful, Becks could've felt blood flying out of his mouth.

As Becks looked up, he glimpsed the shooter's next move--too late.

A left hook against his jaw.

Yep, that's blood coming out of his mouth alright.

Becks stumbled on the floor, dazed and confused.

He saw the shooter opposite of him hastily picking up the compact gun he dropped earlier in the tussle--must've been a submachine gun.

Where Becks was, he was too far to kick the gun off his hand.

But to his right, the stairwell. Apparently he was knocked far enough to end up just beside the stairwell.

The handrail separating the first-floor hallway and the stairwell was tall enough from where he's at, it should be enough to act as cover.

The gun was trained on him.

Becks saw it. The shooter's finger pulling the trigger.

Now!

Becks made his move as the submachine gun sprayed a burst of bullets at his direction.

He rolled to his right just as the shooter fired at him, barely dodging the bullets as they ricocheted off the wall behind him!

But it's not over yet.

After all, the shooter still has the advantage over him. He has a gun, Becks does not.

As the shooter leaned over the handrail still aiming at him, Becks quickly thought about forcing the shooter to overreach from the handrail and pull him down--

BANG!

That's not the sound from the submachine gun. Nor it was the sound of Becks dying.

That is, however, the sound of Mendez' revolver being fired.

To Becks' left, the shooter falling over, blood dripping from a hole from his head.

To Becks' right, Mendez.

With his smoking revolver slowly ascending the stairwell.

"Haha, ow," cackled Mendez as he clutched his left waist, blood dotting his white undershirt.

"Holy mother of shit," exclaimed Becks, partly in disbelief. "You ain't dead yet?"

"I mean, if they asked nicely..." quipped Mendez. "Now come on, Sui ain't got long."

"You sure you're gonna--"

"Nah, it's not that bad," shrugged Mendez as he slowly went ahead of Becks. "Bullet went straight through I guess, so not like I'm gonna bleed out--ow!" exclaimed Mendez in pain.

It sure sounded like Mendez was in pain, but it also sounded like a chuckle, almost as if Mendez is laughing at his own pain. Or rather, laughing in pain.

"Hey Becks," called out Mendez as he kicked the dead shooter's Kriss Vector submachine gun to Becks. "You go first."

Picking up the submachine gun, Becks sprang from his sitting position.

"You sure you're good? I ain't carrying your ass to the hospital."

In response, Mendez took his bloodstained left hand from his waist, examined it for a second, then licked some of the blood off his fingertips.

"Salty," he said offhandedly after a couple of tongue clicks, before turning to Becks. "I know I'm good. Until Morgan finds out what happened to this shirt, that is."

"Who?" asked Becks as he stepped in front of Mendez.

"Eh, I'll introduce you. Now come on."

They might be at the first floor, but since the ground floor counts as the 'first' floor for the building, both Mendez and Becks were technically on the 'second' floor. Thus, they are just one flight of stairs away from the 'third' floor, where Kyle Sui was supposed to reside.

Surprisingly there was no one shooting at the two between the second and third floor.

There was, however, some suspicious noise coming from one of the apartments as Mendez and Becks arrived on the third floor.

Sounds like kitchen utensils getting knocked to the floor.

Then another, louder than before.

Sounds like electronic equipment tumbling down from its perch?

Once the two figured where those sounds were coming from, they knew it wasn't a regular domestic dispute.

It came from unit 34, Sui's place of residence.

Those were sounds of struggle. No screams or yelps or whatever, though.

"Ow," writhed Mendez in pain as they got to unit 34. "Becks, you gotta kick the door down."

Becks took two steps back and--"Hold up!" interrupted Mendez.

"We need to bust this thing down in one kick," instructed Mendez as he pointed to a spot right beside the door's lock. "Kick it right... there."

Becks took two steps back, and gave the door a hefty boot.

The door swung open, revealing two more henchmen manhandling the smart-casual man Mendez saw at Duke & Hopkins earlier--Kyle Sui!

One of the henchmen was grabbing Sui on a rear naked choke while the other was forcefully jamming a gun against Sui's head using his right arm, trying to make it seem like Sui shot himself!

Mendez could see the trigger of the S&W Model 36 snub nose being pulled, its barrel pushing against Sui's temple.

Was he too late?

BANG!

Blood splattered on the wall.

But it wasn't Sui's.

It belongs to the shooter that jammed the revolver against his head. A hole drilled into his head, he fell to the ground lifeless.

At the same time, Becks raised his submachine gun against the second henchman.

However, he was unable to shoot.

For the henchman has shifted his stance into having Sui as a human shield, drawing a Glock 17 pistol on one hand. Now Becks has no clear shot of the henchman, as it was effectively obstructed by Sui.

"DROP THE GUN!" he shrieked.

"Bitch please," retaliated Becks as he kept his aim at the henchman.

Complying with him isn't going to help either, mused Mendez. After all, they came here with the intention of erasing Sui, not bringing him alive.

So Mendez charged at the henchman from the left flank.

It was too easy a shot for the henchman as he pulled the trigger at Mendez.

Mendez collapsed head first clutching where he was shot, landing just beside the henchman and Sui.

"Fucking hell!" exclaimed Becks in frustration. What in the bloody shit was he thinking?

BANG!

Followed by a bellow of pain.

That wasn't Becks screaming in pain after getting shot. Nor was it Sui.

That also didn't sound like the henchman's Glock 17 either.

It was Mendez, lying in prone beside the henchman, smoke trailing out of La Mutilar.

He'd purposely gotten himself shot so that he can get an angle that allowed him a clear shot at the henchman. To do this, he charged at the henchman and feigned a collapse--knowing the bullet would've hit him on the rainjacket--when he got shot in order to land just beside the henchman. As soon as the henchman reverted his attention to Becks, he quickly went for the closest target to him--the henchman's legs.

With the henchman wailing in pain after getting shot on the leg, Sui stumbled away from his clutch.

Which left the henchman completely defenseless.

Becks' raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

Gunfire rattled the apartment building. Bullets ripped and tore through the henchman.

The henchman fell to the ground head first, his body peppered with bullet holes, almost at the same time as Beck's gun went dry.

Sui was nowhere to be seen in the room. Must've fled to the next during the tussle. During his bullet barraged, Becks caught Sui disappearing behind a door next to where the henchman stood.

Standing up, Mendez clutched his left waist, which was heavily bloodstained.

"Just the one from earlier," answered Mendez after he noticed Becks' noticing his bloodied white shirt. "The jacket caught this one."

"Shit, y'ever thought of getting a new one?" asked Becks.

"Been thinking about it, yeah. But until I got shot with an elephant gun, it should hold up," replied Mendez. "Now Becks, you ready to make a new friend?"

Becks' response was a shrug. "Long as he stays away from my cut," he said as the two men marched towards the door where Sui was hiding.