7 Chapter 7 - Rigging The BAWSAQ

What really happened during the North Yankton job? Well, Michael betrayed his crew for a way out. He was tired of living in a trailer park with nothing but a desolate land of snow for a view. He was tired of living like he did - slinging dope, smuggling guns, taking scores. He wanted out—a better life for his family.

That's where Dave Norton came in, a FIB Agent. He was able to find the whereabouts of the infamous bank thief, Michael Townley, and made a deal with him. He offered the way out. In exchange for giving Trevor Philips up to the FIB, he would help fake Michael's death so he and his family could start anew. Arresting Trevor Philips and "killing" Michael, one of the most wanted men in America, would surely advance Norton's career, so he was more than willing to cooperate.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. It was supposed to be just a simple Depot Heist, yet the amount of response from the cops was not proportional to the score. So it was obvious to the crew that someone talked. As soon as they got out of the Depot, a gruelling shootout took place. The crew was able to escape but their getaway driver was shot, leading to Michael taking over.

At some point in the escape, the cops made a roadblock. So Michael had "no choice" but to make a turn towards a train track with a train speeding through it. They didn't have enough time so the train clashed with them, leading their vehicle to spin out and crash near a farmhouse.

Everything was going according to plan at that point. While they were walking towards a prepared chopper, their supposed escape route, Dave Norton was waiting for them at the farmhouse. He pointed his Sniper at Trevor but unfortunately, Brad Snider, one of Michael's crew members, got in the way and was shot instead of Trevor, killing him in the process. Dave Norton feigned a shot on Michael, taking him down as well. Trevor, enraged, rained fire towards the incoming cops. He was about to be caught but he used one of the residents on the farm as a hostage and used her to get away. That was the last time Trevor Philips was seen.

After that, Norton allowed Michael to provide information to the Bureau in exchange for a new identity, a pension and a relocation to Los Santos. Brad was buried as Michael Townley to aid the ruse, but the official story was that Brad was sent to prison.

***

After a 15-minute drive, I arrived at Murrieta Heights - where Lester Crest resided. One of Michael's old friends and crew members.

I inspected his house. It was a bungalow-style house with multiple satellite dishes and antennae on the roof. The green wood-panelled walls and the yard were adorned with various warning signs and there were also five CCTV cameras attached around the house. The latter is surrounded by chain-link fences with additional razor-wire protection. The sound of a dog barking can be heard around the house, but from my knowledge, it was just a recording. Also, all the windows are barred.

There was a small set of stairs leading towards his front door. I walked towards it, immediately noticing two garden gnomes guarding it, and CCTV with an intercom above the door. I knocked at the door and looked at the camera, then spoke "It's Michael"

<Come in> Lester's voice rang out of the intercom. Then, a beeping sound started, accompanied by the sound of the doors unlocking. I opened the door. What greeted me was piled up boxes on shelves, cluttered paper on the ground, and all the windows were covered with either blankets, wooden boards or newspaper clippings taped together. I walked towards the only room open.

It was dark, with the light from a bunch of monitors being the only source of illumination. Typing away on one of the computers was Lester Crest. He has brown hair with a receding hairline, and he was notably overweight which gives him a somewhat unkempt and dishevelled look. He was wearing a green checkered shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbow, tucked into blue jeans. A pair of glasses adorning his face. He was currently sitting in a wheelchair.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Lester said as I entered the room, still typing.

"I was dead" I replied as I neared him.

"Praise be! I guess you weren't very dead" He rolled back his wheelchair then turned towards me. "You - need my help," He said.

"What gave it away?" I replied, my brows raised with a small smile.

"Cause you came here. Why else would you?" He looked at me with a raised brow of his own.

"That, and to apologize. I wasn't a good friend to you, I know that. About what happened before—" He interjected before I could continue.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I know you never mentioned my name, I know I'm not on any lists anywhere, and I know you never betrayed me" He said, as he waved off my apology. "As for you, you gotta figure that I never told anyone - that instead of gently decomposing in North Yankton, you're angrily decomposing in Los Santos with a drinking problem and an estranged relationship with your ungrateful family".

"Don't worry, I'm working on that last one" I gave out a chuckle. He only raised his brows at my reply.

"So? Why exactly did you come here?" He asked.

"I want to go back in" I answered.

"Why?" He frowned, confused. "As far as I can tell, you're doing fine for yourself with a 2-story mansion and a yacht you never use. So why go back?" He continued.

"I guess you could say I had the biggest post-nut clarity of my life" I responded, a small smile forming on my lips. His brow twitched in annoyance at my reply.

"I'm asking seriously" He let out a sigh before speaking. I only chuckled at his annoyance.

"This is gonna sound ironic, but I no longer wish to live monotonously, drinking my life away," I said. "I want to live a life with meaning, I want to leave behind a legacy. Not as a drunkard wastrel. It was only after I left did I understood what that life meant to me. Of course, the money and fame are a bonus."

"You're… unbelievable" He replied. "You desperately yearned for a normal life throughout our run together, yet now you're willingly going back in? I guess that post-nut clarity rattled your brain. That, or you've been infected with the virus of idiocy that's spreading around Los Santos." He chuckled. "But it's not like I don't get where you're coming from."

"So you're in?" I asked, hopeful.

"No" He replied as he looked at me seriously. "I know I said it doesn't matter anymore, but this is a separate thing. You still betrayed our crew, how can I be sure I could trust you?"

"Then let me make it up to you," I responded. "Do you know Enzo Morelli?"

"Yeah, Mafia guy turned real estate developer. He bullied his way onto half the building contracts in Los Santos. Extortion, murder, labor-racketing, you name it. There's not a construction owner in town earning a livable wage right now because of him and Gold Coast Development is about to go under, one I've sadly invested quite a lot in" He ranted, annoyance in his tone.

"I guess we are of the same opinion that he must disappear then. You see, he currently holds a particular studio I'm currently interested in. It would be such a waste for such an influential part of Los Santos history to be turned into some condo no one's gonna be able to afford, right? But what if, hypothetically speaking, he gets into an accident" I air-quoted the end of my sentence.

"Jesus, and here I thought the sun would've already numbed you down. I guess I was wrong." He said with a grin.

"It's a win-win for both of us. I get the studio for cheap, and Gold Coast Development's stocks go up. So what do you say?" I walked towards him and extended my arm for a handshake.

"Deal" He grabbed my hand and shook it.

After a few small talks, I said goodbye and left. We're gonna have a lot of time catching up once I officially start my operations so I didn't stay for long.

I was currently on my way to a cafe, where I could put Enzo Morreli out of business while sipping some hot coffee. As soon as I arrived, I ordered a drink and got comfortable on a nearby empty table. I brought out my laptop and opened the Profiler program. There were not many people in the Cafe so I didn't have to worry about others seeing what I was doing.

Through various cameras around Los Santos, I looked around for Enzo Morreli. When I finally got a match of his face, I found him on his way towards his car, A black Audi Q8 E-Tron.

'Well, what do you know? An electric car. My job just got a bit easier.' I thought as I clicked on the car and set it to [Auto-Pilot] with my controls.

***

3RD PERSON POV

On a construction site, a male who looked to be in his mid-40s was walking towards a parking lot where many vehicles resided. He was bald, tan-skinned, and had a clean-shaven face. He wore a light grey suit while carrying a black leather briefcase. It was Enzo Morreli. A scowl was visible on his face as he thought 'F*cking useless c*nts. If they can't even do work here properly, they should go back to their f*cking backwater country'

He sighed as he made his way to a black car. When he neared it, he took out his keys from his suit pocket. He clicked on it, and the Audi beeped. He opened the door by the driver's seat and then threw his briefcase on the passenger seat.

He entered the car and put on his seatbelt. Then suddenly, he heard his door lock. "What the—" He looked at his lock, confused. He tried to flip it but it won't budge. Without warning, the engine turned on and revved.

"The f*ck??" Enzo was starting to panic when his dashboard turned on as well, but instead of his usual control panel, an icon of a clown appeared instead. He tried taking off his seatbelt but it won't budge as well. He was about to open his window to call for help but the car suddenly reversed and started driving out of the construction site.

"Wha— Help! Help me!!" He screamed as he tried unlocking his door and opening his window, but none of them worked. He started hyperventilating as the car was speeding through the highway with no intention of slowing down.

Far away, he could see the car about to pass through an intersection, but the car wasn't stopping even with the red light. To the left was an oncoming tanker truck. If neither the car nor the truck slows down, they will crash.

"OH SH*IIIIIITTTT!!!" Enzo screamed as he raised his arms trying to cover his face as the tanker truck was about to crash into him. Then suddenly, the car swerved to the right, saving him. The clown face on the monitor started laughing.

"Wha— Who the F*CK ARE YOU?!!" Enzo screamed at his dashboard, frantically tapping on the monitor hoping for something to work.

<YOUR BAD LUCK> A robotic voice rang out of his radio.

"Why!! Why are you doing this to me?! Do you need money? I have money! Any number you want, I-I'll give to you. Just please, let me go!" He started panicking, sweat rolling on his face. His eyes started to tear up.

<Don't need it> The voice replied.

"Then why are you doing this to me!! Why!? What did I ever do to you?! Huh?!!" He screamed. His heart beat faster out of fear. His hands shook as he still tried unbuckling his seatbelt, but it didn't work.

<ABSOLUTELY NOTHING> The voice spoke again. As Enzo heard it, he started hyperventilating even more, tears now falling without stopping. He tried opening his door, and his windows once more. But nothing.

"HELP! HELP MEEEE!!" He cried out for help, but no one could hear it. The car still continued to speed through the highway. He could now see the car about to enter Del Perro Pier. There were a lot of people walking on the bridge, but even while the car was speeding, it was careful not to hit anyone.

The people screamed as the car swerved past them, trying not to get hit. Enzo could see where the car was headed.

"No… NO NO NO NO!!" He started forcing his seatbelt to unbuckle but still nothing. The car sped through the Pier's barrier, destroying it in the process as the car fell into the water.

"OH GOD OH GOD! PLEASE!! NO!!" The car was sinking down the ocean. The force of the water started breaking the glass. Enzo thought he still had enough time, but no. The car windows started opening. The water then started entering the car, submerging the interior with ocean water.

Enzo held his breath as the water reached his head. It didn't take long till he ran out of breath, forcing him to open his mouth. Water entered his mouth, drowning him in the process. After a few seconds of suffocation, his body limped, still being held by his seatbelt.

<MISSION PASSED>

***

That's it for Chapter 7!

I'm sorry this took longer to be uploaded, but don't worry! Another chapter should be out tomorrow.

Also, do you guys have any advice on improving dialogue?