GTA Connections

Staunton, Liberty City

Jack drifted in and out for what seemed like forever. Sometimes Miya was there, sometimes his mother, his father, Ken, nearly everyone he knew was there at one point or another. He wondered if he was dead, and merely reliving his life. He didn't know. When he finally blacked out and didn't wake up, he had decided he couldn't die just yet. When he finally awoke, it was all at once, not slowly, like usual. He sat up and looked around. He was on a bed in a decent sized bedroom. The blankets were nice and warm, and a trash can next to him held dozens of bloody bandages and wrapping. He tried to get up and fell back down. He risked trying to call out to someone, but his voice was hoarse. He realized he was thirsty and looked a round for something. He saw a pitcher of water on the stand next to the bed and reached for it. He wrapped his fingers around the handle and tried to lift it up. He could barely move it. The door opened and a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties walked in carrying some fresh bandages. She looked at him and grinned. She was short, just over five feet, but had a very nice and lean build. She had black hair and brown eyes. She looked like she might be of hispanic descent. "Well hi lover, welcome back to the real world." She set the bandage's down and came over to his side, pouring a glass of water into a cup. He grabbed it and began gulping it down. She forcefully took it from his lips. "Easy there lover boy, your body needs time to recuperate. In the mean time, Jack, let me introduce myself. My name is Mercedes Cortez, welcome to my home."

Jack frowned. He knew that name...and then it hit him. "You were in that porno, the one with the shark and the aliens, right?" Mercedes laughed. "Yeah, i'm surprised anyone even remembers that. You have a good memory. But don't get any idea's stud, those days are long behind me." He chuckled. "Well, I have someone, so don't worry, I won't be trying anything." He looked at his side. "Don't think I could if I wanted to, how did I get here?" She sighed as she took the old bandage off and put on a new one. "Well, long story short, I got a call from an old friend, and used some contacts on the street to find out where one would keep someone they didn't want found. That lead me to the apartment building you came falling out of. It was luck really, if I had been any later, you would have been dead." He nodded. "Um, what did you plan on doing to get me out of there, if you had found me before?" She laughed. "I have my ways stud, don't you worry about that. I'm just going to keep you here until my friend gets here, ok?" Jack nodded again. "Yeah, ok. Who's your friend?" She stood up. "Her name is Asuka. You'll meet her soon enough, for now, relax. You're going to need the rest, if I know Asuka."

Marc's Bistro, Portland

"So you understand? I want him found and I want him dead. Better if his body just disappeared. Gone. No more. You understand? Do whatever it is you do, and do it soon. Now go, the money and, special payment, will be delivered upon completion of the job. And remember, this kid is tough, very tough, he took out eight guys in under a few minutes. He's injured, but has probably healed up some in the last week. He's dangerous, I cant emphasize that enough. Go." The tall heavyset man stood, his face hidden by the hood of a cloak. Turning, he left the diner making no noise, with an almost supernaturally graceful speed. Vincent shuddered inwardly. He hated bringing in the Claw, but it was a necessary step. No one had seen hide nor hair of this kid, and no body had shown up. but he was here somewhere. He had to be, or Vincent would be in a lot of trouble.

Candy's House, Vice City

Miya stared out of the window in her bedroom. It's been a week since the attack on Jack's house. She knew it was his father's, but she couldn't help but refer to it as Jack's. She remembered that first night with him. After Kyota had tried to take her against her will. She had panicked and told him she was with Jack, even though she had only just met him. Kyota was going to fight him, but Jack surprised both Kyota and herself by not only fighting back, but taking Kyota's friend down and escaping. She had been going to give herself to him for that. She had wanted to save herself for the man she loved, but she couldn't think of any other way to pay him back for saving her from what was going to be a violent rape. Then the chase, Jack had remained so cool, so calm. It had made it bearable for her. She remembered the look in his eyes when he had pulled under the semi trailer, the mischievous grin on his face when the police passed. But he had not taken her. He went to sleep with her in his arms. She had felt safe, after so many of her nineteen years had been living in fear of her family. She had finally felt safe. They spent the next day with Ken showing him around the city. He had especially liked the movie studio. So much cinematic history, he said. It was right after they left the studio that he did something that made her fall in love with him.

A young boy, maybe nine, had been wandering around crying for his mother. Jack had just walked on by, and Miya had started to dislike him for ignoring the child, but he turned the corner and knelt down, touching something. When she turned the corner, she almost threw up. Laying on the ground was a woman. She had been brutally beaten and raped. Jack took off his coat and laid it over her face after straightening her clothes and closing her eyes. He then went back to the child and entertained him with magic tricks, stories and jokes while ken called the police. Not once did he tell the little boy what had happened to his mother, only that she had gone somewhere and he would see her again. He opened the boys eyes to magic with his stories and tricks, for it took the police nearly two hours to get there. When the child left, he called him uncle jack, and that was when she fell in love with him. He had showed a kindness and a protectiveness of a child's innocence in a city where innocence is stolen from everyone.

That night, she had tried again to give herself to him. He still refused. She had thought there was something wrong with her, but he only held her, and once again she fell asleep in his arms, safe from the worlds problems for another night. The second day, they had toured through his father's businesses. Jack had been very interested in the way they were run, but every time Tommy tried to explain the criminal side of it, Jack stopped him. He didn't want anything to do with the criminal element of his family's work. Tommy grudgingly accepted it. He had no choice really. Jack would have just left if it was forced on him. That night, she didn't try to give herself to him, only changed into one of his shirts and climbed into bed next to him. He welcomed her with open arms and a smile. The third day and night she would forever remember.

With the tour of the city and his father's businesses over, Jack wanted to do something special with just her. She couldn't have been happier. He had taken a boat for the day, a nice one with a huge area below deck. He taught her how to scuba dive, and they dove all day long. When night time came, they cuddled in the bed in the bottom of the boat and she told him everything about her life. He listened, to everything. When she asked him about his, he merely said, "I'm nothing special, I was born, I grew up, and one day I will die. How I grew up, where and what happened means nothing. It's what I did with my life that will be the judge of me when I die." He kissed her after that. He finally accepted her when she gave herself to him. It was the most perfect moment of her life. She hadn't even felt any pain, not enough for her to show it to him, he would've stopped and that had been the last thing she wanted.

The next day he dropped her off, and she told him she loved him. He had smiled, and kissed her. When she got out of the car as happy as anyone could be. "I love you too," She whispered aloud. "What was that?" Came a velvety voice from the doorway. She looked over and saw candy. Candy was a former prostitute turned porn star turned movie starlet turned author. She made millions because of Tommy. He even gave her one of his houses when she had been evicted from her own many years ago. She carried in a tray with two cups of something steaming on it. She set the tray down and handed Miya a cup. She took it and drank, it was green tea, her favorite. "What did you say just now? It sounded like japanese," Candy asked her. She sat on the bed next to her. Miya smiled a little. "No, it was just something that Jack said to me before he...disappeared." Candy nodded. She pulled a small book off of the tray and handed it to her. Miya looked at the book and then at Candy. "It's full of pictures of the one time that Jack came out here to visit his father, though he was so young, I kind of doubt he remembers it."

Miya opened the book, the first picture was of Jack sitting on his father's shoulder's, laughing, with a balloon tied to his left wrist. The younger Tommy was laughing as well. In the background was a pit with a lion in the background. They were at a zoo. "When he had these pictures developed, he put them in little books and gave the books to everyone he trusted. Anyone you find who has one of these can be trusted with your life." Miya turned the page. The next one was Jack at a birthday party. Candy was visible in the background. She laughed softly. "That was the day he proposed to me." Miya looked up. "Jack?" Candy nodded. "It was so cute. He walked up to me, it was his sixth birthday, and he asked me to marry him. When I asked him why he wanted to marry me, he said 'cause you're so pwetty,' just like that. I fell in love with the little guy that day. From then until he left, which was a month and a half after that, Tommy had a hard time keeping me away from him. He had a harder time with Mercedes though."

Miya looked puzzled. "A Mercedes?" Candy, still chuckling from the memories of a six year old Jack proposing, nodded. "Yeah, she was having a rough time in her life then. You see, she was in love with Tommy, but Tommy still had it bad for Jack's mom. Mercedes became very depressed, nearly suicidal, until Jack got lost in the mall and ran into her. She was crying into a cup of coffee, probably more tequila than anything else, and Jack had sat next to her by the fountain in the center of the lobby area. She didn't know he was there until she heard his little sweet voice ask her, 'Are you ok pretty lady?', she looked up and she swears she saw an angel in the form of a child. She started to cry a little bit harder and Jack got up and gave her a hug. She stopped crying, wondering who this child was, and why he was hugging her. So he told her. 'When I feel sad, my mommy hug's me and the sadness goes away.' He said it so matter of fact, like a hug could make the world's problems disappear. He was right, in her case. She sobered up after that. Tommy and I found him there, eating an ice cream she had bought him. They were inseparable from then on. She became his big sister. She gave him baths, sang him to sleep, even tried to teach him spanish. We were all fighting to spend time with him. He was here for only a few months, but he changed all of our lives so much."

"How so?" Miya asked. She loved hearing about Jack as a child. Candy smiled sadly. "Well, at the time, I was in a lot of x-rated movies. Mercedes had stopped doing them after the one we did together, but she had started heavy on drinking and drugs. Ken was heavy into cocaine, even though he didn't stop that until he came back from San Andreas. Tommy had become a little soft hearted after his son was here, but only with those he trusted. I stopped doing porn, got into serious acting, did a couple of B movies. Mercedes moved to Liberty City and started a business with financial backing from Tommy. She has a fashion store, it's one of the biggest in the country now. There were others, some have died, some have moved on. There was a real estate mogul, I only met him a few times, was a nice gentleman from Texas. He had a creepy assistant though, he once hired me when I was still for hire. He just wanted to take pictures of me in a morgue. It was disgusting. Even Mercedes' father came. He thought of Jack as a grandson."

"How could such a small child make such an impact?" Miya asked in wonder. Candy shook her head. "Jack's one of a kind. It seem's everywhere he goes he leaves some kind of impression. But..." Miya looked at her closely. "But what?" Candy sighed. "Jack is very naive. He has been protected most of his life, sheltered. When a situation comes up that he doesnt know how to deal with, he goes blank, trying to figure out what he should do. It isnt in everyday situations, but in life threatening ones. Its something that will get him killed one day. I only hope he can overcome that. He's inherently a good person, and won't do what he thinks is wrong, so he is a rarity in this world of ours."

"How do you know so much about him, having seen him for a few months a dozen years ago?" Candy looked surprised for a second. "You think i'm going to adopt him as a nephew and not keep tabs on him? I've kept an eye on him. A director I used to work with a lot moved to Las Venturas, where Jack grew up. He kept me informed. Whenever Jack got into trouble, I told Tommy and he fixed it." Candy picked up the tray and empty cups. "I cant say don't worry about him, because I do, but just know that Jack has been prepared for something like this his whole life. He didn't know it, but we secretly have been planning for this for years. Jack is going to inherit the business, and we are going to be there to make sure he succeeds. The kidnapping will end in bloodshed, and it wont be Jacks. Liberty City has a lot of dead bodies coming its way." She left then, leaving Miya even more worried than before. "Jack," she whispered into the oncoming night.

Staunton, Mercedes Apartment

Jack waited for two days, slowly getting better. Over the course of the time he spent awake with Mercedes, he found out things he never knew. She had brought out a small aged photo album with dozens of pictures of him as a child with his father, her, ken, and someone named candy. He recognized candy, but he didnt know why. Mercedes told him about everything that happened when he had come out, and he was surprised when she told him that he should consider her his older, but still very attractive, she added, sister. He laughed. The two days went by fast, but he just felt comfortable with her. He didnt know why, but he felt more accepted there in her apartment than he had anywhere his entire life, even his own home. The only other person to accept him so freely was Miya. At the thought of her he saddened. He wanted to see her so badly. The good times weren't to last, however. He needed exercise, so was jogging around the park outside of the building. When he got back up to the apartment, he lost some of the light that he still had left in his soul.