Interception

Sam sat cross-legged on the ground in front of the bench, focusing his mind inwards on his heartbeat, the steady pulse of power. Father and Charon had a lengthy phone talk almost a week ago now planning this heist; Father got word of a shipment coming in for Mammon, but nothing beyond that. With a bit of luck, it would be ink. At the very least it would be a good amount of drugs or money to keep them afloat for a bit longer. The days were getting harder now; order was starting to slip away. Sam often heard talk of conspiracy, people doubting Father's capabilities to lead the gang. He felt a storm brewing, and he wasn't looking forward to it. But those were things he didn't have time to worry about now; now was the time to prepare for the heist.
The airfield was several blocks down still, but considering what Father wanted, they couldn't afford to meet any closer. It was a big and important job, so Father was pulling out all the stops. He requested Charon bring his machine-gun mounted pick-up truck and several of his best men; this job they'd be fighting more than just gangers, but beetles as well. Security was always light at the airfield, but more could be called in at the drop of a hat, and that was dangerous. They needed a quick getaway and a way to keep people's heads down. The truck was ideal for that.
On Father's end, he sent Sam, obviously, who armed himself with his magnum and a switchblade for easy access to his powers; Hawk, the discharged military sniper who was handy with a rifle; Janitor, the behemoth of a man armed with his riot shield and semi-auto shotgun; Lazy Eye, piloting their getaway vehicle; and Orlando, packing heat with his SMG he lovingly named "Bethany". All of the men were scattered around the park so as not to draw attention, but Sam could distinctly hear Hawk and Lazy Eye whispering to each other some distance away. About what, he couldn't hear over his heart, but it was irrelevant to the situation at hand. Focus was imperative, and Charon was supposed to be arriving with his men any minute now.

Charon wasn't sure how he felt about this plan in all honestly. He had faith that they would succeed, but it honestly seemed like they were poking an angry bear one too many times. Mammon was a group they had attacked recently. Security would be tighter with such a larger score, and attacks like this would eventually result in a strong counter-attack. Strikes like this couldn't go unpunished, Sam and Charon had just discussed that in their last training session. A strong series of blows was the best way to end a fight. If they didn't strike Mammon down for good after this heist, there was going to be blood and a LOT of it.

Charon walked over, seemingly alone as he moved over and took a seat next to Sam. He didn't look to Sam as he spoke, his mask hiding any movements of his mouth to anyone watching. "I'm nervous about this heist Sam...my guys have never struck such a large prize before. My truck isn't anything in comparison to this plane we're about to hit. You must know that hitting Mammon again this fast is going to cause retaliation. Is Father really certain that we want to paint this target on our backs?" Charon asked as his good eye glanced to Sam.

"My men and I are ready. I guess I just wanted to know what you were thinking"

Sam opened his eyes from his meditation and looked up at Charon. He opens his mouth to speak, but Lazy Eye saunters over and interjects before he has the chance to. "Glad I ain't the only un finkin' this. We're low on supplies, on men, on morale, and Favva has us whackin' the same people when they's already on edge. Ol' man's losing his touch, I say..."
Hawk nodded in agreement with Lazy Eye. "I doubt this will end well." He whispered. Hawk always whispered. It creeped Sam out.
"Everyone, shut up..." Sam said in a calm but aggressive tone. "Father says that this is the job. So we do the job. Charon, if you're concerned about it, you're free to take your men and take off. Our alliance does not force you to help us." He turns a hostile eye to the other two. "You two don't have that luxury. You want to walk away in the middle of a job? There will be repercussions for you, and you know it. Father does not approve of those who question and leave his family."
There is a tense silence in the air. Orlando put a hand on Sam's shoulder, gentle, yet firm. "I think we all need to calm down. We've got a job to do, and we're gonna have enough people at our throats without each other bickerin'."

Well, that hadn't gone quite as planned. Charon hadn't expected that some of Father's own men were doubting his plan. It only made Charon feel more concerned about this. Still though, he had an obligation to fulfill. Charon didn't have a lot left, but he still had his honor to hold on to. Charon wasn't a good person, but he held on to the little good that he had left. Father could have destroyed Charon a long time ago if he wanted, but he didn't. He invited him in and armed him and paid for some of Charon's missions. Charon was only where he was because of Father's help.

"My men and I are in this to whatever end Sam, we're not going anywhere. I'm only here alone because they're getting ready elsewhere" Charon explained to Sam before standing up and giving a bit of a stretch. "Mute has the truck, one button on my phone and he'll come in guns blazing to get us the hell out of there. A few of my men will join us on the way to the airport, I didn't want to risk us all gathering in one place. I'm suspicious enough looking as I am"

Sam got to his feet and nodded. "Glad to have you with us, Charon. Loyalty is an admirable trait to have." He paused, letting his words hang in the air for Lazy Eye and Hawk. "The plane we want is landing on Strip B in thirty five minutes. Hawk will set up on top of one of the hangers, waiting for us to start picking people off. We've arranged for a vehicle for our men since the truck won't have room for everyone involved for the escape; an owed favor to Father. We travel together to the gates by the airstrip; there's a hole in the barbed wire about a block down. We hop the fence there, then split up. My boys and I will hit them from the south, you and yours from the far side of the strip. Wait until they've started unloading the cargo before moving in. There'll probably be a truck there they'll be moving it into, I'm guessing eight guards tops. We've gotta be quick about this; security here may not be that beefy, but once the alarm sounds, the entire district is gonna start coming down on our heads. As soon as the fighting starts, get Mute moving in. Hawk, myself, Mute, Janitor, and you will buy the rest of the men time to load the cargo into our getaway car, and your truck if Mute shows up fast enough."
Sam looks around at the crowd. "Any questions?"
"Yeah, I've got un." Lazy Eye sneered. "I've seen this Mute bloke 'angin' around the ring, and he don' seem like the kinda guy we should be trustin' behind the wheel of that Cerberus truck. 'ow do we know that he ain' gonna turn them guns on us? He don't seem right in the head the way 'e just skulks and stares, never talkin', neve-"
Janitor backhanded Lazy Eye with a meaty hand. "Mute's a good man." He said bluntly; Sam couldn't help but smirk. Janitor was a man of few words, and after he lost the Ambassador Match to Mute, the two of them seemed to hit it off. "Never criticize a man in front of his leader. Especially a good man." Janitor continued, falling silent again.
Sam cracked his neck. "I can vouch for him, too. Man's a machine. Any other questions? Preferably less... pointless ones." Lazy Eye narrowed his good eye at Sam, but said nothing more.

Charon stood with the group, listening to the plan as Sam laid it out. Like all their plans it was simple and would take a great deal of skill and some luck to pull off. Still, it wasn't impossible. You could have the best laid defenses and plans, but the moment a truck with a turret mounted on it broke through your gate well....all your plans just tend to go out the window don't they?

Charon was about to say no to any questions until Lazy Eye suddenly chimed in, starting to question if Mute was going to be able to be trusted with such an important task. Had Lazy Eye been just a peg or two down from his current position and not a friend of Sam's, Charon likely would have made a promise to kill him at some point. In their current condition though it was not a time to threaten or even think about killing your allies. As it was now, they probably weren't all going to make it out of here alive as it was.

Charon smiled as Janitor smacked Lazy Eye and reminded him that Mute was more than capable of seeing a task like this done. "You have nothing to fear Lazy Eye. Mute is a loyal companion and friend, and trust me when I say that he's very good at killing my enemies...any of them" Charon added and just left his very thin threat at that.

"I got nothing on my end, if we're all ready I say that we just get going" Charon said before pulling out his phone and sending four automated texts out that he had prepared. His other men would start getting ready, and based on where they were they'd head to the location Charon sent them to and make sure the area was secure. If they saw anything that seemed like a trap, they'd make sure Charon didn't even get close to the location.

"Our timing is going to have to be on point, too soon and this plane of product won't land. Attack slow, and they might take off again" Charon pointed out.

Sam started walking down the street towards the airstrip. "Hence why we're waiting for them to start unloading. We're after only the cargo; the plane won't have any guns on it or anything. The only means of defense for it is taking off again, and it can't do that with the bay open."
The rest of the walk was largely spent in silence. They reached the fence uneventfully, and Sam was first to climb up, followed by Janitor, Orlando, and Lazy Eye. Before Hawk started up, he adjusted his rifle on his shoulder and turned to Charon. "Question for you, Charon." He asked, his voice just above a whisper. "What do you really think of Father? Man's losing his touch these days, or so most of us think. Whackin' the same group when we're already struggling? That'll bring hell on us, and on you since you've been here with us. You really think he's a smart man at this point?" Hawk seemed to be asking the question more out of curiosity than a predetermined position, as though gathering all the facts before making an ultimate judgement.

Charon turned over and listened to Hawk as he asked his question. Geez, were things so bad in Father's own forced that this was where things were turning to? Sam only brought the best men that he could on missions, now Lazy Eye and Hawk seemed to be questioning some of the decisions being made. A group of thieves liked this only worked if every one played their part. If they were pulling at the seams now, things were only going to get worse.

"If Father is making this decision it's because it needs to happen. Desperate times, desperate measures. Besides, it's a better idea than attacking different groups to get the money. This way only one of our enemies are really pissed off instead of five or move. Do your part to make sure we get as much of that cargo as we can, and Father will make sure that we're all rewarded for it" Charon said to try and encourage Hawk. In times like this, even a little bit of hope could take you far enough to see a mission through. After all this, Charon had a feeling he needed to speak to Father personally.

Charon soon ducked in to the fence with several of his men, though he checked with Mute via text to make sure that he was ready to storm in the moment that he was signaled. God Charon really hoped his phone didn't get broken in this fight. Once everything was ready, Charon started to move with his boys along the far end of the strip, moving between buildings and containers as quietly as they could. A pincer attack like this would work well, anyone on the plane would have nowhere to retreat to.

Hawk stood silently for a moment before scaling the fence. Sam and the rest of them had already moved into position; Lazy Eye was a few warehouses down, starting up the large black van they had set up prior to the heist. Sam, Orlando, and Janitor were waiting inside of the hanger on the south end of Strip B, and Hawk scaled the back of the building, setting up his sniper position. Five minutes until the plane was scheduled to land. Sam pulled out his switch blade and placed it on his palm; his heart started racing. Every fiber in his being, all of his natural instincts were telling him this was a foolish choice, but he knew that it would be difficult to start bleeding on his terms in the fight, and he was going to use every weapon in his arsenal to ensure this went smoothly. He closed his eyes, bit his tongue, and slashed his palm. The circulation continued as normal thanks to his powers, so no blood came out, but the veins were open, ready to be dipped into at a moment's notice. He looked across the way and saw Charon and his men setting up in the opposite hanger. On the strip, there was a large moving truck with eight men standing around it, plus one driver; all the guards looked to be armed with handguns save one with an assault rifle of some sort. Hawk would take out the driver when things went to hell, stopping them from getting out.
Orlando put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Don't worry, Scar. We got this." Janitor situated his riot shield in front of him. Sam nodded to Orlando and looked down the runway; no sign of the plane yet.

Charon and his men eventually moved in to an empty hanger. After checking the corners and making sure there were no automated cameras Charon looked around to make sure his men were ready. Everyone was setting up. One of his men moved to a higher floor and pulled out his rifle, ready to start firing from the higher ground much like Hawk was. It wasn't sniping, but height was always a great advantage to have. Charon saw the same truck that Sam did, noticing just how many men were in one place. Yeah, the moment this fight started they needed to hit that thing as hard as they could.

"Mason" Charon said quietly as he motioned for one of his men. "Throwing arm still up to stuff? The moment that Sam's group opens fire, I want a grenade as close to the base of the truck as you can get it. If it doesn't kill most of those men, they sure as hell won't be ready for the fight" Charon said.

"You got it boss, leave it to me" Mason said with a thumbs up and grin. Mason had a particular love of explosives ever since he caused an entire gas station to explode when he was younger. As much as Charon enjoyed his energy, he always made Charon nervous. Fire was one of the things that still made Charon extremely nervous given his face and all. Mason moved in quietly, moving on his own and doing his best to get as close to the truck as he could without being seen.

Sam looked up in the sky; the plane was coming down. It was coming in fast, touching down and coming in. The plane stopped and was taxied around for about five minutes; Sam was getting antsy. The plane was towed in, and the back of it opened up. The plane seemed to be filled with dozens of various crates; what was in them, that was still unknown, but two of the guards went forward to start unloading. There was a gunshot from above them, and the truck's horn started blaring; Hawk had fired the opening shot, taking the man clean out. Janitor let out his warcry and charged forward, his riot shield raised and shotgun at the ready. Sam and Orlando were following closely behind, and Sam heard the sound of the van's engine gunning it as Lazy Eye started careening towards them. There was still a great deal of distance to cross before they reached the site, so Sam stuck close behind Janitor and his riot shield.

Charon heard the gunshot, his eye immediately darting over to the truck and seeing the driver getting hit. He saw that Sam was reacting to the attack, leading his men out and moving forward. They had a long way to go before making it to the plane though, they needed a distraction if they were going to make it out of this alive. "Now Mason!" Charon shouted. The young man didn't need to be told a second time. He immediately removed the pin from the grenade before throwing it as hard as he could, aiming to have that grenade land as close to that truck as he could.

Mason began to retreat as Charon and the other men opened fire, trying to take down as many men as they could before that grenade went off. With luck, those men would stay near the truck when the explosion went off, taking them all out in one fell swoop.

Most of the men by the truck immediately began ducking behind it for cover, save the man with the assault rifle. He began sprinting towards the plane, laying down some suppressing fire in Charon's direction as he ran. The grenade went off, destroying the truck and killing the five men who had stayed by it. The last three men were inside the truck, all three firing towards the guns shooting at them. It wasn't until it was too late that one of the pistol men saw Janitor bearing down on them; the Janitor put his shotgun right between the man's eyes and fired, splitting his head like a water melon. Sam pushed his hand in the direction of the assault-rifleman, projecting a long stream of blood that quickly hardened into a spike, penetrating his temple. The blood snapped as he pulled his hand back, sending pain all up his arm. Orlando clocked the last pistol man with his baseball bat and began heading into the plane with the Janitor, searching for any other men who might put up a fight and stop the pilot from an unscheduled takeoff. Sam cracked open one of the crates to see drugs; cocaine, marijuana, everything. Not ink, but this should tie them over for the rest of the month until they could order their own. He picked up the crate and made his way outside, where Lazy Eye was hopping out of the truck. "Company's cammin', Sammy. At least three beetle cars, and thar's certainly more gettin' called in." He announced. Sam opened the back of the van and threw his crate in.
"Charon! Get your men to work unloading the cargo! How long do we have until Mute gets here with that damn truck?" Sam yelled. He looked down the runway to see three cop cars zooming towards them. There was a gunshot, and one of the cars began careening far left; as much as Hawk freaked out Sam, he was damn good at his job.

Charon hadn't expected that, for the one man with the most dangerous weapon to keep firing like a madman. Charon had to respect that, going down with a fight in such a glorious way. The man's attempts weren't in vain, as Charon felt a bullet pierce his side. He placed his hand against the injury, feeling the blood start to pool out of his injury. "Boss!" Mason shouted as he made his way back to the group.

"It's just a scratch, get to the plane and start getting everything that you can out of there. We gotta get going" Charon said. His men moved without him, save for one that helped Charon to catch up by supporting him as he walked. Despite the pain he was in, Charon did his best to not let it show. They had to keep moving or they'd all be filled with holes in a few minutes.

"He'll be here soon, I just sent the message a minute ago when the grenade went off" Charon said as he leaned against one of the crates that his boys had unloaded. Sam would start to see the blood that was dripping from underneath Charon's leather jacket. "Fuck off pain" Charon muttered to himself as he kept his eyes open, trying to make sure there were no men coming to try and intercept this. Cops were one thing, they'd give up because they were men with families and loved ones. Criminals though....you could never predict what a criminal would do.

Sam glanced at Charon; he had been hit, which wasn't good. The amount of blood he was losing, he'd likely pass out soon. Without giving him a chance to say anything, Sam stepped towards Charon, forced his hand off the wound, and pressed his hand against it, forcing some of the blood out of his body and coating over Charon's wound. After a moment, he hardened it. "That'll slow your bleeding. Can't risk needing to carry you out of this." He said. "And don't worry, I'm O-Negative, shouldn't have to worry about side effects." He turned to the cops and pulled out his magnum. The two cars had made it there in time, and several cops were pouring out of them, at least eight. Another one dropped to Hawk with another deafening gunshot. "We're kinda in the open here, and that's a lot of guns pointed at us..." Sam loudly exclaimed. "Charon, buddy, if you wouldn't mind working some of your magic, I'm willing to eat the consequences..."

"Dying would have been a bad enough side effect" Charon muttered. He was grateful, but had to focus on enduring through the pain right now. If they didn't get out of here soon, they'd have enough lead in them to replace the entire armory. "Alright, just keep in mind that you asked for it" Charon said before reaching up. His men all tensed, knowing what was about to happen. They could handle the effects better than most, but Charon usually used his power so rarely that none of his men had truly been able to shake it completely away. He removed the mask, and stared forward.

Charon's eyes focused in front of him. Sam would see several of the cars starts to swerve as if trying to avoid something in the road. Charon was using his illusions to make the cops back off or crash in to nearby buildings. He had to do it one car at a time, but it was something at least...

Then the cavalry arrived.

Tired screeched across the ground as a heavily armed truck came around the nearest corner. Mute was driving straight for them while Marcus mounted the turret in the back, taking shots at anyone that wasn't near the plane. "WHAT YOU GOT BITCHES!? WHAT YOU GOT!?" Marcus shouted with a laugh as he used this turret for the first time. He was already in love. Mute slid to a stop nearby.

"Get everything in now, we need to be gone as of five minutes ago guys. Move!" Charon shouted. With the influence of his fear, his men offered no hesitation as they worked double time to load up as many of the crates as they could. Charon moved to the passenger seat, shaking off a concerned Mute and motioning him to get us out of here. "Come on Sam, we need to go!"

Sam seemed relatively unaffected by the fear at this point; he was shaken up, but he had more adrenaline pumping from being afraid of these cops filling him with lead than what Charon was doing. If anything, the fear seemed to sharpen his focus. Sam turned back to the van, hopping in the back with the cargo. They had gotten the vast majority of it out, but things were getting too hot to get the last several boxes. Hawk had already evacuated his location, and was nowhere in sight. The man had a knack for vanishing acts, and an even better one for reappearing acts. Sam had no doubt the sniper was fine. He slammed the back doors of the van behind him and knocked on the front. "DRIVE, EYE!" He shouted. Lazy Eye didn't have to be told twice; with Orlando in the passenger seat and the Janitor clinging to the side laying down suppressing fire with his shotgun, they drove off the strip and burst through the fence. There were no windows in the back of the van, so Sam couldn't see where they were going, but he sure as hell felt the sharp turns and reckless driving that was so familiar with Lazy Eye. He could only hope that they'd be able to lose the cops...

"Torch the rest!" Charon ordered to Mason. The man quickly pulled out another grenade and threw it in the back of the plane, which contained the majority of the explosion. If Mammon was able to get anything from this plane, most of it would be ash now. If it wasn't going to be there gain, Charon figured he'd just make it Mammon's loss. The weaker they were, the less likely they were to strike out. They'd only have so much strength to attack with now. They'd either be desperate to attack, or they'd pull back and lick their wounds. Either way, Charon still felt the weight of attacking this group for the second time.

With the rest of his men in the truck, Mute took off as fast as the truck would go. Charon used his illusions to keep the cops at bay for a bit longer, but his power could only extend so far. Eventually the fear was fading off and they'd continue their chase. Hopefully the threat of turret and fire and Mute's knowledge of the street system would be enough for them to make an escape.

"As soon as we lose them, take me to see Father. You know where to go" Charon said to Mute who just nodded.

"But boss, you're injured. Don't you think-"

"I damn well know I'm injured Mason" Charon said quickly. "This is more important than that though...this needs to be our biggest priority" Charon added as he looked back. "Mute, as soon as we've lost them you know where to drop me off. After I get out, take the truck and hide it back at our place. We can't risk the cops catching us out here"

The van slowed to a halt. It had been a rough half hour, but it seemed as though they lost the beetles. Sam opened the door and found they were at their warehouse at the edge of what used to be an industrial area of East Diamond. The smokestacks of the nearby factory loomed against the sky as he started to unload the cargo into their drug den. It was an impressive haul, easily enough to keep them afloat for quite a while longer. Things might be looking up after all...

Father sat at his desk, rubbing his temples, frustrated with the state of things. There was no way Mammon was flying in ink, it wasn't worth the money when they could simply order here in the city. Whatever they were getting, it wasn't going to do much more than offer some extra padding. They might survive the two month period, but Father heard the rumors circulating. He needed a way to keep order, to raise moral...
A knock came at his door; the only person it could be was Jefferson, his left-hand man and personal assisstant. Jefferson wasn't a fighter, but he was loyal and organized. The man knew Father's empire better than Father did most likely since he was the one who managed most of the paperwork.
"Piss off, Jefferson! I'm busy!" He shouted.
"Visitor for you, Father." Jefferson called in his professional tone. "Charon."
Father bolted upright. Not good. He thought. If Charon was here, it likely meant the job went south and Father's boys were either dead or going to be a bit before making it back. "Show him in. And fetch the brandy! If I'm to entertain guests, I'm going to do it right!"

Charon had seperated from his body after about twenty minutes of avoiding the police. Thankfully, Charon had set up a checkpoint to make sure that their car could disappear quickly. A few stands, some drapes, and a garage door made for a great and sudden escape. Charon could thank Raiders of the Lost Ark for that one. With everything in check, Charon got over to Father's as quickly as he could. The mission was a success despite the bumps in the road. Charon had Mason patch him up well enough to be presentable and also changed his bloody clothes for fresh ones. Father always looked his best, and Charon wasn't going to look like hell when he showed up.

Charon was escorted in to the office. He was moving a little strangely, but he tried to do his best to hide any pain from his pain or show any sign of weakness. The conversation he was about to have with Father could go many ways, though most of them could possibly end horribly. Charon didn't know what was going to happen, but he was going to have to try. He eventually took a seat before looking right at Father. "Sam is unloading all the cargo we were able to steal. No ink, but the money you make from what we were able to get should help you...for now" Charon added at the end. "I apologize for showing up so suddenly but I was wondering if we could speak...in private"

Father casually waved his hand dismissively. "No worries, friend. The job went off without any casualties, I assume, otherwise that would've been one of the first things out of your mouth. And even without ink, what you've helped us pull should be enough to help us survive until we can safely get our hands on some more ink."
Jefferson came in and placed a tray with a bottle of brandy and two glasses on it, then left without a word. Father always liked that about Jefferson; there when he was needed, absent when he wasn't. Father poured himself a drink, keeping a friendly smile on his face; this man looked to him for protection and alliance. He would be damned if he let Charon know how concerned he at the state of his gang, let this man see weakness in Father's design. "And do not apologize for showing up suddenly. We're friends, you and I. So, whatever it is you need to get off your chest, go ahead. I'm all ears." He leaned back in his cushioned chair, straightening his brown pinstripe suit.

Charon breathed slowly before looking up to Father. "I'm going to give you my gun" he said plainly to make sure that there was no confusion about what Charon was communicating to the man. He had to make sure that he was listening. "I'm going to hand it to you, very slowly. I want you to hold on to it until the end of this conversation" Charon said before reaching down. He slowly pulled up the double barreled pistol that Father had given him when they created their alliance before sliding it over to the man. Charon was now unarmed save for a small knife he had on his person.

"Your forces are growing weary Father. Even in tonight's event, your men seem to be afraid that with a few small strokes of bad luck that you're starting to lose your grip on the gang. I had some of your men openly question what we were doing there tonight, and to be frank my men seemed more loyal to me than yours were to you...even with your power" Charon pointed out.

"I need to know Father, what do you plan on doing? These survival missions aren't enough, you need something that's going to unify your gang together again. Something...drastic"

Father cautiously took the weapon and placed it gingerly on top of his cigar box, his expression confused at this display. Charon often baffled Father with these gestures of good faith; true, it made him more respectable as an individual, but Father felt Charon should have had a bit more faith in Father's ability to not be hostile to his allies.
His expression quickly turned dark and concerned when Charon explained the situation. He folded his hands in front of him, and narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular, staring past Charon as he spoke. No point in the cheery facade; Father's own men ruined that for him, displaying weakness and unrest in front of an ally. After Charon posed the question, Father took a steady breath.
"I remember back when this was a small group... We lived in tough times on a regular basis, barely making it month to month. My men were loyal then because they had to be. Anyone strayed from the pack meant they would end up right back on the streets where they started. Now... Now this is seen more as a political circus. No more a family with a father and his children, but an in-place system with each cog being replaceable, even mine." He shook his head. "I'm well aware some of my men are starting to question me. But that's because they've grown soft, used to living in luxury, and now that they're starting to struggle, they're thinking they might be better off without me." He took a sip from his brandy. "First, I want to know the names of each man who questioned me tonight. I need to know who's loyal and who's not. Second..." He put the drink on the plate and sat back in his seat, seeming defeated. "I... I'll be frank with you, Charon, I don't know what to do. Used to be when morale was low, I'd show up in the ring, my two dozen or so men gathered around to hear me give some sort of inspiring speech as to how we'd struggle through that time of crisis. My words and my powers would be enough to quell any unrest. Now? Seems some of them are calloused to both." He looks at Charon. "I don't suppose you'd have any ideas for something 'drastic', now would you?"

"Lazy Eye and Hawk showed their concerns...though I do believe Lazy Eye to be loyal to you, I think he's just worried because we attacked Mammon again tonight. I must admit that concerned me as well. Hawk was the one that seemed to wonder if you were truly fit to lead anymore" Charon spoke honestly. If there was dissension in the ranks, Father had a right to know who to keep an eye on. Hawk was a professional sniper after all. If he decided to make a power play, Father would literally never see it coming. Charon perhaps was giving Lazy Eye to much credit, but the man seemed more foolish than hostile. Charon could see Hawk doing some damage if that was his wish though.

"I can't say that I've ever been part of a group as large as yours, but I know a problem like this can't just have a band-aid put over it. Your enemies need something to get them worried, something that will give you the time to rebuild and gather your strength again" Charon remarked mostly to himself as he thought this through. "You also can't just execute those who speak against you, that would only make your morale plummet more. The people need a rallying cry, but I fear that for the time being I can't see how that will happen with you" Charon said before looking at Father directly.

"That being said...what if we were able to take some of the fire off of you even if it was for a short while?" Charon asked. "What if we started a rumor, some story about how I came here after the mission. I listened to what your naysayers said and decided to take you out myself and assume control of your empire. I already have a reputation in this area. I've been able to fight and destroy any gang I've gone up against so far. If I was able to take you out and some of your most loyal agreed to follow me, I think your enemies would feel me as a threat" Charon explained. "While their eyes are on me, you can work behind the scenes to obtain more ink or more in any way necessary. I can have the empire ready for your return the moment that things stabilize again"

"I know it's not the ideal answer...but I fear I don't have a better one for you. If Mammon gathers strength after tonight they will come for us, unless we give them a reason not to. I have a reputation for butchering enemy leaders that might cause them to wait a moment or two before poking the new bear in charge"

Father nodded; the fact Lazy Eye was questioning him was no surprise. The man still blamed Father for the Cerberus-Theodore incident where he got his namesake. Hawk's doubting, though, that was surprising... He had always followed orders without question like the soldier he had once been.
Father didn't have much time to meditate on this; what Charon was suggesting was... Interesting to say the least. "Let me get this straight..." He narrowed his eyes inquisitively at Charon. "You want to spread a rumor that you killed me to try and take over my gang, and this rumor will help my men come back together, and then I return to reunify them?" He shook his head. "I feel that would only destabilize things even further. Mammon's leader is scared of me, the little rat. It's entirely likely that he's gonna try to smack us before the week's out, but hearing that I'm dead will only motivate him, be used as a rallying cry for his men. Hell, not just his men, but Oz, Titan, even the Paladins would come knockin', looking for a piece of the cake I'm leaving behind. And what's worse is the destabilizing here at home: either we let the boys in on this little secret, and Lazy Eye and his ilk will deem that as a sign of cowardice in me, or we don't let them know, in which case those still loyal to me would come hunting you down. And I don't think I need to remind you that Sam is not the type of individual you want coming for your blood." He shook his head. "Taking me out of the picture, even for a week, would destabilize things far more than scare off any vultures. No, our rallying together is gonna be Mammon. They're gonna hit us, hit us here on our own turf. And there's something primal that awakens in a ganger when he sees a large group of rivals on his turf... If that doesn't band my boys together, nothing will. We've got the strength still to repel them. I'm more concerned about keeping my men in line..." He took a sip of his drink again. "I think it would be best if you sat the Mammon attack out, Charon... This is between Mammon and the Diamonds. If I'm to unify my men, outsiders like you might muddy the waters. No offense, just the mindset of the men..."