Trouble in Paradise

Paradise xvi

There was a cloud of smoke hanging lazy around the group of employees- and Jungle. Some were smoking, Niko and him, a joint, Tanya and Mikey B a cigarette. Multiple people were trying to talk over one another. Plans were being laid out. Chris had expressed their hesitation about detaining the SUIT. A few nods. "Don't matter, I'll take the rap." Jungle, stoic now that things had calmed down, crossed his arms. They had managed to convince him not to break the SUIT'S legs. He seemed impatient. Tanya had suggested turning off the cameras, but it was already too late for that. The only thing they could hope was that Screamin' Al was stuck and not looking at the cameras with his phone app. They could destroy the evidence after the fact, but the footage was live at the moment. Gustavo had mentioned a slight delay in the boss's arrival earlier, mentioned the casino, a good sign they didn't need to worry about that aspect of this mess. At least they had some time to figure the situation before anyone knew they had kidnaped the SUIT. Tony thought it was funny, but he was still scared of the idea of Screamin' Al watching them. The question of how to get something out of the SUIT was up for debate. Jungle was adamant that he could beat the sleeze ball into submission. Niko suggested waterboarding the creep in the grease trap. All good ideas, but he was getting bored. Then he suddenly chimed in. "Trial by combat." It sounded like a joke at first, but he had a funny idea. Lucifer had jumped him earlier, it was a bloody affair. He brought the demon rat up as a possible option. None of them would have to get their hands dirty. "This ain't no medieval shit." Jungle retorted, he had seen some of the damage that Lucy was capable of, but he did not know the whole story. He thought of the used tampons, the cheese cake. The rat was a true menace. He surely did not want to get trapped in the walk-in with Lucy. Tony took another hit off the joint, coughing, as he elaborated what he meant. "If we manage to get Lucifer in there with him, the SUIT'S gonna give us anything we ask for to escape." It was in fact a funny plan. He liked the idea of weaponizing the rat. The others mulled it over for a few moments. "Lucifer's been escaping us for years homes, what makes you think we can capture him now, and then we will have to release him in the walk in?" An astute observation from Niko, but he knew the beast's primal weakness. Lucifer liked cocaine. He told the others what he saw before the attack. He described the sentient look of blood lust in the devil's eyes. If they got Lucifer high, we would attack again, they just needed to catch and contain him. "We can lure him with the drugs. Get him all crazy again and unleash him on the SUIT." The revelation received mixed acknowledgment. "The fucker got into my coke? If I can't push that stuff I'm gonna be in some shit. I'm already down a solid customer." Mikey B. went to check on his stash. He wasn't happy when he found his duffle bag riddled with rat hair. "FUCK." The others attempted to calm him down, while Tony looked to Niko for approval. "It's easy, we can set a trap, I saw him in Mikey B's duffle bag. Lucifer can't resist the coke, he likes it more than cheese cake. It's gonna work." It was true, they all knew the beast had a penchant for cheesecake, except for maybe Jungle and Chris. "He never went for the cheesecake when we put it in the trap though." Tanya was intrigued at least. "I'm telling you, the look in his eyes said it all. I think he became instantly addicted to the stuff." Niko agreed it was worth a shot, and so they set a trap. It was a simple trap, but he hoped the bait would be enough to entice the devil himself. Mikey B was against the idea, but he agreed to let them use any of the coke that was too tainted to salvage.

SMOKE BREAK "Seasonal pumpkin spice cheese cake- coming this October."_________________

He was reluctant. He had already lost a significant amount. The others convinced him it was worth a shot. Nobody had posited a better idea. It seemed crazy letting little Tony take the reigns, but the whole situation was crazy. They weren't going to get anything out of the SUIT without some kind of home advantage. Besides they all had seen the havoc the rat could create, apparently when it was high. Niko and Tony set the trap. He caved and gave them a bag that was no longer intact, full of little gray hairs. Chris helped him scoop up the loose stuff in the crawl space, as the others worked. "I don't get why they want to throw Lucifer in with him, it seems cruel and unusual." He nodded in agreement as they scooped up the precious white powder. "Cruel. The SUIT is just as cruel. You ask me, he deserves it. And the fucking rat too, let them fight to the death for all I care." Chris was reluctant, but they weren't voicing any objection to the plan. They didn't say much more on the matter. Tony had been vehement in his belief that he could stir Lucifer out of the walls. Tanya just sat there on the prep table watching, amused. She was sitting on the SUIT's suitcase. None of them could break the lock on it, and there were more pressing matters at hand. She had certainly done her part by tracking down the apartment number (even if they couldn't break down the door.), and so now she sat back in wait. By the time the cocaine was repackaged, a lesser product- Chris and him had salvaged as much as possible- the trap was set. It wasn't like the board game he remembered setting up for hours as a child, never actually playing. Niko tapped on the walls like he was looking for studs. He had the best knowledge of where Lucifer might be licking his wounds. A few others joined in, Tony did so eagerly. It was strange, the kid got mauled by the thing just a few hours prior, and yet he had become obsessed with the idea of capturing the beast. Maybe it would make him feel better for being taken down by a rat. Jungle stood smoking with Tanya, looked like he was texting Sophie. That was a good sign, if she had her phone back, she was being herself again. Mikey B still had his reservations, they tried trapping the rat many times, not even the cheese cake worked. Niko was hopeful that day, but no dice. Niko seemed to be just as much into capturing Lucifer as Tony was, and so they pressed on in all the nooks and crannies of the restaurant. Yet another game of hide and seek.

SMOKE BREAK "Do not raise the volume of the XM radio above 28."________________________

Active again. Surly the BIG ONES were looking to finish him off. He had deftly escaped the last encounter, injured. He was in no fighting condition now, and yet he wanted more of the POWDER. He skulked through the gaps in the walls, crept into the ceiling. There were wires there, sometimes he chewed them when he was bored. He peered out from a loose panel. He could see the POWDER in a neat pile on the floor. It was an obvious trap. He knew better, and yet the temptation was too great. If he could take them unaware he may have a chance at retreat. A surprise attack. They wouldn't expect the KING to rush in so suddenly. The POWDER would help his agility no doubt. He would gain strength once he ate the POWDER. He could drop down, bewilder them. He contemplated the best course of action. He knew he could take on the BIG ONES separately, but together, he would need an exit strategy. Of course he could bide his time, not tempt fate, but there was no contest. He needed the powder. He peered out to access the surroundings. The BIG ONES were hiding, trying to make the POWDER look safe. They would ambush him. The KING didn't care. He could not be stopped. He was going to ascend to Godhood with the help of the POWDER. He could feel adrenaline pumping through his massive sinewy body, and so he jumped forth through the loose panel. A rat could land anywhere, always on his feet. This would be true of the KING in this moment. He would harry the BIG ONES yet again, and then he would seek out the rat pussy. The KING was insatiable. The POWDER gave him urges for power and humping. His flight was much more graceful than it had been earlier. No hot liquid to stifle him now. He landed near the POWDER. Good. The BIG ONES shot up in response to his aerial assault. THE KING was quick. He rushed forward as soon as he hit the ground. He had made his claim of the powder before they could react. He indulged in the numbing sensation. His eyes bulged in his superior skull. His heart raced with the pleasure of it. He felt stronger already. He would stay just a moment longer. He had to eat all of the POWDER, he could not stop. But wait. Darkness. It over took him. He was surrounded on all sides. He could hear the BIG ONES shuffling. It was a box. A box of cardboard, the very same he used to eat back when he was meek. It was an outrage. The BIG ONES had changed their tactics, they were not honorable enough to face the KING in combat, they had trapped him instead. It was a pitiful attempt. He could chew through the cardboard with ease, but for now he was trapped. The POWDER remained however, and so the KING indulged further. He felt a lifting, he was in motion. The BIG ONES were transporting him, no doubt. Where would they take him, he wondered. An execution? He would be ready. Would they dare confine him? He would escape. The KING was the most resourceful there ever was. He was smarter than the BIG ONES. He had made a simple blunder. No matter, soon he would be infallible. The POWDER had merely compromised his judgement. The cardboard prison continued to shift, and then, yet again, the KING was thrown from it's confinements. He looked around quickly. He was in the FOOD BOX. The place where they kept CHEESE CAKE. A BIG ONE was there. He looked weak. Detained. The KING was not weak, he was stronger than ever thanks to the POWDER fueling him. He would claim a bounty of FOOD if this were his fate. The others would have to wait. He would exact revenge on this crippled BIG ONE for his capture. He wanted to taste the RED again. The BIG ONE seemed to be in a panic at his arrival into the COLD BOX. This was good, he didn't look like a fighter. The KING had seen tougher rats on the streets. He had beaten them all. He had tasted their RED. The KING was not opposed to eating rat, it made him feel powerful. It was time to strike, like he had earlier. This time would be different. The KING had the home advantage, and a confined battle ground. He scurried forth, blood lust in his beady eyes. This would be a victory over the BIG ONES for all of Rat-kind.

SMOKE BREAK "Do not use steel wool on the porcelain plates, or you will be paying for new ones."__________________________________________________________________________