The 6-Tier System: The Adventures of Shawn Rossacks

Chapter 3 - Inheriting Vito's money, strength and problems

After the call, Bruce dropped his head in fear. Arturo stared at him and for the hundredth time, Bruce wondered what would have been Vito’s response to the things that were showing up before him.

As Bruce, they were tough to handle, but for Vito, could they be less tough? Also, Apart from being Vito’s incarnate, he had a lot to conceal and the first was how to prove that he was okay after being shot six times. The next was how to lead the Mane District to war. 

He lifted his eyes to look at Arturo and he stood there looking back at Bruce. "Boss, anything?" Arturo asked.

Bruce knew that Arturo was suspicious. "Leave me be for some time," Bruce managed to say and Arturo nodded before he walked out.

Immediately the door was closed, the sounds came again – cranking and beeping, and finally, the voice.

SYSTEM: Hello, Bruce. I know you must be confused about what to do in Vito’s body. Your enemy has shone himself to you but there is still more to know. Isn’t it?

"Definitely!" Bruce answered and stood from the bed. 

SYSTEM: All you have to do is ask for the d******d of Vito's memories and abilities and you will get it. Remember, you are just a soul in the body.

After the elucidation, Bruce began to pace across the room. More of Vito's abilities and memories? He contemplated. 

Arturo had earlier placed a gun in his hand to which he was shocked. As a mafia boss with the need to fight and retain his spot, to protect his district, and to defend his spot. He knew that he needed a substantial amount of violence. Also, as Bruce, he needed to be fierce to avenge his death. 

He now realized how much he had missed and was ready for the unravelling. "Okay, give me all I need to know about being Vito."

Bruce closed his eyes and it all came back like a memory. It was all like a dream. Like a déjà vu and he saw things.

[As Bruce watched the scene unfold before him, he was struck by the level of violence and danger that seemed to permeate every inch of the environment. It was a shootout and the fallen bodies were a stark reminder of the brutal reality of the criminal underworld where life was cheap and a momentary lapse in judgment could lead to your demise.

But what caught his attention, even more, was the figure of Director Ben, walking calmly towards Vito as if he had just stepped out of a business meeting.

Bruce couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion and unease as he watched the Director shake hands with Vito before walking away. What was the Goldfield's director doing here in the aftermath of such violence? Did he endorse Vito's actions, or was he simply there to clean up the mess? Bruce couldn't be sure, but as he watched Vito and Arturo disappear into the distance, he had a sinking feeling that he had just caught a glimpse into a world where morality was relative, and loyalty was valued above all else.

Next, Vito and Director Ben sat in silence, glaring at each other across the office. Arturo stood behind Vito, his eyes darting between the two men.

"Vito, I owned those goons that attacked you. But there you are, you and your henchman killed them off in a two-against-ten shootout. You are a force to reckon with. I need you to work for me as the manager of the Mane District to me, Vito, I want to buy the Mafia merchandise. Name your price," Ben said, his voice edged in steel.

Vito's eyes narrowed. Then he laughed out loud. "It's my operation, Director Ben. I'm not taking the position of a manager in a concept I own. I am not giving it up."

"You don't understand the gravity of the situation," Ben snarled. "I need control of the Mane District for a greater purpose. One that will satiate is both."

"I don't know exactly what going on," Vito replied calmly. "But I'm not about to hand over the keys to my kingdom on your say-so."

Ben slammed his fist down on the desk. "Then you leave me no choice. I'll take the district by force if I have to."

Vito stood up, his chair scraping loudly on the floor. "You want a war, Ben? You'll get one. But I'll be damned if I let you take what's mine."

The tension was thick in the air, and he knew that a storm was brewing. Arturo and Vito left Ben's office. 

Vito sat alone in the deserted bar in the outskirts. The bar belonged to Vito. It was one of his outposts and he was waiting for Arturo to report. He took a sip of his drink and looked around the dimly lit room, lost in his thoughts.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a tall, muscular man entered wearing a dark suit and sunglasses. Vito tensed, sensing danger. But he was in one of his outposts, his men were gathered there.

The man, Jauda, known as a hitman across the street walked confidently towards Vito, his hand hidden in his pocket. "Vito DiMarco?" he asked in a deep voice.

Vito nodded. He knew who this man was and what he was capable of. "What do you want?" he asked, trying to sound calm.

Jauda smiled coldly. "I'm here to deliver a message," he said, pulling out a gun from his pocket and pointing it at Vito. "Your time is up, Vito."

Before Vito could even react, Jauda pulled the trigger repeatedly and the sound of the gunshots echoed through the empty bar. Vito fell to the ground, clutching his chest, blood pouring out of the wound.

It seemed as though Vito's sight was substituted for Bruce's as he looked around and saw that the outpost was compromised. They all stood behind Jauda to watch him die. 

When Arturo returned, the men rushed to Vito to aid him when Arturo came. He was disheartened to find his boss lying on the ground, barely conscious. They quickly called for an ambulance and tried to keep him alive.]

Bruce opened his eyes and he stared dead at the wall which was the first thing that his eyes caught. As though he was Vito’s acquaintance, all his hatred was hurled towards the hitman that killed Vito and towards Director Ben who ordered the hit. 

SYSTEM: Now, you have Vito's memories and agility, while also retaining a side mind of Bruce Wayne. This is all you need for your mission. You are up. 

"Any insight regarding how the mission can best be carried out?" Bruce asked.

SYSTEM: Your strong will alone is required, Bruce. Your enemies have shown themselves. Know how to manoeuvre your way around them. Also, understand that you can't gamble. You are mortal and would die under normal circumstances. You are only in the first wheel of the game. You will get the reward after scaling through this wheel. 

"What is the reward?" Bruce asked. 

SYSTEM: A life bar. Get to work, Bruce. The sky may rain violently anytime from now. 

The voice said and slithered away. 

With the newly found exposure, Bruce walked back to the bed and picked up the phone. It was locked with a code and he inputted it. the phone became unlocked and Bruce marvelled at how he was able to do that. At last, he was sure that he would be able to finally answer all other questions that were directed to him as Vito.

He located Arturo’s number and called him. It seemed as though Arturo had been waiting behind the door as he walked in immediately his phone rang. He didn’t answer the call.

"Boss, you called me," he said and stood at attention.

"Yes, Arturo," Bruce answered. "The outpost I was when I was shot is compromised. Jauda came in and shot me while they did nothing."

"What!" Arturo said with shock laced in his eyes. "They said it was a cop."

"It was Jauda!" Bruce maintained. "Director Ben ordered the hit. I guess I'll be meeting him soon."

"Boss, I know that yours is the verdict but there is a venomous and angry hitman out there who has never failed until he tried to kill you. He knows wherever he is that he needs to maintain the status quo. There is also Director Ben who could hire more. Stepping out is a risk I wouldn’t take let alone going to meet Director Ben himself," Arturo explained.

As Arturo talked, Bruce saw the evidence of trust in Arturo. He knew he could trust him and that he would die for him. A revelation seeped into Bruce’s mind and he stepped close to Arturo. "Tell me, why do you think Director Ben wants the Mane District?"

A moment of silence passed. "We are the biggest and strongest in the city," Arturo finally answered.

"What else do you know about his background?"

"He is a Goldfield," Arturo said and quickly added. "An elder in the household."

"Good," Vito commented as he walked close to the window and looked out into the night "He is planning an uproar in the family tree and it would boomerang. He wants to be ready for it."

"Step aside from there, boss," Arturo cautioned and Bruce drew closer, leaving the window said. 

"Ben wants to climb up the family tree," Bruce explained and saw the confusion in Arturo's eyes, wondering how Bruce got to know. "He is the director of the Goldfield Canopy and he is in the third place. If he starts the coup and the chairman finds out, he knew he has no chance of surviving the power tug. That's why he wants us by his side. But I have something that would oust his ulterior motives. Something that could sewer his wings."

"What is that? You didn’t know it before you were shot, do you?" Arturo asked and Bruce smiled.

"Let's say I awoke with details about obscure things," Bruce said and retreated to the comfort of the bed. 

Again, he was deep in thought, thinking as Vito would.

"What to do now, boss?"

"I'm famished," Bruce said. Amidst his tangled situation, he was suffering and he wanted to end it. 

In the process, he went to the living room to have a look and as he stared at the maids and the menservants that served him, pieces of information about them were opened in his mind and he could feel that most of them were happy when they heard about his death.

Before he began to eat the most lavishing meal he had ever had, the seven women that welcomed him appeared again. Memories about the women were ceaseless sexes and he inferred that they were Vito’s wife, now his wife. Bruce scoffed at the idea. 

The servants also gathered. It was the ritual. Memories about the servants were hostile acts that had rendered some broken and wounded. 

Bruce wanted to dismiss them, but it all depicted how Vito would live if he were there and he wanted to remain as Vito while being Bruce.

A couple of minutes into dining, series of credit alerts came in and Bruce was shocked to see how rich Vito was. 

After the meal, the servants went back to their position and it again was dropped into Bruce’s memory that if the mean wasn’t yummy enough, the chef would be kept in a cell that was in the basement.

Bruce returned to his room and log on to all of Vito's accounts. It was a huge amount of money. He was able to log in to his Bruce Wayne mail and there it was, the saved copy of the evidence he had kept from the Goldfield's canopy.

He had the shortest night of his life and he was waken by Artoro’s call.

"Boss, there is fire on the mountain. Jauda the hitman was found dead this morning. Also, three of our outposts were wiped out overnight. We saw a card that belonged to the Yaaz Hustle. It seems the Mexican is now set on us," Arturo explained hurriedly. 

At the mention of the name, memories of the Yaaz flooded into Bruce’s head. The Yaaz Hustle was where he was trained.

"Boss, this is war!" Arturo announced.