Equestria Girls: Los Santos

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

“Congratulations, class of 2024,” Principal Celestia announced. “Thank you parents and family for coming, and once again, congratulations seniors.” The ceremony ended and the audience cheered. Everyone stood up. Photos started being taken, hands were shaken, everyone was happy. And so was I. Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I didn't introduce myself.

I'm Braveheart. I'm 18 years old, about 5' 11”, got really long blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. I'm a quiet type, but I've got friends, despite my obvious prosthetics. Oh, right. My prosthetics. I've got a full robotic right arm and back. On my back is a set of plates that flex, so I can still bend over or back. How'd I get them? I was in a pretty serious car crash back at the beginning of senior year. Some dumbass going 80 down the freeway wasn't paying attention, and I ended up in a head on collision. I was sent flying from my car; and yes, I was wearing a seat belt; onto the asphalt, also going 80. My arm was torn from its socket, and was ripped off me completely. I rolled for a bit before the other guy's four ton Sedan came rolling back, completely shattering my back. I woke up in a hospital a week later, yes that long. I had been fitted with the prosthetics, gone through some physical therapy, and I was back in school within a few weeks. That event scarred me for life, and I hadn't been on the freeway since. I still drove, but no longer out of the city limits.

As I started to walk out of the gymnasium, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I turned around to see Rusty, a very good friend of mine.

“Hey, Rusty,” I said. We gave each other a hug.

“Congrats Braveheart,” Rusty said.

“You too,” I nodded. Rusty was the same age as me and in the same grade. Her faded red hair hung out from her graduation cap. She was a bit shorter than me, and had a scar over her right eye, which was blue. Her left eye was red. She was a strange girl, but I didn't care in the slightest. We got along well. Rusty and I had met when I was on summer break before junior year.

~~~Flashback~~~

I was in Manhattan, going around for a bit of sightseeing, when I heard something in an alleyway. I turned into the alley, drawing my switchblade. I could never be too careful. I carefully took steps deeper into the alley. The nighttime in the air didn't help. I heard someone crying behind a garbage dumpster. I looked around again, then sheathed my blade. I ran behind the dumpster, and found a girl about my age wrapped in a tattered blanket, trying to keep warm. Her eyes were dry and red, and her left eye was bleeding. I immediately took her up in my arms and carried her out of the alley and back to my nearby car. I quickly turned up the heat and drove back home. The girl was shivering, but she slowly warmed up. As I got home, I got her out of the car and brought her inside. I had moved out of my parents' house and was living on my own. Yes, right before junior year. I got a fire started in the hearth and laid the near frozen girl in front of it. I bandaged up the cut over her eye, and sat near her and waited. She recovered soon, and the first thing she did was wrap her arms around me in a tight embrace. I returned it.

“Thank you,” the girl whispered. “Thank you so much.”

“You're welcome,” I whispered back.

~~~Present~~~

After I saved Rusty, we became almost like brother and sister. We did just about everything together. And now, we just graduated together. We gave each other another hug, and started to walk out of the gymnasium. As we did, we heard a shrill whistle. We looked toward where it came from, and saw Adagio Dazzle waving to us.

Ah, Adagio. Now this story's a good one. I met her at the end of the Battle of the Bands, during the middle of my freshman year. Oh, it was such a big deal around the school, it was crazy. Anyway, I met her after I witnessed a fight between her and her sisters, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. Adagio was the victim of the argument. I watched her sisters storm off in different directions, and she fell to the floor, sobbing. I felt bad for her. I was never able to just watch someone get hurt and not do something about it. She and I talked, and we became friends. She introduced me to her sisters. Sonata was quite the hyperactive one, if not a bit stupid. She was clearly the youngest of the three. Aria...*sucks in air through teeth*...she was difficult to get along with. She was rude, ignorant, and a downright asshole. I ignored her as much as I could. I couldn't take it. Adagio and I were the ones that actually got along well. No relationship was made, regrettably. She's a gorgeous young woman and she listened to me, but we just left it as a close friendship. Even after I met Rusty, she was still a good friend, even though she was starting to become...*ahem*...a bit of a whore. Ever since the start of junior year, I noticed Adagio getting a bit more sexual than before. She started wearing low cut tank tops that exposed a bit too much cleavage, tight short shorts to the point where a camel toe was visible, and as far as I've noticed, no undergarments. Yeah, as in no bra and no underwear. *sigh* I've tried looking past this, but it's really hard when you haven't gotten laid yet. Damn, I think I might need some help. Anyway, back to the now.

Rusty and I walked over to Adagio, who wore her normally curly golden hair in a neat ponytail. She was dressed in a flowing and surprisingly modest black dress. She had graduated two years before, but stuck around in Canterlot. She lived not too far from my place, and she, Rusty and I visited each other often. Adagio gave each of us a hug.

“Congratulations to you both,” she said. “I'm so proud of both of you.”

“Thanks Dagi,” I said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Rusty nodded. We walked out of the gym to my car.

“Need a ride?” I asked Adagio.

“Sure,” she accepted. “I walked here anyway.”

“Sounds good,” I said. We all got into my blue Prius; yeah, yeah, sue me. It's a good car, so shut up; and drove off.

“So, got any plans, now that you've graduated?” Adagio asked.

“Not really,” I said, shaking my head. “Not even college.”

“Me neither,” Rusty said. “Also, I don't want to leave Braveheart.”

“That's sweet,” Adagio said. “Well, I actually have an opportunity for the both of you.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“Aria was able to get herself a huge apartment in the city of Los Santos,” Adagio explained. “Heard of it?”

“Los Santos,” I thought out loud. “Hm...doesn't ring any bells.”

“Well, it's this huge city in San Andreas, an island off the western coast a good ways,” Adagio said. “From the letters Aria has been sending me, supposedly it makes Vegas look like a family friendly theme park. It's that bad.”

“I don't see how this is an opportunity for us,” Rusty said, confused.

“Relax,” Adagio waved off. “Aria has been known to greatly exaggerate. I'm sure it's not that bad.”

“Well, I say we give it a shot,” I said. “I was looking to get out of here as soon as I could anyway.”

“If he's going, I'm going,” Rusty said.

“I was really hoping you'd say that,” Adagio breathed out, relieved. “Because I already bought your plane tickets.” I gave Adagio a concerned look. She shrugged, blushing. I shook my head as we pulled up to Adagio's house.

“I'll text you when I'm ready to go,” Adagio said. “I just need to change and pack a few things.”

“I'll be waiting,” I nodded. Adagio got out of the car and walked inside her house. I drove a very short way, and stopped in front of my own house. Rusty and I got out of the car and walked into our house.

About an hour later, I got Adagio's text.

“I'm all set. I'll be waiting for you in front of my place.” I replied to the message.

“All right. We're just about ready as well.” I put my cell in my jeans pocket and zipped up my suitcase. Rusty walked out of the bathroom. She had changed into a blue tee shirt and pink shorts. Her hair was hanging free. I had changed into a green tank top with a symbol on it. A sword over a silver shield. It was a prized shirt of mine. I also wore blue shorts and a pair of high top green boots. I grabbed my suitcase and walked out the door with Rusty. We loaded the luggage into my car and drove to Adagio's. We picked her and Sonata Dusk up and drove off to the airport. As we arrived, Aria was waiting for us at the terminal.

“Glad you finally decided to show up,” she muttered. I gave her a glare.

“Shut it Aria,” I growled. She rolled her eyes, then motioned for us to follow her. Aria directed us to a doorway. She opened the door, and we followed her to a private jet painted purple. My eyes went wide.

“Holy shit,” I gasped.

“Aria, how much did this cost you?” Adagio sternly asked.

“10 million,” Aria simply said, walking up to the plane. Rusty sprayed the drink she was sipping to the ground.

“How much?!” she gasped, choking on her drink.

“You heard me!” Aria snapped. “Come on, get in.” We all got into the expensive plane and took a seat. The plane was arranged with a table on each side, with two seats per table. Closer to the front was another room like it. The entire plane was cramped as all hell.

“Ten million for the world's smallest jet,” I mocked.

“Yep,” Adagio said, looking around the cramped plane.

“Uh Aria, I'm assuming you didn't spend a lot of money on a pilot,” I wondered.

“I am the pilot,” Aria smirked. My stomach sunk.

“Please tell me she's kidding,” Rusty whispered to Adagio. Adagio shook her head with regret.

“She took a flight class a few months ago,” she whispered. “But I don't think she was paying attention.”

“All right, enough chatter back there,” Aria said. “Buckle up. I'm beginning the takeoff procedure.” The engines roared up, and we began moving. Rusty looked like she was about to have a panic attack. I took her hand and gave her a reassuring look. She smiled weakly and gave a nod. The plane lifted off, and we were on our way. The next few hours were quiet. Aria actually was a very capable pilot. She kept the plane flying without any problems. I was able to take a nap on the plane.

I woke up as the plane touched down at the Los Santos Airport. I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

“We there?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Adagio said. “We made it. Come on.” I stood up, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out of the plane. My eyes were met with a sprawling city, cars going by, horns sounding, and police sirens blaring. Aria stepped out of the plane and in front of us.

“Welcome to Los Santos, guys.” she said. “Prepare for a wild ride.”

Chapter 2

Aria led us to her car, a Progen T20 of all things. Surely another fortune.

“Sheesh Aria,” I said, eyes wide. “How much did the T20 cost you?”

“Couple million,” Aria shrugged. “No big deal.”

“What'd you do to get that money?” Rusty asked.

“That's not your business!” Aria snapped.

“Shotgun!” Sonata cried. We all got into the expensive car, Aria in the driver's seat, Sonata sitting shotgun, and Adagio, Rusty, and I in the back. Aria twisted the keys, and the engine started up with a roar.

“Now Aria, please don't do anything reckless,” Adagio said. I saw Aria roll her eyes in the rear view mirror. She floored the gas pedal and the car bolted through the airport and out the gate, smashing the stop pole. She tore through the city, weaving through traffic and running lights.

“Aria!” I cried. “What are you doing?! You're going to get us arrested!”

“Ah, relax,” Aria said. “The 5-O don't give a shit about this measly stuff. They only worry about the bigger things.” She swerved hard to the right, causing me to clock heads with Adagio. Hard. We groaned, gripping our skulls.

“Damn it Aria!” Adagio yelled “Slow down now!” Aria didn't listen instead tearing down the highway, weaving between cars. Gripping my seat, I tried not to look scared. But all color was gone from my face. Flashbacks of my fatal car wreck were returning to my mind.

~~~Flashback~~~

My small pickup hummed quietly as I drove down the freeway. I was heading back to Canterlot after visiting my grandparents in Manhattan. They were both in their mid-70s. My Grandpa would tell stories of his youth for hours. I would intently listen, because they were fascinating. My Grandma would just sit with my parents and talk with them. I was thinking about one of Grandpa's stories as I drove. The next thing I hear is a loud honk, and a burgundy Sedan rushes into my lane of traffic. I couldn't hit the brakes in time. The two cars collided head on, and I was ejected from my vehicle, tearing my seat belt in two and smashing through the windshield. I landed on my right arm, and it very painfully tore out of socket, tearing flesh on the road. I rolled for a bit before stopping on my stomach. I cried out in agony from the excruciating pain in my shoulder. My severed arm fell to my right, spilling blood onto the asphalt. I suddenly feel a great pain in my back as the back wheel of the Sedan runs me over with four tons of force. I scream in pain once more, and then I go silent, passing out from the lack of blood. The last thing I hear is sirens before everything fades to a dead silent black.

~~~Present~~~

“Braveheart! Braveheart, wake up! Braveheart, what's wrong? Adagio, I think he's going to pass out!”

“All right Aria! That's quite enough! Slow down and pull over to the side of the road immediately, or so help me, I will gouge your fucking eyes out and feed them to snakes! You are making Braveheart sick! He is white as a sheet!” Aria slammed on the brakes, skidding to the side of the road onto the sidewalk. Terrified pedestrians ran off in fear. Adagio, Rusty, and Sonata got out of the car, Adagio pulling me out. She sat me down on the concrete, and Sonata and Rusty came close. I stared down at the ground, not moving, breathing hard. I was panicking something awful.

“Braveheart, can you hear me?” Adagio asked, concerned. I slightly nodded. Adagio held up her hand.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” she asked me. I raised my own shaking hand, matching hers. Adagio sighed with relief.

“I think he'll be OK,” she said. “I can already see the color coming back.” I saw both fists tighten. She stood up, and Sonata took about 15 steps back. If Sonata was getting that far away from her sister, something must be wrong. I looked up, the flashbacks disappearing.

“As for you, Aria,” Adagio hissed. She stormed towards her sister, downright furious. Aria put her hands up in front of her chest, slowly backing away.

“Adagio, please,” she said, looking around anxiously. “This is not a place where you want to go beating someone up.” I was watching with curiosity and fear. I had never seen Adagio like this. She grabbed Aria by the collar and brought her close. I stood up slowly, not taking my eyes away from Adagio and Aria. I couldn't hear her, but I saw Adagio speaking through very tightly clenched teeth. Her free hand was clenched tight, to the point of shaking. After a little bit of angry conversation from her, she shoved Aria away before walking back to the rest of us.

“Besides,” she said, coming close to me. “I kind of like him.” Suddenly without warning, Adagio grabbed my head and pressed her lips against mine in a tight kiss. Everyone else's eyes, including mine, went wide in shock. Adagio broke the kiss, leaving me breathless. She took her hands away from my face and winked at me, before turning around and pulling out her cell. I was stunned. Too shocked to move a muscle. Rusty snapped a her fingers in front of my face, causing me to snap back to reality.

“Hey,” she said. “You awake?” I shook my head, still stunned.

“Yeah,” I said. “I...I'm fine. N...Nothing's wrong. Just...surprised is all.”

“I think we all were,” Rusty agreed. She put her hand to my head. “Braveheart, you're burning up,” she said. “You're really red.”

“I...It's nothing,” I lied. Adagio walked up.

“I called a cab,” she informed us. “It'll take you guys back to Aria's place on Vespucci Blvd. Braveheart, I want you to come with me. I've got a car on the way.” I nodded. We heard a light honk, and we looked to see a taxi pull behind Aria's T20.

“Did someone call a...uh...a…taxi?” the driver said in a stuttering Mexican accent. Rusty and Sonata climbed into the back seat, and the driver drove off to Aria's place. Aria walked back to her car.

“I'll see you guys back at the apartment,” she said. She got into her car and sped off. I walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. I was still trying to process the rush of what had just happened. Adagio sat down next to me.

“Are you all right?” she asked me.

“I'm OK,” I said. “I just don't know what to think right now.” Adagio looked to the ground. We were silent for a bit before Adagio spoke up.

“Listen, Braveheart,” she said. “I need you to know this. Aria, Sonata and I, none of us are from this world.” I looked at Adagio in confusion.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Adagio sighed.

“I'm...not human,” she said. “While I may appear to be, I'm a 3000 year old siren from Equestria. It's complicated.”

“Excuse me?” I asked, bewildered at this point.

“I can't explain it,” Adagio said looking at me. “You wouldn't believe it. But that's not the point. The point is, I haven't been able to experience any loving emotions for three millennium. And that first day we talked after the battle of the bands, that was the first time I felt something. But I couldn't bring myself to tell you. Now, I think I know just how I feel about you.” Adagio turned away, embarrassed at what she just said. I took her hand, and she looked back at me. I gave her an assuring look and a warm smile.

“I want to make this work Adagio,” I said. “But I won't force anything if you're not OK with it.” Adagio got a hopeful look in her eye.

“Really?” she asked. “You actually want to do this?” I nodded sincerely.

“Yeah,” I said. “I've been waiting for a special someone since the start of high school. Now that we've both graduated, I'd say it's a good time to give it a shot.” Adagio smiled at me, then suddenly brought me in for another kiss. As we broke the kiss, we heard heavy helicopter blades. Adagio and I looked up to see a cargobob flying above.

“That's our ride,” Adagio said. She stood up and waved her arms to get the chopper pilot's attention. The cargobob dropped altitude until the wheels of the car were two feet from the asphalt. Adagio gave the pilot a thumbs up, and the car dropped onto the street. The cargobob flew away as Adagio and I got into the car. Adagio drove, and I sat shotgun. The car was a simple four seated Canis Mesa with an orange paint job.

“It's one of Aria's cars,” Adagio said. She started up the engine and drove off to Aria's apartment. To my much needed relief, Adagio's driving was much more legal than that of Aria's. She drove calmly through Los Santos to Aria's apartment. She drove into the garage, and parked it next to the rest of Aria's vehicles, most of which were luxury sports cars. But one vehicle in particular caught my eye. As Adagio and I stepped out of the Jeep, I inspected the car. It was a heavily armored truck with raised suspension and a hatch on the roof of the body. Installed at the hatch was a huge machine gun with an ammo box attached. The back of the vehicle read Insurgent.

“I'm not sure I want to know what this is for,” I said to Adagio.

“Well, I'm going to find out,” Adagio said. “So maybe just cover your ears when I start asking questions.” We walked over to the elevator and pressed the button to go up. We stepped into the waiting elevator and Adagio pressed the button marked 24. The elevator moved quickly, and we soon found ourselves in the hallway, much like a hotel. I followed Adagio to the furthest door, and she knocked on it. We waited several minutes before Aria opened up the door.

“Come on, you two,” Aria muttered. She hurried us inside and shut the door. Aria's apartment was huge, with even a downstairs area where her bedroom, wardrobe, and bathroom was. Upstairs was her kitchen, living room, and then a door leading to a room that had a sign taped to it. The sign read No Entry Unless Permitted. As curious as I was about what was in there, I ignored the room for now. But I made mental plans to go inside when no one was around. We joined Rusty and Sonata on the large couch in the living room.

“Very nice place, Aria,” I said.

“Whatever,” Aria said. “It works. You and Rusty can stay here until you can buy your own place. Then you're leaving.”

“You think I want to live with you?” I remarked. “I'll be out the first chance I get.”

“Good,” Aria snapped. “You're no walk in the park either.”

“Enough you two!” Adagio cried. “Save this for some other time.” I sighed in anger and turned back around. I stood up and walked over to the window. I was met with a sprawling view of Los Santos. I crossed my arms and looked out at the city. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see Adagio there.

“What's wrong?” she asked me.

“I don't know,” I said, looking back out. “I just…” I sigh “What have I gotten Rusty and myself into?”

“I could only imagine,” Adagio said. “But I'm sure we'll all do fine here.” I wrap my arm around Adagio's waist, bringing her close.

“I hope so.”

Chapter 3

I slept with Adagio on the couch on our first night in Los Santos. Rusty bunked with Sonata on the floor. Strangely enough, Rusty had always slept on the floor like a dog. It was actually pretty amusing to watch at times, but I didn't think much of it. The sounds of late LS traffic kept me awake for a bit, but I eventually fell asleep. But it didn't last long. I was asleep sitting up with my head laid back on the top of the couch. Adagio's head was resting on my shoulder, and her arms were wrapped around me. I woke up after I felt a hard tap on my head. I quietly groaned and turned my head away. The tap came again, harder.

“Braveheart, wake up,” I heard a voice whisper. I slowly opened my eyes. Aria was watching me.

“What do you want Aria?” I quietly grumbled.

“Come with me,” Aria said. “I need to talk to you.”

“Can it wait until morning?” I muttered. “I'm tired.”

“No, it can't,” Aria said. “This has to be private.” I sighed heavily.

“Fine,” I said. “Make it quick.” I carefully moved Adagio off of me and stood up. I followed Aria to the room with the no entry sign on it. She stopped at the door, her hand on the doorknob.

“Now, don't tell anyone what you see in here,” Aria said. “Not yet. I have something planned for later.” I shrugged, rubbing my eyes, trying to wake up.

“All right,” I agreed. Aria nodded and opened the door. We walked inside the darkened room. Aria closed the door and turned on the light. As my eyes adjusted to the sudden light, I found that the room was very big. In front of me was a giant map of Los Santos. To the right of it was an equally sized whiteboard. To my left was a long table with computer equipment on it. To the right was a corner of all sorts of things. Weapons, armor, clothes, masks, and more.

“What the hell is all this?” I asked.

“This is my planning room,” Aria explained. “I get a call from my contact, and we plan a heist here.”

“Heist,” I repeated. “As in a bank heist?”

“Or whatever comes up,” Aria said. She pulled up a chair and sat down. “Have a seat,” she offered. I pulled another office chair out from the table and sat down. Aria opened up her laptop on the table, and I moved closer to see. Aria pulled up a few pages of little importance to me. We stayed quiet for a moment.

“Braveheart, listen,” Aria said. “I needed to talk to you for two things.”

“What's that?” I asked.

“I'm sorry for what happened yesterday,” Aria apologized. “That was heartless of me. I forgot about your accident.”

“It's all right,” I said. “I'm fine now.”

“Just, please don't tell the others,” Aria requested.

“I won't,” I assured. “I promise.”

“Thanks.”

“So, what was the other reason you needed me?” I asked.

“Oh, right,” Aria remembered. She opened up a web page for a bank called Fleeca. "My contact called me earlier this week. He has a heist ready for me, but I needed a partner.”

“And I assume that's me?” I guessed.

“Right,” Aria nodded.

“Aria, I've never committed a crime in my life,” I said. “I can't do it.”

“I understand your worry, but you're going to have to get over it,” Aria said. “Crime is the heart of this city. Trust me. I've done a lot worse than rob a bank and got away with it.”

“Oh, all right,” I reluctantly agreed. “What needs to be done?”

“Well, we'll need to start by scoping out the bank,” Aria started. “I've already arranged for my contact to meet us tomorrow. We'll be taking his car down to the bank. I need you to be the hacker. My contact will explain what you have to do. I'm going to be the getaway driver after we've taken the cash.”

“Oh boy,” I groan.

“I know, I know,” Aria said. “You don't like going fast down the highway. But it's the only way to get out of there.” I sighed.

“All right,” I said. “We'll do it.”

“Thank you,” Aria said. “My contact will meet us at noon tomorrow. Be prepared.” I nodded and stood up. Aria stayed in the planning room as I left, closing the door behind me. I returned to the couch, and fell back asleep.

I woke up lying down on the couch. I sat up and rubbed my head. Aria was sitting on the other end, watching TV. I groaned, and Aria heard me. She turned her head.

“Oh good,” she said. “You're up. You have two hours to get ready.”

“It's ten in the morning?” I asked.

“Yeah. You overslept.”

“Damn it.” I looked around. “Where's everyone else?” I asked.

“Adagio and the others went out for some clothes shopping,” Aria said. “We're alone here for now.” I stood up and walked into Aria's kitchen. I grabbed an apple from her nearby fruit bowl and ate it quietly. Aria walked into the heist planning room.

A couple hours later, Aria led me outside. A blue four seater was waiting at the front of the building. An older man with a cane was waiting for us. He had balding dirty blonde hair, a plaid shirt, and blue jeans. He had a stubble beard. Aria walked over, and I followed her.

“So, this is the new guy?” the man asked, in a wheezy voice.

“Yeah,” Aria said. “Lester, this is Braveheart.” She turned to me. “Braveheart, this is Lester Crest. He's the contact I told you about. He plans every heist that he comes across.” Lester and I shook hands.

“Good to meet you Lester,” I said.

“Yeah, you too,” he replied. “So. You ready to do this?”

“I guess so,” Aria said. She walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. I sat shotgun, and Lester sat behind me.

“Go to the Fleeca bank,” he said. Aria started up the car and drove off. We stayed relatively quiet on the way there. As we got onto a highway in west Los Santos, we stopped in front of the bank.

“There it is,” Lester said, pointing out the bank. “Take a look. Drink it in. I've patched into their security feed on my cell. Take a look.” Aria and I leaned in as Lester showed us his smartphone screen. He was viewing the main lobby security camera.

“All right, what are we looking at?” I mumbled. “Small joint, not much security.”

“Staff won't give a crap, especially about the deposit boxes,” Aria added.

“Customers will probably be thinking of how to turn this into a screenplay,” I commented. Lester switched cameras to the vault.

“The boxes are in the back behind a safe door,” he said. “We want box number 167. Remember that.”

“This place is right on the highway with good access,” Aria said. “That works to our advantage. We can get out quick. But it will also work for the cops, speed up their response time.”

“All right, enough of this peeper crap,” Lester said. “Let's go to the garment factory.” Aria drove off down the highway back to LS.

“Now, when you hit the bank, you're going to need to hack into its security system,” Lester told me. “I've written a neat little program that will do most of the work for you, but it's probably a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with it. I've sent it to your phone. Take it for a dry run, keep your hands steady, and maybe the wet run won't be a disaster.” I opened up my phone and found a new program on it. I opened it up and tested it out. The program reminded me of those old snake games, where if you hit a wall or yourself, you have to start over. I easily maneuvered the circuit wires to each breaker, and I successfully completed the three circuits to get into the bank's network. As I put my phone away, Lester spoke up.

“I'm calling Paige,” he said. “She's my assistant. First she's going to get us what we need, then she's going to saw me in half.” Lester laughed at his own joke. Neither Aria nor I cracked a smile.

“No?” Lester asked, still laughing a bit. “You didn't like that one? You don't make it easy.” He dialed up Paige on his phone. As he talked to her, I leaned close to Aria.

“Is he always like this?” I quietly asked. Aria nodded.

“Yep,” she said. “Unfortunately.” Lester put his phone away.

“She's loading the hardware into the back of a truck,” he informed. “Tools for the job, things for you to wear. On a job, your attire will determine the role you're performing. As a job gets more complicated, so will the uniforms. If you're likely to be seen by civilians, you'll be provided with a couple of masks. Then when you go into the bank, you can choose one that goes with your eyes.” We pulled up to the factory, where Paige was waiting in front of a black truck.

“There's Paige,” Lester pointed out. “We're leaving this car and taking the truck.” Aria stopped the car and we all got out.

“I should be using my cane,” Lester muttered. We walked over to the truck.

“Paige, right?” I asked. “I'm Braveheart.”

“Nice to meet you,” Paige said, shaking my mechanical hand.

“You too,” I nodded. Paige wore faded blue jeans and a black shirt with a lightning bolt on it. Her hair was a goth black, hanging free. Aria got into the driver's seat again, and I sat shotgun. Paige and Lester got into the back of the Granger. Once everyone was inside, Aria pulled away.

“Back to your place,” Lester said. Aria drove off, and I listened to Paige and Lester talk.

“Is it all there?” Lester asked.

“I think so,” Paige replied. “You want to get out and check, go down the inventory? Or are you happy sitting there making a perfect butt imprint on your easy-wipe seat?”

“I'll take your word for it,” Lester said.

“Thank you,” Paige said. “It should all be there. The clothes, guns, masks, headsets, holdalls, the drill. The files with all the photos and surveillance work. Hey, there's enough here to make us all look real suspicious. Nice little conspiracy to commit robbery charge waiting to happen.”

“What, they're going to charge us with thought crime?” Lester sarcastically asked.

“Not so much thought as everything-but-the-deed crime,” Paige retorted. “We'd get caught with our pants down and a hard on out to here.”

“All right, that's enough,” I said loudly. “Please.” The two planners shut up, thankfully, as we pulled into Aria's garage. She parked the Granger and we got out. Paige helped us unload the equipment into Aria's heist room, while Lester stood by and watched. As we finished, they turned to leave.

“So Aria,” Lester said. “You, uh...got this covered for now?”

“Yep,” Aria nodded. “All covered.”

“Good.” Lester said. “Call me when you're ready.” He and Paige left the apartment, and Aria turned to the whiteboard.

“Let me just get this set up,” she said. As she started writing on the board, I heard the door open again. Aria stopped writing as her eyes went wide.

“Shit, Adagio's back!” she quietly cried. She looked through the peephole, and immediately drew away.

“Is it her?” I asked. Aria frantically nodded.

“If she finds out about this, she'll flip her lid,” Aria said, worried. She pulled up a security camera of her house. I walked over and saw Adagio and the others walk downstairs to the bathroom. Aria breathed a sigh of relief.

“OK, get out now,” she said. I nodded and left the room. Aria stayed inside. I quickly walked into the kitchen, where I could be out of sight once they came back upstairs. I heard footsteps and the girls talking before they came up the stairs. I poked my head out from behind the wall. Adagio saw me. I walked out of the kitchen and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug.

“How was your day out?” I asked.

“Not too bad,” Adagio said. “I actually got some stuff for you as well.”

“Oh did you?” I asked.

“Sure did,” Rusty nodded. “I think you'll like them.”

“Well, thank you,” I said. “You didn't have to.”

“Yes I did,” Adagio said. She kissed me on the cheek, then sat down on the couch. I joined her. Aria walked out of her heist room.

“Hey Adagio, I'll be back,” she said, walking towards us. “I have to go run an errand.”

“All right,” Adagio said. “We'll be here.”

“Sounds good,” Aria nodded. She leaned close to my ear.

“I'm going to go get the Karuma myself,” she whispered. “Look it up for details. Once we've got that, I'll give Lester a call, and we can do this.” I nodded, and Aria left the apartment. Adagio looked at me.

“What was that about?” she asked.

“Not sure,” I lied. I put my arm around her shoulder. “Glad you're back safe.”

“Us too,” Adagio said. “You would not believe what happened to us.”

“What?” I asked, concerned.

“Well, as we were walking out of the clothes store, some madman tore through the streets in a faded red truck,” Rusty started. “He was blaring hard rock music that was not at all to my taste.”

“Not to mention he was cussing like a sailor,” Sonata added. “There were two others in the truck, but I didn't get a good look.”

“He nearly ran us over,” Rusty said. “Can you believe it?”

“Psycho,” Adagio muttered. “Then he had the nerve to honk at us as he drove by. I swear, if I find him, I will make his life hell.”

“Damn,” I said. “I'm just glad you're OK.”

“I actually took shots at him,” Adagio angrily said. “They all missed, regrettably. Used an entire clip's worth of pistol ammo.”

“Fuck,” I groaned. We turned on the TV to relieve some tension. After about 15 minutes, my phone rang. I answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Braveheart, get your ass over here now!” Aria said in a panicked tone.

“Aria, what's the matter?” I asked.

“You're going to have to come see for yourself!” Aria cried. I could hear gunshots over the phone.

“Where are you?”

“I'm at the Del Perro multi level parking garage on the top floor!” Aria said. “I need you to get here now!”

“I'm on my way,” I said. I stood up and started to walk away. Adagio grabbed my wrist. I looked back. She was giving me a pleading look.

“Please be careful,” she said.

“I'll come back safe,” I assured. “I promise.” I gave her a kiss on the forehead before bolting out the apartment. The elevator carried me down to the main floor, and I ran out of the building. I needed a vehicle. A nearby stop light was red, and a line of cars were waiting for it to turn green. I ran over to the driver's side of a Bravado Gauntlet sports car. I yanked the door open. A young woman was cowering in fear.

“Come on!” I demanded. “Get out!” The lady quickly exited the vehicle, and I climbed inside as she ran off. I drove around the waiting cars and stepped on the gas, driving to where Aria had told me. As I drove, I saw flashes from the top of a parking garage, and loud gunshots shortly followed. I pulled out my phone and started driving to the top.

“Aria, I'm at the garage,” I said. “I'm making my way up now.”

“My car is parked a level below the roof,” Aria cried over the sounds of gunfire. “Grab a gun in there. I need some damn support.”

“Got it,” I said. I hung up and continued my way up. I parked next to Aria's Zentorno and got out of my stolen car. I opened up the passenger seat to Aria's car and found an AK-47 in it. I rolled my eyes and picked it up, closing Aria's door as I did. I checked the ammo, and found another clip taped to the clip for a fast reload. I loaded a bullet into the chamber and ran up the last ramp. I saw Aria hunched behind the railing, reloading her gun. I ran up next to her.

“About time you got here,” she said. Bullets whizzed over our heads, some hitting the concrete railing.

“What happened?”

“I tried to go for the Karuma, but these fuckers came prepared,” Aria explained. “I'd blow up the cars around them, but I'm afraid I'll destroy the Karuma. Lester said that the car is important.”

“Which one's the Karuma?” I asked.

“When you can, peek over the top,” Aria instructed. “You should see a black sports car with window armor. That's the Karuma.” I nodded and took a quick peek. Sure enough, there was the car Aria described dead ahead. Five thugs were around it, protecting the vehicle. I ducked back down before I could get shot. I nodded to Aria and we came up, guns firing. The thugs were caught off guard, and they were downed quickly.

“Come on, Braveheart!” Aria yelled. “Get to the car!” We ran to the Karuma and got in, Aria driving. She hit the gas and drove to a broken ledge. My eyes went wide.

“Fuck my life,” I cursed. Aria drove over the ledge, keeping the car balanced. We landed on the road and drove away.

“Where now?” I asked.

“To Lester's,” Aria said. “Paige will be waiting for us.” We suddenly heard sirens behind us. I gave Aria a look.

“LSPD! Pull over immediately!” the officer behind us cried.

“No thanks!” Aria said to herself. She whipped around a corner and drove down an alley. She made another right down another path, then another left. She put the car in park and shut it off. She made the motion for me to be quiet, and I nodded in reply. We heard the sirens pass behind us. After a bit, they stopped.

“I think we've lost them,” Aria said. She started the Karuma back up and drove back onto the street. She made her way back to the garment factory. Paige was waiting for us underneath the bridge. We stopped, and got out of the car.

“I'll take care of it from here,” Paige said.

“Sounds good,” Aria said. We left the area, and Aria called her mechanic to deliver her Zentorno. As we waited, Aria pulled out two bottles of Pisswasser beer.

“Want one?” she asked me. I shrugged.

“Because why not?” I said. I took the bottle from her and twisted off the cap.

“That's straight from Liquor Hole,” Aria said. I took a sip, then spat it out. Aria said a phrase. “Where the sign is green and the beer is shitty.”

“You don't say,” I murmured. Despite the flavor, I downed another sip of the alcohol. I swallowed it, then exhaled, sticking my tongue out in disgust. “Yuck,” I said. “That's nasty shit.”

“Well, get used to it as long as you're with me,” Aria said. “That's the only type of beer I ever will have.” I shook my head and took another sip, downing it a little easier this time. Aria looked around, and stood up.

“Come on,” she said. “My car's here.” We walked over to Aria's nearby car, and got in. We drove back to the apartment, ready for the bank heist.

Chapter 5

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a closing door. As I looked around, I found Adagio gone. I rubbed my eyes awake and stood up, careful not to step on Rusty, sleeping next to my foot. I stepped over her and walked into the kitchen. I pulled out a shot glass from Aria's cabinet as well as a bottle of whiskey. I opened up the half empty bottle and poured myself a shot. I took a quick breath before downing the liquor. I wasn't used to this flavor, nor the sting that followed. I put down the shot glass and held myself up on the counter, trying to shake the sudden buzz.

“That's strong shit,” I whispered to myself. As the tipsy feeling went away, I cleaned out the glass and put it and the bottle back where they were. As I left the kitchen, I noticed a bright pink Post-It note on the normally blank refrigerator. My leaned closer to see, and I read the note to myself.

“Adagio, if you notice I'm gone, don't bother looking for me. I have some unfinished business with someone important. I won't be answering any questions when I get back, so don't bother asking. Also, I don't know when I'll be back. Just look after the place for me until I do. Or, you know, whatever. Not that I care. - Aria.”

“Oh no,” I murmured. I looked around, and found another Post-It note on the kitchen counter. A bright green one. I quickly picked it up and read it over.
“Braveheart, I'm going to be gone for a while. I have to go find Aria. I brought Sonata with me, so you and Rusty are the only ones at the apartment. Come find me when you can. If I know Aria, she'll be up North, at the Grand Senora Desert. Try and find me there. Hopefully I'll see you soon. - Adagio.”

“Fuck,” I muttered. I ran into Aria's planning room, and grabbed a Special Carbine rifle and a Marksman Pistol from her gun rack. I also took a Micro SMG and a few Grenades, just in case. I put them into a duffel bag, and grabbed two Super Heavy Armor vests. I stuffed them into the duffel bag and ran outside, snatching up flashlight attachments for the guns. I walked out of the planning room, and was about to open the door to leave when I heard something behind me.

“Braveheart?” Rusty quietly asked. “What're you doing? It's got to be past midnight.” I turned around and walked over to Rusty.

“Aria left a while ago, and Adagio went to find her,” I explained. “I'm going to find Adagio.”

“I'll come with you,” Rusty offered.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don't know what I'm going to find out there, and I don't want something to happen to you.”

“I don't care,” Rusty firmly said. “I'm going with you.”

“No,” I sternly argued. “I'm not going to let something or someone hurt you Rusty. Not after what I saw you through all those years ago.”

“Are you still on about that?” Rusty asked, frustrated. “Don't forget, I got you out of trouble with Lightning Dust when she starting picking a fight with you at the start of Senior year.”

“Hey, I didn't start that,” I remarked. “I accidentally bumped into her in the hall, and she got all worked up about it.”

“Regardless,” Rusty said. “I can take care of myself now, and I'm coming with you.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn't deny that Rusty had gotten tougher since I got her out of the alleys. She took Speech and Debate and Psychology as well as Weights and Fitness during Senior year, so her physical and verbal strength was significantly better by graduation. I let out a heavy sigh and opened my eyes.

“All right,” I agreed. “Let me get you a weapon.” I walked back into the planning room and grabbed an Assault Rifle from the wall. I stuck it into the duffel bag and took a flashlight attachment for it. I left the room, and Rusty followed me out of the apartment to the garage. I climbed inside Aria's Canis Mesa jeep and tossed the duffel bag in the back. Rusty got into the passenger seat, and I drove out of the garage. As I drove through Los Santos and onto the highway, Rusty seemed on edge.

“You want me to drive you back?” I asked.

“No,” Rusty stormed. “We're going to find Adagio and Sonata. We will not turn around and abandon them. I'm fine.” I sighed and kept driving. As I did, I thought about the fight I nearly got in with Lightning Dust.

~~~Flashback~~~

The 3:00 bell rang, during Pre-Calculus, signaling the end of the day.

“All right class,” Miss Cheerilee said. “The assignment is page 274, problems 1 through 27. Class dismissed.” My Pre-Calculus class stood up from their seats and walked out of the classroom. I grabbed my books and stepped out of the room myself. I met up with Rusty after I returned the books I didn't need to my locker. As I rounded the corner at the end of the hall, I collided with someone, knocking an open water bottle out of their hand, and spilling it on their shirt.

“Sorry,” I quickly said. I picked up the water bottle off the floor and stood up, giving the bottle back. I looked up to see Lightning Dust, furious. Her white tank top was stained purple from the apparent Gatorade in the bottle. She backhanded the water bottle out of my hand and got in my face.

“What the fuck was that for?!” she screeched. I didn't flinch.

“It was an accident, Dust,” I explained. “I didn't mean to bump into you.”

“Like hell you didn't!” Dust yelled. “I outta break your scrawny neck.”

“Hey, leave him alone,” Rainbow Dash said, getting between us. “He clearly didn't mean it.” I watched as Lightning Dust grabbed Rainbow by the neck and shoved her aside. Cloudchaser and Flitter ran over, making sure Dash was OK. Lightning refocused her anger towards me.

“This is my favorite gym shirt, and you've ruined it,” she hissed. “Now you're going to pay for this.”

“If you mean buy you a new shirt, fine,” I said. “I'm more than willing.” Infuriated, Lightning Dust lunged at me, throwing a punch. Before I could react, Rusty came between us and grabbed Lightning's wrist, stopping her swing. Lightning glared at Rusty with a fire in her eyes.

“Let go of me you little runt,” Dust growled. She tried to yank her arm away, but Rusty's grip was too strong, much to Dust's surprise. As I stepped next to Rusty, I noticed something off. Her eyes were glowing an unnatural and unholy yellow, and her light blue eye had faded to the same red as her other eye. I watched as Dust's angry expression faltered quickly, and it shifted to one of pain. I looked down, and saw Rusty's grip tightening around Dust's wrist. Lightning's wrist turned white, and she tried to pull herself free. Rusty gave Lightning one last glare, then released her. Dust fell to the floor, gripping her hand. She stood up, picked up her water bottle, and turned away with a huff. Rusty walked out the door and I followed her, waving to Dash and her friends.

~~~Present~~~

I sighed again as I remembered Rusty's bravery standing up for me. But at the same time, I felt scared from her sudden change of nature. She had never been like that.

“You all right?” Rusty asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “I'm fine.” A loud blast rang out, and something pierced through the roof of the jeep, narrowly missing my head.

“SHIT!!” I yelled, swerving as I hit the brakes. The jeep spun out onto the sandy offroad, nearly tipping over. As Rusty and I recovered from the sudden scare, I took Rusty's hand.

“You OK?” I asked, panicked. Rusty managed a nod.

“I think so,” she said.

“Good,” I nodded. “Did you see where that shot came from?”

“I think it was from one of the satellite dishes,” Rusty guessed. I turned around and reached underneath the back seats.

“Good thing Aria keeps a sniper rifle in her jeep,” I murmured to myself. I grabbed the Heavy Sniper and took aim at the nearest satellite dish. As I zoomed in, I saw a brief twinkle in the scope. I focused on the light, and saw Adagio and Sonata crouched on a platform. She was mouthing “Sorry” to me. Sighing with relief, I gave her a thumbs up and put the sniper rifle into the duffel bag. I drove over to the dish and Rusty and I got out. We climbed up the stairs to where Adagio and Sonata were, and we crouched down with them. I quietly laid the duffel bag full of weapons down.

“Good to see you, Braveheart,” Adagio whispered.

“Did you find Aria?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Adagio replied. “She's out there. Take a look.” I took the Sniper Rifle and aimed where Adagio was pointing. Sure enough, Aria came into sight. She was talking to two men. One of them wore a white tank top, had messy balding hair, and a pair of jeans. On his throat was a tattooed dotted line with the words “Cut Here” below it. The other guy wore a red plaid shirt, a brown fishing cap, and wore a knee brace and glasses.

“We haven't been able to figure out what they're doing,” Sonata said. As I watched the three talk, I heard motorcycles. The two men looked back, and they took cover behind nearby boxes. I looked around to see about 20 motorcycles drive up, and the bikers got off, firing pistols and shotguns.

“Should we do something?” Rusty asked.

“I am,” I said, pulling the Heavy Sniper from the duffel bag.

“That doesn't have a suppressor you know,” Adagio warned. “Just know, once you shoot, you'll have that gang focusing fire on you.”

“That's why I brought more,” I said. I pulled out the rest of the weapons from the bag. I gave Sonata and Rusty a weapon and a Grenade. I gave Adagio another Grenade.

“Remember,” I told everyone. “One hand grenade. Use it wisely.”

“I won't even ask where you got these,” Adagio muttered, shaking her head. I took aim with my sniper at a biker's head and pulled the trigger. The loud shot rang out through the night, overpowering the automatic fire below. The bullet made contact, and the biker's head exploded. His body fell dead, and the other bikers started shooting at me.

“Here we go,” Rusty said. She raised her Micro SMG and fired down at the bikers. Adagio and I sniped the bikers, while Rusty, Sonata, Aria, and the other two guys riddled them with bullets. Within a few minutes, the biker's were nothing but corpses on the desert ground. We put away our guns and got down from the satellite dish. We walked over to Aria and the two guys. As we got closer, we started to hear Aria and the guy with the tank top arguing.

“Way to go Trevor,” Aria stormed. “Bringing the fucking Lost MC with you. I told you to make sure you weren't followed.”

“In my defense, it was Ron's job to make sure the Lost stayed away,” Trevor said. “But...I couldn't resist the urge to shoot one of them on the way here, so I guess it was a little bit my fault.”

“Oh, no shit Trevor!” Aria cried. “Do you even have the stuff with you?”

“Of course I brought the stuff, sweetheart,” Trevor said. “Ron, give it.”

“Oh, yes sir, Trevor,” Ron nervously said. He pulled a brown package out of his pack and gave it to Trevor. Aria held her hand out.

“Hand it over,” she said.

“First the money, then the cocaine,” Trevor said.

“What's this about cocaine?” Adagio sternly asked. Aria whipped around, her eyes wide.

“Well well well, Aria,” Trevor said. “You didn't tell me you were bringing friends. If I had known, I would have cooked up some coke for everyone. We'd be having a big gangbang orgy right now.”

“Zip it,” I muttered aloud. I already didn't like this guy.

“Adagio, I told you not to look for me,” Aria said.

“You can't just run out of the house, Aria,” Adagio cried. “I'm still older than you, and still have authority.”

“OK now,” Trevor said, breaking the argument. “As much as I love listening to you bitches gripe at each other, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Aria?” Aria growled and rolled her eyes.

“Trevor, Ron. This is Adagio and Sonata, my sisters,” Aria said. “The other two are Braveheart and Rusty.” She turned to us. “Guys, this is Trevor and Ron.”

“A pleasure to meet all of you,” Trevor said, sounding excited. “Ooh, I like that robotic arm you've got there, young man. What happened? Oh it's OK, you can tell Uncle Trevor. I'll understand.” I rolled my eyes. This guy had some serious psychological issues.

“Car crash,” I deadpanned.

“Oh I am so sorry,” Trevor sympathetically faked. “I'm so glad you're still alive.”

“Don't give me shit,” I muttered.

“But I'm not,” Trevor defensively said, stepping closer. Aria put a hand to his chest, stopping him from walking further.

“Save it, Trevor,” she said. “He's not worth it.” I barred my teeth and clenched my fists.

“Why I outta...” I started, before Rusty held me back. I calmed down a bit.

“Well, it was nice meeting the lot of you,” Trevor said. “But I've got to get back to the T.P.I. Headquarters. I might have another job for you soon Aria. So stay in touch.” He and Ron left the area in their faded red truck, which Adagio just noticed.

“Hey, wait a fucking minute!” she stormed. She pulled out her sniper and took aim. Aria quickly pushed the muzzle to the dirt.

“Don't!” she angrily cried. “Don't you fucking dare.”

“He almost ran me, Rusty, and Sonata over in the city, Aria!” Adagio yelled. “Mark my words, I will kill him!”

“He's a legitimate businessman,” Aria reasoned. “You can't.”

“Legitimate my ass,” Rusty muttered. “If he's on the run from biker gangs selling coke, I would hardly call that legitimate.”

“It counts,” Aria said.

“No it doesn't,” I retorted, shaking my head.

“Aria, we are going straight back to your apartment, and we are going to have a long discussion about this,” Adagio said. She turned around, taking Sonata with her. Rusty and I left for the jeep, and Aria to her own car, parked somewhere else. We all drove back to the apartment. By the time we reached Los Santos, it was daybreak. We parked the cars in the garage and took the elevator up to the apartment. As we walked in, I put the guns back in the planning room while Adagio and Aria went downstairs. Sonata practically vaulted onto the couch, turning on the TV. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down at one of Aria's four chairs surrounding a circular table. Rusty joined Sonata on the couch. As I sipped my coffee, I thought about Trevor. He was clearly a mentally unstable person, probably to the point of insanity. He could mean trouble for us if he got out of control. I prayed to myself that it wouldn't come to that.

Chapter 6

A few weeks had passed after meeting up with Trevor. I had offered to share my heist money with Adagio, but she refused. So I split it with Rusty. We decided to go clothes shopping, so we started scrolling through locations on my phone. Because she and I didn’t want to pay much, we decided to go to the nearest discount store. We found one a few minutes away from Aria’s, in the center of the city.

“This looks like a good place to start,” I commented, pointing at the location on my phone.

“I’m good with anything,” Rusty shrugged.

“All right,” I nodded, putting my phone away. “Let’s go.” We walked over to the apartment exit, passing Aria on the way. She noticed us.

“Where’re you two going?” she asked. “Not that I care.”

“Discount store for some clothes shopping,” I answered, facing Aria but not breaking pace. Rusty opened the door for me.

“All right, whatever,” Aria said.

“Oh, by the way, I’m taking your Mesa,” I quickly said. “Bye.” I shut the door behind me as Rusty and I rushed to the elevator. We got inside and moved downward into Aria’s garage. As the elevator doors opened, we stepped into the garage. We climbed inside Aria’s orange Canis Mesa jeep and drove out of the garage. As we got onto the street, we followed our GPS to the discount store. A few minutes later, we pulled into the store parking lot. We got out of the car and walked into the store. An unamused gothic woman was at the counter, elbow on the top and her head in her hand.

“We’ll show ourselves around,” I waved off. The woman nodded, and Rusty and I browsed through the clothing. Rusty walked over to the shoes, and I to the tops. The store had almost everything. I looked through the choices for a bit before pulling out a green and white zip-up hoodie. I slipped it on and turned to Rusty.

“What do you think?” I asked her. She turned from her shoe browsing.

“Not bad,” she said. “I feel like you should get a blue one. It contrasts with your shirt nicely.” I nodded and put down the green hoodie, picking out a blue one instead. I slipped it on, and a smile peered onto Rusty’s face.

“Better,” she said. We looked for a while. I soon picked out the blue hoodie, a dark grey pair of jeans, and black work boots. Rusty had chosen a bright blue somewhat skintight sweatshirt, a dark pink skirt that went slightly above the knees, black leggings, and dark red low-heel wedges. I admired her look.

“You look good,” I complimented.

“Thanks,” she said. “So do you.”

“Thank you,” I replied. We stepped outside, and Aria skidded onto the sidewalk in her huge Insurgent truck. Sonata was sitting in the truckbed and Adagio was sitting shotgun.

“Braveheart, Rusty, you two need to come with me,” Aria said in a hurried tone.

“What’s the matter?” Rusty asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Aria said. “Now get in.” Rusty and I hopped inside. I climbed up into the turret, but didn’t touch the massive gun. Aria skidded the tires and drove north to the industrial area of Los Santos.

“Care to explain now?” I asked.

“I got a job from Martin Madrazo,” Aria explained as she drove. “He’s a Mexican-American drug cartel leader. He needed something done, so I naturally agreed.”

“And what might that something be?” Rusty asked.

“Mr. Madrazo needs cement trucks destroyed,” Adagio clarified. “Supposedly they’re holding drugs that compete with Madrazo’s own, and he requested that Aria take care of it. We came along. I’m starting to regret it.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Madrazo pays really good money for doing the job,” Aria said.

“I don’t want money from criminal involvement, Aria!” Adagio cried. “It’s not honest.”

“But we weren’t honest when we tried to take over the school,” Sonata remarked. Aria facepalmed and Adagio froze. I raised a brow and looked down at her from my perch.

“Is that what all the fuss was about Freshman year?” I asked her. She hadn’t told me about what went down during the Battle of the Bands. No one had. I just assumed it had been a big event that was a lot of fun, but I didn’t go. I didn’t go to any of it. Adagio nodded reluctantly.

“That’s why I was crying when we first met,” she said. “Aria and Sonata said some things, and you know what happened then.”

“What happened during the Battle?” I asked.

“That’s not important right now,” Adagio said. “I’ll tell you later. Point is, I’ve changed, and I refuse to get involved with criminal-earned money.”

“Adagio, criminal involvement is practically what runs this city,” Aria said. “If you don’t start, you’ll never make your way here. Braveheart already…”

“We don’t talk about that, Aria!” I yelled, turning and pointing accusingly. “I regret doing that heist with you! I should never have let you talk me into it! I’m only doing this job for the money. I could care less about where it comes from. I’m completely against all of this, but I don’t want to be poor in a city like this!”

“I agree,” Rusty said. “With the amount of crime I’ve seen on the news, I’m not fixing to not be homeless on the street. Been there, done that.”

“All righty, enough chit chat,” Sonata interrupted. “We’re here.” Aria parked behind a fence near a construction site. From my turret, I could see two cement trucks, with a good bunch of guys guarding it.

“Hope you know how to use that gun, Braveheart,” Aria said. “You’ll be shooting up the guys while Adagio and Rusty destroy the trucks with charges or grenades, your pick. Those’re in the glove compartment. Sonata will be covering our six after the deed is done. I’m obviously the driver.” I turned around and got comfortable, taking the gun’s trigger in my right hand and the control stick in my left. Adagio opened up the glove compartment and pulled out four grenades and four sticky bombs. She split them up and gave half to Rusty. Sonata grabbed a Combat MG from a truck box and cocked back the gun. Aria grabbed an AP pistol from underneath her seat. Adagio and Rusty got out of the car, and took cover behind the fence. I turned the gun toward the construction site, and started the countdown as Aria squealed the tires, holding the hand brake.

“Three, two, one, GO” Aria released the hand brake and bolted in front of the construction site. She stopped in front of it, allowing Sonata to climb out. I unloaded rounds at the opposing drug dealers. The cracks of the gun blasted into my ears, as I could hear the squelch and splitting of flesh and bone. Sonata shot at who she could from her position. Rusty ran through the cleared and bloody dirt to the first cement truck. She planted a sticky bomb on the truck’s grille, and ran back to the Insurgent. Aria pressed a switch, and the truck exploded, destroying whatever drugs were inside. Adagio took cover behind a wall as bullets whizzed by. She took out a grenade and pulled the pin, quickly tossing it behind the wall. It landed next to the cement truck, tapping the wheel. The remaining drug dealers panicked and tried to run. They didn’t make it in time, as the grenade exploded, destroying the cement truck and taking the drug dealers with it. Adagio ran back to the Insurgent and climbed inside. Rusty climbed in with Sonata in the back and Aria drove off. She got a message from Madrazo.

“We’ve got two more cement trucks that have already left,” she said. “They’re heading north along the west highway.” She floored the gas and drove to Vespucci Highway. Before long, a truck with more drug dealers followed us, shooting at the truck.

“Sonata, that’s your cue!” Aria called. “Rusty, help her if you can. You too Braveheart.” I turned the gun around and started shooting at the truck with Sonata. The many bullets fired killed both the driver and the passenger, as well as causing the truck to explode from my higher caliber bullets. My eyes went wide as the truck blew up.

“I think I’m starting to take a liking to this thing,” I murmured to myself. We tore through Los Santos, destroying any pursuing drug dealer reinforcements. After about 15 minutes, Aria tapped my foot.

“What!?” I called, over the explosion of another truck.

“Look forward!” Aria said. I turned the turret around, and saw a Buzzard Attack Chopper hovering about another mile ahead.

“You’re going to have to take that chopper down,” Aria instructed. “We’re not getting anywhere near the trucks if you don’t.”

“Copy that,” I nodded. As soon as we were in range, I opened fire on the helicopter. It tried to turn around to attack, but I riddled it with bullets to the point of exploding mid-air. The remaining drug dealers shot at us, but they were quickly reduced to bloody corpses. Adagio and Rusty tossed sticky bombs from the Insurgent onto the two remaining cement trucks. Aria detonated them, and the drugs inside were destroyed in the fiery blast.

“I’d say that’s a job well done,” Sonata said, putting away her Combat MG.

“Sure,” Adagio muttered. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Oh come on, Dagi,” I said, taking my hands off the turret and slouching back. “I for one think that was fun, blowing shit up.” Adagio rolled her eyes.

“Nice work, all of you,” Aria said. “All that’s left is to go back to Madrazo and get our money.” She drove through the rich-persons section of Los Santos, eventually stopping at an expensive cliffside house. We all got out, and Aria led the way to the place. An older Hispanic man walked out of the side entrance to the house. He wore a gray suit and dark blue tie with black dress shoes. His gray hair was balding.

“I assume the job was completed,” he asked Aria in a Mexican accent.

“Sure was,” Aria replied. Madrazo looked to the rest of us.

“Hm,” he said. “Who are the rest of your friends, Aria?” Aria turned to us.

“Guys, meet Martin Madrazo,” she said. “He’s the leader of a powerful Mexican-American drug cartel in Los Santos.” She turned to Madrazo, pointing to each of us as she said our names.

“Martin, this is Braveheart, Rusty Ace, and my sisters, Adagio Dazzle and Sonata Dusk.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Madrazo said. He snapped his fingers, and a bodyguard brought up a briefcase of cash. “As promised,” Madrazo presented. “The money for completing the job. If there’s anything you should know about me, I’m a man of my word.” Aria took the briefcase, and the bodyguard stepped back. Madrazo nodded, and he and his bodyguard returned to the house. Aria opened up the briefcase. There were five groups of cash, tied together for easy division. Aria gave us all our shares, and we all returned to the Insurgent. Adagio took my hand and stopped me.

“Aria, go ahead back to the apartment,” she said. “Braveheart and I will meet you back there. We’re going to walk back.”

“Suit yourself,” Aria shrugged. Everyone else climbed back into the Insurgent, and Aria drove off.

“Is this for anything important?” I asked Adagio.

“I just wanted some time alone to talk to you,” Adagio said.

“All right,” I nodded. “What about?” We started walking through Los Santos back to Aria’s apartment.

“Well, I’ve been doing some research on a real-estate website,” Adagio explained. “And I found a decent little home up north. It’s only $50,000, and it includes a two-car garage. I was thinking, with the money from this job, we could move out of Aria’s apartment together. Rusty too if she wanted.” I nodded.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ve been working to getting out of her place for a while. I can tell Rusty wants to as well.”

“All right,” Adagio said. “Once we get back, buy a four seater, I don’t care what model or color. I’ll take care of buying the house.” As we passed a 24/7 Supermarket, three men ran out with grocery bags of cash. One had a red jacket and a brown owl mask, another wore a blue hoodie and a white hockey mask, and the last one wore a rainbow tank top with blue shorts and hipster shades. They ran to a brown four seater and got in, and a man with a red hoodie and a monkey mask with a cigar in its mouth drove off. Shortly after, a mass of police cruisers and helicopters passes, sirens blaring.

“What the fuck was that about?” Adagio asked.

“Well, that store was clearly just robbed,” I said. “By an owl, Jason Voorhees, a monkey, and a hippie.” We shrugged and kept walking.

When we reached Aria’s apartment, we found the three sitting on the couch. Aria turned her head to see us walk in.

“Oh good,” she muttered. “You lovebirds made it back alive.”

“Shut up Aria,” I retorted. “Rusty! Adagio and I need to talk to you.” Rusty nodded and stood up. She followed Dagi and I down to the downstairs bedroom.

“What’s up?” Rusty asked.

“Braveheart and I are moving out,” Adagio explained. “We were wondering if you wanted to come with us.”

“Are you kidding?” Rusty said. “I’ve been dying to get out of here. Aria makes me want to fucking kill myself sometimes. Count me in.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “Dagi already has a place in mind. You can help me find a four-seater car.”

“All right,” Rusty nodded. Adagio and I pulled up our phones. I pulled up the San Andreas Super Autos site and Rusty and I scrolled through cheaper cars.

“The Obey Rotoco looks good,” Rusty said. “Seems like a nice car.”

“I’ll have it delivered to the front of the apartment,” I said. I picked out a silver coloring for the car, then completed the transaction.

“All right Adagio,” I said. “The car is on the way.”

“Great,” Adagio nodded, putting her phone away. “The house has been bought. We just need to get over there and get settled. So start packing.” Rusty and I nodded, and we all separated to pack our things.

Once we had finished packing, we met back up at the apartment door.

“All set?” I asked. Rusty and Adagio nodded. I turned to Aria, who was taking a hit on her bong she kept on a small table.

“Aria, we’re out,” I said. “Adagio, Rusty, and I are leaving,” Aria gave me nothing but a roll of her eyes and a dismissing wave of her hand. I shook my head and led Adagio and Rusty out the door to the elevator. We exited the apartment and walked over to our awaiting Rotoco. I opened up the back and we put our bags inside. I climbed into the back seat, Rusty drove, and Adagio sat shotgun. Rusty started up the car, and we were on our way.

“Good riddance,” Adagio muttered.

“No kidding,” I agreed. “So where’s the place Adagio?” Adagio pulled up her phone map.

“Right here,” she said, pointing to a location. It was a small house near an airport.

“Wait,” I said. “Isn’t that Trevor’s airfield?”

“Is it?” Adagio asked, looking at the phone herself. Sure enough, we saw Trevor’s Cuban 800 small cargo plane in the hangar image.

“Oh great,” I muttered.

“I swear I will kill him,” Adagio cursed.

“Hey, chin up guys,” Rusty said. “He’s just crazy. He’s not Aria.” I shrugged, and laid down to sleep on the rest of the way there. We were out of Aria’s apartment, on our way to live our own life in Los Santos.

Chapter 4

The next morning, Aria woke me up at around 8. I ate a light breakfast, then followed Aria into the planning room. Lester was waiting for us. As we walked in the door, he looked over.

“Ah,” he said. “Your, uh, your first time.”

“His, first time,” Aria reminded. “I've been at this for a while.”

“Right,” Lester nodded. “Anyway. First time for Braveheart. Fleeca. It's a two person score, right? One of you drives, keeps the heat off of you. The other goes into the bank, goes to the specific safety deposit box, and then you get out of there. You get that fast armored car, and you get the hell out of that place. Then once you're clean, once you've got no heat on you, come see me, give me the box, and you get paid. Got it?”

“Darn right, I do,” Aria said.

“Guess so,” I shrugged.

“Well, good luck,” Lester said as he walked out the door. As it shut behind him, I turned to Aria at the whiteboard.

“This is it, Braveheart,” Aria said, writing on the board. “Your first heist. Don't expect a lot of cash though. A safety deposit box there can only hold so much. It isn't the Union Depository, holding millions of dollars worth of gold.” I gave Aria a shocked and stern look.

“Is that where you got all your money from?” I accused. Aria froze in place. She didn't say a word, and we were both silent. Aria returned the cap to her black dry erase marker and set it down. I tapped my foot twice. Aria took a deep breath and turned around, a pleading look in her eye.

“What will it take for you to not tell Adagio?” she asked seriously.

“I'm not sure if anything will,” I retorted. “Aria, gold is worth a ton of money, and you robbed the biggest bank in Los Santos?! How much was the score worth?!” Aria hesitated to answer.

“25 million per person,” she quietly said. “There were four of us and Lester.”

“Who were you with?” I asked.

“A guy named Michael, another named Trevor, and a third named Franklin,” Aria listed. “We snuck inside, took the money, and got away. Then Lester gave us all our shares.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“I can not put my feelings into words,” I muttered.

“Please,” Aria begged. “Isn't there something I can do to have you not tell Adagio?” I sighed heavily. My conscious told me to inform Dagi, tell her of her sister's actions. But that little voice in the back of my head said otherwise. Against my better judgment, I decided to listen to the voice in the back.

“I won't tell if I get all of the money from this score,” I said. “As in a 100 percent cut.”

“Fine,” Aria quickly agreed. “You can have the money. Just do not tell Adagio.”

“Sure,” I said. “We doing this or what?” Aria nodded.

“Let's go,” she said. We walked out of the planning room. Adagio, Rusty, and Sonata were sitting on the couch, scrolling through TV channels. They clearly couldn't find something interesting to watch.

“Fucking hell,” Adagio quietly cursed. She tossed the remote onto the coffee table, muttering under her breath.

“You OK, Dagi?” I asked.

“Nothing good on,” she said.

“I'm sorry,” I shrugged. I kissed Adagio on the cheek. She looked at me with a smile.

“We'll be back,” I told her. Adagio nodded, and I left the apartment with Aria. The Karuma was waiting for us outside. We climbed in, Aria driving and myself in the passenger seat. As Aria got on her way, Lester's voice came up on the headsets we were wearing.

“Driller, I'm sending you that hacking program,” he said to me. “You need to get on it and start breaking into their system. You need to establish a connection before you get to the bank.” I opened up my phone, and sure enough, the app was waiting to be opened. I started up the program and began to hack the network. I was really good at those Snake games when I was a little younger, so the circuits were not hard at all. They were all done in no time. Lester came on the radio again.

“All right,” he said. “I'm going to talk you through it one last time. We've given you pump action shotguns to take in. They should look intimidating enough. You both go in, you go in hard. There are four security cameras in the foyer. Driver, take them out as soon as you're in the door, then you're on crowd control. Driller, when you're in the network, you'll be able to open the vault door on your phone. Go back to the safety deposit room and start drilling.” Aria pulled up to the bank.

“Sounds good,” I said. “I'm in their network, opening the vault door now.” I watched from the security camera as the vault door crank spun, and the heavy door opened.

“Vault is open Lester,” Aria said.

“All right, here we go,” Lester replied. “Put on a mask if you haven't already and get inside.” Aria slipped on an ugly grey ogre mask with pointy ears, and I wrapped some yellow police tape over my face, tying it in the back. I turned to Aria and nodded, and we got out of the car. Aria stormed inside, blasting her shotgun at the cameras. They were all down within seconds. I followed her inside once she finished her destruction. She pointed her shotgun at the civilians inside.

“Nobody fucking move!” she cried. “Everyone down on the floor now! Move a muscle and I'll blow your fucking head off!” The civilians quickly cooperated, shaking in fear. I ran to the safety deposit room and pulled out the drill from my bag. I found the right box and put the bit of the drill in the hole. Starting up the drill, I bore my way through each lock. They snapped as I cut through each one, sparks flying from the metal. I broke the last lock, and the safe slid open. I grabbed the metal box and slid it into my bag. I ran back to Aria.

“I've got it!” I said. “Let's go!” As I spoke to Aria, the bank teller hit the alarm.

“You asshole!” Aria stormed.

“Save it!” I cried, running to the car. “Come on! We've got to go.” Aria ran back to the Karuma with me, getting in. She floored the gas pedal as I heard sirens behind us.

“Go, go, go!” Lester cried. “You didn't come this far to end up in the back of a squad car.”

“Oh, no shit!” Aria cried. “The gas is floored, but I don't know if we can escape. Not on this open road. You better have us a way out of this, Lester.”

“I've got my getaway guy waiting for you on Zancudo Bridge,” Lester informed. “He's got a plan for the cops if you can just get there.”

“Oh, we'll get there,” Aria said, grinning. The road was completely empty until we came up on a police roadblock.

“Aria...” I said.

“Braveheart, hold on to your shit!” Aria ordered. She did not slow down, and barreled through the roadblock, sending the cop cars skidding away. I lurched forward on the impact. We broke through two more roadblocks before coming up on Zancudo Bridge. An unfamiliar voice came up on the radio.

“Hey, come in,” the voice said. “This is your getaway guy. Lester tells me you're inbound.”

“Damn right we are,” Aria said. I looked to see a cargobob flying overhead with an electromagnet attached to the bottom where the hook would be.

“Smart,” I commented. Aria drove underneath the cargobob, and the Karuma rose up, latching onto the magnet.

“We have liftoff,” the getaway guy said. “Let's go!” The cargobob rose into the air, taking the Karuma and us with it. The cops were left behind on the bridge. In the Karuma, Aria was rapidly pumping her fists, happy we completed the job. I was unwrapping the police tape from my face.

“Nice work in there newbie,” Aria congratulated me. “That's your first heist, completed without a scratch.”

“Thanks,” I said, unwrapping the last of the tape. “I think that getaway could not have gone smoother.” We relaxed in the car as the cargobob carried us away. It took us to the garment factory, where it released the magnet and let us drop onto the road. We got out of the car as Lester came out of the factory.

“Show it to me,” he said. I gave him the deposit box.

“One safety deposit box, as promised,” I said.

“Oh yes, it is holiday season at the Crest residence,” Lester said. “And daddy's out drinking.” He turned to us. “I gotta say,” he said. “You passed. And if something else comes up I'll call you. And in the meantime, if anyone comes to me, I'll mention you as a reliable pair of hands. For a first time, Braveheart, that wasn't so bad, but don't get clingy.” Lester walked back into the garment factory to put the cash into my account. Aria led me to her waiting Zentorno.

“Come on,” she said. “We're going to get something to drink to celebrate.”

“Hope it's none of that Pisswasser shit,” I muttered. I got into her car, and we drove back to her apartment.

As we walked in the door, Adagio was waiting for us with a disapproving look on her face, mostly directed at Aria. I had a bit of an idea why, but I wasn't sure.

“Aria, Braveheart, I need to talk to you two,” Adagio said.

“About what?” Aria asked.

“You will find out soon enough,” Adagio said. “Come with me.” Aria and I gave each other a worried look and followed Adagio downstairs. When we reached the bedroom, Adagio locked the door and stood in front of it.

“Explain yourself, Aria,” she said.

“Explain what?” Aria asked. “What did I do?”

“I heard your entire conversation in that room upstairs,” Adagio said. “About robbing the Union Depository and all that.” Aria's eyes went wide. I looked to the floor, wanting to ignore the worst. “And then you go and commit another heist with Braveheart,” Adagio continued. I closed my eyes. “Aria, this is unacceptable.”

“Oh come on, Adagio,” Aria said. “It's not that big of a deal. I wasn't caught, I'm not in prison, and that's what matters.” I opened my eyes, still looking at the floor. I suddenly heard a very loud smack next to my ear, making me flinch. Shortly after which I heard Aria groan in pain. I saw Adagio's feet come up in front of me. I looked up at her. Adagio's face was one of disappointment for me. She kept that sad look for a moment, then walked back upstairs. I sighed. Aria straightened up.

“I expected as much,” she mumbled, rubbing her sore cheek. “Well, what's done is done. Lester should put in your cash soon. You didn't tell her, she found out. You can keep it.”

“What's the point?” I asked. “She's not happy with me, and I can't stand that.”

“Please,” Aria scoffed. “She's never been happy with me, but you don't hear me complaining.” I gave Aria a hard glare, then walked out of the room to find Adagio.

As I walked up the stairs to the living room, I saw Adagio standing at the window, looking out of it. Rusty and Sonata were waiting for me at the top of the stairs. They walked up to me.

“She hasn't said a word,” Rusty quietly said. “I don't know what happened, but I think you need to talk to her.”

“I was about to say the same thing,” I agreed. As I started to walk over, Sonata grabbed my shoulder. I looked back.

“I wouldn't,” Sonata said. “When she's like this, it's usually best to avoid her.”

“I can't,” I said. “I have to talk to her.” Sonata nodded and walked downstairs with Rusty.

“We'll be downstairs,” she said as she left. I nodded and watched them leave. Aria came up the stairs. I glared at her.

“Make yourself useful and stay in the planing room,” I growled.

“I'm not taking orders...”

“Do it!” I quietly yelled. “Or so help me I will have you killed.” Aria gave me a dirty look, but she walked into the planning room, slamming the door behind her. I sighed and shook my head, calming down from my anger spurt. I turned around and walked over to Adagio. She was looking out over the nighttime lit Los Santos, a glass of wine in her right hand. Her left arm was wrapped around herself. I stepped beside her to her right, but kept a bit of distance.

“You OK, Adagio?” I asked. “You can tell me.” We were quiet for a moment.

“Why did you do it, Braveheart?” Adagio asked. “Why did you go with her on that bank robbery? You used to be against anything Aria ever did.”

“Adagio...” I started.

“And you never did anything wrong,” Adagio cut me off. “Ever. Not once did you get into a fight. You never stole, you didn't hurt anyone. And you didn't spend time with Aria either. Just Rusty and me.” I started to catch Adagio's drift.

“Dagi, are you implying I like Aria?” I asked, shocked and confused. “Because if that's so, that isn't true. I hate Aria with a fire in my blood.”

“Then why did you decide to join her?” Adagio asked.

“I...I don't know,” I sighed. “I was against it from the start, but I guess she kind of...talked me into it.”

“You helped her steal a safety deposit box,” Adagio fumed.

“Adagio, what is this about?” I asked, getting angry. “Is it about Aria, or is it about me?” I paused for a moment. “Or is this about you?” Adagio didn't say a word. I turned around and sat down on the couch facing the TV. I suddenly realized the tone of voice I had used.

“I...I'm sorry Adagio,” I apologized. “If you don't want to talk to me, I understand. You can be mad at me, ignore me, and I'll take it. I can take a hint when I know I'm not wanted.” Adagio and I were silent for a long while. After a time, Adagio walked over and put her glass on the coffee table. She sat close and wrapped her arms around herself. I didn't move. After a time, I heard her start to cry. I wrapped my arms around her and brought her close. Adagio sobbed as I held her, letting out her emotions.

“It'll be OK, Dagi,” I soothed. “It'll be OK. I still love you. I promise that won't change.”

“Stay with me,” Adagio managed through sobs.

“I will Adagio,” I assured. “I promise.” Adagio calmed down a bit.

“Do you really mean that?” she asked.

“Of course I do,” I responded. “I mean it from the bottom of my heart.” I felt Adagio nod, and she went quiet. As I started to doze off, I promised myself I would not do something else to make the love of my life cry again. Never again.