Thanksgiving was supposed to be a time for friends and family to gather and eat. It was supposed to be the start of the Christmas season, the end of year anticipation. Who else would be more excited about the holidays than Jackie? He was reeling already from three days straight of violence, his legend growing. He spent the entire 24th resting, letting the stitches do their job, as Ashley scolded him again. Things changed that evening, while Jackie was drinking a soda and watching television when Rose walked up with him. "Hey. Got something for ya."
Jackie hummed. "How exciting."
"Dan Heartly? I got a sniff on him. And I hate to say it, but you can't wait."
"I'll be fine, I always am. What's going down tonight?"
Rose pulled her laptop from her bag and opened a document of all the images she gathered, revealing the mugshot of Dan. "He's some dude from Australia. A smuggler. Rumor has it something is going down at the docks, and tonight the police are oddly avoiding protocols at the docks. There was even a call commanding the cops to not patrol the docks."
Jackie stood up, looking at the criminal. He scratched his chin. "To the docks I go, then. I'll ask him who the fuck Yuliana is."
"Not just that," Rose said. She clicked to Facebook and showed Jackie a post that caught her eye. "Some guy posted that a high ranking guy from Rossi's circle was doing a deal near downtown. Asking for UV to stop it. Maybe you could see that too? Get some more information?"
"It's on the way," Jackie responded. "I got it. Gonna have a great Thanksgiving."
Jackie walked to the bathroom to piss first. When he was washing his hands he glanced at himself. That glance turned into a stare. He never wanted to forget who he was. He was Jackie White, not Ultraviolence. Or was he Jackie and Ultraviolence? He washed his face, trying to grasp some sanity back. Maybe he did belong in a nut house. What would Tiffany think of all this?
He went to his room seeing the costume that reliably held despite the abuse he's taken all month. The black cargo pants, holding firm, were first to be worn. His black hoodie was next. Holes were poking out. Thread was pulled from the knives and constant movement. He got his gloves on next, caked with old blood from his fights. From his own, or the enemies, it's a mixture of pain in those gloves. The armor, poked with some holes thanks to bullets and stab wounds, was equipped next. He needed a new vest, but that would come later. The tech jacket, his way to blend in with the crowds after a hit, had seen better days. Still, it had to come on. Finally, the bandana. Blood and rips made the gross mask almost impossible to wear. It was on its last legs as a tool, but Jackie figured it could survive one more encounter. He put it on the normal way and slipped out once he got his boots on.
He caught the last bus to downtown. He was only one of five people on that bus. The indoor lights had long faded, allowing Jackie to sit in the back, face obscured by the lack of lighting. Not that it mattered, those poor souls were in their own world. They worked late shifts, or had a bad encounter with family, or were struggling. Nobody talked the entire ride. They had nothing to say, they were tired and stressed. And once the holidays ended it was back to hustling.
Jackie arrived at the building Rose told him about. It was two stories, maybe used to be some type of factory with how large the windows and floors were. Looked to be perfect for some type of deal. UV came out, pulling his mask down over the eyes. He walked to the first door he saw and snuck in, walking silently through the first floor. The room was large and dark, with old sewing machines collecting dust. After walking up the wide staircase, He went up to the more properly lit second floor. Things felt odd. It was much too quiet for a deal. He could be early, but who knew? He walked along the big windows, some panels broke, having him walk along broken glass, the only sounds that penetrated the silence. He stopped for a moment, trying to hear anything that showed a sign of life. Just when Jackie was about to continue walking, he heard a crunch of glass behind him.
He turned, seeing a Haitian with a pistol aiming right at his head. In a split second, Jackie dodged the shot as he fired, grabbing his arm to prevent him from firing more. Jackie rammed his knee into the thug's stomach and threw him out the window, letting him crash to his death. The trap revealed itself with more of the Roseline Boys popping out with machine pistols. Jackie scrambled for cover as the multiple men fired at him, barely rolling for a pillar. The pillar was getting easily destroyed thanks to the sheer volume of gunfire. Jackie stayed still, not being able to counter attack. He felt a sharp pain in his side. Looking down, he got shot, the bullet broke through the armor. When some of the Boys had to reload, Jackie ran off, ignoring the stabbing pain. He still felt the heat from the fire behind him. He stumbled down the stars in his frenzy, rolling and hitting his head on some of the steps as he fell. Once he hit the floor, Jackie had little time to recover as the Roseline Boys were already reaching the top of the stairs. Jackie ran to the void, using the dark to find a side door to the alley.
Only to see two more Roseline Boys by a car with AKs. He ducked behind a wall. With the army running towards him, he was getting desperate. Jackie ran out with his Glock, leapt off the nearby railing, and started to blindly fire. He popped the first man in the head as he crashed on to the roof of the car. As he rolled off he shot at the second one, hitting him multiple times in the head and neck. Jackie stumbled up, realizing he got shot in the thigh while he dove. Luckily, the Boys still had the car running and the door unlocked. Unluckily, the rest of the Roseline Boys arrived out that door, shooting at the car. Glass broke, but Jackie peeled off, surviving the trap.
Jackie's brain rushed with ideas, anything he could do. He had to reach Dan, as that attack had to be connected. Before he could even think about how to reach the docks, he heard the rev of motorcycles. He looked out the mirrors to see the Seoul Men, equipped with their fastest bikes and Uzis, rode up to Jackie's already shot up car and did more damage to it. Two bikes reached him, making Jackie duck and swerve through the empty streets as the machine gun fire ripped through his car. The one to his left drove too close, allowing Jackie to quickly grab the man's arm and pull him off the motorcycle to send him crashing into the pavement. The rider to his right made no such mistake, shooting from afar. Jackie had no choice. He cut his car hard into the biker, making them ram into the lobby of an old apartment complex. The rider was dead, crushed by rubble and the weight of the car. Jackie was out as the brick rained down, covering the hole left by the car.
His night wasn't over, however.