A few years after The Collision, many inhabitants of Fantasia started to integrate into modern Earth society. Some chose noble professions such as scientists, doctors, and artists. Meanwhile, others turned to the world's underbelly to turn a profit. These criminals took organized crime to the next level through their clever use of magic and other supernatural phenomena.
One of the very first organizations to form in this new era was the Rodriguez Cartel. Led by the Orc Chieftain, Chakob Rodriguez, this group took an unorthodox approach compared to their Orcish brethren. While other Orcish tribes warred against other races or used their incredible strength to literally build societies from the ground up, Chakob Rodriguez used his charm and sharp mind to build an international drug empire.
Using humanity's medicine as his base, Chakob used Fantasia's flora to develop new kinds of drugs. His masterpiece, Buzz, was a stimulant made out of a plant that produced electricity. Unlike regular narcotics, consuming this drug didn't cause any grave side effects and quitting from it was far easier. Nevertheless, it still caused social turmoil when teenagers and adults spent millions of dollars on the stuff even if it caused them financial ruin.
Today, the Rodriguez Cartel led the criminal underground in terms of funds and influence. And his daughter, Maria Rodriguez, was the only one fit to inherit it all. This woman might well be the person who could usher the Cartel into another golden age. But right now, this woman sat beside me at the airport with curious eyes.
"Hey, my boy! How's the wife doing?"
My dad approached me with our lunch. He made sure to add the extra emphasis on the word "wife" to tease me.
That's right, I got married to her just recently. And so far, she's caused me so much trouble already. We just landed at JFK International for a layover and in true USA fashion the TSA grounded our asses as soon as they saw her passport. God bless America.
"Can you quit it with the teasing?" I groaned and took a box from him.
I already called my supervisor in the Supernatural Police Department and explained the situation. But since I was technically stationed in Canada, it'll take some time and a lot of questioning before we could ride an airplane again.
"Hey Maria!" my mom appeared out of nowhere and motioned for Maria to come to her. "Come here! I saw some really nice dresses. I'll buy you some."
Maria jumped from her seat excitedly, then hesitated. She turned to me with worried eyes.
"Go with her," I said. "And just for the record, you don't need my permission to do anything."
Her eyes lit up and her ponytail wagged like a dog's tail as she approached my mother. It was one of the many mysteries I just had to accept when I met her.
"So, tell me my boy," my dad said and slurped up the instant noodles he prepared. "What'd you and Chakob talk about?"
Where do I even start?
[That night just after the incident at the hotel]
After causing a commotion at the hotel, Chakob sent the three Generals away along with Maria. He then invited me for a walk on the beach. The rhythmic waves and the slightly warm breeze just added to the tension that gripped my heart as we walked in silence.
"Very sorry for how my people acted, hijo" he said. "I swear, they're good kids. Just a bit misguided."
"It's your home turf, Rodriguez," I replied. "You can do whatever you want in it, but when one of your generals was literally moments away from killing hundreds of people, I can't just dismiss them as being 'misguided'."
He flashed a slight smile.
"Great sense of justice. That's why I picked you," he said.
The wind suddenly blew past his flowing robe as if to mimic my troubled heart.
"Picked?" I asked.
"Did you really think your padre could win a week-long trip to one of my resorts after one draw?" he chuckled. "If so, your math is loco."
I massaged the bridge of my nose and sighed. "He's the type to act now and ask questions later," I said.
"A man after my own heart," he replied.
Then we walked in silence again. I must say, walking with him like this, he seemed like just any normal middle-aged Orc. No one would ever know that this man was responsible for hundreds of murders and ruined lives. It really was true that one must not judge a book by its cover.
"So what do you really want, Rodriguez?" it was me this time who broke the silence. "I know that you've always kept tabs on the Anti-Narcotics division of the SPD so you know that I've been in the case against you. Why go after me? And that girl asking me to marry her. What was that all about?"
He didn't answer me. Instead, Chakob crouched, picked up a shell, and held it up in the moonlight. Then, after a satisfied smile, he turned to me again.
"I want to end it, hijo," he said as he gave me a sad smile. "All of it. The drugs, the smuggling the... how do you say in ingles? When you kill someone..."
"Murder?"
"Yes! Murder," he beamed. "I've been at this business for 30 years and at this point, I know that I'll either die a dog's death somewhere or get caught by your people. Either way, I just can't see myself having a happy ending."
I scoffed. "You should've thought of that before starting in the first place," I said with obvious disdain.
"Life ain't perfect hijo," he sighed. "But I like that you hate crime. Makes it easier to trust you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Trust me with what?"
He crouched again, and this time, he picked up a smooth pebble which he then skipped across the water.
"Have you been to a part of the ocean where sharks swim?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Can't say I have."
"You see, when sharks gather, they never really attack each other," he said as he doodled a shark on the sand. "After all, why go for the guy that could kill you when you can eat a weak fish y'know?"
"Ok, I'm following so far..." I said.
"The underworld's become like shark-infested waters, Andrew Roberts," he chuckled and drew more cartoonish fat sharks. "Each person in your most wanted list act like big shots but really, we're just a bunch of fat fish that got too much power. And none of us wanna stir up the waters because we're afraid that if we do, we might be the one eaten up."
I furrowed my brow. "Poetic, but I still don't get it," I said.
He smirked, took the shell that he picked up earlier and with all his might, hurled it onto the drawing. The force of the impact sent sand and shells up like a geyser. And that was left was a crater that slowly filled with sand. His display of strength sent shivers down my spine and at that moment, I knew what he wanted.
"When you said you wanted to end everything..." I trailed.
"Bingo!" he clapped. "I wanna go out with a bang, hijo! And what's the best way to do that except to retire my coworkers?"
My mind spun. Was it possible? The department has always dreamed of stopping the black market but the machine's too strong to even put a dent to it.
"Wait!" I exclaimed. "Even if you stopped or we take down the other kingpins, someone else will just take over their businesses."
"Well sure, the water doesn't really change when a fisherman takes out a shark or two," he shrugged. "But what happens if the fisherman accidentally dumps a bloody fish in the water?"
My eyes went wide. "A feeding frenzy..."
Chakob's lips curled into a devilish grin. "That's right! Friend, foe, wrong, right, none of it matters! When apex predators smell blood, all they'd be able to think about is biting everything in their way even if it kills them. And that's why I need you, hijo! You're the blood in the water."
As soon as he said that, an image of one person came to mind.
"Maria!" I gasped.
"My only daughter," he added. "If word gets out that some pendejo from the SPD managed to romance the only heiress to an international drug empire, what do you think will happen?"
"They'd think either you've gone senile or that you're trying to go clean," I replied. "Either way, everyone would think that the cartel's ripe for the taking."
"And everyone would make their move!" he interjected. "Mistakes will be made, People will die. And when everyone's bloodied and half-dead--"
"The SPD would reel them in..."
"Exactly!"
This plan's ridiculous. Brutal, even. Was he that heartless that he'd give away his own daughter just so he could fulfill some sick desire to end things? How can I even trust him that he's not just doing this to solidify his empire further?
As my head spun, he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"You're the only one I can entrust my daughter to," he said to me with soulful eyes. "Please Andrew Roberts, lend me your hand for marriage."
He said other things after that but I'd rather keep them to myself.
"And that's everything," I finished. "I don't trust Chakob, but for the plan to work, I needed to be legally married to Maria. So please, dad don't be weird about it."
I turned to where he was and he was gone.
"Dad?"
No answer.
"Dad? Where'd you go?"
I searched my surroundings but he was nowhere. In fact, everyone in the airport disappeared!
"Dad! Mom! Maria!" I yelled as loud as I could.
My voice echoed through the empty space but none of their voices came back.
"Fuck..."