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When she heard of the plan, Verity laughed. How could she not? Blow up Los Santos’ power plant? It was ridiculous- it would be more trouble than it was worth for everyone-
“Exactly, it’s inconvenient,” the Major retorted. His voice stayed steady, under that mask she expected a smirk of some kind.
“I… alright, you got me there. But then what?” Verity pressed, folding her arms over her chest as she stared him down. “What’s your master plan after the power is cut to the entire city?”
“Collect fifty dollars from every person in the city.”
He said it so matter of fact that Verity laughed again.
“Oh, of course, your inconvenience fees.”
-----
The booming roar of an explosion set everything rumbling into motion. At first it seemed like an earthquake, but that wasn’t quite right. The explosion sent the ground shaking, the wave of heat whooshing by with the wind, and in rapid succession, lights began to turn off en masse. The entire city was plunged into darkness, observed by the Major from the highest point of the city.
-----
“AHHH,” Jason’s scream bounced off the walls of the alley, it was unnecessary and blood curling, in the most Jolt like fashion.
"Was that necessary?" Death Reborn deadpanned next to him and Jolt cackled.
"Of course it was. Victory scream. No rules, pussies!"
-----
When the lights in Pillbox went out, the screams echoed. Doctors were in a panic for people on life support, people with minor injuries complaining of the shortage of staff, all while in the pitch black. Phone lights illuminated the faces that held them out to navigate the area. Outside of Pillbox the stars and moon lit up the sky enough to see the vague outlines of people.
Easton reached out in the dark for Actor, fingertips brushing against the cotton of his tank top on his shoulder where the artificial skin somehow was warm.
“Bubby?”
“Here,” Actor answered, shuffling closer so Easton could curl his fingers around Actor’s bicep. Easton scuffled closer, squinting in the chaos as people on and off screamed for the fun of it, and the bright lights of cop cruisers pulled up and used their headlights and police lights to offer some vision to the Pill Box.
“You okay?” Easton pressed, his hand stayed on Actor. If he pressed his fingers in deeper he could feel the hardness of a metal skeleton just under the surface of his skin. The faintest whirring sound that indicated Actor was thinking clicked, just audible to someone with a trained ear to hear it.
“Yeah- Looks like a rave is gonna start.”
“Alright everyone, let’s remain calm,” Miller’s voice shouted over the crowd. Unfortunately as he spoke a truck drove by, Fingle’s gleeful screams were heard over Miller. The next thing Easton could hear was him hissing “oh god dammit” as the area began to light up with glow sticks.
“Please clear the area!” Horver cried next.
Easton pulled Actor closer to the police, straining to listen when Horver and Miller’s radios went off with an alert. Horver stepped off, speaking into the radio with a tired sigh.
“Hear that?” Easton whispered to Actor. “Bet that’s Calvin and Fingle at the PD.”
-----
“We’re gonna bust Xander out,” Chaos declared, his gun in one hand, braced against his scepter, using it to light his way as he snuck from wall to wall in the dark. Fingle trailed behind him with his phone’s flashlight in the middle of the hallway. Some rookie cop left the back door open in the midst of the power outage, and truthfully Chaos thought it was too easy.
But Xander was inside the PD, and what perfect moment to strike terror on the city? The darkness would be his shield!
“Where is everyone?” Fingle loudly whined.
“Uh- good question…” Chaos paused, turning into the main holding cell area. His light flashed on Burger, who was fidgeting with a dead flashlight.
“Oh hey Commander,” Burger let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as he shook the flashlight out in front of him. “Battery died.”
“Is it just you?” Fingle asked, stepping out from behind Chaos.
“Ehh, yeah. When the bomb went off everyone scattered. Tons of calls. No one’s come back with anyone else yet… nice chase earlier. Don’t suppose you’re here to turn yourselves in?”
“Wait- it was a bomb?” Chaos asked, turning momentarily to address Xander. “Came to save you, by the way.”
“Oh cool-”
“Yeah, in the power plant-” Burger answered. Then the sound of his radio cut through, announcing that Trish had set fire to three different buses on a main street. “Jesus,” Burger continued. He reached for the radio until he noticed Chaos raise his gun at him.
“Ah ah ah.”
Burger’s face dropped, “c’moooon, you won’t shoot me right, Commander?”
“Oh did he just ‘no balls’ you, dude?” Fingle taunted.
“I did NOT do that.” Burger protested, his voice raising in octave as Chaos waved the gun towards the cell.
“I dunno man, kinda sounds like you ‘no balls’ Calvin.”
“Don’t worry, Burger. I won’t shoot you,” Chaos laughed cooly, in the way that suggested not only would he shoot Burger, but he would be glad to. “Now release Xander already.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Burger sighed. Yet he still reached for his keys anyway.
All of a sudden Chaos’s phone started to ring. He held his finger up in the hand that held his light and pulled his phone out. He let out a loud groan as he checked the caller ID and clicked answer anyways.
“What do you want.”
“You at PD?”
“Yes, Easton. I am. What do you want?”
“Nothing, thought so. Hey soooo, thought you should know but the Greens are looking for you.”
“Why- what this time? Never mind, call you later, phat ass.”
“Hey Commander-” Burger called back to get Chaos’s attention.
Click.
“Anyway- oh Burger. Come on, I really didn’t want to shoot you.”
“Drop the gun, Commander.” Burger called, pointing his weapon at him.
-----
“Did he take the bait?” Actor asked, still hugging Easton from behind as he lifted his foot off the ground and pushed their stolen motorcycle to start going again.
Easton sighed, watching as someone ran down the street screaming Kellogs. They had found a motorcycle, stole it, and were taking a lovely little ride throughout the city, watching the insanity unfold. Fires, raves, riots, Greens screaming, pretty sure someone was shot, but what else was new?
“Noooooo. I think I heard Burger though. We could go rescue him, then hold him hostage for a bit.” Easton suggested with a passive shrug. He was surprised the lights were still off truthfully. Time had been such a blur, but his phone clock said only twenty minutes had gone by.
“He probably has a hundred people around him,” Actor shook his head. He had a point, Easton already had no chance against Chaos, but in the dark? He'd probably just get owned harder...
He was about to reply, and for just a brief second, Easton turned his head back to peer over his shoulder. In the dark, back-lit by the fires Trish set, he could see Actor in the cool night. His eyes glowed enough to make out the features of his mask, the dim red a comforting thing to see- that was until his eyes widened.
“Easton- look out!”
SLAM.
-----
“How’s the lock going?” Jerry mused, pacing back and forth in the darkness of the bank.
“It’s so dang dark-” Ken growled, nudging Dan Dan with a blind elbow.
“Oh right-” Dan Dan apologized, repositioning the flashlight for Ken.
“It looks like the Purge out there,” Jerry continued as if they didn’t talk. “I think I just saw Carter Mann in a cop car drive by…”
“Crazy shit, end of times,” Dan Dan rambled, once again moving the flashlight out of the way.
“Dude-” Ken huffed, turning back towards Dan Dan.
“Right- sorry.”
-----
“There’s too much chaos in this city, Skelator.”
“Hmmm, neh-yes.”
Dr. Destructo and Skelator stood on the sidewalk, watching as Jeric across the street was jerry-rigging a car door open.
“We should clean this city up,” Dr. D continued.
“Or go rob a bank,” Skelator shot back.
“That too…”
“Hey, hey! Got the door open!” Jeric called.
“Wonderful news, we’re going to rob a bank!” Dr. D called back. He shifted to stand in his iconic dynamic pose.
“So let me get this straight,” Verity started, squinting in the poor light of a barrel fire. She looked between Cross and Acidman, her eyebrows knitted together. “The power goes out, so you steal… a second garbage truck.”
“So we can use it to make a portable pool, yes. I don’t see how this logic is failing you, Verity,” Cross said as a matter of fact, staring her back with the same intensity.
“But Acidman has a truck-”
“TWO portable pools…” Acidman explained.
-----
June was on her fifteenth call, giddy with excitement as the lights danced around her, reflected from the ocean.
“Come to the beach! No rules no rules! Beach party!”
-----
“Ow, jesus fuck…” Easton groaned, rolling over as he stared up at the sky from on his back. “Oh- FUCK. Actor?! Actor!”
“Right here,” Actor answered. Easton looked over to see he was sitting up right, clearly gathering his bearings before he crawled over to Easton’s side. He tugged him upright, letting Easton lay against his shoulder with another low groan.
“The fuck happened?”
“Some car with no lights on hit us.”
“Who the fuck drives in the night with no lights?” Easton snarled.
“They drove off…”
Easton began to stir, standing up as he checked his face for any cuts or lumps.
“I’d say let’s go to Pillbox, but it’s probably more insane than it was when we left.”
-----
On his island paradise, Paul Forester gets a call. Snorting at the name flashing across the screen, he picks up. "Yes, Rico?"
"Oh?"
"Uh-huh..."
"You don't say."
"Well, good luck with that, buddy."
And he hung up, tossing his phone to the side. Looking over to Shyn lounging next to him, he raises his beer to clink them together.
"The power just went out in all of Los Santos."
"Those poor bastards," Shyn chuckles around a long swig of his beer.
"You retired just in time, bud."
"I sure did."
They shared a very warm grin at each other.
-----
As the morning broke, Major Inconvenience sent out a mass tweet;
“To those inconvenienced last night by the power outage, I expect 50$ to my paypal. Thank you.”