3 Nights of Smoke n Powder

[Mikhail Romenov]

The night sky was full again tonight, full of stars followed by the light that feel upon the trees on either side of Mikhail's car. The illuminated trees gave off somewhat sinister shadows that seemed to reach out suddenly and strikingly fast towards him. His crimson red 02 Ford Mustang seemed more black now due to the night sky but it was built for running and in his line of work running was exactly what you had to do.

The night air pushed through the windows as he laid his arm upon the window seal resting it just outside the car letting the wind run over and under as the wind and air traveled through his jacket the breeze was cool enough to freeze him slightly as he was not use to humidity of the town and his body was covered in sweat. Smoke drifted lightly away and pushed back towards the rear of the car from his lit cigarette. He use to not smoke but after so much shit he had went through he figured if he would rather have been killed by a cigarette then a bullet or a knife.

He drove for what seemed like hours before reaching the point he knew would be a good point to set up his trade. Mikhail was handy in fights and in taking care of loose ends but he was an even better gun runner and his extensive knowledge of hand guns and rifles plus his ex-military know how made him quite the hands on man when it came to firearms.

Slowing the car down he found a good spot just off the road against a treeline that would do great for a meeting spot as well as a spot to get his goods shipped when he needed he had already paid a man to use a storage unit to hold his arsenal as well as get his name out there that he had it or could get it. Mikhail was no fool he knew how gangs worked as he was the leader of one back in St. Ven. But this was new territory and he didn't feel like stepping on any ones toes. So he made sure he found a place where no gang claimed territory and he could sell without fear of the gangs feeling cheated.

Pulling the car over he tossed his cigarette and got out the cool air caught him slightly off guard and made him choke lightly.

"Damn, this moist air is going to kill my sinuses." he said to himself.

He was prone to talking to himself now that he was away from his group which was still in the middle of a war with the Mafia back home. But he pushed that all out of his memory as he opened the truck of his car pushing aside the carpet there was a special compartment that he opened with a key code. Opening it reveled a small arsenal of guns and ammo that he knew would sell pretty easy. This was only his third day in this new town and already he could smell the smoke and gunpowder.

He leaned back against his car looking into the night sky pulling his cigarettes from his rugged coat pocket as he inhaled he seemed to finally ease up something he hadn't done in a while. He could feel it in his bones that for once he was at some sort of peace, though it was nothing he could accept for too long.

[Charles 'Snipe' Cruz]

This was the sketchiest thing Snipe had ever done with the gang. Sure he had been through a number of high and sketchy drug deals and sure he had served in Iraq where he had seen corruption at it's greatest but this beat all those sketchy moments. Snipe was probably so nervous about it because he had never actually met a true gun dealer before, one that he was told could get him anything he wanted. This whole event started when he complained to his gang leaders that he couldn't protect the gang unless he was able to get the weapons he was familiar with and loved. Until that they were in danger if he had to use their shitty second hand weapons that came from stolen houses or bought from wanna be street sellers. He needed a real deal and they told him it was just his luck a new guy moved into town.

They didn't know to much about this new guy. They believe they may have purchased off him before successful but even that is in the air. They were hoping he himself could spread a few answers about him. Was he the real deal that they heard about this guy? They were sending a high ranking member and risking his life just to check that out. If he did check out though and it meant an easier access to guns that they could rely on Snipe would get even more respect among the members.

Finding the whole situation nerve wrecking though Snipe was going to approach this in a new fashion. It started off by arriving at the situation early, by foot and through the forest. His car was parked a distance on another road, in somebodies parking lot to be exact. He knew where he was to meet this guy and mostly used his trained skills with the marines of hiding until the guy eventually arrived.

When the man did arrive he liked what he saw right away. He could smell the gunpowder coming from the guys truck which meant he had a lot of explosives or a lot of guns. The guy was dressed properly and when he opened his back cabinet to expose the guns Snipe automatically knew that this guy was the real deal. He now needed to go see him.

When the man made a cough from his cigarette he made his move to the back of Mikhail's car where Mikhail couldn't see him. Finally with a little ease he slowly propped his body up and leaned against Mikhail's car from the other side, still not making a sound. He finally spoke when Mikhail took another inhale of his cigarette. "Smoking isn't going to help..." Knowing he now had the guys attention he turned around and casually walked towards him. "Your sinuses that is..."

Snipe himself was wearing cacky pants with camouflage colors and an olive green tshirt. He also had twigs and leaves in his hair from the hiding but most of those had been pulled out by that point. "I'm Snipe." He extended out his hand to shake Mik's.

[Mikhail Romenov]

Mikhail hadn't been in the military for a few years he had allowed some of his training to get dumb down by constant worry about other matters mainly his former gang and how it ran so he had certainly let his guard down with this guy and in doing so the guy that had introduced himself as "Snipe" sneak up behind him. This was his wake up call so to speak about "watching one's back" in this new place he was in. Though he could tell from the clothing and the twigs the guy had training in military form and tactics something Mikhail should have figured seeings ex-military is something all gangs try to get their hands on.

Mikhail nearly jumped but held his ground as to show little weakness though he knew this guy was already aware that he had taken Mikhail by surprise. With some thought he extended out his hand and shook the mans hand with a solid yet not overbearing grip to show content but nothing aggressive. With that Mikhail didn't have to really say a word he knew a gang member when he saw one and he also knew that with this kinda deal they didn't send a lackey they sent someone with some knowledge and some skill and that was dangerous for Mikhail but he also knew that this guy was smart enough to figure out that Mikhail wasn't a low time runner.

"We'll I would say you had me at a disadvantage there, seems that I have been slipping a bit." Mikhail said as he put out his cigarette. The moist air wasn't working in Mikhail's favor but he would get use to it with time he always did. The man seemed to be very understanding so Mikhail popped the truck lid lightly to indicate to look inside to see what he wanted.

"I wont lie, this stuff is not cheap but I don't get second hand stuff I deal only with new and off the hot line weapons. I also take my time to ensure that once I get it the gun disappears from any known records by removing the serial code and place melted steel back over the engravings where the serial code was to make sure that no matter how hard the police or FBI tries to get that number it just wont happen. Course this means I charge more then your basic dealers but considering the safety and time I put into my trade I think its worth it."

Mikhail looked down pulling out an unloaded AK47 Assault Rifle WASR-III Romainian Prototype. He then pulls out the Russian AK47 laying them side by side then pulls out a Desert Eagle .50cal pistol followed by a Colt .45 and a Grenade setting it down.

"I wont lie this is only a fraction of what I can get my hands on from my suppliers but I don't carry a great deal on me...for obvious reasons of course. But if you like what you see here I don't see any reason why later on we cant work something out for larger and better hardware. I can tell you were military so I know US troops are use to M16's and an AR15 is about as close as you can get as for a civilian but lets face it an M16 can be just as easily gotten if you know who to go through." he said softly as he leaned back against the car.

He looked over the man to remember him. Mikhail didnt like dealing with more then one person from the same group, meant too many people were getting involved so when the time came to do more deals this was the one he was going to make sure to ask for. Its easy to have too many wannabe leaders and that usually spells trouble for any suppliers like Mikhail.

[Charles 'Snipe' Cruz]

He listened closely to what Mikhail had to say and nodded his head every so often. He would let the guy speak all he had to say before he said anything. Just nodding his head to everything he said. Finally as the guy leaned against the car he carefully went up to the AK47 and inspecting it by first noticing what he was saying about the engravings and noting that the guy wasn't bullshitting himself either. Even still that wasn't his main concern when it came to leading a trail. "Each gun has it's signature. Each bullet fired from a specific gun leaves a mark in it's target like some sort of fingerprint depending on it's mark. What's to say I purchase a number of your AKs and they trace the bullet wound to it's manufacture. I understand it's Russian made but that doesn't make it necessarily safe, Russians are starting to cooperate with America. Can you assure me that the manufacturers of this gun will keep not only our identity safe but your own?" The guy wouldn't purchase guns from the manufacture if they were a company that cooperated with the United States international laws if he was that good. Or he somehow stole them or obtained them in storage from a previous war. The AK being shown here though wasn't used. The entire time he spoke there he also took apart the gun and inspected each part quickly before finally putting it down again.

"Russian AK47. Easy to use, easy to clean, lasts a long time, everyone thinks it's badass and most importantly it's not that cheap Chinese shit our troops are trying to feed the forces in Afghanistan. I've always been more of a fan of the Finnish RK 54 but those are rare." Snipe was no wanna be leader, he didn't even want to be a leader, he just wanted to kill the enemy and he was a guy who knew his shit. He didn't even seem interested in the Romanian one sitting right next to the Russian but as he talked he picked it up and briefly inspected it. "I'm interested in your Russians, ordering at the very least a couple dozen to start off." It may have been smaller then Mik hoped for but he wanted to make sure they could do all of this first. He needed assurance before he started to order much more from the guy.

"You said we're military. Can I ask who you served with?" It may have been to much of a private question but Snipe was always curious about that. It was a question all of the forces asked each other because they took pride of where they came from, their roots.

He went on inspecting the other machinery Mikhail had laying out but seemed to have his mind on something else. "I used a Barrett M82A1 during my service. She was very kind to me but I could tell she got jealous when one day I got to test use with the army a new Barrett M107. You heard of this baby?" He was excited and looked over at Mik in excitement to see if he recognized the name. "I'm interested in purchasing just one for my personal use. I'd also like a Leupold 4.5 by 14 Vari X Scope. I'll pay good money. Think you can get me one?" The cat was out the of the bag, the main reason he was interested in coming here, although the main reason for his visit was to complete a purchase of a number of new guns for the gang. This was his own personal mission.

[Mikhail Romenov]

Mikhail looked the guy over a bit and then realized that his guy was just like he was to a point as far as gun enthusiast went. That was after all one of the reasons why he was a gun smuggler. He simply smiled as far as the question about his unit. Mikhail had served in a forward Recon Division and wasn't really much on talking about his past in the military. He had learned quickly that his ideas for how to fight and the ideas for the military were two different things and that Mikhail wasn't the type that would make it too far as he was in most respects ruthless to a T.

"I was in a Recon Division for a while but that's really all I can say. Lets just say I wasn't the type to agree with how things where ran from behind the desk so I left as soon as I could." he said with a slight hint of guilt.

Though Mikhail left on his own accord he resented the fact he did leave as he felt the Military was the best field for him but he couldn't contend with how things were ran and that caused a lot of problems.

"The gun in question is made by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing which is located within the US therefore its under US Federal Gun Laws so its a bit harder to get and with it being one of the guns that can be legally sold that can use a .50BMG which I believe in NATO is a 12 x 99mm round its not an easy buy." he said looking down at a scratch pad writing down the order for the Russian AK47's which he would turn into his supplier.

"But its not impossible to get an unfired, unused fresh Barrett M107 it will just take a little while longer then say getting these Russian guns. As for the scope I don't see any problem getting you a scope for it. And lastly your fear of the guns fingerprint which is well founded its something that is not something that you can conceal easily. But unlike the US with a large database of such guns and such the Russians tend not to care about where their guns go. They are more...generous with their offerings of war." he answered with a smile.

Mikhail wrote down the order and then looked to Snipe again waiting to see if he had any further requests. Mikhail had at this point tossed his cigarette and calmly looked into the sky as if gazing. He was somewhat drifting feeling he was getting off course of his mission to find Crystal. But he was needing money and just like any area like this gangs were always looking for the hook up.

[Charles 'Snipe' Cruz]

He knew everything Mikhail was saying but knew the guy was mostly repeating it to Snipe just so he understood what sort of gun he was after in this case. After he finished talking about how hard it was to get Snipe reasked him the question. "Do you think you could get it? I'm willing to pay A LOT if you can get it. I know it's not easy but I was trained American so I want to use American." That was a reasonable request right? "If you can convince me of getting something else that's a reliable semi automatic recoil operated long range sniper rifle. It has to be able to reach a 1500 meter distance though and you'll have to really convince me it's worth the buy." Scary enough for a man like him he seemed to want this weapon for a very specific purpose the way he talked about it. Also the way he talked about it he was far more interested in getting that sniper then anything else. Although he didn't say that out loud.

Going over the colt he picked it up and took a good look at it. "You said you have trouble buying American eh?" He was referencing to the fact that the colt was an American made gun but he knew what Mikhail meant in the end. He meant to say that it was tough for him to get a high powered very classified sniper rifle only circulating in the United States army currently. He put the colt back down again almost as if he was uninterested.

"Are these the only hand guns you sell? I don't know to much about the Colt 45 but I can tell you with other nine millimeter handguns I'm generally disappointed because they don't kill with a chest shot, only injure. Which forces me to use head shots every time. But I'm not just buying for me, the majority of my members can't make perfect head shots every time you understand where I'm coming from? The jericho 941, also known as the Baby Eagle 9951R, an Israeli made handgun. You have any of those in stalk?" Although he only used one of those once, he was always a rifle guy compared to a handgun guy so he didn't use them that often, he still loved using it. Perhaps the fact the knew it was Israeli and everything those guys made always came out great persuaded his judgment.

"Also you got another cig there buddy?" He still didn't know Mikhail's name but figured the guy would never tell him so he didn't ask. Snipe didn't smoke that often but the smell of the gunpowder was getting to him here and plus he smelt like bad forest from running around in it previously.

[Mikhail Romenov]

Mikhail reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his pack taking out a cigarette he handed it to Snipe and then handed him his lighter. Mikhail wasn't stingy when it came to his cigarettes and he always had more then a pack on him at a time just in case. That may have been because of his previous experience with his gang but he wasn't sure. With that he nodded slightly.

"I do have an issue with American stuff but all that means is that it costs me more. And you seem like a man with a lot of killing on your mind...or maybe just a few that are really important to you." he said as he sucked down on another cigarette.

Mikhail did have issues with American guns because there were not as many people out to help you with those kinda weapons especially military grade sniper rifles. However all that meant was that he was about to make a lot more money then he thought he would be. Mikhail was once asked why he sold weapons knowing people were going to die. All he could think of was that they were tools that people used and it just so happened they were tools of war.

"I'll get you the gun in question and I'll get you a some more weapons for your crew, it'll take about two weeks to get the sniper rifle and the rest I can have by next week so long as we come to the agreement that its a 50/50 deal. I take 50% of the payment up front to put in the order then the last 50% when the shipment comes to show we have concluded the deal. I do not give refunds after the drop is complete and I leave the warehouse or meeting area. So check your stuff before I leave and if something is wrong with it I can at that time replace it otherwise your stuck with it."

Mikhail may have been a gun smuggler but at he had the idea that if he was going to do it he was going to do it right and that meant making sure that the guns he bought were good and worked. So far he only had about 5 guns that he had purchased not work. But he also knew that those people got some good ass chewings for almost messing up the deal. It was how Mikhail offered his profession that made him valuable to not just one gang but to all gangs.

"I also do not sell just to one side because that would put me out of business. I am simply a middle man. Your shipments are yours and someone else's is theirs, I do not delay shipments for anyone for any amount and I do not like having my business messed with so if for future reference if you think our deal is going to get hit by a rival then let me know in advance and I'll make sure they realize they don't fuck with my business." he said forcefully. Mikhail didn't play when it came to this kinda work he done his job and got it done fast and efficiently.

"Crate of AK's from Russia with mags and bullets will run you 8k a crate, a Baby Eagle is 800 per gun and the sniper rifle will be at the least 5k due to its size, weight, and the fact its military grade weapons that will have to be taken some special attention too. Any questions?"

The night air was starting to chill Mikhail a bit and so he was ready to get the deal going and make his calls before heading back to his apartment.

[Charles 'Snipe' Cruz]

Taking the cigarette he lit it up and took a long drag as Mikhail told him that he seemed to be a man with killing on his mind. His response to that was simply breathing the tobacco smoke out of his nose like some sort of dragon. Like Mikhail didn't want to dive into details about his personal history neither did Snipe when it came to what use he wanted his specific weapon for. He was a man on a mission and if he dove into those details he would give to many to a man that could tell it to others. Just because he trusted the man with buying with weapons didn't meant the same thing for his fighting plans. As this guy said, he sold to the enemy, and that didn't surprise him but it also meant he had no interest in giving away any details.

"Allow me to change my order around a little then. I'll take 2 crates of the Russian AK's, 20 Eagles, and if possible two M107's." Out of his kakky pants he suddenly pulled out a big wad of cash, mostly 50 and 100 dollar bills. "That should cost 26 grand in total correct? Here is 8 for half the pay of the AKs and Eagles as we agreed on with the 50/50 pay." He counted the money carefully and then sat it on the trunk of Mikhail to take and count for himself.

As Mikhail did that he put that wad of cash away and went into a pocket on the other side where he took out another wad of cash. He didn't need to count the new wad as he had it counted already. "Here is ten grand up front for the two M107's out of my own personal money. Where can we pick up the shipments and would it be possible to pick it up the south?" The south was now their neighborhood. To go into the north would get them shot, even if they had his protection and word.

"Also my boss says to tell me that if better not rip us off or cut loose after getting this money or I'll track you down and rip the sockets out of your eyes, blah blah blah." He said that part quickly knowing that a guy like Mikhail already knew about that already and it was just something he was required to say the first time.

After he put all the money down he looked over at Mikhail again. "Do we have a deal sir?"