Hello everyone and welcome to the latest installment of the Weekly Contests! This week's story is quite lengthy, so it will appear after the contest rules for those who want to jump right into the game right away. This week's game is going to be Double Dragon. Here are the rules:
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Play as far into your last life as possible.
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Do not allow yourself to get a Game Over. If you get a Game Over, your score will not count.
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Get the highest score possible.
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If you beat the game, take your picture on the end screen where Billy rescues Marian (you can pause the game here).
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Any sort of point glitches in the game that can allow you to rack up points are forbidden. These include, but are not limited to, the weapon point glitch in Level 2 and exiting and re-entering areas (these include the Pink Cave and Blue Cave). It is also forbidden to exit and re-enter areas to restore your health. Anyone suspected of using any of these tactics or glitches will have their score disqualified.
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Point racking will be okay for this contest since there is a timer in the game.
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Highest score wins.
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Participation: 20,000
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GENRE: Beat 'Em Up
Special bonuses if you beat the game:
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If you beat the game on your last life (your life meter says P-0), you get no bonus.
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If you beat the game and have one extra life remaining (your life meter says P-1), add 10,000 points to your score.
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If you beat the game and have all your lives remaining (no-deathing the game) (your life meter says P-2), add 20,000 points to your score.
The contest ends Sunday, 3/11/18 at 11 PM NA time. Your user name MUST be written or typed on a piece of paper and be in the picture for your score to be valid. The entire TV screen, or computer monitor if you are playing on an emulator, MUST be in the picture for the score to be valid. No partial screenshots will be considered or accepted. No screenshots by hitting "print screen" on a computer will be allowed. You must take a picture of your computer monitor. There may be instances where this will be acceptable, but it will be at the discretion of myself and the contest organizers. Also, the use of turbo controllers is forbidden, as well as any cheat codes, Game Genies, slow motion functions, or save states if playing on an emulator. Also, we will only be using NTSC systems for the contests. The use of PAL systems will NOT be allowed. Good luck everyone and have fun
For those of you who are interested, it's story time. This is an excerpt from a piece of Double Dragon fan fiction I have been writing. Everyone should recognize what part of the game this scene is from. I have made some changes that are fresh and interesting, but still keep with the spirit of the game. Enjoy!
The evening sun was low in the sky as Williams, Lopar, Jeff, Bo Abobo, and Jimmy made their way down the deserted street toward Billy's apartment. They all walked in silence, an evil determination in their stride as their feet clomped loudly on the asphalt. Jimmy didn't show it, but he was nervous about taking Marian captive. He knew Billy would put up a tremendous fight to stop them from kidnapping her, but he knew it was necessary in order for the Black Warriors to be able to take over the city. All of the other gangs in the city would topple easily and didn't have the size or strength to be able to defeat the Black Warriors, but Billy had the skill to stop them. Jimmy knew if his brother were to rally the students at the Double Dragon Dojo, he would be near impossible to defeat. He knew if they kidnapped Marian, Billy would stop at nothing to get her back and they could lure him right to the gang. And if they did that, they could defeat him and overtake the entire city in a matter of days. But Jimmy knew that Billy would be driven to defeat them by his strong love for Marian and that scared him more than he was willing to admit.
“Do we really need five of us to kidnap one girl” Lopar scoffed as he glanced around at his fellow gang members walking beside him, feeling that Jimmy was being more cautious than he needed to be.
“You don't know my brother like I do” Jimmy replied seriously, not the least bit thrilled Lopar was questioning the plan. “As soon as we get our hands on Marian, he's going to fight back at us and he's going to fight back hard. He loves her more than anything in the world and he will do everything to protect her. So, yes, we really do need five of us to kidnap one girl.”
“Let me handle him” Jeff answered suddenly as he placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder and pointed at the bruise on the side of his face. “I've got a score to settle with him from the other day.”
“No one is to hurt him seriously” Jimmy replied as he shrugged away Jeff's hand. “We are there to get Marian and that's all. If he gets in the way, then we deal with him. Rough him up a little bit and nothing more. Otherwise, we get Marian and then we get out of there.”
“Come on, man, look at what he did to me” Jeff said angrily as he stepped in front of Jimmy and pointed at his injured face. “I'm not going to let him get away with this. He has to pay.”
“I said we're there to get Marian” Jimmy ordered as he stared Jeff hard in the face. “We only rough him up if he gets in the way.”
“I don't give a shit what you say, he needs to be taught a lesson NOT to FUCK with me” Jeff snarled as he jabbed a finger into Jimmy's chest.
As Jeff turned away from his leader, Jimmy grabbed him by the back of the shirt and slammed him hard against the wall of a nearby storefront. Jeff coughed loudly as pain shot through his body and the breath escaped his lungs. Jimmy held him tightly against the wall as he winced in pain, his breathing a mixture of labored gasps and violent coughs.
“I said we don't hurt him seriously” Jimmy growled into Jeff's ear as he held the Black Warrior roughly against the wall. “What part of that was hard for you to understand? If you hurt him badly, you're gonna have more than just a bruise on the side of your face. I'll make an example out of you to the rest of the gang in how I deal with disobedience. Do I make myself clear?”
“What the hell, man” Jeff groaned as his chest was pressed harder against the brick wall.
“I said do I make myself clear” Jimmy growled as he pushed his face closer.
“Yeah, sure, whatever.”
Jimmy spun Jeff around, released his grip, and shoved him backward against the wall as the Black Warrior groaned loudly, a hateful stare glaring at his leader. He didn't like being told what to do, especially when it came to getting revenge on a man who had roughed him up a few days earlier. As Jimmy and the rest of the gang made their way down the street, Jeff decided in his mind that he would get revenge on Billy, no matter what his boss said. He would hurt him painfully and he would make sure he did it when the others weren't looking. Before too long, the Black Warriors reached the door to Billy's apartment building and stopped for a moment to receive further instructions from their leader.
“Everyone keep quiet while I call Billy” Jimmy commanded as he stared coldly at all the Black Warriors standing before him.
He pressed the buzzer to his brother's apartment, his hand shaking nervously as he did so. He was still nervous about his mission and hoped none of his soldiers noticed the apprehension in his motion. They all stood ready for further orders and didn't appear to notice Jimmy's nervousness except for Jeff. He stared at his leader with dark and questionable eyes, obviously sensing Jimmy's reservations about the mission. Jimmy stared back in the same dark manner, not trusting that Jeff would obey the orders he had given him. In fact, he expected him to...
“Hello” Billy's voice suddenly crackled over the intercom, interrupting Jimmy from his thoughts. He felt a wave of nervousness wash over his body and his mouth go dry at the sound of his brother's voice. Jimmy licked his lips furiously as he attempted to muster the courage to answer his brother's voice.
“Hey, Billy, it's me, Jimmy.”
“What do you want” Billy's voice answered after a long silence.
“Billy...you and I...we need to...talk” Jimmy stammered, completely unsure of what he was going to say. He hadn't rehearsed any sort of conversation he wanted to have with his brother in the days leading up to the mission. All he knew was that he needed to get into the apartment to get Marian.
“We have nothing to talk about” Billy's voice replied irritably.
“Billy, just give me a few minutes to talk to you.”
“Jimmy, I'm not the least bit interested in hearing what you have to say.”
“Please, just give me a chance” Jimmy persisted.
“I'm busy right now. Goodbye.”
“I want to apologize” Jimmy blurted out suddenly, hoping Billy heard him before walking away from the intercom. “I want to apologize for what I did at the dojo. I'm sorry that I didn't follow your methods of teaching and that I kind of just did my own thing. You've poured your heart and soul into that place and I feel like I really let you down. Not a day goes by that I feel bad for hurting your feelings and ruining your respect for me. Will you please just let me in so we can talk a little more?”
Jimmy let go of the intercom button and took a deep breath, hoping like crazy that Billy would be convinced by the lie just spoken to him. For a brief moment while he waited for a response, Jimmy suddenly felt remorse for hurting his brother's feelings, but quickly shook the thought away. At one time, they had been really close and ran the dojo efficiently and successfully together. But on that fateful day when Billy dismissed Jimmy for his unorthodox teachings, Jimmy vowed he would never forgive his brother. He enjoyed the power he had been given with the Black Warriors and he felt there was nothing that could ever stop his desire to be in control.
“He's not going for it” Jeff said impatiently as the seconds went by without a response from Billy. “We need to just force our way in there and take care of things.”
Jimmy jumped suddenly as an electronic buzz emanated from the apartment door as the lock disengaged. He smiled slyly at Jeff as he pushed the door open slowly with his hand. A waft of cool air greeted them delightfully as they stepped into the building.
“As you were saying” Jimmy said smugly to Jeff as he motioned for the stairs up to Billy's apartment.
“Yeah, whatever” Jeff groaned in annoyance as the Black Warriors ascended the staircase.
The apartment hallways were surprisingly deserted as Jimmy and his comrades made their way up to Billy's apartment. They heard the occasional television blaring behind closed doors, a dog barking from one apartment, and the muffled moans of a couple making love in another as they climbed the staircase, but passed by no one along the way.
Thank God there's no one here to see us Jimmy thought. That was one of the main things he worried about when formulating the plan to kidnap Marian. He was afraid they would pass by residents as they made their way up to his brother's apartment, people that would remember their faces as they heard commotion going on during the kidnapping. People that would see them fleeing down the stairs hurriedly with Marian slung over their shoulders. People that would report them to the police or help detectives come up with accurate sketches that would be drawn on wanted posters plastered all over town or be able to pick them out of a line-up at the jail. People that they might have to hurt in order to keep themselves safe from the law. People that they might have to kill because they saw too much... Jimmy immediately shook the thought of killing out of his head. He couldn't bring himself to do it again, even if someone saw them carrying Marian from the building. He remembered back to the night he killed the pimp who had been harassing Linda. He remembered how so incredibly easy it had been to take another human life. He thought back to how easy the knife had slid into the man's stomach, how quickly the blood flowed over his fingers, the fear in the man's eyes as the life drained from his body, the sadistic thrill he felt as he stood over the man's corpse. Killing had felt so good, and in the moment, he knew he could do it again. But as Jimmy reached Billy's apartment door, he felt he couldn't be capable of killing again. He suddenly thought about whether it was worth it to be a part of the Black Warriors, to be part of such an evil gang. To continue to steal from, injure, and frighten the innocent. To be a part of something that he and his brother had promised to eradicate when they formed the Double Dragon Dojo all those years ago. To be a part of something that...
“Okay, so what's the plan now” Bo Abobo asked quietly, interrupting Jimmy's thoughts.
“Um...” Jimmy answered as he shook his head and snapped back to reality, unsure of what he wanted to say.
The Black Warriors stared at their leader as they waited for him to answer, but all he could do was struggle to come up with some orders. Jimmy could definitely tell he was having second thoughts about the plan. Despite their falling out, Jimmy still loved his brother deep down and part of him didn't want to hurt him.
“You do have a plan, right” Jeff replied gruffly, suspicious that there wasn't actually a concrete plan for getting into the apartment.
“Of course I do” Jimmy snapped quietly as a plan began to formulate in his head. “I want all of you to stay out of sight while I knock on the door. Once he opens the door all the way, you all rush inside. At that point, we'll hold him back while we get Marian.”
Jeff, Williams, Bo Abobo, and Lopar each took up positions on either side of the apartment as Jimmy knocked loudly on the door. After a few seconds, he heard the turning of the deadbolt and the door opened a few inches. His heart skipped a beat as he saw Billy's angry eyes staring back at him through the narrow opening. Jimmy could sense that Jeff was ready to spring into action, but he noticed the chain to the second door lock hadn’t been undone and he waved his hand quickly to halt the Black Warrior's attack.
“What, aren't you going to let me in” Jimmy questioned as he stared back at his brother.
“You can say what you need to say out there” Billy replied angrily.
“Come on, I said I want to talk to you and apologize” Jimmy persisted, playing on his lie even further. “Can't you at least let me in to do that.”
“I haven't heard from you in months and now all of a sudden you want to talk” Billy answered angrily. “It's obvious to me that you're here to do more than just talk and that you want something. What, did you start up your own dojo and want some advice on how to run it?”
“No, it's not that. I just want to apologize for what I did to you. I know I hurt your feelings and I feel like I betrayed you. I want to make it up to you.”
“You're damn right you hurt my feelings and betrayed me.”
“Billy, I should have never taken it upon myself to train the students in unconventional methods. I should have followed by the guidelines we set forth when we founded the dojo. I strayed so far from what we wanted to teach and it was a huge mistake. I just wanted the students to learn new and different ways to defend themselves out on the streets.”
“But the methods and techniques you were teaching them didn't coincide with what we had agreed upon” Billy replied. “Why should I be okay with that? Our agreement from the beginning was to help people learn to defend themselves, not try to form a gang and take over the city.”
“I know” Jimmy said as he stalled for time, not wanting to hurt his brother, but at the same time, wanting to keep the plan in motion. “I know I was in the wrong, but I can't help but feel that I was looking out for the best interests of the dojo.”
“Looking out for the best interests? You were teaching the students to fight with weapons! That was something we agreed upon from the start that we would never do. The methods of Soesitsu teach that no one should fight with weapons.”
Jeff was starting to grow impatient and wanted nothing more than to burst through the apartment door and exact revenge on Billy. He didn't like that Jimmy and his brother were debating on how the Double Dragon Dojo should be run. He wanted nothing more than to enact the plan and break into the apartment and kidnap Marian. And once they had Marian, nothing could stop him in making her his girl. Willy promised that O'Hara could make her love him and he clung to that very promise with every fiber of his being. At that point in time, it was all he cared about. He was driven by the prospect of making Marian his lover. After all, he had saved her life in the diner the night Seth and Gabe tried to rob the place. He had been her hero, her knight in shining armor, her savior, her reason for still being alive on that very day. And Jeff would not forget it. He wanted her so bad and he needed her and nothing was going to stop him. And certainly not some stupid and senseless banter between two brothers.
“Quit stalling for time and hurry up and get us into the apartment” Jeff demanded quietly as he stared angrily back at his leader.
“The streets are tough out there, tougher than we imagined, and I just wanted to make sure that everyone we trained would be able to handle themselves out there” Jimmy said to Billy as he ignored Jeff. “I know I didn't follow your orders. I know I used unconventional methods. I know I didn't keep with the plans we drew up from the beginning. I know I let you down. And I feel bad for that. I'm just asking for you to forgive me. Please.”
Billy just stood in the doorway, mulling over his brother's words. He wasn't sure whether to believe Jimmy or just close the door in his face and never speak to him again. He hadn't heard from him in months and thought his sudden presence was quite surprising. It appeared Jimmy wanted something, and based on the tone of his voice, he was desperate for it. To Billy, the visit exuded shades of honesty, even though part of his mind screamed ulterior motive. As Billy reached up to release the chain lock, Marian appeared behind him.
“Hey, Babe, what do you want for dinner tonight” she asked Billy as Jimmy felt his heart skip a beat once more.
“I don't know, surprise me” Billy muttered unenthusiastically, what he was going to be eating for dinner being the furthest thing from his mind at that moment.
Marian rolled her eyes in annoyance and sighed loudly, not appreciating the answer she was given. She opened her mouth to protest but stopped suddenly when she saw Jimmy standing behind the partially opened door. He smiled at her uneasily and waved slightly when he saw the look of disgust spread across her face.
“What is he doing here” Marian asked, an irritated tone in her voice.
“He was just about to leave” Billy answered seriously as he let go of the lock and started to push the door closed.
Jimmy immediately put his foot in the doorway and the door stopped suddenly against the side of his shoe. He winced slightly at the pressure on his foot as Billy stared back at him with a look of surprise.
“Can't we just talk” Jimmy implored as he pushed his face through the even narrower crack.
“We just did” Billy answered. “There's nothing more to talk about.”
“Come on, Babe, let's go make dinner” Marian's voice called from somewhere within the apartment.
Outside the door, Jeff had become even more restless with all the delays. His lips repeatedly pursed angrily as he glanced at his fellow gang members, hoping to get some sort of support from them. But none came. They all stood steadfast as they waited for their leader to gain entrance to the apartment. Jeff felt that Jimmy was starting to get cold feet and was stalling on purpose to take more time to decide if he really wanted to proceed with the kidnapping. But there could be no more stalling. The plan needed to be enacted right there and then. His heart was pounding in his chest as he prepared for his next move.
“Billy, please just let me talk to you” Jimmy pleaded.
“No, piss off. I have nothing more to say to you and I don't want to hear anything else from you. We're through here.”
“I'm sick of this waiting bullshit” Jeff muttered to the other Black Warriors. “Let's do this.”
Before Jimmy could utter another word, Jeff sprang up from his position and pushed him lightly out of the way. Jimmy staggered to his left a couple steps as Jeff grabbed the edge of the door and forced it open roughly. The chain lock snapped easily as the door flew open quickly, Billy standing on the other side with a look of shock on his face. His eyes grew wide in horror and he stepped back several feet as he watched Jeff force his way into the apartment, with Williams, Bo Abobo, and Lopar right behind him. Marian, standing in the small kitchen, turned her head at the commotion. Her eyes, too, grew wide in horror as she saw the Black Warriors forcing their way into the apartment.
“Get the girl” Jeff commanded as he pointed at Marian. “I don't care what it takes, just get her.”
Without a moment of hesitation, Billy shoved Jeff backward as hard as he could. The Black Warrior staggered backward roughly and fell against the other gang members, causing them to fall back into the hallway. Billy immediately rushed forward and attempted to close the apartment door, but Jeff had already regained his balance. He pushed roughly against the door and forced his way back into the apartment.
“Marian, stay back” Billy shouted as he prepared to take on the gang members entering the apartment.
He was immediately hit in the jaw with a punch from Jeff and stumbled backward as Lopar rushed past him. Marian frantically glanced around the kitchen for something to defend herself with as he closed in on her. She quickly grabbed an iron frying pan hanging from the wall and swung it at Lopar as hard as she could. Her aim wasn't as good as she had hoped for and she grazed him across the side of the head, the pan thudding dully and loudly against the side of his face. He cried out in pain as he dropped to the floor, gripping his cheek.
Meanwhile, Billy countered Jeff's attack with a kick to the stomach, sending him backward a few steps as he coughed loudly. He noticed Williams moving toward Marian and he quickly grabbed a dining room chair and shattered it over his back. The Black Warrior lost his balance and fell against the wall, stunned from the blow. As he turned back to face Jeff, Billy suddenly felt a large body slamming in to him as he toppled over the couch and onto the coffee table, crushing it in the process. He looked up to see that Bo Abobo had tackled him to the floor and was now attempting to pin him down. The Black Warrior's grip was strong as Billy tried desperately to break free, his hands and feet flailing about wildly. His right hand finally settled on a broken piece of the coffee table leg and he brought it quickly up toward his attacker's head. He hit Bo Abobo in the side of the face and the large man groaned in pain loudly as he released his grip. Billy managed to wiggle out from under the Black Warrior and quickly scrambled to his feet. Bo Abobo also climbed to his feet and now stood in the middle of the living room holding the side of his face. Billy immediately hit him with a spin kick, sending the large man flying backward into the television and a nearby bookcase. Bo Abobo fell to the floor hard as the television screen shattered and a bookcase and shelf of karate trophies toppled over on him, preventing him from standing up.
As Billy turned his attention back to Jeff, he noticed Jimmy enter the apartment out of the corner of his eye. He appeared to just be standing there watching the carnage unfold, as well as Bo Abobo, Williams, and Lopar lying stunned on the floor. With Jeff raising his fists and preparing to attack, Billy ignored his brother and rushed forward. He hit Jeff in the face with a couple quick punches and the man had soon toppled down to the floor on his back. As Billy moved forward to land another blow, he suddenly felt his feet fall out from under him and he landed on his chin. Rubbing his face tenderly, he looked behind himself to see Bo Abobo had a hold of his ankle. As he struggled to break free, Billy noticed Williams had regained his footing and was now moving toward Marian, who had fled from the kitchen and was now heading down the hallway toward the bedroom or bathroom in an attempt to seek safety. Before she could get halfway down the hall, Williams reached out quickly and grabbed her by the back of her shirt, pulling her roughly toward him. The strength of his grip forced Marian to spin around, bringing her face-to-face with her attacker.
“Come here you stupid BITCH” Williams growled angrily.
As Marian struggled to pull away from him, Williams balled his hand into a fist, pulled it back, and forced it quickly and violently into her stomach. The force of the impact caused her to double over as she made a noise that was half way between a cough and a wheeze. After a few seconds, her eyes rolled up into her head and she began to collapse. Williams crouched down with ease and let her fall over his shoulder as if he had performed the maneuver hundreds of times. Without a moment of hesitation, Williams brought himself back to his feet with the unconscious Marian firmly in his grasp and turned toward Jimmy.
“Got her, Boss” he reported with an evil happiness, as if he had just committed the most vile act in the world and had gotten away with it.
Billy could feel intense rage building within his chest at the sight of Marian being attacked by Williams. His heart pounding in his chest, he threw back his free leg and kicked Bo Abobo in the face. The large man howled in pain as he released his grip on Billy's ankle. Feeling himself free, Billy scrambled to his feet and rushed toward Williams, who was quickly making his way to the open apartment door. Billy was quickly intercepted by a recovered Lopar and Jeff, who grabbed on to his shoulders and held him in place, his arms flailing about as he tried to break free. A fist caught Lopar in the side of the face and he released his grasp as he reeled in pain. Jeff held on tight as Billy continued to resist his pull, almost dragging the Shadow Warrior toward the apartment door. With the Double Dragon almost completely free from his grip, Jeff felt himself begin to panic. If Billy broke free, he would get to Williams and surely attack him. And if he did, he would surely get Marian back. And if that happened, the Black Warriors' plan would be a complete waste. But more importantly, Marian wouldn't be Jeff's. He wouldn't get her back to O'Hara, who wouldn't inject her with the special serum he so boasted about that would make her love him. If this all happened, Marian wouldn't be his. And Jeff couldn't have that. He wouldn't have that.
As Billy nearly pulled himself away from his grasp, Jeff glanced around the living room for something to help him stop his captive, and after a few seconds, his eyes locked on the perfect solution. Jeff reached out quickly, wrapped his hands around a lamp sitting on a table next to the couch, and slammed it roughly against the side of Billy's head. Billy staggered to his right as the lamp shattered against his head, glass flying in all directions. Jeff felt his adversary go limp in his arms and he released his grip. Billy dropped to his knees and paused there for a moment before climbing back to his feet, stunned as he rubbed the side of his head.
“Jeff, that's enough” Jimmy commanded as he watched the Shadow Warrior violently assault his brother.
Ignoring his leader and without a moment's hesitation, Jeff brought a foot up into Billy's stomach. Billy coughed violently from the force of the blow and dropped back on to his knees, struggling to keep himself from totally collapsing. With sadistic delight burning in his eyes, Jeff brought a fist down hard on the back of Billy's head. The Double Dragon dropped down on to the floor roughly, his chin bouncing off the carpet. Jeff punched him in the back of the head a second time, knocking him unconscious. As he raised his fist to hit his adversary a third time, Jimmy intervened, throwing a punch directly across Jeff's jaw. The Black Warrior staggered sideways from the blow and grabbed the edge of the open doorway to keep from completely falling over. He stared at Jimmy with rage-filled eyes, not the least bit amused his beatdown of Billy had been interrupted.
“I said that was enough” Jimmy commanded angrily.
“He was about to get to Williams” Jeff countered as he rubbed his jaw. “I had to stop him somehow.”
“I told you not to hurt him seriously.”
“What I did was all necessary to keep your so-called plan from falling apart” Jeff retorted. “It had to be done and he deserved it.”
Completely angered by the crass statement from the Black Warrior, Jimmy grabbed him by the front of the shirt and slammed him hard against the wall. Jeff tried desperately to break free, but Jimmy violently wrapped a hand around his throat and began to squeeze.
“None of what you did was necessary and there was NOTHING wrong with the plan” Jimmy growled angrily as Jeff sputtered and coughed loudly. “I told you what my brother was capable of and you obviously ignored EVERYTHING I said. If you had just listened to me and not chose to do things your way, things would have played out differently. There will be consequences when we get back to the base.”
Jimmy let go of Jeff and shoved him toward the open door, the Black Warrior coughing loudly as he gasped for breath. Lopar and Bo Abobo brushed past him and out into the hallway as Jimmy took one last look around the apartment.
“Let's get out of here before someone sees us” Jimmy ordered as the gang members quickly began to descend the staircase.
Jimmy took one last look at Billy's unconscious body as he began to pull the door to the apartment closed.
“I'm sorry it had to happen like this, little brother” Jimmy said sorrowfully to his brother's body lying on the floor. “I truly am.”
He then quickly closed the door all the way and hurried to catch up to the rest of the Black Warriors.
Billy groaned loudly as he slowly opened his eyes and rolled over on his side, his head throbbing painfully from the blows he sustained. He wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious, but he could tell it hadn't been very long since the evening sun was still in almost the same position as when Jimmy and his thugs had forced their way into the apartment. In a daze, Billy glanced around the trashed living room for any signs of the Black Warriors and Marian. Based on the quiet nature of the apartment, it was apparent no one was around and the only things that he could see were the smashed coffee table, the shattered lamp Jeff had used to hit him in the head, the toppled bookcase, the overturned sofa and chairs, and the broken television. There were books, magazines, DVDs, and CDs strewn all across the floor, as well as a few broken martial arts trophies that had sat on the shelf above the television. Billy slowly rose to his feet as he placed a hand against the nearby wall for support, the daze and pain in his head threatening to bring him back down to the floor.
“Ma-Marian” Billy called out weakly as he staggered across the living room toward the hallway, gripping the corner of the wall to keep from falling over.
He could feel the room spinning and placed a hand to the side of his head to steady himself and immediately felt something wet on his fingers. He pulled his hand away from his head to examine what was on his fingers and noticed it was blood. Billy quickly pushed his hand back up to a wound on the side of his head and felt more blood, which he assumed was from when Jeff smashed the lamp against him during the attack. Realizing that he wasn't bleeding very badly, Billy ignored the wound and rushed down the hallway toward the bedroom, hoping that Marian was in there safe and sound.
“Marian” he called out again more loudly as he reached the open bedroom door, practically falling to the floor as he stumbled on unsteady legs. Bracing himself against the door frame, Billy found the bedroom to be empty as well and untouched by the havoc wreaked by the Black Warriors in the living room. Fear welling up inside him that something bad had happened to Marian, he frantically made his way back to the living room on uneasy legs.
“Marian” Billy shouted even louder than before as he made his way back to the living room, panic starting to creep its way into his voice at the unresponsiveness of his girlfriend.
As he approached the end of the hall, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a dark object lying on the floor in front of him. Moving too fast to be able to avoid the object, Billy stepped on it, and in his weary state, lost his balance and fell face first on the soft, beige carpet. He immediately rolled over and angrily grabbed the dark object quickly, ready to toss it aside in frustration. As he pulled his hand back to hurl it across the living room, Billy suddenly realized what it was he was clutching in his hand. The object was one of Marian's new dress shoes she had been showing off to Billy just moments before Jimmy and the Black Warriors had attacked them in the apartment. Tossing the shoe aside, Billy quickly jumped to his feet and noticed the other shoe lying a short distance away near the smashed coffee table. He guessed that when Williams had punched Marian in the stomach and hoisted her over his shoulder, her shoes likely fell off her feet as she was carried from the apartment. Realizing that the Black Warriors had taken his girlfriend captive, Billy could feel anger begin to rise up in his chest.
“Jimmy, you bastard” he shouted out loudly as he balled a fist and punched one of the living room walls hard, angered that his brother had deceived him in order to get at Marian.
At each passing second, pure rage and hatred coursed through Billy's veins at the idea of Marian being held captive. He couldn't believe that Jimmy was working with the Black Warriors gang, let alone brazen enough to kidnap his own brother's girlfriend. The more Billy thought about the situation, the more he could feel anger pulsate through his entire body. Nobody would kidnap Marian and get away with it. He would hunt the streets day and night until he found everyone responsible for his girlfriend's kidnapping, no matter how large or small their involvement. He would make sure they all paid for their treacherous actions, even if it meant hurting them in ways he couldn't possibly imagine. He was even ready to kill if it meant getting back the love of his life safely and unharmed. He was going to get Marian back one way or another.
With the pain and daze in his head all but a distant memory, Billy stormed across his apartment and toward the door with a determined stride in his step. Even though he was one man, he was ready for a fight and would take on every last member of the Black Warriors until he rescued Marian. As he reached the door to the apartment, Billy heard a loud crunching under his feet, as if he had just stepped on a large pane of glass. Unsure of what had caused the noise, he slowly moved his foot aside and noticed a framed picture underneath where he had just stepped. Gazing at the floor curiously, Billy reached down and picked up the photo. It was a picture of him and Marian smiling happily with their arms wrapped around each other, a forested and mountainous backdrop behind them. Billy immediately recognized it as the vacation the two of them had taken the previous summer to the mountains of Colorado. It was Marian's favorite vacation spot since she was a child and Billy had made sure that summer he would take her on a special trip there. As he stared at the picture and his girlfriend's beautiful smile beaming back at him, Billy felt a tear run down the side of his face. He slowly placed a hand over Marian in the picture and gently ran his fingers down her face as if she were standing there in the apartment with him.
“Don't worry, baby, I'll get you back safe and sound, I swear it” he replied remorsefully to the photo as he stared at it lovingly. “Jimmy won't get away with this.”
Billy carefully laid the photo down on the top of the smashed coffee table as if it were some sort of sacred object. Staring back at it as if he would never see it again, he kissed two of his fingers and placed them down on Marian's picture, holding them there as if her image could feel the love he was projecting. At that moment, Billy realized with great uncertainty that he had no idea how he was going to find Marian. Jimmy and his thugs were likely miles away at that point and it would be near impossible to track them down. The concrete jungle of Neo City was immense and it was easy for the city's vile denizens to disappear without a trace. Also, the location of the Black Warriors' main base of operations was shrouded in mystery and no one had any idea on how to get there, aside from the gang members themselves. It was highly likely Marian was being taken there and Billy would need all the luck in the world to track her down.
Frustrated that he had no idea where to start looking for Marian, Billy angrily kicked a few scattered fashion magazines across the floor, their pages fluttering open to reveal beautiful female models clad in the latest and most popular outfits. As he hung his head dejectedly, he noticed under one of the magazines the corner of the previous day's newspaper opened to a page of advertisements. As Billy slowly pushed the magazine aside with his foot, he noticed the ads featured numerous adult entertainment establishments scattered across Neo City. Most of them were fairly small and boasted the most beautiful and nude girls the city had to offer. But one advertisement caught his eye, one that was larger and more detailed than the rest. It occupied at least half of the adult entertainment section and was written out in large, block letters followed by a drawing of a pair of lips. Billy reached down and hastily yanked the newspaper off the floor as his eyes scanned the page rapidly. The advertisement read:
NEO CITY'S TREASURES
THE BIGGEST AND FINEST GENTLEMEN'S CLUB IN ALL OF NEO CITY
COME SEE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRLS ON THE PLANET
MUST BE 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER TO ENTER
OPEN UNTIL 3 AM EVERY NIGHT
Billy's eyes quickly widened as he read the large ad spread out across the page of the newspaper. He suddenly remembered that Neo City's Treasures was a frequent hangout for members of the Black Warriors and that there was likely someone there that would know exactly where Marian had been taken. Considering the clientele the establishment attracted, he knew it would be easy to squeeze someone for information. He would likely have to fight several members of the Black Warriors, but he didn't care if it meant getting Marian back safely. Billy was ready to storm into the place and take down anyone that stood in his path. After several moments, he tossed the newspaper down onto the cluttered living room floor and rushed for the apartment door.
“I'm coming to get you, big brother” Billy said out loud as he threw open the apartment door and stepped out into the hallway. “And you're going to pay dearly.”
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