As the new leader of El Triple Seis, Tomas Espinoza, had a lot of catching up to do. It’s been two weeks since Javier’s death, they’ve grieved, now it’s time to get back to work. So Javier calls for The Council of Six together right away. They will meet at “The Hut.”
The Council of Six are six individuals responsible for making strategy for the gang, giving orders, appointing members and doing all the financial workings. The council of six has the final say on things and the main decision making power. “ The Hut” is what [they] call a small cinder block building in the middle of Bambuto where they hold their meetings.
Off in the near distance, on a tall hill scattered with brush, Erica rides up on a dirt bike. On it, other than herself, are several leather bags tied to the side and one in front of it. She jumps off and begins to remove one of the bags which held the components to an RPG-7.
As Erica assembles her RPG, In the Hut, the Council discusses their current affairs and the final topic is about the item they were hired to deliver to Ivankov.
Ludwig Ivankov, a notorious Russian mobster running errands for the Kremlin, and some oligarchs. This man is close to seven feet tall, muscular, with a tattoo of a large spider on his neck and a spider’s web on his bald head. He has a scar that runs from the middle of his eyebrow, over his eye, down to his chin. From this injury he wears an eye-patch. He is typically seen in a satin shirt, and his eye patches always match in color. He wears a heavy gold chain with a gold Russian Orthodox cross. His large pinky dons a gold ring with a blood red ruby.
So Ivankov was hired by the Kremlin to acquire a certain thumb-drive containing the schematics of a weaponized satellite. The thumb-drive was supplied to an informant to El Triple Seis who was given it by someone from the USA, who was not yet known.
“It was with Paula, she had it.” Says Marco, one of the Six.
“So it’s gone, with my Paula, it’s gone.” Tomas gets up and punches the wall. He quickly wishes he didn’t, it’s cinder block. “Fuck!” he yells wiping blood and cinder block from his knuckles. He continues, “What do I tell Ivankov? He is expecting this thumb drive this weekend.”
There is a swooping noise from the hill and then a loud explosion a moment later. Erica watches the Hut blow up into small pieces, some of which is mixed with body parts. The plume of smoke is tall and dark.
She places the RPG down onto the dirt and rocks to allow it to cool off. Then hops back onto her bike and rides down to the smoking and burning rubble.
Once there she dismounts the bike and begins to walk around the site looking for a souvenir. After a few minutes she comes upon a piece of table that is rocking back and forth, as if it is balancing on something. She removes the table and finds part of a torso, with one arm and half a blown off head. The head is Tomas’. His mouth is moving up and down, as are two of his fingers. “Are you still alive? Holy shit.” Erica says to what’s left of Tomas.
The eye that is still somewhat in his head rolls, looking for the voice. The eye finds Erica holding a machete. She says, “Yea, you are going the same way you had many others go.”
It took only one wack to detach his head. The eye no longer looked alive.
After letting the head drip out any remaining blood, she throws it into one of the side bags. Then she reaches into one of her pocket and pulls out a joint. She lights it up then sits down on a nearby rock to smoke it. The first puff from it make her cough but she pulls it together and enjoys it.
So about ten minutes later she is finished, happy and climbs back onto her bike and rides back up to the RPG which has been cooling off. After packing it she makes a call to Osito.
“Yea, I took care of Tomas, and I have proof, a piece of him.” Erica tells him, then proceeds to fill him in on the hut and The Council.
Osito says to her, “You have a piece of Tomas? Wait, what? You fucking blew up the Council of Six and Tomas?” Osito asks with disbelief and putting his cell phone on speaker. Alejandro was with him.
Erica answers, “Yes. The other six were a bonus. Just wanted to let you know the job was done, Sir.”
“Erica, this is Alejandro. Please meet us at The Compound, by the munitions warehouse.”
“Yes, sir. I can be there in about an hour and half.” Erica replies.
They end their call.
Alejandro says to Osito “So, it’s time to introduce Erica to Raul. Let’s take her to The City tomorrow to meet him and for a tour.” Alejandro tells Osito. “And she is a jewel, brother.”
Osito smiles and thinks to himself, “Hands off the jewel.”
“The City.” It’s what Alejandro, Osito, and those working on the endeavor, call a sophisticated underground infrastructure and distribution center which is located about a mile below the town of Tecate, Mexico. Beneath the town runs a water vein directly under a Shopping Mall in El Centro, California. There are two other locations currently under construction, and almost completed.
The Distribution Center is almost as large as the town above it. Steel, concrete, and pre-existing ancient buildings carved from the rock. There are roads, air quality and exhaust systems, power systems, plumbing, docks to the rivers that run beneath, there are warehouses, offices, a hotel, and a medical facility. It was a feat the US government would envy.
The Distribution Center was used for the shipping and receiving of people, weapons, drugs, documents, and other items which folks may not be able to bring into or take out of the United States.
La Triple Seis was trying to build their own, but Alejandro wouldn’t have it. Besides, the Sixers’ wasn’t as nearly as large and elaborate as his, but nonetheless it was competition.
So about two hours later Alejandro shows up with Osito at the warehouse in the Compound. Erica is sitting on the stairs, elbows leaning on her knees, and she is chatting with one of the soldiers. As soon as the two see the big black Cadillac SUV pull up, the soldier bids farewell to Erica and walks away.
Erica gets up and walks over to her bike and unbuckles a leather bag from its side.
Osito steps out of the Cadi, then Alejandro. Erica walks over to greet them with her hand extended. “Don’t worry, I washed them.” She giggles. Osito returns the giggle which disturbs him.
Alejandro looks at Osito with a squint wondering if his brother is a 14 year old girl, then turns to Erica and extends his hand. “What do you have there?” He asks her.
Erica reaches into her leather bag and pulls out what’s left of Tomas’ head. Both men turn green and have the sudden dry heaves. “Oh, come on.” She says to them in a disappointed voice putting the head back into the bag.
“Let’s go inside the warehouse office. But leave the head.” Alejandro says to them walking away shaking his head and waving his hand in the air.
As soon as they go in, Alejandro points to Erica and then to a bottle of hand-sanitizer on a desk.
“So tell me, Erica…what is it with you and chopping off body parts?” Alejandro asks her.
“Doing what they do, ya know, giving it back?” She answers.
“Got it. I’ll have to remember that.” Alejandro answers, then says, “I have one more thing for you to do.”
“Sure, name it.” Erica says to him.
“I need you to find the intended recipient of that thumb-drive.” Alejandro tells her believing it would be a long and difficult task unless she has connections. This assignment should reveal much to him.
Without any hesitation Erica says to him, “I’m on it but I’ll need some cash.”
“Cash is not a problem.” Alejandro says to her.
Synopsis
