False Government
----------------------------------------
PROLOGUE
----------------------------------------
In the not too distant past, there were many criminal organizations in this country of empty promises three more famous than others. These three more famous were led by three great men some of which I was once close to and though we keep in contact from time to time we’ve not had much opportunity to speak casually in some time. Their names are Michel (Mike) Schwartz, Rob Johnson, and Wade. Wade was always the butt of the jokes among us though we were all still friends in the end.
My name is Sean, Sean Jackson and I first met one of the big three in a poker game where we were betting territory in our gangs. I lost everything to Mike and lost my little foothold of power though my name’s still tossed around from time to time and I’m still relatively in a position of respect I’ve lost any control over what I once ruled though my little following keeps me some comfort and security I guess.
Back in the day, all the different organizations used to bicker and fight over territory like it was our job or something. There used to be all-out wars in the streets and somehow the big three were the only ones left ruling the underworld in our whole country. The only problem with this is that these three idiot friends of mine are major gamblers and decided to throw out the wars of old and just get together to gamble away their territory against each other once a week or so. They’ve been playing these games ever since.
A group of concerned citizens and some of the higher-ranking members of these organizations got together and made an app that tells you when and where territory had traded hands because it happened so often. The groups have entered a temporary cease-fire because territory changes hands so frequently you’ll never know when you’ll wake up in enemy territory so everyone’s just been living in almost harmony and everyone except the police and Military are happy with the newfound peace among the criminal underworld. Our fighting has become more organized and we’ve come to protect each other a lot more and while it’s great for us it’s terrible for them.
Mike, Rob, and Wade each tend to a specific part of the underworld. Mike tends to stick to doing black market organ sales and generally keeps a close eye on most other sales in the black market since those organizations were most frequently absorbed by his group back when the fighting was more intense. Rob tends to deal more with drugs and counterfeit bills, he’s a real gourmet so it takes a lot to keep him fed. Apart from illegal weapons deals and bodyguarding work no one really knows what Wade’s group does, he just kind of does his own thing and no one really calls him out when he steps out of his area of expertise they just kind of watch and wait for him to crash and burn before he goes back to doing what he’s good at.
Apart from the fact they’re all criminals, they’re all great guys once you get to know them. Mike’s actually made it a point to look good to the public and visits people in hospitals when they’re sick just to make them feel like someone cares, and though he tries to hide it he’s been donating money to them in secret thinking no one knows about it. Rob’s a real funny guy and tends to frequent bars and comedy clubs and always brings the mood up. No one wants to think what’d happen if he were to suddenly disappear one day. Wade, while he looks scary on the outside is actually just a big softie and tends to try to protect as many people as he can and while he mostly just does bodyguarding work he does go around asking people for protection fees and people know not to go near places that pay him his dues lest they get done worse to them then was done to whoever paid him for protection. He’ll guard anyone as long as they got cash; once two of his security guard details met when the cops hired him out to interrupt a drug trade but the cops ended up outnumbered when they saw the guards they’d hired being sociable with the other guards and decided to run before both groups turned their guns on the cops.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Despite all of this someone new has hit the scene and he’s been gaining opposition from both the government and our little slice of the underworld that has since gained peace. They tend not to have any open territory to dispute over and they don’t fight with weapons or anything and they’re constantly throwing out their own members, despite that their numbers keep growing and it’s starting to get concerning. We don’t know where they meet because they always meet in secret and wherever they go people tend to change. Like quitting old habits and turning away from old friends. At first, we thought it was some kind of cult but they haven’t been doing any cultish things like trying to take all the money from their followers or openly demanding tax exemptions, or trying to lure in fools off the streets with warm meals only to drag them into a life of communal poverty. These guys actively throw out people and though they take donations from their members they tend to give all the money collected to the less fortunate and the sick. They tend to do their good deeds in secret and actively hide their meetings from both the law-abiding and the law-bending in this country. What’s more, their leader had taken to the habit of hiding himself and his own name from everyone. Only a few close friends know his name and they don’t tell anyone.
It’s starting to become concerning because more and more people are starting to leave the underground for this new group and since they have no territory, to begin with, it’s not like the big three can invite them to the poker table to bet it all on a game of palace or anything. What’s more, people in the government have been joining his faction and while they tend to keep their jobs, they are noticeably different than when they started. As if they’d been living a lie. This new group is oddly secretive though it’s not hard for someone to get into their groups it’s almost impossible to know who their leader is because he hides his name and face. They’re probably all hypocrites anyway. The people who joined up with him are oddly vocal about calling people out on their hypocrisy so they should know. They say we’ve both failed the people and have stared their own theocracy, almost, and almost everyone’s concerned about it. The strangest thing is though, the harder we and the government push back against them and put pressure on them the more their numbers and influence grow. They’re like weeds that double down harder the more you try to get rid of them.
I usually work under mike because he absorbed my faction and my group is still somewhat loyal to me but recently, I’ve been asked to look into this group as they’ve been threatening the peace, we worked so hard to achieve.