("I'm sorry Unc, I let you down.")

"What the hell was that!!??" the commissioner was furious.

"We-he-Mr.Padder played us." I didn't know what to say.

"Damn right he played us! And that little fiasco cost me several of my officers, several good men!" he said, frustrated. He kept pacing back-and-forth.

"I'm sorry commissioner." I said.

"Sorry??? You're sorry!!!" he yelled.

"At the end of the day, we got him commissioner. Ok, we got 'The Kingpin'." I said, reassuring him.

"No we didn't." he said it under his breath, but I could hear him.

"What?" I was confused. He tossed a folder at me.

"Ronald Wilson, a multimillionaire philanthropist. He holds several charity events all over Liberty City, providing funding for several children's homes. He even makes very generous donations to, guess who, The Liberty City Police Department." Everything started to become clear.

"He doesn't like to be in the public eye and handles his business privately, even hiring a 'handler' to publicly handle his business, because he has an extreme case of autism." We got the wrong guy, and that moment, everything blew up in my face.

"Commissioner, I know you're angry, but we can't let this shake up. We gotta keep going, The Kingpin is still out there." I said, trying to calm him down.

He turned around and looked at me. "Do you even know if 'The Kingpin' is real or not?" I didn't know what to say.

"Can you look me in the eyes right now and tell me that there is a crime kingpin in Liberty City?" I put my head up, looking him in his eyes. His face told it all, he was serious. I put my head down, knowing I couldn't give him a definite answer.

"You had me fooled. You had us all fooled. I don't know why I listened to you." he said.

"Thats Mr.Padder talking commissioner, don't let him get in your head." I told him.

"Quite frankly, the only person that I've been letting get in my head is you." he replied, seriously. I couldn't believe what he said. The commissioner was just angry; I tried not to take offense to it.

"Commissioner-" I walked over to him. He pulled his gun on me and I stopped.

"I trusted you, and you failed me. You failed all of us. You had us all believing in a kingpin. There is no Kingpin! The Nightwatcher was a honorable ally, but now I see. I see you vigilantes are all same, taking an attack on crime to justify chasing ghosts. I trusted him, I trusted him...but now I dont know who to trust."
His words resonated with me.
He continued, "From this day forward, you are no longer an ally of the Liberty City Police Department, and you are no partner of mine. Get off my streets. Your days of being a vigilante are over. And if you continue to get into police business, I will not hesitate to put you down, for good." he said. His words hit me like bullets. He lowered his gun; his next words really stung.

"You're no hero....Get out here." he said, turning away from me.

I wanted to say something, but I just left.

   "What happened out there Jake?" Mike asked me.

"I don't know. I thought we had it, I thought I had it. They ambushed us, and now several police officers are dead because me." I said, feeling bad for myself.

"Don't put that weight on your shoulders Jake, those officers knew what they were signing up for." he replied, trying to comfort me.

"That's not how the commissioner feels." I mumbled, but Mike heard.

"Why what happened?" he asked me.

"We got the wrong guy. So now, the commissioner placed me as public enemy number one." I replied.

"He's just frustrated, Jake." Mike said, trying to brush it off.

"You didn't see the look on his face Mike. He held a gun to my face. I think it's really over." I started pacing. "The commissioner's right, I'm no hero."

"Don't talk like that Jake. You can still stop 'The Kingpin'." Mike said.

"I can't!" I yelled, hopping up out of my seat. "I don't even know for sure if he's real! How do you know he's real, Mike? Have you seen him? Do you believe 'The Kingpin' is real?" I questioned him; being frustrated.

"I believed in your uncle. And he believed behind every thug carrying an AK-47 or a shotgun, all the crime in this city, was 'The Kingpin'. So what we don't have solid evidence to prove it, so what people don't believe us, that doesn't mean we give up." Mike words were very moving. "If you want to find him, if you want to stop 'The Kingpin' and save this city, you need to do what your uncle did, be strong with your conviction."

"So what now? I mean I'm pretty much at the top of the police most wanted list now, and the commissioner wants nothing to do with me. What does all this mean?" I asked him.

"It means you're on my own." he replied. "And it's time to finish what you started."

I heard him, but I needed some time to think this all over.

"I gotta get to school." I grabbed my things and left.

   School was stressful. Alex wasn't really talking to me, Don was just being Don. I thought getting away from my other life would help, but all I could do was think about it. The commissioner's words played over and over in my head. "You're no hero." Then I could hear Mike. "-that doesn't mean we give up."
"You need to be strong with your conviction."

I wrestled with it. The commissioner, Mike, even with my uncle. He's the reason behind all this. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in this position. I would woke up every morning well-rested, go to school, get to see my dream girl, go to class knowing I'm passing, and then at the end of the day, hang out with my friends. Everything I want to do, all I wanted to do.
All of sudden, I got text from Mike. He needed to call me. I got a pass to the bathroom, then I called him.

"Yeah Mike."

"Meet me out front." Mike said.

"What?" I was confused. He hung up.

I went back to class. Right as I sat down, the lady in the office called for me on the intercom. 'Early dismissal for Jake Grant'. I walked out the front door, and there Mike was in my uncle's truck. I got into the front passenger.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"You'll see." We headed downtown.

We drove past so many buildings, tall towers towering above us. Glasses windows all reflecting the sunlight. Nice paved sidewalks, families peacefully walking through the streets, and crazy busy traffic. Then we really got downtown. The slums, brick-built homes with broken windows, local liquor stores, kids playing in the streets, poverty was the definition of this place. My mom always wanted me to stay away from this side of town. My phone vibrated. I got a text from Don and Alex, but I ignored them. I still wanted to know where Mike was taking me.

Finally we get to our destination. John Smith's Cemetery, read across the front of the gates. We drove inside. We past so many tombstones, so many people with different names, different stories, different deaths. It made me feel low being there, it just reminded me of my uncle. We finally stopped, right next to a hill. We got out of the truck, and I followed Mike up the hill. We stopped at the top, right next to a big tree. I looked over the horizon to a see even more tombstones. I did see something else. A funeral.

"Look." Mike handed me a pair of binoculars, and pointed to the funeral. I put the binoculars up to eyes, to get a better look. I could see everything. The people, the tears in their eyes, the sorrow on their faces. I noticed a lot of cops. Two cops were folding the American flag, write next to the casket. I looked over to see a blonde-haired woman crying her heart out. She was struggling to keep it together. I could feel her pain, her sorrow, her mourning. A man in a black leather coat had his arm around her. I looked over at the casket and a picture caught my eye. It was the person who died, and I couldn't believe it. It was him. The cop. The officer who showed me respect.
"..If you are anything like him, you'll have my respect too..." I pulled the binoculars away from eyes, still focused on the funeral.

"Officer Tom Brown. The same officer with you that night." Mike said.

"He showed me so much respect." I said, as a tear ran down my face.

"Look closer." Mike said.

I put the binoculars back on. I look over again at the blonde woman. She was walking over to the casket.

"That's his wife. Pamela Brown-Ferrell." Mike said, while I continued to watch the funeral through the binoculars. I remembered what he told me.
"...He even saved my wife one time..."
It all started to make sense, why Mike brought me here. But what I saw next, came full circle.
She started crying again, and the guy that was comforting came over to her. This time I could see his face. She went over to her seat, while he said a few words. I couldn't believe. It was police commissioner. I took the binoculars away from my face, and looked at Mike.

"The cop was the commissioner's brother-in-law." I said.

"Yeah." Mike replied, confirming.

"Did you know?" I asked Mike.

"I didn't know her husband was on the force." We both turned our attention back to the funeral.
It made so much sense. That's why the commissioner was so mad. He felt responsible for what happened. He felt responsible for his brother-in-law dying. I finally understood the commissioner's pain, and started to feel mournful.

"Are you upset I brought you here?" he asked me.

I looked at him and replied, "No." He looked back at the funeral.

"So what now?" I asked him.

"We're gonna find 'The Kingpin', we're gonna clear The Vigilante's name, and we are going to save this city." he replied.

We both looked over at the funeral one last time, then went on home.

On the other side of town...

    The aroma of salmon and pasta filled the penthouse. Guards in black suits stood at every corner. Soft jazz music played while she enjoyed her lunch at her dining table. A ring echoed through the penthouse. The elevator door opened. Mr.Padder walked in, looking for The Queenpin. He found her eating her lunch. He stood near the table.

"Mr.Padder, how are you this morning?" she said in a polite voice, not even looking at him.

"I'm fine thank you." he replied.

"How is business moving?" she asked, still eating.

"Functional. We have shipments coming in the next three nights. The 16 Cannons, The Rebelz Gang, and and The Russians will receive their orders on time." Mr.Padder informed her.

"Thank you Mr.Padder. Oh, and please make sure Mr.Wilson receives his payment for his cooperation." she said, reminding him.

"I will personally." He replied.

"Thank you. You are dismissed." Mr.Padder headed for the elevator. She took a bite of her pasta, and her facial expression changed.

"Mr. Padder, do you mind calling Chef Palo in here for me please?" she politely asked, stopping him while he was leaving.

"Of course." he replied, then left the room. Chef Palo entered the room shortly after.

"Yes, madame." he said, in an Italian accent.

"My pasta is a slight chilled Chef Palo." she politely said, with a smile on her face.

"Oh-oh-I'm sorry madame. I'm so sorry." He seem so frightened, like he did the most terrible thing in the world.

"It's fine Chef Palo. Could you throw this away for me?" She handed him her plate.

Frightened and confused, he walked over to the can, sweating in fear, and threw away the food. He turned around- BANG! She laid the gun down on the table, and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Someone clean that up please, I don't want the blood to stain." she said, very calmly. Not fazed, she got up from the table and went into her office.