Playing No Games

Exodus Luke, driver of the Jeep Wrangler, sat in the VIP lounge, having a chat with some other men, all dressed in official suits.

"Well, well! Lucky piece of iron hanging around with bars of gold? This is seemingly madness, yo!" Cooper Black grumbled as he paced towards him.

"...and then, I said 'Who are you looking for, eh?' Ha Ha Ha..." the group of VIPs shared an ancient Italian joke, which certain people have lost their taste in. Exos cleared his throat as he caught sight of Black steaming towards him. He gulped as he, too, shared a seat on the marble-chiseled chairs.

"Gentlemen, would you mind leaving?" Cooper proffered.

"Well, no but... um..."

"Leave now, or else..." Cooper produced a Mustang Snub revolver. He shot six rounds at the vaulted ceiling, in a 'C' pattern.

Immediately, utter chaos and shock hovered and spread through the place, and people began jostling their way out - including the casino staff! That noise drove off the flock of VIPs, as well.

"Ahh! Finally some peace!" he turned to Exos. "As for you, dear friend, you'll need to have a bloody explanation ready... you got a LOT to explain, buddy. Oh yeah, a lot."

"L-look Black, now don't do anything stupid in front of all these—"

"Shhut upp, you stupid *uck! What and how de hell did ya get here, that too, without informing or inviting us?" Cooper swung the revolver back and forth in his hand, dangling from an arm rested on the chiseled marble.

"Well I wanted to tell you this... but... you see, Black, I 'own' this casino," Exos tried his best not to seem afraid. Let alone his reputation, Cooper - when totally pissed off - has the potential to kill his own loved ones. It was one of the negative virtues he possessed.

"You... WHAT?! HOW? WHEN??" Cooper boomed in a voice so loud and menacing, the people sped out in augmented flurries. "If you lie, then it'll be your last lie you ever speak, friend."

The extended accent on the last word made Exos gulp.

"Calm down, please! Let me explain," he took a deep breath before continuing. "We really shouldn't be talking about this in the open. Follow me, bud," he stood up from his 'throne of reclination'. "We need a ride. I got a Lambo."

"You... got.. .a... Lambo?" Cooper felt as if stabbed by greed and envy. "And you... you never told me?" he looked at his old friend with a pitiful expression. "Why man? Why the big difference and the big secrets? Why, I tell ya, WHY?"

"Patience, dude. You'll gain your answers," Exos Luke escorted him away from the main entrance. "Oh, no, dude. Not that way. We go out the back."

Cooper's anger receded like a runny hourglass. He holstered his weapon, looked up at the damage he'd caused, and sunk his head in shame.

Vandermann picked up their tail.

Exos Luke led them to the queer back of the casino, untouched by engineers and architects. Loose wires and planks were a frequent guest. A dilapidated wooden door met their sight at the end. Luckily, Luke found a few rotten chairs secluded from the crowds, so it was optional for them to exit the casino. Cooper preferred that they stay indoors.

"So, Exos. Begin."

"Okay," Exodus Luke cleared his throat before proceeding. "Previously, in the past few months, I had been working at the eastern harbors."

Cooper nodded.

"I worked for Hratt Wright, an international firearms supplier who exported large stashes of M4 carbines to the other nations. I decided to take one crate for myself, when one sneaky little bugger named Kooka Shont caught me in the act. I punched him, he kicked back. I kicked him, he punched back. He was quite a formidable opponent, that *itch!" Luke allowed himself a wide grin. "Finally, I had managed to eliminate him... using one of the guns from a nearby crate. Immediately, all the workers and Hratt with his goons, sped along like street dogs towards me... towards the direction of the noise. They brought metal wrenches, wooden canes, etc. to pin me down.

"Alas, I shot them all down!" his eyes lit up with an insane gleam. "Till I was left with about thirty crates full of illegal weaponry, and 'bout a truckload o' corpses. I had to think for half an hour on how to get rid of those 'harmful' objects. Suddenly, my brain was hit with the most brilliant idea I had ever imagined!"

Cooper's eyes grew wilder by the minute, eager to listen to Exos's story of glory. "And then, what?"

"Then, my friend," Luke inhaled another gulp of air. "I rushed to the nearest Ammo Nation store, and sold all of the damn guns. In return, I got another heavy burden! I received more than $48 billion genuine greens fo' selling those guns! Later on, I deposited all of the cash in buildin' this entire casino. As for the corpses, I... uh... left 'em there for the stupid cops and FBI to scratch their heads with no clue to who killed such great a number of people, heh heh!" Luke paused a moment. "I still wanted more adventure. I had already lost my job. So I joined you guys in your everlasting quest to cleanse this land from the Russian Rebel Forces."

They heard the babble of voices in the background. People had gathered back in and settled down. It was quite strange to assume that moments ago, they all were scrammed away by Cooper's gunshots. And now, they were back in!

"Wholly! All these days, I never knew we were ridin' with a billionaire!"

Exos Luke nodded and patted Black's back.

"So what do we do now, leader?"

"Leader, me? I don't think so. You, Luke, are the perfect man worthy of such a title."

"No, Black! No. Even if I'm richer than you doesn't mean it is my 'duty' to serve. No matter what, you'll always remain the man of the match."

"Oh, damn you, Luke, you hell of a draconian **stard! Come give me a hug, brother!"

Cooper and Luke embraced in the brotherly love they shared. They shook hands and patted each other's backs. Vandermann only watched them both, feeling lost.

"Here in this casino, we're at your service, Exos."

"Al'ight, Black you crazed son of a *other**cker! In that case, feel free to play the games we offer around here," he said boldly. "Here's $200 for both of ya," he handed two $100 tokens each. "Play Blackjack; it's cheaper and easier than Baccarat or Roulette."

When the VIPs returned, Luke resumed their talk as well as tried to explain whatever weird stuff had happened in the last ten minutes. The duo (Coop an' Vandy) settled at a Black jack table. The crowd was back to normal.

Cooper Black felt left out. He didn't know which fact was worse: 'the fact that your friend is lonely and poor' or 'the fact that your friend is richer and more popular than you think he is'.

He turned his thoughts to the game.

He placed $100 as the bet and drew. The opponent had a 7 clubs and a ? card. His tock held 9 hearts. He drew again. Opponent added 8 clubs, Cooper got a J spade. He squinted as he stopped the draw. Scores : Opponent = 24; Cooper Black = 19. Cooper won!

"That's right!" he received additional $200. "You risk getting lost, if you know what I mean!"

Enthusiastic, this time Cooper placed all the money he had ($300) as the bet, and drew. The opponent had a K diamond and a ? card. Cooper drew 6 clubs. At the next draw, opponent held a Q heart, while Cooper got 9 diamonds. He thought he'd strike rich again, so he stopped. Oops! Opponent's score was exactly 21! Cooper lost $300.

"Ai, that's not fair, yo!" he tried to snatch it back, but he couldn't. He glanced at the nearby table, where Vandermann played like a pro. His stock kept soaring to $25,000 without a single loss! His mind worked like a machine, his eyes and face were still as a stone statue. His mouth was silent as a mime. The only action his body worked, was the movement of his hands, as he gestured to draw, bet, stop, and collected his cash rewards.

"Now that's a real playa," Cooper felt pride in Vugerton's work. "Wish I could play like that."

You see, dear readers! Gambling is illegal because it not only increases your overconfidence, but also decreases the amount of money you have. When someone wins a game, the person takes the opponent's money, right? The person taking the money is the equivalent of a thief robbing the money from a victim. What's worse, it happens in front of the victim's eyes, and there's absolutely 'nothing' that he/she can do about it! Sad, isn't it?

So, unless you're a blockheaded, half-witted, brainless dork, DO NOT GAMBLE... EVER! Throw away the gambling habit, or suffer as you've never done before! If you don't believe me, then you shall not proceed any further, with Cooper Black's story.

I'm waiting...

***

A while later, Cooper settled down beside Exos Luke, with the letters in his hands.

"Oh, eternal torment! I lost so much money! All the $25 billion is lost!" Cooper Black cursed their ill luck and spoiled fate. "Now, now. Lemme see what these envelopes hold. Might be a bill, a warrant, or maybe some advertisement. Who sent this, by the way," he checked the text on the cover. "Hmm... it's from my uncle, Joe Catshoe Black."

Vandermann stared at the floor, drenched deep with guilt.

"Last seen my uncle a year ago. Wonder where he is, now. Probably in exile after the landing of the damn bloody RRF!" he gripped the edge, stuck a finger under the flap, and ripped it open with a single stroke.

Three papers popped out. He picked one out and scanned the page. He figured them to be dossiers of some sort. His uncle's research. Within minutes, his face glowed, his eyes lit up, and a hearty smile was born on his face.

"Guys, these are important research intel collected by my *ucki*g uncle Joe. He's discovered a bio lab at the heart of the Sonoran Desert, where the freakin' Russians are conducting weird-as-hell experiments," Cooper pulled out a second paper. "Detroitilies! This is a list of missions me uncle was supposed to do. I guess he wanted us to complete them for him. Guess he's too busy with his work."

With every passing word or sentence concerning Cooper's uncle, Vandermann's face sunk in depression. 'What if he gets to know? What if they hunt me down for what I had done?'

"Completing each mission objective shall deposit $40,000 in our bank accounts! Holy shit, Luke, we just hit the jackpot! We just need to bring the evidence to some selected people in New York, and voila, we get ourselves a nice sum of money."

"Good to hear, Black. But I suggest we spend the night somewhere safe. We need all our energy for tomorrow. I've got suites booked at King Kline's Palace. Jus' down the street. Meet you there, buds."

"But where the hell are you off to, Luke?"

"Oh, nothing much. Jus' need to send an explanation plus a hefty bribe to the local police department. I gotta hide your tracks 'fore the cops know that you're here. Damn, man, all because of your stubborn attitude I gotta explain to people that your 'gunshots' was nothing but a publicity stunt."

"Heh heh. Sorry for your inconveniences, Luke. But you're my bro, yeah. You're de perfect bro I could offa!"

***

The next day...

"So, where to now?" Exos Luke led them to the back alley of his casino, where his awesome Lamborghini Aventador awaited their arrival.

"Now... it's time for the unfinished business."