Chapter 9: Awakening

Full Counter: The ability to counter any non physical attack at its original user with twice the power

Conditions: 

1. The user must have a conduit or weapon to reflect an attack

2. The user must be able to react to or swing towards an attack with the proper timing in order to reflect the attack

3. There must be an attack to reflect.

*SPLAT*

*SPLAT*

*SPLAT*

*SPLAT*

*SPLAT*

As the bullets ricocheted off Ricky's force field, they became projectiles of vengeance, hurtling back at their shooters with double the force and speed. 

The room was transformed into a gruesome spectacle as the bullets tore through flesh and bone, creating ghastly wounds that spewed blood in all directions. 

The five men, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, had no chance to react as their bodies were pierced and mangled, each bullet finding its mark with deadly precision. 

The force of the bullets was so immense that pieces of flesh were torn from the men's bodies, propelled with such velocity that they seemed to merge with the already grimy walls, leaving behind gory streaks and splatters. 

The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood as the bullets continued their deadly dance, ripping through flesh and bone with ruthless efficiency. 

In just a minute, the full extent of the carnage became apparent, as nearly two-thirds of the men's bodies were eviscerated, leaving behind only scattered remains. 

Five large chunks, each representing a life extinguished in an instant, were all that remained of the once-living men as they were reduced to mere piles of flesh.

Ricky was simply gazing blankly at the scene as he couldn't find the words to describe this blood bath.

Ricky's inexperience with his force field led to a subconscious release after executing a full counter, resulting in a tidal wave of blood and flesh hitting him. 

His front was drenched in blood and bits of flesh, his calm expression morphing into one of disgust and nausea.

*BLERGH*

"Oh god I got some in my mouth-"

*BLERGH*

Ricky began to vomit uncontrollably at the gruesome scene he had caused as a piece of flesh found its way into his mouth, triggering another wave of vomiting.

"What the f*ck!" Ricky let out as he looked at the full might of his power in such a disgusting way.

"This is disgusting-"

*BLERGH*

Ricky couldn't help but to continue to vomit while being uncaring of the sounds of gunfire traveling through the sealed walls.

An hour passed as the door slowly peered open before a shocked gasp suddenly slithered out from the crack.

Opening it in horror, Luck walked into the room which was supposed to house the five leaders only to see Ricky lying in the center surrounded by his own puke.

*BLERGH*

Meyer couldn't hold back his vomit and let it out as although he had seen some f*cked up sh*t before, nothing could compare to this grotesque image in front of him.

"By the balls of Jesus Christ what happened Slick-huh?" Lucky walked forward to try and help Ricky only for him to stop in his tracks by an invisible force field.

"I-I don't know." Ricky felt as if he had to lie, shaking his head while deciding to paint this as an unexpected accident while covered in the red liquid.

There wasn't a big reason to hide it since no matter how hard he tried, Ricky felt it was impossible to lie his way out of the blood bath he had caused without sounding like an actual psycho.

At first when he saw Lucky, he thought of saying there was a faulty grenade but no explosion could cause this horrid aftermath.

"What the hell?" Frank touched the barrier as subtle waves rippled across it but it seemed to be enforced because of it.

"Ricky, are you doing this?" Lucky asked while slowly putting away his gun and prompting his left and right hands to do the same.

Ricky remained quiet as his trust for Lucky might be better than the other five but it wasn't as much to let his guard down.

Lucky waited until he truly saw through the blood covering his body which showed the bloody pulp he was beaten into and not much long afterwards, Meyer and Frank did as well.

"Ricky calm down, I ain't gonna do jack-"

"You should leave." Ricky spoke as Lucky began to respond, only to fall silent, struck by a realization of why he held Ricky in such high regard.

He reminded him of himself.

Lucky knew he was a mobster, in fact, it was all he had ever known.

Lucky's life had been determined from the moment he was born, not by his own choices but by the legacy of his father. 

His dreams were never his own; they were always overshadowed by his father's ambitions. 

When his father was killed, leaving Lucky free from his control and on a boat to the U.S, he still found himself trapped in the life of a mobster, a role he had played for so long that it had become his identity.

He had a deep love for his father, but also harbored fear for the way he had been raised in the harsh environment of Sicily. 

This upbringing had shaped him into the man he was, and he couldn't imagine himself as anything else. 

Despite his love for his father, he didn't want to subject another child to the same fate he was forced into which is why he avoided love and relationships, knowing the unexpected pain it could bring.

Yet, despite his intentions, he had unknowingly drawn Ricky into his world, much like his father had done to him. 

But Ricky was different. 

Unlike him, Ricky was alone in the world, dropped on the steps of an orphanage with nothing but a government-issued designation for a name. 

Ricky had no blanket, no note, nothing to hint at his past that Lucky had found. 

He was a blank slate, destined to be shaped by the world around him.

'I'm my father.' Lucky, who had been trying to run away from that very notion, ducked his head downward in regret as he had blamed himself for what had happened to Ricky.

Blaming himself for wanting him to mold Ricky into the same image that his father had always desired for him.

'If I'm like my father, then I should start acting like my father and take some responsibility.' Lucky thought since it was only right he would do right by Ricky just how his father did for him.

"Ricky-"

*Thump*

Lucky couldn't even say anything as Ricky had finally collapsed onto the floor as Lucky rushed to his side and picked him up.

Immediately, Lucky checked his pulse before heaving a sigh of relief before wrapping him in his expensive coat, he took Ricky into his arms before standing up as Frank suddenly remembered something.

*Snap*

"I know why this was so familiar, he's like one of those freaks at the circus-ow~" Frank rubbed his arm as Meyer punched him right as he said that.

"Time and place Frank, time and place." Meyer shook his head as Lucky frowned when gazing at Frank who gulped.

"I forget what they called them-....oh! Mutants, yea mutants." Frank quickly explained but Lucky's face only became uglier.

"Walk with me." Lucky ordered as he walked out of the room with the two of them trailing behind him.

"What are you going to do Boss-"

"Be a man." Lucky's statement was met with raised eyebrows from both sides. The Luciano family and the other mobsters in the room exchanged puzzled glances at the sight of Ricky, drenched in blood. 

Curiosity grew as they took in the scene before them, trying to make sense of the unholy mess that Ricky had created. 

Initially, there was fear and confusion, as they struggled to comprehend what had transpired. 

But soon, a realization began to dawn, something that didn't quite fit within the realm of normalcy.

Respect.

The rumors of Ricky's alleged actions in the future, spreading at Lucky's behest, would not only serve to elevate Lucky's status within the Luciano family but also solidify his position in the underworld.

But would spread all across the families.

"What does that even mean?" Frank asked Lucky who walked into a car with a driver waiting for him.

"It means that I need an heir to take over the family mantle." Lucky said as the two showed shocked looks as their mouths hung agape.

Both of them had been trying to set him up with gals for the past decade for this exact reason yet he suddenly decided to do it out of the blue before Meyer seemingly understood.

*Sigh*

"Then I guess I'll get on it." Meyer smiled wryly as Lucky nodded before the car scurried off into the night.

"What just happened?" Frank asked as Meyer patted the brute's shoulder with a smile.

"It means that the Luciano family legacy will carry over to the next generation." 

The Next Day,

"I-I'm sorry your what?" Gertrude asked in a baffled tone since she had never expected the scene in front of her.

"You deaf lady? Our boss wants to adopt Slick-"

"Charles Luciano would like to adopt Ricky Freeman." Meyer stopped Frank while calmly answering the question again while handing the necessary files over to her.

"I have taken the necessary precautions of acquiring and filling out all the tedious paperwork; however, I still need your John Handcock." Meyer informed Gertrude while pointing to the dotted line as she frowned.

"This is illegal." Gertrude spoke since it should be impossible for Meyer to be able to get all the necessary documents since she herself needs to request it.

"It won't be once you sign it." Meyer said while once again pointing to the dotted line.

"I'm not signing-"

*Sigh*

"Please miss, don't make this hard." Meyer pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to be the voice of reason only to receive a stubborn cross arms.

"Alright, go for it Frank." Meyer waved while leaning back in the chair.

"Finally, Edward told me about this ladies mouth and how it spews nothing but sh*t." Frank scoffed while pulling out his brass knuckles.

"Jake also told me about her but I thought he over exaggerated it." Meyer let out a small sigh as Frank stood up.

The runners that Frank grabbed earlier weren't some random kids who had aspirations to join the family but their own brothers.

Although Jake and Edward could be introduced through association and join the family very easily, both of the older brothers were severely against this.

They were runners for the five point gang before they followed Lucky to form the Luciano family and they wanted their baby brother to follow in their footsteps the right way.

Lucky was against this at first but relented after it was their choice to join and left it at that.

"Y-Y-You can't-"

"I mean we will, and then will forge your signature so what will it be Gerturde, the easy way or the bloody way." Meyer showed an unremorseful smile as Frank flexed the brass knuckles between his fingers.

Gerturde didn't think twice as she picked up the pen and started signing her signature on the documents before Meyer grabbed them.

"Let's hope you never cross our paths again, for your sake." Meyer stood up while walking to the door as Frank scoffed at her.

"Act all tough yet don't even stand your ground." Frank had no respect for Gerturde while following Meyer out the door with the documents that made Ricky the legal son of Charles 'Lucky' Luciano.

"Excuse me?" Steve appeared with a swollen eye as the two raised their eyebrows at this.

"You're Ricky's friend right?" Meyer bent down as Steve stood his ground amidst the fear.

"What have you done to Ricky-"

"Steve!" Bucky rushed to grab Steve's mouth with his free hand while carrying a familiar sack with his other hand.

"You both adopted Ricky right?" Bucky asked after seeing Meyer nodded before seeing the sack held in front of him.

"These are all of Ricky's belongings, here." Bucky handed the sack to Meyer who nodded and took it before laughing once he saw the contents.

"Is Ricky-....." Bucky wanted to ask something but the words were caught in his mouth.

"He's fine and you'll see him again." Frank picked at his ear as Bucky's face lit up.

"That good-"

"Your mobster, right!" Steve declawed Bucky's hand from his mouth and shouted without fear at the two.

"PUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The two started to burst out in laughter at this skinny twig putting up such a fearless front.

"Yeah, but so what?" Frank wiped his eyes as Meyer was still laughing.

"You're the bad guys, you can't adopt Ricky." Steve spoke in a childlike nativity as Meyer reigned his laughter in.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"I-I'll save Ricky-"

*PFFFFT*

"Look at you kid, worrying about Slick when you can't even save yourself." Frank shook his head while walking past him as he bumped his tiny body to the floor.

*Thump*

"Steve!" Bucky rushed to him before seeing he was alright though Steve was angrily gazing at Meyer.

"Stay in your lane kiddo." Meyer said as he started walking before turning back to the two with a deadly gaze.

"Before you snoop around and find out what we do with mice." Meyer left those words as he closed the door of the orphanage behind him.

2 days later,

"Urgh~" Ricky let out a pained groan as he opened his eyes to see himself in a fancy room.

"Look who finally woke up." Lucky smirked while pulling down his reading glasses.

"Am I dead?" Ricky asked while gazing up at the white ceiling.

"I'd hope not." Lucky chuckled while setting down the paper and gazing at his now severely beaten son.

"Where am I?" Ricky asked as Lucky rang a bell before pulling up a stool to sit next to him.

"My home is in upstate Brooklyn." Lucky informed Ricky as the latter smacked his dry lips together.

"Why?" Ricky side-eyed Lucky with the eye that was swollen to the point he could look out of it.

"Because no son of mine is gonna live in an orphanage." Lucky hinted to which RIcky picked up on it immediately.

"You're kidding, you adopted me?" Ricky asked in a baffled tone only for Lucky to nod.

"I might have accidentally threw you into this life but i'm not going leave you out to dry now that your here." Lucky patted Ricky's confused shoulder before shrugging and letting out a small chuckle.

"Do I call you pop's now or?" Ricky joked to which Lucky laughed.

"If you want." Lucky shrugged as the door opened with a maid walking in with a carriage of soups.

"Ugh, soup." Ricky loathed this poor excuse for a meal however right now it was the only thing he could eat.

"Don't be a f*cking baby." Lucky scoffed as the maid set up the tray right above him.

Slowly, she started to spoon feed him as Ricky became surprised at the taste as Lucky cracked a smile.

"Good right?" Lucky chuckled though Ricky's belly grumbled for more while his eyes were lasered in on the meal.

After about twenty minutes, the maid had finished feeding Ricky before leaving the two alone in the room once more.

"So what now, am I Ricky Luciano now?" Ricky asked as Lucky shrugged with an uncaring expression.

"It honestly doesn't matter." Lucky said as if giving the choice to Ricky who nodded.

'Might as well start this new life with a new name.'

"Ricky Luciano, kinda has a nice ring to it." Ricky gave his permission as Lucky cracked a smile while patting his shoulder.

"Alright but get some rest, Slick." Lucky informed him while walking out the door as Ricky steeled into the egyptian cotton sheets.

'Well, I guess this new life thing isn't all that bad.'

Lucky walked through the hall of his large mansion before opening the door to reveal his luxurious office.

Walking forward, he sat at the helm of the desk while starting to fill out tedious paperwork as a new frame was propped up behind him.

It was a name certificate that didn't have his own name but another as it read two words in big bold letters.

'Ricky Luciano.'