Alvin ultimately didn't take Duke and Ripcord to Old William's bar district...
Because on the way, he saw more than thirty heavily armed mercenaries being chased in panic by a large gang of gangsters.
The gangsters had brought out their most heavily armed pickup trucks, shouting all kinds of slogans as they pursued the unlucky mercenaries...
Alvin knew that Bruto and his crew must have thought Beckett's daytime march had made a big splash, so now they were driving these hapless mercenaries along in a different kind of parade.
Partly, it was a response to Beckett's arrogant behavior that day. It was also a reminder to Hell's Kitchen residents that this was still gang territory.
Watching the scene unfold like something out of Black Hawk Down, Alvin shook his head helplessly and said to Duke, "You don't need to go. These guys are dead!
"Tell your men to bring the armored vehicles and meet us. Looking the way you do, you could easily get hit by friendly fire as soon as you get out."
As Alvin spoke, a few hot-tempered men in the apartment building beside them shoved open their windows. Cursing, they fired several RPGs at the fleeing mercenaries...
The violent explosions sent several unlucky mercenaries flying. A few more were clutching their wounded legs and hadn't even had time to cry out before machine guns mounted on the armed pickups behind them tore them to pieces...
Leaning close to the window and watching the fighting outside, Ripcord crossed himself and said in disbelief, "I knew Hell's Kitchen was dangerous, but I never thought it would be this dangerous.
"In every battle we've fought here, I kept hearing people say the people of Hell's Kitchen were all lunatics...
"Now I realize 'lunatic' doesn't even begin to describe them..."
Ripcord