A Rocky Relationship

A Lethal Problem
Junk Island.

It was a rather remote and small island located within that got its rather eye catching name from its signature  junkyard, which had grown so large that it towered over the rest of the island’s landmarks. Heaps of metal were sprawled across the junkyard and in the middle of all the junk was a humongous factory that stood as the lone building among the sea of scrap metal.

This was known as the Junk Factory that was owned by the Margolo Gang, a notorious criminal gang that had taken up residence on the island and had begun producing special gadgets and weapons through the use of everyday junk. While the profits of the factory were extraordinary, there were also detrimental effects of the large toxic waste being poured out into the nearby ocean as the health of the islanders was beginning to deteriorate due to pollution coming from the factory.

Those that complained about the pollution however were quickly silenced through violence as the Margolo gang’s hired thugs were more than capable of beating up the lowly and weak islanders. The Marines, who the islanders saw as their last hope, had all but turned their backs on them and had been rumored to have made a deal with the Margolo Gang that involved them ignoring the clear atrocities being committed for a slice of the cut.

The situation couldn’t get any more bleak as a young man with a pompadour style haircut stood on top of a small house and glared in the direction of the factory, sheer hatred and contempt in his brown onyx eyes.

“Those bastards won’t get away with this”

Rock; that was the name of this young man dressed in a white overcoat who was the leader of one of the larger gangs on Junk Island and was known as the strongest street fighter around the block. For all his strength however, Rock had a passion for medical knowledge and had even opened up his own clinic near the outskirts of the town where his gang was mostly located.

“Hey Boss!”

Rock’s attention drifted from the factory towards the ground below where a few of his followers were seen carrying a heavily bruised and bloodied man on their shoulders.

Rock jumped down immediately and caught himself before rushing towards the trio with a worried look on his face. He examined the badly roughed up gentleman and noted the injuries across his body, identifying what he would need to patch him up. As for the origin of where these injuries came from, Rock already had an idea as he glanced at his two followers who nodded solemnly, as if they could read his thoughts.

“The damn fool. Trying to take on the Margolo gang by himself, that’s beyond reckless” Rock sighed but said no more as he motioned for the duo to bring him as he led them inside his residence.

Half an hour had passed and Rock had finished tending to the man’s major injuries as the elderly man was bandaged from head to toe and laid on the bed inside the medical room. Outside of a few broken ribs and a fractured nose and jaw, he didn’t have any other serious injuries so he’d make a recovery with enough rest.

“How is he?” One of the two men asked as he approached the bed.

“He’ll live. Whether out of pity or mercy, they let him walk out of there without any permanent injuries but he won’t be moving anytime soon. I’ll let him crash here until he’s feeling better”

“That’s a relief” The man expressed with a sigh and was once again impressed by how skilled their boss was when it came to being a doctor.

Rock placed the first aid kit back onto the table and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms with a serious look.

“Damn it!” Trevor, one of Rock’s followers, punched the wall beside him with a vicious look. “I can’t take this shit anymore! Those bastards get to do whatever the hell they want and we’re supposed to just accept this!?”

“Calm down Trev, you already know there’s nothing we can do” Carter, the other follower in the room voiced with reason as Trevor frowned in his direction.

“I know! I know that already but… it’s just so damn frustrating!”

Rock remained silent but agreed with them as he looked out the window of the room. The Margolo’s were simply too strong for anyone on this island to face off against. They had money, strength, and manpower and above all else; were even secretly being backed by the Marines. What could his little gang do against those kinds of odds? No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t fight an army. He wanted to help the people of this island but he was powerless to do so. He felt even more frustrated than his followers and just as he was thinking of marching into the factory to let loose his anger, a peculiar sight outside the window caught his attention.

“Hey, isn’t that a ship?” Rock said, causing Trevor and Carter to follow his gaze as they approached the window.

“That’s definitely a ship. It even has a jolly roger, a rather flashy one at that” Trevor snarked.

“It’s obviously a pirate crew. It’s been a few weeks since the last time a pirate crew came to visit this island. I’m sure they’re just here to resupply on stocks and check out the new island” Carter theorized.

Rock however, wasn’t on their line of thinking and narrowed his eyes in a hostile manner towards the port where the ship was approaching. He didn’t exactly dislike or hate pirates but the last time he saw a pirate crew, he had watched as they not only ignore the pleads from the desperate islanders, but also go on to support the Margolo Gang and purchase weapons from them. They then proceeded to pillage a few houses and cause even more headaches for the dwellers of this island.

There was no chance in hell Rock was going to let that happen again as he immediately rushed out of the room, causing Trevor and Carter to call out to him.

“Hey, where are you going?! Boss!” Trevor shouted and looked at Carter who had already bolted out of the room to follow their leader as they tried to catch up to him.

“If those Pirates aren’t here to help, then they shouldn’t be here at all!” Rock snarled as he sped towards the port, a fire in his eyes.