The issues of 'What would you do?' will lay out sticky scenarios that we would only come across once or twice in our everyday lives. At the end of each scenario there will be an open end for righteous and keen judgment. My goal is to leave you thinking, hopefully caught in between the gaps of your mind. Even though I want to focus on the gray areas where you're questioning your priorities, morals, beliefs, etc., I know that won't always be the case because there are people out there who have their stuff outlined with a permanent black marker. However, it doesn't hurt to try. Maybe some of the responses you get in this issue will define a person's personality in a indirect way and I think that would be something unique. Hold onto your seats ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to present Issue 2.

Well, life is going great until you came across some information that changed your life forever.... During the evening in the HQ, you were finishing up your daily errands before the day came to end. The only task you had left was to hand in your family shot report at your Godfather's office. You couldn't wait to be done for the day because your crew leader, who is a Captain for your Godfather,  is going to pick you up from the HQ and take you out for the night with some friends. So you immediately make your way to his office to complete your day's work. There's a long hallway you have to walk down before getting to his office. This hallway is atleast fifty feet in length and it files straight down to a single door. Before your halfway down the hall, the Godfather's left hand man steps out of his office and starts walking in your direction. As you walked by, you tell the man to have a good night but the only thing you get in return was a cold blank stare. Something wasn't right but you shook it off and continued down the hallway. When you got close to the door there was a low muffled conversation going on between your Godfather and someone else. The door wasn't shut all the way but at the same time it was closed enough to where you couldn't see anybody walking down the hallway. Before you were about to open the door, you hear...

Godfather: "....have him shoot his own Captain and then kill him yourself when the job is done."
Unknown: "But are you sure about this? He's our strongest hitter and everybody loves him in the HS."
Godfather: "I know this but he's becoming a threat to me. I really believe the HS is more loyal to him than me."
Unknown: "But, wh--"
Godfather: "There are no buts young man! I run this city and I plan to have complete control! Don't question me!"
Unknown: "Yes sir."
Godfather: "Trust me, I feel more guilty having this man killed than my own Captain."
Unknown: "...."
Godfather: "I know my paranoia is getting the best of me but it kept me alive for a long time so there's no point of changing my ways now. Like I said before, this Captain is becoming too strong for my liking and that hitter is responsible for it. If word gets out that I arranged their deaths, my family would crumble from the inside out so I need this plan carried out so the blood is not on my hands."
Unknown: "I understand."

The conversation trailed on for another ten minutes but you didn't stick around to hear the rest. You discretely waited down the hallway until someone left the office. Shortly after, the Godfather's right hand man came out of the office and then you made your appearance down the hallway at the right time to make it look that you just arrived. As you walked by the right hand man, he gave you the same look as the left hand man did earlier ago but he managed to say goodnight.  You gave him a friendly nod pretending that you don't know anything and then continued in your Godfather's office. The Godfather gave you a story of lies saying that your crew leader was having an affair with his wife and he also was taking a cut from the family's profit. The conversation was short but well instructed. You are to kill your crew leader tonight when you go out for drinks and immediately report back to the HQ (for death) when you're done. The Godfather shook your hand and you departed. When you got outside, your crew leader picked you up and told the driver to go down town.

So do you carry out your loyalty to a suicidal death and follow your Godfather's orders by killing your own crew leader even though you're going to be murdered right after him? Maybe you should, after all your Godfather did provide protection, money, and power to you throughout your whole life. So it might be reasonable to say he has the right to dispose of you any time he wants. If it wasn't for him, you probably would be dead long time ago out in the streets. Or do you disobey orders and tell your crew leader about the plan in hope to rally against your own Godfather? Perhaps you can since the HS respects you more than the Godfather himself. However, there's a good possibility where clueless family members outside the scheme might come to their own conclusion and see you betraying the family. Or would you do something different? There are so many decisions and outcomes, so...

What would you do?

Well, this is one where you say "I'm fucked".

There is no 'right' option. It's a matter of what you believe in.

Going into the deep depths of my brain and heart, I would have to say I would warn my Crew Leader about the hit. If the God Father is worried about him getting too strong, maybe he is too weak. I wouldn't want to follow a weak minded leader who's hell bend on keeping himself on top by any means, even killing his top Hitter and Crew Leader. I wouldn't be able to follow a man like that. When it's time to give up the reigns, have honor and do it.

Hopefully, I would be able to rally the HS and the Crew Leader to overthrow the weak God Father, and allow the Crew Leader to take the title. If it fails, then it's what it is. If I died serving that God Father, he would make up a bunch of lies on why he killed me just has he did for the CL. There's no honor in that.

If I fight for my Crew Leader, and for the well-being of the entire city, then I can rest easy knowing that I did my best to make things right.

That is my action.

I dont shoot anyone. I cant respect anyone who loves power that much.

Kill the godfather on my own, but frame a rival family for it. Leave no trace that it was me. That includes whacking the LHM, RHM, and any others who are aware of the godfather's plans. And, if you are found to be the killer, flee the city, change your name, grow a beard, lose thirty pouds, and become a lawyer.

As Mcknighter already mentioned what i was thinking, all i can do is add that if the Godfather was paranoid or weak, then it would have been noticed by others & plans to overthrow might already be in place.

Panda thinks long and hard before speaking, this is truely a difficult topic, and an area fraught with pitfalls.

I believe this basically comes down to two things, Loyalty and Omerta. I'll deal with Loyalty first. I swore an oath of Loyalty to my CL and at the same time to my Godfather. As my CL has also sworn loyalty to the GF then he should accept his fate. If I tell my CL, I risk a war, and the deaths of countless of my friends and comrades, as well as the possible downfall of both families. By following my orders I minimise that risk, and I can at least control how my CL dies, giving him a swift and relatively painless ride to the afterlife. Likewwise if that is my destiny, I can accept it with grace and honour, and hope to be rewarded with a similarly quick and relatively painless death. Plus, there may be variables I am unaware of. This could all be a test of my loyalty, the GF may well have deliberately left the door open, knowing I would overhear the conversation that he staged when notified of my arrival. Any other cousre of action on my part may also result in the death or torture of my loved ones. my Spouse, children, mother and father etcetera. Many of you will no doubt disagree with my assessment, and that is your right, just know that you are wrong.

Panda chuckles to himself, he can't help but try and stire up a little contention. Being heckled is always fun.

My second Point was Omerta, the oath of Silence. As this information that I overheard is of vital importance to the family, regardless of the fact that it involves me, I am honour bound to keep that information to myself, no offense intended Don Bovine. My oath to the Godfather outweighs my oath to my Crewleader, regardless of my personal feelings on the matter. If I pass on this information, regardless of the outcome of the ensuing war, assuming my CL didn't order me to carry out the GF's instructions, I would for ever more be seen as a stoolie, a grass, a tout. My honour would be gone, despite anything else I might think. I turned my back on my oath to the GF to protect a friend. It is not my place to make decisons like this, if it were, I would be the GFs consigliere and not head of my CL's hit team. I can't explain myself any clearer than this, but I do feel that telling my CL would dishonour me, my Family, my CLs Family, the GF and the GF's family.

Anyway, I've spoken for quite long enough, and its time to give the floor to someone else to espouse the various merits and flaws of my argument or to make their own.

Panda steps back into the crowd and waits to hear what the others have to say.

Chris thinks and thinks. He thinks so long that his brain is about to get swollen. Puts his hand on his forehead and thinks about it even more!

Well just like McNighter said. "Your Fucked." either way your going to die, right? But, I would rather stay and fight like a man. I know that the Godfather is the one probably saving my life long time ago. But still, he's going to betray you and kill you! And what did I do. Nothing except being the best hitter. (If I was.)

But the Godfather can't do it himself or something. He wants his crew to betray him and cause a riot! That's just crazy. And that's going to make the city look bad too. Can't you see that on everyone's crew! Best HS leader killed Leader. And what's the Godfather going to say?

But I'll fight and tell my leader. I mean to start a fight and TRY to live it, would be the smart thing to do in this case. Even though I hate to admitted it! But I don't want to be drive to the restaurant, kill my leader! Who I love to death! Then get killed right then and there.

I would actually give my leader a note about it and say we need to use the bathroom or something and get the hell out of there and plan our attack!

(If we were going to a restaurant. I forgot it said going OUT. But that's what I would do.)

Well, I gotta admin. It's hard to keep your loyalty to the God Father ahead of you instead of your Crew Leader. I am loyal to my God Father, but I have to say I put a lot more trust, loyalty, and faith to someone I know. That would be my Crew Leader.

In some cases, people know their GF/GM because of their bloodlines. I, I don't have much contacts with the upper class of our line of work. I like to keep to my Crew, because a lot of people take offense easily. I serve my Godfather by serving my Crew Leader. That's how I run my life.

To be asked to kill the very person who I gave my life to, because the Godfather was weak, is something I couldn't do. If he's testing me, then I failed him and will be shot for it. If so, then I wasn't ready for the job he wanted to gave for me. Nothing I can do, I'm just not right for it and I'll pay for it with my life.

Omerta, well, The Godfather auth'ed the Captain, I am in the Captain's Crew. I wouldn't be breaking the Omerta because I'm telling someone inside the Family. I think of it as more of a favor. 

Should my honor be thrown away in the wind, so be it. I can be at peace with myself. I don't care what others think of me, I be who I am. If they judge me, so be it. I would be dead anyways, if they try to mess with my son, he knows better. He'll shake off the chains of corruption and gossip and live his life to the fullest. 

Anyways, that's my counter-statement. You do what you do, I'll do what I do. We can only let life take it's turn and decide our fate.

That is true McKnighter. I do rather talk to my CL then my GF. So I would have to trust my CL a lot more then GF. Sorry GF of New Orleans.

Situations like this is what causes power struggles and wars between Families. If a Godfather wants one of his Captains clipped, why lie to someone about it? Or better still, why not just give the job to someone inside of his own Family and be done with it.

If this situation presented itself, I would say maybe the acting Godfather might watch his back. Once word gets out that he wants one of his own Captains gone, and for no justifiable reason, the other Captains would start to wonder when they would end up six-feet under for no reason. There's nothing wrong with Loyalty, but blind loyalty can lead you off a cliff. This is where you have to think about the consequences of each action, weither you go with side 1 or side 2. When you enter this Thing Of Ours, you take an oath. How much you beleive in that oath is all up to you.

While I was at the bar with my CL I will pull out my gun and sit it right in front of me. Then when my CL ask whats wrong I will tell him/her what I heard cause you never know it could be a test but if its not a test well if the GF feel that my CL and I could take over well I guess we will just take over I will not kill myself or my CL cause we have a bond

Do you think that it would just be coincedince if all of the people who said they would choose to support CL over GF were to be found dead tommorow?

Don't worry about it Panda, you'll get me killed long before this is an issue :P

Hey, I wrote that! ME! Not Panda!

Tritium slaps the back of mnirem's head.

Stop trying to spoil the fun. Why so seeeerious?!

Mnirem runs to a corner and cries.

"I'm so sowy, Tritium. Pwease fowgiiiiiiiiiivvvve mehehe!!!"

Mnirem looks at Tritium with big, puppy-dog eyes.

"Pwese? You know you can't resist the eyes!"