The Raid

**The Raid** was a particularly brutal police siege over mob-controlled areas in Syndicate City, New York, serving as the main event of the eponymous 3rd level in *Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2*.

Increased criminal activity, with most leadership apparently residing in the lower east side of town, where the highest activity was being reported, Syndicate City law enforcement led a full-on assault on their suspected base of operation, using extreme measures to force the present gangsters into submission. The raid ended up being a failure, with heavy loses on both sides reaching into the hundreds, with dozens of officers killed in action, along with many of the suspects, following the unexpected discovery of the presence of wanted criminal Vinnie Cannoli.

## Background

In 1944, on an unspecified date in early summer, SCMP Precinct 81 were given superior orders to launch a massive raid on the lower east side of the city, in a desperate attempt to crack down the surge of illegal activities related to organized crime, particularly the ever-present Italian mobs, though a newer nation-wide player has also recently entered the picture and taken over an important role in the hierarchy.

The raid commenced when SCMP units barged into dozens of suspectedly mob-owned premises in the district, hoping to catch them off guard in the den of night. The targeted buildings were mostly privately owned establishments, like night venues, hotels, storage buildings, even cinemas, but police also openly patrolled in the streets, beating up anyone they deemed shady. Despite the sheer viciousness of police, the behaviour seems to have been warranted, especially if the past was anything to go by, as the local gangs reacted almost immediately, sending out waves of armed thugs to clash with their constables. The police was prepared, however, having brought with them half a dozen trucks filled with specially trained personell, who were not only handlers of the newest tools for crowd control, but also lectured in surprise tactics, such as sneakily making their ways onto rooftops and crashing through glass ceilings and domes, as well as more unorthodox methods like ramming their paddy wagons into walls and assumed hideouts at full speed, trunk doors first, out of which a small team exited to swarm the resistance. There were even reports of arson, with widespread fires burning down entire buildings, though sources are sketchy, with no one being completely sure whether it was the work of the police, having lighted the bonfires to flush the gangsters out of their hidey-holes, or a self destructive measure undertaken by the mobsters, to destroy evidence and/or kill as many officers as possible. What can be said is that the arrests were bound to outnumber the casualties from the start, with only handfuls of gangsters being forced into arrest and temporarily kept imprisoned in police vehicles.

## Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2

In the middle of the assault, a patrol of officers stormed Dillinger Theater and were greeted by the sight of Vinnie Cannoli, who they caught red handed killing a number of fellow gangsters, who were apparently attacking him. While one could argue that this was self-defense, Vinnie was no stranger to the judicial system himself, having been tried for a number of mob-related crimes, many violent in nature, even by criminal standards, but was able to wriggle his way out of doing time a multitude of times, including the infamous case of the Thugtown Incident, where he stood accused of mass murder, with no other known suspects, yet was let off the hook due to a undisclosed deal between him and federal authorities. With that in mind, it was clear that real justice was never going to be dished out, so it’s no wonder that many lawmen had sworn to bring down the Tyrant of Thugtown by themselves, no matter the cost, without any red tape hindering them from making things right. Besides, an unknown individual or group had recently issued a $10,000,000 reward for anyone who brought Vincent Cannoli to them, though never specifying in what condition he had to be in, so when word got around, most of the attention had been refocused on Vinnie, who proceeded to cross the entirety of Lower East Side. It seemed likely that the other gangsters would use this opportunity to make a run for it or even join forces with him, but they instead attempted to do the same as the police officers, trying to get their hands onto the bounty as well. No honor amongst thieves there.

It seemed like the cards were turned against Vinnie, but anyone who had heard of him and was smart enough to heed a warning knows that Vinnie is a one-man army, known for his brutality and as having the reputation for getting his way no matter the odds, which, in his line of work, makes up more than enough for his lack of forethought and subtlety. No matter how many men threw themselves at Vinnie, all would only find a gruesome end, becoming another number in Vinnie's body count. The relentlessness of both the police force and the mob were laudable, with even the arrested thugs immediately going for the kill when they were freed from their box-sized prisons, just like the obviously outgunned beat cops, still attempting to overwhelm their target, but in the end, all efforts were futile.

While some may have escaped his wrath, when the raid was over, it became clear that this so-called raid was little more than a bloodbath, with corpses found in all manner of execution, ranging from shooting, battering, kicking, crushing by falling objects, falling, dismemberment, burning and even being blown apart by explosions. It was a gruesome, yet simultaneously unremarkable event, a mere smidgeon, a footnote in the long history of violence that has been haunting Syndicate City, the US, the world as a whole.

The exact time the raid stopped isn't known and likely only ended because one party stopped sending men to their doom. None of the bodies were identified as belonging to Vinnie Cannoli, who was able to make his way through shootout after shootout and after an especially nasty trap in a strip club, he managed to reach his destination, Old Airfield, to Joe Barista's bar. He is said to have later been seen in Thugtown, invading the quarantine zone outpost and later in Europe amongst American troops during Operation Overlord in France during D-Day.

## Trivia

* At the start of the level by jumping on the platform where the lit window is and continuing jumping up, then moving left on the roof will lead to a secret MG42.
* At the first checkpoint, if you have a Rocket Launcher from the previous level, you can use it to Rocket Jump and get on top of the roof, skipping an entire section of the map.
* On the roof of the first building a message, a fourth wall breaking joke, can be found stating, "Artists forgot to create art here. I’ll let you take this weapon is you won’t tell anyone. Promised?". Underneath this message, there is a Rocket Launcher and Cannoli.
* On the balcony and in the window of the last building there are 2 shotguns.