Raptor

Knowing it wasn't the smartest thing to travel alone, Mark brought Patrick with him to Celtic's seriously damaged ground. It was virtually abandoned, so again no one spotted them. No one expected them either. Or so the two thought... As they climbed up the escape ladder that provided the only access to the second floor where the remains of the club's offices were, a very familiar voice greeted them...

SO'M Well well... Sean and Michael O'Hara... Or can I just call you Mark and Patrick again now?

MF Stevie?!

PO'K O'Mao? How the fück do you know our cover names?

SO'M I have my ways O'Kelly. So, your little South American holidays over now that the bullets stopped flying back home?

MF You seem to know everything Stevie. My compliments.

PO'K Except we weren't on holidays.

SO'M Flattering will get you everywhere eh Mark? Oh and O'Kelly, how else would you call taking the first bullet out of town?

PO'K What are you playing at O'Mao?

SO'M The fact you are a sorry example of a republican.

PO'K Oh yeah? You want me to show you that?

MF Jesus you two, cut it out. We didn't come back to start this bullshìt all over again. We're here to rebuild our country, our lives, and our club.

SO'M "Our" club?

MF Yes Mr. Caretaker Raptor Group Sports Commissionner.

SO'M Ah, I see what you're trying there. I'm sorry Frost, there's nothing caretaker about it. Stevie O'Mao is here to stay.

PO'K Great...

MF Where's your puppet chairman?

SO'M Johnson? Trying to finalise a deal for summer reinforcements. You don't want to know how hard it is to sign players now.

MF I can sort of imagine... But that won't be your concern any longer. I'm back, and I want to take over again.

SO'M Heh, you're a funny man Frost. Walking in and out on Celtic when you see fit. Well, I'm sorry. As the person responsible for the club's well-being, I have its long term interests at heart. And you won't be part of that. But perhaps your mate Winchester will employ you at that sad excuse for a football team up in Leith.

MF That was such a b@stard move O'Mao... ditching Hibs for Hearts.

SO'M The Raptor Group appeared to like it. They made a killing out of it. Well, not literally, which is easy to assume these days, but you know.

MF And they rewarded you richly. How much are Boston Hibs worth now?

SO'M Oh, some $25-35m I'd say. Excluding Quincy Park of course.

MF Of course. And you still won't settle for that, and leave Celtic to us, people to whom the club means something?

SO'M Oww... I'm hurt Frost. Do you think Celtic doesn't mean anything to my family?

PO'K Oh stop the bullshìt. Celtic means nothing to you. Belfast means nothing to you. Hell, Ireland probably means fück all to you. You just fück off whenever, wherever it suits you.

SO'M It's funny you should say that O'Kelly. It's also funny that I had almost exactly the same discussion with Best a while ago. You don't know a thing about Stevie O'Mao...

MF It's obvious you want to tell us something Stevie. Tell me, what heroics have you performed for Erin's sake...

SO'M You'll find out soon enough. Presumably within 15 minutes of the chat you'll have with your media mate Keith Stuart after you're done here.

For a second, Frost is speechless. He doesn't know what to make of all this. All along, Stevie O'Mao knew they were alive, and whereabouts they spent their days in exile. And now, he not only appeared to know when to expect them back, but also exactly what they were up to next. Then he realises it's merely common sense that made Stevie guess right.

MF I'll do that soon enough yes. But first, I want you to tell me what it is you're after. I want Celtic back, tell me how.

SO'M You still don't understand do you Frost? It's no longer about what YOU want. You are dead.

PO'K Are you threatening us now then?

SO'M Shut up thicko, I'm stating facts. I have a copy of your death certificates.

MF They're fake!

SO'M Of course they are, but legally, you, and your wife, and your kids and brother-in-law, are entitled to sweet fück all.

Raptor

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by stevethedog:
Finally up to date :eek: Are you still in control of Hibs (if so get your act together!!) or have you done the dirty and for the sake of a story gone and started managing Hearts?

Loving the story but I felt wee Jase dying was pretty bad taste, the things you do for cliffhangers <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cliffhangers &gt; j00 :cool:

There were too many CMS legends called Jason already. I had no choice. Blame PM7


And I'm not in control of Hibs anymore Did manage the evil side of Embra for a season and a half to assemble a half-decent squad, but with my eyes closed for most of the time. I know, I know, I'll burn in hell for this

retired_eeyore827

aye, but Raptor.... shÃ*te doesnt burn :p

Still a good story :thup:

retired_mellnet

PO'K That won't be very difficult to fix. We'll just...

SO'M Turning towards Frost Do you pay him by the stupid comment?

Turning back towards the moron. What are you going to burn these? They are just copies. But don't worry, despite all the damage and destruction in Belfast, somehow, somebody managed to save certain government databases.

MF I wonder who that could be...

PO'K Don't worry I still have friends in Belfast.

SO'M I wonder how happy your friends will be when they see the man who waited out the war, poolside in Brazil. I am certain that your friends are a lot fewer than you think.

But there is one more problem you face. If you try to change the death certificates, you will find that forging government documents is a crime. But don't worry 5-10 years is nothing for two young men like you.

PO'K Fvck you O'Mao.

MF I bet you are really enjoying this.

SO'M Why would I be enjoying this? Look around, my investment in Belfast Celtic lies practically in ruins. Only a moron would be enjoying this. But don't shed a tear for Stevie...

MF Save us your sob story. I don't have time for this. Remember I want Celtic back. I guess we best get going then. Oh, taking about Best... any idea where I can find old George?

SO'M Let's see, it's 1.30pm now... try the pub nearest to his home.

MF The pub?

SO'M You'll see...

Raptor

But Mark and Patrick had no time to check out local pubs right now. With a few people already knowing of their return, and with the word no doubt spreading fast, they had to find some information they were after as soon as possible. Who better to help them than an old friend...

Raptor

... And so the two arrived at Belfast Telegraph HQ, where they finally were recognised by a larger group of people. The man they were looking for, Keith Stuart, looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Once he had recovered from the shock, and heard the story of the Frosts' narrow escape from a fiery death and subsequent escape to Colombia, the Telegraph's Sports Editor filled his visitors in on some more details of the war, and pledged to help Frost get the documents he was looking for. Stuart also had a copy of that morning's Telegraph, with full details on the peace agreement that had been signed hours before the Frosts returned to Ireland. They hadn't expected to arrive back home and find a peace agreement in place, but were happy to hear the end of the war appeared to have arrived.

Raptor

Later that afternoon, back with Katie and the kids at her uncle and aunt, the peace agreement as printed in the Irish News is discussed.

PO'K So uncle Liam, the Unionists get control over Antrim and can implement their own laws there?

LO'K That's right Patrick. As long as they don't clash with the constitution that is.

PO'K That's the end of a federal Ireland with provincial parliaments then I hope?

KF That was never going to happen. They were discussing it even back when I was in the Dail. The other provinces never wanted it.

MF What's the status of Belfast now then?

LO'K As of now, it's part of Co. Down. That ensures a massive unionist majority in Antrim.

MO'K We wouldn't want Belfast to be part of Antrim anymore either. Not now that they'll have their own police force.

KF What?! Who allowed them that?!

LO'K It was a vital concession. Had to be made, otherwise there wouldn't have been a deal. In fact, they wanted their own army as well, but that was rejected.

PO'K They HAVE their own army... It's called UDA and LLM.

MF Well, not anymore if the war really is over.

KF Don't be naive Mark, they won't hand over any weapons. No one will.

LO'K No one has to. This time, decommissioning wasn't part of the agreement.

PO'K Really? So this country finally learns from its previous mistakes?

MF If the war IS over they won't have to use those weapons anyway, so they'll be beyond use. Who cares who keeps them? If things go wrong again, they'd get new ones without any problem whatsover. Goes for both sides.

PO'K You got that much right!

KF So, will there be any nationalist representation in the Co. Antrim council?

MO'K Unlikely. They'll use the first-past-the-post system, which will ensure a minimum of nationalist interference in their affairs. But it's a small price to pay for peace.

PO'K They shouldn't have been granted that much.

LO'K Well, the loyalist army wasn't beaten, so they were in a very strong bargaining position. Played the game really well, with all sort of demands they could drop cos they didn't really seek them after all.

MO'K The government realised that soon enough though. Just let them have some of those smaller demands. Did you know Ireland's now part of the Commonwealth?

PO'K Are you serious aunt Mary?

MO'K Dead serious Patrick.

PO'K That wouldn't be the Commonwealth that acknowledges His Majesty King Charles III as it's head?

LO'K The one and only. Some people are very unhappy about that, but...

KF ... but at the end of the day, it's just a title. It means nothing. England doesn't have a say here Patrick.

PO'K So what other "compromises" were made?

LO'K Oh, a few minor things. Three-quarters of any international aid Ireland receives goes to rebuilding Ulster, equally shared between Antrim and the rest of the province.

MF That's a bit unfair. Belfast looks more damaged than any other place. It could do with most money.

LO'K Unionist Co. Antrim will get an entire new capital though, to be built from scratch. That'll cost a lot of money too.

MF Is that the one on Lough Neagh they had planned?

MO'K Yes. They wanted to call it New Belfast at first, but decided to name it Doagh, after the nearby village that was completely destroyed by the IRA two years ago. It'll be the seat of their mini-government.

LO'K And then there's a few nationwide appointments and changes. Some laws will be modified, if the soon-to-be-elected Dail passes them anyway. And the protestant community gets an extra judge on the Supreme Court too.

PO'K Right, after all that, what's in it for us?

MF Peace, by the looks of it.

PO'K And a 31-county Republic.

LO'K Still 32 Patrick... Just one with far-reaching autonomy.

PO'K Exactly. Did our comrades die for that?

KF They died for an independent and united Ireland. We have that now, and maybe this really was the final chapter in this bloody history.

PO'K How long do you think this peace will last? Someone will want to take away their ridiculous privileges, or maybe they'll want all of Ulster back first.

KF We'll see. Just be glad it's over for now.

PO'K Sis, what happened to you lately?! Until recently, you would never have accepted this!

KF Patrick, we've spent THREE YEARS away from home, because of a stupid conflict that's raged for longer than anyone cares to remember! I'm fed up with it. I want my kids to grow up in a peaceful country!

PO'K One in which WE do all the compromising.

LO'K I know how you feel Patrick, but something had to give. This way, we all get a new chance. Oh, by the way, Orange Order marches down catholic roads are a thing of the past now, also part of the agreement.

PO'K Well, at least there was SOMETHING in it for us. How long did they take to complete this surrender? Three minutes?

LO'K The final deal was struck in less than a week. You were still preparing for a return to a country at war when we spoke on the phone.

MF Maybe a quick deal is good for a change. You know what happened to those other agreements. They failed, despite years of negotiating. At least if this one fails, it won't have wasted much time...

It's clear Patrick is the least happy of the family with the peace agreement, but like the rest of the country, he'll have to play his part in making it work. It's Ireland's best chance of peace in nearly a century...

Raptor

As the Frosts try to find their place in Irish society again, they visit a lot of friends and other people they knew before the war broke out. Most are happy to find out they're still alive (which they did through an exclusive Belfast Telegraph interview on the 12th of May), but especially among Patrick's acquaintances, some are very unhappy they didn't play their part in the war. Mark, and also Katie now, don't particulary care, arguing their priority was to protect their family. They make the case that Patrick was with them to protect them, as he always had done. At least some people are persuaded by this, but certain relationships have suffered serious damage as a result of the war.

This doesn't apply to Frost's standing in the Belfast Celtic community. His return to Belfast re-ignites the club's hopes of a glorious future in Europe. But soon, it becomes clear Stevie O'Mao ignores sentiments among fans and longer serving members of the playing squad that Frost be put in charge again. During the war, Celtic's Irish dominance continued, with the club winning the League championship year after year, and O'Mao uses this as an argument not to re-employ Frost.

But the new man in control of the Raptor Group's sports programme doesn't intend to keep the manager responsible for those three wartime titles in charge either. Instead, with the war over, he has his henchman Marcus Johnson appoint Bruce Arena full-time, despite the American's failure in the Champions' League the previous season. Best isn't even kept on the managerial staff, but said to have retired. No one can verify the press release by the club with the Irish legend though, as he left Belfast for his summer holidays on the day the Frosts returned, without saying where he went.

Eventually, three weeks later, Best returns. Trying to recharge his batteries, he not only escaped football completely, but stayed well clear of the entire outside world, spending his holidays in northern Canada with his wife. The last thing he heard when leaving Ireland was that a peace agreement had been reached. Upon his return, he finds his old managerial colleague is alive and kicking, but also that both of them are unemployed. It's more than enough reason for an evening together to exchange news, views, and strategies to wrestle back control of Celtic from the O'Mao/Johnson/Arena trinity...

Raptor

GB ... And it was very nice of O'Mao to have me sacked while I was away. The backstabbing b@stard.

MF He wanted Arena to have the job, always wanted that from day one.

GB That Yank is so overrated... He didn't have a clue in the Champions' League... We never looked like grabbing a point. But Johnson worships Arena, so even if O'Mao would have second thoughts, we still wouldn't get rid of him.

MF Stevie wouldn't care about Johnson's opinion if he had something else in mind.

GB The old O'Mao wouldn't. But with Hearts his number one priority, he knows he can't spend too much time taking care of Celtic, so will have to trust his sidekick, even if he doesn't like all of his decisions.

MF But he spent an awful lot of time in Belfast I heard?

GB Apparently. But rumour has it he was involved in the republican movement, and that that's where he spent his time on.

MF Heh, I don't believe a word of that. Patrick would've known about it I think, and Stevie is far too clever to risk his life like that. All he cares about is money. And women, to a certain extend.

GB I dunno... He sounded pretty convincing when he told me about it. He had a point, about Celtic not being hit at all in the war, until the last week of the conflict anyway.

MF So he claimed that was down to him? Jesus, what a fraud. But I'll grant you that he can be very convincing.

GB Either way, he didn't spend too much time on Celtic, which gave Johnson an almost free reign. And he hates me with a passion.

MF Well, YOU'RE the one who's popular with the fans. Johnson may think it was a brilliant gambit to bring Arena on board, but in the end, it'll only backfire on him.

GB Actually, it's YOU who the fans want back.

MF I'm not the one who brought them four-in-a-row. But let's just assume they'll be happy to see our partnership back in charge. If Arena really is that bad, he'll fück up in the Irish League and we'll be back in no time. With a bit of luck, Johnson will be gone too. All we'd need to do is bide our time, if it wasn't for one thing: O'Mao is the one ultimately in charge. So whatever Johnson does is irrelevant, it's Stevie we need to get rid of.

GB If you put it that way... Any suggestions as to how we go about ditching him?

MF Not yet, but I'm investigating a few possibilties at the moment.

GB Can't the Raptor Group just re-appoint you?

MF No. All my contacts in it have moved on, and the current board are well behind O'Mao. But I don't want those backstabbers' help anymore, not after they sold Hibs. We had a 20-year agreement, and they broke it. And to go on and invest in Hearts was the final insult.
The next course of dinner is served, as the two continue their discussion on Celtic, it's current squad and what needs to be done to make serious European progress. During the night, Frost notices Best's alcohol consumption is considerable. He doesn't mention it, but suddenly realises what O'Mao meant when he told him to "look for the nearest pub" when Frost and O'Kelly went looking for Best the day of their return to Ireland. It could become a problem if the two want to retake control of Celtic...

retired_mellnet

Stevie was back in town, or what was left of the town, for a fundraiser, the Baintreach of something or other.

SO'M ...And for those that have given so much, never let it be said that Eire has forgotten you.

The crowded room erupted in applauses as Stevie's speach came to an end. He waited for a few seconds before descending the platform to shake the hands of war widows and handicapped veterans. He couldn't help but feeling a little shame for the fact that the war had been a godsend for the fortunes of Stevie O'Mao, but a little shame was something Stevie could easily deal with. He had been for all his life.

As he made his way down the aisle, he noticed Johnson was waiting in the back.

SO'M Okay what's going on?

MJ Frost is back in town.

SO'M Yeah, I saw him a couple of weeks ago. He was loitering around the rubble that once was Resurrection Stadium. By now he has met up with Ireland's favorite drunk, and they are starting to plot.

MJ Why do you think he's back? What is he plotting?

SO'M Well let's see there are no more bullets flying so I assume that Katie convinced him that it was time for him and all those little Frostlings to return. Why do you think? With the Peace Treaty signed, it is safe enough for him to return and try to reclaim his little piece of Ireland.

MJ He wants to regain control of Celtic?
What are we going to do to stop him?

SO'M I am sure I will come up with a brilliant plan only to be foiled in the end, but as a supporting character that is unfortunately my role. You see, this is Frost's story and he writes everything, except the brilliant parts that star me, like this little piece. Mao writes those, hence they are humorous and insightful. On the other hand, the long winded plot lines that have more twists than Porthos' mustache and are less interesting than Madame Pompador's undergarments, Frost writes those. So I am sorry to tell you, but our job is to show up, not laugh when he hands us the the script, tell him how good the tea is, to go with the flow and hope he doesn't see fit to off us.

MF And what if he does?

SO'M Apparently, I have nine lives, so i have less to worry than most. But if I was you, I'd start worrying about my black ass. Is that all you wanted?

MF Your daughter has been snooping around the club's office again. What do you think she is up to?

SO'M Damn. I am sure she is up to something, she's unfortunately 50% O'Mao.