Niko receives a phone call from the United Liberty Paper contact informing him that they have located Darko Brevic (the third surviving member of Niko's army unit during the Yugoslav War who betrayed the unit) and are bringing him to Liberty City. The contact informs Niko that Darko will be held at the cargo bay of Francis International Airport. Niko phones Roman to tell him the news, and Roman asks to come along with Niko. Niko collects Roman from Firefly Island and the pair drive to the airport. During the journey, Niko looks back to the day of Darko's betrayal and asks Roman what he is good at, with Roman replying that Niko still has integrity and the "power to be good," but that he must learn to forgive once the confrontation with Darko is over.
Niko and Roman arrive at the airport's cargo bay. At the same time, a van containing some ULP agents pulls up. One of the agents throws Darko out of the back of the van and drives off. Niko angrily confronts Darko, who is handcuffed and asks why he betrayed the unit. Darko claims that Goran (one of the members who was killed) killed Darko's neighbours, and that he betrayed the unit for $1,000 to fund his drug addiction. At this point, a visibly emotional Niko expresses his horror at the fact that the unit was betrayed for such a paltry sum, but Darko calls Niko a "hypocrite" and asks how much he charges to kill someone. Darko challenges Niko to kill him, claiming Niko would be "doing him a favor." Roman tells Niko they should leave, claiming Darko is already suffering from the effects of his actions and "doesn't look like he enjoys life too much."
If the player chooses to kill Darko, Niko will shoot him twelve times - once for each member of the unit who was killed. A dying Darko "thanks" Niko for killing him. After he dies, Roman suggests that he and Niko leave before they are spotted and asks Niko to take him to Brucie Kibbutz's house. As Niko and Roman get back in the car, Niko switches the radio off, claiming he doesn't want to listen to the "annoying ads and DJs." On the way to Brucie's house, Roman asks Niko how he feels, with Niko claiming he feels "empty" as he realizes that killing Darko has not changed anything.
When they arrive at Brucie's house, Roman asks Niko if he wants to come inside, but Niko declines, claiming he needs to be alone, before thanking Roman for accompanying him. Roman heads inside, and Niko phones Bernie Crane to inform him that Darko is dead and has "paid for his crimes." Bernie tells Niko that it is "good to know" before telling him to leave the past behind and focus on his new life in America. Niko claims the past is usually all he has, before telling Bernie to look after himself.
If the player chooses to spare Darko, Niko walks away from him and back towards his car. Darko runs off, and Roman asks Niko to take him to Brucie's house. When they get back in the car, Niko switches the radio off, claiming he doesn't want to listen to the "annoying ads and DJs." During the journey, Roman tells Niko that he did the right thing by sparing Darko. Niko is initially skeptical of his decision, but later agrees that he did the right thing after realizing that killing Darko would not change the situation or bring Niko the closure he desired.
When they arrive at Brucie's house, Roman asks Niko if he wants to come inside, but Niko declines, claiming he needs to be alone, before thanking Roman for being with him. Roman heads inside, and Niko phones Bernie Crane to inform him that he confronted Darko, but that he felt sparing Darko was the best thing to do. Bernie congratulates Niko for his choice, claiming he is proud of Niko for walking away, and that both men now have the closure they desire. Bernie suggests they celebrate with a spa day, before Niko tells Bernie that he will speak to him soon.
Possible Deaths[]
Darko Brevic - Can be killed by Niko Bellic for betraying their unit during the Yugoslav Wars for $1,000 to help feed his heroin addiction. If chosen to be killed, Darko is shot by Niko 12 times - once for each member of the unit who was killed as a result of his treachery.
Well, this is the big moment - what you have been waiting for for so long. I hope you will not be disappointed.
Niko:
Disappointment is not a consideration. I have not been the same man since the day that Darko betrayed us. Since I saw those things.
Roman:
You lost a lot of friends that day, Niko. We both did.
Niko:
In some way, our friends from the village were lucky. I lost myself that day too. Everything that was good and innocent in me died along with them. If I could live those hours again, I think I would have preferred to be buried in the pit along with everyone else. This is all that is left of me. What am I good at, Roman? What is my trade? I deal in death because that is all that is open to me.
Roman:
I will tell you what you are good at, Niko. You are a good cousin and a good friend. You still have integrity. No matter what you say there is humanity in you. You still have the power to be good. It's important that you believe that.
Niko:
Maybe I will start to believe it when Darko is dead. That might give me some perspective.
Roman:
This killing must stop sometime, Niko. Once this is done, then you must begin to forgive. Think about your future instead of the horrible things that have happened to you, to us, to all of us, in the past.
Niko:
After this is done, then we can talk about forgiveness and redemption. Now is not the time for such conversation.
Roman:
Darko Brevic, here in Liberty City. You have worked hard to make this happen.
Niko:
Every moment since our friends from the village were killed, I have worked to find out who it was that betrayed us. When I knew, everything I've done has been to find that person.
Roman:
I know, Niko.
Niko:
It was weeks after the massacre that I realized that we must have been give up by someone in our group... by someone from our own village. I had to go back to the pit where the bodies were dumped. I had to count the ripe corpses and to see who was missing.
Roman:
Niko, I know.
Niko:
That wasn't something the old me could have done, but losing those friends, seeing them cut down in their prime. It hardened me. It made me cold.
Roman:
I know it did, Niko. But that was a long time ago. I'm not saying that Darko should be forgiven - it is not our place to do that. But the Darko you are going to meet might be very different from the one who led our friends to their death.
Niko:
He will be enough of that man to justify what I have to do to him. Be assured of that, cousin.
They arrive at the airport cargo area.
Niko:
This is it. This is where it all ends.
Encountering Darko
As Niko and Roman walk away from their vehicle, a van approaches them. The back door opens. Darko is pushed out of the van by a ULP agent. The doors shut and the van drives away. All this time, Darko has his hands tied behind his back. Niko approaches him.
Niko:
You remember me?
Darko:
Пусти ме. Не познаијем те. I don't know you.
Niko leans down and grabs hold of Darko, sitting him upright.
Niko:
Yes you do. I'm the one who survived.
Darko:
Niko... hello.
Niko:
Реци ме зашто.
Darko:
Зашто?
Niko:
Зато што смо били пријатељи, сви смо одрасли за једно. Дмитар, Драган, Горан, Мијо... Могао да наставим свијо? А?
Darko:
We were friends, but I had other friends!
Darko rolls away from Niko, struggles a bit, then stands. He gets in Niko's face, then in Roman's face as he speaks.
Darko:
Friends that Goran and his guys killed. My fucking neighbors! Because of what? Because of shit! Lies. Fucking lies!
Niko:
So that makes it okay to stab your friends in the back?
Darko:
When everything you believe is shown to be shit, you make strange choices I guess.
Niko grabs Darko and pulls him closer.
Niko:
Fuck you! "Strange choices"? How much?
Darko:
(laughs) A thousand.
Niko lets go and steps back, distraught.
Niko:
You killed my friends for one thousand dollars?
Darko:
How much do you charge to kill someone?
Niko:
You ruined me, you fuck!
Darko:
I needed the money... I had problems.
Niko:
You're a fucking junkie!
Darko falls to his knees.
Darko:
Kill me then! You fucking hypocrite. Trust me, you'll be doing me a favor!
Roman:
Niko - come on, let's go. Let him suffer... he knows what he did. He doesn't look like he enjoys life too much. Come on.
Make Your Choice
At this point, the player has the choice to either kill Darko or let him live.
Roman:
It seems like living will be more painful for him than death. Let's go.
Roman:
Leave him. He's not worth wasting your energy on.
Roman:
We should go, Niko. You've seen what happened to him.
Darko:
Where am I? What is this place? You say I ruined you? You were always a killer! I just helped you see that! I'm lost... I'm lost!
Note: If Darko is on-screen and killed by a vehicle during this segment, even if it's being driven by a ped, the "Kill Darko" post-cutscene dialogue will run and the game will act as if you killed Darko.
Roman:
You did the right thing, Niko. It is not often that a man can be sure of that but you definitely did the right thing. Be proud of yourself.
Niko:
Let's have a fucking party, break out the champagne. I let a diseased, traitorous junkie live after hunting him for over a decade. Shit, someone hand me the keys to the fucking city.
Roman:
There's no need to take that tone, cousin.
Niko:
I'm sorry if my tone offends you, Roman. But this has been a very difficult moment for me. It took every fiber of my being pulling in the same direction, not to kill Darko, to not get revenge for all those lives he took away.
Roman:
What made you spare him, Niko?
Niko:
I don't know. I wanted it for so long. He would just be dead like everyone else from our village. I was the one that survived the first attack. Living is not easy.
Roman:
No.
Niko:
I would live through killing Darko as well, but then, when I looked at him, I realized that nothing would change if I killed him. Revenge would not somehow shut the book on what I have seen. Only those who die get closure, the living do not.
Roman:
So, you keep living and you try to have a happy life. You try to move on.
Niko:
I try to, yes.
Roman:
There you go, you got your revenge. How does it feel?
Niko:
I don't know how it feels. I'm trying to take it all in.
Roman:
This is the moment you've been waiting for for so long, Niko. What do you mean you don't know how you feel?
Niko:
I mean I don't know. I feel empty, okay? I feel empty.
Roman:
That's something, at least.
Niko:
No Roman, it's nothing. The emptiness is what I was trying to get rid of by finding Darko. I've been empty ever since that day. I thought that revenge, killing Darko, might fill me up a bit. It might give me some substance.
Roman:
And it hasn't?
Niko:
No, it hasn't. Does that make you happy?
Roman:
Of course it doesn't make me happy but maybe this is good for you. Maybe now that you know that revenge is not what you are after you can look for fulfillment in other places. Healthy ones.
Niko:
Maybe... maybe. I don't know.
They arrive in front of Brucie's.
Roman:
Here we are, do you want to come in and hang with Brucie?
Niko:
No, I need to be alone. Thank you for being with me, cousin.
Roman exits the vehicle.
Roman:
Do not mention it. Call me, Niko. The wedding is soon.
Florian, I thought I should let you know, I found Darko. The guilt has destroyed him. I don't know. Somehow it was better to walk away.
Bernie:
You know what, I'm really proud of you, Niko Bellic. After what we've had to live with these last twelve or thirteen years, I know how much it hurt you, and you walked away. I know this must be hard for you, but you won, Niko. You really did. We've got to celebrate. You're free now... maybe a spa day?
Niko:
Sure, whatever... I'll speak to you soon, Bernie.
Niko:
Florian, I thought you should know, Darko is dead. He's finally paid for his crimes.
Bernie:
That's good to know, Niks. You should let go of it now. You have a new life in America, forget the past.
Niko:
Sometimes I think my past is all I got. So long. You look after yourself.
"That Special Someone" is a reference to dialogue from the mission Portrait of a Killer, during which the U.L. Paper contact asks Niko if he is looking for somebody and Niko replies, "We're all looking for that special someone." This was also heard in the GTA IV trailer 'That Special Someone'.
If the player hits Darko, Roman will beat Darko up and even kill him, but the game will treat it as if Niko killed him.
Whenever Darko is hit, he will perform a brief animation of reaction as if his hands were untied, and then he will have his hands behind his back again.
If the player spares Darko, he will run along the tarmac into the sea and then back onto the land. Even if he dies an accidental death (e.g. being run over by cars at the airport), the game will treat it as if Niko had killed Darko, and the dialogue between Niko and Roman will change instantly.
If the player executes Darko with a Combat Pistol, Niko will still shoot him twelve times without reloading, even though the Combat Pistol only holds nine rounds in a magazine.
After dealing with Darko, Niko turns off the radio in whatever vehicle the player is driving. This is one of three times in the GTA series that a protagonist will change the radio station on their own. In GTA Vice City, Tommy Vercetti changes the radio in the mission Publicity Tour after the bomb is defused. In GTA V, Trevor Philips would also do so by changing it to a different station in Crystal Maze after being stifled in a business deal.
However, if the player is driving an emergency vehicle, no remarks will be made with regard to the radio.
Packie would originally call Niko to go out drinking with him during this mission, which would be similar to calling him during Payback.
Packie: Man, it's Packie calling. How about we go drinking?
Niko: I can't, Packie. I might have found what I was looking for all this time. Maybe I'll feel like getting drunk later though.
Niko was originally supposed to receive a phone call from the U.L. Paper Contact regardless of his decision to kill or spare Darko, but both versions were scrapped for unknown reasons. This is how it would have progressed if Niko killed Darko:
U.L. Paper Contact: So, you got your revenge. I hope it gave you the satisfaction you were looking for.
Niko: What do you want; to make me do more "good things for your cause"?
U.L. Paper Contact: Now, you're useless to me. We need someone who wants something, someone with burning desires. You have nothing left. Goodbye, and good luck.
If Darko was spared, the call would have progressed like this:
U.L. Paper Contact: After all that, you didn't even kill him. Remarkable!
Niko: I looked at him and realized that revenge was not what I wanted after all. For him, death would have been a release. For me, another stain I do not need.
U.L. Paper Contact: Maybe you have learned something, Bellic. Goodbye, and good luck. Try to live a good life.
There is an unused post-mission phone call in which Niko would call Kate McReary and talk to her about Darko, but Niko would admit that he feels empty regardless of whether Darko was killed or spared. This is how the call would have progressed:
Kate: Hi, Niko. You've been on my mind a lot recently. Are you OK?
Niko: This is strange. Things have been weird recently.
Kate: What's happened?
Niko: I have been looking for a man for a long time; someone who betrayed me, caused a lot of my friends to die.
Kate: And you found this guy, did you? I don't want to know what you did to him. Just tell me how you feel.
Niko: I thought finding him would make me whole again. It is all I have thought about for a long time. I still feel empty, though. The void is still there.
