Jimmy shook his head, but gamely reloaded his BAR with starburst rounds and turned to fire at the Ferrari. The driver deftly dodged his attempts to light them on fire, swerving between the streaks of color and smoke. Jimmy was forced to switch to explosive rounds again to fend off the encroaching GoonStorm players, a crowd of them having gathered without Kitty to cull them.

  Gadot floored the accelerator as flames erupted from beneath the hood, racing towards the line on the map directly ahead of them that indicated the Pirates’ turf. She ducked low as her side window burst from a .50 cal hit, shouting in pain from the heavy round. Jimmy turned to try and shoot back at them, a grim determination on his face, but their gunner had the Mustang dialed in, and he took several hits before collapsing in a puff of dust and guns on the passenger side of the car.

  Gadot stayed ducked down in her seat as .50 caliber rounds buzzed through the car’s cabin, shattering the rear passenger windows and the front windshield. Kurt and Rouge huddled low in the backseat, trying to stay out of the line of fire while clutching pistols that felt inadequate. They looked at each other as the sound of heavy rotors filled the air, reaching them over the constant machine gun fire. The Pirates air support had arrived.

  A long-bodied helicopter wrapped around a cargo container swung into the street ahead of them, its pilot attempting to match their trajectory. The back of the cargo container hung open, doors ripped off in preparation for the operation.

  Attached to the walls of the container by rigged harnesses, Jerome stood with Bonecrusher, FingerNels, and Godless. As one, they opened fire on the pursuing GoonStorm vehicles, raining bullets and explosives into the roadway. Jerome lifted his M202 Flash launcher to his shoulder and fired all four barrels, shutting down the road behind them in a wave of explosive force and napalm, and lighting the night for blocks around them. Gadot floored the accelerator as flames poured from beneath the hood, racing towards the line on the map directly ahead of them.

  As they and the Ferrari crossed into the Pirates’ turf, a pair of vehicles converged on them, full of players wearing red sashes or bandanas. A cargo truck, normally used to transport excavated earth from construction sites, raced into the road alongside a heavily modified school bus, both swarming with armed and eager Pirates. The cargo truck had a heavy, spiked steel ram on its front end which was used to smash the lead GoonStorm Hummer into a nearby warehouse. The Hummer vanished in a cascade of red bricks, and the cargo truck backed into the middle of the road with rhythmic beeps, deploying two pairs of hydraulic legs and making itself a roadblock across half of the street.

  The school bus was covered in armor plating, its original yellow paint barely visible between the heavy steel sheets layered across its bulk. It pulled into place behind the cargo truck and effectively blocked the rest of the road. A hatch opened on top of the bus, a turret rising to spray liquid napalm across the piled-up GoonStorm patrols. Every window in the bus fell open, revealing rifles and shotguns eager to fire, as the cargo truck began launching mortar rounds from its bed.

  The remaining GoonStorm players and NPCs suddenly found themselves at a severe disadvantage, and Jerome continued his explosive onslaught from above. While the cargo container took plenty of fire from the .50 cal machine guns, it did little to damage the helicopter. The Pirates officer core handed down destruction and death on the GoonStorm players foolish enough to cross into their turf, cheering and laughing as they casually began a war in the streets.

  Rouge shouted at Kurt, inaudible over the cascade of explosions and automatic weapons fire. When he glared at her in confusion, she pointed at the shotgun in his hands, her eyes wide in exasperation. “USE IT!”

  Kurt frowned at the gigantic sawn-off in his hands, unhappy about what he had to do. Rouge ducked back down as a fresh wave of weapons fire came at them from the Ferrari. As the Mustang began to emit a piercing metallic shriek, he positioned himself facing backwards, braced against the passenger seat. He tucked the shotgun into his shoulder and squeezed both triggers. A roar of blinding sparks flew through the rear windshield, spreading across the entire roadway and engulfing the Ferrari.

  Gadot shouted in anger, swerving as the passenger seat buckled from the recoil and Kurt was suddenly thrown back against the dashboard, slumping to lay half across the front seat, groaning. She slowed the Mustang and pulled off to the side of the road, the Ferrari behind them coasting into the front of a building. Its entire front end was a blaze of flames, and neither member of Vice had survived Kitty’s suicidal attack.

  Gadot unbuckled her belt and got out of the Mustang, looking back at the Ferrari. She turned to look at Kurt, her wrist in front of her face when the sound of a high-caliber rifle cracked in the night air above them. Her hair whipped around on the side of her head and she crumpled, falling to dust as her gear hit the road.

  Godless cheered from above them, shouting and doing a dance in the confines of the cargo container. Kurt scowled up at him, strongly considering trying to make the unlikely shot before giving it up as a bad idea. Raising an offensive gesture instead, Kurt checked his wrist and accepted a com request from Jimmy. He moved to gather Gadot’s dropped gear into a loot bag, throwing it over a shoulder and adding Kitty’s shotgun and armor to it. Kitty was already attached to his call, as were the other Pirates officers.

  “Dick move, Les.” Kurt expressed his displeasure, the disdain obvious in his voice.

  “What? Payback is a bitch, my friend.” Godless was unfazed, his arrogance an effective shield.

  “Fuck’s sake, what’d he do now?” Kitty sounded tired.

  “Shot Gadot after we parked.” Keeping the explanation minimal felt right to Kurt and allowed the other Pirates to join in on the shaming of Godless, albeit with good natured barbs.

  “You may live to regret that move, Les. She’s pretty hardcore.” Kitty paused, seeming to remember what had happened. “Oh, did we get ‘em? I assume we won, since you guys are team-killing for fun again.” Her patience was clearly running thin.

  “Yeah, we got ‘em.” Kurt sat heavily on the curb, watching as what was left of the Mustang caught fire. Rouge flopped down on the sidewalk beside him, groaning as she stretched out her legs. Kurt’s eyes widened as a memory flashed in his mind. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced the small bottle of liquor he had stolen from the cruise ship’s cabin. Glancing at the label, he shrugged and pulled out the cork with a satisfying pop. It turned out to be an expensive brandy, and he grimaced at the burn when he took a swig. Offering the bottle to Rouge, he smiled as her face lit up.

  “Holy shit, dude, stealing that was the best thing you did all night.” She took a long gulp from the bottle, not handing it back to him. “This is mine now, right?”

  Still smiling, Kurt nodded and blearily yawned. “Hell of a night. Glad to have helped, though.”

  “Ah hate to intrude, but we have a situation at the border, yer majesty.” Jerome dropped into the conversation, punctuating his statement with further high explosive bombardment. “GoonStorm is bringin’ reinforcements. At least two Abrams. They be playin’ for keeps.”

  The com channel fell silent, allowing Kitty a moment to think before she started giving orders. “Right. Full retreat, let them have it. We need to preserve the equipment, and we did technically start this one.” She paused while the roar of explosives and machine gun fire filled the night. “Retreat to the pier and let them have this chunk. Shore up three blocks south and three blocks east, though. Dig in hard and don’t give any more ground. They’ll likely accept the gains and think they won, but they’ll press if they can. Put out the call, Jerome. Looks like it’s going to be a long night.”

  “Aye, will do.” Jerome sighed and left the chat as the helicopter swung out towards the ocean in retreat.

  “Hey, Rouge, Vice drop anything interesting?” Kitty spoke distractedly, clearly focused elsewhere.

  Kurt turned to see the flaming Ferrari and its occupants fall to dust, swirling in the evening breeze. The sounds of fighting continued closer, and a handful of Pirates vehicles passed them in retreat. As Kurt was about to suggest they leave, a section of the road slid open and a brand-new version of the Ferrari lifted out of it, engine already running. He leaned in to see a plastic clothing bag hung over the passenger seat, a slate grey suit with dark shirt visible within. Kurt looked up at Rouge, who was leaning in on the passenger side, and they shared a shrug.

  “Looks like the Testarossa and one of their suits.” Rouge nervously glanced up the road, where the sound of .50 cal machine gun fire was getting louder.

  A small frenzy ensued on the coms channel, with Bonecrusher and Godless fighting over who should get the car. Kitty began yelling at them, using colorful language in an attempt to get them to quiet down. Kurt shook his head and got in the driver’s seat, shoving the suit into the backseat as Rouge got in beside him. He turned the wheel and started driving away from the running battle that was on the approach, moving towards the coast.

  “Okay, shut up!” Kitty sounded angry for a half second, before dropping back into her tense but sweet routine. “You guys all know the rules: if you died without saving the raid or doing something else invaluable like killing the boss, you don’t get a roll — just your cut of the take. This is not news.”

  Jimmy spoke up, having been listening in the background. “We owe Kurt a car, anyway. Take mine and Gadot’s loot priority and give it to him.” He paused. “Actually, who here wears suits? I say both items go to Kurt.”

  “Eh. Good point.” Kitty took back over. “But rules are rules. Rouge? Gadot? Any qualms with Kurt getting both items?”

  Rouge shook her head from the passenger seat. “He stuck out the whole raid, performed the killing blow — he earned ‘em.” She looked around the decadent leather interior of the Ferrari. “Not my style anyway.”

  Gadot had apparently been listening to the chatter without engaging. “Already have the car, and I don’t wear suits. All yours, Kurt.” She paused. “Are we good, Kitty?”

  Everyone on the coms channel seemed to hold their breath for a moment, waiting on the Pirate Queen. When she spoke it was with a sigh. “Well, I’m not a fan of the stunt you pulled taking us into GoonStorm turf tonight, but it looks like it worked. Your war has already started. I don’t know that I’d say we’re good, but you get what you want.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “I wasn’t trying to—” Gadot began but was cut off by a clearly irritated Kitty.

  “Oh, right. Nels, you tit, you shot the VIP! We lost two hundred million with that guy, and that was our ammo fund. So while we merry few are pretty certainly going to war, we can’t take out their artillery battery for you.” Kitty finished her small rant and huffed.

  “Sorry, Miss Kitty,” Nels said in a small voice, which went ignored.

  “Why do you need two hundred million to take out GoonStorm’s artillery?” Gadot asked patiently, her voice quiet and low.

  “Clearly you’ve never bought Tomahawk missiles before. They only come in packs of ten, for the low, low price of a quarter billion. Thankfully for you, I have mad rep and get a discount. I’m not even charging you a percentage, either. Sheesh.”

  “Okay. We’ll get you your dosh. Just be ready.” With that, Gadot snapped off the group chat.

  Rouge flicked her wrist at the windshield, a nearby waypoint already attached to the map she shared. “That’s the drop off. You can split after you give me a ride.”

  Kurt nodded. He didn’t feel like chatting anymore. The war loomed heavy in his mind as he considered what had happened that night. He felt a stone in his stomach when he thought about Jimbo and hoped he had done the right thing. It was the only chance he could see of helping Jimmy afford his surgery, but to pull it off was going to require a lot of luck, and a lot more dishonesty from Kurt.

  As if reading his mind, Gadot sent a text: ‘Crew meeting, asap, new Hub.’ He nodded at his wrist, then focused on the road. His new Ferrari handled like a dream, hugging corners no matter the speed, and making a throaty roar any time he pressed the gas pedal. The Testarossa was a brutally fast car and gave Kurt a satisfying feeling to own.

  After he dropped Rouge off at the waypoint, she stepped into a nearby alley to handle her raid item turn in. Kurt glanced around, looking for trouble for a moment before he scanned the car.

  Ferrari Testarossa (Vice Edition)

  Legendary Quality Vehicle.

  Vehicle cannot be stolen or destroyed. If damaged to the point of destruction, vehicle will be unusable until repaired at player’s expense. Customization is subject to normal skill ranks and unlocks.

  Kurt smiled wide, highly pleased at finally acquiring a worthy vehicle. He remembered the suit and eagerly leaned into the backseat to scan it too.

  Two-Piece Suit (Vice Edition)

  Legendary Quality Clothing

  Clothing cannot be stolen and respawns with player upon death. The Vice edition two-piece suit provides casual yet discreet comfort for the modern criminal who needs to be taken seriously. This article of clothing will assist in concealing firearms and armor within certain physical limitations.

  Kurt cocked his head at the blurb, before glancing around and deciding he was isolated enough to change. He struggled out of his existing suit and into the Vice Edition pants, shirt, and jacket, before stepping out of the car and gripping his Glock. He slipped a long stick magazine into its bottom and holstered it under his arm. When he closed the suit jacket, he was pleased to discover the longer magazine no longer bulged from its hiding place. Opening the jacket, he narrowed his eyes as the stick magazine appeared from the coat’s lining while he moved it. He opened and closed the jacket several times, watching as the magazine simply vanished when covered by the material.

  He was pleased to see several of his monitored skills had risen significantly through the night’s action, most of them combat oriented. Small Arms had risen to level twelve, with Gunslinger close behind it at level ten. His armor skill had bumped up to rank five, and his Magnum Force specialist skill managed to rank up to level four. Two brand new skills were waiting for his inspection as well, popping up just from the last moments of the Vice boss encounter.

  Secondary

  Street Sweeper Rank 1 (Combat)

  “I’m fixin’ to have a turkey shoot!” R. Lee Ermey - 2009

  Shotguns are among the most versatile weapons to be used in criminal activities. Increases health and armor damage when using shotguns by 1%. Exotic shotgun ammunition unlocked.

  Specialist

  Big Bore Rank 1 (Combat)

  “Look, I’m not a very good shot, but the Samaritan here uses really big bullets.” Hellboy - 2004

  Sometimes bigger is better. Large caliber firearms have a niche in the criminal world that only they can fill. Increases damage and over-penetration chance with large caliber firearms by 1%.

  His moment was interrupted by a call from Jimmy. With a frown, Kurt swiped to answer it. “Hey, Jimmy, what’s up?” Kurt continued appreciating his new car, running a hand along its roof.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m calling to ask you, my friend.” Jimmy’s voice was unsteady, hesitant. “Gadot is pissed off, and I think scared. What happened on the Viking, when you vanished for a while?”

  Kurt scowled at the roof of his new car, not answering for a moment.

  Nervously, Jimmy continued. “I know you do this cloak and dagger thing, and I remember how it went in Brescia — cards close to the chest and all that. I’m not worried about your loyalty or anything, but c’mon, man . . . this game ain’t that game. Trust is in short supply in Illusion.” He hesitated before finishing. “Crews break up for less. All I’m sayin’, man.”

  “I understand.” Lifting his eyes to the city skyline, Kurt nodded to himself. He chose his words carefully. “I’ll explain at the Hub.”

  “I got you, brother. See you soon.” Jimmy disconnected their call, leaving Kurt staring at the city as Rouge reappeared from the alley.

  She narrowed her eyes at him, tapping her wrist. “Tourism? You really are a noob.” Rouge moved to lean on the hood of Kurt’s new car, idly kicking at an empty can.

  Annoyed, Kurt leaned in the driver’s side and tapped the horn. Rouge jumped and gave a small shriek, turning with a glare. She idly touched the butt of her Tokarev pistol, holstered at her hip, before smiling. “Dick.”

  Kurt just nodded and smiled back. “You need a lift?”

  She scoffed, crossing her arms and standing back from the car. “Not from you.” Softening a little, she nodded her head behind Kurt, where a set of headlights was approaching. “I text my attaché and got a ride. Thanks, though.”

  Rummaging through his loot bag, Kurt produced the giant sawn-off shotgun and Kitty’s tattered armor, offering them to Rouge. She nodded in understanding, before producing a loot bag of her own and unrolling it to stuff them inside. “Kitty will appreciate that. Money is always tight in our crew. You did good tonight, Kurt. I don’t get why the boss doesn’t trust you.”

  Kurt breathed out through his nose, nodding slowly with a small smile on his lips. “We have a lot of history — not all of which was pleasant. I do consider her a friend, though.”

  With a high-pitched horn blast, a low-slung, silver 2005 Nissan Skyline approached the curb and parked. A gaunt man with haunted eyes and ragged clothing got out, tossed Rouge the keys, and took off down the road at a jog. She happily slid behind the wheel and started the engine, closing her eyes as it roared to life.

  “Fair enough, noob. Enjoy your slow Ferrari!” Rouge boiled the Skyline’s tires and shot off into the night. Kurt smiled after her, tempted to rev up the Testarossa and give chase. Deciding against a race, he calmly sat down in his new car and enjoyed rubbing the steering wheel briefly before tossing up a waypoint to the new Hub and starting the trip.

  By the time he arrived, Gadot and Jimmy were already inside. He gave Tigg a nod and moved into the lounge to join them. They were sitting on separate seats this time, and Gadot had her arms crossed over her chest. She was clearly trying not to glare at Kurt but failing occasionally. Her eyes unconsciously narrowed when he entered. Without saying anything, she swiped at her wrist and flicked it towards the large TV set against the wall.

  A minimap recording popped to life, with several dots animatedly moving around the deck of the Jahre Viking. It was centered on Gadot, moving in line with Jimmy and Kurt. Gadot had apparently customized her map with nametags, and Kurt nodded as he saw his own dot suddenly dart off alone. He watched as his dot chased another around to the front of the ship and stayed there for a few minutes before returning to the party. Gadot swiped it off the TV angrily in spite of her attempts to remain calm.

  “Who did you meet?” Gadot asked. Her voice was tense, and she was staring at him, her jawline hard and clenched.

  Kurt raised an eyebrow, looking between her and Jimmy before answering. “Guess stealth doesn’t really work in crews. The disguise player who shot you during our hit on GoonStorm. He’s working for them now. He found me before we hit Ursa today, and then again on the Jahre Viking. I think he was there to spy for them and report on our meeting with the Pirates.”

  Jimmy chuckled, before catching himself and shaking his head with a small smile. Gadot glared at him for a moment before turning her anger on Kurt again. “And you what? Told him everything?”

  Shaking his head, Kurt moved to sit down, tossing his loot bag on the table in front of them. “No, actually. When he found me this morning, I was surprised at how much he knew, but I didn’t give any of it to him. Not intentionally, anyway — he’s good at reading people.” Kurt scowled at the ground, leaning inward with his elbows on his knees. “He knows what we’re doing somehow. I think he just figured it out for himself though. Not really sure how much he’s told GoonStorm, I’m starting to think he has his own agenda.” There he paused, looking back up at his friends. “Wonder what it would change anyway?”

  “So you did meet with him on the Viking then?” Gadot’s tone had softened.

  “Not exactly. I saw him and chased him around the corner to the front of the ship. When I caught up, I realized killing him wouldn’t mean anything, so I tried to just throw him off us.” Kurt shrugged, not meeting their gazes. “Really hard to predict that guy. I do think he’s going to monkey wrench us with GoonStorm if he can, but . . . I just can’t see a clear path to that. If he screws up the summit, it’s still war. I don’t get it.”

  Jimmy clapped his hands once, standing. “Well, that covers my questions. Gadot?”

  Gadot scratched her earlobe, staring distracted at the floor. “Yeah, I’m good. Sorry Kurt, I . . . I should have trusted you.” She rose as well, still looking at him from the corner of her eye. “Congrats on the car.”

  Kurt stayed in his seat. “We still need to discuss raising two hundred million for the Pirates. Any ideas on that?”

  Stretching with a yawn, Jimmy shook his head. “No chance. Raids are all hit for the week, city is mostly in ruins. Nothing resets until Sunday night. Weekends are usually turf wars and PVP in Illusion.”

  Moving towards the door, Gadot spoke over her shoulder. “We can hit the competitive side tomorrow. Good chance of making some or all of what we need in there.”

  Jimmy raised an eyebrow. “Oof. Not my favorite part of the game, but yeah. Money can be good.” He yawned again, more forcefully this time. “It’s way too late for me, though. I’m logging off. Catch you guys tomorrow.” He smiled at Gadot and waited for her to return it before swiping to log off. She shook her head, still smiling from the corner of her mouth as he vanished.

  Kurt prodded the bag on the table in front of him. “Saved your stuff.”

  Her eyebrows raised slightly, and she nodded appreciatively. “Oh cool, thanks. I’ll have to remember to shoot that asshole Les literally every time I see him from now on. Should be a fun project.” She equipped her gear again, then swiped at her wrist before looking at Kurt one more time, her eyes narrowing a fraction. “Goodnight.” She swiped once more and vanished.

  Kurt pulled his skill notifications up and winced to see a level up in Liar, Underhanded, and Obfuscation. Feeling unwelcome in the hub due to an overabundance of guilt, he drove to his own safehouse and logged off for the night.

  The house was dark and silent, his parents having long gone to bed. Kurt flopped onto his bed, glancing at the alarm clock to see the time was just past four am. He sighed and thought about his plan, rolling uncomfortably. The bumps in his dishonesty skill set still ached and made him question himself. That was how he fell asleep: fully clothed and congealed in self-doubt. His dreams were not restful.

  Jimmy approached him, his body and clothing wreathed in flames. Horrific burns raged across him as he waved a partially melting hand at Kurt to get his attention, bubbling skin sloughing from the bones of his wrist. “Hey, Kurt — am I on fire?”

  Kurt looked him up and down, a confused expression on his face. “What? No . . .” His voice was slurred and felt strange to hear.

  “Oh. Okay.” Jimmy turned to leave, collapsing and screaming horribly as the flames finally destroyed him. He fell to a pile of silver dust and drifted away in the breeze, leaving Kurt to jerk upright in bed, fear etched on his face.