The car tires let out one last crunch as they crawled to a standstill along the gravel parking lot. Looking out the passenger side window, Damien spotted a bright sign featuring two beer bottles clinging against one another, and the word ‘Dave’s’ lit up underneath. Based on what he’d seen within the last few blocks, they’d arrived at what could only be described as a rough part of town—of which Neopolis seemed to have many.

Kat turned the car off and the pair exited the vehicle. A setting sun bathed their surroundings with a feint orange glow, adding to the already-ominous atmosphere.

As they made their way around the other parked cars towards the bar entrance, two figures appeared from around a large truck up ahead. When they spotted Kat, both waddled towards her with an intoxicated shuffle.

“Where you going, girl?” the first man slurred, scratching at his groin as he ogled her. “I got something for you right here. Let us show you a good time.”

Kat flashed her new pistol as she walked straight past them, no hesitation in her stride. “Keep up that charm and I’ll shoot your dick off.”

Damien couldn’t help but snicker as the two drunks froze in place. Blunt yet eloquent, he thought to himself. It’s a good thing she’s on my side.

When they stepped inside the bar, they were greeted with a lively atmosphere drenched in a haze of cigarette smoke. The patrons all had a tough-looking exterior, typical of the kind of people to frequent such an establishment. From his impression of the local area, this was exactly the kind of ambiance Damien had expected.

He followed Kat past a crowded game of pool towards the back of the bar where a series of booths lined the wall. Only one booth was taken; a single patron sitting alone. Kat pointed to him. “That’s our guy.”

The man, who was built like a linebacker, had short cropped brown hair and a square, brutish face. His half-metallic forearm was laid out flat on the table in front of him, and he appeared to be tightening his wrist with some kind of screwdriver.

When they approached the booth, a wide smile grew on the man’s face. “About time,” he said, his enthusiastic voice booming over the hard rock music that filled the pub. “What took so long?”

“Sorry about that, Marcus,” Kat said as she slid into the booth. “Had to make a quick stop.”

“Yeah, yeah. And you call me the tardy one.” Marcus turned his attention to Damien. “You must be the one we saved at the warehouse. Kat told me all about you.” He stuck out a meaty palm. “I hear you’re gonna join us today.”

Damien shook the man’s hand then slipped in beside Kat. “Apparently I don’t have a choice.”

Marcus let out a hearty laugh. “That’s how it goes in this city.”

Kat nodded to the mechanical forearm on the table. “Still having issues with that thing?”

“Unfortunately,” Marcus said. “Haven’t heard from Doc about those upgrades he promised.”

“He was still working on them back at the office,” Kat said.

“That’s a shame.” Marcus closed a flap of metallic skin on his wrist and pressed it down, snapping it shut. “Anyways, let’s get down to business. We don’t have much time so I’ll cut straight to the chase and fill you in on this job. I got a tip from an information broker about a Skull hideout carrying what they call a ‘high priority vessel’.”

“Which broker?” Kat asked. “One of the Big Five?”

Marcus shook his head. “She’s new on the scene. Goes by the name of Zero. You should see this woman, total bombshell. I might have to hit her up after the job.”

Kat sighed. “I thought we agreed to only take jobs from trusted sources. You sure you were thinking with the right head? It could be a set up for all we know.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” Marcus said, a cocky smirk growing on his face. “I confirmed what she was telling me with Lana, and her info checks out. Everything sounds legit.”

Kat paused for a moment before speaking. “And what is this job exactly?”

“The details are a mystery.” Marcus said. “All I know is we gotta secure that high priority vessel. I asked Zero for more info but she wouldn’t give me anything more than an address. Said we’ll get guidance once we’re there.”

The crashing sound of wood snapping suddenly filled the bar. Damien turned to see that someone had been slammed into the pool table, and a full-out brawl had broken out, The other patrons, including Marcus and Kat, didn’t pay it any mind.

“Doesn’t sound reliable,” Kat said. “If we’re gonna do this, we need some time to scope the place out and come up with a plan of our own.”

Marcus chuckled, almost apologetically. “Can’t do that. Apparently, multiple groups of ex-military will be heading to the location to bolster security. That gives us only an hour or two to finish the job.”

Kat’s face dropped. She clearly didn’t like what she'd just heard.

“What’s wrong with ex-military?” Damien asked.

“They’re monsters,” Kat said. “The military jacked them up with so much military-grade juice that we civilians don’t stand a chance.”

“I ran into one of them while Kat was sneaking you out of that warehouse.” Marcus said. “Barely made it out alive. We won’t stand a chance against groups of the-.”

“All the more reason not to take the job,” Kat interrupted. “There’s plenty others out there.”

“But they’re not like this,” Marcus said, his voice suddenly becoming somber. “This is our only possible lead on Jay. Are we just gonna give up on him?”

Kat turned silent. She drummed her fingers on the table, a look of deep contemplation on her face. “You already accepted the job, didn’t you?”

“Had to,” Marcus said. “It was 12 G’s. Offers like that don’t last so I had to take it on the spot. We do this and split the funds three ways. That’s a solid chunk of change for one job.”

Perfect, Damien thought. That’s enough to pay off my remaining debt.

Kat let out a long sigh. “I guess we have no choice. But if things go wrong, I’m blaming you.” She turned toward Damien. “Honestly, I don’t wanna drag you into this one, but we might need your help. Going in blind like this, we’ll be throwing you into the deep end.”

“A trial by fire,” Marcus said with a smile. “I think it’ll be a good experience. Besides, we’ll get to see what he’s made of.”