“You know, it wouldn’t have killed Zero to give us some time prepare,” Marcus said with a groan. “Not to mention that there’s better ways of doing this…”

“Of course there are better ways,” Kat added, “but that’s not the point. This is still a test, remember? He’s keeping us on a short leash so we don’t have time to act on our own.”

“Yeah, yeah. But if he wants the damn prototype so much, why test us again? It doesn’t make much sense.”

Damien kicked a crushed pop can across the grimy back alley, the aluminum canister coughing up small plumes of dust as it clinked across the concrete. “I agree with Marcus,” he said, finally interjecting into the conversation in his head. “Kinda scummy to expect us to do his dirty work on cue.”

“That’s just how these things go,” Kat said. “I’m sure the next attack on TrillTech will be much more difficult than intercepting a couple of convoys. He wants to see if we’re capable and trustworthy. We still don’t know if they’re really carrying a prototype, but if they are, we could sell it to a rival company and make a pretty penny. But if we return something that valuable to him, he’ll know that we’re dependable, and that we’re willing to put our common goal above the opportunity to get rich quick.”

“Killing multiple birds with one stone, eh?” Marcus said. “So he’s dangling this valuable prototype in front of our eyes to see if we’ll bite. And if we do, it’ll come at the cost of the most valuable currency to pirates: trust. That one crafty motherfucker.”

“That’s right. He certainly knows how to set things up to his advantage… Honestly, I’m kind of pissed off at this whole thing.”

Marcus chuckled. “I can tell. But let’s be honest, when aren’t you pissed off?”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. I Hate Everyon-”

A buzzing ring interrupted Kat, bringing the three-way communication channel to silence for the first time. A second later, Zero’s deep, hypnotic voice joined them on the call. “Everything is going according to plan. The convoys are following the route that we projected and their location should become available to you shortly. You may now prepare the transponder and it will become active on its own. I will leave the rest to you. Do not fail.”

With a click, Zero vanished from the call just as quickly as he’d appeared.

“Woah, didn’t expect the boss man to contact us directly.” Marcus said. “He must be serious about this.”

Damien zoomed out his minimap and saw that three new red dots had appeared. Two of them were traveling towards him while the last one was heading in the opposite direction, just as expected. Zero had told them that the interception points for two of the convoys would be near one another, while one was on its own. They’d been given the freedom to decide who would take which spot, and Kat jumped at the opportunity to take the lone spot, leaving Damien and Marcus only a few blocks away from one another.

“They should arrive in a few minutes,” Kat said. “Let’s get the bait ready.”

Damien stepped to the center of the empty alleyway then took the transponder that Zero had given him out of his pocket. It was a device shaped like a hockey puck, and a series of red lights flashed on and off along the top layer. He placed it on the ground beside a cluster of grass that peaked through the cracks in the concrete.

This black puck was the key to the operation; the thing that would lure the target away from the busy streets and in to the secluded alleys where each one of the trio waited. It would get around the convoy’s internal security and override the controls to bring the vehicle to its current location. From them on, the three pirates would have a few minutes to complete the assault and secure the package.

Damien walked a few meters away from the transponder and into a darkened corner; one that the orange glow of the lights above didn’t reach. To his left was another, smaller alley that would lead him to Marcus’ position. If things went south, it would be his way out of the situation. Now all they had to do was wait for the target to arrive.

It’ll only be a small group of thugs, so I should be able to handle this on my own, Damien thought as he watched the two red dots creep closer and closer, bringing with them a mixture of unease and excitement.

“You guys smell that in the air?” Marcus said. “That’s the smell of me about to whoop some ass.”

“You sure that’s not the smell of you shitting your pants?” Kat said. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Oh, come on. That’s a low blow. That happened years ago, and you know it wasn’t my fault. Bad food catches the best of us off guard.”

“Yeah, but we don’t shit ourselves…”

Damien ignored the playful bickering of his two companions and opened his Status page to check the condition of his body.

HP: 100/100

Stamina: 100/100

Focus: 110/110

Head: 100%

Torso: 93%

Left Arm: 80%

Right Arm: 100%

Left Leg: 100%

Right Leg: 100%

He noted how his HP, Stamina, and Focus had replenished on their own, but the damage to each limb had stayed the same.

I guess my sub-dermal armor doesn’t heal itself, Damien pondered. I’ll have to be careful not to take too much damage.

Next, he checked his weapons and armor.

Weapons:

Kimura A-1 Katana

Damage: 25

Rarity: Common

Condition: Good

Armor:

Sub-Dermal Armor (I)

Armor Rating: 15

Condition: Good

All his gear was still basic, but it had done the job up to this point. He closed the interface and promised himself that he’d buy some upgrades with the paycheck from this job.

“Here they come,” Kat said. “They’ve entered my transponder’s radius. How about you guys?”

The red lights on top of Damien’s puck turned green, and he confirmed that his convoy was just around the corner.

“Same here,” Marcus added. “Time to end the call. The one who gets the real prototype is the winner, and the losers gotta buy them lunch. We good with that?”

They all agreed before ending the communication line one by one.

The red dot slowly pulled into the alleyway, and Damien watched as a pair of bright, white lights crawled towards him. The vehicle, which he could now see was a gray van, continued forward until it reached the transponder and the engine fizzled out. The plan had worked.

Damien gripped the hilt of his sword and stepped forward onto the orange-lit pavement. Surely, the enemies now knew what was going on.

The front doors of the van swung open, and two bald-headed men stepped out, each carrying something in their hand. A scan revealed that they were the same type of enemy.

Skulls Soldier

Level: 3

Weapon: ?

Armor: None

The rear door slid open, and another figure emerged. It was immediately clear that this one was different, and the glint from his metal forearms caught Damien’s eye. He quickly scanned the unknown enemy.

Mercenary Warrior [Ex-Military]

Level: 7

Weapon: Thermal Gauntlet

Armor: Sub-Dermal Armor III