I’d offered a few subtle hints to Ava about the coming danger and that if she was able, to go and take a break out in the less populated areas for a few weeks. She thanked me for the money, but her work came first. I’d been tempted to argue and share what I knew, but there was no point. She already thought me mad for overpaying for her heap of crap, and talk of dinosaur invasions would have her throwing half-fried food at me to get me out of the diner.

“You can’t save them all,” said Cris as I slipped into the passenger seat.

“I can try,” I muttered, miserably. It was true that I felt a crushing weight of responsibility to everyone I came across. What choice did I have, though? I found a pointless achievement waiting for me.

Achievement Unlocked – Wheeler Dealer

Description – You’ve successfully overpaid for a 2000 Mavpol 1.5 Litre CDi. Your business acumen knows no bounds. No wonder your arcade is so successful… Oh, wait.

Reward – We’d give you some money, but you’d only waste it.

Making the world harder, and mocking me too? Dickheads.

“What’s the target?” asked Cody, drawing me back.

As much as I hated the idea, there was only one logical choice. “Take us into the Disciple’s territory. At least they won’t try and steal the car.”

“Don’t count on it,” warned Cody. “They’ll tear the gold fillings from your teeth while you’re still alive.”

“I don’t have any fillings,” I replied.

“They’ll just take your life then.”

There was a new fear in Cody that hadn’t even been there when he’d walked among the shattered corpses of the mutated scorpions. It set my own nerves on edge, and I started to watch the surroundings with greater care. Once bare walls started to bear the tags of graffiti artists as we moved deeper into the city. There were far more people walking around, but they kept their heads down and powered on, trying to reach whatever destination they were headed toward as quickly as possible.

A few shops were open, their entrances guarded by steel gates that only allowed people in at the discretion of the owner. Far more frontages were boarded up, the same graffiti painting strange murals on the weathered ply. This was a world in the same spiral of decay as Earth. We’d reached a point of technological advancement and rampant consumerism that meant the will was gone. The human need to strive for something better, numbed by cheap goods and escapism, whether chemical, or games and TV. I loved both of the latter, but even I could feel the addiction it could spawn. What was a gruelling workout compared to destroying evil from the comfort of a gaming chair, or watching the hero win the day and the maiden’s heart on a widescreen TV while lounging on a sofa?

“Here we go,” Cody said, nervously.

The paintings became far more threatening and visually violent. None of the tagger names I’d grown to recognise made it past this invisible wall in the city. Guns, bodies, hellfire, they were the order of the day on the walls. I noticed their symbol was the inverted cross.

“You have Christianity here?” I asked Cody.

“Top world religion,” he replied, scanning the way ahead. “Four billion followers.”

That news added to my already boggled mind. Another world, in another universe, and they worshipped the same god as people on mine. “Just to double check; pearly gates, water into wine, Jesus, Heaven?”

“One and the same.”

“So the disciples are Satanists?”

Cody watched a small group of men warily, and they watched us in turn. When we were safely past, he answered. “As I said, they hide behind it, but I think it’s just about fear. They only worship power and money.”

I looked out through the back window and saw one of their spies speaking into a radio. “I think we’ve got the locals spooked. They’ve got handheld radios.”

“Shortrange, I guess. Enough to keep an eye on their turf, even with the current comms troubles.”

“Do you think they’ll come after us?” asked Cris, watching the shadowy alleys.

“No idea. I expect they keep tabs on anyone coming and going. For all they know, we could be police or a rival gang. Sun’s ink will certainly have them wondering who we are and what we want.”

“In that case, we need to be wary. If the shit hits the fan, you’ve got your golem shell ability,” I said to Sun. “My armour seems to be fairly resilient, but I’m not one hundred percent sure on a bullet. Cris, what do you have in the way of protection?”

“Nothing. All my finds were linked to spell power, not safety.”

“Glass cannon then. Just stay behind us. Cody, same goes for you. I know it might sound like we’re talking crazy, but you’ll be getting loot drops as time goes on. Some will be useful, some not so much. Oh!” I remembered one of my first items, and slipped the gauntlets of spite into his pack. “I’ve just given you something. It’ll come in handy when we get to the shooting.”

“How do I find it?”

“When we stop, I’ll talk you through how to get into your stash. It’s just a thought away.”

As if by magic, which it technically was, the modernised bracers appeared under his rolled up sleeves. “How easy is that?” he marvelled.

“You can do it while fighting too,” I explained. “That way you switch weapons and stuff without the hassle of actually changing or reaching for anything.”

“And by the look of it, these somehow make me do more damage from the same ammunition? How does that work?”

“The same way games do. Enemies have weak spots that you can hit for critical damage.”

“Like a head? Or heart?”

“Exactly.”

“But a round from my rifle will kill you dead without this extra damage.”

“True, but can the same be said when you’re going up against a Tyrannosaur?”

“I see your point,” he replied, turning the corner.

I scanned the map, and we were nearing the target. We were still in a residential part of the city. Further towards the beating heart of the metropolis were the huge skyscrapers of the commercial district. “Do they hold sway there too?” I asked, pointing at the massive buildings.

“Not so much. The governor takes protecting the money of his backers very seriously. Most of the police presence is concentrated around there. It’s just the poor folk who live outside of those districts that suffer.”

“Some things never change,” said Cris.

“There’s always been the haves and the have nots,” I added. “I wonder whether our worlds will be slightly more balanced once the danger has passed?”

“Let’s hope so, or what’s the point?”

We passed more derelict buildings. Seedy clubs with prostitutes hawking their wares on the pavement, or was it sidewalk? I was trying to keep the terminology local. This truly was the US in all but name. Any grocery shops remaining had more gang members watching the doors, which seemed bizarre to me, until I realised that way they controlled the food supply to the locals. A hungry person was a compliant person.

My paranoia didn’t let up as I saw more and more people speaking into handsets as we cruised the streets. Whether it was caution on the part of the Disciples, or something more nefarious, we were beyond the point of no return now. Our foot was hovering above the trap plate, and only by stepping onto it would we see if the jaws would bite. I hoped, perhaps foolishly, that we would be able to perform a quick smash and grab and be on our way before the gang took too much interest in us. That hope was dashed on the rocks of reality as we turned the final corner and found the ten storey apartment block waiting.

A series of the same black SUVs that had snatched Liza were parked outside, surrounded by men and women. These weren’t CID, as their clothing and tattoos showed they were members of the Disciples. Instead of stripping the vehicles for parts, they were apparently guarding them, which threw up a massive red flag.

“They’re in cahoots,” said Cris, saving me the trouble.

“Or at the very least, they know who they belong to and they know not to mess with them,” added Cody.

“Whatever it is, we’re going to need to leave the car as soon as we park up. They’re already watching us.” I looked for a suitable place to stop, but nowhere seemed safe. I caught sight of dome covered cameras attached to the outer wall of the building. “Keep going a couple of streets over. We’ll double back with the stealth suits to try and throw them off.”

“How do we get back out once we’ve got Liza?” asked Cody. “I doubt they’ll leave the car untouched once we bail on it.”

“We’ll have to steal one of them,” I said as we cruised past the four black vehicles.

“They’ll be tracked.”

“Fine, we’ll steal something else,” I said, noticing the customised cars nearby. “One of their lowriders if we have to.” Doing a quick calculation based on the seats, the number of CID personnel could’ve been anywhere up to nineteen, plus Liza, plus anyone who was stationed at the black site already. We were four. Except we had our powers, which went some way toward evening the odds. I then added the two dozen gang members out the front of the apartments to the number, plus a bold question mark about how many were in the lobby and building itself. This was like attacking the military base, but on a far smaller scale, and it already seemed insurmountable.

I glanced back again, and the gang were moving out into the road to watch us. They didn’t show any outward signs of alarm or recognition. There were no soldier looking figures hanging around either, which I hoped meant Scott had kept his mouth shut. Cody guided us to a completely empty road a short distance away, swung the car between two others, and cut the engine.

“Head for the alley!” I ordered, and we all bundled out in quick succession. Nothing moved on the quiet street except us, and with our silkweb suits, even that was mostly concealed. Out of a hundred visible windows, only a handful were open, and none were making noise. I’d been expecting music, or the shouts if irate parents. I guessed the people were just scared to draw any form of attention towards themselves, no matter how innocent.

“Which way now?” asked Sun as we walked between the buildings.

“Right now? I think we should just take cover in one of the basements until the night draws in. I want to have every advantage on our side when we move on them.”

Cody was desperate to keep moving to find his sister, but he was no fool. “Fine, but they might still find us.”

“We’ll worry about that if it happens,” I replied, choosing a small set of downward leading steps that were surrounded by rotting rubbish.

Stepping over the leaking bags, a few furious rats shrieked at me for disturbing their meal before darting away into the nearby drains. The door waiting for us was in pretty good condition considering the rest of the area. I had zero lockpicking skills, so gave it my shoulder and enhanced strength. The lock cracked and broke away, letting the door swing open. I quickly checked inside, and it was made up of a large open space and small cages with individual numbers on them. All manner of old furniture, suitcases, boxes, discarded electrical goods, and more, were locked away by their owners. After everyone was safely inside, I pushed the door closed, took out a trash dagger, and stabbed it through the wood with enough force to pierce the door, the frame, and the bricks themselves.

I gave the weapon a quick tug and it held fast. “That should do it. Even if they try it, it should just appear to be locked.”

Cris pulled out one of her own torches that sent the shadows scurrying away. “What now?”

I heard Sun grunt, followed by something snapping. She reached into the broken lockup and dragged a motheaten sofa out, then two single chairs. “We get comfortable and share war stories. Dusk is still a couple of hours away.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, sinking into the musty furniture.

Cody’s finger whipped up to his lips, and a few seconds later I heard why. Low, menacing voices were carrying down from the alley as the gang searched for us. One of the men yelped, which was followed by an awful shriek and crunch as he killed the rat that had startled him. He grumbled to himself as mocking laughter rang out. Cautious footsteps followed, and our pierced door creaked slightly as he tried it.

“Anything?” asked one of the gang from above.

“Nah, locked up tight. They might’ve just gone into one of the apartments,” he offered.

“They were after something,” said another. “We need to find out what that was.”

The group moved off in their search, leaving us to our little basement party.