The dull concrete block of a building struggled to stand out on its own, fading into the background of the industrial district. If it wasn’t for their obnoxious neon sign, I never would’ve found it. The strip club bordered on the edge of Surge Gang Territory, barely escaping the grasp of Baller Territory. Despite it being in Surge’s territory, it was considered a neutral location so there was at least one strip club you could go to that Backhand didn’t own.

  The steel door entrance was guarded by a hulking man with a machine gun slung over his shoulder. The sign helped me make sure I was at the right place, the most infamous strip club in South Rain, The Crab Factory. The sign even had a glowing red crab that would snap its claws open and shut. Don’t let the expensive sign fool you, however, because The Crab Factory was anything but fancy.

  I passed by the security guard, his gaze following me all the way to the main floor of the club. The shag carpet had an uncomfortable stick that made it difficult to walk, and the room smelled of cigarettes, seafood, and bad life choices.

  I made my way to the side of the club, where a small bar and buffet were built into the wall. For just twenty bucks I was able to get a beer and a bucket for the buffet. The Crab Factory wasn’t always a strip club, it actually started as a seafood restaurant. The new owners changed a lot, but they kept the name and the bottomless crab legs.

  It’d been a few days since I had my last drink, and I was desperate for something to take the edge off. Even if the beer tasted like the carpet, I happily drank every last drop. I filled my bucket with crab legs and sat down at a corner table, hoping to eat and observe.

  The rumor going around the city was that one of the dancers was a super. It wasn’t something I knew for sure, but I’d heard it from multiple people. There wasn’t much information past that, however, so I needed to try and find who the secret super was.

  It wasn’t easy work, watching a dozen half-naked beautiful women dance while drinking and eating crab legs. But that was just what needed to be done during a stakeout. After I had a few too many servings of slightly spoiled crab legs, I had a few guesses as to which one was the super.

  There were only a handful of customers, none of them big spenders. Which made sense considering it was noon on a Sunday. Most of the dancers were just standing around, talking amongst themselves. While a lot of them stood out, adorned with colorful hair and intricate tattoos, there were a few that felt a bit too plain.

  I figured that if someone was a super in disguise, they’d try not to draw attention. It’d be best to do that by not doing anything that would make them stand out. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was the best guess that I had.

  I left my table behind, approaching one of the dancers standing alone. She had flowing purple hair that ran down her back, and she wore enough body glitter to absolutely devastate a room.

  “Hey, sweetie, looking for a private dance?” she purred, noticing me walking up to her.

  “Yes,” I replied, with only the slightest hint of desperation.

  I paid an amount that I’d prefer to keep to myself, which ended up with us in a private booth. After the endless stream of fighting, it was nice to just relax for a moment, even if I shouldn’t. But despite the temptations in front of me, I forced myself to stay on track.

  “Hey,” I talked over the Spice Girls song that was playing. “You’re lovely and all, but I was wondering if you knew about anyone more... Exotic?”

  She leaned in closer, “Aw, am I not good enough for you, honey? We have Mercedes, she’s half-Taiwanese, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

  “No, nothing like that,” I explained. “I just heard a rumor that this place had someone special. You know, with powers.”

  “Sorry, dear, we don’t have anyone like that.”

  I pulled out the rest of the money. Even if I needed to come back with more later, I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. “I only want to talk with her, you can have all of this if you just point me in the right direction.”

  She stopped dancing, glancing at the curtain to make sure it was shut. She snatched the stack of money from my hands and began counting.

  “Okay, what do you want?” she asked.

  “Just to talk with her. I’m not planning anything weird, and I won’t tell anyone else who she is.”

  She checked the curtain once more, making certain that no one could see inside. I was about to ask what was happening when her body suddenly started to change. It slowly shifted in color, turning from a caramel tan to a bright yellow with specks of blue.

  “Congrats, you found me. Now what do you want?” Her soft words turned sharp and pointed.

  “I’m making a group, and I’m trying to recruit more supers to help me out. I hoped that yo-”

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  She cut me off. “Not interested.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “You’re not the first man to ask me to work for him. I’m not a fighter or a whore, so what would you get from me joining?”

  “Uh. It’s better to have more people than to have less?”

  “What are you offering and what does your group stand for?”

  “Well, the group is because some villains are trying to kill me. So I’m trying to make a group that can fight back against them. We’re not exactly making money right now, but when we do, then I’ll make sure you get a fair cut.”

  She let out a sigh. “Look, thank you for the offer, but I’m good. Not a single part of that sounded appealing. You’ll need to find someone else to help you out.”

  “I understand,” was all I could think to say. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

  Fuck. I’d spent a thousand dollars and most of my day on this lead, and it was all for nothing. If she wouldn’t join, then I’d need to try and find another non-affiliated super.

  Right as I was about to walk out, she called out to me, “Wait a second.”

  I turned around, hopeful. “What’s up?”

  She opened a small cabinet shoved into the corner of the private room. She dug around, eventually pulling out a scrap of paper and a pen. I waited as she scribbled something down, shoving the paper in my hand after.

  “Since you just paid my rent for this month, I might as well help you out. This is the number of a guy I know, his name’s Charlie. He works at this underground fighting ring for supers. If you can get a meeting with his boss, maybe he’ll be able to help you out. Just make sure to let him know that it’s a favor for Felicity.”

  I had no clue that there even was a fighting ring in South Rain, let alone one for supers. “Thank you, this means a lot.”

  “Don’t worry about it, baby. And don’t be afraid to come back for another dance,” she said, her comforting tone brought back.

  With the number in hand, I left the grimy strip club and made my way back to the slightly less grimy motel. While I didn’t recruit Felicity, this was still a success. As I walked through the streets, I saved the number in my contacts.

  I had no idea what this underground ring would be like, let alone the guy running it, but it sounded promising. If Reload was awake by the time I returned, we could discuss the news and plan our next move.

  My talk with Felicity did have me a bit worried, however. Reload and I were barely a team, only the bet tying us together. There was still a chance that he could leave at any time. And with only a few thousand left to my name, I didn’t have much to offer him.

  I entered my motel room to find Reload awake, watching cable TV. While I could’ve messaged his system on the way back, I knew just how awful it felt to get a message while you were trying to sleep. But I was happy to see that he was up.

  He’d taken a shower while I was gone, the dried blood washed off his skin. He was also wearing a new all white outfit, though I had no clue where he got it from. I was about to ask him about it, but he interrupted my question.

  “Hey, boss, welcome back. Wanna watch some Seinfeld with me?”

  “Turn that off, I got some info to share. Found a lead on a potential ally, and I have an update on the war we started.”

  Reload grabbed the remote, muting the TV. “Alright, tell me about it before I miss too much of this episode.”

  “Mr. Ammer died while fighting the Disciples. Surge Gang is going to be out for blood, but they’ll try to avoid super confrontations. Best bet is a lot of small-scale henchmen attacks all over Disciple Territory.”

  “Is that a good thing? We’re basically in the middle of them, and I figured you’d be against that much attention.”

  “We might need to move, but it should play out in our favor. They’ll distract and weaken the Disciples for us, especially since Quarry is out of commission.”

  “Don’t know if you noticed, but I’m also out of commission.” He waved his hand at me, showing off injuries that weren’t healed yet. “I’m down to get in the muck, but walking hurts like hell and my fingers are bent to shit.”

  “You’ll heal faster than Quarry, at least. But you’re right, the timing would be tight if we wanted to hit them while they’re weak.”

  “Well, you got a plan for us?”

  “Of course I do. I found out there’s a fighting ring that we could try to work with. Since I didn’t know about it, then there’s a chance that the Disciples don’t either. So if we could hire a super or two, then we might have a real chance at taking them down.”

  “Alright, let’s get moving!” Reload chuckled. “I’ve already got a few ideas on how to beat the shit out of that multi-limbed freak.”

  “Wait, there’s something else we need to talk about first.”

  “Huh?”

  I took a deep breath, composing myself. “Do you want to do this? I know that we had a deal, but I’d also get it if you want to leave. We’ve been handling things so far, but this shit is going to get worse every single day we keep fighting.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “Let me finish. Things are good right now, despite the fact that you almost died last night, they’re good. But every single day has got a chance to be our last. I want you by my side, but there isn’t anything I can offer you. We’re not making money, we have no territory, it’s just us. This is nothing more than my own fight for survival.”

  The smile that he always wore faltered once again, turning into a face that I’d never seen him have before. He wasn’t bored, entertained, or distracted. For the first time, I saw Reload with a serious expression.

  “I met you yesterday, and we barely know each other. But you risked your life just to recruit me. Every other villain offers money or power, something they wouldn’t care about losing, but you put everything on the line to hire me. If you’d spill blood for me, then we’re bonded by that blood. We’re in this shit together.”

  A wave of relief washed over me. I wasn’t certain what I would do if he chose to leave, but I was grateful that he decided to stay. While there would be a violent struggle up ahead, at least I had someone by my side. I let my emotions overwhelm me, and I pulled him into a hug.

  Reload cried out, “Ow, fuck! Get off me, asshole! My ribs aren’t healed yet!” But even as he pushed me away, I could see his smile return.