In the nearest parking garage, Gadot led them up a level, checking her map every so often until she found what she was looking for. A 1986 fox body Ford Mustang sat gleaming in a parking stall, candy apple red with an oversized supercharger intake scoop jutting from its hood. Kurt ran a finger along its chrome detailed lines, before Gadot stepped past him and slapped his hand away.

  “This is my favorite car, be nice.” She opened the driver’s door and pushed the seat forward to allow Jimmy to crawl in behind her. “Oh, and you’ll want to wear the harnesses. This won’t be a gentle ride.” She buckled herself in and lovingly caressed the steering wheel, ignoring the tumult of sirens and helicopters in the air around them. Kurt shook his head, took a deep breath, and got in the car.

  Shifting around in the backseat, Jimmy grunted and lifted his legs up onto the seat next to him, leaning his back against the side window. “Help me out here. I see plenty of people who like the old Mustangs, right? But this specific one I’ve just never understood. It’s ugly, right? What makes this one your favorite?”

  Gadot smiled, shifting the car into reverse and looking back with a shake of her head at Jimmy. “Really big engine, really light car. You’ll see.” With that, she spun the wheel and sent the Mustang hurtling down the ramp towards the ground level. She slid around the corner, tires screaming as a police cruiser went sideways in an attempt to block them. Gadot dodged it and launched the car off the exit ramp, smashing the small wooden barrier in their way.

  Two bulky black SWAT vans were set up rear to rear in front of the exit, a wooden barricade manned with shouting police behind them. In the midst of a storm of gunfire, Gadot floored the accelerator and slid the car in a quick circle, ending her slide with the Mustang’s nose pointed at one of the barricades. She gave the police behind it a grim smile as she held both gas and brake pedals down, before popping the clutch and releasing the brake. The Mustang rose up on its rear wheels and smashed into the barricade and police NPCs still behind it. Their bullets spattered against the vehicle’s armored sides and windows, leaving small smears behind, but causing minimal damage to the vehicle itself. Gadot had a small, wicked smile etched onto her features as she squeezed between the two SWAT vans, crushing NPCs against their sides.

  Jimmy braced in the backseat, raising his M60 towards the rear window and pointing it at the police force chasing them, but was shut down by a shout from Gadot. “Hey! Do not shoot out my window!” She calmed immediately. “You’ll screw up our aerodynamics — and you won’t be needing to shoot any bulls anyway. Nobody catches my Mustang.”

  Pulling an exaggeratedly impressed face, Jimmy set his M60 down on the floor and put his arms behind his head in a relaxed position.

  True to her word, Gadot sped through every obstacle the aggressive NPC police force could throw at them. She dodged spike strips, slid around cruisers like they were standing still, and moved so fast up the freeway that even the helicopters couldn’t keep up. The Ursa APCs never stood a chance of catching her. Gadot took the car flat out, weaving as she moved between civilians. Kurt had his usual death grip on the center of his harness, staring out the windshield as they neared 140 MPH.

  Glancing over, Gadot shook her head. “Good thing you can’t get sick in this game.”

  Kurt forced a smile in response. “I’ll get used to your driving someday, I’m sure.”

  “Not today, you won’t.” She checked her rearview mirror a few times. “High-speed interceptor coming up.”

  Perking up somewhat, Jimmy sat up and looked out the back window. “Can I shoot it?”

  The high-speed interceptor was a black and white painted 2012 Chevrolet Corvette. It had flashing red and blue lights emanating from its grille, and an aggressive spoiler. The vaguely wedge-shaped police vehicle weaved through the traffic at high speed, catching up quickly.

  Gadot narrowed her eyes. “Not just yet. I’ll let you know, though.” With that, she tapped the brake, swerving from one lane to the next and causing the already nervous civilian NPCs around them to react in predictably unsafe ways. They swung into each other’s lanes, panicking and causing a series of minor accidents. Nodding at her handiwork, Gadot reapplied the gas and darted off down the freeway again.

  She scowled as the interceptor slowed and went off-road in a plume of dust to avoid the pile up, reacquiring them and continuing its chase. “Okay. Hard way it is. Hold on, boys.”

  Rolling on the accelerator, Gadot glanced at her rearview and confirmed the interceptor’s position. She moved into the emergency lane and increased their speed even further.

  Kurt’s eyes were glued to the special speedometer on the side of the dashboard. His nerves frayed more the faster they went, and when the needle crept past 160 MPH he squeezed his eyes shut. The rhythmic thump of passing cars at extreme speed couldn’t be blocked out, though.

  “Can we lose him without doing this, maybe?” he asked nervously, concentrating on the way his feet were being shaken by the violent motion of the car’s floor.

  “Please stop talking.” Gadot’s voice was light and friendly, her focus entirely on the freeway ahead of them.

  “At these speeds, any mistake she makes will just kill us. Hold on and let her focus.” Jimmy whispered into their still active com channel from the backseat.

  Kurt gritted his teeth and held onto his harness but forced himself to open his eyes again. After a few moments of sustained high speeds the interceptor fell back, and the heat rating began to blink. A moment after that, they were free and clear, and Gadot dropped back down to more manageable speeds.

  Feeling the need to think about anything other than the chase he had just endured, Kurt decided to pull up his notifications again.

  Primary

  Armor Rank 3 (Combat)

  “Self-defense is nature’s eldest law.” John Dryden – 1681

  Wearing armor can help mitigate those annoying things in life like being shot. 3% improvement in damage reduction, 3% reduction in armor repair and replacement cost.

  Additional armor modifications unlocked.

  Primary

  Small Arms Rank 7 (Combat)

  “Okay . . . I think I got him.” Hickok45

  Skilled use of basic firearms can assist in several tasks. Maximum damage with all firearms increased by 7%.

  Additional firearm modifications unlocked.

  Secondary

  Gunslinger Rank 5 (Combat)

  “Ladies don’t argue with a burglar.” Iver Johnson Arms advertisement - 1871

  A handgun or revolver is an adaptable and commonly used firearm platform in all criminal activities. Skilled use can produce incredible benefits. Armor penetration is increased with handguns by 5%. Damage with revolvers is increased by 5%. Additional handguns and revolvers are unlocked for purchase. This skill is currently stacking with Small Arms.

  Primary

  Cartography Rank 7 (Mobility)

  “Here be monsters.” Commonly found on the edges of ancient maps, thought to denote unknown or unexplored areas.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Clever use of the map can be instrumental to several aspects of criminal activities. Mini-map notification radius and sensitivity increased by 7% (Effective bonus raised by Infiltrator to 12%)

  Kurt was pleased to see Planning had risen to level 6, and Strategist had also managed to bump up to level 3. Magnum Force and Ambush, his new specialist skills, were moving slower than he would like, only pushing up to level 2. Stealth had jumped a level, and Sneak Attack (quickly becoming a favorite) had jumped again to rank 5.

  Suddenly distracted by the shadows of evergreens moving rapidly past the window, Kurt swiped off his skills and gazed outside. Trees dotted the hills around them, and Kurt switched to his map to take a look at their location. They had driven far away from Primrose and were approaching a small town on the outskirts of a lake. Their drive took them up a winding mountain road, and Gadot rolled down the windows as they cruised.

  “That got sloppy, but I think it should be fine. It’ll piss off the Russians, and all they have to connect any of it is some wrecked GoonStorm vehicles.” She rested an arm on the windowsill of her door, leaning into the breeze a little as she drove.

  Jimmy sat up from the backseat, shoving his wrist forward between the seats. “Forum post from GoonStorm here.” He waited for Kurt to tap wrists with him, and then looked at Gadot.

  She glanced back at him, one eyebrow raised. “I’m driving. What’s it say?”

  He sat back with a yawn. “Oh, the usual. Wasn’t us, we don’t know those mysterious officers dressed in our gear rampaging all over the park.” He swiped through the air above his wrist for a moment. “Seems like nobody’s buying it. The most prevalent theory in the comments is that some rogue GoonStorm officers got it in their heads that the Russians hit their bank job and went for some good, old-fashioned revenge.” He nudged Kurt. “Sounds familiar. No statement from Ursa yet, seems like they’re holding to this radio silence thing they’re doing.”

  Gadot smiled, relaxing further. “All to plan, then.”

  They drove through a clearing part-way up the mountain side, and Kurt looked out his window to see the city spread out below them. He was struck by how peaceful it looked, while knowing the opposite to be true. Illusion was a hornet’s nest suffering from a series of recent kicks, and he was wearing the boots. The view of the gleaming city was soon replaced in Kurt’s window by the lake itself, and the town spread out around a curve of it. He glanced at his map to see the name displayed as Steele Lake.

  Steele Lake was mostly a recreational town, with several docks for pleasure craft and colorful taverns spread out in a crescent shape around the lake. A small commercial airport was nestled into the far side of the peaceful mountain top. Kurt noted there were some clothing stores on the map, as well as a weapons shop and car sales lot. Gadot drove them through the town and approached a small air strip nestled into its far side. A two-story log cabin style mansion stood at one end of the strip, a compact aircraft hangar set a ways from it, all behind a ten-foot, metal bar security fence.

  As they approached a gate on the gravel driveway, Gadot fished a plastic card from her pocket. Stopping at the gate, she swiped the card at the checkpoint and the gate in front of them rumbled aside on small wheels. “Welcome to my safehouse, boys.”

  “I thought your safehouse was that underground lair thing downtown?” Kurt scowled in confusion.

  “That’s a Hub. The Lace use it mostly for respawns and general storage. Kind of the same thing as a safehouse, but for groups, and without the storage protections.” There was a garage beside the mansion and Gadot drove up to it. She touched the air above her wrist and a garage door in front of them slid upwards. “You could have used any of the weapons you saw on the walls in there if you wanted. Sorry, I thought you knew about that.”

  Kurt shrugged as they got out and walked from the garage into the kitchen of the main building. High ceilings were accentuated by raw lumber supports. The house was well lit with sunshine pouring through several bay windows and furnished with extravagant luxury items. Gadot led the way, moving through the house to a lounge with a wall of windows that overlooked the lake, and beyond that the city. They each flopped down into plush leather seats.

  Jimmy stood back up immediately, shrugging out of his heavy weapons. “If I ever try to bring two big ass, heavy guns on a run like that again, feel free to kick me.” He proceeded to strip off his armor, tossing it on the floor before settling into the comfortable seat again. He swiped up his phone and sent a text before relaxing once more, his head tilted back over the armrest of the oversized lounge chair. “One big gun at a time.”

  Gadot pulled her own armor off over her head. She too played with her phone for a moment before relaxing. She looked over at Kurt and raised her chin at him. “You should get your armor repaired. You’ll probably need it again tonight.”

  Laughing, Jimmy sat up straight. “You don’t know how correct that statement is. Can’t believe we’re gonna go see the Pirates. Why don’t we go fondle some porcupines while we’re at it?”

  Shaking his head, Kurt swiped up his phone. “Because they’re extinct. How do I get my stuff repaired?”

  “Just text your attaché, she’ll pick it up and get it repaired for you. You can also order ammo refills and have them drop off basic items. Once your stuff is repaired, it’s delivered directly to you, or just dropped at your safehouse if you’re offline. Takes an hour.” Gadot said.

  Kurt glanced at the text options for his attaché, deciding not to bother. “Naw, I want to go get it customized. I can probably get it repaired at the same time.” He looked around the room at various decanters. “You have any coffee in here?”

  Stretching in comfort across her chair, Gadot waved a hand lazily. “Mmm, yeah. Kitchen, I think.”

  After getting up with a small grunt, Kurt walked back into the kitchen and started looking around. The kitchen had a center island with several bottles of alcohol, but he had to look over next to a window to find the coffee maker. A series of bright copper tubes laced the top of a squat silver box, porcelain cup already in place. He looked over the sides of the machine before seeing a button on the front above the cup. Pressing it, the machine began to burble and produce steaming black liquid into the cup while a delicious aroma permeated the air. He gazed out the window at the air strip while his coffee brewed itself, and then cradled the cup, returning to the lounge area. As he entered sipping his beverage, he overheard the end of a conversation.

  “-like he was going to puke. Not that I can blame him at those speeds. That’s why I was in the backseat with my eyes closed.” Jimmy waved cheerfully as his friend scowled at him.

  “Hey, you guys remember how I saved you both from Clancy? That was fun and cool!” Kurt pursed his lips as he took another sip from his steaming mug, annoyance clear on his face. “What a useful and skilled individual I must be.”

  “Yeah, yeah, calm down. We were just talking about the first time we did high speed stuff. It’s genuinely terrifying, you did well.” Gadot smiled at him, her expression genuine.

  Jimmy reached for a decanter on the table, pouring himself a drink. “Yeah, man, you’re turning out to be pretty good at this game. Respect for sure and all that noise. It’s still funny.” He shrugged.

  Nodding, Kurt smiled again. “Yeah, I guess. Watching you guys trash all those Russians and bulls and then get taken down by a stealth boss was terrifying. Thought I’d blow it for sure.”

  “Hey yeah, how’d you beat him anyway?” Jimmy happily swirled his drink.

  Sitting down, Kurt shook his head and shrugged. “I, uh . . . snuck up on him.”

  Leaning forward and nodding appreciatively, Jimmy reached out a closed hand to fist-bump his friend. “Out-stealthing the stealth boss. That’s my boy.” After that, he seemed to get more serious, taking a gulp from his drink and setting it down on the table in front of them. “So we gotta talk about the Pirates, and you guys probably aren’t going to be thrilled with me.” Both Gadot and Kurt raised their eyebrows at him, so he continued. “I kind of . . . sort of . . . may have been an officer with them for, like, two years.”

  After blinking, Kurt shook his head with a scowl of confusion. “I don’t get it. Isn’t that a good thing?”

  Gadot sighed, shaking her head. “Not if he’s not still in it. Not in the Life. How’d you leave?”

  “Uh, amicably? Maybe?” Jimmy sat back again. “I mean, I took part of the main crew with me when I left, and there was certainly some shouting, aaaand maybe a small gunfight.” He held up his finger and thumb, close together. “Little one.”

  “Okay. So we don’t bring you along. Maybe they won’t know you’re working with us.” Gadot shrugged.

  “Hehe, yeah . . . that also probably won’t work. See, Kitty runs the pirates, and she knows Kurt.” Jimmy looked nervously at his friend, who glared at him in shock and anger at the name. He shrugged with an apologetic look on his face. “She knows Kurt and I so well that, if she’s watched the videos about us — and there’s no chance she hasn’t — she knows exactly who we are and what we’re up to. I’d be surprised if she didn’t know we’re coming.”

  “Kitty is the Pirates’ GM?” Kurt squeezed his eyes shut. “Wait, what would her title even be? Captain? Captain Kitty? Sounds like a breakfast cereal.”

  “Somebody tell me who Kitty is and why this is bad, please.” Gadot sounded like she was losing patience. “That’s not the name of my contact in the Pirates.”

  “Kitty is an insane person who we used to play Brescia Online with. She’s nuts — like, actually crazy. Why did you stay with her?” Kurt said.

  “Funny, she says you’re the crazy one.” Jimmy shrugged. “Kitty isn’t so bad, she just used to get us in trouble a lot.” He brought his hand to his chin, idly rubbing the stubble there. “She likes fire.”

  “Yeah, she likes fire. She played a sorcerer and took Berserker Rage as her primary perk. She’s a nut-job.” Kurt sat back, exasperated.

  Jimmy looked at his lap, speaking quietly. “Kitty is my friend. She was your friend, too.” He looked sharply at Kurt, taking a rare moment to be serious. “Probably would be again if you reached out.”

  Kurt’s eyes widened for an instant, but when he met his friend’s gaze, his anger melted. He didn’t speak, just nodded with a concerned look on his face.

  “Sounds like you were close with her before whatever crew stuff happened.” Gadot did her best to look disinterested, pulling up her phone and browsing the internet.

  Jimmy made an amused face. “It’s fine. Kitty is . . . solid. She’ll probably help us, but she’s gonna make it painful.”

  They sat in silence, Jimmy looking out the window at the nearby lake and the cityscape beyond. Kurt stood to leave, his coffee forgotten. “I think I’m gonna go, guys. When are we meeting up for tonight?”

  Raising an eyebrow, Jimmy shifted in his seat. “Pirates generally get active around eight or nine. We should head out around then.”

  Not bothering to look up from her phone, Gadot pointed towards the air strip behind her house. “If you call The Lace, you can get a helicopter pickup. I’m sure your rep is high enough by now. If not just say I authorized it. Shouldn’t cost more than five hundred, give or take.”

  With a nod, Kurt turned to leave the room, pulling up The Lace on his phone. “Thanks, Gadot. Catch you guys later.” He turned back for a moment. “Hey, good run today. That was wild, but pretty fun.”