Kristina gasped in relief as the glow of the Heal faded.

"Better?" I asked.

"Much better," she nodded. "Sorry, some days are just - really bad."

"Think nothing of it," I said. "You said the dealer came through?"

"Yeah. He said he had some solid info."

"Go on."

"The lab the Grunters are setting up. It's in Shallowfield. There's an abandoned JC warehouse there; they've set up their operation in the basement."

"That's really helpful."

"There's more. They're running low on power, so they can't operate more than one suit at a time."

I quirked an eyebrow. "How did he get that info?"

"He didn't say; probably from a customer. Some of the suits are pretty big-time users."

"All right. I'll check it out."

"Be careful, Belessar," said Maria.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't want to miss my midnight visits to you three."

Olinda snorted. Kristina giggled. Maria's smile grew fixed.

: bro, maybe you shouldn’t have said it like that

: like what?

“You can count on Maria giving you a warm welcome anytime,” Olinda remarked.

: oh! totally awesome! And Maria’s blushing!

Maria was, indeed, blushing - although I had no idea why. “We’re happy to help, Belessar,” she said, glaring at Olinda. “Some of us are, of course, more serious about helping than others.”

I decided to make my exit before the conversation went over my head. Well. Even more over my head.

Tuesday night, eleven p.m.

The Shallowfield JC warehouse was once the home of a global fashion retailer. Those days were long gone now, as the ups and downs of business killed some brands and gave birth to others.

I crept into the darkened building, on full alert.

: nothing showing up

: no worries, there's only one suit here

: shouldn't be too hard

The signs of human activity were there, of course. Dust had been swept aside by the telltale marks of machinery being dragged across the floor.

I followed the trail, looking for the stairs down.

: nanobots searching the place, can’t find the staircase

: it’s got to be here somewhere. Can’t have a basement lab without basement access

Rows upon rows of boxes lay stacked neatly. I walked between them, alert. The guard would surely be here somewhere.

Wait. Boxes made sense in a regular warehouse - but an abandoned one?

TEST OF PERCEPTION: FAILED

Something massive slammed into me.

I felt myself flying through the air. The next thing I knew, I was crashing through a pile of boxes.

A crushing weight slammed into my chest.

: ANDREW IT’S A TRAP!

I stared into the beady, hungry eyes of an eleven foot tall ape.

ULTRAGORILLA

LEVEL 20

HP 2000/2000

DAMAGE 150

Ultragorilla’s weight held me down, and he slammed his massive fist into my face.

GORILLA PUNCH! 150 DAMAGE! ARMOR 250/400.

CONDITION INFLICTED: STUNNED!

: it’s the blackhats! They were hidden under some sort of field! Andrew, it’s all three of them!

I couldn’t move. The beast’s incredible weight pinned my arms and legs in place. I could see a counter ticking down with the effect of Stun: ten seconds.

: get out of there!

I might not have ten seconds left to live.

“You know,” a lazy drawl interrupted, “I wouldn’t have minded you going after the Grunters.”

Tigerstrike stepped forward, claws extended. Confident. Poised. Self-assured.

“But then you went and blamed it on me.”

This was the man who had fought Grumman, Gravitic, and thirty-six Grunter suits for control of the Tanisport underworld. Looking at him now, I could see why.

“You need to own your own battles, newbie. If you’d stuck around a bit longer, you’d have learnt that.” He shook his head sadly. “Unfortunately, you’re not going to get the chance. Ultragorilla. Finish him.”

Ultragorilla roared.

The sound was ear-splitting.

: andrew! no!

Only one chance.

I lashed out with Mindstrike.

ULTRAGORILLA -10 HP! ULTRAGORILLA IS DISORIENTED!

The massive apeman reared back, confused.

The pressure on my arms vanished. Not for long - Ultragorilla would recover in seconds, and pin me again.

But I could swing my arms.

The Lightning Hammer manifested in my hands, and I swung at the ugly ape’s head with all my strength.

DEADLY BLOW! ULTRAGORILLA -495 HP! ELECTRIC SHOCK! ULTRAGORILLA -40 HP!

The hit knocked the beast sideways.

I could move.

I jumped up and sprinted.

Tigerstrike laughed. “Oh, run little newbie, run!”

A roar sounded behind me. Ultragorilla really hadn’t liked that.

: watch out for serpentor!

I dodged left.

Serpentor’s claws whistled through the air, cutting through the space I’d just occupied.

The snake-man hissed. Then he spat at me.

I ducked as the venomous spit flew overhead. It hit a box behind me, which began to sizzle and smoke.

Acid spit?

The roar of Ultragorilla behind me reminded me not to stop.

I ran, with the ape-man’s feet thundering behind me and Serpentor’s enraged hisses not far behind.

The warehouse door lay open as I dodged through to see …

Tigerstrike.

In front, waiting.

“Now, now, little newbie,” he laughed, “running ain’t fun.”

Sharp blades sprouted from his wrists. The supervillain charged at me.

I dodged right, only to trip over a brick and go sprawling.

Tigerstrike’s laughter followed me. “So proud, the hero. So agile, he can’t even stay on his feet.”

The warehouse door splintered, as Ultragorilla burst through it.

I needed to change the situation.

I pulled out a Fuel Bomb and hurled it at the three.

The BOOM! of the explosion was momentarily satisfying.

TIGERSTRIKE -102 HP!

SERPENTOR -185 HP! SERPENTOR IS BURNING, -5 HP/SEC.

ULTRAGORILLA -144 HP!

Serpentor screamed as the fire coated his hands.

Ultragorilla rushed at me. His massive fist swung.

I activated Evade Blows.

My AP began to drop rapidly. Ultragorilla’s punch went wide - thankfully.

No time for half measures. I swung the Lightning Hammer at Ultragorilla in another Deadly Blow.

The Lightning Hammer slammed into Ultragorilla with a crack of thunder. Electric sparks slammed into the massive ape-man, and he lurched back.

DEADLY BLOW! ULTRAGORILLA -495 HP! ELECTRIC SHOCK! ULTRAGORILLA -40 HP!

Nothing for it. I swung again.

DEADLY BLOW! ULTRAGORILLA -495 HP! ELECTRIC SHOCK! ULTRAGORILLA -40 HP!

The monster howled in pain.

My AP was dropping alarmingly. I cut off Evade Blows and activated Bodycharge.

BODYCHARGE FAILED! ULTRAGORILLA IS TOO MASSIVE TO BE IMPACTED BY IT.

Ultragorilla was bleeding, and his ribs were cracked, but he still had the chance to swipe at me.

GORILLA PUNCH! 150 DAMAGE! ARMOR 100/400.

Cracks ran through my armor, as the massive creature’s blows dented the Bodyplate.

I swung like my life depended on it - because it did.

ULTRAGORILLA -99 HP! ELECTRIC SHOCK! ULTRAGORILLA -40 HP!

The hit drove Ultragorilla back, staggering him.

I charged, swinging.

My Lightning Hammer smashed into Ultragorilla’s jaw. The crack! of his jawbone was loud enough to shatter eardrums. Blood spurted from his nose and eyes, as the giant fell backwards.

ULTRAGORILLA -99 HP! ELECTRIC SHOCK! ULTRAGORILLA -40 HP!

ULTRAGORILLA DEFEATED! +1000 XP, +1 ATTRIBUTE BOOST.

I’d almost forgotten about that….

Serpentor was now groaning. Black burn marks covered his face and hands, and one eye was leaking fluid.

SERPENTOR

LEVEL 15

HP 200/400

POISON CLAWS, 30 DAMAGE + POISONING, 30 DAMAGE/SEC

POISON SPIT 10 DAMAGE + POISONING, 30 DAMAGE/SEC

CONDITION: BURN INJURIES, - 3 DEX, -2 INT, -2 PER

I had 32 AP remaining.

I pushed my Boost into Dexterity.

My available AP jumped to 47.

Tigerstrike stared at me. “Wow. You took down Ultragorilla. That’s good, for a newbie. Of course, the bombs were cheating a bit....” He pointed his bladed hands at me. “Prepare to fight.”

Twelve seconds. That’s how long he’d spoken.

My AP was now 83.

I could have swung at him. I didn’t.

Instead, I hurled a Fullersteel Pilum at Serpentor.

JAVELIN STRIKE! SERPENTOR -320 HP!

The ultra hissed as the spear lanced through his chest, then fell to his knees, blood running down his snakelike jaw.

SERPENTOR DEFEATED! +1000 XP, +1 ATTRIBUTE BOOST.

QUEST COMPLETED: ANIMAL CONTROL!

I brought my hammer up. “Your men are dead now,” I rasped out. “You can die, or we can talk. Choose.”

The words hit Tigerstrike with 200 persuasion points backing them.

I snapped off a quick Observe.

TIGERSTRIKE

LEVEL 20

FACTION LEADER: BLACKHATS

HP 898/1000

WRISTBLADES +125 DAMAGE/HIT, ACCELERATING ATTACK +2000% SPEED

The ultra paused. “Huh. I guess you are serious.” He cocked his head. “You’d make a fine addition to the Blackhats, you know.”

“Now that I’ve killed your henchmen you’re offering me a job?”

“Well, it’s one way to get promoted.”

“Hmm.” I paused, pretending to consider it. “What are the benefits?”

Tigerstrike laughed. “Seriously?”

“I know what the Grunters offered their people,” I reasoned. “I don’t know what you offer.” I raised my hands wide. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for blaming the Damini on you. I’ve learnt since then.”

“You’re serious? You want to join the Blackhats?”

“Like I said, I don’t see why not.”

“You’re a hero.”

“I’m a neutral at best. And I want money.” I shrugged. “I’m assuming you like money too.”

Tigerstrike laughed. It was a creepy, creepy laugh. “Inventors always need money. Too much.” He shrugged. “Fortunately, we have enough money. We run half the drug trade in this city - and now that the Grunters are gone, we’ll rule it all.” He paused. “I assume you don’t want to know about the whorehouses.”

“I’m okay as long as the women have a choice. Or we exit the business altogether.”

Tigerstrike shook his head. “For getting you on board, I’d give up that business. We all have our likes and dislikes. But you pay me half of what you earn from each alien defence in return….”

Sixty-two seconds.

That’s how long we’d been talking. Not long in the scheme of a conversation.

But long enough for my AP to refill.

I activated Evade Blows, and Bodycharge.

BODYCHARGE! TIGERSTRIKE -47 HP!

The momentum of the charge knocked Tigerstrike back. He snarled. “Why, you little…”

I slammed the Lightning Hammer into him.

DEADLY BLOW! TIGERSTRIKE -495 HP! ELECTRIC SHOCK! TIGERSTRIKE -40 HP!

Tigerstrike fell backwards, then blurred.

: how is he moving that fast!

No time to think. Tigerstrike was moving faster than I could have ever imagined.

His blades whirled, stabbing towards me at near-supersonic speeds.

Evade Blows angled my body out of the way.

Razor sharp steel flickered past my ear, below my groin, underneath my arm - slicing, cutting

where I’d been a moment ago.

It was madness. Evade Blows moved my body like a puppet, making it impossible to swing, to do anything but dodge, as Tigerstrike revealed the full extent of his powers.

A boom! as the tip of his blades broke the sound barrier.

Evade Blows kept me intact, but my AP was dropping rapidly. Seven AP burned away per second. I didn’t know how long Tigerstrike could keep this up, but I would be out in twenty seconds at most - and I couldn’t use the Lightning Hammer with my body jerking around like a marionette.

So I lashed out with Mindstrike.

The first hit broke Tigerstrike’s momentum, staggering him back.

MINDSTRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -10 HP!

“Bastard!” he roared. “You’re a Master too?”

“Not just that,” I snapped, and unleashed Lightning Strike.

LIGHTNING STRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -40 HP!

Tigerstrike charged at me, blades blurring.

LIGHTNING STRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -40 HP!

Evade blows swiftly wove me out of the way.

LIGHTNING STRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -40 HP!

MINDSTRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -10 HP!

MINDSTRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -10 HP!

I was moving too erratically to use anything but Mindstrike on the villain.

Fortunately, I had plenty of MP to burn.

MINDSTRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -10 HP!

MINDSTRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -10 HP!

MINDSTRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -10 HP!

MINDSTRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -10 HP!

FOR SEVEN SUCCESSFUL STRIKES AT A FOE’S MIND, INFLICT A PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION!

TIGERSTRIKE: CONDITION INFLICTED: HALLUCINATING!

The villain flinched and jumped backwards. “What? What did you do?”

I hurled a Lightning Strike at him.

LIGHTNING STRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -40 HP! TIGERSTRIKE IS DAZED!

The leader of the Blackhats stumbled backwards. Then he turned to run.

I took a deep breath and watched Tigerstrike race away at incredible speed.

Observe told me he was down to 86 HP. He was hallucinating, dazed, and running.

He’d be back, and this time, he’d be better prepared.

I pulled out my Laser Sniper Rifle, sighted, and poured 50 AP into Sniper Shot.

Then I fired.

The laser beam smashed into Tigerstrike’s back, knocking him down.

SNIPER SHOT! TIGERSTRIKE -50 HP!

I had only 36 AP left, but I didn’t need it any further. Tigerstrike was down to 36 HP.

I activated Bodycharge.

Tigerstrike was still fast. Fast enough to dodge the momentum of my body almost slamming into him. He dodged, turning the blow into a graze. No damage.

I lashed out with Lightning Strike.

LIGHTNING STRIKE! TIGERSTRIKE -40 HP!

TIGERSTRIKE DEFEATED! +2000 XP FOR DEFEATING FACTION LEADER: BLACKHATS!

It was over.

I sat down, breathing heavily.

: andrew? Andrew, are you okay?

: i’ll be okay in a bit

: …. Can you come pick me up?

: on my way

I pulled off my armour in the autocar.

Great big cracks ran across every part of it. The bodyplate was dented where it had borne the weight of Ultragorilla, and the impact of his punches hadn’t helped.

I wasn’t too great either. My ribs ached, and I felt like one big bruise. Still, I’d been lucky. A single punch from Ultragorilla would have pulped me without the armour.

Anne was crying. “I should have spotted them,” she said. “I should have.”

“What happened?” I asked gently.

“They were under a masking shield,” Anne said, “like the one at the Grunter mansion. My bots didn’t spot them until Ultragorilla left the shield...”

I nodded. “So they were getting support from the Grunters.”

“Huh?”

“The Blackhats don’t have any inventors. Grumman probably gave them the masking field.” I paused. “And got the drug dealer to act as a fake source. A well-planned trap.”

“You almost died,” Anne said.

“I survived. That’s what’s important.” I sighed. “And … I think I broke the Blackhats.”

“You… broke them?”

“Their three ultras are dead. Can the police handle the rest? Especially if, say, your nanobots happen to roam around the city and spot every Blackhat hideout?”

“I… don’t know if I can control that many.”

“You can. You have to. Because Anne? With the gangs, it’s now war to the knife. They die or we die. And we won’t be safe until we flush every last one of them out.” I thought of Kristina, and Olinda, and Donna, and Junie. “And nor will the ones we’re trying to protect.

“So you’re going to start practicing managing larger and larger swarms. You’re going to get good enough at it that you can map and read the entire city. You’re going to find every hideout, every nook and cranny, in which the gangs nest. And when you do?

“Then I’m going to go in and clear them out.”