Footsteps and hurried shouts resounded from the top of the basement stairwell. I emerged from it and ducked behind a pile of steel crates. Two gangers and green and silver milled down the end of a corridor. Neither of them was happy.

“What do you mean, we lost her?” Spittle flew out of the mouth of the first.

“I swear, she just ran past the corner and went poof! I don’t know!” The other ganger said. He was skinnier, clearly one of the lower-rank grunts.

“Fan out and find her! If we don’t pay up by next week, we’re doomed!” The two dispersed, running down the opposite direction of mine. I resisted the urge to slap my face and groan. Lisa, that stupid girl, had kicked the rust-hornet’s nest. Soon, every two-bit thug and ganger would be scurrying around their hideout searching for their next meal-ticket. The front door was no longer an option. I’d have to try the back, or that fire escape on the second floor.

Weird thing was, it sounded like Lisa was evading the grunts. If she was that good on her feet, why wasn’t she putting distance between her and this dump? Was her flag so important that she needed to raise hell with an entire gang, just to get it back?

Oh, whatever. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. You’re on your own for this one, Lisa.

Don’t get the wrong idea. I wasn’t so heartless as to not feel pity for Lisa—sympathy even. Many a colleague had carried sentimentality into battle, whether it be trinkets, weapons or cloth patches. They were weird stuff, but if it helped them shoot straight, who was I to complain? Hell, even I’d dragged around a stone charm from my old fixer mentor, before it almost cost me my life on an infiltration job.

However, I wasn’t about to waste my second life on rescuing a girl I barely knew. Let the police handle it. If Lisa lost a few body parts in the meantime…well, it just the unfortunate truth of the world. Low-cost augmentations did exist.

The two gangers ran off in hot pursuit. I waited a minute, then I crept out from behind the boxes. That Sam kid mentioned a map in the break room, eh? Time to check it out.

Several problems quickly became apparent.

Firstly, Sam’s directions were wrong. A corridor down and a left turn led to the backs of two of his mates, who were thankfully too busy gawping at some half-naked girl on their phone. Either his head was scrambled too hard from the fight, or he was just a natural dumb kid.

This meant I had to retrace my steps and more the breadth of the hideout. Not appealing when your clothes included squeaky sneakers and loose clothes that threatened to catch on the corners of sharp objects. My old wetwork contacts would’ve laughed themselves to death. The alternative was to hide in the basement for eternity, so I pressed on.

The hideout was bigger than I expected. It seemed to be a former packaging plant for a corporation. Old, faded signs and broken noticeboards were still attached to a couple of the walls. The structure still stood strong, so presumably it fell into disuse due to economic troubles. Most of the internal infrastructure—shelves, storage crates and locked containers—were present.

The ‘Cobra Klan’ had flocked to the empty building like a swarm of files onto dogshit. I peeked around a corner and saw the front-entrance. A gigantic spray-painted mural of a hissing cobra glared back at me from above the double doors. Other gangers had graffitied slogans around it, too far away to make out. Below it, a loading bay was cleared out in a makeshift open living space. I spotted a kid slump into a chair with a soda from a nearby cooler, before another guy whacked him over the head and told him to search for Lisa.

The stench of violence clung to the cloying air, thick and rich. The hairs stood on the back of my neck. That flag better pack a hidden gun, else Lisa was doomed. A combination of experience and foresight kept me out of the gangers’ sight…mostly.

Luck is a bitch and a half. No matter how prepared you are, she will crush your balls and laugh at your bruised ass.

I had just taken the map e-print from the break room table when the door creaked open. Fridge, plastic table, cupboard—and then my body was curled up inside the latter, nerves peaking and mouth panting. The next second, I shoved a hand in it. A dull pain thread across my fingers as I bit down. Nearby, tins of food rattled.

Musty darkness, only broken by a crack in the cupboard door. A pair of male voices, one of them puffing a cigarette. An electronic hum got cut off as the door to the fridge opened. There was the rustling of plastic, followed by the gross squelches of food being shoved down the gangers’ gullets.

Slowly, I summoned my knife from the Inventory and gripped it in my palms.

“Oi Matt, why we gotta guard the back door?”

“The girl we nabbed escaped, duh. Boss said to stand guard here, so we’re doing it.”

“Aw man, that’s such a pain…can’t we go after her instead?”

“She’s gonna slip away if we don’t, you moron. You wanna tell the Boss you slacked off? Yeah, go ahead buddy. I’ll organise your funeral.”

“Geez man, I was just asking…” The chairs creaked. Two weights settled down upon them. My throat tightened. Thanks a lot, Lisa.

Could I hide here until things settled down? No, it was too cramped in here. Pins and needles crept up the side of my left leg. The air would run out fast, too. It was the fire escape for me, assuming these guys hurried up and got back to work like proper gangers.

“Hey, who took the map down?” The ganger named Matt said.

My body went still. Very slowly, I exhaled from my mouth, then held my breath.

“Dunno. Is it important?”

“Dumbass, maybe the girl was using it. Y’know, to find an exit.”

“Oh! You’re smart, Matt.”

This was a bad idea. I should’ve taken them out at the start. A knife to the jugular for the first, then a second strike while to his friend while he was reeling from the shock. Then shove the bodies in the cupboard and get the hell out of here…

“Yo, what if she’s hiding inside this room!”

“What?”

“Aren’t girls like flexible and all that? She could be in the fridge or something.”

“We just opened it.”

“Okay, but what if she’s in the closet?”

Shit. Shit shit shit. My surroundings shrunk down to the gap near the cupboard door. Could my knife stab through a ganger’s hand and cause enough pain to incapacitate him? Or should I let myself be taken in, then surprise them with my Inventory? Christ, what if they surrounded me and then decided to make an example?

“She was running around the place.” Matt said. “No way she’s in here. C’mon, let’s get back to our posts.”

“Fine…”

The chairs scraped. Plastic wrappers were tossed in the bin. The door opened and shut. A minute later, I burst out of the cupboard, heaving for air like an exhausted lifeguard. Sweat matted my fringe, trailing down my front as I propped myself up with the edge of a chair.

I am never doing that again. Not without more agility.

Enemies evaded successfully! +18 EXP!

TIP: Non-combative actions, such as hiding from or evading enemies, can also provide EXP.

That was good to know. At least I wouldn’t have to beat up every enemy I came across now.

TIP: Your surroundings may contain helpful items. Considering looting them (but beware of getting caught!)

I obliged by inspecting the fridge and the items scattered across the rest of the room.

Map acquired! +12 EXP!

Level up! Congratulations, you are now LV. 3! Maximum HP has been increased by 11! Restored 25 HP!

Acquired 2 Upgrade Points! Would you like to apply them now?

It was tempting to splurge on the points now. But what if I could use the upgrade sequence to my advantage? Time slowed down when I applied them, after which I could surprise my opponent with a new gout of strength or a burst of agility. It was worth considering that I decided to save the Upgrade Points for later.

TIP: You can spend your Upgrade Points whenever you want.

From it, I discovered the location of the fire exit on the second floor.

The mini-fridge contained fast-food products, beer cans and beef jerky. They held the ripe, stale scent of food close to the expiry date. Not that I was picky, but moving was hard on a full stomach. A couple of the drinks had uses, though.

Beer Can (N): Alcoholic beverage made from synthesized hops. Gets you drunk. Also can serve as a disinfectant in a pinch.

Water Bottle (N): A bottle of water. In an age of artificial consumer products, water has stayed relatively natural. Has many practical uses beyond hydration.

A couple of e-notes were plastered on the fridge.

LAST REMINDER: DO NOT PLACE PRODUCT NEAR FOOD. Next moron who does is gets no pay for our next job. Signed, the Boss.

suck my dick trevor the Darwin dominators are shiiitttttttt

A police investigation was conducted near Flagstaff station as the notorious Cobra Klan appeared to strike a group of passengers leaving the late-night train. Several of the victims were beaten up and robbed, then shoved in a dumpster. Only the cries of help alerted the night watch to the incident. Once again, IEHAR has done nothing about the local crimes within their partnered cities…

That last one was a clipping from a news article, printed in holo-paper. I stopped reading. Nothing else in the room was of any use, so I moved on.

The stairs to the second floor were close. More graffiti made its presence, this one displaying an image of the gang’s cobra devouring a rat with a police cap. Very subtle, guys. A rusted sign hung over the entrance. It too was painted over, now stating BOSS in neon green letters. The moment I took my first step, INTERFACE-OS pinged me again.

Sneaked past enemies! Gained 36 EXP!

[EXP: 36/150]

That confirmed stealth was a viable option. It gave me less experience than fighting the gangers head on, but it was a decent trade-off for not getting my skull caved in. I’d have to keep this in mind for next time.

I went up the stairs and the lights turned off.

…no. That wasn’t right.

When the power’s cut, there was always a split second of recognition. The flickering of light, the harsh whine of the power cable, maybe even a bulb exploding and it all goes dark. This was different. I stepped onto the second floor and plunged face-first into complete blackness.

This…doesn’t seem right. Did they run out of power when I wasn’t looking?

It wasn’t out of the question, given the energy crisis of the modern era. Why weren’t there any emergency lights, though? Don’t tell the gangers had stripped them out to power a drug lab, or whatever.

Does INTERFACE-OS have a light?

Its screens popped in front of me. They were bright in my vision, but failed to light up the darkness. I doubted they had a presence in the material world at all.

The mass of blackness greeted me like the hollow end of a gun barrel. I swallowed, counted to three and plunged further into it. The pocket phone I stolen earlier acted as my makeshift light source. It barely illuminated the few feet in front of me. Better than nothing.

I thought back to what my wetwork associates had said. Mercenaries fought in all places, including dark rooms. Keep your senses up. Don’t think about what could be behind you. Be prepared to strike at a moment’s notice, fast and merciless. If all else fails, run.

Muffled voices. Faint circles of light spraying piercing the gloom. I pressed myself against the wall, curling up, and cocked an ear.

“Bro, did you turn off the lights?” A couple of gangers were conversing.

“Nuh-huh. I didn’t do shit, bro.”

Their footsteps approached like drum beats. The circle of light on the wall grew bigger and bigger. My mind whirred. Fight, or flight? Could I even take on two guys in the darkness? I held my breath, clenched my knife and prepared to charge through the beams and slit their throat.

Didn’t happen. They turned around at the end of the corridor and went back the way they came. I exhaled after their footsteps were long gone.

Screw this. I’m going back. Fighting in the dark is suicide.

I turned around and felt my way back to the staircase entrance. I took a step and promptly hit my nose against the wall.

What?

I flicked the pocket phone ahead. A wall. I directed the phone to the left. Still a wall. The right, the same result. Conclusion: the staircase entrance was gone. Like it had never existed here in the first place.

But that’s not possible! I internally cried. What’s going on here? I couldn't have gotten lost in a single narrow hallway!

“Hi mister!”

A figure tapped me on the shoulder. I whirled around and threw myself at the assailant with the force of a hungry cheetah. My knife was out and aimed straight at the neck of the shadowy figure. A struggle, a gurgle and suddenly speech.

“Wait, mister! It’s me! Lisa!”

My thoughts skidded to a stop. With it, the knife halted at the base of Lisa’s neck. It really was her. Then I snarled and shoved myself off her. The girl sat up, coughing. In her hands was a long object consisting with a wooden pole and a patch of cloth. A flag.

“Geez mister, you sure are rough.” She said. “Sorry if I startled you.”

“What the hell, Lisa?” I growled. “Why’d you run off like that? Alerting every ganger in the base…you could’ve gotten us both killed!”

“Sorry, sorry. My flag was too important to me.”

“More than your own life?”

“Yes. Very much so.” Lisa stated. Her tone was dead serious. Then, she smiled, unapologetic, lifting up her prize like her own flesh and blood. The red-orange cloth fluttered with the motion. “But I got it back, as you can see. What an adventure it was. Shall I tell you about it over tea?”

“I’ll pass.” I grunted. “You know where the fire exit is?”

“Nope. But good news, mister! My friends are here. They’re right on this floor!”

“Where?” I asked.

Right as she finished that sentence, something exploded in the distance.

“Over there!”