After dropping Jimmy off at his place, Kurt hurried into his parents’ house and started towards his plug in. He was intercepted by his mother, stepping out of her studio. “Kurtis, good. Can we talk?”

  “Ooh, kind of a bad time actually. Over dinner?” He said, trying to slip past her.

  She didn’t move, her features darkening. “A bad time? You have plans?”

  The hair on the back of Kurt’s neck went up. “Uh, yeah sort of. I’m supposed to be helping Jimmy.”

  “In his game, yes. And that’ll help you make a living?” Her arms crossed as she spoke.

  Kurt hesitated, thinking for a moment before responding. “I understand, Mom. I really do.  Almost all of my life up to this moment, I’ve been a poor companion to those around me. You, Dad, Jimmy.” He looked up to face her. “This is me trying to make up for that. I’m making it up to Jimmy right now, and I’ll make this up to you guys too. I just need some time, please.”

  Her gaze softened, and her arms came uncrossed. “I’m sorry Kurtis, I didn’t mean-” She stepped aside. “Just make some time to talk about this with us soon please.”

  Kurt stood and watched her walk down the stairs behind them. He sighed and turned to enter his room, sitting down in his plug in chair and mentally preparing himself. Drawing the plug from its cleansing gel holder, he moved his hair aside and slipped it into his port with a slight wince. The world around him clicked off as his senses were shut down and redirected to the internet’s input. The word ‘loading’ floated in his vision for a few seconds, as his hearing came online. He could hear the muffled sound of people talking and cars driving by on a nearby road. The roar of an explosion rocked the windows in Jimmy’s safe-house as Kurt’s vision came online.

  Rushing to a street-facing window, Kurt saw NPCs scrambling for safety as cars drove wildly on the road outside. He gripped the butt of his handgun, turning as Jimmy came upstairs from the basement, carrying their armor and the bag of dirty cash.

  “What?” Jimmy moved to the window, peering out with a shrug. “Let’s go, dude, we have a lot to do.”

  Still huddling behind cover by the window, Kurt stared at Jimmy with wide eyes. “Did you not hear that massive explosion?” As he spoke, rapid bursts of gunfire peppered the afternoon air, causing him to duck again.

  Shouldering into his new armor, Jimmy ignored the sound. “That’s, like . . . two blocks away. It’s fine. Let’s go.”

  Kurt holstered his Maxim 9, shaking his head as he accepted the light armor vest from Jimmy. “You really aren’t bothered by that?”

  Jimmy stopped, squinting slightly as he looked into the distance. “I faintly remember that I’m supposed to be.” Stepping back to the doorway, he lifted his new shotgun with a shrug. “But yeah, I’m not.” He swung the door open cautiously, as if expecting an attack while he peered around the cul-de-sac before turning back to Kurt. “Let’s friggin’ go dude, this isn’t a safe area anymore. I got kicked off my turf, remember? There’s no NPCs to cover our asses.”

  Drawing his handgun again, Kurt followed Jimmy out the doorway. Jimmy walked with his shotgun at the ready, scanning the area around them as they moved. “In this armor, we are super obvious as players, and we’re carrying a bag with six million in dirty cash. If you see another player, you kill them without question, got it?”

  “Got it.” Kurt nodded grimly, checking behind them as they went. He glanced at his own clothing, noting that the armored vest looked almost exactly like a normal suit vest. No NPCs or players were on the street, and whatever gunfight had been going on before seemed to have run its course, as they walked unmolested.

  Jimmy stopped at a corner next to a rundown convenience store, looking around before approaching a kiosk next to the road. It was a single standing pole with a touch screen atop it, and a sign that declared it a garage. As Kurt watched, Jimmy punched a series of commands into the screen before stepping back. A section of the pavement in front of them cracked and dropped a few inches, before sliding to the side and vanishing entirely. A 2011 Chrysler 300 rose from the road on a metal elevator. It was matte black with chrome detail and had solid tinted windows with heavy, off-road tires.

  “My black sedan. Hop in.” Jimmy moved to the driver’s side, sliding behind the wheel with a satisfied sigh as he leaned his shotgun against the center console. “I love this car.”

  Kurt sat down in the plush seat, buckling his seatbelt to Jimmy’s amusement. “Where are we going?”

  Punching the accelerator, Jimmy slid the back end of the car around in a tight circle before easing off the parking brake and driving down the road with one hand casually draped over the wheel. “Ammo run. Need some special stuff for the new shotgun. You should pick some up, too, you’re probably low on the starter gear.”

  “Oh right. I unlocked some special stealth stuff too. Wonder if there’s any kind of ‘sneaky’ ammo.” Kurt pulled up his phone, scowling in annoyance as Jimmy swerved hard around a corner.

  “There is, as a matter of fact. This game has so many kinds of ammo, man, it’s really great. I never use peasant ammo anymore. Especially not on a 12-gauge platform.” He patted the shotgun with satisfaction.

  A smile crept across Kurt’s mouth, despite his concentration on his phone. “I assume ‘peasant ammo’ is the normal kind.”

  Not bothering to answer verbally, Jimmy gave a slow nod to accompany his smug smile. He drove them into the outskirts of a residential area, following a waypoint on his windshield. As they pulled into a mostly vacant parking lot, Kurt took in the hulking building before him. It was a gigantic sporting goods store, with a log cabin motif on the front of the building, and huge supports made from smooth river stones extending out in front of the doorway.

  Jimmy swung into a parking space near the entrance and they walked into the building. He wore the shotgun on a sling that kept the gun across his chest and carried the duffle bag of dirty cash in one hand. The store was massive inside, with lofty ceilings and several areas that boasted different goods for sale. Some sections contained clothing, some tools, while others were dedicated to firearms and their accessories. They made a beeline for the latter, both eager to see their options.

  An NPC stood behind a glass counter, a wall of hunting goods behind him. Shotguns, rifles, and hunting revolvers were prevalent, displayed on hooks according to category. In the display case were several varieties of ammunition. Jimmy happily stepped up to the counter and laid his new shotgun down across it.

  “Bring me your finest options in 12-gauge ammunition please, good sir,” he said while rubbing his hands together, turning to smile at Kurt. “Best part of a new gun.”

  The NPC turned away, browsing the shelves behind him. He occasionally turned back and placed a box or package of shells in front of Jimmy. After he had a dozen or so options for Jimmy to peruse, he turned to Kurt. “And how can I help you?”

  “Uh, nine millimeter options please? Something stealthy?” he asked.

  Kurt slipped his Maxim 9 out and laid it on the counter. The NPC frowned. “Ah, I see what you mean. I am sorry to inform you, sir, but we don’t carry anything specifically stealth-based. I’d be happy to show you our nine millimeter options, though.” He turned back and rummaged through his shelves a bit more, dropping three boxes in front of Kurt.

  One was a standard box of shells, no frills or extras. One was a box of 9mm +P, which Kurt scanned. The display showed a mild damage boost, but also an increased recoil. Moving on to his third option, hollow point, he scanned it to show an incredible damage boost alongside an armor warning.

  “So I guess most of this stuff has a balance to it?” Kurt scowled as he read the ammunition information sheets.

  Rotating a vibrant yellow shotgun shell in his hand, Jimmy squinted at his own scan sheet. “Depends. Some stuff is great all around, just expensive or harder to use. Some is good against armor, some sucks against armor. So on and so forth.” He sighed and raised his eyebrows at the NPC. “I’m also discovering that this place is kind of basic. It was literally just the closest ammo shop.”

  “So do factions sell specialty ammo?” Flipping over the box of +P, Kurt opened it to look at the shells.

  Peering behind the counter as if hoping for more, Jimmy shrugged. “I mean, sure. But unlocking something is really the big deal in this game. So, you unlocked that armor by doing that art heist and raising your rep. Now if you lose it or get killed, you can just buy a replacement. If the shop has the right fluff, you can just walk in and buy it. It just has to match thematically. This place is a hunting shop, so you won’t find spec ops sneak gear in here.” He paused to motion the NPC back over. “Yeah, give me a thousand each of the sabot slugs, the triple aught magnum load buck, and . . . ah hell, why not? A thousand of the high-velocity birdshot too, please.”

  Kurt blinked, amazed at the sheer quantity of ammunition Jimmy was buying. “What is all that for?”

  Smiling knowingly, Jimmy turned to lean against the counter, holding up three different colored shells to show Kurt as he explained. “Slugs are a decent counter for any kind of mid-range a-hole we meet. Rifleman across the lobby or something. Also great for countering armor, as it’s just brutally powerful. 000 buck is just a straight upgrade from peasant shells, and the birdshot — well, I don’t know yet. Never actually tried it.”

  The NPC walked over and took each box of ammunition, scanning with a handheld barcode reader and replacing those Jimmy was not purchasing. “Will that be all, sir?”

  “No. Hold this, please. I’m gonna go find some accessories.” Turning to walk away from the counter, he waved a hand over his shoulder. “Just buy a bunch of the extra powder rounds, that stuff is a straight upgrade for you. We can hit another place for your sneak stuff after this.”

  Shrugging in acceptance, Kurt turned and nodded to the NPC behind the counter. “A thousand 9mm +P.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, sir, but you won’t be able to carry that much ammunition. I would guess five hundred rounds would be your limit.” The NPC spread his arms and smiled apologetically.

  Kurt scowled, bringing up his inventory on his phone. It showed that his maximum capacity for exotic ammunition was indeed five hundred rounds. His standard ammunition cap was fifteen hundred. “I’ll just take two hundred, and fill my normal ammo, please.”

  The NPC nodded and turned away, performing the same scanning task before placing two small boxes of ammunition on the counter in front of Kurt. “Seven hundred dollars will be your total.”

  Eyes widening, Kurt shook his head. “Useful is expensive.” He fished out a few bills from the duffle bag and paid for his purchases, tucking each box into a separate pocket as he watched his inventory. Once the boxes vanished from his pockets, the ammunition counter increased to the appropriate levels. The specialty ammunition he purchased had come in a box, but instead of disappearing, it was replaced by a single magazine with a dark blue stripe painted around its bottom.

  While Kurt was inspecting his new magazine, Jimmy returned with an armload of items and dumped them onto the counter. “These too!” he said cheerfully, sweeping all his items to one side so he could resume leaning against the counter.

  After tallying up all of Jimmy’s purchases, the NPC behind the counter smiled. “All together that comes to eighty-seven thousand, even.” Jimmy dug a few stacks of bills from the duffle bag without flinching. Kurt shook his head.

  “Hey, how do I swap ammo types?” His confused expression was enough to make Jimmy smile as he turned to help.

  “Okay, easy. You’ll need to buy a new holster, or a magazine caddy, something like that, to keep more magazines in. Then you put the different types of ammo into separate holders, and that particular magazine slot will recharge that specific type of ammo.” He lifted a shell rack as an example, slipping dark green shells into it as he spoke. “There, now this particular shell rack is only going to recharge my slugs.”

  Nodding, Kurt turned to look at the surrounding racks. He walked over and grabbed a leather underarm holster with two empty magazine slots. “If I equip this and put one magazine of normal ammo and one magazine of the new +P in it, those will recharge separate from my existing holster?”

  Jimmy glanced up with a nod. “Exactly. You’ll have to unlock better equipment as you go, but that thing is a good starting place. You can also find good ones as loot, but that’s pretty rare.”

  After shelling out some more of their dirty cash for the underarm holster, Kurt slipped out of his suit jacket and shouldered into it. He arranged the Maxim 9 and his new magazines in place and then buttoned his suit jacket over the top of them. Turning to Jimmy, he spread his arms in a questioning stance.

  “Nope. Can’t see a thing.” Jimmy shrugged, shaking his head. “You find a shop for your stealth stuff yet? I wanna go get this thing customized, so I’ll need about an hour before the heist.”

  Lips pursed, Kurt shook his head. “Haven’t looked, but I’m betting Gadot would know. She’s a sneaky one.”

  He typed up a message asking Gadot for advice as they gathered up all their new gear and headed back out to the parking lot. Jimmy stopped at the doors, peering around before stepping out and moving to the car, shotgun at the ready. As they sat in the car, Kurt received a text from Gadot including a map location for him to use. He swiped it up onto the windshield and Jimmy began driving while Kurt checked in on his skills.

  His disguise skill had gone up by a surprising two levels since he last checked it, and a new skill caught his attention.

  Primary

  Armor Rank 1 (Combat)

  “A knight in shining armor is a man who has never had his mettle truly tested.” Unknown

  Wearing armor can help mitigate those annoying things in life like being shot. 1% improvement in damage reduction, 1% reduction in armor repair and replacement cost.

  Narrowing his eyes, Kurt turned to Jimmy. “What’s your armor skill at?”

  “What, the primary? It’s maxed at 25. Took a while, and I had to get shot a lot, but it’s worth it.” Jimmy looked pleased with himself. “I stack it with a few other skills, but that’s pretty much how the system works. You make your combos and get powerful in certain areas.”

  They followed the route to the store Gadot had recommended, delving back into the heart of the Downtown Cluster. Jimmy kept looking out the window nervously, but no players approached or attacked as they parked at the curb in front of a very strange looking shop.

  The dull concrete of the wall facing them was pitted and pocked by age and abuse, and the door was a simple chunk of steel with no handle. Next to it was a dented and scuffed intercom with a dingy, faded red button. Kurt shrugged as he stepped up to it and pressed the button. A loud buzz emanated from inside the shop. The door emitted a heavy clunk and swung slightly open, allowing them to enter a wide hallway encased by bulletproof glass.

  The door locked closed behind them as Kurt started looking around at his options. Firearms and their accessories dominated much of the right side of the hallway, with outfits and clothing options spread out along their left. A sullen shopkeeper sat on a stool behind a counter with an attached rotating cargo window.

  Jimmy looked uncomfortable. “What the hell is this place?”

  Moving down the hall with a small smile, Kurt peered behind the glass at items on display. “I guess us sneaky types aren’t to be trusted.”

  “Yeah, I’m starting to see that.” He peered at an item. “You really think you can pull off your part of this job? It sounds intense, even for you.” Jimmy leaned against the door, deciding there was nothing of interest in the shop for him.

  Kurt stopped and frowned, turning to face Jimmy. “I don’t really know. You think we should back out?”

  Jimmy shook his head instantly, a scowl pressing his lips. “Hell, no. GoonStorm has an ass-kicking coming, and I’m happy to be wearing the boots. Plus, Gadot is the real deal. She’s probably the best driver in the entire game. I’m not passing up the chance to run with her, and her faction is definitely how we get my surgeries paid for. You know, once the city is back to normal.”

  Nodding in agreement, Kurt returned to browsing his options. Large sections of the wall were empty, leading him to assume he had a lot of work to do with his skills before he could purchase all the fun toys that were involved in a stealth and dishonesty-based class. He eventually found what he was looking for and motioned for the NPC shopkeeper to approach.

  The NPC was a tired-looking, middle-aged woman smoking a cigarette, who approached and raised an eyebrow at Kurt without saying anything.

  Pointing at what he wanted, Kurt fished out some cash from the duffle bag. “Three hundred rounds of subsonic 9mm hollow point, please.”

  Perking up, Jimmy approached to inspect the box of ammo as it was passed through the rotating tube in the wall. “Damn, that is some good stealth stuff.”

  The subsonic hollow point ammunition offered a bonus to stealth attacks that stacked with Kurt’s suppressed firearm. It had the standard armor warning as well, as it seemed hollow point ammunition was easily countered by even basic armor in the game.

  Kurt smiled as he slid the box of rounds into his pocket, retracting the new magazine for his Maxim 9. It had a deep purple band at the base of the magazine, which disappeared into the bottom of the gun as he loaded it, keeping his special ammo choices from being seen by all. Transferring the new ammunition to his rear holster, he buttoned his coat happily as they left the shop. Kurt made sure to bookmark the location on his map for later use before getting in the car with Jimmy.

  “Okay, so where now?” Kurt asked while browsing through his phone’s contacts list.

  Jimmy flicked his wrist and threw a map onto the windshield, a waypoint already set. “Now I go get my shotgun modified and get ready for this insane thing we’re doing. You should go get ready to impersonate a bank manager. Here, take what’s left of your cut — you’ll need it.” He dug out a stack of bills from the bag and dumped them in Kurt’s lap. “I’ll give Gadot hers.”

  Scowling in annoyance, Kurt started tucking wads of bills into his various pockets, noting with satisfaction that they became single bills as he did so. Inventory management was much simpler without actually carrying massive quantities of ammunition and cash on one’s person.

  Getting out of the car, Kurt tipped Jimmy a nod as he pulled away from the curb. Pulling up his vague contact information for The Lace, Kurt hit the button to call them. After a single ring, the phone clicked to life in his ear, but nothing was said.

  “Hello?” Kurt looked around, confused.

  A moment passed in silence before a rather annoyed voice said, “State your location and request.”

  “Oh, uh . . . I need hair and makeup work done. I think. And my location is . . . 43rd and State?”

  “Your request is authorized, but this service is only performed at a safe house, Hub, or Stronghold. Call back when you have access to one.” The phone connection was unceremoniously cut, leaving Kurt to scratch his head in dismay. Deciding he could at least solve one problem, he flagged down a yellow cab. Directing the driver to a nearby clothing store, he pulled up Gadot in his contacts and wrote her a quick text asking to use her safe house. She replied before he arrived at the clothing store, giving him a map location and a set of instructions on how to find the door. Kurt was unsurprised to discover that her safe house was well hidden.

  His visit to the suit shop was quick and productive. He pulled up the image of the bank manager on his phone and described what he needed, buying the outfit before making the quick journey to Gadot’s safe house. Kurt wasn’t thrilled that he was forced to trade in his existing suit, but without a safehouse of his own for storage, he could only have one outfit at a time.

  Exiting the cab at the waypoint, he looked around, following her instructions to a nearby subway entrance. Once he was down on the platform, he slipped into a supply closet and pressed a button on the rear wall. It swung inward and he entered a small paradise.

  Gadot’s safe house was a hidden bunker, complete with a concrete atrium. Kurt noticed murder holes set into the angled grey wall at regular intervals as he approached the heavy steel door at the end. It opened into a luxurious foyer, appointed with marble busts and potted plants next to thick leather loveseats. Another steel door across the lounge opened as he approached, revealing what appeared to be a bar set in the center of an armory.

  Weaponry sat on racks against the walls, surrounding a small brass and oak bar with several backlit bottles on glass shelves. A man in a tuxedo stood at attention behind the bar, smiling politely as Kurt entered.

  “Good afternoon, sir. May I offer you refreshment?” The NPC deferentially lowered his head a little as he addressed Kurt.

  “Oh, uh, sure. Coffee, please.” Kurt sat at the bar and called his contact in The Lace, giving his location and requesting a makeup artist once more. This time the voice on the line simply gave consent and told him to expect the artist soon, hanging up after speaking.

  The bartender set down a porcelain cup brimming with steaming black liquid with a smile and a nod. Before Kurt had finished his virtual beverage, an electronic chirping sounded, and the NPC moved to open a small wooden cabinet set into his bar. He checked what appeared to be an old black and white security monitor before pressing a button underneath the bar which opened the door.

  A young woman with short, jet black hair and wearing a business suit walked in, holding a bulky silver case at her side. “Mr. Kurtis?”

  Slipping out of his seat, Kurt stood and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” He quickly swiped through his heist setup and found the picture of the bank manager for her to work from, tipping his wrist to touch hers as she approached.

  Raising an eyebrow at him, she pulled a small black rectangle of plastic from her pocket and pushed a button on its side. It lit up a phone screen interface to Kurt’s surprise, and he took a moment to recognize it as an old cellular phone. The woman tapped her phone to his wrist and pulled up the picture he shared with her.

  Tilting her head to one side, she squinted as she looked between the image and Kurt. “Well, it won’t be perfect, I can’t actually age you. But with some dye in the hair and a little makeup, you should more or less pass for this guy.”

  With that, she began working. She led him to the bathroom and quickly washed his hair before adding dye to the temples and working in some grey. Following that, she sat him down in a chair and set up a bright standing lamp in front of him, before sitting on a stool to work on the makeup. Within half an hour, she stood and wiped her hands on a towel from her kit, nodding at her handiwork. Holding up a mirror, she turned it as he appraised the makeup job.

  “Well, I am impressed. That should work nicely for my purposes, thank you.” Kurt removed the makeup catch cloth from around his neck and moved to stand.

  “Keep your thanks, I’ll take payment now. Ninety-eight thousand is the rate.” She packed up her equipment as she spoke.

  Kurt had to repress his shock at the price, remembering again what Jimmy had told him about the way economy worked in the game. If it was useful, it was expensive. Biting back his complaint, he reached into his pocket and produced a stack of bills with tape around it declaring its worth at a hundred thousand. After he pulled out a couple of bills and handed the rest over, she tucked it away and unceremoniously left the bunker.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Kurt released it in a sigh. “This better work.”