Mark was getting ready to leave the Droid boutique. With Jack and his grandfather in place, they were prepared to ambush the gang members. He glanced at the map and traced the route to the alleyway they chose for the trap. The route was straightforward. Still, he had to make sure the gang members would follow him.
He walks out of the building. Mark exits through the main entrance, then paces patiently around the place. He moves casually. Turning north, he heads for the alleyway. Suddenly, he notices the arrows: they change positions to follow him. None remain near the Droid boutique.
It was apparent that the young man was the target. By diverting the gang, his Mom and Melly would be safe. Still, he stayed tense. Mark braced himself for the clash. Eighteen gang members faced the three of them. Overcoming those odds would be daunting, but the system gave him a chance.
In the public areas, the gang members remained at a distance. They tried not to alert their target and moved through the crowds inconspicuously. The Blazing Hand members watched the young man as he went about his stroll, never letting him out of their sight. Little did they know, Mark was fully aware of their movements.
After a few minutes of walking, Mark stops at a kiosk and purchases a meat skewer. He eats slowly as he wanders without a clear destination. At another stall, he buys a soda and some rice cakes. Savoring his new snack, he continues his stroll around Riggan's Point.
Gin found the movements of his target a bit odd. It was not suspicious behavior. Still, he had a nagging feeling that they were being led. But the Boss's orders forced him to follow. He decided to let the other gang members follow him more closely. Gin stayed at a distance.
When the teen they were following entered a deserted alleyway, Gin thought it seemed too convenient. The gang members, however, rushed ahead before he could protest. With no choice, he followed at a distance. Maybe he was overthinking, after all, their target was just an eighteen-year-old kid. What could he actually do?
Once in the alleyway, Mark ran as fast as he could. His enhanced physique boosted his speed. The area was deserted. He needed to reach the secluded spot chosen for the ambush. On the map function, he saw red arrows speeding up, trying to catch him.
Soon, he arrived at the area. Mark saw the two green arrows nearby; these were Jack and Bart, waiting in their hiding spots. Mark moved forward to a place just beyond where Jack and Bart hid. As the gang members passed Jack and Bart's position, his allies would spring from cover to attack. At that moment, Mark planned to turn around and engage the gang members approaching him.
The Blazing Hand members passed a few dumpsters and spotted the teen standing several meters ahead, stopped, and absorbed in his fancy comm-pad. He appeared distracted, making it an ideal time to attack. Some drew telescopic batons, moving quickly and quietly toward him.
Suddenly, a scream came from behind. Two men dressed as beggars, Jack and Bart, jumped out from the dumpsters and started attacking the rear of the gang members. They moved quickly; the gang barely had time to react before some members were taken down. In the midst of the chaos, Mark, from ahead, threw a silver canister toward the group. The canister exploded with a loud sound and a flash, stunning the gang members at the front and causing them to lose focus.
The gang members realized at this point that they had fallen into a trap. Regaining their sight, they looked at the supposed target, but the teen had vanished. In his place stood a man in black armor. Some of them tried fighting back, but being so close to each other prevented them from fighting properly. The narrow alleyway was working against them.
Inside the Mirmidón armor, Mark grinned as he struck those nearby. These gang members had pursued him, so he held nothing back. With his augmented strength and the armor's power, every blow dropped a stunned adversary; ordinary humans had no chance.
At the other end of the brawl, Mark's grandfather fought with ferocity. Bart's body had been subjected to relentless experimentation for years, which had forged his formidable strength. Although the last procedure diminished his physical prowess, he remained vastly superior to ordinary humans. The man dispatched a gang member with two or three decisive blows.
His endurance had grown. Even after being struck with telescopic batons, the man remained ready to fight. Each blow only fueled his anger. Yet instead of losing control, Bart learned to channel this anger, turning it into more strength.
Despite his years, Jack was in exceptional physical condition. Through disciplined training, the robust man maintained peak fitness. During the fight, he wrested a weapon from a gang member and now fought with a baton clutched in his left hand and his advanced prosthetic right arm. He had long mastered this combat style. With the prosthetic, he blocked incoming strikes; with the baton, he delivered punishing blows.
The Blazing Hand members had bitten off more than they could chew. In seconds, the three men crashed through the gang. Bodies fell, beaten and bloody. Seventeen lay unconscious, but one was missing.
Using the map function, he pinpointed the man taking cover farther back. As he tapped the arrow, details popped up. The man was Gin, second-in-command on the Blazing Hand, currently aiming a laser pistol.
Mark screams, "Shooter!" warning his grandfather and Jack.
The two men instinctively ducked behind the dumpsters, but Gin was aiming at the armored man. He pulled the trigger. The Blazing Hand member stared in awe as the beam bounced off the armor, striking a wall and leaving only a burnt mark.
Before Gin could fire a second shot, the armored figure was already on him, moving with inhuman speed. With his right hand, the figure lifted Gin by the scruff of his shirt. His left hand seized Gin's pistol and crushed it as if it were cardboard.
Mark had no intention of killing anyone this time, but he issued a warning, a threat edged with finality. He spoke with his modulator on, his voice a resonant electric growl. "Riggan's Point is mine. Try coming back, and I will make you regret it. Tell your Boss this is the only warning he'll get. Next time, I won't be merciful. Do you understand, ...Gin?"
Gin had an expression of disbelief; not only did this man know his name, but it was also clear that the ambush had been set up in advance. It dawned on Gin that his unidentified enemy had enhanced soldiers and military-grade equipment. When Gin saw the laser shot bounce off the surface of the armor, his suspicions were confirmed. This level of intelligence implied that there was an insider within the Blazing Hand.
His thoughts were interrupted by the man holding him up. "Do you understand?"
Gin could only nod in confirmation. The last thing he saw was a metallic fist rushing towards his face, then everything blacked out.
Once the man is unconscious, Mark tosses him with the other members. Afterward, he moves towards his grandfather. Bart has a few bruises and scrapes, but nothing serious. In fact, his wounds are healing at a visible rate, a detail that does not surprise Mark, as it is probably one of the things Dr. Parker added to Bart's DNA.
Jack, for his part, had no visible bruises. His new arm showed only a few superficial dents, but these were easily fixed. When Mark offered to repair them, Jack declined, explaining that it was not difficult and, besides, he wanted to get acquainted with every aspect of his new prosthetic.
Bart looks at his grandson with a smile. "Do you think you can give me an armor just like that one?"
Mark thinks for a moment, recalling that he bought the Mirmidón armor at the system shop. After considering the situation, he says, "No, the system store is not functional, but I can fabricate something similar. All I need is the materials."
Jack looked with interest. "I also want one; it's very useful to take out the trash." He looks at the gang members with disdain.
Gazing at the unconscious group, Mark changes the subject. "What are we going to do about them? Do we leave them here?"
Jack tinkers with his arm for a moment before answering. "No. Leave the cleanup to me. I will call the cops and report what happened. It is pretty normal for gang brawls to occur in the alleyways. Since no one is dead, the event will probably be swept under the rug."
Bart scratches his face. His itch was probably a side effect of the fast healing. "Let's get out of here. We still have a few things to plan."
After Jack made a few phone calls, the three men returned to the military surplus shop. With the calls finished, they were ready to plan their next steps regarding the gang war and the Vultures' transformation.
Inside A.M.S., Alex and Steve decided to take a break after a long list of paint jobs and repairs. Wanting to unwind, the two teens made plans to meet the new workshop team members at The Waiting Room. As they entered the virtual space, they encountered an open mic session underway at the karaoke stage. The patrons, the workshop's unruly youths, were booing, tossing scraps of virtual food at the poor performers on stage.
Scarlet and a group of girls were discussing the particulars of the next event. Although both Alex and Steve had heard about Bunny girl Fran, only Steve had actually talked to her two or three times. The other five female players at the table, however, remained strangers to all of them.
As they approached, Steve read the Game ID above their heads. Each had a custom avatar. The first was a striking female with vivid yellow hair and pale skin. Her eyes were golden yellow. The female's facial features were delicate and distinctly feminine. She wore a white dress adorned with intricate black patterns. The Game ID above her read Princess Le Jaune.
Next to that one stood an athletic-looking avatar with tanned skin. Black hair cascaded to her shoulders. Two emerald eyes glowed with a flirty gaze, and her joyful expression radiated vitality. A pompous green dress completed the ensemble, giving the avatar an air of adventure. Her game ID read Infanta Le Vert.
The female avatar that followed wore dark colors, a striking contrast to an elegant white dress. Her long, polished black hair and alluring dark brown eyes glanced around. Her soft, delicate features appeared Asian. The Game ID was Le Noir Hime.
The fourth avatar was female and had Eastern European features. Freckles on her face gave her a youthful vibe. Her vibrant red hair formed vigorous curls, which complemented a black dress with crimson accents. The Game ID floating above read "Duchess Le Rouge."
The final one looked different from the previous four. Steve remembered that the first four formed a singing group. However, the last one was not part of the set group.
The female avatar wore a skin-tight pink-and-white jumpsuit. Her light brown hair was styled in an elegant bun at the back of her head. Her facial features were tantalizingly enigmatic, lending her beauty a dash of mystery. The game ID displayed Delilah the Hunter.
The group of girls, including Scarlet, attracted the patrons' attention as they worked together on event planning. Unconcerned with the unruly boys nearby, the girls stayed focused. When Alex and Steve approached, Scarlet noticed them first and waved, calling out to them.
The smiling waifu walked up to Steve, grabbed his arm, and led him to the table. "Come, I want to introduce you two to the girls Mark and I hired."
While Steve found the action strange, he did not complain. "Ok. Alex and I came over just for that." The silent teen nodded her blue helmet in affirmation.
Steve looks at the table full of girls. They all smiled as they watched his tiger-suit avatar; it was a funny sight. The loud-mouthed teen greeted them with confidence. Hello and Welcome to The Grease Monkey Workshop.