"Johnny, how's the shopping going?"
Johnny Silverskin Iron was at the register when he got a call from his gang boss.
Even though the Animals were considered one gang, their structure was more like a loose federation—each region had its own boss. The name "Animals" was just an umbrella term. Johnny Iron's direct superior was a hulking woman known as the Beast Queen, respected across the western side of Pacifica.
"Almost done," Johnny replied, then added, "Something urgent, boss?"
"Got eyes at Afterlife. Word is the Old Captain just rolled into a private booth. Looks like he's hiring mercs. You trashed his deal not long ago, didn't you? This might be payback. Keep your head up."
"The Old Captain, huh? And Afterlife mercs on contract..."
Johnny Iron got the picture.
Sure, he juiced up like every Animal, but his brain wasn't made of protein. He knew danger when it stared him in the face.
He glanced around at his crew—eleven other Animals, twelve total. Not exactly elite odds against hired guns from Afterlife.
"I'm heading back now."
He finished the payment and ended the call, then squeezed his crew into several Thorton Mackinaw MTL1s.
Those were just about the only rides beefy enough to carry Animals—the average city car would bottom out under their weight.
Downside? They were pickups. Big, slow, not built for speed.
Settling into the passenger seat, Johnny Iron figured he'd pass the ride reading the new chip he bought—a spicy Silverhand x Kerry fanfic he'd been saving.
But before he could slot it in, a voice cracked over comms from the rearguard:
"Boss Iron! Bad news! We've got a Hera tailing us! Looks like it's locked onto us—they're not backing off!"
So soon?
Clicking his tongue, Johnny tucked the chip away and dropped into battle mode.
"Are you sure they're tailing us? Got a visual?"
"Nope—too dark. No optics in this truck. But they're mirroring every turn we take. And they're closing in!"
"Get outta City Center. If shit pops off here, NCPD will be on us like rats on cheese. You focus on driving—I'll come up with something."
Johnny ran through options fast.
The quickest way back to their turf in Pacifica would take them through Heywood's Glen. No major beef with Valentinos, so passing through wouldn't be an issue.
But there was no way the Hera behind them was just gonna let them cruise home.
Their trucks were slower—getting intercepted mid-route was almost guaranteed.
So why play defense?
So what if they were outnumbered? Outclassed?
You join a gang, you stop thinking like prey.
Mercs from Afterlife? Big names, sure. Still bleed red.
"New plan—reroute to Little China in Watson. It's chaos out there. NCPD doesn't bother showing up. That turf's a mess—Vortex, Tiger Claw, neither owns it completely.
We'll find a spot, draw them in. If they follow… they die."
"Copy that, Boss!"
Inside the Hera, Karl's crew noticed the sudden detour.
"They're switching routes," Oliver smirked, eyeing the Mackinaws. "Looks like they noticed us. Trying to lure us into Watson."
"Well isn't that cute," Jackie grinned. "We were looking for a quiet place to drop them, and they're helping us pick one."
"Little China? They picked our neighborhood," Karl said with a laugh.
If their crew had home-field advantage anywhere, it was Little China.
Karl and Oliver lived there. So did Misty's esoterica, Vik's clinic, and Afterlife.
They knew the district like the back of their hand—even which food stalls to avoid.
"Pick a spot to corner them, Oliver. Just don't let 'em stop in front of Misty's."
"Relax," Oliver replied. "This is my playground."
He eased off the accelerator.
"If I want them to stop somewhere… that's where they'll stop."
"Boss Iron! They're slowing down!"
"They're looking for a place to fight too? Fine. There's a megatower up ahead. We'll storm in and take them out floor by floor!"
The six Mackinaws roared forward and skidded to a stop in front of the towering apartment block.
Under the curious eyes of bystanders, heavily armed Animals stormed inside and started heading upstairs.
"They're trying to split us up inside," Karl said after hopping out of the Hera.
"Hallways, stairwells, tight quarters—it's classic ambush bait."
He pulled up the live feed from his apartment camera and chuckled.
"Funny thing is… I just spotted them on the fourth floor. Right outside my door."
"Guess we better keep it clean," Oliver said, grabbing his weapon.
"Last thing I want is stepping out tomorrow and seeing a corpse on the mat."
"Find your path—and walk it straight to hell," Karl muttered as he unslung Endless Night.
"They've probably got someone watching. Now that we're out of the car, they'll start moving. Don't let any of them slip."
Just like Karl expected, the Animal on lookout at the ground floor saw the trio get out and his face twisted in pure panic.
He was the only one with cyberoptics, tasked with ID'ing the target and opening fire to disrupt them first.
But now that he saw who it was...
Those three...
"RUN!"
His voice exploded across the channel.
"IT'S KK SQUAD!!"
.
.
.
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