The Life- Illusion

by Lincoln Greene

  The school bus was covered in armor plating, its original yellow paint barely visible between the heavy steel sheets layered across its bulk as it pulled into place behind the cargo truck and effectively blocked the road. A hatch opened on top of the school bus, a turret rising to spray liquid napalm across the piled up GoonStorm patrols. Every window in the bus fell open, revealing rifles and shotguns eager to fire, as the cargo truck began launching mortar rounds from its bed.

  The remaining GoonStorm players and NPCs suddenly found themselves at a severe disadvantage, and Jerome continued his explosive onslaught from above. While the cargo container took plenty of fire from the .50 cal machine guns, it did little to damage the helicopter. The Pirates officer core handed down destruction and death on the GoonStorm players foolish enough to cross into their turf, cheering and laughing as they casually began a war in the streets.

  Rouge shouted at Kurt, inaudible over the cascade of explosions and automatic weapons fire behind them. When he glared at her in confusion, she pointed at the shotgun in his hands, her eyes wide in exasperation. “USE IT!!”

  Kurt frowned at the gigantic sawed off in his hands, unhappy about what he had to do. Rouge ducked back down as a fresh wave of weapons fire came at them from the Ferrari. As the Mustang began to emit a piercing metallic shriek, he positioned himself braced against the passenger seat, tucked the shotgun into his shoulder, and squeezed both triggers. A roar of blinding sparks flew from the rear windshield, spreading across the entire roadway and engulfing the Ferrari.

  Gadot shouted in anger, swerving the car as the passenger seat buckled and Kurt was suddenly thrown up against the dashboard, slumping to lay half across the front seat groaning. She slowed the Mustang and pulled off to the side of the road, the Ferrari behind them coasting into the front of a building. Its entire front end was a blaze of flames, and neither member of Vice had survived Kitty’s suicidal attack. Gadot unbuckled her belt and got out of the Mustang, looking back at the Ferrari behind them. She turned to look at Kurt, her wrist in front of her face when the sound of a high caliber rifle cracked in the night above them. Her hair whipped around on the side of her head and she crumpled, falling to dust as her gear hit the road.

  Godless cheered from above them, shouting and doing a small dance in the confines of the cargo container. Kurt scowled up at him, strongly considering trying to make the unlikely shot before giving it up as a bad idea. Raising a mildly offensive gesture instead, Kurt checked his wrist and accepted a com request from Jimmy. He moved to gather Gadot’s dropped gear into a loot bag, throwing it over a shoulder and adding Kitty’s shotgun and armor to it. Kitty was already attached to his call, as were the other Pirates officers.

  “Dick move Les.” Kurt expressed his displeasure, the disdain obvious in his voice.

  “What?! Payback is a bitch my friend.” Godless was unfazed, his arrogance an effective shield.

  “Fuck’s sake, what’d he do now?” Kitty sounded tired.

  “Shot Gadot after we parked.” Keeping the explanation minimal felt right to Kurt, and allowed the other Pirates to join in on the shaming of Godless, which they did to some extent, albeit with good natured barbs.

  “You may live to regret that move Les, she’s…pretty hardcore.” Kitty paused a moment, seeming to remember what had happened. “Oh, we get em? I assume we won, since you guys are team-killing for fun again.” Her patience was clearly running thin.

  Kurt sat heavily on the curb, watching as what was left of the Mustang caught fire. Rouge flopped down on the sidewalk beside him, groaning as she stretched out her legs. Kurt’s eyes widened slightly as a memory flashed in his mind. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced the small bottle of liquor he had stolen from the cruise ship’s cabin. Glancing at the label, he shrugged and pulled the cork out with a satisfying pop. It turned out to be an expensive brandy, and he grimaced at the burn when he took a swig. Turning and offering it to Rouge, he smiled as her face lit up. “Yeah, we got em.”

  “Holy shit dude, stealing that was the BEST thing you did all night.” She took a long gulp from the bottle, not handing it back to him. “And that’s actually saying a lot. You were great, no teasing.” Another swig went down. “This is mine now, right?”

  Still smiling back at her, Kurt nodded his head and blearily yawned. “Hell of a night. Glad to have helped though.”

  “Ah hate to intrude, but we have a situation at the border yer majesty.” Jerome dropped into the conversation, punctuating his statement with further high explosive bombardment. “GoonStorm is bringin’ reinforcements. At least two Abrams, they be playin’ for keeps.”

  The com channel was silent, allowing Kitty a moment to think before she started giving orders. “Right. Full retreat, let them have it. We need to preserve the equipment, and we did technically start this one.” She paused while the roar of explosives and machine gun fire filled the night. “Retreat to the pier and let them have this chunk. Shore up three blocks north and three blocks east though, dig in hard and don’t give any more ground. They’ll likely accept the gains and think they won, but they’ll press if they can. Put out the call Jerome, looks like it’s going to be a long night.”

  “Ay, will do.” Jerome sighed and left the chat as the helicopter swung out towards the nearby ocean in retreat.

  “Hey Rouge, Vice drop anything interesting?” Kitty spoke distractedly, clearly focused elsewhere.

  Kurt turned to see the flaming Ferrari and its occupants fall to dust on the roadway, swirling slightly in the evening breeze. The sounds of fighting continued closer, and a handful of pirate vehicles passed them in retreat. As Kurt was about to suggest they leave, a section of the road slid open and a brand-new version of the Ferrari lifted out of it, engine already running. He leaned in to see a plastic clothing bag hung over the passenger seat, a slate grey suit with dark shirt visible within. Kurt looked up at Rouge leaning in on the passenger side and they shared a shrug.

  “Looks like the Testarossa and one of their suits.” Rouge nervously glanced up the road, where the sound of .50 cal machine gun fire was getting louder.

  A small frenzy ensued on the coms channel, with Bonecrusher and Godless fighting over who should get the car. Kitty began yelling at them in the background, using colorful language in an attempt to get them to quiet down. Kurt shook his head and got in the driver’s seat, shoving the suit into the backseat as Rouge got in beside him. He turned the wheel and started driving away from the running battle that was on approach, moving towards the coast.

  “OK SHUT UP!” Kitty sounded angry for a half second, before dropping back into her tense but sweet routine. “You guys all know the rules, if you died without saving the raid or doing something else invaluable like killing the boss you don’t get a roll, just your cut of the take. This is not news.”

  Jimmy spoke up, having been listening in the background. “We owe Kurt a car anyway, take my and Gadot’s loot priority and give it to him.” He paused for a moment. “Actually, who here wears suits?? I say both items go to Kurt.”

  “Eh. Good point.” Kitty took back over. “But rules are rules. Rouge, Gadot? Any qualms with Kurt getting both items?”

  Rouge shook her head from the passenger seat. “He stuck out the whole raid, performed the killing blow, he earned em.” She looked around the decadent leather interior of the Ferrari for a moment. “Not my style anyway.”

  Gadot had apparently been listening to the chatter without engaging, Kurt assumed out of anger at Godless. “Already have the car, and I don’t wear suits. All yours Kurt.” She paused for a moment. “Are we good Kitty?”

  Everyone on the coms channel seemed to hold their breath for a moment, waiting on the Pirate Queen. When she spoke after a small delay, it was with a sigh. “Well, I’m not a fan of the stunt you pulled taking us into GoonStorm turf tonight, but it looks like it worked. Your war has already started. I don’t know that I’d say we’re good, but you get what you want.”

  “…I wasn’t t
rying to…” Gadot began an excuse, but was cut off by a clearly irritated Kitty.

  “Oh, right. Nels, you tit, you shot the VIP! We lost two hundred million with that guy, and that was our ammo fund. So while we merry few are pretty certainly going to war, we can’t take out their artillery battery for you.” Kitty finished her small rant and huffed.

  “Sorry miss Kitty.” Nels spoke in a small voice, being ignored.

  “Why do you need two hundred million to take out GoonStorm’s artillery?” Gadot spoke patiently, her voice quiet and low.

  “Clearly you’ve never bought Tomahawk missiles before. They only come in packs of ten, for the low low price of a quarter billion. Thankfully for you, I have mad rep and get a discount. Not even charging you a percentage either. Sheesh.” Kitty seemed to be in charge of the narrative again.

  “OK. We’ll get you your dosh. Just be ready.” With that Gadot snapped off the group chat.

  Rouge flicked her wrist at the windshield, a nearby waypoint already attached to the map she shared. “That’s the drop off. You can split after you give me a ride.”

  Kurt simply nodded, not feeling like chatting anymore. The war loomed, heavy in his mind as he considered what had happened that night. He felt a stone in his stomach when he thought about Jimbo, and hoped he had done the right thing about him. As if reading his mind, Gadot sent a text; ‘Crew meeting, asap, new Hub.” He nodded at his wrist, and then focused on the road. His new Ferrari handled like a dream, hugging any corners he took no matter the speed, and making a satisfying roar anytime he pressed the gas pedal. The Testarossa was a brutally fast car, and gave Kurt a satisfied feeling to own.

  After he dropped off Rouge at the waypoint, she stepped into a nearby alley to handle her raid item turn in, carrying the briefcase. Kurt glanced around, looking for trouble for a moment before he turned to scan the car.

  Ferrari Testarossa (Vice Edition)

  Legendary Quality Vehicle.

  Vehicle cannot be stolen or fully destroyed. If damaged to the point of destruction, vehicle will be unusable until repaired at players expense. Customization is subject to normal skill ranks and unlocks.

  Kurt smiled wide, highly pleased at finally acquiring a worthy vehicle. He remembered the suit, and eagerly leaned into the backseat to scan it too.

  Two Piece Suit (Vice Edition)

  Legendary Quality Clothing.

  Clothing cannot be stolen and respawns with player upon death. The Vice edition two piece suit provides casual yet discreet comfort for the modern criminal who needs to be taken seriously. This article of clothing will assist in concealing firearms that are within certain physical limitations.

  Kurt cocked his head sideways at the blurb, before glancing around and deciding he was alone enough to change. He struggled out of his own suit and into the Vice Edition pants, shirt, and jacket, before stepping out of the car and gripping his Glock. He slipped a long stick magazine into its bottom and holstered it under his arm. When he closed the suit jacket, he was pleased to discover the longer magazine no longer bulged obviously from its hiding place. Opening the jacket, he narrowed his eyes as the stick magazine appeared from the coats lining while he moved it. He opened and closed the jacket several times, watching as the magazine would simply vanish when covered by the material.

  He was pleased to see several of his monitored skills had risen significantly through the nights action, most of them combat oriented. Small Arms had bumped to level twelve, with Gunslinger close behind it at level ten. His armor skill had bumped up to rank five, and his Magnum Force specialist skill managed to rank up to level four. Two brand new skills were waiting for his inspection as well, having popped up just from the last moments of the Vice boss encounter.

  Secondary

  Street Sweeper rank 1 (Combat)

  “I’m fixin’ to have a turkey shoot!” R. Lee Ermey-2009

  Shotguns are among the most versatile weapons to be used in criminal activities. Increases health and armor damage when using shotguns by 1% New exotic shotgun ammunition unlocked.

  Specialist

  Big Bore rank 1 (Combat)

  “Look, I’m not a very good shot, but the Samaritan here uses really big bullets.” -Hellboy, 2004

  Sometimes bigger is just better. Large caliber firearms have a niche in the criminal world that only they can fill. Increases damage and over penetration chance of large caliber firearms by 1%

  His moment was interrupted by a call from Jimmy. With a frown, Kurt swiped to answer it.

  “Hey Jimmy, what’s up?” Kurt continued appreciating his new car, running a hand along its roof.

  “…Yeah…That’s what I’m calling to ask you my friend.” Jimmy’s voice was unsteady, and he was clearly hesitant in this line of questioning. “Gadot is pissed off, and I think scared. What happened on the Tug when you vanished?”

  Kurt stood and scowled at the roof of his new car, not answering for a moment.

  Nervously, Jimmy continued. “I know you do this cloak and dagger thing, and I remember how it went in Brescia, cards close to the chest and all that. I’m not worried about your loyalty or anything, but c’mon man…this game aint that game. Trust is in short supply in Illusion.” He hesitated before finishing. “Crews break up for less, all I’m sayin’ man.”

  “I understand.” Lifting his eyes to the city skyline, Kurt nodded to himself. He chose his words carefully. “I’ll explain at the Hub.”

  “…I got you brother. See you soon.” With that, Jimmy disconnected their call, leaving Kurt staring at the city as Rouge re-appeared from the alleyway.

  She narrowed her eyes at him, tapping at her wrist. “Tourism? You really are a noob.” Rouge moved to lean on the hood of Kurt’s new car, idly kicking at an empty can.

  Annoyed, Kurt leaned in the driver’s side and tapped the horn. Rouge jumped and gave a small shriek, turning with a glare. She idly touched the butt of her Tokarev pistol, holstered at her hip, before smiling. “Dick.”

  Kurt just nodded and smiled back. “You need a lift?”

  She scoffed, crossing her arms and standing back from the car. “Not from you.” Softening a little, she nodded her head behind Kurt, where a set of headlights was approaching. “I text my attaché and got a ride. Thanks though.”

  Rummaging through his loot bag, Kurt produced the giant sawed off shotgun and Kitty’s tattered armor, offering them to Rouge. She nodded in understanding, before producing a loot bag of her own and unrolling it to stuff them inside. “Kitty will appreciate that, money is always tight in our crew. You did good tonight Kurt, I don’t get why the boss doesn’t trust you.”

  Kurt breathed out through his nose, nodding slowly with a small smile on his lips. “We have a lot of history, not all of which was pleasant. I do consider her a friend though.”

  With a high pitched horn blast, a low slung silver 2005 Nissan Skyline approached the curb and parked. A gaunt man with haunted eyes and ragged clothing got out, tossed Rouge the keys, and took off down the road at a jog. She happily slid behind the wheel and started the engine, closing her eyes as it roared to life. “Fair enough, noob. Enjoy being slow!” With that, Rouge boiled the Skyline’s tires and shot off into the night. Kurt smiled after her, tempted to rev up the Testarossa and give chase. Deciding against a race, he calmly sat down in his new car and enjoyed rubbing the steering wheel briefly before tossing up a waypoint to the new Hub and starting the trip.

  By the time he arrived, Gadot and Jimmy were already inside. He gave Tigg a nod and moved into the lounge to join them. They were on separate seats this time, and Gadot had her arms crossed over her chest. She was clearly trying not to glare at Kurt, but failing somewhat, as her eyes unconsciously narrowed when he entered. Without saying anything, she swiped at her wrist and flicked it towards the large TV set against the wall.

  A minimap recording popped to life, with several dots animatedly moving around the deck of the Tug. It was centered on Gadot, moving in line with Jimmy and Kurt. Gadot had a
pparently customized her map with nametags, and Kurt nodded as he saw his own dot suddenly dart off alone. He watched, silent, as his dot chased another around to the front of the ship and stayed there for a few minutes before returning to the party. Gadot swiped it off the TV, visibly angry in spite of her attempts to remain calm.

  “Who did you meet?” Her voice was tense, and she was staring at him with wide eyes, her jawline hard and clenched.

  Kurt raised an eyebrow, looking between her and Jimmy for a moment before answering. “The disguise player who shot you during our hit on GoonStorm. He’s working for them now. He found me before we hit the Ursa today, and then again at the Tug. I think he was there to spy for them and report on our meeting with the Pirates.”

  Jimmy chuckled slightly, catching himself and shaking his head with a small smile. Gadot glared at him for a moment before turning her anger on Kurt again. “And you what? Told him everything?”

  Shaking his head, Kurt moved to sit down, tossing his loot bag on the table in front of them. “Actually, no. When he found me this morning, I was surprised at how much he knew, but I didn’t give any of it to him. Not intentionally anyway…he’s good at reading people.” He scowled at the ground, leaning inward with his elbows on his knees. “He knows what we’re doing somehow. I think he just figured it out for himself though. Not really sure how much he’s told GoonStorm, I’m starting to think he has his own agenda.” There he paused, looking back up at his friends. “What would it change anyway?”

  “So you did meet with him on the Tug then?” Gadot’s tone had softened, and she seemed to be relaxing.

  “Not exactly. I saw him, and chased him around the corner to the front of the ship. When I caught up, I realized killing him wouldn’t mean anything, so I tried to just throw him off us.” Kurt shrugged, not meeting either of their gazes. “Really hard to predict that guy. I do think he’s going to monkey wrench us with GoonStorm if he can, but…I just can’t see a clear path to that. If he screws up the summit, it’s still war. I don’t get it.”