The early morning haze hung over Blackridge like a bruise, painting the skyline in tired shades of gray. Elias stood across the street from the old tram depot in Midridge, watching shadows move behind cracked windows.
Nova's tip had been solid. The Greasehand Kings were holed up inside, using the depot as both garage and meeting hall. There were at least eight of them inside, plus a lookout posted on the rooftop with binoculars and a makeshift long barrel.
Elias crouched beside Dizzy behind a rusting delivery truck, the concrete still wet from the night's drizzle.
"You ever take down a car gang before?" Dizzy whispered.
"No."
"Well, no time like the damn present."
Elias smirked. "We're not taking them down. We're bleeding them slowly."
He pulled out the small EMP Pulse device from his coat. A thin, circular node no larger than a coaster. He handed it to Dizzy, pointing to the side entrance.
"When I signal, toss it inside. Short range. It'll fry their comms and any unshielded gear."
Dizzy looked impressed. "System thing?"
Elias said nothing. Just checked his burner and the time.
5:47 AM.
The streets were empty. No sirens. No civvies. Just the city breathing shallow through cracked lungs.
He opened his HUD and activated Crime Map – Enhanced Mode.
******
[Crime Map: Enhanced Mode – Active (9:59 remaining)]
Overlay Adjustments:
- Heat Signatures: Visible
- Patrol Routes: Active
- Noise Radius Monitor: Active
- Entry Point Scan: Active
******
The map flickered in his vision, highlighting two timed exits and a previously hidden underground tunnel behind the depot. A perfect escape route—or a trap.
Elias tapped Dizzy's shoulder. "Ready?"
Dizzy nodded and crept to position, hugging the side of the brick wall.
At Elias' signal—a simple raised fist—Dizzy lobbed the EMP device through a broken window.
A low hum, then a *pop*.
Sparks danced across the windows.
Inside, shouts.
Elias moved fast, slipping through a back entrance just as confusion exploded. One of the gang members stumbled into view, slapping a dead radio. Elias dropped him with a punch to the throat, then knelt by a gutted console to plant a portable surveillance bug.
He needed intel, not bodies.
Two more Kings passed down the hall. Elias pressed against the wall, waiting until they disappeared around the corner.
He crept into the storage bay where two modified bikes sat gleaming under halogen lights. A workstation table had maps, receipts, and encrypted phones scattered across it.
He snapped pictures with the burner, then downloaded what he could onto a disposable flash drive. Evidence, turf plans, routes. Enough to force the Kings to play defense.
******
[Mission Update: Resource Node "Midridge Depot" tagged for exploitation.]
Status: 1/3 sabotage completed
Optional Bonus: Plant surveillance bug (✓)
+6 Crime Points
Current CP: 27
******
Elias exhaled.
Then the lights came back on.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?!"
A gang member stood at the far door, raising a pipe shotgun.
Elias ducked as it fired, the blast shredding metal. He rolled across the floor, came up behind one of the bikes, and returned fire twice—one bullet catching the man's thigh.
Dizzy burst through the side door moments later. "Move!"
They ran, exiting through the underground tunnel the map had revealed. It stank of oil and piss, but it got them clear of the depot before the Kings could organize.
Ten minutes later, the two sat panting behind an abandoned gas station, still in Midridge but just far enough out of immediate danger.
"We really poking all the hives now," Dizzy said, grinning through the sweat.
Elias checked the flash drive in his hand. "We're making them watch their backs."
Dizzy looked at him. "You sure that Nova chick isn't playing you?"
"No," Elias said flatly. "But if she is, I'll bury her plans before she knows I'm onto them."
******
[Optional Mission Update: "Trust Trade" Progress 2/4]
Progress Milestones:
– Act on Nova's intel (✓)
– Avoid bloodbath during operation (✓)
Next Step: Confirm Nova's leverage target
Reward: +10 Crime Points, Potential Ally Upgrade
******
Elias leaned back against the wall, letting his heart settle.
This wasn't about turf anymore.
This was chess in the dark.
And he was learning the board.