Lana slammed her hand on the glass table. “How dare you!? You forgot didn’t you!?”

The sudden outburst surprised Damien, and he instinctively found himself on the defensive. “Uhh, no I didn’t forget about our date. I was just planning to surprise you, is all.” He could hear a snicker from Marcus beside him.

“Did you, now? When?”

“Uhh… This Saturday.” His voice came out entirely unconvincing, even to himself.

“You’re a terrible liar! And you didn’t even ask me out formally!”

“I… I didn’t forget. And I was going to-”

“He totally forgot,” Kat added, an evil smirk tugging at her lip. “But don’t worry, Lana, we’ll straighten him up. I’ll help you get ready for the whole thing.”

“Such a letdown. A real man should be able to read his woman’s heart!” Lana jumped to her feet and stormed out of the booth, leaving the three pirate alone.

Stunned, Damien looked at his two comrades, their amused faces finding humor in the situation. “His woman’s heart? Does she think she’s my woman? I thought she was obsessed with that hacker, Grand Wiz.”

“She is,” Marcus said, “but she probably has a crush on you too. Nineteen years old is a little too old for silly crushes if you ask me. Spoiled little brat.”

“Don’t be a jerk about it,” Kat said. “She’s just misguided is all. A little immaturity that comes with her prodigious hacking talent. Besides, you agreed to the deal, Damien. She did her part during the assault on the research facility, and now you gotta honor it and do your part by taking her out.”

Marcus snickered again. “Going on a date under duress. If that isn’t romance, I don’t know what is.”

“Very funny,” Damien said, letting out a sigh. “I guess I’m just practice for her ideal date with Grand Wiz. But how is anyone supposed to be the perfect man and read a heart like hers?”

“I dunno, but you better figure it out,” Marcus said. “You don’t wanna upset her like that again, she might just hack your brain and mess you up.” He put a sympathetic hand on Damien’s shoulder. “I weep for you, friend.”

Damien rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Well, I’m gonna head out, too,” Kat said, raising to her feet. “I was with Lana when she finished decrypting the files, and I gave her a ride here. I’ll try and calm her down on the ride back.”

“Hold on a sec,” Marcus said, standing up as well, his massive stature towered over Kat’s. “There’s one more thing I wanted to do while we’re all here.” The silly expression on his face turned serious, a rare sight for someone so easy going.

“Sure. What is it?”

“Let’s talk about our crew as it stands. We gotta stop fucking around as a ragtag group and make things official. Jay was our leader before, and when he disappeared, we became fractured and you and I weren’t going about things the right way. Our hearts weren’t in it. Now that he’s gone for good, I think we should make a proper commitment to moving forward and rebuilding.” He turned toward Damien. “And now we got a new member to round us out. We’ve faced death together and with Roger and Lana at our sides, we’ve got a good thing going here. We should honor the past but we also have a new beginning in front of us. Let’s start fresh, the three of us as equals.”

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While Damien always felt like an equal among his crew mates, he understood what the sentiment meant. Having been awakened with no memories, he was like an apprentice taken in by the two, but now he’d fully earned their trust and respect.

“I guess you’re right,” Kat said after mulling it over for a few seconds. “Now would be a good time to start over.”

“That’s the spirit. Now what better way to mark a new beginning than with a new name. Luckily for us, I already got the perfect one picked out.” The goofy smile returned to Marcus’ face. “The Black Phoenix Pirates.”

Kat’s enthusiasm didn’t match his, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Ugh… really? Kinda corny if you ask me.”

“No. No. Think about it. It makes perfect sense since we’re coming back to life. It’s symbolic of our rebirth or something like that. Plus everyone likes phoenixes, they’re cool as fuck. Wait, is plural phoenixes…? Ah, whatever. What do you think, Dame?”

Damien chuckled as he rose to his feet. “I can see what Kat’s saying, but I gotta agree with you more. Phoenixes are cool. Especially if they’re black.”

“See, Kat? Those are the words of a reasonable and respectable man.”

She shook her and gave a defeated shrug. “Whatever. The name doesn’t matter much to me.”

“Then it’s settled. We’re officially the Black Phoenix Pirates,” Marcus said triumphantly. “Oh, and one last thing I almost forgot. I’m working on a big surprise for our crew that’ll be equal parts awesome and useful. Should be ready in a few days.”

“Looking forward to it,” Kat said. “If that’s everything, I’ll be leaving now. Got a big day ahead of me.”

“Going of on some more of your top secret runs?” Damien asked.

“Yep.”

“Still not gonna tell us what you’re up to, are you?”

“Nope,” Kat said as she exited the booth. “I’ll see you guys later.”

The door slid closed behind her, and Damien turned to his goofy companion. “So much for new beginnings as equals…”

“Ehh, I wouldn’t take it personal, if I were you,” Marcus said. “I gave up on getting too much personal things out of her a long time ago. That’s just the way she is.”

“Yeah, I’ve learned that much about her already.”

“On an unrelated note,” Marcus said. “How’d you like to help me out with a job while Kat sets things up with Zero. It’ll take place at the docks, and it should be an exciting one.”

“The docks on the west side?” Damien said as the two pirates left the booth and started walking to the main floor of the club. “You sure that’s a good idea? Might get spotted by some Royals.”

“That’s exactly why I’m heading over there. Big things are brewing in the underworld of this city, and I wanna weaken those damned Royals while also putting our crew in good standing with an up-and-coming gang. Plus there’s someone out there I want you to meet. He could be a real ally for us, and help us establish some influence on the west side. I’m talking big moves, Dame. Unfortunately, there’s no pay in this job, just honor and a chance to build some good relationships. At least for now. I have a feeling that all of this will reap a lot of benefits down the line.”

“Sounds promising but I see what you’re doing here,” Damien teased as they left the darkness of Club Starlight and stepped into the brightness of the afternoon sun. “You give a moving speech about being a unified crew then ask for help on a job without pay.”

“Hold on, it’s not like that at all. That’s how you’re seeing this whole thing?”

Damien chuckled. “Of course, not. I’m just messing with you. If this job will help you get one back on the Royals while also helping us get some power in this city, then I’m all in. Don’t consider it a favor, either.”

“I appreciate it, Dame,” Marcus said. “Really. And speaking of favors, I got a message from Bruce earlier. Your custom motorcycle is ready to go. The job won’t start for a few more hours, so you should drop by his shop and pick up your new wheels first.”