The west side of Neopolis was easily the most beautiful part of the city. The serene ocean, white sand beaches, and palm trees that hugged the coastline all along the western front provided a rare and pleasant backdrop of natural beauty. Even the man-made buildings were designed with a certain flair and spark of joy that the other city districts lacked.

These amenities resulted in the west side becoming the main hub for entertainment and nightlife. Even now, as Damien drove through these open roads, he spotted countless bars, clubs, and advertisements for all sorts of events promising a good time. He’d even spotted an amusement park near the water’s edge, it’s rides and roller coasters standing tall above the beaches. It was as if every manner of fun and entertainment could be found here.

Not too far from the amusement park, Damien swerved into a massive outdoor lot right beside the boardwalk. Most of the parking spots were empty, but a good amount of people were out and about, enjoying the scenery of the immediate ocean. Virtually all of these citizens wore some form of cyberware on their body, and some even carried weapons out in the open, a sight that no one batted an eye to. Neopolis was a city of self-improvement and self-indulgence, after all, and the right to defend yourself was something that certain people loved to flaunt.

One hulking figure leaned over the wooden railing connected to the planks, overlooking the massive body of water. Damien parked his bike nearby and approached his crew mate who stood out so much that he couldn’t lay low even if he wanted to.

Unfortunately, that tendency to stick out was extremely dangerous in these parts. Marcus’ feud with the Royals-- the largest gang on the west side-- ran deep, and both parties were actively hunting one another down. The new leader of the Royals had ordered the execution of Marcus’ younger brother over something minor. The move was meant to illustrate the new leader’s ruthlessness, and Marcus’ brother was the first to be made an example of. Ever since then, it’s been personal between the two.

But going up against the Royals was a desperately one sided war. Even Damien had felt the first hand consequences when the two of them had been ambushed by a group of Royal soldiers. That had happened in the city center, just outside the gang’s turf, yet they’d still made the attempt on the pirates’ lives. Out here, they were surely deep into Royal territory, and there was no doubt in Damien’s mind they were already in danger.

Being on high alert, Marcus swiftly turned around as Damien approached. His face soon relaxed and he let out an impressed whistle as he nodded towards the Tiger-MK1. “Not bad for your first set of wheels, Dame. Looks like something that could tear the streets open.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Damien said. “Drives like it, too.”

“I bet. Bruce always takes care of his people, and that includes you from now on. Did he tell you about the racing league?”

“He did. I’ll definitely have check it out.”

“My man,” Marcus said triumphantly. “It’ll be a great chance to test and improve your riding skills. Not to mention, it’ll-”

“Help me get me name out there?” Damien said, finishing the sentence.

A giant smile crept on Marcus’ face. “I’ve raised you well. But you’re not the only one with fancy new gear.” He pointed a thumb further down the boardwalk. It took Damien a moment to realize that his gaze had been led to Marcus’ old truck, though it had received some much needed repairs. It looked brand new, and the damage from the car chase and shootout with the Skulls was gone.

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“Not only is it all cleaned up and fixed, but the new armor is even better than the last. My shotgun’s also got some new tricks up it sleeve, but I’ll let you see for yourself soon enough. Our jobs should go over a lot smoother with all these upgrades. I gotta say, that payday from Zero really came through.” He paused for a moment. “Speaking of payday… this job’s kinda pro bono. I offered to do it out of the goodness and hatred of my heart.”

“It’s fine,” Damien said with a casual shrug. He understood this was more of a personal favor to help Marcus mess with the Royals in some way. Though he did wonder just how much damage they could do to one of the biggest gangs in the city. “So what is this job, anyway? Isn’t it dangerous for us to just be standing out here? If we get ambushed by Royals one more time I might go on my own personal vendetta against them.”

“We should be fine. The timing of this job was picked with good reason. And as for the details, just wait a little longer. Our friends should be here soon.”

“We got friends?” Feeling slightly at ease from the reassurance, Damien rested his elbows on the wooden railing and stared out at the ocean. Ships of all sizes sailed before them, many heading toward the nearby docks just around the corner.

Marcus joined him at the sightseeing. “Even I know I can’t take out the Royals on my own. Plenty others want them gone, too. Why not make friends with them and work together?”

Damien wondered for a moment what other kinds of people would be crazy enough to go against such a large gang. He’d find out soon enough, so he let his curiosity go and enjoyed the pleasant view. The hypnotic sounds of crashing waves relaxed him, and he let his mind wander as he stared at the roving tides. Inevitably, his thoughts turned to his past, and his lack of memories prior to meeting his two crew mates.

“Hey, Marcus. You ever leave Neopolis?”

“Nope. Born and raised. I’ll definitely die here, too. Why do you ask?”

Maybe it was the vastness of the open ocean that triggered a new set of questions about his past. “Just wondering. If I get my memories back, there’s a chance that I’ll learn where I’m from. I could be from somewhere else.”

“I guess you’re right. But let’s hope that isn’t the case.”

Damien raised an eyebrow, unsure of what those words were supposed to mean.

“If you were from somewhere else, then that means that someone must’ve brought you here.” He lifted his chin toward the ocean. “Look at all those ships out there. What percentage of them do you think are carrying illegal cargo? I’d say around sixty or seventy percent. What kinds of things do you think they’re smuggling?”

Damien took his best guess. “Drugs? Guns? Bootleg cyberware?”

“That’s right. But you missed the worst one of all. People. Royals control these ports, and they’re definitely involved in the human trafficking racket. Disgusting pigs.”

Damien’s thoughts immediately went to Ivan the Butcher. Had Ivan been directly involved with the human trafficking that the Royals took part in? And did his death actually make a difference in the grand scheme of things?

“Worst part is the government lets it happen,” Marcus continued. “They catch just enough people to justify their crime prevention budget, but no more than necessary. Why try and stop it entirely? Most gangs will pay a hefty premium to keep the eyes of the law looking the other way. As a bonus, if they let a few people start from the bottom and succeed, it incentives others to get into the life of crime. Keeps the system running.”

“Never thought about it like that,” Damien said. It was certainly a cynical mindset but it made sense. It was all an intertwined web between gangs, corps, and the government, designed to continue to help those with money and power accumulate even more.

“Big G and the KDL are different,” Marcus said. “They might be a gang, too, but they’re nothing like the Royals.”

“Who exactly is Big G?” Damien asked. “And whats the KDL?”

Marcus’ eyes let out a flash of blue light, signaling that he’d just received a message. “Speak of the devil. Looks like our friends are here.”