I stumbled down the steps under the sign of the rat and pushed through double gray doors into the Rathskeller. My heart sank. Not a Round Tabler in sight. The entire establishment was sparse, with isolated Volunteers nursing drinks and grudges at sticky tables. Even the ever-present electronica, usually skull-splittingly loud, seemed muted.

No heavily armed bouncer guarding the entrance to the secret backroom either.

I hurried to the bar and waved for the bartender. Bowtie girl, wiping down a glass. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, taking her sweet time in coming over.

The Raid! Did I miss it?

“What raid?”

The Round Table. They said they were waiting on volunteers to run a raid in…

I quickly checked my notes under my Subroutines menu.

… the warehouse district. New Dresden. Am I too late?

“Oh, that raid. You did miss them. The Round Table and a whole gaggle of Volunteers left several hours ago.”

I cursed and kicked the barstool.

“You break it, you buy it. Besides, you might still be able to catch up with them if you hurry.”

Really? How? I’ve never been to New Dresden.

“Go to the MAR Station, catch the bullet heading toward Royal Heights. You go past the Palisades, Lower Dresden, and then voila.”

And then what?

Another enigmatic grin.

“That’s for you to figure out. I just serve the drinks.”

I thanked her and dashed out, heading for the station. Out of breath from all my exertion, I paid the 10 Crypt at the kiosk and descended to board the next available Diamond Line train. The doors slid shut and I hung on a strap, panting. The automated voice narrated the journey.

Now leaving The Commons. Next stop, Royal Heights, followed by The Palisades.

The city lights whipped past the windows.

Come on. Come on. Can’t this high speed hovering bullet train go any faster?

Now arriving at Royal Heights Station.

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I realized it was dark out, even in the rest of The Collective. No daylight in the land of the Citizens. And as before, I was the only one in this train car. I imagined it must have been shoulder to shoulder with Volunteers armed to the teeth a few hours ago.

Now leaving Royal Heights. Next stop, The Palisades, followed by Lower Dresden.

Would I miss all the action? Better late than never, I hoped. I wasn’t exactly sure what a raid consisted of. Bigwig had said Hellhounds and Baskervilles were accumulating. He mentioned something about a hot spot. Mentioned rooting out the source, and a Rare target. The Baskerville Hound was {uncommon}, which meant something worse was out there.

I checked my inventory as I waited, recalling my earlier encounter with the infernal dogs. Don’t get bit. That was a good piece of advice. Had Rook not patched me up back then, that Infernal Burn status effect might not have been pretty. I had managed to kill one Hellhound with my blade, but it took Bigwig and Rook both unloading on the Baskerville before it went down. Although similar creatures, the danger level was a different order of magnitude between the two.

And just how many devil dogs would be there this time?

Now arriving at The Palisades Station.

Now leaving The Palisades. Next stop, Lower Dresden, followed by New Dresden.

Five bullets and a dagger. No consumables. Maybe I hadn’t exactly prepared for this raid. Dram. I would lend a hand. Do what I could. I wanted that 5% discount. And maybe I could pick up some other goodies along the way. At least I had a 40 armor rating, whatever that was worth. I hoped canine teeth couldn’t pierce a bulletproof vest.

Now arriving at Lower Dresden Station.

Now leaving Lower Dresden. Next stop, New Dresden, followed by MAR Master Terminal.

Screens below the ceiling of the train car pulsed with advertisements, which I ignored. But suddenly a video came on, showing a scene of urban destruction from an aerial view. A newscaster's voice came over the speakers.

“Earlier this Cycle, an explosion went off in a section of The Commons, damaging property and Volunteer avatars. Ground zero of the blast was believed to be an illicit Rez den, now demolished. Collective Security is actively investigating the cause of the explosion. Surveillance footage indicates an unknown courier delivering a package to the location of the suspected Rez den shortly before the blast. Collective Security is offering a financial incentive to anyone with information about the courier or the explosion.”

What the frag?

Now arriving at New Dresden Station.

Distracted by the announcement, I shook my head. This was my stop. No time to think about this now.

I disembarked the bullet train and took the stairs two at a time, pushing through the one-way turnstile to exit onto the street. To my left were highrises of crescendoing heights. I imagined civvies sleeping safe and warm in their posh beds. To my right were a series of long industrial warehouses, row upon row, with a backdrop of dark water in the far distance, the crests of small waves glittering faintly from the reflected city lights.

The Warehouse District. Truth in advertising.

I hurried down between the first row of structures. Street lamps at regular intervals lit the way. I approached one warehouse and tried to pull open a large hangar door. No good. Chained and padlocked. I briefly wondered what need Citizens even had for such warehouses, but couldn’t spare the brain power.

There was a chatter of distant gunfire. Heading in the direction of the bay, I passed two more warehouses before I heard it again.

A burst of gunfire. Maybe from an SMG. Echoey, as if coming from inside a building. Also a distinct odor hung in the air. Brimstone, and something else. Ahead I saw a side door into a warehouse that was ajar. A heavy broken chain lay on the ground, cut in two. I listened at the door. Shouts and gunfire from somewhere deep inside the building. I opened the door and went inside.