We found the warehouses at the edge of Rancho Coronado.

I'd noticed that while driving there many vehicles had given us a wide berth. Maybe it was the size of the truck, or maybe it was the massive chain gun on the roof, hard to say. The extra space was welcome though, the MTV was too wide for standard lanes. All this could lead to a situation where we attracted the wrong kind of attention, which was why I wanted to find something to travel deeper into the urban jungle of NC.

The warehouses here stored a variety of goods for mostly mid level corps. Everything from cyberware components to supposedly organic but shelf stable food products, even raw materials like ores could be found in this place.

I easily found a smaller unoccupied building, which I quickly rented off the NET and we stashed the MTV. One Sentry would remain here to guard the vehicle.

Stage one complete, now to find something big enough to haul all of us to the shopping center.

It took a while but I found an auction for a Kaukaz Zeya 420 model used as a garbage truck. It should be just big enough while not raising eyebrows anywhere we needed to go. Might need some work, but hey, between me and the Probes we'd have it roaring like a bear in no time.

It's onboard AI limped it to us, after I dropped enough eddies to just about buy it new. That didn't matter too much, I had plenty of money, and you couldn't just buy a new one without a special permit. There was an exemption for decommissioned vehicles though.

Without a forge we couldn't completely overhaul it, but I dug around in its engine while the Probes disassembled local trash into minerals to aid in repairing the chassis. The Probes even managed to convert some of the chassis to crysbronze. Meaning it was going to be armored.

That was a relief. While I didn't plan for us to get shot at it was pretty much a guarantee that a few bullets would head our way.

Several engine components were shot, and the electrical harness needed all kinds of love. So, I had to make a few quick orders, all from different shops, to get what I needed to bring it up to a decent level of functionality. Later the Probes would scan it and we'd be able to fabricate the parts if needed, but by then we'd likely be able to completely convert it with Khalai Tech.

It took a few hours, but it at least looked new. The poor garbage truck now ran far better than it had, though nowhere near factory levels. I gave up making more improvements for now, so that we could get started.

Stage two down.

We arrived at the shopping center to find two spaces were for rent. I took the one on the ground floor once again both impressed and disappointed that it was so easy to obtain a space. While it was incredibly convenient, especially for our purposes, there was a distance to the whole thing. It felt not just impersonal, but inhuman. You don't know the owner and they don't know you. Eh, just business as usual in this Cyber Dystopia.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Why do you need to know anybody anyway, money's money right? Spends the same no matter who's on the other end. As if. My knowledge of economics and currency is limited but even I knew better than that.

Just like that stage three down.

As we all stood around the empty space I had just rented, watching the Probes get started on carving out the underground space for our new outpost, we couldn't help but feel the absurdity of it all. All that prep for nothing, just because it was so easy to rent even without a proper ID.

Raynor smirking said it first, "Looks like we got all gussied up for nothing."

Wick's lips had the barest of upward curves to it, "Yeah. Shame."

I was grinning, "Hey, it could have been the fight of our lives. You never know when a Granny with Cyberpsychosis is behind the counter."

We broke down into laughter, even the troops joining in, draining all the tension that had been built up. Well, except Mr. Wick he kind made a noise that only the most charitable might call a chuckle.

That gave me an idea. Mwahaha.

I ordered a bunch of food to be delivered.

Soon they were all staring at triangles of processed crust, supposed cheese, mystery sauce and a variety of dubious toppings.

"Pizza?" Mr. Wick's tone held all the doubt in the universe.

Raynor and the boys were looking at theirs, not knowing a thing about pizza. Strangely for all the different things that could come out of a Company ration pack, pizza was a rare occurrence. But that was the reason they hadn't pounced on the food. No, they were probably hesitating because they noticed I hadn't even reached for mine yet.

"Dig in, fellas." I gestured at the "pizza".

Except for Mr. Wick they all all took a bite. Yeah, didn't think I'd get him with this one. They all stared at me after the first swallow of Buck A Slice Pizza. Their second bite had their stomachs churning. As they kept eating, I felt the increase in their irritation. Their stares transforming into full blown glares and grumbling. I felt the accusation, but let it rolled off me like water off a duck.

"What's wrong, don't like it?" As I pulled out a bag full of burgers from Tom's Diner. I slowly unwrapped the first one and then took a big bite. Controlling my reaction took some effort but I think I pulled it off. Eh, not horrible, but after being spoiled by the food back in New Lordaeron, it just didn't hit right.

That looked at the burger in my hand and back at the "pizza". The yelling ensued. Some tossing might have happened.

"That's a low down dirty trick! Poisoning your own people like that." Raynor grumped. Choruses of "That's right" and "You tell him, boss." rang out.

I snickered as I pulled out more burgers and tossed them to everyone. They set upon the burgers with a will. Sure, it wasn't great but after the false pizza that didn't matter so much.

In the silence that followed, I laid it out for them. "That "pizza" was the first thing I ate in this city. Think about that. Think about how bland these burgers are. This is what the folks here live on." I went from chuckling to serious. "This is just an intro to the hell this place really is, it gets a lot worse from there."

That sobered them up. I could see the understanding take hold. Similar thoughts to mine from that time, played out on their faces. They were now at the beginning of the path, of why we were doing this.

Heh heh, blame successfully diverted. Mischief Ma...wait wrong script.