Virgil's boots squelched against the damp crete, the sound eg off the walls of the narrow passageway that wound its way to the Tower of Silehe air hung heavy, a mix of smog and the indefinable st of decay that seemed to permeate this part of the slums. He kept his pace steady, each step measured, aware of the weight of the uping frontation.

   Axion's voice, den with worry, came over the link.

  "You already asked me this," Virgil mumbled. He drew in a slow breath and exhaled through his nose. "Stop w so much."

   Her tone grew more indignant.

  He reached up and adjusted his hat. "Calm down, will you? Everything's gonna be fi's a simple versatioween two parties."

   Her sarcasm alpable. <'Simple versation'. Of course!>

  Virgil sighed. He felt her , but this was necessary. It was the only way they could draw the target off her and direct their attention elsewhere—namely, at Salvatore. If he was right about the man's involvement in the Shiver operation, the Big Four would be more than willing to discuss the matter ohey learned of the e. All Virgil o do oint them in the right dire. The rest would sort itself out.

  "Just remember pn B," he tinued. "In the event things go south, you—"

   Axion huffed in frustration.
  Virgil cracked a smile at that. "Because you'll end up saying some dumb shit that'll make things worse. Stay put. I'll handle everything. This isn't my first time dealing with these gangsters. And besides..." He patted the pistol at his hip. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Trust me. I take care of myself."

  Axion made no response, but he could tell she was unvinced.

  He reached the end of the passage, stepping out into a small courtyard he old tele tower.

  Nara awaited him, dressed in her usual worn robes and tattered cloak. Her hands remained cealed in voluminous sleeves, her hood drawn low to shroud her face. A small, flickering fire that danced in a battered oil drum cast flickering shadows on the surrounding walls, painting the area in shades e and red.

  The old e regarded Virgil with a disapproving grunt, her lips twisted in a frown. "Be gd, Backfire. I'm surprised they accepted your offer."

  "Keep the bao yourself, old hag." Virgil gave her a sidelong ghe his gaze around the courtyard. "Where's the weling ittee? I expected they'd e earlier than this."

  "Hmph. As if you deserve such courtesy. Wait here; they'll be here soon enough." The old woman shuffled away, retreating deeper into the courtyard. "Don't cause trouble. If you do, I'm throwing you to the wolves."

  Virgil didn't respond as he watched her leave, his jaw tense. He pressed the transmit button on his earpiece. "Axion, you still hear me?"

  No answer came. The earpiece remained silent, devoid of static or noise.

  Nara must have set up a jammer or something. At least we had the ce to coordinate a bit beforehand. Still, I 't deny the fact I'm on edge.

  His expression darkened, and he shifted his weight to his other foot, idly running his fingers over his revolver.

  After a few minutes, he finally caught sight of fures emerging from the gloom.

  First to step into the dim light was "Butcher" Bill Donovan, a man whose reputation preceded him like a shadow stretg at dusk. His thinning hair was bed over in a vain attempt to ceal his baldness, but it was his eyes, sunken in a gaunt face, that marked him. He wore his stained b coat like a badge of honor, a smirk pying on his lips as if he were privy to a joke only he uood.

  From another alley emerged "Reverb" Ray, his features hidden behind the trademark mask with the sound waves and an audio equalizer motif, pulsing softly with every step he took. Silver locks fell in a wild cascade, giving him an untamed look that trasted sharply with the sharp lines of his outfit—all dark tones of gray and bck, broken up by the occasional fsh of neon yellow. He stepped lightly, almost like he floated above the ground, moving with a preternatural grace that uled all who saw him. His movements always left echoes in the air, like after-images of sound and vibratiing in his wake.

  The final two newers arrived from different dires—ohrough a street-level door, the other via rooftop.

  "Hammer" Kareem stomped forward, a massive man with skin and muscle like tempered steel. His garb sisted of armored ptes and protective gear, giving him the appearance of an urban guerril fighter. A single bck tattoo stretched across the entire length of his forehead, an emblem representing the Ironcd Legion, while several smaller markings traced the side of his face. A patch with the same symbol adorned his chest, promily dispyed by the sleeveless vest he wore beh his bat harness.

  Kareem walked with the poise of a soldier, his eyes taking everything in with a cool efficy. His expression, as usual, betrayed ion; he simply marched in silehe heavy sound of his booted steps reverberating with each stride.

  Lastly, "The Enforcer" Elijah Gray leaped down from the nearby rooftops, nding in a crou the street beloalpable cloud of ash and smoke radiated around his body, cloaking him in a dense haze. He rose to full height, sweeping his gaze around the area before fog on Virgil, the cold gleam of his eyes visible even through the dark fog.

  Virgil maintained his posure as he locked gazes with the masked figure, resisting the urge to draw his pistol. Instead, he gave a nod of aowledgment to the enforcer, earning a frosty stare iurn.

  Bill sauo the ter of the courtyard, his hands in his pockets, whistling to himself. He shot an amused look at Virgil, chug. "Well well well, I 't believe I get to see the infamous Backfire again. What brings you crawling out of whatever hole you've been living in, hmm?"

  "Business," Virgil answered, his tone level. "As I assume for all of you, too."

  Ray cocked his head, a crag hum emanating from his mask. "This must be an urgent matter for you to request a meeting with us. If it isn't, we will not hesitate to kill you." The mask's speaker distorted his words, making his tone impossible to decipher.

  "Cut the shit ao the point, Maddox," Elijah snapped, crossing his arms. "You're lucky we even agreed to meet with you. Don't waste our time."

  Kareem's gre shifted to the enforcer, a slight frown crossing his face. "Speak to the man with respect, Elijah. He earhat right a long time ago." The giant man turned back til, fixing him with an impassive stare. "Maddox, whatever you io ask of us, get to it. Say your piece. Otherwise, you kiss any further iations goodbye."

  Virgil narrowed his eyes, drawing in a slow breath to steady himself. They sure know how to make a man feel wele.

  "Fair enough. Let me get straight to the point." Virgil paused, adjusting his hat. "All of you signed off on the bounty for Axion, correct?"

  The gang lieutenants exged gnces, sharing guarded looks with one another. Elijah's expression darkened, Bill's lip curled upwards into a sneer, Ray said nothing, and Kareem simply studied Virgil with his typical stoicism.

  Finally, Bill shrugged. "So what if we did? The guy who offered the bounty wao remain anonymous, but the two million ChitCreds made a pelling case to agree." He tilted his head to one side, the ers of his eyes creasing. "Besides, the girl has caused no small amount of trouble for everyone; her as have disrupted business. We 't overlook that."

  "She's a problem. End of story," Elijah muttered under his breath, shooting Virgil a venomous gre. "The slums don't need someorying to py hero. It's best the girl stops and sticks to minding her own business from now on. Or we add her to our colle of corpses."

  Ray crossed his arms, regarding Virgil through the glowing dispy of his mask. "I don't get why a Meta would waste the effort ag as a viginte. What's the point? It won't ge anything, and it won't make her life better. What she's doing is pointless."

  "No one's arguing about the girl's motives; what matters is the situation she's putting herself in. If she wants to survive in the slums, she has to be realistic," Kareem added, his voice carrying a note of finality. "Maddox, is she the reason why you disappeared for ten years? Is she supposed to be your successor?"

  Virgil gnced around, meeting their gazes for a split sed before responding. "I wasn't the one whht her in; she chose this path on her own. I have nothing to do with her choices. But..." He hesitated, a shadow passing across his face. "I admit I may have retly given her a nudge in the right dire, but her ideals, her beliefs—those belong to her. They are her reasons, not mine."

  Elijah scowled at him, his fists ched. "Yet, you're obviously helping her. Stop meddling, Maddox. It's not your pce. Stick to ing your damn gun and minding your own fug business." He snorted derisively, shaking his head. "You really think the girl has what it takes to succeed where you failed?"

  Virgil met his challeh stony silehe enforcer's words striking a nerve.

  Ray stepped closer, the glow of his mask flickering momentarily. "Do you disagree with his assessment?" His tone remained ral, her questioning nor mog, simply stating a fact. "We all know how poorly you reacted to your past failure; is this a repeat of that mistake? Because the result will not be different. Unless..." He trailed off, tilting his head slightly. "...there's something else going on?"

  Silence hung heavily in the air for several seds before Kareem spoke again. "We're not here to rehash the past. That's not why we've gathered tonight. Maddox, finish what you came to say. Make your proposal. Then, we will sider if what you propose is worth eaining."

  Virgil gnced around the group, measuring their expressions. He'd dealt with these men before; they weren't stupid, and they had little patience for wames. So he'd cut to the chase.

  "Axion's presen the slums isn't the issue; it's about the one who issued that bounty in the first pce—Salvatore. The Mad Chemist. I'm sure you all uand what I mean when I say his name."

  At the mention of the supervilin's moniker, Bill's brows furrowed, while Elijah and Ray's heads sil, their posture shifting immediately. Kareem nodded once, his mouth settling into a thin line.

  "The Mad Chemist," he echoed, a hint of disgust in his voice. "Why are we talking about him, Maddox? Speak pinly. And do it fast."

  "The bounty osted by Salvatore. He's the one who offered the reward for Axion's capture, ahe one pulling the strings." Virgil crossed his arms, holding their gazes. "He's also the one supplying 'Shiver' to the slums. That's the real reason why the streets have gotten more chaotic as of te."

  The gang lieutenants once again exged meaningful ghis time, their expressions were siderably more strained.

  Ray's mask fshed briefly, the light cyg rapidly through various patterns and colors before settling back to normal. He pivoted til, his voice taining a distinct edge to it. "How certain are you about this, Maddox?"

  Virgil's shoulders tensed ever so slightly. The shift was subtle, but he khey caught it.

  "I crashed a drug deal between him and the Neon Vipers. He wasn't personally there but had proxies take care of the exge. Based on their iion, they're on familiar terms, and they clearly had a history together. Whatever is brewing, the Vipers are in with Salvatore."

  Elijah's scowl deepened. He rolled his neck, crag the bones audibly. "I fug k. I told you not to trust the Vipers, Bill. Now they're in bed with the goddamn Mad Chemist!"

  "Don't be so hasty," Bill shot back, lifting a finger in warning. "That doesn't automatically equate them to being plicit. We need proof that directly ects the Vipers to Salvatore, not mere specution."

  Ray ighe pair as they argued bad forth, his gaze drifting toward the skyline. After several seds, he spoke again, his voice softer and more ptive. "My men had been keeping tabs on the Neon Viper's movements tely. Heard from the echoes in the alley that someone's set up a facility to cook something nasty."

  He rubbed his with a gloved hand, tapping his fingers absentmindedly. "When I sent some to snoop around, they all got killed...except for one who came back. He told me that Axion was the one who killed them. Apparently, she was serving as their guard dog." Ray g Virgil. "What do you think of that, Maddox? ce? Or are you g responsibility?"

  "I'm not. Axion would never work with the Neon Vipers," Virgil replied, his expression unged. "Yuy probably got pressured into lying to you by the one who actually killed your men. I'm more surprised that you fell for that nonsense."

  A heavy sigh escaped Ray's mask, causing the osciltions in the lights to bee increasingly erratic, mimig the ce of his words. "Son...of...a...bitch. You have no idea the headache yiving me, Maddox. You better hope that's true, otherwise, we may have a problem, you and I. You following me?"

  "Yeah. Loud and clear, Reverb," Virgil muttered, rolling his eyes. "Just for the record, you sound like a dying cricket when you sigh."

  Bill held up a hand, cutting off the exge. "Enough with the dick-measuring test; this isn't the time. Focus. Maddox, assuming what you're saying is true, and the Vipers are ected to Salvatore, we could potentially cut the root of the problem at the source. By dealing with them, we also take out a petitor and eliminate a major supplier of 'Shiver' in the process. Two birds, oone, and all that." He folded his arms, gng over at Kareem. "Or is that too messy for you?"

  "Don't speak for the Legion," the t man growled, fixing him with a stern look. "We're barely tolerating yan harvesting business, Donovan. Don't push your luck. Otherwise, the Red Market Syndicate will have a new gang war to tend with." He cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

  "Charming," Bill chuckled, ign the threat. "Hammer, if I may offer some advice. It's always easier to go for the biggest, meatiest targets. They bleed the most, and you get the greatest rewards. Cutting the head off a snake and all that. Nothing personal, you uand, of course. I'm merely stating a fact, friend. Remember: the slums are a jungle, and we're the hunters."

  "Stuff the p; no one's buying it," Elijah scoffed, gring at Bill. "Look, let's get to the point: we have a on threat. The Mad Chemist. This is about saving fad cutting out a thorn in our side, not a fug charity operation. Everyoheir pound of flesh. Uand? Everopolis doesn't care about what happens in the slums, especially if we solve their problem for them."

  Kareem remained silent, weighing the options with a distant look in his eyes. He paced the ground slowly, his heavy footsteps leaving is in the damp earth. Eventually, he stopped in front of Virgil, sizing him up for a moment before speaking.

  "Maddox, why gh the effort ing this meeting? You could've taken your s straight to the Vipers themselves. Why boing to all the trouble of iating with us, instead of taking care of the problem by yourself?" He arched an eyebrow, peering ily at the gunslinger. "Expin yourself."

  Virgil met his scrutiny calmly, holding his gaze without fling. "Like I said, I'm mainly here to make a bargain—recede the bounty on Axion; call it off. In exge, she'll be willing to work with you in stopping Salvatore's schemes. He's the bigger target, and we want him taken out."

  "Work with us?" Kareem echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Defihat for me, please. Because when you say that, it implies that she'll be under my employ."

  "It's simple: she won't interfere with your operations unless you actively cross her path, and she will do everything within her power to stop the Mad Chemist. It's mutually beneficial in the end."

  A grim ugh escaped the t man's lips, and he shook his head in disbelief. "That's not how I recall you w, Maddox. From what I've seen, your methods tend to involve more death aru. How is this supposed to reassure me?"

  "Because my partner is nothing like me," Virgil retorted, log eyes with the gang lieutenant. "Trust me, she's an idealist at heart; she wants to make a differen the slums, and she believes she . Take her to task for that." He adjusted his hat, gng at Kareem. "Does this seem acceptable to you, Hammer?"

  The burly gangster remained silent for several long moments, and his brow creased as he sidered the proposal. He stroked his thoughtfully, his eyes distant and unfocused.

  Eventually, he lifted his head, his gaze sharpening as it settled upon Virgil. "Acceptable? Hardly. It's far too generous of a deal for you to be making, which leads me to believe there's a catch. An angle. I'm just not seeing it. Besides, the Legio need help from one lone Super."

  Elijah grunted, narrowing his eyes. "Goddamn right, what's otle Super girl gonna do that we 't handle by ourselves, huh? Do you take us for idiots?"

  Bill chuckled darkly, winking. "Who knows, maybe Maddox is just hedging his bets? 't bme the man f. I'd probably do the same thing. But I agree, that's far too much of a cession for us to grant, wouldn't you say? Two million ChitCreds buys a lot of loyalty from the slums, more than what your little hero offer."

  Virgil exhaled, g his jaw. "So I take it that you'll need further ving?"

  "Bingo." Bill fshed him a crooked grin, nodding in amusement. "Sorry to disappoint, old friend. A shame, but we 't be too careful when making deals with someone from outside our ranks. You uand, right?"

  Virgil's expression hardened as he sed the group, noting their collective defiaheir minds seemed to be made up; they had no iion of ging their stanytime soon.

  "Well, guess it's time for pn B."