"A big guy? What do you an, Jack?" V looked at Jack, who was bounding over, grinning ear to ear. He had no idea what his friend had been u
"A big guy? What do you an, Jack?"
V looked at Jack, who was bounding over, grinning ear to ear. He had no idea what his friend had been up to this whole ti.
Jack, however, didn't seem in a hurry to spill the beans. He shot a glance at the Savage Queen standing nearby, completely unfazed that Karl and the others had been chatting with her, and said with visible excitent, "Co on, guess."
"Guess what? All you said was 'a big guy.' How the hell are we supposed to guess that?" Oliver replied.
Then Karl spoke up. "An armored vehicle?"
Jack's grin froze in place. He turned to Karl in disbelief. "Wait, did you overhear or sothing?"
"Nope. Just guessed."
"You guessed that accurately? Damn, your instincts are sharp!"
Karl shrugged. "Not really. I've got a friend who's even sharper."
He didn't bother keeping anyone in suspense and calmly explained his reasoning:
"Simple deduction. There aren't many things that get you this excited. First thing that ca to mind was a bike or a car. And tonight's party is hosted by Hansen—one of the biggest arms dealers around. So most people here are probably looking to make a weapons deal. Combine that with your thing for vehicles… and I figured it had to be an armored car. It's not like missile trucks are easy to co by."
"Huh. That easy to guess, huh…"
Jack seed mildly disappointed that the surprise had been spoiled, but ultimately didn't care that much. He had the thing now—that was all that mattered.
"So, what's the story?" V asked. "How do you walk off for a bit and co back with an armored vehicle?"
"It just sorta happened," Jack said. "I was heading toward the bar to grab a drink, but halfway there I overheard two Russians talking to what looked like a Nomad. Sounded like they were doing a deal for so kind of vehicle. You know —soon as I heard the word 'vehicle,' I had to stick around. Turns out they were selling an armored personnel carrier. After the Nomad left, I went over and asked if they still had any. Next thing I know, they're pulling up a list for to choose from."
"And you just couldn't help yourself, huh?" Oliver said, skeptical. "Are you sure this isn't a setup? I an, impulse-buying an APC at a party sounds shady as hell."
"No need to worry," Jack replied confidently. "The thing's parked in Dogtown with Hansen's people watching it. When we go pick it up, it's pay-on-delivery."
"Hansen's crew is guarding it?"
Since Kurt Hansen practically runs the arms trade in Dogtown, that gave the deal so credibility. Still, Oliver didn't drop his guard.
"What if it's a trap? What if we walk into an ambush?"
Oliver's caution earned a nod from V. "Yeah, seriously, Jack. I'm not saying people don't close deals at parties like this, but this kinda thing sounds sketchy."
"Relax, I thought it through," Jack said. "They've got the APC parked in the basent garage of the Jade Blue Tower. That's Hansen's turf—no one's pulling anything there."
"In the basent?" V looked down at the floor beneath their feet. "Can't believe Hansen agreed to that. And those Russians must be ballsy as hell, just parking sothing like that down there."
"That honestly tracks with the stereotype I have of them," Karl chuckled. "But seriously, Jack—why did you buy an armored car? What are we supposed to do with it? It's way too flashy for street jobs. We've already got Hera, and the hovercar for long runs. Where are you even gonna park it? What's it for?"
"Where to park it… what to use it for…"
Jack's excitent visibly deflated as he scratched his head awkwardly. "I didn't really think that far. It just sounded badass and was weirdly cheap, so I went for it."
"So it was an impulse buy, huh?"
Saw sothing cool, didn't think twice—just bought it.
Karl couldn't really bla him. It happened to the best of them.
"But Karl, you don't get it! This thing has armor on par with an ACPA! And unlike an ACPA, which has to leave its joints flexible, this thing is a straight-up armored box. It can take a direct hit and not even flinch. The chassis is practically tank-grade. They said even an EF3 tornado couldn't flip it!"
"You're literally quoting the sales pitch, aren't you?" Karl replied, raising an eyebrow. "It does sound impressive… but again, what the hell are you going to use it for, Jack? Not like we need sothing this heavy-duty to clear a checkpoint in the Badlands."
"…"
Still the sa issue—cool as hell, but no plan.
After a pause, Jack said, almost questioning himself, "Freight runs?"
"Don't look at ," Karl shrugged. "But you're seriously gonna haul cargo… in an APC?"
Well, if his friend liked it, then why not?
"Alright. I'll ask Dakota Smith later if there's anything we can haul out in the Badlands. That hovercar of ours burns ethanol like crazy and barely carries anything. Kinda wasteful. Maybe this APC can land us so gigs—assuming it's got the storage space."
If Jack wanted to use it, they'd find a reason to.
Karl's response lit Jack up again. "That's more like it, bro! Don't worry—I saw the pics. Thing's got room for days."
"If we're talking Badlands runs, I've got experience there," V chid in. "Let's go explore so routes. Last ti we were flying through in the hovercar and barely stopped for anything."
Forr Nomad instincts kicking in. Everyone else was already on board with the freight idea, so Oliver just sighed and nodded in agreent.
Still, he raised one last concern.
"But doesn't an APC burn just as much fuel as a hovercar?"
"No worries," Jack said proudly. "According to the Russians, this thing runs on anything. Piss included."
As Jack bragged, the group passed the next couple of hours chatting, mingling with familiar faces, and nursing their excitent about the new ride.
That excitent, however, didn't last.
Two hours later, in the underground garage of the Jade Blue Tower, they finally laid eyes on Jack's purchase—and all expectations shattered.
Coming from a family of military vets, Oliver instantly recognized the model. He buried his face in his hands.
"Jack… you never told us you bought an eight-wheeled APC with an autocannon, machine guns, grenade launchers, and anti-tank missiles."
With this beast, they could probably start their own tribe out in the Badlands.
Technically, yes—it was a "transport" vehicle.
Just not for cargo.
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