Chapter 10: Into the Wolf’s Den

The city sprawled beneath them, a jagged landscape of concrete and neon veins, alive with a thousand secrets. From the rooftop of the crumbling building, Kael, Seraphine, and Niko peered out over The Verge, the hum of traffic and distant shouts echoing through the night. They were standing at the edge of a vast, shadowy labyrinth, and somewhere in its depths was the one man who could help them: Kane.

"Are you sure about this, Kael?" Niko asked, his usual sarcasm tempered by real concern. "Kane's not exactly the 'helpful' type. Last time I heard about him, he was taking apart corpses for data chips."

Kael's jaw tightened. Kane was a wild card—dangerous, unpredictable, and always working an angle. But he was also brilliant, a former Vexis operative with enough knowledge of their operations to tear the system apart. And that was exactly what Kael needed.

"I don't have a choice," Kael replied, scanning the maze of streets below. "If Kane knows anything about Echo Protocol, he's our only chance. We're running out of time."

Seraphine had been quiet since they left the safe house. Her eyes were fixed on the distant horizon, where the lights of Vexis towered like a distant predator. "What do we know about him?" she asked softly.

Kael took a breath, piecing together the fragments of Kane's legend. "Kane was part of Voss's inner circle. An enforcer. He handled the... darker side of memory extraction. Illegal modifications, corporate espionage, erasing threats. But he didn't just enforce the rules—he redefined them. When Kane left Vexis, it was because he didn't want to follow orders anymore. He wanted to write his own."

Niko snorted. "And by 'write,' you mean burn the whole system to the ground."

Kael nodded. "He's dangerous, but that's why we need him. He knows the kind of tech Vexis was developing—how they manipulate minds, erase memories. If anyone knows what Echo Protocol is, it's him."

Seraphine turned to Kael, her expression determined but laced with anxiety. "And how do we find him? He's a ghost, right?"

"Not exactly." Kael straightened, pulling a small device from his pocket and attaching it to his wrist-com. "He's a ghost to most people, but I've tracked him before. Kane operates in the black markets, the places most people are too scared to look. I have a few old contacts who can lead us to him."

Niko chuckled darkly. "Great. Love diving into the underbelly of society. It's not like we don't have enough people hunting us already."

Kael smirked but didn't respond. Instead, he activated the wrist-com and sent out a coded signal, a message only Kane would recognize. It was risky—Kane could easily track the signal and decide to kill them instead of helping. But Kael had learned long ago that Kane was curious. He'd at least want to know why they were seeking him out before making that decision.

As they waited in silence, Seraphine's voice cut through the tension. "What happens if we don't find him in time?"

Kael didn't answer immediately, but the weight of her question pressed down on him. The memory fragment they had stolen contained pieces of her erased past—fragments Voss and Vexis had gone to great lengths to bury. And if the mysterious Echo Protocol had any deeper significance, it was only a matter of time before they were hunted down.

"If we don't find him," Kael said quietly, "then we'll have to face Voss head-on. And trust me, we're not ready for that yet."

Suddenly, Kael's wrist-com beeped, the sharp tone slicing through the air. His heart quickened as a new signal appeared on the screen. A reply. The coordinates flashed in front of him, leading deep into the underbelly of The Verge. Kane had taken the bait.

"He bit," Kael muttered, tightening his grip on the wrist-com. "He wants to meet. But we're walking right into his territory."

Niko slung his pack over his shoulder, always the first to prepare for the worst. "So we're diving into the wolf's den, then? What could go wrong?"

Kael shot him a look. "Everything. Stay sharp."

They descended from the rooftop and made their way through the labyrinth of streets, the dark alleys of The Verge seeming to close in on them as they approached the lower levels. The city grew denser, more dangerous the deeper they went, the air thick with tension. This was a place where the forgotten lived, where the desperate and the discarded gathered in the shadows.

As they walked, Kael could feel eyes watching them, unseen figures moving through the darkness. It reminded him of the old days, back when he was still a memory architect, a time before the disaster that had driven him underground. But now, the stakes were higher. This wasn't about designing memories anymore—it was about surviving a world built on lies.

The coordinates led them to an old, dilapidated building tucked away in a forgotten district. The entrance was barely visible, concealed behind rusted metal and debris. Kael approached cautiously, scanning the area for any sign of a trap.

"This is it," Kael said, stopping just outside the entrance. "Kane's inside."

Seraphine stepped forward, her face pale but resolute. "Let's go."

They entered the building, the door creaking as it slid open. The interior was dark, lit only by a few scattered bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Kael could feel the tension in the air, like walking into a predator's lair.

"Kane!" Kael called out, his voice echoing through the chamber. "We're here to talk."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, a figure emerged from the shadows. Tall, lean, and dressed in a patchwork of old military gear and high-tech augmentations, Kane stepped forward. His face was gaunt, his eyes cold and calculating.

"Well, well," Kane said, his voice smooth but edged with danger. "If it isn't the ghost who disappeared. Kael, you've got some nerve showing up here."

Kael held his ground, his gaze locked with Kane's. "I need information. About Echo Protocol. And I know you're the only one who can help."

Kane's eyes flickered with interest, but his smile was predatory. "Echo Protocol, huh? You've gotten yourself mixed up in some deep shit. Why should I help you?"

Kael didn't flinch. "Because if you don't, Vexis wins. And the next person they come for will be you."

Kane laughed, a sharp, cold sound. "Vexis always comes for me, Kael. The difference is, I'm still here."

Seraphine stepped forward, her voice shaking slightly but filled with determination. "They did something to me, Kane. They erased who I was. I need to know why."

Kane's eyes shifted to her, his expression unreadable. "And who's this? One of Voss's little experiments?"

Kael stepped between them. "She's not part of Voss's plan anymore. We're trying to stop whatever they've set in motion."

Kane tilted his head, studying Seraphine for a long moment before turning back to Kael. "Echo Protocol… I can tell you what it is. But the real question is, can you handle the truth?"

Kael's heart raced. This was the moment they had been waiting for.

"We're ready," Kael said, though he wasn't entirely sure that was true.

Kane smirked. "We'll see."

He stepped back, motioning for them to follow. "Come with me. But be warned—once you know the truth, there's no going back."

As they disappeared deeper into Kane's hideout, Kael felt a knot tighten in his stomach. Whatever Echo Protocol was, it was about to change everything.