Ch 9: An Unlikely Ally

The sun hung low in the sky, casting jagged shadows over the cracked landscape as Kael pulled the crawler to a stop near an old concrete overpass. He had spotted a potential salvage site—a long-abandoned truck half-buried in sand. Kael scanned the area, checking for signs of danger, and grabbed his shotgun before stepping out of the crawler.

The air was thick with the faint smell of rust and ozone, a typical scent of the wastes. Kael worked quickly, prying open the truck's compartments and tossing anything of value into his pack. But just as he secured the last haul, a distant rumble of engines reached his ears.

He froze, then peered over the ridge. A gang of bikers, their patched-together vehicles roaring like beasts, was approaching fast. At the center of the pack was a larger vehicle—a makeshift war rig outfitted with spikes and a mounted turret.

"Great," Kael muttered.

Kael jumped into the crawler and gunned the engine. He knew better than to try outrunning bikers on open terrain; his vehicle had speed, but the terrain favored their maneuverability. He veered into a nearby canyon, using the narrow pathways to his advantage.

The bikers were relentless, their engines roaring closer. Kael pulled a smoke bomb from his coat and tossed it out the window. The dense plume of smoke disoriented the pursuers long enough for him to find a hiding spot behind a cluster of boulders.

He killed the engine and held his breath, listening as the gang's vehicles roared past.

But just as he thought he was safe, a sharp knock on his window startled him. He turned, shotgun ready, only to see a woman with short, disheveled hair and piercing green eyes glaring at him.

"Mind lowering that thing before you blow your own face off?" she said, her voice sharp but calm. She was holding a sidearm, though not aimed at him.

Kael narrowed his eyes but lowered the shotgun slightly. "Who the hell are you?"

"Name's Mira," she said. "And unless you want those idiots to find us, you might want to shut off the rest of your systems. They've got scanners."

Kael hesitated but complied, shutting down the crawler's auxiliary systems. "What are you doing out here?"

"Same thing you're doing—trying not to die."

The brief reprieve was shattered by the sound of a megaphone crackling to life.

"I know you're out there!" a gravelly voice called out. Kael and Mira exchanged a glance, then peeked out from their cover.

A man stood atop the war rig, wearing a mix of scavenged armor and decorative trinkets. His face was painted with crude red streaks, and a massive blade hung from his hip.

"That crawler of yours is a beauty," the leader shouted. "Hand it over, and I might let you live!"

Kael sighed, muttering under his breath, "Why is it always the car?"

Mira smirked. "Guess they don't appreciate your winning personality."

Kael ignored her and scanned the area. The gang was spread out, searching for their hiding spot. He could see the war rig's turret scanning the canyon, a serious threat if it locked onto them.

"So, how exactly are we going to deal with them?" Mira asked, her tone biting but curious.

"We don't," Kael replied flatly. "They'll either turn on each other or leave when their food and water run low. Gangs like this are opportunists. They're not interested in a drawn-out fight."

Mira frowned. "That's assuming they don't find us first."

"Then we make sure they don't," Kael said, pulling out a makeshift decoy device from his pack. He tossed it into the distance, where it emitted loud, irregular beeping.

The gang immediately turned toward the noise, a few of them speeding off to investigate.

The pair used the distraction to slip away on foot, leaving the crawler hidden for the time being. Kael carried his shotgun, while Mira kept her sidearm ready.

As they walked, Kael glanced at her. "So, what's your story?"

Mira shrugged. "Used to work for the Consortium. Then I realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life being a pawn for people who don't care whether I live or die."

"Bold move," Kael said. "And now?"

"Now I'm just trying to survive, same as you."

Kael wasn't sure he believed her. The Consortium didn't let people just walk away. But for now, they had bigger problems.

Later that night, the pair stumbled across a young woman tied to a makeshift stake in the middle of the desert. Her clothes were tattered, and her skin was blistered from sun exposure.

"Looks like the gang left her here to die," Mira said, her voice tinged with disgust.

Kael knelt by the woman, checking her pulse. She was alive, but barely. He pulled a flask from his coat and poured a few drops of water into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered open weakly.

"We can't leave her," Mira said firmly.

Kael didn't respond at first. He stood and glanced at the horizon, then at the woman. "She's dead weight. We take her, and we'll be slower, easier to track."

"She's a human being," Mira snapped.

"And dragging her along will get all three of us killed," Kael shot back. "I'm not risking my life for a stranger."

Mira glared at him, but Kael's expression was cold, unwavering. He turned and started walking back toward the crawler. Mira hesitated, torn between helping the woman and following Kael.

Finally, she followed.

"You didn't have to be so callous," she said bitterly as they reached the crawler.

"You're right," Kael said. "But it doesn't change the truth."

Back in the crawler, the tension between them was palpable. Mira sat in the passenger seat, her arms crossed, while Kael focused on driving.

"You think you're always right, don't you?" Mira said finally.

Kael glanced at her. "No. But I know what keeps me alive. You don't survive the wastes by making every sob story your problem."

"Maybe not. But you don't survive by alienating everyone, either."

Kael didn't respond. He knew she had a point, but he wasn't about to admit it.

As the crawler rumbled through the night, Kael kept an eye on the horizon. The gang would be back, and now he had a new complication: a rogue Consortium agent with her own agenda.

Still, he had to admit—Mira was resourceful, and having an extra set of eyes wasn't the worst thing in the world.

For now, they were stuck with each other. Whether they'd make it out alive was another question entirely.