Ch 14: The Finder

Kael crouched beside his crawler, his hands covered in oil and grime as he tinkered with a makeshift mechanism he had cobbled together from salvaged parts. The vehicle had taken a beating in the last encounter, and while it still ran, Kael knew it wouldn't last much longer without proper maintenance. Nearby, several pieces of scavenged tech lay in disarray, half-repaired or waiting to be repurposed.

The sun hung low over Uchiha, casting long shadows over the deserted side street. Kael worked in relative silence, save for the occasional clang of metal or the hiss of a small welding torch. He had chosen this spot for its seclusion, far from prying eyes—or so he thought.

A familiar voice broke the quiet.

"Hmm, you seem rather calm that I found you."

Kael didn't flinch. He continued working, tightening a bolt before finally looking up. Standing a few feet away was Mira, arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning him and his surroundings.

Kael shrugged. "You're a Consortium agent. You may have faced some physical decline due to losing access to good food, but you still have your brain. It was only a matter of time."

Mira smirked, stepping closer. "For someone born in the blanks, you seem way too knowledgeable about what's outside of them."

Kael stood, wiping his hands on a rag. "Your outcasts brought us all the knowledge we needed to survive here. It's ironic, really. You cast them out, and they built this." He gestured around him, not just at the city but at the broader idea of the blanks—an ecosystem born from scraps and survival.

Mira tilted her head, intrigued. "You think we made you?"

"Of course," Kael replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "Every scavenger here knows there's a bigger world out there. We've seen the tech you threw away, the remnants of your wars, the bones of your cities. You left us just enough to see the edges of the map but never the whole thing."

Mira's expression grew thoughtful, but she quickly masked it with her usual sharpness. "And how big do you think that world actually is? What do you think lies beyond the blanks?"

Kael hesitated, his gaze drifting toward the horizon. "Big enough that we're ants in comparison. But that's not the point. It doesn't matter how big it is—what matters is that it's controlled. You've carved it up, haven't you? Divided it into pieces, just like this city."

Mira studied him carefully, her arms still crossed. "And why didn't you try to go out before now? If you're so curious about the world beyond?"

Kael smirked faintly, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Oh, you know. The welcoming committee outside the blanks is so inviting. Raiders, mutated wildlife, Consortium hounds. Sounds like a dream vacation."

Mira stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You're avoiding the real answer."

Kael's expression darkened. "Because the blanks are home. Messy, chaotic, and brutal—but it's the devil we know. Out there? That's the unknown. And the unknown gets you killed."

Mira's gaze swept over the crawler and the scattered tools. Her eyes lingered on a particularly crude-looking device mounted to the side of the vehicle. "I heard about the Wraiths. You didn't leave much behind."

Kael shrugged. "They gave me no choice."

"You killed twenty armed men and walked away like it was nothing," Mira said, her tone both accusatory and impressed. "That kind of efficiency doesn't come from just tinkering with machines."

Kael turned back to his crawler, his voice calm but edged with warning. "If you came here to lecture me, save it. They made their play, and they lost."

Mira took another step closer, her hand drifting near the sidearm holstered at her hip. "What's your endgame, Kael? What are you really trying to do with those chips? You're smart enough to know they're more than just valuable tech."

Kael paused, his hand resting on the edge of the crawler. For a moment, it seemed like he might answer, but instead, he turned back to Mira with a faint smirk. "What's yours, Mira? Why is a Consortium agent so interested in an outcast like me?"

Mira didn't reply immediately. Instead, she studied him, her expression unreadable. "Maybe I see potential in you," she said finally. "Or maybe I just like watching you squirm."

Kael chuckled, shaking his head. "You're not as clever as you think, you know."

"And you're not as untouchable as you think," Mira shot back, her voice sharpening.

The two stood in silence for a moment, the tension crackling between them like static electricity. Finally, Mira broke the silence.

"You know they'll come for you, right? The Consortium doesn't take kindly to loose ends."

Kael nodded. "I'm counting on it."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "You're baiting them?"

"Let's just say I have a plan," Kael replied cryptically.

Mira sighed, shaking her head. "You're either a genius or an idiot. Probably both."

Kael smirked. "Takes one to know one."

Despite herself, Mira let out a faint laugh. She glanced at the crawler one last time, her expression softening slightly. "If you're smart, you'll leave this city before nightfall. The Wraiths weren't the only ones watching you."

Kael didn't respond, his attention already back on the crawler. Mira watched him for a moment longer before turning and walking away, her silhouette disappearing into the maze of alleys.

Kael exhaled, the tension in his shoulders finally easing. He knew she was right—staying in Uchiha any longer would be a death sentence. But leaving meant stepping further into the unknown, and the risks that came with it.

As he tightened the last bolt on the crawler, Kael muttered to himself, "One step at a time."