Ch 15: Closing In

Kael sat cross-legged on the floor of his temporary hideout, surrounded by the spoils of his recent encounter with the Wraiths. His hands moved with precision as he inventoried the items, his mind racing as he pieced together the implications of the attack.

"Fourteen automatic rifles," he muttered, examining one of the battered weapons with a critical eye. The barrel was slightly worn, but it would still fire accurately enough. "Six shotguns, 80 magazines..." He counted the bullets one by one, neatly arranging them into piles.

A small stash of medical supplies sat to his right—bandages, antiseptics, and a few precious vials of painkillers. He inspected them carefully before setting them aside.

"...some money," he added, holding up a pouch of miscellaneous coins and trade chits. Not a fortune, but enough to buy some time or grease a few palms if needed.

Kael leaned back, rubbing his temples. The haul was decent, but it wasn't the loot that concerned him—it was what it signified. The Wraiths hadn't been after his crawler or his supplies. They'd come for him, and more importantly, what he carried.

He reached into his coat and pulled out the second data chip, holding it up to the dim light filtering through the cracked window. The small piece of tech seemed innocuous enough, but Kael knew better.

"Hmm," he mused aloud, his voice tinged with sarcasm, "it seems like the second chip is of the same value as the one I left for them. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother coming after me for some drone designs."

His thoughts wandered back to the first chip—the drone blueprints. It was valuable, no doubt, but not enough to justify the persistence of his pursuers. The second chip, with its detailed layout of a Consortium base, was a different story altogether.

"They're desperate," Kael muttered. "Two squads down, and they're still chasing. If I'm right, another loss or two, and the actual 'hounds' will come to greet me themselves."

The term "hounds" sent a chill down his spine. Unlike the Wraiths—mercenaries and bounty hunters driven by greed—the hounds were a different breed. Elite, relentless, and utterly loyal to the Consortium, they didn't negotiate, and they didn't fail.

Kael stood and began pacing the room, his mind racing through possibilities. The Wraiths had already found him once in Uchiha. It wouldn't be long before another group picked up his trail. He couldn't afford to stay in one place for too long—not with the kind of heat he was drawing.

But running wasn't a solution either. The further he went, the harder it would be to find resources, allies, or even basic necessities. And abandoning the second chip wasn't an option—not yet. It was his ace in the hole, a bargaining chip that could potentially buy him freedom or protection.

"Options," Kael muttered to himself, grabbing a piece of scrap metal from the floor and idly spinning it in his fingers. "I need options."

His mind flitted back to Mira. She was still somewhere in Uchiha, likely watching him from the shadows. Her presence complicated things. If she decided to turn him in—or worse, take the chip for herself—he'd be finished.

Kael sighed, setting the scrap metal down and turning his attention to the weapons he'd acquired. He began stripping them for parts, combining the best components to create a makeshift arsenal. A few modifications to his crawler's defenses wouldn't hurt either.

As he worked, a quiet realization began to dawn on him. The Consortium wasn't just after the chips—they were after him. Someone like Kael, a scavenger from the blanks, wasn't supposed to have access to this kind of technology, let alone the knowledge to use it.

"They don't just want their toys back," he murmured. "They want to make an example out of me."

The thought sent a ripple of unease through him, but he quickly pushed it aside. Panic wouldn't help him now. What he needed was a plan—a way to stay ahead of his pursuers while figuring out his next move.

Kael glanced at the scattered gear around him, his mind already calculating. He'd need to be smart, careful, and ruthless if he wanted to survive the coming days.

Before leaving the hideout, Kael took a moment to rig a trap—a small but effective surprise for anyone who might follow him. Using some of the explosives he'd salvaged, he set up a pressure-sensitive device near the door, concealed beneath a pile of debris.

"If they're smart, they'll spot it," he muttered. "If not... well, that's one less problem to deal with."

He loaded the supplies into his crawler, double-checking his inventory before climbing into the driver's seat. The second chip rested securely in a hidden compartment, while the first chip remained tucked into his coat.

As the crawler rumbled to life, Kael glanced back at the hideout one last time. "One step at a time," he reminded himself.

With that, he drove off into the labyrinthine streets of Uchiha, the tension of the chase weighing heavily on his mind. Somewhere out there, the hounds were closing in. And Kael knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up.