Ch 21: Setting the Stage

The duo had been traveling for days, covering miles of barren terrain with little to no human contact. The monotony of the wasteland was occasionally broken by the rusted remnants of old vehicles or crumbling structures—ghosts of a civilization long gone. The silence between Kael and Mira wasn't unusual, but tonight, it felt heavier.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, they stopped near the ruins of an old refinery. Twisted metal and skeletal pipes jutted out of the ground like the ribs of a long-dead beast. Kael parked his crawler under the shadow of a collapsed tower, while Mira rolled up beside him, cutting the engine of her bike.

"Why here?" Mira asked, scanning the area.

Kael hopped out of the crawler and stretched his legs. "Shelter, for one. Less chance of being spotted from the air. And"—he pointed to the rusted tanks and debris scattered around—"materials. You'd be surprised what you can find in places like this."

Mira nodded, though her hand lingered on the hilt of her knife. "And ambush potential, I assume?"

Kael smirked. "Always."

They worked together to set up camp, though Kael was more interested in scavenging through the wreckage than unpacking supplies. Mira, meanwhile, kept watch, her eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of movement.

"Do you ever stop working?" she asked after a while, watching Kael dismantle a corroded valve.

"Not if I can help it," Kael replied, his voice muffled as he worked. "Time spent idle is time wasted."

Mira rolled her eyes and leaned back against her bike. "You're exhausting, you know that?"

Kael didn't respond, too engrossed in extracting a piece of wiring from the valve. When he finally looked up, he noticed Mira staring off into the distance, her expression unusually serious.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, setting his tools aside.

She hesitated before answering. "I've been thinking about what happens after we deal with the hounds."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "After? You're already planning that far ahead?"

"Someone has to," Mira said, her tone sharp. "You're good at reacting, Kael. But planning? That's where you fall short."

Kael leaned back against the crawler, crossing his arms. "Alright, enlighten me. What's your grand vision for the future?"

Mira glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "The world's bigger than the blanks and the Consortium. There are places out there—safe havens, if you know where to look. I've seen maps, heard rumors. We could find one of those places. Start over."

Kael chuckled, shaking his head. "And you think I'm the dreamer? Mira, there's no such thing as a 'safe haven.' Every place has its dangers, its problems. The only difference is how well they're hidden."

"Maybe," Mira admitted. "But I'd rather take my chances out there than keep running in circles here."

Kael didn't respond immediately, his gaze drifting to the horizon. The thought of leaving everything behind—of finding a place where he could finally stop looking over his shoulder—was tempting. But he knew better than to believe in fairy tales.

"We'll see," he said finally, his tone noncommittal.

The next morning, Kael was up before dawn, tinkering with a small device on the hood of the crawler. Mira woke to the sound of faint buzzing and looked over to see him holding what appeared to be a makeshift drone.

"What's that?" she asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Scout drone," Kael replied, not looking up. "I've been working on it for a while. Figured now's as good a time as any to test it."

Mira walked over, her interest piqued. "What's it for?"

"Recon," Kael said, powering it up. The drone's tiny rotors began to spin, lifting it off the ground. "If the hounds are nearby, this'll give us a heads-up."

"Impressive," Mira admitted. "You sure it won't give away our position?"

Kael smirked. "Not unless they're using some very advanced tech. And if they are, we're screwed anyway."

Mira rolled her eyes but didn't argue. As the drone zipped off into the distance, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for Kael's ingenuity.

"Alright," she said, clapping her hands together. "If you're done playing with toys, we need to talk strategy."

Kael sighed but nodded, setting his tools aside. They sat down on the hood of the crawler, the rising sun casting long shadows across the refinery ruins.

"So," Mira began, "what's the plan when the hounds show up?"

Kael rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Depends on how many there are. If it's a small group, we might be able to pick them off one by one. If it's a larger force…"

"We run?" Mira finished for him.

Kael nodded grimly. "Exactly. But if we're going to have any chance, we need to be prepared."

"Agreed," Mira said. "Which means we need to set traps, scout the area, and stock up on supplies."

Kael glanced at her, a hint of surprise in his expression. "You're surprisingly practical."

"I have to be," Mira said with a shrug. "You're not the only one who wants to survive this."

They spent the rest of the day preparing, each falling into their respective roles with an efficiency born of necessity. Kael focused on setting up traps and fortifying their position, while Mira scouted the surrounding area and kept an eye out for potential threats.

By the time night fell, they were as ready as they could be. But as Kael sat in the crawler, staring at the blinking light on the drone's controller, he couldn't shake the feeling that no amount of preparation would be enough for what was coming.

"Tick tock," he muttered under his breath, his fingers tightening around the controller.

And somewhere in the distance, the hounds were closing in.