Ch 28: Reason for Battle

The convoy moved through the desolate terrain like a steel serpent, the roar of engines blending with the howling wind. Dust trailed behind them, obscuring the horizon as they pressed onward. Kael sat in the driver's seat of the crawler, the rumble of the engine vibrating through his hands. Mira rode beside him, occasionally checking her weapon.

The silence between them had stretched for miles, but Kael's mind was restless. He glanced at the rearview mirror, watching the convoy of vehicles behind him. Cullen's people were well-armed and prepared, but their willingness to help someone like him puzzled him.

Finally, he broke the silence. "So, what's the deal with Cullen and his crew?"

Mira looked up from her weapon, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Kael gestured toward the convoy. "Why are they so eager to go up against the Consortium? They don't know me, and I doubt they'd risk their lives just to help a stranger. What's their reason for fighting?"

Mira leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "It's not just Cullen. A lot of people out here have a grudge against the Consortium. They've taken too much from too many."

"That's not an answer," Kael said. "What did they take from Cullen?"

Mira hesitated, her gaze shifting to the dusty landscape outside the window. "You should ask him yourself."

Kael frowned, but before he could press further, the convoy slowed. Cullen's truck pulled up beside the crawler, the man signaling for them to stop.

The convoy came to a halt near an outcropping of rocks that provided some cover. The group dismounted, stretching their legs and checking their gear. Kael took the opportunity to approach Cullen, who was leaning against his truck, lighting a cigarette.

"You've got questions," Cullen said without looking up, exhaling a plume of smoke.

Kael nodded. "Yeah. I do. Why are you doing this? Why take on the Consortium for someone you barely know?"

Cullen smirked, tapping the ash from his cigarette. "You think we're doing this for you?"

Kael shrugged. "It sure looks that way."

Cullen chuckled darkly. "Let me tell you something, kid. The Consortium's been bleeding this world dry for decades. They take what they want, leave nothing behind, and call it progress. My crew? We're what's left of the people they couldn't control. Farmers whose land got seized, workers whose jobs got replaced by their machines, families torn apart by their experiments. Every one of us has a story, and none of them end well."

Kael studied Cullen's face, noting the lines etched deep into his features. The man's eyes burned with a mix of anger and determination that couldn't be faked.

"They took everything from me," Cullen continued, his voice low and bitter. "My home, my wife, my kid. Said it was for the greater good. Said it was necessary for the future. Now, I don't have much left to fight for, but I'll be damned if I let them keep doing it to others."

Kael nodded slowly. "So this is about revenge."

Cullen shook his head. "It's about justice. If we can take down even one piece of their machine, make them bleed just a little, it's worth it."

Kael leaned back, crossing his arms. "And you think helping me will do that?"

"You've got something they want," Cullen said. "Something they're scared of. That makes you dangerous. And I like dangerous people."

As the group prepared to move out again, Kael returned to the crawler, deep in thought. Mira glanced at him as he climbed back into the driver's seat.

"Well?" she asked.

"They've got their reasons," Kael said.

"And?"

"And I get it," he admitted. "The Consortium's taken a lot from a lot of people. If I were in their shoes, I'd probably want to fight too."

Mira smiled faintly. "You're starting to sound like one of us."

Kael scoffed, starting the engine. "Don't get used to it."

The convoy roared to life, the vehicles surging forward once more. The road ahead was uncertain, but for the first time, Kael felt like he understood the stakes. This wasn't just about him anymore. It was about something bigger—something worth fighting for.