Ch 29: Upgrades

The convoy rolled to a halt at a desolate rendezvous point nestled between jagged cliffs and arid plains. The midday sun beat down on the group, and a dry wind swept through the area, carrying with it the scent of dust and oil.

Kael stepped out of the crawler, stretching his legs and glancing at the gathered vehicles. They were a mix of rugged transports, modified trucks, and hastily armored buggies—functional, but far from ideal for what lay ahead.

Cullen approached, wiping sweat from his brow. "We'll rest here for a couple of hours before moving out. What's on your mind?"

Kael nodded toward the vehicles. "Which ones are leading the frontal charge?"

Cullen raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Kael smirked and gestured toward the back of his crawler. "Let's just say I've got something for the job."

Curious, Cullen followed as Kael opened the reinforced hatch at the rear of his vehicle. Inside was an array of contraptions, each cobbled together with the precision of someone who understood both mechanics and chaos. Poison deployers with nozzles shaped like dragon mouths, bunker busters with crude but effective explosive casings, and sleek long-range missiles with stabilizing fins sat in neat rows.

Cullen let out a low whistle. "What the hell is all this?"

Kael stepped inside, patting one of the poison deployers like it was a loyal dog. "Custom upgrades. This beauty here can coat a five-meter radius with a concentrated gas that'll incapacitate anything organic. Over there? That's a bunker buster—designed to punch through reinforced steel and deliver a nice, explosive surprise. And these?" He held up one of the long-range explosives. "Perfect for taking out distant targets before they even see us coming."

Cullen stared at the contraptions, his expression a mix of awe and concern. "Why didn't you attach these back at the base?"

Kael shrugged, grabbing a wrench from his toolbelt. "Didn't have the time to reinforce the mounting joints. Wouldn't want one of these falling off mid-ride and blowing up our own convoy, now would we?"

Cullen scratched his head. "Fair point. How long is this going to take?"

"Depends," Kael said, already climbing onto one of the leading trucks. "If you and your crew don't mind lending a hand, we could get it done in a couple of hours. Otherwise, it might take until nightfall."

The next couple of hours were a flurry of activity. Kael barked orders, directing Cullen's crew to fetch tools, hold equipment steady, and weld reinforcements to the vehicles. Despite their grumblings, the group quickly saw the value in Kael's modifications.

"This nozzle needs to be angled down," Kael instructed, pointing to one of the poison deployers. "If it sprays too high, the wind'll carry it back toward us."

"Got it," one of the crewmen muttered, adjusting the device.

Mira watched from a distance, arms crossed as she leaned against her bike. "You're really in your element, aren't you?"

Kael glanced at her briefly, his hands busy tightening bolts. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you seem a little too comfortable building weapons of mass destruction," she replied with a smirk.

"It's not about comfort," Kael said, his tone matter-of-fact. "It's about survival. Out here, the difference between living and dying is preparation."

Mira tilted her head, studying him. "And what about after? If we survive this, what then?"

Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he focused on securing the final component of the poison deployer. Finally, he looked up. "After? That's tomorrow's problem."

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the convoy's leading vehicles were fully upgraded. The poison deployers gleamed in the fading light, their nozzles ready to unleash chemical havoc. The bunker busters were securely mounted, their crude designs exuding an air of dangerous promise.

Cullen inspected the modifications, nodding in approval. "These'll do. If the Consortium tries to stop us, they're in for a nasty surprise."

Kael wiped sweat from his brow, tossing his wrench into a toolbox. "Just make sure your drivers know what they're doing. These aren't toys."

Cullen chuckled. "Don't worry, kid. We've been fighting this fight a lot longer than you have."

Kael didn't respond, his eyes scanning the horizon. The stars were beginning to emerge, and the barren landscape seemed even more foreboding under the darkening sky.

As the group prepared to rest before the next leg of their journey, Mira approached Kael, her expression unreadable.

"You did good today," she said.

Kael shrugged. "It's just physics and chemistry."

"No," Mira said, her voice softer. "You're starting to believe in something bigger than yourself. That matters."

Kael didn't reply, but her words lingered in his mind as he climbed into the crawler and shut the door. Outside, the convoy settled into an uneasy silence, the weight of the coming battle pressing down on them all.