Chapter 16: Dust and Defiance II

The storm roared, dust slashing at Kai's face as he stood in the open, the stash's faint light flickering in his hands. His mark sparked, aging his fingers—gray hair, wrinkled skin—but he ignored it, eyes locked on the Syndicate enforcers closing in, their relic-guns glowing red through the haze. The wind howled, a beast of its own, and the air crackled with their charge.

Lena flanked him, her leg steady now, her dagger up—blood crusted her arm instead, a fresh gash from an earlier bolt. "They're not stopping," she growled, her voice rough over the gale. "More than last time."

Markus crouched behind a rock, his cane useless, his aged frame trembling. "They've got tech—drones incoming," he rasped, pointing at the sky where lights buzzed, sharp and fast.

Quiet woman stood over Tali, her knife steady, her whitened hair whipping wild. "Swarm's new—means they're scared," she said, her tone sharp, hauling Tali's frail form tighter.

Tali whimpered, her voice lost in the wind, her hands empty—relic gone, eyes wide with fear. "I—I can't…"

"Stay down!" Kai barked, the stash pulsing as he stepped forward. "We've got this."

The enforcers fired—bolts streaking, aging the ground to dust—but a new hum cut through: drones, a dozen, their relic-eyes glowing, diving fast. Kai swung his mark, time bending, a bolt bursting mid-air, but a drone swooped—its beam hit his shoulder, skin tightening, then snapping back with a burn.

"Scatter!" he yelled, dodging as drones swarmed, their beams slicing the storm. Lena slashed one, sparks flying, but another caught her arm—her sleeve frayed, blood welling as she cursed, diving behind a rock.

Quiet woman tackled a drone, her knife sinking in—dust burst, but two more fired, her side graying before snapping back. She staggered, slashing another down, her breath ragged. Markus swung his cane, cracking a drone's lens, but a beam hit his chest—his shirt aged, time rewinding, leaving him gasping.

Kai gripped the stash, its light dimming, and slammed his fist into an enforcer—time shattered, dust exploding, but a drone's beam caught his leg—knees buckled, aged a decade, then snapped back. "Fall back!" he roared, the swarm tightening, enforcers advancing.

Lena grabbed his arm, her own bleeding, and pulled him toward a ditch. "We're overrun, Voss—move!" Quiet woman hauled Tali, dodging beams, while Markus crawled, his chest heaving.

They hit the ditch, dust choking the air, drones buzzing overhead. Kai's mark flickered—weak, unsteady—but his eyes burned. "They're scared," he rasped, clutching the stash. "Means we're close."

Lena nodded, grim, her arm trembling. "Then we hit harder—next time."

Moonlight broke through the haze as Kai led the team to the city's edge—ruined towers loomed, their shadows stark against a quiet sky, the storm a distant growl behind them. The stash glowed faintly in his hands, its power low but steady, and his mark pulsed—gray hair, wrinkled skin—but he stood firm, the air cool and sharp after the dust's bite.

Lena slumped against a crumbled wall, her arm bandaged with torn cloth, blood crusted but stable—her leg untouched now, spared the relic's wrath. "We're alive," she rasped, her dagger across her lap. "Barely."

Markus sat beside her, his cane propped up, his chest still frail from the drone's hit. "They'll regroup—come harder," he said, his voice low, eyes scanning the ruins.

Quiet woman eased Tali down, the frail girl stirring—her breathing steadied, her relic gone, but her eyes flickered open. "W-where…?" she whispered, her voice thin but alive.

"City's edge," Kai said, kneeling beside her, the stash's light warm as he pressed it to her chest—color crept back, faint but real. "You're still with us."

Lena snorted, leaning forward. "You're too soft, Voss—she's weak."

"She's enough," he shot back, standing, his legs trembling but resolute. He turned to the ruins, moonlight glinting off broken relic-tech—Syndicate's mark everywhere. "We've got the stash—they don't. That's our shot."

Markus nodded, grim. "Their leader—Kael, runs the Spire. He's the one who traded Mara out. Hit him, and they crumble."

Kai's jaw tightened, the stash pulsing, Mara's ache flaring—sharp, personal. "Kael," he muttered, the name a blade in his chest. "He's mine."

Quiet woman stepped closer, her knife glinting in the moonlight, her grayed frame tense. "Big target—means big risk. We're four, battered—they've got an army."

"Four's all we need," Kai said, meeting their eyes—Lena's fierce glare, Markus's weary resolve, quiet woman's sharp nod, Tali's faint hope. "We rest here—heal up, then go for Kael. End him, end this."

Lena smirked, faint but real. "Personal now, huh? I'm in."

Markus grunted, agreement in his eyes, while quiet woman sheathed her knife, ready. Kai stared at the ruins, the stash's glow steady, and vowed—low, dark: "For Mara—for everything—he's dust."