Chapter 18 - Pause

Chapter 18 - Pause

Twenty miles out till the destination. The moon and stars illuminated the night sky. So clear Kane could trace the lines of the Milky Way out here in the desert. Here, there was no light pollution. Not a single streetlamp or distant tower to ruin the view. The air had cooled fast, the kind of desert chill that crawled under the skin once the sun was gone. His mind ached from the fight, every movement pulling on muscles still tight from the adrenaline dump. Forty minutes since his run-in with the nomads, and that Psychokinetic had left him running on fumes. Kane wiped the dried blood from his face, the Syndicate’s warning lingering in the back of his thoughts.

Russian vampires…

Not a chance in hell he’d close the distance until sunrise. He eased the stolen truck off the cracked road, tires crunching over stone until the slope of a low hill broke the skyline. Shelter enough for a night. He needed some rest. Tapping into his Essence took its toll on him whether he wanted to admit it or not. Going into the Black-zone while delirious will surely get him killed.

Kane dug through the rations stashed under the seat, tearing into anything that would last in his stomach. Calories now meant energy later. There was no telling what kind of slaughter waited ahead. When he’d scraped the last wrapper, he stepped into the cooling night, leaning back against the warm metal of the truck and letting the sky and desert chill take him.

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Nothing as beautiful as the night sky.

And then he thought of her. Wondered when was the last time she had seen the sky for herself. He had a sense that she’d been in that crypt longer than the existence of the NAC. Or the Registry. Maybe longer than half the maps in human history.

Was he feeling… empathy?

He kicked some sand to brush that thought away. If she wanted to, she could. There was probably another reason she didn’t. And that reason was probably in his blood. His dreams held the answer. He was sure of it.

Kane never believed in fate. He’s seen too many people die to have faith in such whimsical notions. But meeting her must’ve been chance. Right place, right time. Or wrong place, wrong time. Either way the connection is unmistakable. Whoever his family was. Whoever she was.

You’re a piece in a game the players thought they got rid of.

Her words wouldn’t let go. Maybe nothing he’d done was truly his choice. The thought sat heavy in his chest, unwelcome but impossible to ignore. Too many questions. And nothing about her made sense.

He sighed through his nose, shaking his head. Three nights with a beauty like that, and he still didn’t even know her name. Kane chuckled to himself. That was the kind of stunt he’d expect from Reed, not him.

Exhaustion crept up like an assassin, numbing the last threads of adrenaline in his veins. Kane pushed off the truck, reclined in the driver’s seat. Time for a couple winks. The questions can wait once he learns how to teleport back to her.

Two weeks… It’s only been two weeks, and so much has changed.

[GRC INTERCEPT – TIER I – OMEGA SEAL]

27 OCT 2042 – GRC Omega-Seal Committee

Subject: REYNAULD KANE

Designation: S¹Ψ/Ω – Psychokinetic / Ancient Hybrid

Status: CONFIRMED MOVEMENT – SINAI PENINSULA

Incident Report: Hostile contact with nomadic cell confirmed. Embedded Division 9 operative [REDACTED] KIA during engagement.

Action Directive: ASSET ZERO ALERTED. CONTINGENCY PROTOCOL BLACK VEIL INITIATED. ENGAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESTRICTED TO DIVISION 9 ASCENDANT OPERATIVES ONLY.