The rendezvous point was a small, isolated asteroid with a smooth, glassy surface, the result of some ancient explosion that had melted the rock into black glass. Leo waited, his body protesting with sharp pains at every movement, the adrenaline giving way to a deep exhaustion that weighed on his bones. He watched the distant scene as if it were a silent and terrifying light show. The Syndicate ship, a blot of geometric order against the chaos, its drones humming like metal insects, and Kael, a small, defiant figure holding a miniature star. It was a painting of power and desperation, and Leo was the only witness.
Time seemed to stretch, becoming elastic like reality itself in that place. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Leo knew Jett was his only way out, but his trust in a scrap-obsessed maniac was fragile at best. Every second that passed was a second in which the Syndicate could solve its equation, neutralize Kael, and turn its impersonal attention back to him. He felt like a supporting actor who had been left on stage after his cue, waiting for the protagonists to finish their violent scene.
Then, a tear in reality opened near him. It wasn't a clean Syndicate portal, but a chaotic vortex of purple and green energy, ripping the fabric of the void with a sound of crackling static. Jett's "Vortex Jumper" shot out, its engine roaring in defiance of the Void's silence.
"You missed the grand finale!" Jett shouted, his manic grin glowing in the light of his control panel. "The drones were trying to overload his shield with low-frequency pulses! A classic, but boring tactic!"
As Jett spoke, the situation at the standoff changed. The Syndicate ship, apparently tired of the stalemate, switched tactics. A large emitter dish extended from its underside, glowing with a cold, white light.
"Ah, now we're talking!" Jett said, rubbing his hands together in glee. "The Containment Field Neutralizer! Expensive, power-hungry, but terrifyingly effective."
A wide, perfectly cylindrical beam of white light descended from the ship and enveloped Kael. It didn't hurt him. It simply... stopped everything. The power core in Kael's hand, which had been pulsing violently, stabilized, its blue light becoming soft and constant. The energy arcs vanished. Kael's body went rigid, frozen in place, his expression of defiance trapped in time like an insect in amber.
The claw arm descended again. With surgical precision, it plucked the power core from Kael's frozen hands. Then, another, smaller arm extended from the ship and placed a containment collar around Kael's neck. The light from his combat suit went out.
The neutralizer beam vanished. Kael's body slumped to the metal floor, inert. The main claw arm grabbed his unconscious form, while a secondary tractor beam began to pull in the wreckage of the 'Phantom' scooter.
"And that, kid, is the difference between us and them," Jett said, his voice suddenly serious. "They have the expensive toys. We have duct tape and ingenuity."
The Syndicate ship, with its cargo and its prisoner, turned slowly and disappeared into a clean, black portal, leaving the metal plain empty and silent once more.
"Time to go!" Jett yelled. "Before the scavengers show up to lick up the energy residue!"
Leo jumped onto the back of the Vortex Jumper, clinging to a metal bar as Jett accelerated. The journey out of the Crossroads was a rollercoaster of terror and awe. Jett flew not like a pilot, but like a surfer catching a chaotic wave, using the reality fluctuations to propel them forward.
They exited through the same hidden portal and landed on the deserted cargo dock of the Traveler's Bazaar.
"Okay, business is business," Jett said, hopping off his machine. "I gave you the ride. Now, I'm going to claim my prize." He glanced at the unstable portal. "Kael's scooter wreckage is gone, but your little EMP bomb left behind a nice trail of fried components. And your original scooter should still be there. Plenty to salvage."
"Good luck," Leo said, his body feeling the weight of every bruise.
"Luck is for amateurs," Jett said with a wink. "I have scanners." He tossed Leo a small metal plate. "My communicator. If you need another trip to hell, or if you hear of any high-tech wreckage, give me a call. My rates are exorbitant, but my service is unforgettable."
With that, he dove back into the portal, leaving Leo alone once more, the sound of the Vortex Jumper's engine fading into the chaos.
Leo was exhausted, sore, and without transportation. But he was alive. And he was rich. He opened his app and looked at his Karma Points balance. With the delivery reward and the duel victory bonus, he had nearly 7,000 KP, even after deducting the Underworld's taxes.
It was more money than he had ever dreamed of having. But at the Bazaar, he knew it could disappear in the blink of an eye.
He had a goal. A power core.
He made his way back through the service tunnels, this time with more confidence, avoiding the creatures and the Bazaar's security patrols. He emerged in the Scrapyard, the familiar sound of working metal welcoming him.
Griz's workshop was a mess. The front door was torn from its hinges, and there were plasma scorch marks everywhere. But the four-armed mechanic was there, sweeping up the debris with a metal broom.
He looked up as Leo entered. "Look what the cat dragged in," he growled. "Thought the bounty hunters got you."
"I'm slippery," Leo said.
"They made a hell of a mess," Griz said, pointing to an unconscious reptilian bounty hunter tied to a chair with steel cables. "This one got left behind. I'll sell him to his rivals later. It'll pay for the damages." He looked at Leo. "So? Where's my core?"
"Change of plans," Leo said. "Kael was taken by the Syndicate. The core went with him."
Griz spat on the floor. "Then our deal is off. Too bad. The 'Phantom' would have been a fine machine."
"The deal is not off," Leo said, his voice gaining a new authority. "I don't have the core. But I have this."
He opened his app and showed Griz his Karma Points balance.
The mechanic's small eyes went wide. "By all the broken stars..."
"This is enough to buy a top-of-the-line power core here in the market, isn't it?" Leo asked. "And to pay for the scooter. And for your 'hazard fee'."
Griz looked from the smartphone to Leo, a new respect forming on his face. "Yeah, kid," he said, a slow grin spreading across his lips. "Yeah, it's more than enough."
"Then we have a deal," Leo said. "Start building. I want all the extras."