[KAISER'S POV]
Night in the undercity was alive, nearly playful behind bulletproof glass as Hawk leaned into the wheel of Jerry's cybernetically-enhanced land cruiser. The suspension devoured potholes and speed bumps alike, the LED console glowing blue beneath Hawk's fingertips. The city zipped past in a mosaic of advertisements, tabloid headlines, drones, and rain. Tara sat beside me in the back; Hawk, grinning like she secretly hoped someone would start a chase, handled the chaos up front.
Jerry's last words still echoed in my ear. "Try not to get this beauty scratched!" He'd handed over the keys with an over-the-top bow, rolled his eyes when Hawk snatched them, and then stood in the garage doorway waving, like an anxious parent shipping kids off to camp.
"Having fun up there?" I called as we zipped around a blinking garbage tram. Tara, giggling, had her hands pressed to the glass.
Hawk gunned it for an empty intersection, smirking. "You want me to show off for the kid, or keep us alive for the meeting?"
"Surprise me," I said, and she grinned wider in the mirror.
I handed Tara a small stylus from one of the console cubes. "This is for Clara's diagnostic panel—she'll walk you through it."
Hello, Tara. Let's begin with basic prompts, Clara's voice purred inside the cruiser. Just touch the icons—first, power dampening, then perception filters. Good. Next, the field projection…
Tara's brow furrowed, concentration pulling her mouth into a straight line. I squeezed her hand. "Clara's the best teacher there is, Star. She learns you, not just the other way around. Listen to her, and practice—but if something's unclear or scary, promise you'll tell me or Hawk. Alright?"
She nodded, serious as any soldier. "Alright. I'll do it."
I caught Hawk's eye. She only nodded. No words needed.
Then, quietly, I said, "If I'm ever not here, Hawk's in charge of you. That's non-negotiable—even if she seems mean."
Tara made a mock huff. "She's not mean! She just has combat face. Right, Hawk?"
Hawk didn't look back, but her lips curved. "I have lots of faces. All of them are for keeping my people breathing."
Rain drummed on the modded roof as the city's edge gave way to Scourge's sector, a territory of cybernetic paranoia and reputation born in violence. Fences here were electrified, drones patrolled in overlapping arcs, and every newsstand holoscreen cycled past Scourge's sigil at least once an hour. The world lost the neon shimmer and became steel and secrecy.
As we reached the first checkpoint, two enormous brutes materialized—a deliberate show of force in oversized body armor, lights under their skin washing their arms cyan. Each held what looked like an industrial railgun across their chest, but it was the eyes that mattered—one blink, and they'd frag the cruiser.
Hawk slowed, hands loose over the wheel, engine purring—a predator at rest. I rolled down my window just enough for the rain to slap my cheek.
One of the brutes stepped up, scanning the cabin. "Names. Intent."
I didn't even have to fake the confidence. "Relax," I said, tone cool and measured. "I'm here to collect my reward. Tell Scourge—Kaiser's home."
They exchanged glances, uncertainty flickering across mechanical irises.
The quiet stretched, but I didn't blink.
[HAWK'S POV]
The brutes at the gate studied Kaiser for an uncomfortably long moment, before finally, almost reluctantly, waving us through. Hawk drove the land cruiser past razorwire and drone towers, her grin never fading; Tara in the back was half awe, half wild excitement.
[KAISER'S POV]
Scourge's "castle" sprawled across half a city grid—a fortress of titanium domes, power pylons, corrugated barricades. It was more war-camp than palace, but tech-hungry and precision-drilled. Automated gunnery snouts tracked us from above. Through gaps in the outer fence, I caught sight of augmented enforcers sparring in powered exosuits, lights flickering as they exchanged bone-rattling blows.
Hawk whistled. "Subtle as ever, isn't he?"
Tara pressed her nose to the window, mesmerized. "It's like a superhero's base. Or a villain's."
Training yards were full—hulking cyborgs tossing one another, fluid close-quarters grappling, a line of sharpshooters precision-popping digital targets. Damage control bots skittered between bloody sand and shattered steel. This place ran drills harder than most city militias ran actual wars.
We rolled to a stop beneath an awning of ferromesh cables and multi-spectrum scanners. Doors slid up. I got out first, suit crisp, tie straight, Goldeneagles gleaming at my side. Tara followed, Hawk right behind her, eyes always moving.
[HAWK'S POV]
The greeting team wasn't just guards—they wore tactical gear and bore arms like jewelry, but no one made a move yet. It was the crowd—fighters pausing, data runners staring, synth-dogs sniffing the air.
Then, a blur—a figure broke from the ring. Tall, broad-shouldered, all ripcord muscle and booted confidence. Red hair wild in the post-rain wind, she moved straight for us, jaw set. Nobody stopped her—not even Scourge's lieutenants.
She paused, locked eyes with Kaiser, and with a grin both predatory and delighted, she hurled a blade the size of a machete—not warning, all intent—straight at his chest.
The knife spun, metal flashing in strip lights as a hush shivered across the crowd.
Knife incoming—muscle memory screamed. My fingers snapped up and snatched the blade from the air, the momentum vibrating through my palm. I barely had a heartbeat before my body was already cocked, ready to send it flying back with interest—but a steady hand landed on my shoulder.
"Nice catch," Kaiser drawled, eyes never leaving the redhead. "But let's not start a war with Miss Warlord here. After all, we don't want to kill my ex, do we?"
I shot him a look. "Your ex? You never mentioned her "
Kaiser just smirked. "Exes come in all calibers. It was all for the—"
"—experience," I finished, rolling my eyes. "Please, just tell me, how many exes did you actually have?"
He shrugged, so damned casual. "Enough to call it education."
Karin—because now I remembered the files, the muscles, the reputation, the wreckage she could cause with a smile—plucked another blade from her belt as she strode closer, grin sharp as a wolf's.
"Careful, Hawk," she said, sizing me up, "he's got a whole curriculum. But don't worry, you'll learn what I did—he always disappoints, sooner or later."
If she hoped I'd flinch, she was about to be disappointed herself. I gave her a steady stare. "Yeah, he did. I almost killed him for it."
Karin gave a soft laugh, but there was a razor edge there. She turned to scan Tara—her gaze lingering longer than I liked. "And who's the kid, huh? Kaiser, I thought big bads like you hated kids. Did you skip the manual? Congrats to the both of you," she added, cocking her head in that jealous, mocking way only a rival could manage.
The three of us—me, Kaiser, Tara—just looked at each other for a split second, all thinking the same unspoken thing.
"What the actual fuck?" Kaiser finally muttered under his breath.
My cheeks went hot—maybe the compliment, maybe the tension—but the blur of a blush was quickly replaced by the world's most exaggerated cringe. Beside me, Tara made the same face I'd seen her practice in a cracked bathroom mirror: tongue out, eyes crossed, total refusal to take the drama seriously. I matched her, and together we aimed our gross-unhinged routine right back at Karin.
Karin rolled her eyes but her grin stayed sharp. "Alright, kid. Enjoy him while he lasts."
"So…" I said, voice steady despite my pulse, "what's her specialty, Kaiser? Besides throwing knives at—well, everything?"
Kaiser, casual as ever, watched Karin with a smirk. "Peak human, Hawk. Body, mind, reflexes, stamina. Her real asset? Adaptation. She analyzes anything—combat, tech, environments, even social dynamics. Give her enough time, she'll find the crack and push through."
A ripple of respect—and jealousy—ran through me. "Still can't kill me, though, right, Miss Warlord?"
Karin flashed her teeth. "If the kid wasn't here, I might've tried. You know how I miss a challenge."
For a beat, everyone caught their breath—the tension was a living thing. I stood a little closer to Tara, just in case.
[KANE'S POV]
A shadow sliced across the neon, aura shifting with the self-assurance of a man who never worried about crossing a line. Kane stepped out from a cluster of fighters, his eyes on us: wary, amused, and—for once—relaxed.
"Well, well. We meet again. And damn, K, you guys had kids already?"
Kaiser, Tara, and I all turned at once. None of us could help it. The look we shared—what the actual fuck—probably ought to be in a museum.
"I swear—" Kaiser started, but words failed him, for once.
Even Karin let out a genuine laugh.
The air was thick with the scent of oil, sweat, and burnt synth-circuitry. The domain beyond the gates wasn't just Scourge's stronghold—it was a monument to the chaos he loved to reign over. We'd caused a ruckus getting here; every whisper in the streets and drone chatter told the story of a tyrant whose reach had been bruised.
Scourge's voice had echoed through the grid when I first called in. "Kaiser's back with that ragtag crew? You've gone too far this time, brother."
Now, here we were; old scores inevitably clashing with new.
I watched Kaiser stand across the courtyard, his presence a deliberate defiance amid the sprawling chaos. The aura around him was electric—stronger, more focused, edges sharper than the last time I'd seen him in the flesh. He was a force, not just of power, but of menace and precision.
Smirking, I approached, my voice low but loud enough for him to hear. "You've gotten stronger, haven't you?"
He didn't fake surprise; the look in his eyes said as much. "I've grown," he said simply.
I smiled quietly but sharpened my tone. "I can feel it. It's vague now, a pulse beneath the skin—but it's there, a power of unfathomable caliber waiting to explode and cause mayhem. Just don't go too far overboard, brother."
There was weight behind those words, not a command, not a warning, but a hope. The kind of hope that lives in the coldest places—a hope that even the strongest might find the line between chaos and destruction worth respecting.
Kaiser gave me a long look, then a slow nod. "I know the price, Kane. I intend to pay with precision."
The heavy doors clanged shut behind us with a metallic echo that seemed to shake the air itself. As Scourge entered the grand chamber, a dozen hard-eyed guards and lieutenants snapped to attention, bowing low with mechanical precision. All but one. Kaiser stood tall, unyielding, meeting Scourge's gaze without a flicker of submission.
Scourge's laughter rippled through the room, dark and amused. "Hahaha! He doesn't even bow to anyone, huh? You know I could cut your legs off for that, Kaiser."
Kane's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile—a cold warning in the storm. His voice layered with menace, "I can cut your dick off before that happens."
A look passed between the old rivals, tension electric and almost playful.
Scourge's gaze shifted, settling on Tara, the kid who had unexpectedly become part of this dangerous game. His tone softened with a mix of respect and something closer to pride. "She's got so much potential. Kaiser, you keep exciting me with all these new players you drag into this mess. Everyone around here is talking about you, kaiser."
He gestured broadly, "Our mutual partner… he's so strong now that most people view him as a god. A deity among criminals."
Kaiser shook his head with a faint shrug, a cocky smile curling the corners of his mouth. "He'll fall. And anyone who stands in my way will go down with him." His eyes locked with Scourge and Kane's, a dangerous promise held clear and unflinching.
Then, because the moment grew too heavy, his voice lightened with a grin, "But chillax, guys—I'm just here to collect what's owed me."
The room held its breath—then the shifting game truly began.
[SCOURGE'S POV]
I stepped forward, the weight of power and expectation heavy on my shoulders. My eyes locked on Kaiser's. "Whatever you want, brother, if I have the means and the will to make it happen, I'll get it for you."
My words hung between us, heavy and real—no games. I watched as Kaiser's eyes slid to Kane, and for a brief breath, I thought he would say he was leaving with Kane. The silence was thick.
[KANE'S POV]
I shifted slightly, casting a glance toward Kaiser, wondering if he'd take me up on the offer of escape, of losing himself in an alliance beyond blood and broken streets. The moment bristled with tension and old ghosts, and I prepared to speak—ready to offer safety or challenge.
But Kaiser cut me off.
[KAISER'S POV]
He smirked, that damn smirk that meant trouble. "I want a one-on-one fight. Me versus Kane."
Kane's lips twitched into a thin smile, voice low but clear. "Dramatic bastard. I know exactly what you're thinking."
Kaiser's grin only widened. "One more thing—I want you, Scourge, to make sure no one interferes. Whatever happens, no interruptions."
[HAWK'S POV]
The words hit me with the force of a punch. I turned sharply. "Are you out of your damn mind?!"
[KAISER'S POV]
I threw up my hands in mock surrender, voice lighter. "Relax. It's going to be a bloody sibling fight—that's all."
[KANE'S POV]
I locked eyes with Kaiser, a flash of old rivalry reigniting the fire beneath the ash. "Hell yeah," I said with cold grin. "It's been a while."
No one said a word longer than they had to after that. The stage was set.
End of chapter