The pickup truck tore across the Outlands like a beast unleashed. Its engine roared with enough power to leave a dense trail of dust in its wake, but in a place this polluted, even that meant nothing. Without specialized detection systems, it was nearly impossible to tell the road apart from the thick orange haze swallowing everything in sight.
Chloe gripped the steering wheel tightly, her eyes locked onto the navigation display and sensor feed, now fully replacing the windshield. Her voice came through the dust mask, tight with tension.
"It looks like the movement up ahead just stopped."
Drago and Edward immediately shifted, their bodies tensing at the alert.
"So… are they hostiles?"
Drago asked, eyes fixed on the rapidly flickering radar screen.
"Not sure yet,"
Chloe replied, steering through waves of dust.
"But I'd bet someone's running from something, or someone out there."
Edward turned toward Drago, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"You think it's someone like you? Another escapee?"
Drago tightened the gear at his side, preparing for whatever might come.
"No idea. The Outlands aren't just filled with civilians… or people like us."
"We're almost there. Get ready, 29."
Chloe gave the warning as the distance on the display steadily dropped.
"I told you to call me Drago."
He shot back out of habit, the engine growling louder as the truck pushed toward its destination.
The moment the vehicle came to a stop, Drago didn't waste a second. He threw the door open and launched himself forward at a speed no ordinary human could match. Within seconds, his figure vanished into the orange haze without even needing a dust mask.
"Where the hell is he rushing off to?!"
Edward turned to Chloe, clearly shaken by how Drago charged in alone.
"He's probably going ahead to check the situation. I parked about half a mile from the coordinates."
Chloe replied calmly as she shut off the engine.
"Half a mile?! And we're walking through this?! In this air?!"
Edward's muffled voice burst out from behind his mask as the reality of the distance hit him.
"Yeah. That's the plan. Let's move."
Chloe answered without a hint of concern, pressing the remote in her hand.
Click. Whirr.
The locking system engaged instantly. It didn't just secure the doors. Thick metal plates slid down, sealing every window completely. The wheel axles locked into place, making it impossible to move. Anyone trying to steal the vehicle would have to take the whole thing with them.
The two of them set off on foot, pushing through the heavy dust as they hurried along the path Drago had taken ahead of them.
"What's an Outlaw?"
The man on the ground asked, his voice trembling under the harsh sunlight filtering through the orange haze.
"An Outlaw is an Outlaw. Don't see why that needs explaining."
The man in the skull mask replied with clear irritation, adjusting the grip on his weapon.
"Figures. This guy's been living inside the Dome his whole life if he doesn't know who we are."
Another man spoke up, his mask marked with deep scratches. There was something almost pitying in his tone as he stood over the trembling figure like a predator towering above its prey.
"So what now, boss? We finish him?"
A third man cut the engine of his motorcycle and stepped in, joining the group. He walked toward the victim at a slow, deliberate pace, wearing a brand-new dust mask identical to the one Edward had just bought.
"I'm only going to ask you a few simple questions."
The man with the scratched mask lowered his voice. Whatever expression lay beneath it remained hidden.
"If you answer correctly… you live. If you answer wrong… you die. And if you don't answer at all… you die anyway."
Silence swallowed the area. The only sound was the wind, carrying waves of orange dust through the air.
The unfortunate man tried to steady his breathing, gathering what little composure he had left under the crushing pressure of the hunters surrounding him from every direction.
"First question. Who are you?"
The man with the scratched mask fixed his gaze on the trembling figure.
"My name is Darius."
The man answered in a hoarse voice, struggling to stay conscious as the orange haze pressed in around him.
"Alright then, Mr. Darius… why aren't you wearing a mask out here?"
The man with the scratched mask asked, his tone turning noticeably colder.
"I… I don't know…"
Darius stammered, his breathing growing rapid and uneven.
Bang!
A single shot rang out. The bullet from the scratched-mask man's gun tore cleanly into Darius's thigh. Dark blood splattered across the dust.
"AAARGH… damn it!"
Darius screamed in agony, his body thrashing violently on the ground.
"Wrong answer."
The man lowered the barrel, aiming it directly at the same wound.
"I'll give you one more chance."
He steadied the gun.
"Why don't you need a mask?"
The air tightened around them, suffocating. The Outlaws standing in a circle shifted slightly, savoring the sight of their prey struggling in pain.
"I… I was a government test subject. They altered my body… that's why I can survive the dust out here."
Darius forced the words out, sweat and blood soaking into the dirt beneath him.
Bang!
Another shot tore through the air. This time, the bullet slammed into his upper arm, making his body jerk violently.
"What the hell?! I already told you!"
Darius shouted, teeth clenched as the pain surged through him in relentless waves.
"That's not the answer I'm looking for."
The man with the scratched mask replied in a flat, measured tone, cold and merciless. He raised the still-smoking barrel and aimed it at Darius once more.
"The answer I want… is what they did to you."
His voice sharpened.
"How are you able to stand in this dust without your body breaking down?"
He leaned in closer, locking eyes with Darius.
"I want the process, not the result."
A brief pause.
"So think carefully. Next time, I might aim for your head."
The sunlight filtering through the orange haze felt harsher now, as if the world itself was bearing down on him. Darius's life hung by a thread.
Edward and Chloe picked up their pace and caught up with Drago, who stood still at a distance, silently observing the scene ahead.
"Why aren't you helping him?!"
Edward whispered urgently, his eyes fixed on the blood seeping into the ground.
"If we just stand here, he's going to die."
Chloe added, already shifting her grip on her weapon.
"No… something's off."
Drago replied without taking his eyes off the Outlaws.
"I think… I recognize that guy."
"If you know him, shouldn't we help him even faster?"
Edward shot back, confusion written all over his face.
"Keep your voice down. They don't know we're here."
Drago warned in a low tone.
"Wait… how do they not know we're here?"
Chloe frowned, quickly checking her equipment.
"Those masks are supposed to detect vital signs nearby, aren't they?"
"Exactly."
Drago's gaze sharpened as he continued watching Darius being forced to spill his secrets.
"That's what makes this so strange."
"Alright. Care to tell me what they actually did to you?"
The man with the scratched mask asked again, his tone sharper now, more serious.
"I don't know! I'm not one of their test subjects, damn it! I'm just a victim…"
Bang!
The third shot cut him off mid-sentence. This time, it was instant. The bullet pierced straight through Darius's forehead with perfect precision. His body dropped lifelessly onto the ground. No movement. No sound. Nothing.
Edward and Chloe froze, their eyes wide at the sudden execution unfolding right in front of them.
Drago, however, remained eerily still. Slowly, he raised an arm, stopping them from moving forward.
A silent signal. Not yet. His gaze stayed locked on Darius's body, now lying motionless among the Outlaws, who began to close in around the corpse.
"You two, take the body to the gate. See what price they're willing to pay."
The man with the scratched mask gave the order, nodding toward the corpse.
"This one doesn't have a bounty assigned yet, but there should still be a payout. Especially for something tied to a classified project. They'll pay to keep it quiet."
He turned away.
"I'm heading back to base."
With that, he climbed into the pickup truck, revved the engine, and drove off without hesitation.
The remaining two men grabbed Darius's lifeless body and shoved it into the back of a raised sedan without much care. The man in the skull mask took the driver's seat, steering the vehicle toward the distant Dome gate.
Another followed closely behind on a motorcycle, forming a tight convoy as they disappeared into the haze.
Drago stepped out from cover with measured caution, with Edward and Chloe close behind. But the moment they reached the site of the execution, both of them froze.
The blood was gone. The dark stains that had soaked into the dust had vanished without a trace, as if nothing had ever happened there.
"Told you… something was off."
Drago muttered, his tone laced with both pity and certainty.
"What does that mean?"
Edward asked, scanning the empty ground in disbelief.
"Come out, Darius. I know you're here."
Drago's voice cut through the orange haze. For a brief moment, nothing moved.
Then, A man stepped forward from the fog. He had the exact same face as Darius. The same man who had just been shot dead moments ago. But everything else about him was different.
He wore a worn black suit, the white shirt underneath hanging loose outside his pants. No buttons fastened. No tie. His clothes and shoes were coated in thick layers of dust. As he walked, he lit a cigarette, completely unfazed by the toxic air surrounding him.
"Hard to find something like this inside the Dome… good tobacco like this."
He exhaled slowly, smoke curling into the already polluted air. Then his eyes settled on Drago.
"Well, well… 29."
A faint smirk.
"Been a while."
"Heart rate… 184? Wait…"
Edward muttered, staring at the numbers flickering rapidly across his mask display.
"Yeah. He's another one. A test subject who escaped the facility."
Drago confirmed calmly, his eyes fixed on the man casually exhaling cigarette smoke.
"Then why didn't the mask sensors pick him up earlier? No… even the more advanced scanners in the truck didn't detect anyone else nearby."
Chloe blurted out, clearly shaken. The reliability of the equipment she had always trusted was now in question.
"That part isn't simple."
The man in the suit replied, brushing dust off his collar.
"But I can do it."
He took another drag, unfazed.
"It's delicate work. Fooling five masks, three vehicle sensors… not to mention tricking those Outlaws and the three of you."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Takes a lot of energy to pull that off."
The sunlight filtering through the orange haze cast a strange glow across the scene, as if highlighting the impossibility of it all, the blood that had vanished without a trace.
"Oh… right. I forgot to introduce myself. Name's Darius. Nice to meet you."
He said casually, extending a hand toward Chloe. She didn't move. Her eyes stayed on him, unmoved, ignoring the dust-covered hand entirely.
"So what are you doing out here? Last I heard, you were heading toward Biotope 3."
Drago asked, studying his old acquaintance, who still seemed far too calm for the situation.
"Honestly? I got lost."
Darius shrugged.
"My body can handle the pollution, sure… but it doesn't come with a built-in map."
He took a slow drag from his cigarette before continuing.
"And with visibility this bad, I could barely see where I was going anyway."
A brief pause. Smoke drifted lazily into the air.
"Then I remembered there's some group outside Biotope 5. Calls themselves an alliance or something. Supposedly trying to push back against that rotten government."
He let out a quiet breath.
"So I wandered around looking for them. Sent out a few random distress signals…"
A faint smirk appeared.
"And ran into those Outlaws instead."
"That signal… you sent it on purpose for us, didn't you?"
Chloe spoke through her mask, recalling the moment she picked up the stationary coordinates earlier.
"Well… yeah. Didn't expect to run into a familiar face like 29 here, though."
Darius shot Drago a quick wink.
"And how exactly did you figure out we're that alliance you mentioned?"
Chloe pressed, her gaze sharp and suspicious behind the mask.
"Not that hard,"
Darius replied, flicking ash onto the ground.
"People with tech and vehicles like yours? Aside from the Outlaws, it's not exactly something civilians out here can get their hands on."
He gave a small shrug.
"And 29 here doesn't trust people easily. The fact that he's sticking with someone like you…"
A faint grin.
"Tells me you're exactly the group I've been looking for."
"And why are you looking for us?"
Chloe asked again, pushing for a clear answer.
"Simple. A place to sleep. A shower. Food. Clothes."
He adjusted the dusty collar of his suit.
"And if you've got cigarettes, even better."
His tone stayed casual, almost indifferent.
"People like us don't get back into the Dome. Can't live with civilians. Can't keep running forever. Sooner or later… you need somewhere to land."
For a moment, silence settled between them, broken only by the wind carrying orange dust across the ground. Drago listened quietly, then gave a small nod. He seemed to understand all too well.
"Alright. You can come with us. Talk to our leader first."
He paused.
"But don't expect anything fancy. It's not a luxury hotel."
"Hey, anywhere that isn't this place already counts as five-star to me."
Darius replied, taking one last drag before flicking the cigarette into the dust.
The four of them began walking back through the orange haze toward where the off-road vehicle had been left behind.
Under the harsh sunlight filtering through the polluted air, Edward trailed behind the group, his brow furrowed beneath the mask. His eyes kept shifting between Darius's back and the flickering display on his lens, where strange interference still lingered. His mind was filled with unanswered questions. The disappearing body. And how this man in a suit had managed to deceive both him and Chloe so completely.