"We were waiting for you."
The words land before I can react.
Karan shifts beside me, breath uneven, shoulders tight. I don't look at him. I keep my eyes on the scout.
He doesn't rush.
That's the first thing I notice.
Not like the others.
No wasted motion.
No ego.
Just calm.
"You took her," I say.
He tilts his head slightly. "We take what has value."
Something in my chest tightens.
Karan steps half a pace forward. "You're outnumbered."
The scout's gaze flicks to him, then back to me. "Am I?"
He moves.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Just enough.
I react.
Not instinct.
Not panic.
I step sideways before he commits.
His hand cuts through the space where my throat was.
Close.
Too close.
I don't swing wide this time.
I don't rush.
I step in.
Short strike.
He blocks it.
Of course he does.
His grip snaps onto my wrist.
Twists.
Pain sparks up my arm.
I don't fight it directly.
I drop my weight.
Turn with it.
Slip out.
Messy.
But intentional.
Karan doesn't wait.
He moves in from the side.
No shout.
No signal.
Just a hit.
Solid.
Right into the scout's ribs.
The sound is dull.
Real.
The scout exhales, but he doesn't fold.
He pivots instantly.
Targets Karan.
I move again.
Closer.
Not to attack.
To disrupt.
I step into his path.
Force him to adjust.
That half-second matters.
Karan lands another hit.
Higher this time.
Not clean.
But enough.
The scout takes a step back.
Still balanced.
Still watching.
"Better," he says quietly.
I don't answer.
I'm watching his feet.
His shoulders.
Waiting.
He lunges again.
This time faster.
I don't backpedal.
I angle.
Let him pass just enough.
Then strike.
Short.
Direct.
It lands against his side.
He grunts.
Karan follows.
We're not thinking it through.
But it's working.
Pressure.
Movement.
No gaps.
The scout shifts again.
Creates distance.
Resets.
"You think this changes anything?" he says.
Karan spits to the side. "Shut up and fight."
The scout almost smiles.
Then he moves again.
This time he goes for Karan.
I see it early.
I cut in.
Not fast enough to stop him clean—
but enough to throw it off.
His hit lands glancing instead of solid.
Karan absorbs it.
Doesn't fall.
Counters immediately.
This one connects.
Clean.
The scout's head snaps slightly.
He steps back again.
There's a change now.
Small.
But there.
He's not dominating the pace anymore.
We are.
I step forward again.
Careful.
Measured.
He watches me.
"You've stopped flailing," he says.
I ignore it.
He lunges.
I react.
Not perfect.
But closer.
My movement is tighter now.
Less wasted.
I don't chase.
I wait.
He commits—
I step in.
Drive forward.
We collide.
Shoulder to chest.
Not clean.
But enough.
Karan is there.
Always there.
He hits again.
The scout stumbles.
Drops to one knee.
Breathing heavier now.
Still calm.
Still watching.
"You think you're different," he says, looking up at me.
I don't answer.
"You're not," he continues. "You just learned faster."
Karan moves to finish it.
I stop him.
"Wait."
Karan glares at me. "What are you doing?"
I crouch slightly.
Closer to the scout.
"Where is she?"
He smiles.
Even now.
"She's not here."
"I know that."
"Then you're already behind."
I feel the urge to hit him.
To shut him up.
But I don't.
"Answer me," I say.
He studies me.
Then glances at Karan.
"Your friend," he says, "he still thinks this is about saving people."
Karan steps forward again. "Say one more thing—"
"It's not," the scout cuts in. "It's about value."
I clench my jaw.
"Where. Is. She."
He looks back at me.
"For someone who forgets," he says quietly, "you're very focused."
That hits.
Harder than anything so far.
Karan notices.
"Arjun?"
I don't respond.
I keep my eyes on the scout.
He sees it.
Of course he does.
"You don't even remember everything you're fighting for," he says.
"Enough," Karan snaps.
He grabs the scout by the collar.
Pulls him forward.
"You talk too much."
The scout coughs slightly.
Breath uneven now.
But still composed.
"You think we fear you?" he says.
Karan tightens his grip.
"We don't."
Silence.
Just for a second.
The words settle.
Cold.
"You're not a threat," the scout continues. "You're an asset."
My stomach tightens.
"What does that mean?" I ask.
He doesn't answer.
Instead, he looks at me differently.
Like he's already decided something.
Karan shakes him. "Answer him!"
The scout coughs again.
Weaker this time.
His strength is fading.
I can see it.
Feel it.
"Where is she?" I repeat.
He exhales slowly.
"They took Meera to—"
He stops.
His face tightens.
A cough cuts him off.
This one heavier.
Karan loosens his grip slightly.
"Finish it."
The scout tries again.
"They took her to—"
Another cough.
Blood this time.
Not much.
But enough.
His body trembles slightly.
I lean closer.
"Say it."
His eyes lock onto mine.
For a moment—
it feels like he's actually going to answer.
"They took Meera to…"
His voice fades.
Cuts.
Breaks.
He exhales.
One last time.
And then—
nothing.
His head drops forward.
Still.
Karan lets go slowly.
Steps back.
"…damn it."
I stay where I am.
Crouched.
Looking at him.
Waiting.
But there's nothing else.
No answer.
No direction.
Just silence.
Again.
Karan exhales sharply. "We were that close."
I nod.
But it doesn't feel like it.
It feels like we were never close at all.
Because now—
we have nothing.
Again.
I push myself up slowly.
My body protests.
Every movement heavy.
Delayed.
But I stand.
Karan looks at me.
"…what now?"
I don't answer immediately.
Because I don't know.
Because the answer I want—
is gone.
I look at the scout one last time.
Then turn away.
"We move," I say.
Karan nods.
Reluctantly.
We leave him there.
No time.
No reason to stay.
The trade zone behind us keeps moving.
Deals still happening.
People still trading.
Like nothing changed.
Like nothing ever does.
We step back into the broken streets.
Quieter here.
But not safer.
Not even close.
Karan walks beside me.
Slower now.
Watching me again.
"You hesitated," he says.
I don't look at him.
"I know."
"That's going to get us killed."
"I know."
Silence.
Then—
"…you still did it," he adds.
I nod.
Because I did.
Even if it took a second too long.
Even if I didn't want to.
Even if something inside me didn't feel right about it.
I still did it.
And that's what scares me.
Not the fight.
Not the players.
Not even Null Wing.
It's how easy it's getting.
To decide.
To act.
To end it.
Without thinking twice.
Karan exhales slowly.
"We need a plan."
I nod.
But my mind isn't on plans.
It's on the sentence.
The one that never finished.
"They took Meera to—"
It loops.
Over and over.
Incomplete.
Like everything else.
And I realize something I don't want to realize.
We're not catching up.
We're being led.
And we don't even know where.