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Cont. From Lukas..
Kael acted without hesitation. "Someone I trust," he replied firmly.
The word "trust" lingered between them, weighing heavier than Ezra had anticipated. It carried a significance that Kael was not known to assign casually. Luka acknowledged the statement with a brief nod, and then the image faded, leaving them in the dim café.
Outside, a distant humming sound from a drone broke the café's serene atmosphere. Kael's jaw tightened in response to the noise. He pulled from his coat a device the size of a credit card and pressed his thumb against it. In an instant, a matte-black sedan across the street came to life, sleek and understated but radiating an unmistakable aura of quiet menace. Its tinted windows glinted in the soft amber light as it glided to a halt by the curb.
"Let's move. We don't have all day." Kael stood up smoothly, prompting Ezra to follow him. With each step, Ezra felt his heart rate quicken, the gravity of Kael's world beginning to settle over him like a heavy cloak. When he slid into the car, it felt as if he was crossing the threshold into an entirely different realm—the doors sealed shut with a soft hiss, the cabin enveloped in an unsettling quiet, tinged with a faint, electrifying scent. There was no driver visible in front of them; the steering wheel operated autonomously, guided by an unseen AI.
"Is this car autonomous?" Ezra asked, attempting to conceal the awe that tinged his voice. Even with his skills in hacking, he couldn't shake the impression that Kael possessed a far wider array of capabilities.
"It's secure. It's mine," Kael replied matter-of-factly, his attention focused intently on the glowing readouts displayed on the dashboard in front of him.
As the city rushed past outside, enveloped in a blanket of silence, Ezra found himself lost in his restless thoughts. He absentmindedly traced the bandage on his arm, the biting reminder of his recent failure gnawing at his mind—I almost betrayed him. Yet here was Kael, pulling him deeper into a world carefully shielded from prying eyes.
When they finally arrived at Kael's office, the building's glass façade sparkled magnificently in the afternoon sunlight. Ezra felt a conflicting sense of protection and entrapment wash over him, especially after the recent attack from Veyra's drone, which had prompted Kael to enhance their security measures. The doors of the building slid open, revealing a sleek interior adorned with polished steel, the gentle hum of servers in the background and the palpable buzz of power that coursed through the space. Kael made his way to the central desk and activated a holographic display that burst into view, casting swirling blues and greens as a pulsing AI network blossomed into existence before them.
"This," Kael declared with a tone of unwavering determination, "is how we level the playing field."
Ezra stood there, caught in a whirlpool of awe mixed with trepidation. Outside the glass walls, a drone buzzed by, serving as a stark reminder that the fight was far from over. He couldn't shake the feeling that they had only just begun to scratch the surface of what was really at stake.
To be continued.....