Road to Arcadia: the Path East

Chapter Twenty: Foggy Morning

They were able to board the bus with no issues, thanks to Jey's seemingly limitless knowledge of the Arcadian security system. Kai didn't bother questioning it. He was more than happy to peel off his white suit and collapse into bed without saying anything.

Sleep didn't feel as long as it should have. It was a bleary-eyed wink that ended too soon.

"Up and at 'em," Yulia called, brushing through the aisles.

Kai blinked back the grogginess, forcing the morning light into his eyes. It was still pretty early, he could tell by the softness of the world around him. The faint sun had to fight even harder to break through the haze of a thin layer of grey clouds overhead, and so far, the clouds were winning out.

He popped up, transitioning immediately into his morning routine.

"Heard anything from Baz?" Kai asked, zipping up his suit as he made his way to the driver's seat.

"Not much," Deon answered, settling into the controls after a night of tech-less rest. "I think they're meeting us back here to see if there's anyone to pick up. We'll take one last drive south for more recon before we catch up with the Arc for our next assignment."

"Sounds like a plan," he nodded, like he had any choice in the matter. "Any word from the Arc, either?"

Deon shook his head. "We usually don't hear from them unless it's urgent. We probably won't until we reach out to them first, either. There aren't a lot of ears around these parts. That's why we're going recon."

Kai hummed in response. He understood why a place like this would fly under the radar. It sat in the perfect neutral zone between wealth and waste where no one would be monitoring their decline, but no one would be seeking their prosperity, either. The people of Purkans and the towns surrounding it were the perfect shade of invisible.

Kai kept his thoughts to himself as he finished cleaning his area. He tried to catch a couple glances at Jey who didn't bother to return the eye contact. The former raider was unfazed, nothing indicating that he was up to anything nefarious with Kai the night before. It almost made Kai wonder what else he had gotten himself up to when everyone was asleep.

On second thought, best not to think about it.

When everyone was set, Deon started the ignition. It was a quiet motor, at least quiet for a vehicle as large as a double-decker bus. Only the slightest vibration rumbled through the floor as he shifted into drive.

Kai didn't bother the second in command this time. He hung back, eyes glued to the window, observing every faint detail of the city outside.

It was quiet, which made sense for the hour. The citizens of Purkans should be waking up soon, and when they did, Kai wasn't sure if they were going to like the news they were about to hear.

They heard it before they saw it.

Even from behind the thick glass of the windows and the dull whir of an engine, the sound was present, much louder than the casual chatter of the crowd the day before. The only indication of a sight to be seen was Deon's muffled, "Uh oh."

Kai peeled himself from the side window to catch a glimpse at the upcoming scene from the front windshield. He got up from his seat to get closer.

It was the community center.

Kai should have known not to expect anything else, but the sight still made his stomach drop. A crowd gathered around the same entrance as yesterday.

Except today they were bigger.

Today they were louder.

From the squad's distance, they couldn't see any action. There was no violence yet, but the aggravation in the cacophony was palpable.