Chapter 18 - Kane
“Wren.”
Her head snaps up. “Yes, sir?”
“Care to explain why—” His gaze drops to the holopad on the table, then rises. “Your squad lost ten members in two days?”
She flinches. “Sir, I—they walked out, took the easy way out—ran to someone else. Said I was ‘pushing too hard.’” Wren’s fingers curl into fists. “But everything I did was for the crew. I pushed them like you push us, to prove—”
“How did you ‘push them too hard?’” Kane’s been accused of the same before, but there’s a line, one he thought she could see.
“I—” Her eyes dart to Echo at her side. “I made them take high-risk routes, ordered aggressive patrols. Civilians fought back. We tried to send a message.”
“Strength isn’t breaking your team. I need results, not wreckage.”
Wren straightens. “I thought if I pushed hard enough, I’d find a way to lead like you…”
He scoffs. “Don’t blame me for your failure.” Her expression collapses. Kane’s fingers curl around the arm of his chair.
She acted out of loyalty to prove herself. But mercy isn’t an option. He’s seen where softness leads. First with his uncle, then in himself, a week ago with the nurse.
“Until further notice, you’re stripped of both squad leader and lieutenant positions. Earn them back by rebuilding your team or bringing those defectors home. Until then, grunt work with the newbies.”
Echo freezes. Wren goes rigid beside her. Across the table, Viper’s glare sharpens. Even Coda’s heartbeat ticks faster in his overlay. Kane doesn’t pause.
“Viper, we lost three enforcers to Natural Order. Please elaborate.”
“To be blunt, sir,” Viper starts, “despite the new leader’s ties to us, we haven’t crossed any lines—only reinforced defenses and planned responses. We needed someone on the inside, feeding intel so we’re not blindsided again.”
Last night’s report flashes in Kane’s mind. “You got them killed,” he hisses.
The corners of Viper’s mouth twitch. “I regret what happened to them. I miscalculated. I thought they were ready to go undercover. However, this—”
Kane cuts him off, voice low. “Who’s running this crew, Viper? Me, or you?”
“You, Baron,” Viper answers. After a beat, he adds, “But how can we defeat Natural Order if we’re always waiting for your approval?”
“Fuck the territory, Viper.” Kane’s sneer twists sharply. “We lost people. Do you not grasp the gravity of what happened? Or are you too caught up in trying to prove you’re the better leader?”
Silence follows, broken only by the faint hiss of armor vents and the cooling systems overhead.
A vein pulses at Viper’s temple. “Of course I care. They were good people. I should’ve seen how far Natural Order would go once they were exposed…But don’t act like you’re the only one who gives a damn.”
A bitter laugh erupts from Kane. “You know what, Viper? Play leader then. Pay for the lives you gambled. Every credit you earn this month goes to their families.”
Viper shifts in his chair. “Fine.”
“As if you had a choice.” Kane leans forward. “And that’s not all. By month’s end, I want ten new enforcers—personally recruited by you. No outside help.” His gaze locks on Viper. “Fail, and you’ll be taking orders instead of giving them.”
In Kane’s HUD, his pulse races. Viper says nothing.
Finished with his rogue lieutenant, Kane eyes the next glowing alert on his holopad: Coda’s delayed report. They’re all testing his control today.
“Coda.” He draws the techie’s attention. “You were ordered to dig into Natural Order and Athena—everything. Their security systems, supply chains, anything you can hack or track down.” Kane studies him. “I’m not asking for a miracle, but you’re telling me you’ve found nothing?”
Coda adjusts his goggles. “I have gathered some intel. Natural Order has been around since the late 2100s. Though given their resistance to most tech, the data I recovered is limited. I would need more time to—”
The lift of Kane’s hand stops him short.
“We don’t have time. Another few more weeks of them catching us off guard, and we lose everything.
And they won’t just take the neighborhood and conscript our civilians.
They’ll fracture the crew. Athena will make sure of it.
All because you’re too busy waiting for perfection. ”
Without answering, the techie taps the holopad controls. “Sending you the report now,” Coda says flatly.
Kane’s stare hardens. “Next time, speed over pride. A half-finished report in my hands is more useful than a perfect one too late.” He pauses, letting the words sink in. “If you’re not delivering when it counts, don’t expect your position here to stay secure.”
“Understood, sir.” Coda resumes typing.
A slow breath leaves Kane. He skims the edge of his report, then sets the holopad down. “We’re done here.” His eyes sweep the room. “Get back to your duties.”
They file out, boots striking against concrete. He watches them go, ignoring their erratic readings on his HUD.
Without his leadership, this war with Natural Order would tear the crew apart. He returns his focus to the reports. A voice cuts through the silence before he can read a single word.
“Hey, boss man.” Echo stands in the doorway, her usual smile tense. “Got a minute?”
He frowns. “If this is about the synth deal, I told you no yesterday. I—”
“It is…and isn’t.”
Before Echo can continue, Dr. Hayashi appears behind her with a medkit in hand.
“Baron.” She nods to him, then to Echo. “Apologies for interrupting, but the medical bay’s full. I need to know where to send my assistant with new patients. We’re averaging ten a day now, one to three needing inpatient care.”
Kane’s fingers drum on the table. “There’s a spare room in the tunnel Coda’s team uses for storage. I’ll have him help you secure it.”
“Will do.” Dr. Hayashi turns, her white coat billowing behind her as she leaves.
The motion stirs an old memory, of a smaller figure in the same jacket. Kane’s jaw tightens. He pushes the image down and faces Echo. “What did you want?”
“Look.” Echo sighs. “I’m a look-on-the-bright-side kind of woman. But someone’s gotta speak up before everything we built folds like a stack of holocards.”
“You’re out of line.” No one gets to question him. Not even the vet.
Echo’s hands fly up. “You’re the boss. I promise.” She makes a strange gesture down her head, then over her shoulders. “And we appreciate you. I know stepping up after losing Duke, your uncle, wasn’t easy. You saved this crew. All while watching over your aunt.”
His eyes flicker away. “Get to the point.”
“These punishments, this paranoia—this isn’t the Kane I knew.
” She steps forward, setting a hand on the table.
“Remember how excited you used to get about new opportunities, how we used to come up with new ideas? We could be doing that right now, coming up with strategies to outsmart Athena. Instead, we’re all just… stuck.”
“You think I need advice from someone who can’t follow basic orders?” Kane snarls. “You risk everyone chasing any shiny new opportunity.”
“Nah.” Echo shakes her head. “I’m just the one left who remembers who you were before. Well—maybe not the only one…Rafael saw Kane, not the Chrome Baron too, didn’t he?”
He’s on his feet before he realizes. “Watch your mouth. What I do with civilians is none of your concern.”
Echo doesn’t so much as flinch. “Actually, Kane, it is. Look how well it worked with Rafael. He made us stronger because you treated him like a human and let him do what he does best.”
Kane’s jaw clenches. The med bay ran smoother under Rafael’s watch than it had in months. He even left detailed reports and studies on each patient for Dr. Hayashi.
But how much does Echo know? About him and Rafael? What did she see?
“And it wasn’t a weakness,” Echo continues, as if reading his thoughts.
“It’s what we all want—to make us stronger.
Viper masters defense and offense, Coda handles tech, Wren knows territory—and yeah, maybe I chase wild opportunities.
” She flashes a grin. “But imagine what we could do against our enemies if we shouldered some of the work.”
He should shut this down, remind her who’s in charge. Again. But Kane can’t even argue her points. Rafael only took the lead because of his encouragement.
Except no one here is some wide-eyed corpo worker.
“And what happens when one of your ‘opportunities’ works against us?” Kane inquires. “Or when Viper goes rogue, Wren pushes her people too hard, or Coda causes more delays?”
Echo holds his gaze. “Then we’ll answer for it. Like we did today.” She steps back from the table. “But, boss, we’re already losing people doing things your way. Why not try something different? Because, with how we’re going, we have no chance against Natural Order with Athena.”
She’s right. Kane hates that she’s right.
He’s been running this war the way his uncle taught him, holding every piece himself because no one else can carry the weight. Because no one else should have to.
But Rafael handled the med bay without falling apart, even with less experience than half his lieutenants. Kane saw the results without digging into every detail.
Maybe his crew deserves that same trust.
Or maybe one mistake costs them everything.
“I’ll think about it,” Kane says finally, sinking into his seat.
“That’s all I’m asking for, boss man.” With a wink, she spins toward the door.
“And Echo?” Kane calls out. She whirls around, brows raised. “Try to use my uncle…or Rafael to manipulate me again…”
A chuckle slips from Echo. “Wouldn’t dream of it!” Her grin widens. “But since you brought them up, Duke didn’t let being Baron stop him from having a life. If you’re gonna step back a bit, maybe consider taking a trip down to Midtown once in a while, see a certain curly-haired nurse.”
Kane’s teeth clench together. “Get. Out.”
Her laughter fades as the steel door slams shut, but the silence she leaves behind is worse.
The crew. Control. Rafael.
Echo didn’t miss a single weak spot.
They won’t survive this war fighting this way—not against Athena. Not now.
Kane exhales sharply.
Damn Echo for seeing it first.