Chapter 37

"I'm going to be sick," Shan groaned, for the tenth time that hour. 

Wen gripped the steering wheel harder and said nothing. They had been driving less than twenty minutes when Wen kicked the driver out of the car and into one of the ones behind them. Although the driver had been breaking the speed limit at Wen's behest, it still wasn't good enough. Now with himself at the wheel, he was making significantly more progress. The other two cars of Wen's men had been left far behind. 

That had been hours ago, the city now long left behind. The roads had turned to gravel, and then to dirt, and it was getting harder and harder to navigate the bumps in the road. The sun had begun to emerge and spilled daylight over the treetops. In a different situation, the scenery would have been peaceful.

"We're halfway there," Caid said conversationally, "look, that looks like that abandoned warehouse Clara said marked the halfway point." 

A few meters away from the dirt road were the remains of a concrete building, its entrance partially covered with foliage. 

"No seriously," Shand said, "I'm really, really going to be sick, pull over." 

"Puke in a bag," Wen instructed, eyes focused on the road.

"I don't have a bag!"

"Find a bag."

"That's not happening," Caid interjected, reaching over to pull the wheel towards the side of the road. Wen shot him a dirty look but acquiesced. 

Caid took the opportunity to get out and stretch his legs, avoiding the spot where Shan was heaving, while Wen sat in the car anxiously tapping his fingers on the wheel. 

After a few moments, Caid crouched down in the dirt. "Uh boss," he called, "you might want to see this."

"What?" Wen snapped, finally climbing out of the car. He took a moment to regain his balance, but after he did he glared at Caid.

Caid looked back at him, unimpressed. From his spot on the ground, he picked up a long thin wire, careful not to touch its edges. Wen ventured closer and crouched down, squinting to see what he was supposed to be looking at. 

The wire was flat and long, swirling into curls like a ribbon, its edges sharp enough to cut. Down the middle ran a neon purple line, pulsing in the sun.

"Wha's that?" Shan had stumbled over, face completely pale.

Caid sighed, and placed it back on the ground, "it's Violet Moon tech."

"Why would it even be out here?" Wen ran a hand through his hair, smearing dirt in the process.

"It must have been left behind. They are involved somehow," Caid guessed, answering what he knew Wen had already figured.

"Those guys?" Shan plopped to the ground, resting his hands behind him. "What the hell would they have to do with all this?"

Wen ran his hands through his hair more frantically, until Caid stood and forced him up as well. "Doesn't matter," he said, turning to pull Shan up, "we can figure that out later. Right now we know where we are going, and we only have a few hours left," he turned to Wen, "can you keep it together until then?"

"Get in the car," Wen snarled, pushing out of Caid's grasp.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Wen forced the car as fast as it could go, only slowing down somewhat the third time Shan needed to stop. The midday sun had fully dipped into the sky when Caid finally persuaded Wen to let him drive, given how long Wen had been awake. He had fought it, but the moment he was situated in the passenger seat he fell asleep.

When he woke, the car had stopped and the sun had long since set. Wen was alone in an empty car, only able to blearily make out Shan and Caid's figures standing in front. The car's GPS blinked a green light, indicating they had arrived at their destination. Wen stumbled out of the car, ready to berate them for not waking him earlier when he noticed where they were standing. 

The car at been stopped at the base of a massive cliff, sharply shooting upwards with no end in sight.

"This is a cliff," Caid stated, staring at the tall, vertical rocks shooting up in front of him. 

"Oh my god," Shan groaned, dropping to the ground, "it's a fucking cliff."

"It makes sense," Wen said, approaching slowly, "we knew it would be hard to get to," He was trying not to panic. He had not brought cliff-climbing equipment. A foolish oversight. 

He walked back to the car and rummaged around in the trunk until he found three pairs of black gloves. Not entirely helpful, but probably better than nothing. 

He threw Caid and Shan a pair, before sliding on his own. Without further delay, he began climbing.