The room felt quieter than it should have, given the weight of their situation. The faint hum of Riku's equipment filled the air as he worked tirelessly at his desk, his fingers flying over the keyboard. Renji sat on the couch, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts racing. Kaede sat beside him, her legs curled under her, her fingers absentmindedly twisting the ends of her scarf.
"You okay?" Renji asked, breaking the silence.
Kaede didn't answer right away. Her amber eyes were fixed on the tracker in her hands, her brow furrowed. "I keep thinking about how this all started," she said softly. "About the choices I made that led to… this."
Renji shifted to face her. "You did what you thought was right. That's all any of us can do."
She gave a bitter laugh. "And look where that got me. Running for my life, dragging you into danger…"
Renji leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You didn't drag me into anything, Kaede. I made the choice to help you. I'd do it again."
Her eyes softened as she looked at him, but before she could respond, Riku's voice cut through the air.
"Got it."
Renji and Kaede both turned toward him. Riku spun in his chair, holding up a small USB drive. "I've extracted the key files from the drive. The rest is junk—encrypted logs, filler data. But this…" He held the USB up like a trophy. "This is the goldmine."
Renji stood and walked over to him. "What's on it?"
Riku turned back to his monitors, pulling up a series of documents. "Details of illegal arms trades, financial transactions, political bribes… and this." He clicked on a video file. The screen filled with grainy footage of a high-ranking official shaking hands with a man Renji recognized immediately: Kuroda.
Kaede's breath hitched. "That's… that's him."
"Yeah," Riku said grimly. "Looks like your buddy Kuroda isn't just a hunter. He's one of the key players. This video alone could ruin him—and a dozen other people."
Renji clenched his fists. "Then we need to get this out to the right people. Who do you have in mind?"
Riku rubbed the back of his neck. "I've got a contact. A journalist who specializes in taking down people like Shinkuro. She's not afraid to go after the big fish. But… getting this to her won't be easy."
Kaede frowned. "Why not?"
"Because she's on Shinkuro's radar," Riku explained. "They've tried to silence her before. She's in hiding, and the only way to contact her is through a secure drop point. If we go there, we'll be risking exposure."
Renji nodded. "Where's the drop point?"
Riku hesitated. "An old nightclub downtown. It's been abandoned for years, but she uses it as a safe spot for exchanges. Problem is, it's in Shinkuro territory. If they spot you, it's game over."
Kaede stood, her expression resolute. "We don't have a choice. We have to try."
Riku sighed. "I figured you'd say that. Fine. I'll prep a decoy drive, just in case things go south. But you need to be careful."
Renji placed a hand on Riku's shoulder. "We will. Thanks, Riku."
Riku waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't get yourselves killed. I don't want to have to explain to anyone why my shop's suddenly full of bullet holes."
Later That Night…
The rain had stopped, leaving the streets slick and reflective under the dim glow of streetlights. Renji and Kaede approached the nightclub cautiously, their footsteps silent against the pavement. The building loomed ahead of them, its windows boarded up and its neon sign faded with age.
"This is it," Renji said, glancing around for any signs of trouble.
Kaede clutched the USB drive in her hand, her knuckles white. "Do you think she'll be there?"
"She will," Renji assured her. "Riku's contact is reliable."
They slipped inside through a side door, their movements careful and deliberate. The interior was dark, the air heavy with the scent of mildew. Broken furniture and shattered glass littered the floor, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed through the space.
"Stay close," Renji whispered, leading Kaede deeper into the building.
At the back of the main room, they found a small table with a single lamp casting a dim glow. A note was taped to the table, along with a locked box.
"This is the drop," Renji said, scanning the room for any movement. "Put the drive in the box."
Kaede hesitated, her eyes scanning the shadows. "What if this is a trap?"
"It's not," a voice said from the darkness.
Both Renji and Kaede spun around, Renji instinctively stepping in front of her. A woman emerged from the shadows, her face partially obscured by a hood. She held up her hands in a gesture of peace.
"Relax," she said. "I'm here for the drive."
Renji narrowed his eyes. "Prove it."
The woman pulled a small device from her pocket and held it up. The screen displayed a secure encryption key that matched the one Riku had given them. "Satisfied?"
Kaede stepped forward, placing the drive into the box. "This has everything. Do you think you can use it?"
The woman nodded. "If what's on here is as explosive as Riku said, Shinkuro won't be able to recover from this."
Before Renji could respond, the sound of tires screeching outside cut through the air. His heart sank. "We've got company."
The woman cursed under her breath. "You led them here?"
"We didn't—" Kaede started, but Renji interrupted.
"No time for that. We need to move. Is there another way out?"
The woman nodded. "Follow me. Quickly."
As they followed her through a hidden passage at the back of the building, Renji could hear the sound of boots hitting the pavement outside. Shinkuro's men had arrived, and they weren't going to let them leave without a fight.