CHAPTER 66: FINDING A RIDE

"That’s my business," Tatehan said flatly. With the armor, he seemed to be a completely new person. His replies were blunt, though he meant no harm.

"Right, right. Mysterious armored guy with secrets. Got it." She smirked. "Well, if we’re both heading the same way, I guess it’s settled. We team up, share a bike, get to Waython Hollow, and then you do whatever secretive thing you’re doing with Red Crest."

"Fine."

Tatehan smiled slightly inside the helmet. Great... she had a sense of humor.

"Great!" Riven clapped her hands together. "Now we just need to find a bike that actually works."

Tatehan looked around at the four motorcycles scattered across the valley. "They all look pretty damaged."

"They are," Riven confirmed, walking toward the nearest one. "But not all of them are completely dead. Some just need the right core and they’ll run."

She crouched beside the first bike, examining it with a practiced eye. Tatehan noticed she moved with confidence, like she’d done this before.

"I’ve been scavenging here for three days," she continued, running her hand along the bike’s frame. "Tried to figure out which ones are salvageable. Problem is, without a core to test them, I couldn’t be sure."

Tatehan approached, looking at the bike she was inspecting. It was half-buried in sand, its frame rusted and dented. One of the tires was completely flat, and wires hung loose from the engine compartment.

"Not all motorcycles can use Shadow Goblin cores," Riven explained, standing and moving to the next bike. "The cores are bio-mechanical, right? They put out an unstable energy signature. If you try to slot one into a bike that’s too damaged, cracked power conduits, fried circuits, compromised fuel cells, the core will overload the system and burn out in seconds. You’ll waste the core and be left with a smoking wreck."

She’d used "right?" and Tatehan had only nodded like he knew what she was saying when he actually didn’t. But he was absorbing the information, upgrading his knowledge.

She gestured to the bike she’d just examined. "That one’s too far gone. The frame’s compromised, and I can see corrosion in the engine housing. A core wouldn’t last five minutes."

Tatehan nodded, following her to the second bike. When they’d first met a few minutes ago, she’d behaved like someone not capable of the thing she was currently doing.

Now she was... leading him.

The motorcycle they faced looked slightly better, less sand covering it, fewer visible cracks.

"What you need," Riven continued, crouching beside it, "is a bike with intact power conduits, a functional fuel cell chamber, and at least semi-stable wiring. The core can compensate for minor damage, but it can’t rebuild a bike from scratch."

She pried open a panel on the bike’s side, revealing the internal mechanisms. Tatehan leaned in, watching as she traced the wiring with her fingers.

"This one’s better," she muttered. "Conduits look intact. Fuel cell chamber has some scoring, but it’s not cracked. Wiring is... eh, could be worse."

She stood and wiped her hands on her pants. "This one might work. But we should check the others to be sure."

Tatehan was impressed despite himself. "You know a lot about this." He decided to compliment her. If she’d discovered a spaceship instead of him, she probably would have done lots of repairs herself.

Riven shrugged. "I’ve been scavenging on Mars since I was a child. You learn what works and what doesn’t, or you die."

Tatehan realized she must have been born on Mars, so she knew this sort of stuff. Perhaps her talent was in things like this.

They moved to the third bike together. This one was in even worse shape than the first, half its frame was missing, likely torn apart by some creature or scavenger.

"Nope," Riven said immediately. "Next."

The fourth bike was the farthest from them, partially hidden behind a cluster of rocks. As they approached it, Tatehan felt a strange sense of anticipation.

This one looked different.

Less damaged. Almost... intact. He could bet a million bucks this would be it.

Riven’s eyes widened when she saw it. "Oh, hell yes."

She rushed forward, running her hands over the bike’s frame like it was precious. "This is a Dust Rider. Military-grade. Pre-collapse Earth tech, modified for Martian terrain. These things were built to last."

Tatehan examined it more closely. The bike was sleek, aggressive-looking, with reinforced plating and wider tires designed for rough terrain. The frame was scratched and dented, but structurally sound. The engine housing was intact.

"This is the one," Riven said, her voice filled with certainty. "If any bike here can handle a Shadow Goblin core, it’s this one."

Tatehan narrowed his eyes at her. It was the way she addressed the motorcycle, like it had legs and arms.

She popped open the engine compartment, revealing the internal machinery. Unlike the other bikes, this one’s components looked almost pristine, well-maintained, or at least well-built enough to resist Mars’s harsh environment. It was probably because it was newer and the Shadow Goblins hadn’t damaged or absorbed what was left of it.

"Power conduits are clean," she muttered, inspecting each part. "Fuel cell chamber is intact. Wiring is... actually pretty good. Whoever rode this knew how to take care of their equipment."

She looked up at Tatehan, grinning. "This’ll work. Slot a core in here, and we’ll be riding in minutes."

Tatehan stared at the bike, then at Riven.

"You sure?"

"Positive." She stood, confidence radiating from her. "I’ve seen enough dead bikes to know a good one when I see it. Trust me on this."

Tatehan hesitated for just a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. Let’s do it."

He reached into his inventory mentally, feeling the familiar pull as he summoned one of the Shadow Goblin cores. It materialized in his hand, dark, glowing with unstable energy.

Riven’s eyes locked onto it, fascination and hunger in her gaze. For a second there, Tatehan thought she wanted to snatch it from him.

"That’s it," she whispered. "That’s what I’ve been trying to get for three days."

Tatehan held it carefully, feeling its warmth. "Where does it go?"

Riven pointed to a circular slot in the center of the engine compartment. "There. It should fit snugly. Once it’s in, the bike’s systems will recognize it and start drawing power."

Tatehan crouched beside the bike, holding the core over the slot.

This was it. Time to ZOOM out of here!