Denden had been captured? How? Every muscle in my body tensed. An atmosphere heavy with rage filled the room.
Kiara closed the distance between herself and Saymon. Sparks seemed to flare in her furious eyes. "Refresh my memory. Why the fuck should I care?"
He smiled, amused.
No… Not now. The atmosphere grew heavy. A flame seemed to ignite. No. It exploded.
Kiara grabbed Saymon by the collar and pulled him down. She drew her arm back and, with a violent blow, unleashed all her wrath against his face. His head snapped sideways, and blood sprayed. She pulled him back and struck again. More blood gushed from his nose and ran over his mouth, staining his still-smiling teeth red. Droplets scattered around them. Crimson splattered across the floor.
When Kiara finally released him, Saymon rubbed his jaw and ran his tongue over his lips. Audacity dripped down his chin with the blood. "Kikky, you always manage to entertain me."
The android leaned against the table and crossed her arms. A shield of fury seemed to surround her as her features twisted with an impetuousness directed entirely at Saymon.
"Man, she's so…" Trix sighed.
Tension lodged in my throat. Air seemed trapped in my windpipe.
Saymon straightened his coat with his bloodied hand and approached Kiara again. Foxlike features emerged on his face, accompanied by that provocative smile. His laughing eyes disguised his manipulative nature beneath a dangerous affability. One look at him was enough to understand why we needed caution when dealing with him. He always pulled cards from his sleeves, reminding everyone that he was the one dealing them.
"Because Denden is important. Because I decided he is. That's all you need to know." His grin widened alarmingly.
I blinked. Beneath a fleeting light, I seemed able to glimpse their essences. Kiara was fury incarnate. Saymon, a cunning genius. They were bound by a tie that forced them to coexist despite their mutual aversion.
And that glimpse made me understand something. They hated each other. But they loved Maia. That was why Kiara kept participating in Saymon's games. And perhaps that same love made Saymon accept certain sacrifices, even bleeding.
The android restrained her furious aura. Her features remained untamed but revealed surprising deliberation. "Where is he?"
A weight lifted from my shoulders. The atmosphere dissipated as though nothing had happened.
"They took him to Catanduvas's underground prison, along with the protesters. It would be interesting to extend to them… the hand of anarchy." Saymon smiled, red and wild.
They had arrested the protesters? My jaw dropped.
"You know that would be…" he continued, provoking her.
Kiara shook her head. "I fucking know! Whatever. Once the alarms go off, it's not my problem."
Saymon nodded, giving her a knowing look.
"Denden's a fucking idiot," Trix remarked beside me. "Good to have something to use against him." She smiled wickedly.
Heavens. I was surrounded by predators.
"Let's go." Kiara headed for the door.
"Finally!" The mercenary followed, and I went after them.
I was lost in thought when Saymon stopped me. His bloodied hand touched my wrist. "Hey. The hunt's begun. Be careful."
I swallowed. Pulled my arm away and walked outside, weakened. Trembling. Those words reminded me that I was still prey. Perhaps it was the exhausting volume of information I kept receiving, one discovery after another. Even so, I kept in mind that I would fight to the end to protect myself. I needed to focus on the present.
Then I remembered a question. "Kiara, what's between Hikaru and Saymon?"
She looked over her shoulder and slowed. "Honestly? No idea… Hikaru only did what he was asked."
What?! That explained absolutely nothing. It puzzled me, but I tucked the question into a mental drawer. I could open it another time.
Trix settled into the front seat. I sat in the back, keeping my eyes on the landscape.
We flew toward Catanduvas prison.
The facility was considered Brazil's most important prison, encompassing regimes ranging from open custody to maximum security. The protesters were probably in the open-custody area. And Denden? I rolled my eyes at my own naïveté. Considering that mercenary's insanity, he would obviously be on the lowest basement level, among the most dangerous prisoners. I knew him. Wanted to see him free, somewhere better, safe. And I wanted the same for the protesters. After witnessing the Aether Network's horrors, I wanted those people out of harm's way.
I clenched my teeth. Anger reached my heart. I was flooded with the urge to get them out, to return the freedom torn from them. After being suffocated for so long, those people had finally exploded. I wanted to rise beside them. And I would do whatever I could to contribute.
"Fuck, that Denden's a piece of work." Trix drew on her cigarette. "An interstellar desgraciado of a masochist."
Kiara suppressed a laugh, but the mercenary smiled.
"How long until we get there?" I asked.
"Six hours. By the way, we'll have a seluna until Anne meets Paulo Lewis." Kiara winked through the rearview mirror.
I frowned. What had I missed? Paulo Lewis? What did a Sessota executive have to do with all this? I returned my eyes to the landscape. I couldn't breathe. Information accumulated like an endless snowball, preventing me from stopping to process anything. Was this your life, Maia? Did you find it difficult to breathe too?
We remained silent for most of the journey.
Little by little, the atmosphere began to change. We were approaching Catanduvas, in Paraná.
Until 2795, that state had been known for its abundant pine forests, its beauty, and the historic sites that attracted tourists. After São Paulo's restructuring, hundreds of people migrated, abandoning Brazilian cities to gather in the great metropolis.
Catanduvas underwent that process too. Its historic sites remained, but tourism was banned. The Aether Network granted the region to UNITED, which exploited its nearly extinct nature and polluted the environment. The green that had once dominated the plains became barren ground. In spring, there should have been flowers and fruit. Now, only dry branches remained.
The lakes had evaporated. The rivers died. Factories suffocated the landscape, and piles of nanotechnological waste accumulated on the horizon beneath sandy, grayish air.
A sorrowful sight.
Kiara stopped the nanocar in the shade of a burned tree, the only one I could see across kilometers of arid land.
The biting sun pierced the sparse shade. I would have suffocated in that dryness without the mask. Thirsty, I took a bottle of water. After drinking, I offered some to the tree, a small gesture of reverence to the Weaver of Life, now so weakened.
"Stay here. I'll assess the place." Kiara took her sniper rifle and left.
Trix and I remained.
I swallowed. Feeling comfortable in her presence was challenging.
The mercenary lit another cigarette and rested her rifle on the vehicle. The weapon gleamed in greenish neon, displaying hololettering: I See You.
There was no scope. I didn't need much thought to understand. Trix's eyes saw farther than any nanoaccessory. These mercenaries were so interesting…
She drew on her cigarette and watched our surroundings with a cunning eagle's attention. "I know who you are."
My heart leaped into my mouth. "I-I…"
Trix made as though to approach, smiling captivatingly, her beautiful sharp canines exposed. "Saw your photo when they reactivated your contract."
My hand trembled with the instinctive urge to grab my revolver.
Trix leaned against the trunk. "You'd die dreaming of touching that beauty. Suggest you abandon the idea." She smiled, wrapping the threat in an almost affable casualness.
Shit. Why was I so easy to read? I gripped the fabric of my clothes.
She returned her gaze to the horizon. "Remembered that striking little face of yours. You know… I remember who saves me."
Sweat brought on by heat and fear ran down my forehead and gathered beneath my mask. My body trembled. I feared saying something wrong. Feared even breathing wrong. Instinct signaled danger and demanded caution.
Trix lowered her head. "Why are you with Kiki? Considering you're still alive, she must be protecting you. That would explain why nobody found you and why you became an ultra-hard target in three moons." She scratched the earth with the tip of her boot, drawing fleeting marks. "You're her apprentice. Know what that means?" She exhaled smoke. "Besides, Saymon's the only one who can actually suspend contracts. Know how many he's suspended? Yours was the first. So I thought… she means something." Trix put out her cigarette. "What do you mean to them?"
What did I mean? I fell silent. Her aura seemed to have softened. Trix was talking, looking for an answer. But what would she do with whatever I said? I didn't know.
My trembling began to subside, and my breathing normalized. It was obvious. She knew. "Yes, it's me. But I don't know who put out the contract or why."
Her seriousness lasted only a few seconds. Then she began laughing. Soon, she roared with laughter, letting it travel through the air and strike my face like embers. What was so funny?
"No, man. I don't give a fuck about your contract. Honestly? Those thirteen million aren't worth the headache that would come with them. Though I might enjoy Kiki coming after me."
I drew my brows together.
"I wanna know what you mean to them." Trix cleared her throat and made a face that practically said: Get it now? Or do you want me to shoot you in the forehead?
I looked away. What did I mean to them? Kiara protected me because of Maia. But a friendship had grown between us.
And Saymon? I didn't even know what to feel about him. His tendency to manipulate people, including me, awakened my anger. His intimidating presence made me uncomfortable. And what did he think of me? Perhaps he considered me just another toy in his hands. Perhaps…
"I don't know." I shrugged.
Trix narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here?"
I stirred the dry earth with my feet. Damn it. The answer lived in my heart. Something intangible, difficult to express, but undeniable. I wanted to know Maia's universe. Discover who she was beneath all those layers. Understand what made Maia Maia. I wanted answers to my questions. Wanted to understand the suffocating pain she concealed. I longed to know the fragments of her world that remained hidden, however much she had wanted to share them. Wanted to show her, even if she was already gone and couldn't see, that I would keep loving her after discovering it all.
Yes… I was there because I loved her. And because I wasn't ready to say goodbye. But there was something else. "I want to change how things are." I needed to do something. For cycles, I had chosen to do nothing, even after everything I had witnessed and felt. If I could contribute in any way, I would.
"And you? Why are you here?" I looked up.
Trix kept her eyes narrowed against the gusts, watching the sandy lines of the horizon with a wild expression. "I wanna change how things are." She gave a feral smile. "But some of us just wanna watch things burn." That side of the mercenaries always emerged eventually.
We remained silent.
S-2880 • L11 Irraluna • D17 Fluxli
"Irraluna radiates silver in a broad curve. Fluxli releases the thread in a light dance. The tide traces a path through the clear air. The story continues whole, in living radiance."
The heat had become unbearable, even in autumn. I climbed in and out of the car restlessly, feeling filthy and driven mad by the desire for a bath. I ate some nutritional bars rich in protein and fat.
Trix continued watching our surroundings. Her nanovision seemed to perceive and capture everything.
"She's coming back." The mercenary remained impassive.
I envied her composure, especially since not a drop of sweat emerged from her skin. I tilted my head.
Kiara crossed the dry ground toward us.
I stretched. The feeling of dormancy began leaving my body. I got out of the vehicle.
"So?" Trix spread her arms.
Kiara approached. "Easy to map the place. They call it the safest prison? Their nanosecurity's pathetic. Accessed everything in thirty minutes." She projected a holomap of the facility. "The protesters are in the upper area. That'll make their escape easier. To free them and Denden, I'll have to reach the LI's central room."
"Know where the asshole is?" Trix lit another cigarette.
Kiara shook her head. "Impossible to know without connecting to the LI."
Then she pointed at me.
Silence.
"That's where you come in."
The ground seemed to disappear beneath my feet. "Me?!"
"Her?!" Trix was equally surprised.
The android pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah. You'll free Denden, and Trix will cover the escapees. I'll explain how we're doing it."
Kiara laid out the plan.
I bit my lips until I tasted blood, so intense was my nervousness. My heart punched my chest. I lacked those mercenaries' agility, cunning, confidence, and experience to do something like that. I was tired even of thinking. The only thought that could soothe me was knowing Denden would be with me at some point. "Are you sure?"
Trix gave me a disapproving look.
The android huffed. "Don't start that again. Understood?"
I nodded with very little confidence. I was frightened enough to agree without arguing. More than learning about Maia's world, I was beginning to live it.
"And you?" Kiara asked Trix.
"Consider it done."
"Alright. We'll watch the prison tonight and break in tomorrow."
Tomorrow. In less than twenty-four hours, I would be inside. What the fuck was I doing?
We flew to a hill overlooking the nanoprison.
The protesters remained in the open-custody area, without walls. Underground, the other prisoners were held. Four main towers, beige in color, rose at the complex's corners, heavily guarded. The control room was on the fourth basement level.
The two mercenaries positioned their nanorifles and began following the facility's every movement.
Eight in the evening.
The weather cooled as the day drew to a close. Sunset painted the sky orange, lilac, and pink. Slow, fluffy clouds spread like cotton candy. I rested my arms on my knees and breathed deeply. Tension left with the air. Remaining entirely restless before such a beautiful landscape was impossible.
When had I last contemplated nature? A hissing wind crossed the hill, carrying a faint whistle from the prison. Even so, I remained centered. I let my thoughts fade. My mind needed calm. Part of me wanted to reflect on everything that had happened and what I was feeling.
I pushed those concerns aside. It wasn't the right time.
I only wanted to breathe. Feel my life. Feel that I belonged to myself. I ran my fingers over my rough palms. The scars hurt less. They were part of me, like every mark, internal and external, that had brought me here, sitting on that parched earth. The breeze danced through my hair and touched my face. I paid reverence to the beautiful sunset.
Me and myself.
Darkness began emerging in the sky. A few stars rebelled against the pollution and managed to shine.
I raised my arm and played with them, moving my fingers as though tickling them. I smiled inwardly.
What would become of us when we finally aligned the cosmic, the natural, the human, and the technological in the weaving and coweaving of the Corchesweave, in love, light, harmony, and divine purpose?
I savored the night. The stars shimmered. And remembering her came naturally.
Maia. The woman who moved through darkness and revealed herself even more in the light. The essence that had illuminated my life, as the stars illuminated the night. A strange peace touched my soul as I thought of her. Even absent from the present, Maia could still quicken and soothe my heart. I smiled.
"What are you gonna do after this?" Trix's voice drew me from my reverie.
I glanced at them.
"No idea… Maybe relax at a resort?"
"Why don't you…"
I felt my cheeks warm. I should have been avoiding that conversation. But moving away would draw unnecessary attention. I tried to tune it out. Impossible.
"Stay with me, Kiki?"
Damn it. Stop listening, stupid ears.
Trix cleared her throat. "I mean… help me with the Vorovskoy mir?"
Kiara chuckled softly. "Who knows?"
A gust brushed my face. I contained a laugh. Those two…
"Hey, Aki." Kiara called me.
I looked over my shoulder, walked over, and sat nearby.
"Saymon sent this. Let's watch." The android opened a holoprojection, revealing an Aether News journalist. "The protests escalated on Vibrilia of Veltara, 2880. Once a peaceful march, the movement turned violent. Protesters forced their way toward Zenith, exchanged gunfire, carried out nanobombings, and neutralized police androids."
The journalist's voice sounded mechanical. "The A.T.F. attempted to calm the situation. It used sleep-inducing nanobombs against the most aggressive protesters and took them to Catanduvas prison, where they remain. We spoke to a Zenithian attacked by a protester."
The image changed to a woman whose features, contorted with sadness, seemed to conceal her intentions. I knew that mask well. "A young woman pulled my hair. When an android protecting…" She pretended to cough. Tears ran down her face. "Trying to calm the situation… Luckily, he restrained her in time. Otherwise, what would have happened to me? I-I'm sorry… I can't talk anymore… I need some time."
I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that performance seemed.
The journalist reappeared, drawing her brows together in pity. "Poor thing. Can you imagine how shaken she is?" She showed compassion, then quickly adopted a serious posture. "We will now broadcast a live message from the premier. Lorenzo Cardoso will speak about the measures to be taken."
Lorenzo appeared seated before the camera. He wore no suit. He had on a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, kept his hands clasped on the table, and smiled amiably. "Hello. First, I want to apologize for allowing such perversity to infiltrate our society so deeply. Here, I acknowledge that I have failed you."
He brought a hand to his chest. "Do not fear! These failures are intolerable. We will cut the evil out at its root…"
The hologram trembled. Pixels flickered. And the mysterious figure reappeared. "Really, Premier? How will you cut the evil out at its root? Turning the people against themselves when they should unite? When they should rise against the Aether Network's tyrannical system? Or suffocating them, as you did yesterday?"
The robotic voice became more incisive. "Contrary to what this journalism suggests, we have actual footage of the protests. The violence never came from the protesters. It came from the military. No, no…" The figure laughed mockingly. "The police only carried it out. It came from your order. Oh, no. Mistaken again. Beyond you… Yes, those above you."
The voice took on a threatening tone. "Now I'm speaking directly to you. Yes, I know you're watching. Think you can play with lives as you have? I'll show you what happens…"
Kiara and Trix watched closely.
Then came what I could never have imagined. I clenched my fists. Squeezed them so tightly my nails marked my palms. I gritted my teeth. The angry flame burning inside me became a blaze, traveling through every atom of my body. Anger now danced alongside pure hatred, wrath, contempt, and revulsion at what I saw.
The new recording showed Lorenzo many cycles younger. He was probably still a cabinet aide, at a time when he was trying to distance himself from his politician parents' famous surname.
He shifted restlessly in his chair. "Are you sure about this? Is everything in order?"
Indecipherable voices answered.
"Yes, I know. I spoke to representatives of the other militias. They're ready and waiting for us. We'll conduct the tests in Spain, Germany, Portugal, and Italy." Lorenzo rubbed his sweaty lips. "We chose those countries according to the social and economic impacts. Whatever happens to them will affect us very little."
The other voices spoke again.
"We need France. Of course, we're paying attention. Yes, UNITED's London and New York units have preordered a batch for the second selunaria, provided the results are positive. We're confident, with the product's guaranteed efficacy of 98.7%. The others will wait."
Lorenzo gave a weak smile, almost apologetic. "They'll buy in the first selunaria of the next solar cycle."
The information seemed to displease those he addressed. The voices returned.
"Hmm… we should be reassured about that. It's likely one percent of those on the upper levels will be affected. Yes, very insignificant. A small sacrifice for the greater good."
The voices spoke once more.
Lorenzo gave an affected, nauseating smile. "What will we call it? Ah, yes… Vaktiria."