I woke.
The white light blinded me, and around me, an even whiter room made it harder to see.
My body felt unbearably heavy, but the pain in my chest…
crushing.
Why did those memories come back?
Why?
I had locked them away, buried deep in my heart.
Now they had returned.
Burning.
"Who are you?"
The voice sounded gentle.
Denden?
Where was his voice?
"Are you hungry?"
The soldier, dressed in a white lab coat, sat with his legs crossed, eyes fixed on the holoscreen in front of him.
I nodded. Weakly.
The stiffness in my muscles and bones kept me immobilized.
Would I survive?
Or was I already dead?
Kiara's words echoed like a bell.
No one would come for me.
After all, they had blocked my biochip.
It would be easier to give up.
I had grown used to the constant, excruciating pain.
My fragmented thoughts whispered:
"I've lost all my purpose."
I wondered if it was worth continuing.
To survive.
To fight for my life.
Why should I?
Everything felt empty.
Meaningless.
Maybe it would be better to accept that I would die.
I could feel my life slipping away.
While suffering consumed every atom of my being, the soldier casually picked up a cereal bar.
The sound of the wrapper irritated my ears.
He brought it close to my swollen mouth.
All I could taste was blood.
My hunger was murderous.
I ignored the pain of biting.
Just another among so many.
The piece got stuck in my dry throat and I choked.
He gave me water.
It went down tearing through my throat.
I drank as if I had been in the desert for days.
And I had.
"Better?"
Apathetic voice.
Better?
Something dormant stirred.
A rage burning in my chest.
He gave me miserable food and drops of water.
And still asked if I was better?
Pretending to be a savior of what they themselves had caused.
I imagined punching his face.
I shot him a glare.
He sighed.
"Who you are is inaccessible.
Your mind is very resistant."
A kind of deafness hovered, but I focused on every word.
"Even so, I saw interesting fragments.
You're a doctor from São Paulo.
Responsible for a crucial research involving memory.
Impossible to know the full scope — the Aether Network always hides which nanoresearch it conducts."
He uncrossed his legs and leaned closer.
"I want to know who you are.
And the details of this research of yours."
He smiled.
Friendly.
A lie.
I knew what that meant.
The wires connected to my head.
Sinaptic-V.
Nanotechnology inspired by truth serum.
Nanites amplified its effect, interrupting the transmission of information between neurons and other cells.
The will of the self was completely suppressed.
Along with side effects: hallucinations, convulsions, high fever.
That explained why I relived those memories.
I had been under the device's effect for days.
Judging by my altered perception, hunger, thirst, and psychological and emotional exhaustion.
Even so, mental resistance could mitigate the impact of the software.
Even if only partially.
Riki had trained both Hideaki and me to resist any induction methods.
Since I was eight cycles old, he exposed me to these systems.
He taught me to babble disconnected information.
He said that for a scientist, protecting their most precious asset — the brain — was a matter of survival.
After all, in Zenith, sharks were always circling.
Ready to exploit any weakness and take everything from someone.
"W-where is Denden?"
My energy drained with every syllable.
I blinked.
Fighting to stay awake.
Why was I still trying?
He let out a low, disdainful laugh.
"Even in this state, you still worry about others?
Impressive.
Now, explain this research."
His voice remained calm.
"What was a doctor doing in the Alexandria warehouse?
Once again, the Aether Network wants to steal our nanotechnology?"
What was he talking about?
I threw my head back.
The pain throbbed intensely.
The side effects persisted.
Even with the device off, my body trembled.
Cold sweat.
My clothes — soaked in blood, vomit, and sweat — clung to my skin.
"N-nothing… to say."
Speaking even a few words was a colossal effort.
He clenched his jaw.
His eyes sparked with anger.
"You're at your limit.
You'll break soon.
I'll take every piece of information I want from you.
Then we'll retaliate against the Aether Network.
They will pay for what they did to Egypt."
His gentleness dissolved into an arrogant smile.
He grabbed my face harshly.
Then left.
Leaving me in oppressive silence.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
Fear took hold of me.
The water was not enough to replace what I had lost.
My stomach felt like it had shrunk from lack of food.
I smiled.
Bitter.
I made a bet with myself:
Would it be dehydration? Malnutrition? Hemorrhage? Or brain death that would take me first?
He was right.
I had reached my limit.
The pain.
The emptiness.
The sound of the wrapper.
The taste of blood.
The wires piercing my skin.
Who am I?
Who am I?
Who am I?
ZZZZT
The shock again.
Electricity tore through my cells.
Set my veins on fire.
Fried my brain.
Spasms shook my body.
Muscles tore from within.
My heart missed beats.
Every fiber burned.
I fought it.
My strength was minimal.
No.
I would fight against them exploiting my mind however they wished.
I would block my brain.
Use the only method possible to resist induction:
Take control of it.
Why was I still trying?
Maybe an invisible pulse from another version of me.
I clung to what kept me standing.
What made me fight.
I closed my eyes.
Reached for memories of Maia.
Focused on mastering my thoughts.
If they wanted something, they would find only a hollow labyrinth.
An echo.
My thoughts?
No.
Only disconnected babbling.
Distortions.
I would die.
But I would defend my dignity until the end.
I let Maia's memories wrap around me.