S-2879 • L9 Fluxluna • D06 Sintosi
"Fluxluna opens a current in new radiance. Sintosi tunes sky and path. The tide draws signs in living silver. The story carries on, clear in a thread of light."
Kiara stayed silent the entire time. I tried to prepare myself psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. The unexpected awaited me. I exhausted my curious Maiden's imagination. Grew tired of trying to guess. Whatever was going to happen would happen. I wanted to live the moment. Dive headfirst into that world.
As we approached landing, Kiara picked up two garments and handed me one. "Our disguise. You can wear it over the uniform."
I unfolded the black tunic, impressed by the fabric's quality. Looked in the mirror. The garment concealed the uniform.
Kiara wore an identical one and gloves to hide the tattoos on her hands. She also configured my biochip to apply black eye makeup.
"Worked well." She sat in the seat before me. "They can't find out we're foreigners. Some rebels reject Abdel, but he influences most people. If something happens, we could be arrested. We want to avoid that. They also have a certain disdain for more independent androids. To them, we should only serve humans. Nothing else."
Kiara raised a finger. "Faces have to stay uncovered. These garments are the only exception." She also explained that they did not connect to the Aether Network's nanosystems.
Mercenaries moved with the safety of anonymity. It also meant that if we disappeared, were arrested, or even killed, no one would come looking for us.
"They wouldn't even come for someone from Zenith like you." Kiara holstered the weapons.
I swallowed hard at the warning.
"All right, let's go." She opened the plane's door.
A gust of wind enveloped us. Forced me to close my eyes. I held on to the railing, adjusting to the new surroundings. My jaw dropped.
Golden sand surrounded us. Blending with a grayish sky.
I could barely believe the desert before me. I crouched and touched the hot sand. Smiled like a fool.
Kiara frowned. Looked at me strangely.
I cleared my throat. Followed her to a nearby establishment.
Someone with only their eyes visible greeted Kiara. "Pass," they requested.
The android displayed the holopass.
We went around the building. A car was waiting. After putting our things away, we set off for Cairo. The city was nine hundred kilometers from the Sahara Desert. It would take about three hours to get there.
"What kind of place was that?"
"A mercenary outpost. The Sahara Desert's known as a Dead Zone. Like Nobody's Land. Kemetia's command, Egypt's militia, barely takes an interest in them."
Was this happening everywhere? Hard to believe people lived in such deplorable conditions. Another knot tightened in my heart.
I used the journey to admire the immense expanse of sand, where sunlight created dazzling points of light. It took my breath away. The place's beauty dazzled me, even amid the danger surrounding it.
We left the desert's boundaries.
A gigantic wall surrounded Cairo. We faced chaotic traffic trying to enter through the gate. Androids and humans guarded it heavily. When our turn came, an LI greeted us in Arabic. Kiara secured our entry. I understood very little. The wind interfered with my hearing. Sometimes, the biochip failed to capture the translation in real time.
We flew over the circular metropolis. Sandy air covered it. Twelve colossal statues of Egyptian gods carved into the golden wall. Gleaming, they watched over buildings five hundred meters tall.
Twelve smaller statues surrounded Al-Azhar Mosque, the home of the leader, Abdel. Below them, people crowded into lines. Offerings in their hands.
In the distance, the ruins of the pyramids covered part of the golden scenery. Destroyed by the Aether Network's attacks.
We parked on a ground-level street. A faintly greenish wind covered part of the region. The smell of polluted silica flooded my nostrils. The soft ground held indecipherable filth. Insects hovered over piles of trash between the alleys.
The overcast sky witnessed the desolation.
Most businesses sold food, convenience goods, or served as restaurants. Technoshops and roboshops were in the minority. Some people walked cheerfully. Others kept their heads down.
A Cairo soldier approached a short man and struck him on the head with his rifle butt. "No offering, worm? Come with me."
My heart beat so hard. My head throbbed.
Kiara signaled 'no' with a shake of her head.
Saliva lodged in my throat. I tried to ignore it as we reached Ebony Retreat.
The hotel's imitation façade was made of gravelly earth. Reproduced an ancient structure. Obelisks and bronze columns. The LI welcomed us.
We climbed a staircase. Walked to a small room. One window. A dresser. Two beds.
"I'll prepare everything for our trip to the Port of Alexandria," Kiara informed me.
I lay on the hard mattress for a nap.
Kiara woke me at nightfall.
I shook out my aching body. Pushed the drowsiness away.
She displayed the holomap of the Port of Alexandria. "We'll go through these mountains." A route stood out in orange. "I'll leave the car at this abandoned place. We'll continue on foot. The warehouse is here. We'll stay in this cave overlooking it. From there, I'll get more information."
"We're not coming back here?"
"No. I walked around Cairo. Things are fucking ugly. Soldiers are stopping and detaining people for no apparent reason. Staying here's too risky." Her gaze shifted between concern and pragmatism.
"I understand." Agony stirred in my chest. I disliked this.
"It'll take me two days to analyze the object's location. The place's weak points. On the third moon, we infiltrate. I need you to prepare in here." She tapped my head. "Try to relax, okay?"
Some time later
We began the journey to the Port of Alexandria.
Kiara's words brought unease to my heart. An inexplicable heat made my hands itch and my hair stand on end. Something escaped my perception. Invisible, lurking. I avoided dwelling on that feeling and distracted myself with the view.
We passed through security again.
Flew along some less nanotechnological airways. The nanoelectromagnetic waves faltered. We nearly fell twice.
Small, impoverished towns and stretches of vegetation made up the surroundings.
Titanic statues of Egyptian gods surrounded Alexandria.
We followed an alternative route, and Kiara turned toward the mountains. Altered terrain. Like the irregular geography of the rest of the city.
The android explained that they had used Alexandria to test R-FUS because they wanted to see how the tremors would affect cities. They avoided maximum power, but brought ruin to the region all the way to Ras El Tin Palace. Mountains rose with the tremors. Until then, they had tested the bombs in the Sahara Desert.
"That explains why half the desert became sea," I commented, somewhat indignant.
"The only intact structure is Burj Citadel. The fortress we're infiltrating. Or rather, the warehouse attached to it," Kiara added.
We reached an abandoned place. Metal walls. Corroded by time. Strangely sturdy for such a ruined place. Obsolete technologies everywhere: panels, televisions, cables, and a signal tower. Recalling the memory of a communications base.
"I'll camouflage the car, just in case." Kiara finished and removed her tunic. Asked me to do the same. She adjusted the weapons on her body. Fixed me with a searching gaze.
I frowned, uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
"I'm gonna teach you to shoot. I hope you won't need to, but if the situation calls for it, you have to know what to do."
I stepped back. "N-no. I want to preserve life."
"I know." Kiara held my shoulders gently. "Please, I'm only gonna show you. We don't always shoot to kill."
I swallowed hard. Tried to rationalize it. Such an agonizing situation. But a dictator governed the place without the Aether Network's official nanosystems. That put us in danger simply by being there. We were near a military fortress, ready to shoot us at the slightest lapse. Worse still, we were going to infiltrate it.
Perhaps shooting really would be unnecessary. I tried to affirm that to decide to continue. "All right."
Kiara picked up a revolver. "This is the safety. Androids connect to the gun automatically. You need to set your biochip to connect automatically."
Trembling, I took the gun from its holster and opened my biochip's screen. Found the weapon's code and enabled automatic weapon connection. A tickle ran through my arm and head. The holosight appeared in my field of vision.
"Good. Now aim. Shoot there." Kiara pointed to a poster on the wall.
I recoiled. Lowered the gun. "N-no."
"It's just a wall." Kiara watched me with an indecipherable gaze and took my hand. Squeezed it gently. "If you freeze at the wrong moment, I might be too far away to save you."
"I-I k-know…" Sweat ran down my forehead. I raised the gun. "A-all right." I had to keep my emotions under control. Tried to calm down.
"That's it. Aim there," Kiara encouraged.
A pixelated reticle of three circles. One inside the other. Target encircled. My arms moved involuntarily toward it. I aligned the sight. Received a command to fire.
The gun shook in my hands. I swallowed hard. My fingers locked on the trigger. If I fired, it meant… that I was willing. That I would accept this world.
I closed my eyes. Took a deep breath. My mind emptied. More sweat ran down my face. Settled on my eyelashes. I blinked hard. The effort of holding the gun. My knuckles white.
It was only paper. I squeezed the trigger.
BANG! I fired the revolver. Recoiled with the impact. Dropped the gun.
Kiara put it back in my hand. "Always hold on to your gun." She looked at the poster. "That was good. Now you know how it feels. Let's go."
I closed my eyes. It had been terrifying. I imagined what shooting someone would feel like. How could they do it so easily? I holstered the gun and followed Kiara. I had to forget what I had just done and concentrate on the current mission.
We walked along a narrow trail through the mountains.
I glanced at how high we were above the ground. Vertigo struck me.
"Look ahead." Kiara led the way nimbly.
I stepped carefully. Focused on my feet. Forward.
The trail narrowed further. Kiara took my hand. We pressed against the rock face. Little room for our feet. We reached a wider opening between the mountains. Kiara pulled me up. My hands slipped with sweat. I almost fell. Clung to the rock with all my strength. My soul left my body and came back.
She signaled for silence. Drew the revolver.
PFFT PFFT PFFT Three shots, muffled by the suppressor, echoed.
I dug my fingers into the rock. My fingers burned. My breathing kept pace with my racing heart.
Kiara pulled me by the arm. "Okay, let's take this." She placed a drop on her forehead and handed me the vial of bluish liquid. "It's CaloraX. A heat suppressant to stop thermal sensors from picking us up."
Over her shoulder, three bodies lay on the ground.
I shook my head. Swallowed the bile. Trembling, I took one drop under my tongue.
"I'll hide the bodies. Wait here." Kiara mixed the blood spatters into the earth.
How was she so used to this? Her ease increased my nausea.
"Let's go." She walked to a table covered with papers and weapons and picked up a document. "Orders to shoot anyone approaching the fortress." She took I'll Devour You from her back and aimed it at Burj. "There's a line of bodies around the walls. I'll hack their communications to keep this quiet."
We continued along a winding trail and came upon a gap. Kiara jumped across easily. I, on the other hand, felt only fear. And weakness in my legs.
She held out her arm. "I'll catch you." Her voice conveyed confidence.
I glanced down. Saliva struggled down my throat. Sweat made the fabric cling to my skin. "I-it's challenging."
"I'll catch you. Trust me." The determination in her gaze made me feel safer.
I stepped back. Took a deep breath. Jumped. Reached out. My fingers slipped in her hands. My feet slid on the dirt. My body tilted backward.
Kiara caught my wrist. Pulled me hard.
I hugged her with tears in my eyes. "I-I thought…"
"Told you I'd catch you." She stroked my head. "C'mon, we have to keep going."
Voices at the next post alerted Kiara. I waited while she went ahead to check.
PFFT PFFT PFFT A sequence of muffled shots.
Silence.
PFFT PFFT More shots.
Shouts from above reverberated.
PFFT
I suppressed a startled reaction when she appeared.
Kiara pointed to a staircase carved into the mountain. "They're patrolling from up there." She made the bodies disappear. Continued ahead. Cleared the posts. Erased all evidence.
We reached the small cave, hidden near a ravine. Somewhat cleaner than I had expected. It gave us a perfect view of Burj Citadel.
I leaned against the wall to catch my breath.
"You'll sleep on the ground." Kiara pointed to a hollow between the rocks.
"I got a taste of that with the hard mattress." My stomach growled. "Food?"
The android threw her head back and laughed. "Hungry?"
My face warmed. "That's not it. Maybe a little." I removed the mask. In truth, I was starving.
"Here." She tossed me another vial. The label read FamineFix. "It'll sustain you while you're not eating. Until we finish this mission. Best not to take it for more than one seluna. Your body needs real food."
I took it. Felt satisfied. Somewhat energized.
Kiara set the sniper rifle on a bipod. Lay down and looked through the scope.
I sat at the edge of the cave and watched the city. As my eyes grew heavy, I thought about what I had done. What I would still do. What would remain of me when this was over?
I fell asleep shortly afterward.