CTS TIME RE250.09.03 1:35 PM — Sector 13, Mechatopia
The balcony door slid open with a hiss of compressed air, revealing a room that was less "apartment" and more cybernetic temple. Walls pulsed faintly with veins of glowing wires, like arteries channeling light instead of blood. Tables were cluttered with disassembled drones, data crystals, and memory drives the size of fingernails. Holographic blueprints floated midair, cycling through dozens of mecha schematics. At the center, a huge terminal hummed, displaying endless strings of code in Hindi, English, and symbols Luna couldn't even recognize.
Nikhil Galdos turned, his steps heavy with cybernetic augmentation. One leg gleamed steel, the other human wrapped in dark fabric. His chest was half-plated, mechanical ribs visible beneath a torn lab coat. His organic eye was tired, but the cybernetic one pulsed with deep crimson light.
"Tum dono finally aa gaye," he said, voice deep, thick with Hindi rhythm.
("Finally, you both made it.")
"Thomas bola tha, par mujhe laga tum log yahan pohchne mein aur late karoge."
("Thomas had said it, but I thought you'd take even longer to get here.")
Valerian caught a few words — Thomas… bola… late — and pieced enough together to answer with his flat composure. "Thomas sent us. We came fast."
Nikhil chuckled, switching briefly to English. His tone was choppy, fragmented, but clear enough.
"Yes, yes. Thomas sent… I know. But you both… human? Or no? Show me."
He gestured sharply.
Luna stiffened, her posture straightening out of instinct. Her cheeks flushed, her heart racing. "Sh-show you? What—what does he mean show? He doesn't… doesn't mean…?" She clutched at her coat instinctively, curling in on herself.
Valerian, calm as ever, tugged back the sleeve of his storm-blue suit, revealing the embedded wiring beneath the biomechanical layer. "We are prepared. Not human."
Nikhil grinned, baring teeth partly plated with chrome. "Haan, haan. Good. Good. You listen to Thomas. Smart boy."
He turned to Luna. "Aur tum? Show."
("And you? Show me.")
Luna blinked rapidly. "M-me? Show…? No, I… I can't just—" She looked at Valerian desperately, as though begging him to intervene. Her cheeks glowed crimson.
Valerian's storm-grey eyes met hers briefly. Then, without hesitation, he said coldly, "Luna. Just reveal a section of your suit. He's verifying."
Her heart lurched. Why does he say my name like that… like an order but also… steady, grounding? Trembling, she pulled back a tiny section of her light-purple suit on her wrist, revealing the faint lilac wiring embedded beneath. "S-see…? Suit…"
Nikhil's cyber-eye scanned it, flashing once, and he grunted in approval. "Theek hai. Okay. You pass."
("Alright. Okay, you pass.")
Luna exhaled shakily, hugging her arms close to her chest. Inside, her mind spiraled: Why do I always make everything embarrassing? Why can't I just be composed? He must think I'm pathetic. Valerian probably thinks it too…
Nikhil returned to his console, speaking rapidly in Hindi. His words came like a torrent, thick with mechanical jargon.
"Dekho, Mechatopia mein dikhne se zyada khatra hai. Yahan ke log—machines—sabhi… unpredictable. Tum dono kaam as couple karna zaroori hai. Agar nahi… suspicion. Tum samjhe?"
("Look, Mechatopia is more dangerous than it seems. The people here—the machines—they're all… unpredictable. You two have to work as a couple. If not… suspicion. Do you understand?")
Luna froze. She only caught couple and zaroori (necessary). Her cheeks flared red again. "He… he just said… couple… didn't he? Oh no… oh no, why always that word around me?!" She lowered her head, fidgeting with her sleeves.
Valerian narrowed his eyes. He didn't know Hindi well, but by observing the way androids in Mecha trade Expanse used the language, he could guess. "He means we must act more convincingly. As a couple."
The word couple landed like thunder in Luna's chest. She choked on her own breath, stammering, "C-couple? Again?!" Her heart pounded so violently it felt louder than the humming machines. Act… only acting. But… why does it hurt that it's not real?
Nikhil waved a cybernetic hand impatiently. "Yes, yes. Couple. Boyfriend, girlfriend. Not married. That will break disguise. But close-close, samjhe?"
Valerian's voice was like ice. "Understood."
Luna wanted to melt into the floor. Her thoughts screamed: He said understood so easily! No hesitation. No emotion. Just cold, serious… How can he say it like that when my whole body feels like exploding?!
Nikhil leaned forward, his cyber-eye whirring. "You—purple suit girl—nervous bahut hai. Why? S rank ho na? S rank mein darna mana hai."
("You—girl in the purple suit—you're way too nervous. Why? You're S-rank, right? An S-rank isn't supposed to be afraid.")
Luna's lips parted, her voice small and trembling. "I… I'm not nervous… it's just… the atmosphere is very… heavy."
Valerian's lips twitched, almost imperceptibly. His stormy gaze flickered at her, then returned to Nikhil.
Nikhil didn't press, instead pointing to a hologram projection of Mechatopia's core. The map expanded, layers unfolding like origami until a sprawling network of districts and highways filled the air. "Now listen—your target Flame Stormbringer is inside central Mechatopia. But… was ruled by an AI council. Hard to enter. You need… my help."
He switched back to Hindi, muttering half to himself. "Bahut tough kaam hai. Agar pakde gaye… khatam. Simple."
("It's a tough job. If you're caught… it's over. Simple.")
Luna blinked, barely following. She whispered under her breath, "Pakde gaye… khatam… does that mean… if caught… finished? Oh God…" She fidgeted, pressing her hands together in her lap. I need to stay strong… I can't let him think I'm weak. Not Nikhil… not Valerian…
Meanwhile, Valerian studied the hologram intently, absorbing details of routes, entrances, and restricted areas. His voice was steady. "Explain what we need to do. Step by step."
Nikhil gave a crooked grin. "Thik hai. You serious type. Good. I like that."
Luna's chest tightened. Yes, he's serious. Always serious. And I… I'm just the nervous one. The useless one…
But her eyes flickered once toward Valerian. And in the pit of her heart, buried beneath all her nervous laughter and spiraling thoughts, something warmer stirred.