We walked through Tentro at night.
I nibbled my lips, apprehensive about visiting the left side for the first time,Solterra, the Patriarch's territory. Would its streets resemble the Matriarch's? Be worse? I expected an equally terrible scene. Swallowed hard at the thought.
We reached the holowall.
Touching the blue pixels sent a tickle through my skin. When I took the first step, my pulse quickened.
Through the first partition. Second. Third.
I closed my eyes, so agitated. Exploring the unknown was terrifying and exciting. Voices and music reached my ears. I opened my eyes. Nothing like I had imagined. "Wow," I murmured, dazzled.
Multicolored lights and old weapons hanging from balconies illuminated the street. Old war tanks from around the world stood between buildings. Robots of every size. Some as small as insects, buzzing through the air. Others colossal, walking like metallic titans.
Androids with synthetic skin gleaming beneath artificial lights. Eyes shining in cybernetic shades. People with chrome prosthetics, gleaming biomechanical limbs, and exoskeletons adapted for strength and precision. Implants blinking beneath translucent skin. Circuits extending like electric veins, connecting human and technology into a single entity. They walked through the alleys carrying laser, maser, temporary antimatter, and sonic nanoweapons.
A giant pink robot passed us, talking to a tiny one on her shoulder.
Most took the shapes of animals, creatures, and humans. Some were objects and media characters. The smaller, more energetic ones leaped between places and passersby. Engines vibrated through the ground like a mechanical heart.
The air carried the metallic smell of synthetic oil and burnt plasma. Every step echoed in a digital rhythm, as though Solterra lit up alongside the circuits beneath its inhabitants' skin.
Despite the Aether Network owning the world's deadliest weapons, making São Paulo the First City, being there filled me with doubts. That massive arsenal. Surely everything the market offered at its most advanced. It made sense that the other underworlds hesitated before Netheria.
"This way." Kiara nudged me.
I emerged from my thoughts. "Y-yes. Coming."
We passed shops and stalls packed with nanometal, nanoglass, and nanofiber. Almost everyone dealt in the same merchandise: nanoweapons. From compact pistols to energy rifles gleaming behind armored displays. Gears piled in crates turned on their own, as though still searching for where they fit. Isolated limb components. Incomplete biomechanical torsos.
Implants and prosthetics displayed like ordinary goods. Some still glowing with residual energy. Cybernetic nanoengineering, circuits, and exoskeletons waited to be assimilated into a new body.
Kiara held my shoulders and pointed to a unique building with exceptionally rare neo-Gothic architecture.
I blinked, too shocked to believe it.
I thought Kemetia's command had destroyed Sé Cathedral during the attacks. That was what history classes taught. All this time, beneath us, a piece of such an ancient Brasil. Only briefly mentioned in historical studies.
I had never even imagined glimpsing it. My legs carried me toward the Cathedral involuntarily.
Kiara held me back. "Nah, nah. This way. Maybe another time? That's where the Patriarch lives."
I apologized with my eyes.
When we entered a shop, BiLab, pink light washed over us.
I followed a narrow corridor. Roboinsects appeared out of nowhere.
Kiara knocked on a metal door. A tiny opening appeared. Only the eyes of whoever answered were visible. The android did something. The little hatch closed. Metal turned.
We entered.
Passed through a small space with a low ceiling. Shelves and cabinets packed with papers. An empty desk.
We squeezed through an even narrower corridor to its end.
Suddenly, the space opened wide. A blue and pink veil painted the library's interior. The ceiling rose beyond sight. Ancient paper books, holodevices, and digital editions filled the shelves. Little robots flew around, tossing items through the air.
The translucent floor beneath me blinked with every step, making me feel as though I were inside a virtual reality game. Pillars seemed to move whenever we looked away, as though the structure itself breathed. The glow of holoscreens mingled with old incandescent bulbs, weaving a play of shadows where past, present and future intertwined.
When I tried touching a decorative crystal, a robobee threatened to sting my hand. I stepped away and resumed looking around.
"He's coming," a robot said in a thin voice.
Then came a raccoon dog wearing glasses, a gray sweater, and dress trousers.
Ah, so cute!!! I nearly exclaimed, revealing a side of myself I preferred to keep in the shadows.
"Hey, Tanu," Kiara greeted him.
I held back a squeal.
He pushed his glasses up with tiny hands. "Something happened. Vorovskoy mir's data's gone crazy. You know Hikaru… left everything to me." Suddenly, his little black eyes reddened. His voice deepened. Terrifying. "One day, I'll kill him!" His growl was so low, yet the floor vibrated beneath his paws. His bristling fur looked like metal splinters.
The shelves behind him trembled faintly, as though receiving a warning before an attack.
He returned to normal.
My mouth fell open. How could something so adorable be so threatening? I had been about to hug him!
A childish longing filled me when Kiara crouched and rubbed his head. "I get it. Hikaru's an idiot. Should appreciate you more."
"Exactly. That girl should've finished what she started. If she had, I wouldn't be suffering this humiliation." His eyes threatened to glow red.
"If you dislike my methods, I can deactivate you, Tanu." A husky, measured voice, heavy with a Japanese accent, resonated through the chaotic space.
Tanu startled, fur bristling. "See how he treats me?! Constant threats. Have to endure this every day."
All the robots' metallic clamor ceased. Shuffling footsteps echoed. A familiar clip-clop. Each step rang like a distant gong, its weight felt in my body. He slowly descended a staircase connecting the upper floors, beneath bright lights and objects the little airborne robots had resumed tossing.
His dark hair, loosely tied in a bun, contrasted with youthful features carrying an elder's wisdom and severity. He wore a white kimono and hakama. A black haori covered part of his chest. Geta on his feet. A katana secured at his waist.
The samurai's sword. I admired its magnificent sheath, detailed in neon red. A tradition steeped in modernity. The hilt, even more beautiful, shimmered in burgundy. What material was the blade? I had dreamed so often of seeing a samurai in person. Excitement filled me.
Most striking: the exposed part of his body. His chest and right arm were nanoprosthetics. Metallic blue-gray gleaming with pale-blue details. His movements flowed perfectly. Certainly, cutting-edge nanotechnology.
Hikaru • Cyborg • 28 cycles
"Kiara." His serene tone matched his reserved bearing. "Who might this be?" His cold black eyes stayed on the android. His restrained ferocity reminded me of a wildcat.
"My apprentice," she replied.
Apprentice… I would have to ask about that later.
Hikaru parted his lips and released a slow 'ah.' "Did you do what I asked?" He glanced at Tanu.
"N-no. But I will." The raccoon dog tilted his head, eyes wide and adorable.
"Very well. How about serving our guests? Anything to eat? Drink?"
After sending Kiara a dose of DroidDraft, Tanu left to fetch a snack. Disappeared through a little door.
Hikaru stroked the katana's hilt. "To what do I owe the visit?" An object flew over his head. He must have grown so accustomed to everything flying around that his comfort in the chaos was obvious.
Kiara crossed her arms. "Need Parliament's nanoblueprint."
"Sure?" He rubbed his chin. "Two days to connect it to your core. An hour to break the nanoblueprint's quantum symmetry."
"Still haven't broken it?"
"No. Nobody wanted to after they rebuilt the nanosecurity. It's the only useless file. That's why I asked if you were sure."
I followed the conversation. If they had rebuilt the security, how could such obsolete nanotechnology help us? Well, Kiara must know what she was doing.
"How much?"
"Hey, Hotaru," Hikaru called.
A robotic firefly appeared.
"Look up Parliament's blueprint."
The machine's greenish glow changed colors before returning to normal. "Five hundred thousand bireais."
"Okay. Transferred."
"When do you wanna start?" Hikaru barely moved his lips when he spoke.
"Now." Kiara gestured for me to follow.
We walked between shelves into a small room.
The android lay on the table.
I leaned against the wall, watching every movement. What would he do?
Hikaru pressed a button. Pixels filled the air. Several holoscreens appeared.
Tanu arrived shortly afterward and handed me a sandwich.
"Get Parliament's blueprint."
The robot huffed. "Idiot… barely even says please."
Hikaru picked up a syringe and drew neon-red liquid from a vial. "Ready?"
Kiara nodded.
Was he going to inject her with Drohipno? A type of general anesthetic for androids. The liquid deactivated android nanotechnology while keeping the core active. It was used to access… Nanoquantum nanosystems (NQNS). Quantum nanotechnology (QN-Tec)! I tried to remain impassive, but inside, I vibrated with fascination.
Hikaru injected Drohipno into Kiara. The android closed her eyes. He touched her forehead, double-tapped, and a square appeared. On a holoscreen, he clicked to transfer P-Aether.q. A cable emerged from the table and connected to her forehead. Hikaru swiveled his chair and worked on the other holoscreens. Intense blue shone. A rectangle appeared on one:
Upload… 0%… 48 hours until core absorption
Hikaru analyzed the data one last time. Inhaled deeply. Exhaled. "Now we wait." His gaze passed through me like a blade, and an icy shiver traveled down my back.