I woke with a start, my pulse racing. I clutched my chest, trying to control my breathing, and squinted against the colored lights shimmering around me. I swallowed, but the dryness irritated my throat.
"Finally awake." Kiara approached. "You slept for about fifteen hours. Wanted to keep you comfortable. You needed the rest. Have a nightmare?"
I stared at her until the memory hit me. My face warmed. Maia, stop appearing in my dreams like that. "No, definitely not. Is there any water?"
She handed me a bottle, and I drank as though the world would end that day. Then I devoured a snack. "What time is it?" I rubbed my tired face.
"Five in the afternoon." Kiara watched me shrewdly. "Need to show you something. Seriously, you'll wanna see this." She smiled, and I frowned, intrigued. "It's an Aether News broadcast."
Ah… right. Parliament. I had almost forgotten. Only Maia could make me forget that.
Kiara displayed a hologram featuring the anchors of Aether News, the world-renowned news outlet.
"Good evening. On the afternoon of Silenli of Irraluna, 2879, Awá Reru, a day of celebration, became a day of horror. Nanocameras recorded military androids and an unidentified man invading Parliament. A crowd of zenithians attending the event and the Aether Network's leaders were taken hostage inside."
The anchors maintained their composure, but there was something in the way they exchanged glances, a subtle hesitation before pronouncing certain words. They seemed to be avoiding saying something.
"According to the footage we obtained, a broadcast showed the session room where a vote was held on the approval of a new law. At the end of the session, all the androids jumped from the top floor, and the man escaped in an unregistered vehicle. The Aether Tactical Force could not pursue him due to a threat to blow up Parliament. The A.T.F. has informed us that it is investigating to identify the suspects and the motives behind the act."
As the report continued, footage damaged by interference appeared in the hologram. Cron's face was blurred, and the voice of the figure who had appeared in the broadcast was so corrupted that it was impossible to understand. Only the zenithians' desperate screams could be heard clearly.
How had they hacked Parliament's nanocameras? According to Kiara, that was impossible. She had said she'd deactivated them for an hour. My heart thundered in my chest. I had felt this would happen. Felt it. But seeing the news, the zenithians' desperate faces, hearing the screams… that was different.
Kiara closed the video and showed me a text. "Read."
It was an article by Ana Dacota, a columnist for Astro Voz, England's second-largest newspaper.
You must be tired of reading about the invasion that took place on Silenli of Irraluna, 2879, Awá Reru, in Zenith, São Paulo. So am I.I analyzed the situation and watched the footage of the invasion. My team partially defragmented the corrupted recordings. The following dialogue is quite interesting:
'(…) decided today would be a good day to take away some of your rights and (…) even further. Pushing you (…) down than you already are.'
Those were the phrases we deciphered. The fact is, no one is reporting that the session was SECRET, or what it concerned. Well, we know. The controversial new measure would reduce the mandatory proportion of human employees in companies. It currently stands at 50% and, under the new proposal, would drop to 25%.
Can you imagine what that would bring? Yes, mass layoffs and a worsening unemployment crisis. They also wanted to remove the fine imposed on companies that reduce their employees' wages. Currently, that fine ranges from 10% to 50% of an organization's global annual revenue.
For obvious reasons, the Aether Network's leaders voted to postpone the session, citing a lack of technical grounds. Do you believe that?Therefore, I believe they took advantage of the attention focused on the Awá Reru celebrations, but were caught red-handed. Have we returned to the age of bread and circuses, dear readers?
Incidentally, we investigated and discovered that people online are calling the group that attacked Parliament Une Côte. The only information available.
Finally, we have some questions about this event:
Who is this group? How did it know about the session? Could they actually be our allies, having exposed a session with such repugnant objectives? How did they control the AETHER NETWORK'S MILITARY androids? Why did they do this? What are their motives?
Naturally, the invasion horrified me. I leave you with my observations and one more question, this time not for the Aether Network, but for you, my dear readers:
Are we on the right side? Must we defend the Aether Network?
I have my doubts.
I eagerly await the investigation's findings.
Written by Ana Dacota."
My eyes devoured every word. My breathing grew shallow, and my heart beat so hard I could barely hear anything else. I should have been worried. But… part of me smiled.
I stared at the floor. I had fallen out of the habit of reading those newspapers. But Ana was right. How would the Aether Network cover up such an inconvenient situation? Newspapers worldwide had reported the event and begun questioning the Aether Network's international standing. Une Côte had invaded Parliament, taken hostages, exposed a secret session, manipulated A.T.F. androids, and challenged the Aether Network to a direct confrontation.
Une Côte. I repeated the name in my mind. Something stirred within me. Why did it feel so right? As though I had always been waiting to hear that name?
"How do you think the Aether Network will respond? It's all so improbable." I looked up at Kiara, biting a cuticle. Satisfaction grew in my heart. I savored that feeling far more than I'd imagined.
"No idea. Anyway, how are you? Changed your dressings. Looks better."
Absorbed in the news, I had almost forgotten my sprained ankle. Pain throbbed as soon as I turned my attention back to it. I examined the purplish swelling, pressing it with my fingers. "It hurts quite a bit. I think I'll recover in a seluna. I know we don't have much time, so I'll put on nanobandages and apply a local anesthetic so we can go see Saymon."
"You sure?" Kiara picked up the medical kit.
I gave her a weak smile. "Yes. The sooner we discover who put out that contract, the sooner this nightmare ends. I'm dying to see Takashi and Alícia."
The thought of our reunion warmed me. How were they? Had they treated Alícia's Alzheimer's? Was CogniSynth working well? So many questions.
Kiara smiled understandingly. "Alright, we'll meet him tomorrow night. Sound good?"
I nodded.
The android reapplied the nanodressings.
Irraluna arrived.