"You have to leave.
I'm installing nanocryptography.
Your nanosystem will become untraceable.
Go to this address—fast.
The mercenaries are close," Kiara said to Takashi.
My head spun.
Shaking hands.
Restless legs.
I paced.
Stopped.
Paced again.
I bit my nails as if I could carve relief out of myself.
Kiara studied me.
Unmoved by my desperation.
"Your appearance needs to change.
I've got a uniform.
Might be a little big…
I'll bring it."
My throat dried.
My palms grew damp.
A cacophony of feelings tangled inside me.
Nothing made sense.
Why were mercenaries hunting me?
None of it could be processed.
I looked at Takashi.
He stood still, leaning against the wall.
My heart pounded.
Did I owe him an explanation?
Truthfully, I didn't even know what to say.
As my android, he would obey without question.
But Kiara—
Kiara carried an unsettling freedom.
She thought.
She chose.
It stirred something uncomfortable inside me.
Should Takashi have that same freedom?
"Takashi."
He looked at me, impassive.
His calmness clashed with my anguish.
"Thank you.
We'll have to split up for a while.
Please take care of Alicia.
We'll meet again soon."
I forced a smile.
It must have looked strained.
"Certainly."
Not even his steady tone could reach me this time.
The anxiety was overwhelming.
The worst I had ever felt.
Kiara returned.
She brought a change of clothes and black combat boots.
"Hope these fit."
I put on the black military uniform of the Brazilian army.
Long gone.
The Brazilian flag—slashed with a red X.
The sleeves hung a little loose.
The boots fit.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
Disoriented.
"I'm ready."
That's what I was supposed to say…
No.
Just empty words.
I didn't feel ready.
Didn't process it.
Didn't resonate with it.
Kiara scanned me from head to toe.
Her analytical gaze sent pulses through my chest.
"Almost.
Where we're going, your beauty would be… unusual.
They might recognize someone from Zenith.
You look like Zenith."
Maia had said the same thing.
"What do you suggest?"
I asked just to ask.
My opinion likely didn't matter.
Kiara grinned.
She was enjoying this.
"Cutting and messing up your hair should help."
I looked at my reflection.
Pale skin—now flushed red.
Black hair.
Straight.
Long.
Disheveled by my own frantic hands.
My dark eyes reflected the agony inside me.
And my soul—
fully exposed.
Yet none of it was stronger than my longing for Maia.
I swallowed hard.
I had barely seen Nobody's Land.
Going there like this…
might really be suicide.
I took a deep breath.
"Alright. Do it."
With swift precision, Kiara cut my hair.
Strands fell.
And with each one—
I unraveled with them.
She trimmed it to my shoulders.
Bleached my dark hair in minutes with Platinova.
The chemical smell flooded my senses.
My first time blonde.
It was just hair.
Still—
I wasn't myself.
But I didn't know who I was either.
"Better. But still missing something essential.
A mercenary's trademark."
Kiara handed me a black gas mask.
"There are two reasons to wear it.
First, the masks carry nanomalware.
They corrupt Aether Network nanites.
Mercenaries might still recognize you,
but I built a nanofirewall.
You'll be fine."
As I touched it, a strange connection pulsed.
"How does this stop them from identifying me?
There's a contract under my name."
"Relax. Trust me.
When they scan you, the database will show you as unknown.
Happens all the time."
Her casual tone made my head ache.
"Second—the air.
In Nobody's Land, the atmosphere corrodes everything.
This mask resists it.
Filters oxygen.
Stays intact.
A nanobarrier protects your head.
The uniform's coated too—protects your body."
She looked at me expectantly.
As if I'd absorb everything instantly.
Impossible.
Still, I tried to steady myself.
"I understand."
I tried to hide the tremor in my voice.
My mind burned.
Tension.
I wanted to lie down, sleep—
wake up from this nightmare.
"Native mercenaries use minimal protection.
They've adapted to the environment."
Kiara paused.
"One more thing.
I'm hacking your biochip.
Disconnecting you from the Aether Network."
I frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"We need to get rid of their software."
"No. That's impossible."
"I'm not asking.
It's for your protection."
"Why?"
I stepped back.
This was too much.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Kiara rolled her eyes.
"That software holds all official codes.
It's your biggest tracker.
How do you think they know exactly where to find you?"
"My entire life is in Aether access.
And my connection with Takashi?"
"Androids and humans use unique nanotracking encryption.
You'll still be connected to him."
That was true.
But disconnecting meant losing 99% of my biochip's functionality.
Unthinkable.
Especially in my position.
But what was my position worth—
if I was already prey?
I took a deep breath.
Maybe I could restore it later.
I gave in.
It was this—
or be found.
"Alright."
The bioscreen appeared above my authorization.
Apps vanished.
Pixels raced.
I tried to follow.
Impressive.
"Done.
Nobody's Land is an hour away.
I'll explain more on the way."
We walked to the car.
The storm roared.
The entire city drowned in fog.
Visibility—just a few meters.
I sniffed.
The cutting wind threw sand against my face.
"Seeing the sea from the coast…"
Kiara drove.
"We'll leave that for another day."
I tried to smile—
but my body betrayed me with trembling.
Still… as we moved forward, a quiet excitement began to grow inside me.
Mixed with fear.
Greater than the mercenaries hunting me.
Greater than death itself.
It was a different kind of fear.
One I tried to name—
but would only understand when I faced it.
I narrowed my eyes against the fog.
Trying to see beyond the veil covering the city.
My time there had been brief—
but it had marked me.
The place where Maia had grown up.
I closed my eyes.
Kiara's words echoed within me.
Fragments of Maia's memories surfaced.
I rested my head against the window—
and let them take me.