S-2879 • L10 Tramaluna • D25 Alonli
"Tramaluna weaves the sky in a low curve. Alonli stretches the thread of return. The tide draws silver with a gentle step. The story carries on whole, in slender light."
I woke gasping, pulse racing, cold sweat on my skin. My throat closed as I searched for air. I choked.
"Easy." Kiara stroked my back.
"H-had a nightmare."
"It's okay now." She helped me sit on the soft bed.
The room was pleasant. Warm lights illuminated the ceiling and wooden walls.
"Where are we?"
"One of the Patriarch's chalets. Here in Russia."
I stretched my numb legs. "What happened?"
"After you passed out, we came here. Remember what happened?" She frowned.
I bit my lower lip. "Remember being in the car—" An avalanche struck, burying me in the memory's coldness. My throat burned. I covered my mouth with trembling hands.
Kiara hugged me.
"W-why… why did I do that?"
She stroked my hair. "It was you or him. You know what would've happened."
A spiral of guilt swallowed me. Inside, doubt persisted: had it really been necessary? What if I had neutralized him? No. He would have woken and told the others. The whole plan would have fallen apart. I had to preserve it. My hesitation would ruin everything.
But… was this about hesitation? Did I need confidence to take a life? I had always studied and worked to give beings better lives. To save lives.
I stared into the android's gray eyes. She must have witnessed the worst of humanity. Seen so many deaths. Caused so many others. Perhaps because she had to. Perhaps if Kiara, Maia, Saymon, other mercenaries… if the underworld existed and beings died because of them…
No. That guilt belonged to others. Those deaths were the fault of whoever sustained this system.
Kiara held my gaze.
The lives I had saved. Wanted to save. Improve. Who had I studied for? Worked for? I had only preserved zenithian lives while those below died. I looked away. Hugged my knees and curled into myself. My Maiden wounded. By consenting, I had blood on my hands too.
Kiara had killed before me. I had already witnessed death in many forms. In the streets, hospitals, during my studies. Seen hundreds of reports about deaths around the world. Felt only discomfort. A reminder of the world's cruelty. The truth was… I had already caused a death.
I rubbed my eyes. Wiped tears heavy with the weight of a life. I had the right to feel guilty, but I was like them. I knew exactly what I was doing when I pushed that syringe into his neck. Knew what it meant. I did it. Did it because… I chose to.
The thought stirred something unpleasant and unbearable. My heart wanted to leave my body. Suddenly, I felt a weight, like an anchor tied to my feet, pulling me to the bottom of the sea. Restricting my air.
I had taken a life. I would have to live with it.
"I-I'm drowning. My head's trapped underwater. It's inescapable."
Kiara held my face. Her warmth contrasted with my icy body. So comforting. "Maia felt this too."
"I-I understand. I chose this." I sniffed, my nose blocked. "I'm confused. It's an enormous burden. I need time—"
"H-HELP!" Anichka's distressed scream echoed from downstairs. "HELP! Trix, she's…"
Kiara and I exchanged a glance. Adrenaline took over my body. I ran.
The princess stood with wide eyes. Trix lay on the floor. Her body shook. Her eyes rolled. Drool spilled from her lips, and her wounds bubbled with green liquid.
I followed instinct. Dropped to my knees beside her. Lifted her head into my lap. She was drowning inside herself. Desperation in her eyes. Lungs failing. I turned to Anichka. "What happened? What was the last thing she did?"
Anichka squeezed her fingers. "S-she was sleeping. Woke up. Started imitating me. It was strange. Everything I said, she repeated robotically. Happened so fast." She licked her lips.
"Shit. Kiara, she was…" No time to explain. "Do we have Citopurge?"
"A neutralizer for nanopoisoning? No." She crouched beside me. Restrained desperation radiated from her eyes.
"I'll have to do this manually. Let's hope the nanites detach from her brain."
I drew a breath. Held Trix's chin. Mouth to mouth. Sucked hard. Liquid flooded my mouth. I spat. Once more. Again. Blood mixed with green. I sucked and spat. A poisonous pool formed on the floor. "Come on. Respond!"
Kiara watched me. Attentive.
"P-please," I whispered between each pull. Trix's muscles contracted, arching her body. Every spasm sent a wave of chills down my spine. "Come on…"
Trix choked. Coughed. Vomited the remaining liquid. Her lungs fought for air. "W-what the fuck was that?" She wiped her mouth on her arm. I tipped my head back, breathless.
It worked. But there was more to do. "We need IV fluids to flush her blood. Bring one milligram of that opioid too."
Kiara went for the medical kit.
I turned to Trix. "How are you feeling?"
She sighed, rested her head in my lap, and rubbed her forehead. "Head's gonna explode."
I ran my fingers through her hair. "Shhh. Easy. It'll pass."
She closed her eyes. Almost smiled.
"Here." Kiara returned with the IV fluids and syringe.
Trix jolted upright, looking a little awkward in front of the android. After helping her onto the sofa, I connected the IV and injected the morphine. She drifted off.
"We'll wait. If she fails to respond… anyway… I'll clean her wounds."
Kiara nodded.
I gathered the medical supplies. Cleaned the foaming wounds, disinfected them, and applied nanobandages. Gave Trix one last look. Pressure throbbed in my head. Adrenaline dissipated. I had forgotten this feeling.
Anichka was still distraught. Her panic, too exaggerated, pulled me from my thoughts. I frowned. Something clicked. Could she…? Instinct took over. I advanced.
The princess stepped back. "W-what are you doing?"
"What did you do?!"
"N-nothing!" She almost stumbled. Hands raised. Defensive.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I leaned closer. "Who gave you the liquid?"
Fear shone in her eyes. "W-what are you talking about?" She turned away. Searched for Kiara. A silent plea. "Kiara, you're just gonna stand there?! She's threatening me!"
"Fucking answer!" Kiara's voice cut like a razor.
Anichka froze. Tears filled her eyes. Her body shrank. She wet her lips, looked at the floor, breathed deeply, and surrendered. "All right." Her shoulders sagged. Arms fell. Giving up. "A-an android gave me the syringe to inject into Trix… h-he threatened to kill my sister…"
Kiara lunged and grabbed Anichka by the scruff of her neck, yanking her roughly. Her gaze blazed. "What android?!"
"I-I don't know. He showed me a video of my sister…" Sobs. Her voice failed. Shallow breaths. "Live… at the palace…"
Kiara released her. Stepped away as though burned. Activated a hologram. Yuri's image shone. "This android?"
Anichka nodded, trembling.
Kiara's teeth ground together. "Get outta my sight before I…" Her voice was low. "NOW!!!" Then boiling.
The princess flinched and ran, disappearing from view.
Kiara stood there, fists clenched. "Saymon, you fucking bastard!"
Saymon? One of his androids? Why would he do this to Trix? It made no sense. My heart hammered against my chest. My mind spun. The air grew heavy. Anguish crawled through my body. My legs gave way. I sank into the armchair, disoriented.
"What the fuck is that liquid?" Kiara sat beside me.
I pushed thoughts of Saymon aside. Sighed. "Mentis Imperium. A nanosubstance for mind control. Nanites lodge in the cerebral cortex and interrupt neural connections, forcing the brain to respond only to whoever controls them."
She frowned.
"The GMC and ARGOS banned its manufacture. Ordered the formula destroyed."
"Why?"
"The records are murky, but they place the disaster in 2795. Militias revolted against governments, corporate collapse, and abuses, demanding rights amid the rise of androids and service automation." I clasped my still-trembling hands. "In response, the governments assembled a commission to contain the uprisings. Then someone proposed the unthinkable: a nanosubstance to control the mind. They would eradicate the protests that way. The tests were horrific."
I lowered my voice. "Disrupted neural transmissions made their bodies obey while their minds burned. The few who stayed lucid begged for death."
Kiara watched me, motionless.
"The medical archives had videos of the infected. Dead eyes. Empty smiles. Bodies moving against their own will." I looked toward Trix, sleeping peacefully. "After that, the world turned. Militias seized power. But this history is confidential. Only research physicians can access those files."
I looked at Kiara. I was telling her everything. The ease of my trust surprised me. Strangely, it felt right.
She still hid things from me. Yet my intuition said it went deeper than distrust.
Kiara brushed her fingers over her lips. "Got it. If that's true, how'd Saymon get access to the substance?"
I shrugged. "I read the tests. The liquid used on Trix is a poorly made copy. The nanites read the first person she saw. She imitated Anichka, but the princess lacks the controlling nanodevice."
Kiara's face tightened, but her anger was directed at someone else. "Okay. That leads to one conclusion." She turned toward the window.
Snowflakes gathered on the sill, casting mountain-shaped shadows.
"Netheria runs on contracts." She turned back to me. "Contracts exist to keep mercenaries in check. Follow laws? They only follow their instincts. Wanna kill, they kill." She shrugged. "Contracts also give those above someone to do the dirty work they avoid. Business with pleasure: mercenaries kill for money and find some way to survive, while those above have their obstacles eliminated." Kiara paused. "There are stories of mercenaries who broke a contract. None ever found."
I swallowed. Leaned against the cushion, feeling calmer. "If they do whatever they want, why submit to Netheria?"
Kiara ran a hand through her hair. "Because Netheria embraces their hatred. Takes them in. Gives them weapons. Training. Resources. They take revenge on a society that marginalizes them and get paid for it. In exchange, mercenaries surrender their freedom, accepting that this is the reason they exist."
For a moment, Kiara's gaze strayed toward Trix. Fleeting concern crossed her face. Then her voice returned, cutting:
"But attack a mercenary… and you'll be hunted. Your name, status, wealth mean little. Netheria always remembers. And always collects."
A chill ran down my spine.
She faced me, eyebrow raised. As though saying, 'That's how things are.'
I swallowed hard.
"And Trix…? Will she recover?" Hesitation passed through Kiara's eyes.
I hugged my legs. "Yes. I removed most of the liquid. The IV fluids will eliminate the rest. I need to treat her wounds and the brain damage she suffered." I rested my chin on my knees. "But if she fails to respond to treatment, it means the nanites have attached to her cerebral cortex. They'll destroy the neurons."
Silence.
"If that happens… it's fatal." The ease with which I spoke of death almost escaped me. I barely seemed like the person who had broken down over killing someone. I rubbed my temples. How did you do it, Maia? You did this as a child.
"All right. That brings us to the second situation." Kiara straightened. "Each country has its underworld, but they're all connected. Mafias. Mercenaries. Criminal organizations. Militias. There's an agreement between them. Nobody moves in on anyone else's business. Nanotechnology. Territory. Drugs. Cybercrime. Every kind of trafficking. The idea's to avoid a war. Because if the base falls, the pyramid collapses. Nobody wants that." She gave a pointed grimace.
I nodded.
"Now you get why we infiltrated Vorovskoy mir quietly?"
Trix shifted on the sofa. Kiara and I froze. But the mercenary kept sleeping. I released the breath trapped in my lungs. Please let her get better soon.
The android lowered her voice. "Truth is, Pakhan Mikhail Morozov exists." She smiled. "We just call him the Patriarch."
My eyes widened. Mention of Netheria's leaders always caused a visceral unease.
"To Vorovskoy mir, Mikhail leads the São Paulo unit. But there's more to it. He infiltrated them, created an identity, became a member. That's how he got direct access to official data." A stiffness entered her tone. "You know. Make our friendly visits easier." Kiara gestured. "Obviously, they have no idea who he really is. If they knew, he'd have been 'barred.'"
I bit my lip. Too much information. Yet it made sense. At the same time, hundreds of questions emerged. "Trix escaped once. Did they take precautions? I mean, if my prisoner escaped, I'd do everything to prevent it happening again. And you? Could they recognize you?"
"Of course not. Cloakify adapts to me." She smiled. "And yeah, they upgraded Khalmer-Yu's security. But once I get familiar with a nanosystem, it belongs to me." Pride dripped from her voice.
I sighed. Those complex nanosystems made my mind whirl. More complicated than I could have imagined.
"Know it's a lot." Kiara placed her hand over mine.
I smiled weakly. "Hmm… yes… but I'm following."
"Good. Why am I telling you all this? That bastard Saymon caused this for a few reasons." She raised a finger. "First: he manipulated Anichka into attacking Trix. Now Trix can kill her." Another finger. "Second: he wants a conflict between the underworlds." She paused. Smiled. "C'mon. We need to talk to the princess."
I frowned. "Why?"
Suddenly, Kiara stopped. I almost collided with her. "Because our precious princess is hiding one more little thing." An eyebrow raised. "She was chatting with the Pakhan when I found her. Very… familiar. And they doubled the guard. Why do that without any sign of a threat?"
My breath caught. "She's… a member of Vorovskoy mir?!"
"No." Kiara's eyes flashed. "She's more than a princess…" Her grin widened. "She's the Russian Pakhan's daughter."
Shock pierced me. I covered my mouth. My stomach churned. Air fled my lungs. This… had to be a lie.
But if it was true… it meant Empress Sonechka Alexeyev was rooted in Vorovskoy mir, and Vorovskoy mir in her empire. If Anichka died, it would be more than a conflict between underworlds. A war between the criminal organization and the Russian monarchy.
Kiara was right. I reflected on everything, drawn to and strangely fascinated by the mind behind it. Saymon, why cause all this?
"Ready to pry some information outta that royal lil' mouth?"
I nodded, shivering at the ruthlessness in her tone.