S-2878 • L5 Ligaluna • D08 Lilibe
"Ligaluna links sky and path. Lilibe pours radiance into a gentle curve. The tide sings clear on the skin of the world. The story weaves a step in growing light."
The arrival of spring. Skies dotted with white clouds. Warm wind caressed the skin, sweeping away winter's melancholy and making everyone more talkative. More open to the ardor of long, colorful days. The young, hungry for life, quickened the pace. The city seemed to wake from a long sleep. People laughed louder. Zenith's neighborhoods vibrated in pastel shades. Pixelated flowers covered the streets of Zenith and Centrália. The season's symbol.
It was also the seluna of Santa Geordana's selunary meeting. A gathering about the research conducted at the hospital. More stressful than the meeting with the GMC. The reason? Josivaldo.
I organized the documents and called Takashi. We went to the conference room. My Enchantress watched over me, decanting my feelings and choosing the essential.
Some researchers were already there. Josivaldo sat at the head of the table, eyes lowered, studying a holoscreen. Once all ten chairs were occupied, he raised his head.
Silence.
Takashi stood behind me, as the other androids stood behind each doctor. Across the table, Daren gave me a friendly look. I returned it with a slight nod.
Josivaldo rested his hands on the table and hid his thin lips behind his index fingers. "Welcome to our selunary meeting." A holoscreen behind him shone with the same words. "Santa Geordana has always taken pride…"
Honestly, I knew that speech. My mind wandered until I heard my name:
"We'll begin with Dr. Akiko Akiyama." His tone was acidic. Asshole. In front of them, he pronounced it correctly?! "She's conducting our hospital's only Level A project." He gave a few limp claps. "You may begin, Doctor." He looked at me for a moment. Long enough to assess me. Brief enough to dismiss me.
I stood and greeted the others with a nod. "Hello, everyone. Thank you for being here. First, I'd like to thank my colleagues on Project Jaburu. Aimee Hughes, responsible for the equipment's technical supervision. Vicente Evans, responsible for patient management."
Brief applause.
I sat and presented an overview of the research. Aimee and Vicente gave a brief explanation:
"We're waiting for MemorElevate to arrive from London. It links a synapse-stimulating substance to the hippocampus, prolonging and storing memories regardless of complexity. In theory, CogniSynth will surpass the natural brain by archiving every memory with absolute precision. That completes the nanodevices connected to Project Jaburu."
Aimee smiled shyly at me. I nodded my thanks. She sat. Whispers broke out.
Josivaldo cleared his throat, silencing the room. "Very good. Thank you for the presentation." He barely looked at us. "Dr. Daren Kyungu, conducting the next research project, is entering the testing phase. You may begin."
Daren stood. Gave a brief bow with his usual warmth. "Thank you, everyone. I'd like to reiterate my admiration for Dr. Akiyama."
The whole room looked at me.
"Project Jaburu is revolutionary. With her help, I've advanced ApexNull. I'm grateful for that."
What? Did my name really need to be involved? Applause followed. I nodded awkwardly. It had caught me off guard.
"All right. The research aims to coweave the ApexNull nanodevice, which will implant the Rh-null blood type to treat Apoxirameno Aima, commonly known as Vaktiria." Images of the bacterium appeared in the holoprojection. "It's the deadliest infectious disease, responsible for forty-three point five percent of global deaths. It comes from a new bacterium, Siccunsanguine Bacteria, discovered in 2849 alongside the first infected patients. It's untreatable and incurable."
Daren gestured. "It feeds on the blood's composition, progressively destroying it. Around three solar cycles pass before the final stage, when it affects the brain and heart. Patients end up with failing organs and dried-out blood vessels. Death is inevitable."
Daren enlarged the image of Rh-null blood. "However, when we analyzed the bacterium in this blood type, we discovered something. It dies instantly. Rh-null blood is immune to the disease." He continued with a lengthy explanation.
I tuned out. My bioscreen vibrated.
📩 Maia: 'Meet me at the end of the main street in Bapaesa. Nine.'
I smiled a little foolishly, even with no idea where that was. My heart beat harder. As always, Maia knew how to pull me out of autopilot. Always found a way to surprise me.
"Excellent, Kyungu." Josivaldo's voice brought me back. "We'll submit the application to request candidates. Testing will begin by next seluna."
The meeting lasted another two long hours. Other presentations.
I only wanted to leave. Finish work.
At last, the meeting ended.
I went to my office, but before I could close the door…
"Akiyama." Daren.
I took a deep breath. What did he want this time? "How can I help you?"
He smiled. "I want to thank you again. And, please…" Daren lowered his voice. "Pass my thanks on to whoever provided the samples. You can stop sending them." He winked and left.