Half in Fire

Everyone’s attention remained fixed on the executive and Saymon. He moved at an unhurried pace, drawing Paulo Lewis’s gaze as though his mere presence could devour him.

My heart raced. Drowsiness vanished the instant Saymon tore off the gag.

“WHO ARE YOU?!?!?!” Paulo spat. He drooled and sweated in desperation. An acidic smell of urine saturated the air. Even in that condition, his blue eyes followed Saymon’s every movement with boundless arrogance.

Paulo was clearly accustomed to getting what he wanted. He was the kind of man who made others tremble, capable of bending someone with a single look. A man used to winning and bringing other people to their knees. Someone who, beyond holding control in his hands, seemed to consider himself control itself. Yet before that almost supernatural presence, he was the one kneeling.

Perhaps he believed words would be enough. That the eloquence acquired through decades of negotiation would save him. That he could steer this situation as he steered his business and find a way out. A game of cat and mouse in which each made his move. But he was utterly mistaken.

Saymon watched the little mouse squirm in his hands.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” Paulo’s voice still carried authority.

Saymon clicked his tongue. “Paulo Lewis. Sixty-two cycles. Partnered with Abigail Chapman. Two children. Sessota’s Director of Operations for forty cycles. Hmm… You must know quite a lot, right?” He whistled. “You don’t know who we are… But we know who you are.”

“That’s public information. An internet search will tell you that.” Unease spilled from his voice.

“Oh, want me to be more specific?” Saymon gave a ravenous smile.

Lewis pressed his lips together as though trying to swallow his own apprehension. “Do you know who you’re really dealing with?!”

A disturbing silence formed between them. Tension stole my breath.

Saymon threw his head back and let out a hostile laugh. “Ah, you understand?” He lowered his eyes to the executive, staring at him with a vile expression. “I know exactly who I’m dealing with.”

Lewis swallowed. Shook his head in denial. “You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” Saymon raised an eyebrow. His golden eyes shone, feral. “You always check every drop of your drink and every grain of your food. Distrust androids. Avoid nanotechnology. Record on paper whatever you don’t want seen. And when you need to connect to technology, you use nanoquantum. Hmmm…” A husky, guttural grunt escaped his throat. “You’re cautious. But everyone has a weakness.”

Lewis hesitated. “Wh-what…”

“Talking about this.” Saymon poked the man’s neck, exactly where his biochip lay. “You know, this little beauty can be hacked.”

I frowned. Could it? I thought it was…

“I-impossible!” Lewis paled. Suddenly, all his pomposity vanished. “H-how…”

“Tsk, tsk.” Saymon sighed and smiled ironically. “It was so much fun thinking of a little way to reach you. Perhaps this name sounds familiar… Anne?”

Lewis’s eyes widened more than I had ever seen anyone’s widen. His trembling lips parted. “N-no! Impossible!!!”

Saymon took the deck from his coat and calmly began shuffling. “When I learned about your appreciation for role reversal, it became easy to… infiltrate you.” He ran his tongue over his canines. “Asked Anne to insert the q-nanodevice with the qnmalware when she was gonna penetr—”

“I GET IT!” Paulo’s face turned so red he seemed about to suffocate. “No need…”

“You brought her the documents. And we caught you exactly when…” Saymon walked to a table, picked up a yellowish folder, and waved it before the executive.

“Th-that… what is that?” Sweat sprang from Lewis’s forehead and dripped onto the floor.

“Perhaps this will refresh your memory?”

The room darkened. The only illumination now came from a holoscreen showing a video of Lewis seated, leafing through documents while participating in a videoconference. Those he addressed couldn’t be identified.

“Sessota will invest and receive a share of the profits. Sixty percent of the agreed amount. UNITED and Kokusai will invest twenty percent each.” He adjusted his suit.

“Our forecast for the first ten solar cycles is a thirty-percent increase in gross annual revenue. After that period, we project an increase of up to ten percent. Revenue sources will be cities purchasing Vaktiria, loans to individuals without assets to cover hospital treatment, twenty-three percent of countries requesting credit to import the merchandise, and seventy-three percent of hospitals’ global profits as patient numbers grow.”

Voices answered from the other side of the videoconference.

“They’ll develop the bacterium in Ilhabela. Delivery is expected within ten cycles. We’ll pay our Aether Network contact, Lorenzo Cardoso, through QN-Cryptography.”

The others spoke again.

Lewis smiled disdainfully. “Yes, he’s trustworthy. We’ll only need to help him become the Aether Network’s premier.” He chuckled. “A truly minuscule price to pay.”

The broadcast ended. The lights came on.

Sessota was behind this? Not only Sessota. UNITED. Kokusai. It was infinitely bigger than I could have imagined.

Color drained from Lewis’s face. “H-how did you get that?”

Saymon put away his deck and once again surrounded him with his commanding presence. “The question you should ask is who got it.”

Paulo’s sweat seemed to double, streaming like a waterfall. Fear poured from his body. “Wh-who?”

“Sessota’s behind much more, isn’t it?” Saymon’s manic smile widened. As he approached, the atmosphere became suffocating. It was as though he had removed all the room’s air. Their faces nearly touched. “Or rather, you are. Even someone as clever as you…”

Lewis narrowed his eyes uncertainly. “You…”

“Vous devez savoir qu’un animal n’est éteint que lorsque le dernier meurt.” Saymon murmured the French phrase in a terrifying tone. Even you should know an animal is only extinct when the last one dies. He straightened and watched the terror reflected in the executive’s face.

“F-France? You…” Paulo tried to compose himself. He put on the mask of deliberation again and adopted a firm tone. “What do you want?! Money? Is that it? I can give you a lot of money. Enough to create a country of your own. Control?! I can give you control. Give you whatever you want. I can pay whatever…”

Ah, that moment when people like him believed money and control could solve everything. How mistaken I was. So mistaken. I still didn’t know the true depth of fear Saymon’s presence could provoke.

The words died in the executive’s throat. Blood seemed to abandon his face, leaving him pale.

I would have fled too, had my legs allowed it. I remained motionless, my heart racing and breath trapped. Not only me. Everyone there seemed to sense that a single wrong breath could be fatal.

Perversity lay in Saymon’s gaze. The claws of his aura distilled cruelty, overflowing and ricocheting against the walls, caressing skin with a cunning delicacy. His expression was murderous. His smile, an exquisite blade. A smile that seemed to reap simply by existing. Saymon approached Lewis slowly. His footsteps sounded dissonantly through the room.

The executive tried to retreat but was immobilized.

Saymon leaned over him, allowing a shadow to cover part of his face. He gave a bloodthirsty smile, laden with merciless intent. “You will certainly pay. Every one of you.” He turned and walked to the table. “Cron?”

I froze. My muscles stiffened. I sweated with distress and clung to Maeva’s arm.

“S-sorry,” I whispered.

Her eyes smiled.

I released the breath I had been holding.

Cron began closing the distance between himself and Lewis.

The atmosphere was unbearable.

“Finally.” He burst into manic laughter. It echoed through the room’s corners.

Lewis lost control of his body and defecated on the floor. “N-no! What are you going to do to me? NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

“Remember me, Paulo?”

“WH-WHO ARE YOU?!” Lewis looked around, searching for anything that could get him out of there. He finally seemed to be losing the illusion that he would find an escape.

Honestly? He was behind one of the greatest tragedies inflicted on the world and justified his actions with profit and control. In that instant, I judged that no suffering could be too great for him. I felt satisfaction at the horror spilling from his stifled screams.

Cron’s enormous fingers held his neck and brushed his cheek. “You might remember me as Damon Hawkins.”

“D-Damon…? You… you should be dead!”

Cron threw his head back and roared with laughter. His blue eyes radiated as though reflecting sunlight. “Wanna kill someone, Paulo? Do it yourself.”

“I want him alive,” Saymon warned, his eyes still on the cards.

“Alright. Won’t kill him.” Cron smiled deliriously. “Only gonna hurt him. A lot.”

“NO…”

Cron’s hand covered the executive’s mouth.

“Muchacho, thought I’d get to kick this malparido’s culo. The cabrón shat himself. If the infierno stinks, it’s the smell of mierda from this cagada de culo de rata,” Denden grumbled, rubbing his nose.

“You still have nine chances to kick. The hunt’s only beginning.” Saymon almost smiled.

Nine? Who were those people? My blood pressure began dropping. Exhaustion announced an approaching blackout. After all, so much had happened, and I hadn’t even rested properly. I needed sleep.

Denden grimaced in displeasure and uncrossed his arms. “Gonna eat.” He left through the concealed door.

“Hey…” Maeva nudged me lightly with her elbow. “You wanna rest, right? Let the big guy have his fun.”

I nodded. Fatigue weighed on my eyes.

She smiled and took my hand.

Before we crossed the doorway, Saymon cast an unreadable look at me. His face drew into a crooked smile.

As soon as I stepped through, my jaw dropped.

An enormous underground structure stretched before me, vibrant and noisy.

Nanopanels replicated the sky. Stalls and businesses crowded the central area as far as I could see. A main street teemed with activity while cabins, containers, and small metal houses clustered along the sides, resembling slums. Hundreds of people came and went.

“A-are they people from Nobody’s Land?” I turned to Maeva.

She watched the surroundings with admiration.

“Not just them. The protesters and some…” She scratched her head. “A bunch from Une Côte.”

I nodded and kept following her. “What is this place?”

“Ah, chum, a bunker where the scientists stored supplies. The bastards and some rich assholes living nearby hid like rats when the surface was bombed. The Aether Network declared the region uninhabitable, and they migrated to Zenith.”

I had so many questions I barely knew which to ask first. Would Maeva be more willing to talk than the others? I wanted to ask so much, but weariness dominated me. My eyelids grew heavy, demanding payment for every effort to remain awake. Exhaustion reached its limit. My legs barely moved, as though anchors were fastened to my ankles. I was like a zombie.

“Take the chance to rest. You’re leaving in two days,” Maeva remarked over her shoulder.

We stopped before a cabin.

She entered a code and asked for my fingerprint. “All set. Plenty of food around. Left protein bars in the drawer and a little something extra.” She winked. Being near her was so easy. Her presence soothed me.

“Thank you…” Then I raised an eyebrow. “Why am I leaving in two days?”

Maeva drew back slightly. “Hmm? He didn’t tell you? Why does nobody say anything? Ah, no idea. All I know is you’re heading out. Where to? Not a clue.” She spread her arms.

“What do you mean…? Who’s he?”

“You really must be exhausted. Saymon, damn it.”

I hesitated. “Why?”

“If you don’t know, how would I?” Maeva adjusted her braids. Noticing my distress, she added, “Look, I don’t know what happened to you. Obvious you’ve been through something rough. Trying to be kind, but you’re wrecked. Your head must be full. Wanting to know what happened, what’s gonna happen. Recommend switching your mind off. Later, I’ll come talk and show you around, alright?” She rested her warm hands on my shoulders.

I stopped resisting the need to rest and entered the cabin. “Alright.”

“Good. Get in, take a bath, and go to sleep.” She winked.

The door closed behind me. The lights came on.

I faced my reflection. Awful. Half-dead.

I undressed. Placed the necklace and keychain on a side table and put my clothes in the wash.

While the bathtub filled, I let my thoughts wander. I didn’t even know where to begin reasoning. The water rose, surrounding my body and carrying away the dirt. I was unrecognizable. Broken. Without hope of repair. Perhaps I wanted to remain that way. Only wanted to exist until my final breath. Not even CogniSynth seemed capable of restoring my desire to live.

Riki had consumed my last thread of life. My soul and heart were shattered. I had become dead matter. I had experienced death so many times that, if I closed my eyes forever, I believed I would gladly accept it. On the other side, Maia would be with me. Yes. That sounded good.

My muscles relaxed. Thinking of her soothed me. Warm water enveloped me. I gave a weak smile and submerged my head. When I returned to the surface, I found Maia’s illusion. I wrinkled my nose. “Impressive… I think of you, and you appear.”

“You want me here.” She chuckled, amused.

I rolled my eyes. “Is there any…”

“Look.” Maia walked to the little table and touched my belongings. “You kept everything.”

She smiled and showed the necklace with the letter A beneath her shirt. “Always kept mine with me.”

“Shit.” I walked to the drawer. If Maeva was right, what she had left there…

“Hey.” Maia’s image bit her lip with a predatory air and approached. “You, just like that…”

I ignored the provocation. “Where…? Found it.” I picked up the white pill and swallowed it in one go. Returned to the bathtub.

“What did you do?” Maia crouched beside me and caressed my cheek.

“Took care of it.” I closed my eyes and waited for the effect to begin.

Memories of what I wanted to forget kept returning relentlessly. My heart tightened.

Maia drew her brows together in concern. “You know this is a path of no return, don’t you?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She wasn’t real. The real Maia would have stopped me. No. If the real Maia were there, none of this would be happening. I tried in vain to preserve my sanity. Damn it. That cursed madness enveloped me again.

I rubbed my forehead and pressed my skin with my fingers, searching for signs I was still alive. I needed to stop it from taking over again.

The opiate began working. Her voice grew more distant.

“No.” Maia tried to protest.

But I could no longer hear anything. I inhaled deeply. The bonds of tension loosened.

Yes. Only emptiness remained.