"You have to leave. I'll install nanoencryption. Your nanosystem will become untraceable. Get to this address quickly. The mercenaries are close," Kiara told Takashi.
My head dazed. Hands trembling. Restless legs. I walked. Stopped. Walked again. Bit my nails as though trying to dig relief out with my teeth.
Kiara studied me. Remained detached from my despair. "Your appearance needs a change. I have a uniform. Might be a little big… I'll bring it."
My throat went dry. My palms grew damp. A cacophony of feelings tangled into knots. Everything lost its meaning. Why were mercenaries hunting me? I could not take any of it in.
I looked at Takashi. He remained motionless, leaning against the wall. My heart pounded. I wondered whether I owed him an explanation. To be honest, I did not even know what to say. Since he was my android, he would obey without question. Kiara, however, exuded an unsettling freedom. Thought and decided for herself. It stirred a discomfort in me. Should Takashi have the same freedom?
"Takashi."
He looked at me impassively. His manner so serene against my anguish.
"Thank you. We're going to be apart for a while now. Please take care of Alícia. We'll see each other soon." I forced a friendly smile. It must have looked distressed.
"Certainly."
Not even his calm tone could reach through my anxiety, as it always had. It was the most intense exasperation I had ever felt.
Kiara returned. Brought a change of clothes and black combat boots. "Hope they fit."
I put on the black uniform of the Brazilian army. Long since nonexistent. The Brazilian flag crossed out with a red X. The sleeves were a little loose. The boots fit. I looked in the mirror. Felt somewhat disoriented.
"I'm ready." I supposed that was what I should say… No. They were only empty words. I barely felt it, barely digested it, did not even resonate with readiness.
Kiara looked me up and down. Her analytical gaze sent my heart pounding. "Almost. Where we're going, that beauty of yours would be… unusual. They could recognize someone from Zenith. You're the very image of Zenith."
I remembered Maia saying the same words.
"What do you suggest?" I asked only for the sake of asking. I felt my opinion would hardly be considered.
She grinned. Seemed to be enjoying this. "Cutting your hair and messing it up might help."
I looked at my reflection. My fair skin. Now red with the heat overwhelming me. My black hair. Straight. Long. Disheveled by my desperate hands on my head. My black eyes reflected the agony of my soul. And my soul reflected in its purest depth. None of those emotions was stronger than my longing for Maia.
Swallowing was difficult. I had seen little of Nobody's Land. Perhaps going there looking as I did really would be suicide.
I sighed deeply. "All right. Do it."
Kiara cut my hair swiftly. Strand after strand fell from my head. With every strand that fell, I unraveled with it. She cut it into layers at shoulder length.
Bleached my dark locks in minutes with Platinova. The chemical smell flooded my nostrils. My first time as a blonde. It was only hair. Even so, I was not myself. But I did not know who I was, either.
"Better, but the essential part's missing. The mercenaries' trademark." Kiara held out a black gas mask. "There are two reasons to wear it. First, the masks carry nanomalware. They corrupt the Aether Network's nanites. Mercenaries could still recognize you, but I created a nanofirewall. Don't worry."
When I touched it, a strange connection vibrated. "How does this mechanism keep them from identifying me? After all, there's a contract out on me."
"Stay calm. Trust me. When they scan you, the database will show you as an unknown. Which is very common." The ease in her voice made my head hurt. "The second reason is the air. In Nobody's Land, the atmosphere corrodes everything. This mask withstands it. Filters oxygen. Stays intact. A nanobarrier surrounds it, protecting your head. The uniform's coated too, to protect your body."
She looked at me expectantly, as though I would absorb all of it at the speed of light. Impossible. Even so, I tried to calm down.
"I understand." I tried to hide my nervousness. My head seethed. Tension. I wanted to lie down, sleep, and wake from this nightmare.
"Native mercenaries use little protective equipment. They're highly resistant to the climate." Kiara paused. "One more thing. I'm gonna hack your biochip to disconnect you from the Aether Network."
I frowned. "Excuse me?"
"We need to get rid of their software."
"No. That's impossible."
"I'm telling you. It's to keep you safe."
"Why?" I stepped back. This was already too much.
"Obvious, isn't it?" Kiara rolled her eyes. "That software has all the official codes. It's your biggest tracker. How do you think they know exactly where to hunt you?"
"M-my entire life depends on Aether Network access. And my connection to Takashi?"
"Androids and humans have unique tracking nanoencryption. Your connection to Takashi will be fine."
It was true. But cutting off Aether Network access cost 99% of the biochip's functionality. Unthinkable. Especially in my professional position. But what good was my professional position if I was already prey?
I took a deep breath. Perhaps, after all this, I could reinstall it. I gave in. It was that or the mercenaries would find us at any moment.
"All right."
The bioscreen appeared without my permission. Several apps vanished. Pixels raced frantically. I tried to keep up. Impressive!
"Done. Nobody's Land is an hour from here. I'll explain more on the way."
We walked to the car. The storm roared. The entire city submerged in fog. Only a few meters of visibility.
I sniffed. The cutting wind carried sand, spattering my face.
"Seeing the sea from the coast…" Kiara was driving. "We'll leave that for another day."
I tried to smile, except insecurity betrayed my body in its trembling. Even so, as we advanced, a muted excitement spread inside me. Mixed with fear. Greater than the mercenaries hunting me. Greater than the threat of probable death. It was another kind of fear. One I tried to name, but would only understand when I stood before it.
I narrowed my eyes against the mist. Tried to see beyond the veil covering the city. My time there had been brief, but it had left marks. The place where Maia had spent her childhood.
I closed my eyes. Kiara's words resonated inside me. Flashes of memories of Maia erupted in my mind.
I rested my head against the window.
Let the memories carry me away.