"Hey."
Kiara's voice cut through my thoughts.
"Hey!"
I snapped out of it.
A gray haze surrounded us.
Yellow dust tangled with fog.
"Finally."
Put the mask on.
She pointed at my face.
"The mask."
"Right."
I fitted it over my face.
Surprisingly light.
"Look at me."
A holographic panel appeared beside her.
It displayed her data:
Name: KiaraClass: Aurum — inactiveType: AndroidAge: Unknown
"See?
The mask's nanites connect to your nervous system.
It'll affect you while you're wearing it.
Pay close attention to what I'm about to say."
Her tone sharpened.
"We're entering Nobody's Land.
If anyone talks to you, ignore them.
I registered you as an active Class 1 mercenary."
She parked the car.
"Let me do the talking, alright?"
I swallowed.
"Okay."
My voice sounded wrong.
"If this works, we can get intel on your contract."
Her expression darkened.
Her eyes grew even sharper.
"In the seat beside you. Pull it.
Simple. Pull it up."
I slid my hand into the gap and lifted the seat effortlessly.
My eyes widened.
My blood ran cold.
An arsenal.
Weapons. Attachments. Ammunition. Explosives.
"Grab one.
It's right in front of you.
It's loaded."
What was she asking of me?
My pulse hammered at my temples.
"I—I…"
"Relax.
Protocol.
Every mercenary carries one."
She saw the panic on my face.
"Hey. Breathe.
I'm here.
It's part of the disguise.
Holster it. On your hip."
She winked.
Touching a weapon felt unimaginable.
My hands shook.
She said it was just a disguise.
I trusted her.
I almost dropped the revolver.
Gripped it too tightly.
A connection surged through my nerves.
Holographic overlay.
No target selected.
Six rounds loaded.
None chambered.
"All weapons interface with the nervous system. Improves efficiency."
She explained it casually.
The weight of it crushed me.
I searched for words.
A sea of confusion.
"I…
These things…
I want to save lives.
Weapons only take them."
"I know.
It's just appearance."
My confidence dissolved.
I exhaled stiffly.
Just for now.
I placed it in the holster.
Tried to forget it was there.
The white fog cleared.
Hot winds thick with yellow dust sliced through the air.
A violent mix of chemicals, decay, refuse—
And bones.
My stomach lurched.
A pile of bodies.
Some looked recently dead.
I shut my eyes.
The urge to vomit burned inside me.
"Don't."
My tear-filled eyes met Kiara's.
I was about to collapse.
I held myself together.
"Hold it.
Hold.
Okay?"
She smiled reassuringly.
No.
It wasn't sustainable.
How could anyone endure this?
It was too much.
"Hey. Breathe.
You'll be fine."
I thought of Maia.
Forced the tears back down.
She had been here long before.
As a child.
I had to endure.
I wiped my eyes.
"Better?"
Her voice softened.
"Y-yes."
"Good. Ready?"
"Yes."
I tried to sound steady.
Probably sounded desperate.
Kiara stepped out of the car.
I followed.
"Stay close," she whispered.
It took time to adjust to the sight.
Spiraling hot winds.
Dense yellow clouds.
Dirt ground cluttered with debris.
Corrupted holographic gun ads flickering between static and war imagery.
Mountains of electronics — from forgotten eras to discarded prosthetics — rose meters into the air.
Metal tents and containers stacked between them.
Hundreds lived here.
As we walked, people avoided eye contact.
Or rather, avoided looking at Kiara.
A massive machine gun rested across her back.
When had she put that on?
I'd been too overwhelmed to notice.
We reached the commercial center.
Stalls packed tight.
Vendors shouting over one another, selling robotic devices.
Sweat-soaked mercenaries, armed to the teeth, flanked by vicious animals, glared at anyone who dared stare too long.
But the most shocking—
Armed children.
I looked away.
No.
I forced myself to look.
Maia had been one of them.
We passed a metallic stall wedged between heaps of abandoned implants and devices.
A sun-scarred man with gray hair tied in a tight knot held a small silver module.
His rough fingers ran along the metal as if reading its texture.
"This one's a relic," he muttered to a buyer.
"Pre-dissolution of Oceania, 2861."
The buyer — a broad mercenary with angular features — frowned.
"Dissolution?
You serious?
That's when Sydney and Singapore swallowed everything?"
The vendor shrugged.
"They swallowed what was left.
Before that, megacorps carved up the federation piece by piece.
Governments fell quietly.
Replaced by corporate contracts."
He raised the silver module toward the light.
"This?
One of the last independent biochips from that era.
Before Moana-Tūmanako took full control.
Now everything that leaves there has tracking. Central oversight.
You can be erased with a remote command."
The buyer scoffed.
"And why the hell would I want a broken antique chip?"
The vendor smiled sideways.
"Because the old ones are free.
And that's why they endure."
I swallowed hard.
We stopped in front of a wide, rusty aluminum door, flanked by walls made of compacted garbage blocks.
Thankful for the mask, I avoided thinking about the smell.
What a horrible place.
How could this exist?
We stepped inside.
An enclosed space.
Doors opened on both sides.
Shops sold nanotech items and nanobio implants.
Most of them obsolete versions.
Hundreds crowded bars and virtual reality rooms.
Casino holograms flickered in violent colors.
Pixelated money floated through the air.
Excited screams.
Fights with machines.
Shrieking slot systems.
At the entrance, a holosign read:
NO ROBOTIC TRADES ACCEPTED.
E-CURRENCY ONLY.
INSIST AT YOUR OWN RISK.
In the VR area, players lay connected by tubes — mouths and intimate parts.
I blinked.
What the hell was that?
Was the addiction so extreme they ate and excreted through tubes?
A brown liquid passed through one of them.
That answered my question.
I turned my face away.
Disgust.
At the other entrance, two Class 8 mercenaries, machine guns ready, analyzed us.
"Who you here to see, colleague?"
The thin voice addressed Kiara.
"Cron."
"He's at his usual corner.
You know… the throne."
The other snickered.
"You here for the thirteen-million contract, right?"
A wide grin.
Missing teeth.
"You're the second inactive Aurum that showed up today."
Kiara grunted. Uninterested.
"Who was the first?"
The other elbowed him.
He kept laughing.
"Whatever," Kiara said, impatient.
"Move."
They obeyed instantly.
I followed her.
Behind us, a whisper:
"Think he's still doing that thing.
Wanna bet?
An arm?"
Their voices faded.
We kept walking.
We passed a bar.
Three doors.
Kiara entered the second.
A dark corridor.
Sticky green liquid trickled down the walls.
Another bar.
A woman slept holding a gun.
A man followed us with his eyes.
And there—
A giant sat on a golden toilet throne.
At least two meters tall.
Arms strong, tattooed.
Belly like a steel tank.
His mask displayed a shark's mouth.
Two tubes connected him to a tank on his back.
A reddish liquid glowed inside.
Blond hair to his shoulders.
Dangerous blue eyes.
Yet something… strangely warm in him.
CronMercenary LeaderCyborg42 cycles
Below him.
On the floor.
A kneeling pair.
An armless android.
A young woman.
Blood splattered before her.
My eyes flew to Cron's hands.
Stained red.
Hatred burned in his gaze.
My heart pumped desperation through my veins.
I wanted to close my eyes.
I remembered where I was.
Held my posture.
What the hell is this?
"Kiara."
His voice thundered.
Pebbles trembled on the floor.
"Cron."
"To what do I owe this honor?"
"You know."
"Of course. The contract.
But first — help me out."
He arched a brow and adjusted himself on the grotesque throne.
"I've got a dilemma.
See these little shits?
I'm deciding whether I shoot her in the head and him in the chest…"
He laughed.
A deep, cruel sound that crawled down my spine.
"…or take them to the chamber.
Yeah. That chamber."
"Depends what they did."
Kiara shrugged, like casual conversation.
"Tsk.
They stole my child.
My baby.
My pig."
My muscles locked.
What…?
"The bastards removed Maláni's mask.
He died."
His voice dipped into something like grief.
Contradicting the madness in his eyes.
"Maláni was old.
You extended his life too long.
They did him a favor."
Cron slammed the metal wall.
The vibration ran through my bones.
"So what?!
He was MY pig!
The person who gave him to me is dead.
He was unique!"
His eyes flared.
I forced myself not to shake.
"Then buy another."
Kiara played along.
What kind of conversation was this?
Cron paused.
Looked side to side.
"Better than shitty advice.
So — shoot?"
"Yes. Shoot."
Shoot?
What—
He rose too fast.
Gun drawn.
BANG!
The bullet tore through the android's chest.
Metal echoed.
I dug my nails into my palms.
Held the tremor in my bones.
I knew.
The android's core had been destroyed.
The nucleus that carried its essence.
Its entire existence—
Gone.
Forever.
Even data recovery impossible.
Cron descended the steps toward us.
A shadow moved with him.
I wanted to step back.
I didn't.
I had to stand.
"Who's this?"
"My apprentice."
"Apprentice?"
He raised a suspicious brow.
"How about our little mercenary here gets a lesson?"
He extended the gun toward me.
Balanced it on his fingers.
"Shoot that little piece of trash."
He leaned close.
Searched my face.
I held my breath.
Every muscle tight.
Met his gaze.
"She's my apprentice," Kiara cut in.
"Oh?
Let's see what she's learned."
His eyes smiled viciously.
"Cron!"
Kiara barked.
"Come on, darling.
Show me."
I swallowed.
My throat burned.
A slow heat crawled up my spine.
BANG!
The explosion rang in my ears.
I blinked.
Regretted it instantly.
Cron stopped smiling.
Studied me.
Holstered the gun.
"You're a mood killer."
Blood spread across the floor.
Bile surged.
Locked in my throat.
Burning.
I fought it back.
Tears pooled.
I wanted to collapse.
To scream.
To run.
I didn't.
I chained the emotion inside.
Every cell hurt.
But my feet stayed planted.
"Fine. Problem solved."
"The thirteen-million contract?"
"Yes. Terms?"
"They paid half already.
Target alive.
Meeting point — Iron Ruins."
He picked dirt from under his nails.
Just business.
"Standard.
Easy target.
Aurums get activated if it escalates to ultra-difficult.
You'll have to wait if you want the contract."
Easy.
I was easy?
My stomach dropped.
"Rescind?"
Kiara's voice sliced the air.
Cron stiffened.
"Rescind?"
The woman who'd been asleep opened one eye.
The man stared.
"Talk to the Matriarch.
Or the Father."
Kiara clenched her jaw.
"Shit. Them?"
I lowered my eyes.
How could they act like nothing had happened?
Like taking a life was breathing?
My palms hurt from how hard I'd clenched them.
I bit my lip.
The mercenary clicked his tongue.
Unexpectedly, he grabbed both our shoulders.
Our feet moved unwillingly.
"Alright.
I'll walk you out."
His bloody hand was heavy.
Warm.
Semi-open wounds marked his skin.
The crust looked reinforced, as if metal lay beneath.
We passed the two guards.
"Hey, Cron.
Did you finish before Kiara showed up?"
"No.
She finished it for me."
Behind us:
"You owe me an arm."
"What for?
You've already got two, idiot."
"Because I wanna be like John Five-Arms."
"John Five-Arms is a legend.
You're garbage."
Their laughter faded.
Cron slowed near the commercial center.
"Your car. Where?"
Kiara pointed.
We walked.
He released us.
Crossed his arms.
"You know the respect I have for you.
And for Maia."
For the first time, he sounded different.
Heavier.
"I returned the favor I owed her."
Silence.
Something changed in his eyes.
"I gave everything I owed her."
His voice softened.
"Even dead, she visits my dreams."
He pressed his fingers together.
An uncharacteristic gesture.
"Maybe now I'll sleep."
Or tried to convince himself.
"She's the only favor I ever owed anyone."
He pointed at me.
"I know.
She's the contract target."
"Cron—"
"I know. You know.
She's no mercenary.
I recognize Zenith when I see it.
She did well.
Convincing enough."
He gestured vaguely.
"Why protect her?
Lucky you came to me.
If you'd gone to Trix or Denden, it'd be different.
Now go.
I'll pretend I never saw you.
That's all I can do."
Kiara relaxed slightly.
"To repay Maia, you'll need more than that."
He closed his eyes.
Hands together in mock prayer.
"Maia, wherever you are — let me sleep."
He exhaled.
"One more thing.
That guy.
The one who came earlier.
Be careful."
He turned away.
The weight in my lungs intensified.
Then—
He disappeared.
And with him, that crushing pressure.
I collapsed into tears.
Kiara's eyes widened.
I could only cry.
For the bodies.
For the families.
For the children.
For the android.
For the girl.
I did nothing.
Could I have?
A girl.
Thinking of what Maia endured—
My heart split again.
Warm arms wrapped around me.
"Shh.
It's okay. I'm here."
I buried my face in her shoulder.
Even in that wasteland, I trusted her.
She stroked my hair.
"It's alright now."
"I'm going to throw up," I sobbed.
"Let's get out of here."
Inside the car, she handed me a bag.
I removed the mask.
I vomited.
Cried.
Vomited again.
A cruel helplessness lodged deep inside me.
I curled into the seat.
Soaked it with tears.
Stared into nothing.
Kiara drove.
After a long while, I calmed.
My stomach empty.
"Hold on a bit longer.
We're almost there."
I rubbed my swollen eyes.
How did Maia survive this?
"W-where are we going?"
Kiara checked the rearview mirror.
"Netheria."
The name felt heavy.
Like it hid something I wasn't ready to understand.