In the Subterrans' sky cities, Galen hopped down from a bat-like aerocar that hovered briefly before settling onto the landing pad.
Thanking Xao, he said,
"Thank you, Xao."
"Still thanking?" Xao replied, his rough face betraying the brutal toll life had taken on him, though he looked younger than Galen.
Galen hopped down and extended his holo wristwatch, which converted into binary code SC, standing for StarCred. the currency with a value calculated at 23 SC.
Xao's aerocar began analyzing the payment,
but Xao himself shut it down.
"What are you doing?" Xao asked.
"Paying you," Galen replied.
"Omo, look at you. You still gonna pay me? I gotta hustle, keep your credits. Your moon chip's low; try to recharge it. We need it." Xao said before walking off.
Galen's moon chip, embedded behind his ear and extending to the brain's edge, glowed faintly, an outdated model, noticeably less advanced than Xao's newer branded chip.
He adjusted the official magneto boots, exo-shoulder traps, and other gear, looking every inch the agent just off duty.
He stood before the towering construction complex The Helix Spire, a colossal vertical habitat where the city grew upward, not outward.
Inside, the elevator hummed as it rose. The building was bustling with Dubeon: bio-silicon-faced robots blending seamlessly with humans, performing dangerous, physical tasks with quiet efficiency. They wore modest coverings over sensitive mechanical joints
a mix of practicality and dignity.
A holographic voice greeted him,
"Welcome, Galen Xarotar."
The elevator chimed softly as it reached the Central Cypher Bank.
At the sleek interface of the ChronoCred Exchange, a translucent, light-infused counter humming softly with embedded nanotech, Galen smiled at the attendant, a composed woman whose presence balanced efficiency with calm assurance.
"Hello, Dr. Q."
She returned the smile with professional grace.
"He resigned. I'm managing the operations now. How may I assist you?"
"I'm here for Brody's accrued hours," Galen said.
After a brief holographic summary of Brody's details, including age and classification, she responded,
"The Central Cypher Bank can transfer funds without a visit. How do I know you're Nexis?"
Trying to stay calm, Galen snapped,
"Oh, for heaven's sake, if I'm not Nexis, will your security system even let me in? Can't you see I'm Agent UPC.5.6?"
The AI assistant beside her flickered warnings.
"That doesn't confirm you're Nexis. My assistant can analyse your temperament," she said.
Galen's irritation grew as he noticed the AI escalating alerts.
"Fine. I usually handle this remotely with UPC.5.6, but Brody isn't my assigned Dubeon, he's my late father's Dubeon. He works for your company to provide for our family. I'm here to collect his hours."
"Mr. Xarotar," she said firmly, "this company exists to safeguard humanity. Since Brody wasn't your assigned Dubeon, your rights over him are limited. He has the choice to live independently or to be… deactivated."
Galen nearly snapped,
"Good heavens, miss. I get it, you're frustrated. Let your assistant handle this. Brody signed himself as my partner. Look!" He showed the holo screen, frustration clear in his voice.
"Fine. Work hard to earn your own Dubeon. Don't be enslaved by emotions," she said, turning away.
Galen cursed under his breath as his holo watch blinked: 1037 SC credited.
He left quickly but spotted Brody through a large glass partition, busy at work with other Dubeon some floating, some walking handling tasks with mechanical precision.
Brody pushed a sci-fi cart filled with containers that might hold chemicals.
"Galen!" Brody called out.
"Bro, I collected your hours," Galen replied.
"I know. You look stressed."
Galen forced a smile.
"Sorry for being cold to you last night and this morning."
"Aww, Galen wants to humanise me," Brody joked. They laughed together.
"What's going on?" Galen asked.
"The Veil Kin attacked one of the construction sites. We're going to have to work harder, physically," Brody said.
Galen gasped in surprise, then cursed under his breath as he hurried out of the building, sprinting while fumbling to activate his moon.
Galen activated his moon chip.
"Wake up, Lili," he said.
"Here with you, Galen," she replied.
"Oh my, I have tons of calls and messages. You just went into sleep mode? Damn," he said.
"Sorry, trying to replenish energy." She cut off her moon chip.
"Call Xao now," Galen ordered as he stepped outside.
"Xao is at four hundred," Lili replied.
"Just call!" Galen snapped.
Seconds later, Xao arrived.
"Xup, bro. Just got your code," Xao said, hopping in.
"Please, UPC back urgent," Galen said as Xao sped away.
As Xao's aerocar touched down at the UPC headquarters a bustling nexus where sleek Skyblades and Neon Gliders lined up methodically in the dispatch bay. Galen hopped down just as Xao pulled away.
Galen called out,
"Sir!?"
The entire squad turned sharply.
"Late again, Galen," Adam teased, arms crossed.
"I don't know, I was in sleep mode. Didn't get any texts or calls earlier," Galen replied, rubbing his eyes.
Adam smirked,
"Man, your whole life is outdated. You couldn't even dodge a moon chip alert. When was the last time you took your Nurturate X-21? I can tell from your pale skin."
His teammates chuckled.
Before Galen could respond, Aidenx started to speak,
"Sir—"
But Adam cut him off,
"Give him your SynBadge. I'll have you suspended in no time."
Adam yanked the badge from Galen's wrist. Instantly, Galen's official agent attire blinked out as the badge's holographic code deactivated it. Galen folded his arms and began to walk away, Aidenx trailing behind.
"You should let that idiot keep your badge," Aidenx whispered. "You know what to do. He's got no right. I can help get you detained from above. We could pull it off together."
Galen sighed,
"Thanks. I hate this place. I'm just tired… need to be alone. Away from work, from everything."
Aidenx nodded in understanding, watching him retreat.
"Take care, I'll check on you, mate," Aidenx said.
"Did you catch them?" Galen asked abruptly.
"Vile Kins are cunning not like their caged, damn ancestors," Aidenx replied with a bitter smile.
Galen forced a tight smile and nodded, stepping into the bustling sky city streets, lost deep in thought.
"You know I can't work right now. We can't avoid medical care for Elyon. She needs you, Nevale. Galen, me, all of us. She's young, she needs her energy. We can survive weeks without it, but she can't. We lost your father—I don't want to cry again."
The words echoed in Galen's mind as people passed by, some riding personal hover transports, oblivious to his silence.
He walked miles in quiet, no words, just heavy depression.
He stopped at a futuristic kiosk glowing with holographic displays of Nurturate X-21 variants dozens of options, each promising vitality and survival.
"Anyone here?" Galen muttered as the holo screen flickered and faded into the form of an elderly woman.
"Why the sudden demand? I bought this for 10 SC, but the minimum price is 30 now," Galen said, brows furrowed.
The hologram replied,
"Maybe your moon chip is outdated. The multiple Veil Kin attacks, combined with the blockade from the Asiaslis dictator across our borders, have pushed prices sky-high. If you can't pay, you can survive three months without it, but life gets harder and your body suffers."
The holo screen faded back to its menu.
Galen selected two packs at 30 SC each and confirmed the transaction.
He slung the package over his back and turned to leave.
"Hello, Nevale," he said, pulling out his communicator.
"You got suspended again. Just got your code," Nevale's voice came through.
"Yeah, I bought Elyon's Nurturate. From whose hours? Brody's again?" she asked.
"Brother, we n
eed to talk, seriously. I don't understand…" Galen began, but Nevale's voice cut off.
Just then, a hover aerocar landed beside him. Without hesitation, Galen jumped in.