"Who are you?" Nyra asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm Mia… Fidelia's friend," Mia said, adjusting her glasses nervously.
"Ah," Nyra exhaled sharply. "She really needs to start keeping better friends. No wonder she changes up like that."
She glanced around the car, confused. "Where am I? Wait—where's the bike I brought?"
"We left it back there," Mia said quietly.
"Typical Fidelia," Nyra muttered under her breath. "I'm starting not to like you. This is the second time I'm waking up coming out and it's your face I see. I can't stand being in your presence."
"Open the door," she demanded.
Mia quickly unlocked it, and Nyra stepped out, sucking in a deep breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly; her heart was racing. She hated being inside cars—it stirred memories she didn't like to remember.
Mia stayed still, watching her closely, unsure what Nyra would do next.
After a moment, when Nyra had calmed her breathing, she finally spoke.
"Do you have a laptop with you?" Nyra asked.
"Yes… there's one in the backseat," Mia said slowly, drawing out her words as she tried to understand what Nyra intended.
Nyra immediately opened the door, reached into the backseat, and pulled out the laptop. She flipped it open and booted it up.
"What do you need it for?" Mia asked.
"I'm pretty sure Bridget should have left the club by now. I need to track her location and be sure to kill her this time. That useless guy who pushed me — I'm going to break every bone in him before I end him," Nyra said, voice low and dangerous.
Hearing this, Fidelia lunged forward and slammed the laptop shut, closing the screen.
"Are you crazy? You want to kill someone?" Mia demanded, alarmed.
"No I'm not killing anyone. I'm killing those that offended me and my sister. I have to protect her. She's too weak. No, I can't let you do this. Fidelia won't like this. She wouldn't want this."
Mia quickly grabbed the laptop. The air seemed to change all of a sudden; Mia's expression went cold.
Nyra snatched Mia's hand, then immediately grabbed her by the throat, squeezing. "I'm not killing you because you're Fidelia's friend. Stop."
Mia tried to speak and struggled to free herself, but Nyra squeezed harder. "If you ever stop me from doing what I want again, I'll end you."
"Fidelia… I know you're okay, I know you are in there," Mia kept saying, frantic. The voice in Nyra wasn't done; she clamped down and Nyra's hand flew away. Nyra pressed her palm to her head, trying to stop the pain.
"Ah!" she shouted. "Tell Fidelia….. I'm going to protect her. No one will hurt her again. Next time I'm out, I'll be sure to do it."
She spoke with difficulty as she sank to her knees, trying to compress the pain inside her skull. After a few seconds the words trailed off and she fell silent.
Fidelia stared, stunned. "What just happened?" she asked, then looked at Mia, who was clutching her throat and struggling for breath.
"Oh God… it's Nyra again, isn't it?" Fidelia whispered.
Mia nodded.
"What does she want this time?" Fidelia asked quietly.
"For starters," Mia sighed, "I think she's bent on killing anyone who offends you or her. Anyone. I don't even know anymore. But I'm very sure she'll be targeting Bridget next. And she won't stop."
"Mia…"
"Fidelia, you need help," Mia said firmly. "You need to see someone. Someone that can treat you for this, it's more serious than we thought."
"Fine," Fidelia replied after a pause. "After the meeting tomorrow, I'll figure it out. For now… just drop me home. My head hurts."
Mia nodded, starting the car.
"And Mia," Fidelia added, turning to look her directly in the eyes. "Please — no one must know about this. I mean it. Not even Andrian. Especially not him."
She turned her face to the window, voice dropping to a whisper only she could hear.
'He can't know I'm broken like this', Fidelia thought. 'He can't know.'
...
The next morning, Andrian was up early. He stepped out into the cool air, walking toward the garage. Unlocking it, he slipped inside and shut the door behind him.
He moved deeper in, heading straight to the far wall but something caught his attention. His eyes widened.
His car. The front bumper was dented.
Without needing to think too hard, he already knew who had done it.
Do you ever listen, Fidelia? he muttered inwardly, dragging a hand down his face in disbelief. The one time I told you not to use the car… you still went ahead and did it.
He sighed heavily, rubbing his temple. As he turned, he noticed an empty space near the corner. Something was missing there but he couldn't quite place what. With all the cars and motorbikes he owned, it didn't seem important enough to dwell on.
Shaking off the thought, Andrian reached the end of the wall and pulled down a small, concealed lever. Instantly, a section of the wall began to rise, revealing what looked like an ordinary partition. To anyone else, it was just a solid wall. But behind it… was something no one would have guessed.
He stepped inside. The moment he entered, the wall slid shut behind him, and the platform began to descend. The soft hum of machinery filled the silence as the elevator lowered him into the hidden basement below.
When the motion finally stopped, Andrian walked forward and clapped his hands once.
At that sound, the underground space became bright as lights flickered on, screens glowed to life, and the darkness was swallowed by a cold, sterile brightness.
"Welcome back, Andrian," a smooth female voice echoed through the chamber. "It's been a while."
Artificial intelligence has awakened.
The lights flickered on, revealing rows of tech and files and multiple screens displaying videos, pictures, and detailed plans.
"Hi April," Andrian said with a calm tone. "Been sorting some issues out."
"Alright, boss," the AI's female voice replied.
He slipped his hands into his pockets, eyes fixed on one of the screens. "So, who is our next target? Because I plan to strike on the day of my wedding."
There was a brief pause before April responded, her tone precise.
"Target file already updated."
Andrian smiled faintly. "Good. Let's make a move"