Gaston took time off from work. He went to the place that he had been curious to go ever since coming from this side of the world.

The Rook Squad’s natives were going there so he thought it would be a good time to join them. It was a holy land for some. Old and New, it was the place where you can find old technology.

Shion and Yumina were wandering around while Boris and him watched them from a stall.

“Are you not going to buy something?”

“Just looking around. I am looking for one of those old handheld systems. I got one back then.”

“There should be. I doubt they have an English pack, though.”

“Familiar with them?”

“I lived through a long time. I used to play RTS games and go through forums and message boards whining about surreal stuff happening.”

“And you were right?”

“Mostly not. It was a hit and miss. We did have a thought that the pacific ring of fire would open up and destroy everything. But it didn’t. And somehow we’re still here.”

Boris moves his neck.

The populace was moving like waves. The roads were filled with visitors and its native citizens. It was crowded . And if it wasn’t for the cool winds coming in. He wouldn’t have dared to wear his customized suit in this crowd.

Boris groaned. His big body was noticeable and among the crowd they stood out with them being heads taller than everyone. He wiped his face and asked gingerly.

“Are you going to quit soon?”

“Might.”

It was no secret that Gaston Hardy wanted out of this planet. To live in the now water-filled world of Mars has made those who were wealthy and poor want to go there. The end of the world had made humans rapidly advance and the stronger bodies they possess made it possible for them to advance

“Don’t want to go?”

Gaston fooled his arms and then looked down.

“It’s a strange thing. I was hoping and working hard to go there. I spent days working for the singular goal. I got it. Reached it. But now I can do it. It’s hard to go. Leave all of this behind.”

“It isn’t exactly leaving your house. We tend to feel pressure when leaving our country, and adjust to the culture of that world.”

“It’s not like it’s that different. Most of the communities still mimic our world here.”

“Generation ships were deployed. Thousands of people went to Mars. Made use of what they brought to convert the land into theirs. Different planet, but still a community of earthlings. Though, the next generation’s going to be Martians.”

Boris looked up. He faced one palm up.

“Time is fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was still working as a merc. Now I’m this strong. It doesn’t make me feel so special.”

“When everyone’s so special. It’s hard to feel special.”

“Got that right.”

Boris walked and followed the two. Gaston was looking at the shops while occasionally ducking under the stalls.

“I do wonder about you two. Feel like you two get along. Don’t meet up a lot, but you live in one house. She has that wife’s stare at her foolish husband.”

“Does she?”

“Oh, she does have. But you weren’t married. An Ex perhaps?”

“Not really… it’s a complicated matter.”

Boris looked at the capsule stand. He tapped the capsule machine and took the gumball that got out of it.

“Want to talk about it?”

“What about these two?”

“Bah, they can handle themselves. Probably going to an arcade. Still thinks like kids, these two.”

“Okay.”

Gaston followed Boris, weaving through the dense crowd, bumping shoulder-to-shoulder, head looking down and sometimes up. The crowd made it feel like there was no major accident that happened a few weeks ago.

This country had good standards when repairing damaged roads. He did hear that there was an accident here in Akihabara that caused many to abandon the extended area. Although it was repaired immediately, there were places that were still defunct and inaccessible.

The small alleys were crowded as well. The farther they went in, the more sure Gaston was that they were looking for private bars where most of the Mercs hang around. They found one hidden in this shop selling trinkets. Boris bought one of the trinkets and headed in.

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A guard sat on a stool reading his tablet. Boris handed the trinket he bought and was allowed in. Gaston followed through and to his surprise there was an underground lounge that was rather silent despite the furniture and decoration. Most of the men and women here spoke in whispers and there were types that had tattoos poking out of their sleeves.

“Underground bar?”

“There are many like this here. Ever since they started easily letting in people in this country through the Pact made by the UEDF. We have hidden bars here where these folks can do business quietly.”

“Why drink here?”

“Cause’ they got Hiroki here.”

“I mean you can buy it online.”

“No, no, you don’t understand it until you drink one.”

The two sat in their booth. One of the waitresses, wearing white vest and long black skirt, took their order and left quietly. Gaston could barely hear the waitress breathe and she walked so quietly as well.

Gaston leaned on the table. Boris rested his back on the seat with face pointed upwards.

“Ah, just what I need.”

“Lot of work, eh?”

“It is. Especially when you are in such an in-demand company. Pay is high but there is barely time to go out. We’re still planting roots and being lazy doesn’t help the company’s reputation.”

Gaston drew on the flat of the table and tapped his fingers.

“It should calm down when those disruptors are finished. People seemed like they were eager to get it.”

The disruptors were met with different opinions. Some are saying that it was the way of the UEDF to keep them obedient while most media partners and government are hoping to get it out to form this net of disruption.

The problem with the disruptors was that they are only available to first-world countries. To countries who could afford the billion-priced disruptors. With the appearance of the cuffs, it would allow the countries who allowed Breakers in their nation to monitor them through satellite and authorize them to use.

“Not in the land of the free,” Boris commented. “Everyone there thinks that it’s a violation of their privacy and body, so they keep protesting about it.”

The cuffs tracked them. Which means that the Breakers would become easily accountable to whatever chaos they would cause. Gaston looked up the videos from content creators and saw that most of them were already creating video essays and stating their opinion on the matter.

“Well, they aren’t wrong. But I know for sure that it keeps a Breaker stable.”

“You got to test it, right?”

“I have. And soon all the Babaika Company members are going to have that module on their bracers and belt generators. The Lady did propose that they put an exception to Breaker Companies. Which means that if the Company concludes that there is a need for the Breakers to fight, they will have an exception.”

Boris takes the glass of water from the waitress. The waitress placed the bottle of Hiroki and shot glasses on the table.

“So are you working on that?”

“Not my jurisdiction. Most of the work goes to Janna these days. She has more experience in conversing with the proper authorities regarding these matters. I say that she has more talent in this than fighting.”

Gaston couldn’t help but find his voice going bitter.

“And you have the talent for fighting, Adjutant. Saw you fight and honestly if you weren’t acting for the UEDF and the Consortium. You’d be working with Jakob and Hild.”

“Thing is that I don’t enjoy fighting anymore.”

“I can see that. The Golden Gate must have been one hell of an experience.”

Boris poured him a shot. Gaston breathed in and breathed out. He stirred the glass.

“Actually, I wasn’t supposed to check that place out. But when you become someone expecting a kid. You don’t know what to do. You’d fight the world if it means that your kid gets to come to this world safely.”

Boris listened. Gaston appreciated that quietness.

“It was supposed to be an easy job. Just checked the insides of this subspace. I’ve done dives before and this one was supposed to be no different. The damnd thing about it? We were prepared. We sent a Regiment of fighters to the Golden Gate. All armed to do their task and kill whatever threatens us.”

Gaston took a shot in one gulp.

“But when we entered that hell. The Ichor didn’t flow in their bodies. So most of the equipment that we were using, the advanced ones, had to be on standby. We relied on diesel and tried to find a way back, but we couldn’t. The split-realm was always volatile and although we were fighting well with the common weaponry. We were in a world where the biomass entities ruled. Day by the day we experienced attacks. We found food sources and water, but as time passed most of the Breakers didn’t get their shot. They were deprived of ichor for so long that they started begging for it. I put down ten of my people alone. And by the time most of the weak-willed Breakers were done for. We were exhausted. Fighting like primitives, wielding swords and shields. It was somewhat lucky that we stood strong. We fought and fought. Many of those who were with us during that dive were the best fighters I’ve known. I wasn’t anything like them, but they taught me enough to survive and if they weren’t facing the battles. We’d be dead.”

“But you survived.”

“I did. Hard to believe it sometimes. I thought it was all over when there were only fifty of us left. One thing though? I wanted to live on. Fight hard. Didn’t matter as long as I got to see my kid. We don’t know if there was going to be a time dilation. I just hoped that there wasn’t. The thing though? I never really despaired. I never broke down. I never bent. I grew up during time when the end of the world happened. I grew up when my country became a land full of mutates killing people.”

“Catalonia was hit hard, right?”

“Yup. When the ichor ‘blessed’ everyone. They rapidly evolved. Took years to clean up and by the time we did. Andorra La Vella was the only city standing. We got taken in by recruiters. Told us to fight for what’s left of our country. Child soldiers who killed mutates. Janna, Reginald, and some of our friends survived. Nothing fazed me after. Growing up like that hardens you.”

Boris poured more. Gaston took a shot.

“After the golden gate started to settle down. I was happy. And when we finally got out of that hell and were rescued by the Breakers who were constantly slaughtering around the gate.

“They told me that eight months had passed. I was happy. Elated that I survived and can see my kid. I could see her again. It brought life to me that I got out. I survived. I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t afraid, but when I saw her wielding that buster sword of hers with a flat belly and an exhausted look on her face. My heart dropped, Boris. It just dropped.”

“Did she?”

“No. She wanted it. But you can’t expect to fight with a bloated belly, get injured and still hope that the baby survives. I wasn’t angry. If anything it broke me that she fought hard, hoping that I'd still be alive. And you know what? If I just accepted the offer that a friend gave me. But instead I was careless. We lost something that we wanted to have.”

“That ain’t your fault.”

“I know,” Gaston looked at the shot glass. “We keep saying that. Repeating it again and again in our heads that it wasn’t in our control. But you can’t just help sometimes, you know? To wish that you’d never should have taken it.”

Gaston knew that there was nothing to be done about it. But it doesn’t stop it from hurting.