Chapter 10

Log. 23053.o.a

I have an extra body. One that I keep hidden at all costs. The way I got that body, well, it was eccentric. It was right after the body exchange. A man on the street was accompanied by two more people. The three wore the same clothes and walked the same way. The three stopped to greet me and their voices and gestures were also the same. Then they started talking to me, and little by little, I noticed slight differences between each of them. I asked if they were brothers and what kind of game that was. With a smile, one of them replied: “Yes, I already had brothers. Artificial brothers. But when I was born my parents turned them off. After all, who needs fake children when you have me?”

Ganen walked back to Séra’s room thinking of where she could have left her notebook. There weren’t many places besides the dresser and the armchair, so it was probably on one of those. Séra was still sleeping when she gave her the next dose of penicillin, but there was a difference between sleeping and unconscious, and Ganen was happy to see it on her face.

It was also very sweet to look at her with the earphones on, Ganen loved how Séra was open to new ideas, devices, tech, specially because they were such a great part of her life; even in Tree City she was the one who had — and used with perfection — the most tech.

She placed her hand on the door handle and heard a male voice in the room; maybe a nurse was coming to check on Séra, although she remembered the IV fluid bag being quite full. When she opened the door, however, she was struck with a terrible surprise.

There was a man sitting on Séra’s legs and her sheets were stained in red. His eyes focused on her for a second, and that was enough for her instincts to kick in. Her body was ready to run away, but instead she ran towards him and shoved the man to the floor, on the other side of the bed.

There was a loud thud when Ori fell, his head hit the wall and all went blank for a moment. He heard muffled voices, maybe a scream, but perhaps it was all in his mind, his own voice telling him to get back up. He was not going to lose, he was going to fight.

With the man on the floor, Ganen focused her attention on Séra and took the scarf out of her mouth; she coughed in disgust, but her eyes were filled with fear. Ori could get back up at any second, and they needed to get out of there.

The IV tube was trickier than the ribbon, Ganen’s fingers were shaking, and she didn’t notice Ori was standing until it was too late. The knife was halfway down to Séra’s chest and all Ganen could do was try to get it out of the way.

— GODdammit! — she cursed as the blade went through her forearm.

She held his hand as he tried to get the weapon back, every movement spread stinging pain all the way up her shoulder. She had never cursed so much, but nothing else mattered, she needed that knife.

Amidst the struggle, Séra saw her chance. She’d been terrified until then, but now Ganen was in danger and she had to do something. Her body was weak, but fear made her strong; she tried to kick Ori in the face, though her leg moved too slowly to be a threat, it was still numb, however, it was good enough: he glanced at her and didn’t even see her heel careening towards his nose.

With a mute thud he let go of the knife and held his nose with both his hands, there was so much blood and pain and he couldn’t even think straight. He barely heard Ganen grunting and screaming as she got the blade out of her left arm.

Now armed, Ganen started cutting the IV tubes, she needed to get Séra out of there, that man was crazy, and if he had another knife, she’d be in so much trouble, she didn’t know how to fight, she never had to, and her left arm wasn’t working well, it was just pain.

Once her hand was free, Séra untied the belt around her left arm, and started getting up. She put her legs out of the bed and grabbed the wooden IV pole, she was filled with anger, rage, and pain, that crazy maniac had hurt Ganen and she wasn’t about to let it happen again.

At the same time Ori was finally shaking off the daze, he had both his hands on the bed, his eyes were still out of focus. Looking down he saw the wheels in the bed but didn’t have enough time to think: Séra was pointing the pole to his face, the IV bag still dangling and dripping on the bed, and her bloodsoaked gown made her look like a crazed beast:

— If ya don't want me to hydrate ya through the wrong hole, ya better stand down, boy.

Boy. Alid called him boy, everyone belittled him, he wasn’t a child, he wasn’t weak, it was all her fault. But Ganen had his knife in hand, and now there was a third person by the door, Great.

Myra had never seen so much blood in her life, even though she worked at a hospital. She asked what was happening, who was that guy, and she felt more tangled than the vines under a bridge. Ganen looked back and that was all Ori needed. It was his chance to punish at least one of them.

He pushed the bed with all the might he still had left in him and Ganen was shoved to the floor by the moving frame. Myra screamed as Séra hit the dresser, if it wasn’t for the pole, she would also be on the floor. Ori was not going to win, he was sure of it, but at least he wouldn’t die alone. If he was biting the dust, so would the bastard who poisoned the mind of his people.

Ori plunged towards Ganen and grabbed her hand, all he needed was his leftover strength, if he forced her hand down, he could stab and kill her and maybe it would be enough, maybe he wouldn’t be a boy anymore, a weakling, a shame, the sick kid.

It all happened too fast, but for Séra time had stopped. The screaming, the fighting, the blood, the anger boiling her insides. She raised the pole over her head and brought it down on Ori with all the might the adrenaline had given her.

There was a loud crack and Ori coughed the blood drowning his lungs. But Séra didn’t hear it. She kicked him off Ganen, raised the pole once more, and hit him again, and again, and again. There was no pain, no thoughts, only blind fury and hatred.

Until someone held her arms. Séra dropped the heavy pole on the floor and looked around panting.

— He's gone. — Yeff said. — It’s over.

— Ah. Yah. — She slowly turned her face to Ganen, the woman was covered in bloody chunks of something. Everything was too slow, her body was numb and she didn’t understand what was being said. — I ain’t so good…

The world went dark and she fainted on Yeff’s arms.

Log. 23034.p

We have spent days studying the captured Robot Physician; we are looking for something that tells us how to reverse this virus situation. The biggest problem is in the programming and we can't change that. If we made a change and it was distributed through the Robot Physician System, we would be immediately discovered and turned off. We need to find an alternative way. Maybe, hum, yes, in fact it is quite possible that The Great Government has something to do with it, but the situation has gotten out of hand, and now they don't know what to do.

That is, if they’re still human.

At Ganen’s request, Séra was put in a new room, at least while they cleaned the bloody mess Ori was turned into. Whenever Ganen closed her eyes, she could still see it. There was nothing left of his head but a mushy pile of minced brain and bone. She could still taste it, no matter how many times she brushed her teeth.

Kyth, one of the nurses in the hospital, had applied some anaesthetics on her arm and was finishing the stitches while Ganen was lost in thought. She kept replaying it in her head, Séra covered in blood, the pain taking over her arm, the hate in the man’s eyes.

— Are you okay? — Kyth asked. — Is it hurting?

— What? No, no, I’m fine. I’m just, ahn, a bit shaken.

— Yeah, you’ll be for a while, both of you went through some pretty nasty stuff. I’d never seen a head split like that before. OH MY GOSH I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…

— It’s okay. I’d never seen a head like that before as well. I hate forgetting, but that’s one thing I’d like to forget. — She slowly looked at the stitched wound on her arm. — Will it be normal again?

— You mean if it’s going to work like before?

— Yeah.

— I can’t really tell, but you can move all your fingers, and the bone is intact, so I believe it’ll be okay. It will take a long time to heal, though. You should wear it on a sling for a while. Take it easy.

Ganen nodded; she never wanted to live through something like that. Kyth finished the bandages in silence and told her they would be back to take a look her at the end of the day.

— And you should take some penicillin yourself, we have no idea how dirty that knife was, even though we cleaned your wound.

— Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on it.

— And this was on the floor in the room. — They put one hand in their pocket and got a little shiny thing out. — I guessed it’s yours? We don’t have this kind of thing around here. I don’t mind, I lived near Tree City for a long time, but the people here may get a bit afraid.

— My music device! I’d totally forgotten about it. — She got it back, then looked at Kyth; they did look like someone from the north, dark skin, curly poofy hair. — Where are you from, exactly? Because I’m from Tree City.

— I thought you were! Because of your tattoos! I’m from a village east of it, a two-day trip, if you go by ground, but it’s faster if you use the tree-path.

— I miss the tree-path so much! It’s so beautiful.

— I thought the bridges around here would remind me of it, but, girl, I was so wrong.

Stolen story; please report.

The tree-path was made of several bridges connecting trees; it was easier and faster to take than the trails on the ground; there were less obstacles and the path was generally more direct. Outsiders used to be a little afraid to use them at first, and Ganen imagined if Séra would too. She was terrified when they climbed a tree together.

They talked about the food they missed the most, the everyday rain, the telefone lines! Life was much easier up north; Kyth explained they had come to Bridge City with a guy — An awful one, if you ask me! they scoffed. —, but the man eventually left and Kyth stayed.

— And you, what are you doing so far from home?

— Research. About the past, the tunnels. And Séra tagged along.

— That sounds so fun! If you ever stop by Bridge City again, lemme know you’re here! I want to know what you discovered. — Kyth gave her a wink.

— Will do.

Once Ganen was released from Kyth’s care, she went to Séra’s room, and was surprised to find Yeff standing by the door. He explained someone would be with them for a while until they were sure no one meant any more harm.

Ganen had become quite treasured in Bridge City after she found out why the “penicillin” wasn’t working, and for once she was so glad about it. She thanked the man, and walked into the room. Séra was awake while a nurse was finishing her stitches, and she smiled when Ganen walked in.

— They gave me something. — Séra pointed to the nurse. — I can’t feel a thing! And I’m kinda fuzzy too. Must admit it ain’t bad. — She laughed.

— I see you’re in a bigger bed too. — Ganen noticed. — Can you scootch to the side?

— Yas, love. — She started moving, and the nurse stopped her.

— Can I finish here first, ladies?

— Yes, of course, I’m sorry. — Ganen said as she sat on the chair for now. — Are any of those cuts dangerous?

— Not at all, they are painful, but most weren’t deep enough to cut anything important.

— I’m glad.

Within a few minutes, the nurse left them alone with the promise of coming back later, and Ganen sat on the bed with Séra. She was tired and stressed, and all she wanted at that moment was closing her eyes besides the woman she loved so much.

Log. 23015.s

Comet Treiny is getting closer to Gaya everyday. I think by the end of the year we will be able to see it with the naked eye. Just a few more months. Now, all that turmoil about the comet having changed course has intensified, and because of that, more people are in the Workshops either because of the growing panic or to put visual upgrades and related improvements. Everyone wants to see what is about to happen, whether the future is a disaster or not. I don't think the comet will actually hit Gaya; however, the researchers say the data is conclusive.

Ahda had spent her night looking at the records. One of the nurses told her Séra knew the man who attacked her, a lad named Ori, from Sand City, who had arrived not much before them, and she wanted to find where he lived before he lost his head. She laughed at the thought; it was rather dark.

Once she found the records, though, it was obvious he hadn’t come alone, so she decided to take some guards with her and drive to his house. It was near the city entrance, easy to find, and it was a mess. There were empty bottles on the floor, two bright orange jumpsuits tossed in a corner, leftover food now already rotting away… It was gross.

Ahda walked around carefully, she didn’t want to step on something and break it. She found a folded paper on one of the beds, held in place by a heavy pendant, shaped like a small sun. She opened the sheet and started reading some names.

— Hey, isn’t Raff one of the guys who were found murdered in their houses? — Ahda asked.

One of the guards stopped by and read the name.

— I think so, a guy from Sand City, who worked with lenses? Telescopes or something?

— Yeah. — Ahda didn’t like where they were getting at.

— Shit. You think they were all murderized? — the guard said. — I’ll send a unit to check on the rest of this list. I hope we’re not too late.

Ahda nodded and gave him the paper, then told everyone to bag and tag anything that could be of importance to the investigation. Maybe Séra wasn’t Ori’s first attempt. She put the necklace into her pocket and wondered how close Ori and Alid were to the Sun cult. It was a dangerous one.

She had grown in a city blessed by Water, and its teachings were love, respect, patience, sharing. All she had ever heard of the Sun was punishment and judgement. In her mind, it had always been labelled dangerous. Perhaps she’d been right all along.

— Ahda, ma’am, I’ve found something strange in one of the pockets. — A guard had the orange jumpsuit in hand. — It’s a small, weird container, I think there’s still something in it.

— Be careful. — She approached, curious. — Can I see it?

The guard, somewhat hesitant, held the container with a handkerchief and placed it on the bed. It was opened slowly, the people around it were fearful and apprehensive, and when the lid came off, the smell inside was foul.

— Close it! — Ahda pulled her shirt up her nose. — Smells like shit, oh gosh, close it.

She put her head out through the window and took a deep breath of fresh air.

— Ma’am, I might be confused or just really bothered by the smell, but it is very similar to what my wife was, ahn, expeling when she was sick. Do you think…

— Take it to the labs, they’ll be able to say for sure. But if those men had the grain water wasting in a container, in their house, it would open possibilities I wouldn’t like to investigate.

— What do you mean?

— They're from Sand City, and they might carry the disease that killed so many of our people. — Ahda explained. — It may not have been an accident or a mistake in the hydroplant. It might have been on purpose.

— And if Sand City knows about this… — The guard widened his eyes.

— Yeah… that’s a problem I don’t wanna get myself into.

Ahda looked at the container — now in a bag — and told everyone to be extra careful around that thing, then suggested investigating Ganen’s house: if Ori was bold enough to invade the hospital, nothing had been stopping him from boobytrapping the place.

Log. 22950.m

Well... I hope our names become part of history with a more positive story someday. We have committed so many crimes so far… In the end, the whole thing has gotten too dangerous. I don't know if the Robot Physicians will notice and fight against us for everyone to see, or if we’ll just be ignored. Both situations scare me.

Ahda was the one to bring breakfast that morning. Séra and Ganen were surprised to know about the hypothesis that came up with the house search; yes, Ori had tried to kill them both, but they didn’t imagine he was capable of killing an entire city.

So when Ahda asked one of them to follow Aygo — a guard — to their house, so they could check it for any kind of funny business, Ganen offered to go. Séra still needed to rest and get stronger before walking around, and maybe it would help get her mind out of last night.

— Kyth told me you’re from Tree City. — Aygo asked as they drove to her house.

— Oh, yeah. Are you friends?

— You could say that. — He smiled. — But what I mean to ask is, well, I know you, Tree people, get a little bit… too passionate about technology. So… what should I expect in your residence?

Ganen was thrown off course with that question. There was her music device — currently with Séra —, her foldable datapad was probably on the bed, there were bags of cables and memory devices.

There was a freaking Machine in the boot of their car. They might allow most things in the house, but no one was as insane as herself, up to the point of letting a Machine possibly walk around their city. They never discovered how to turn one off. The thing could not be turned on, not while they didn’t have a way of controlling it.

— Nothing dangerous. — She finally answered. — I turned it all off, so there’s no reason to fear anything.

— Duly noted, Miss Ganen.

Ganen agreed with a smile, then wondered if Ori could have been at their house. He could have broken all her things, her devices… it would be devastating. As if the pulsing wound on her arm wasn’t enough, he might have broken more.

However, once they opened the door, all seemed normal. The car was parked where Séra had left it, and all their things were where they were supposed to be; which created a vague, false sense of safety and comfort.

They were wrong. Ganen and Aygo first noticed a putrid smell; it was faint, but it was there. Once the lights were on, they saw a brownish circle painted on the wall, something like a wind rose with a flame in the middle. Aygo walked closer and touched the crusty paint. It stained his fingers and, when he smelt it, there was a distinctive smell of iron.

— Is that… — Ganen started, not sure if she really wanted to say it.

— I think it’s blood. — Aygo looked at her, distressed. — Why would someone paint a wind rose on your wall with blood?

— What if it’s a sun, not a wind rose? — She remembered Ori was from the Sun cult, and had an awful idea. — I need to check the car.

— Yeah, I’ll just copy this for Ahda. Call me if there’s anything wrong?

— Yeah, will do. — Although she’d rather he didn’t see what was in the car.

Ganen ran outside, opened the boot and held a scream when she saw the hasp was broken. After a deep, nervous breath, she lifted the wooden board to find the Machine still laying intact. She was about to take a closer look when Aygo showed up at the door, ready to leave.

— All good?

— All good over here. — She lowered the board, then closed the boot with some haste; they were being nice now, but no one would help them if they knew there was a Machine involved.

— Did you notice anything missing from the house?

— Can I take a second look? The blood on the wall kinda threw me off course.

— Sure, I’ll start the report here as you finish looking around. — Aygo had to report every single thing for Ahda, and if those people, Ori and Alid, were responsible for the whole city falling sick… He thought of consequences for a moment, then a shy smile took over the corners of his mouth; Séra has already punished one of them quite well.

Log. 22820.y

We decided to set up a group just to fight the virus. I chose the name: Humanity's Defense Line. Yes, I know, the name is kind of appealing and childish, however... it's true. We are going to get in touch with other groups and fight for our memories! For our lives! For who we are! I don't know if we will ever find the memories which were lost, but at least we can keep the ones we have.

An hour north of Bridge City, Alid was watching the first rays of Sunlight flourish ever so slowly, spreading patches of light blues, pinks and oranges throughout the sky. He decided he would wait for Ori until the Sun was up, then so would be the boy’s time.

He felt bad for letting the lad on his own, but it was more than time for him to do something for himself, something to finally stop talking about the whole soul story. All people had setbacks, he wasn’t special because of that. Maybe he would stop acting like a victim if he fought for it.

That was what Alid hoped for, anyway; he had time to have a simple breakfast, organise his few belongings, and watch the Sun rise into the sky. Perhaps Ori wasn’t fated for greatness. In the end, he didn’t follow Alid’s advice, and the man didn’t want to think about his reasons for staying.

He put the bag on his shoulder and started walking to Sand City.

— I suppose the Sun always rises for those who believe.

—And you should relish the honour of dying under Its light.

A hand grasped Alid’s mouth and a blade kissed his neck, ripping it from one side to the other. The old man barely had time to think before he started drowning in his own blood. He felt his head hitting the sand and then the world fell silent.

A hooded person cleaned the blade with a handkerchief and put it back in its hidden pocket. They started gathering all Suns, sigils, books, clothes, anything that could tie that crazed old man to the Sun. Not only had he left Ori behind, he also failed his mission; the city was still standing, and now it would be even more difficult to destroy it.

They bagged Alid’s belongings and left the body behind; the Sun would take care of it.