Charlotte woke with only the boxers on her body, the blankets of the bed under her and other clothes and the towel she used yesterday on the floor. She tried to lift her body but gave up instantly, it didn't have the required energy just yet. She raised one hand to the ceiling and saw a bonny arm. “Right, I told her she could continue doing the data gathering after I got a safe place.” She shook her head and after a moment of gathering her will, got her weak legs moving to a wonderful place: the kitchen.

After she prepared a big feast, she sat cross-legged in the middle of the empty living room. With her eyes close, she saw the black spots were almost gone.

“So? How’s it?” Panels with information kept appearing inside the colorless space, she read them and smiled at the end. “Even if it’s slower, it’s better than being directly affected. Though I need something to put the reaction on. A battery stone works, I guess I can create it. Can you reproduce what happened that time we made the CECC?”

She nodded as a single image disappeared but frowned with the words Prism showed her next. “A hundred times the energy I currently have? Damn. Can the CECC even hold that kind of energy?”

Positive.

She opened her eyes and walked slowly through her new house until she got bored of the lack of entertainment and rested on the bed. She had nothing to do and she had to wait for the rest of her things to arrive. She had food Sheryl brought for her the day before, enough to last for a month to a normal, single person, a week for her. The day went on slowly, she ate twice, kind of put together the mess in the room and finally took a bath. A knock resounded throughout the house as she laid on the bed, the sound hitting her in the ears as strong as before the previous day, her head didn't hurt from it, though.

She stood from her bed and walked to the room's door before she realized she was nude and without any make-up. She turned back to the things she kept in the bag, searched for the disguising kit and a change to wear. She opened the lids of the necessary powder and creams, entered the colorless space and started the script with Prism's help. The white particles started to dance around and attach to her face, changing it until her face looked like a pretty and young boy. She then bandaged her chest and put some light clothes.

Not even five minutes passed before she opened the front door, not a soul in the corridor. She scratched her head and did a wide scan of the building, three uniformed men stood outside the building beside a truck, a fourth one with the same uniform was arriving the first floor through the stairs, his feet kind of blurred and parts of his body in unnatural angles, a finger flying centimeters from his hand. I made a glitch, hehe. She dismissed the image of the scan and hurried to the window at the end of the corridor, the men started were putting all her things in the street, leaving them alone and ready to be stolen.

“Hey! Sorry!” She shouted after she opened the window, gathering the attention of the four men as well as other pedestrians. “Can you bring it up? Please!”

The four men frowned at her and stretched their heads and shoulders before they started to retrieve her things. Two men grabbed the couch which lied in the street already and walked to the building. A third man brought a big box behind them. She closed her eyes and saw it full of tools for the bath. The last man stood next to the truck, guarding it from uncouth folk.

She turned back to the house and waited at the side of the door. They arrived after a minute.

“Hello, sorry I didn't answer, I'm a little sick, you see. Please leave this in the living room and come with that to the bath, I believe it’s the mirror and the drawer, right?” The man nodded and followed her.

After that, things became easier as she told them where to put everything before they exited the apartment. She paid them the remaining half after everything was in place. She nodded at her newly furnished house, she stood in from of the living room, beside the closed front door.

“I don’t have any cold stuff, only canned and packaged food. Well, tomorrow is another day.” She walked to the kitchen, made dinner for two and relaxed in the new couch.

When night fell, she moved her lazy body to the bath to take another pleasant shower. She undressed and saw the bandage still wrapped around her chest, she then turned to the mirror and saw her boyish face. Too much of anything and you’ll get used to it, huh.

As she finished the shower, she found herself in a room without drying rags, her towel laid on the bed, she left it there that morning and didn't bother to change the place. She shook her head and walked to the room as water dripped the floor but paused once she opened the door. The room was lighted and her head kept fixed to the only window of the house. She saw the building at the other side, windows and people in them. She paled as she remembered the previous day she did the same and closed the door. She opened her eyes and the door, the switch turned down and with it, the lights. Curtains needed for the bedroom, noted.

She walked through the dark room, picked the towel and dried herself. After she wore comfortable clothes consisting of a loose top and shorts, she let her mind drift to dreamland.

Morning came and the girl rose with the sun. She sat up with a lazy yawn escaping her mouth and rubbed her eyes.

*Growl~

She looked down at her belly and the previous night's event came back to her mind. She turned to the window and heard her stomach protest once more. I didn’t eat a good dinner.

She stood from the bed and walked out of the room with a disheveled head and the loose top halfway down her right forearm. Yawnings of laziness and hunger constantly emerged out of her mouth. She ate the first thing she found and then made a more complete breakfast. She then lazed in the house for a couple hours.

Noon came without trouble and her body felt better. She felt bored, too bored. She wanted to do something, anything! She didn’t have books with her, the gaming console she had didn’t work without internet connection and the laptop only had technical stuff, nothing to quell her boredom. “I already have more than 50% energy back, but I wanted to wait until I was close to 90… But doing nothing will kill me first. I’ll just do simple things.”

She groomed herself and made preparations to go out. She took a thousand FC with her and walked out the building. She saw Eve near her block, she held Emily’s hand with her own and walked to her, busy in some conversation. Charlotte surprised them as she jumped in front of them.

“Hey! How’re you feeling?” Eve said with a smile.

“I’m good now, thanks. I wanted to buy some things so I'm on my way. What're you doing here?"

“Ah! Emily wanted to go to your place so I took her with me!"

"Not true! You wanted to go and I was bored so I followed you!" Emily protested as she shook her hand.

"Shush! Don't say the wrong thing!" Eve said with a light blush in her face.

Emily didn't answer her sister and kept her mouth shut, pouting. Charlotte chuckled at the sisters. "So? Want to keep me company? I'm going to buy some things and your help will make things easier."

"Of course! We don't want you dying on the street, do we?" Eve grinned like an idiot and Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“Really, I’m not so weak to die like that.”

“I thought so at first, too. But after you arrived like that the other day, we have to make sure you stay as healthy as possible.”

“… Thanks.”

“So, what did you want?” Eve tilted her head and Emily followed her action.

“I need curtains to my room, I also want some books to keep myself busy.”

“Books? They’re expensive, you know? Well, I’ll show you anyway, just be sure to keep a steady expression when we get there.”

They first went to buy the curtains. They also bought towels and other things she felt the house still lacked. Her mood took a wrong turn as they went out of the book store.

“500 only to get a book of human anatomy.” She said with said book in her hands. “I also wanted some books on modified parts, but the cheapest was 650…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll ask in my school for books like that. There’s a library in there, you can go and read them.”

“Really? That’ll be a great help, thanks.” She smiled.

"Yeah! There's also the digital kind but you need to bring the computer there, so it's dangerous."

"I see."

They spent two hours together before arriving to her house with meat, vegetables and cold food. Emily brought in the curtains and ran to the bedroom, while the other two carried in the groceries and other things to the respective place. Charlotte bade them farewell after a while, she prepared dinner and started reading the book. Fortunately, there were points on modified parts, though nothing technical and only mentions of it. She could only join things together with that little information and the images she had of all the people from the skyscraper she saved some days ago. She lost track as she read and went to sleep pretty late.

The next day, she went to Olimpia’s place early in the morning. She walked past the automatic, glassed doors and stood in front of one of the three elevators. People walked past her and turned their face quickly to her before going their way. She waited for the elevator to come as it did the other day. People went in and out of the other two, but not the one in front of her. She waited. Is it in maintenance?

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

A man approached her five minutes in. “Excuse me, boy. What’re you doing here?”

Charlotte turned her head to the man. He had a tight white uniform over his body, on his right chest read ‘Staff’ with big words and under it was his name and the name of the building with smaller words. “Hello, Mr. Nelson, I’m visiting a friend, but this doesn’t work? I’ve been here for a while.”

His eyes twitched and he smiled amiably. “You’re visiting someone? Did you inform that friend of yours? Or even approached the reception desk?”

“Oh, I had to? No. Last time I entered with her, so I thought it registered me already and there was no need to do it. Excuse me.” She turned around and walked to the reception desk where a lady seated with a bored face staring to empty air. “Hello, I’m here to visit Olimpia.”

The lady turned the head slowly and looked at her. “Yes? What do you need?”

“Huh, I already said, I’m visiting Olimpia.”

“Olimpia, who? Do you at least have her apartment? There’re too many Olimpias, I can’t remember them. If you don’t, go away, I’m busy.” The lady resumed her heavy work of looking at the expanding cosmos.

“Huh. Her apartment, what was it…?” Charlotte tilted her head and looked upwards, her hand under her chin. After a moment, she closed her eyes and requested Prism’s help. “I believe it’s number 389.”

“On what floor?” The lady sighed audibly and turned the face back to her.

“I believe it’s the 38?”

“Sorry, there’s no registry in that floor. Now, leave me alone.”

Charlotte blinked twice as the lady moved the face away and looked around the lobby. Did I get the wrong building? No, it’s this one, I remember everything's the same. Then, this...? She walked to the elevator and stood there again.

A minute later, Nelson came back. “I believe I told you not to stand there without a previous announcement or making your arrival known in the reception desk.”

“Oh, that girl didn’t announce me, she didn’t even bother looking for the person I’m here to visit.”

“She’s doing a proper job.” The man gave the lady a quick glance before continuing. “If you stay here longer, I’ll call the police.”

“Please do so. I’m here to visit someone and am not leaving before I’m told she’s not there or that I’m allowed to go there.” Charlotte crossed her arms and kept her position in front of the elevator, the man stood behind her.

He sighed and moved in front of her. “Then, excuse me for being impolite.” He extended his hand and grabbed air.

Charlotte took a step back before his hand reached her. “What are you doing? Call the police.” She saw the corner of the man’s lips twitch and grinned.

The man frowned and returned the hand to his body. “I’m warning you, if you keep this up you won’t be going out unscratched.”

“I’m just trying to visit a friend. And none of you is being cooperative.”

“And who’s it your visiting anyway? I bet you don’t even know the name.”

“What? I told that lady.” She pointed. “Olimpia! I’m visiting her! Room 389! Floor 38 if you’re stupid enough to not get the floor from the number. I came here two, no, three days ago and went out the next day!”

“She told you that?” The man said with anger in his voice, the lady looked their way, her expression numb to Charlotte's shoutings.

She shook her head. “She only told me she wanted to get in.”

“You! Fine, whatever. Now you know. I’m here to do a proper visit.”

Nelson touched his temple as he walked to the reception desk, he spoke with the lady and made her make a call. Charlotte stood in front of the elevator, while the people in the lobby looked at her, she paid them no heed. She massaged her now hurting temple as her mood hit rock bottom.

“I hope this’s the last time you make a mistake like this.”

“Yes, yes.” The same lazy voice as before.

It was the last thing she heard of them; the man then returned to her side. “I’m sorry for the trouble. I’ll accompany you this time, just to make sure. Next time you can get in after making yourself known. There’s a phone in that wall, you can do it from there without going through the receptionist.” He pointed to the corner beside the stairs, where a black box was perched to the wall.

“Oh, I didn’t know. Thanks.” Charlotte went through the opened doors of the elevator.

Nelson followed her in. “I hope this stays between us.” He said once the doors were closed and the elevator had started its way up.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. That lady was the one at fault anyway.”

“And I hope that lady, Natasha, stays the same, like a minor inconvenience to you.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t promise anything.”

“Are you sure?” His tone lowered a pitch.

Charlotte’s back turned cold, her ears captured how in the man’s body something moved, something clicked and it was dangerous, she felt that. “… I, with you the best.”

They arrived to the 38 floor, this time she felt the elevator was slow. She kept cold sweat going down her back and the dangerous man at her side kept her from entering the Crystal's Space, she felt that if she did that, that would be the last thing she did. She walked to room 9 and knocked hard on it. Olimpia answered it after a moment and invited her in, the man returned to the elevator and stood in front of its closed doors.

Charlotte walked in the apartment and plopped in the left single sofa, sighing. “I thought I was gonna die.”

“With that body of yours, I won’t find it strange.” Olimpia sat in the big one as she studied her skinny face, her face ported a slight smile, the same one Charlotte saw that time in the restaurant.

“No, it’s not that… Never mind, there's something I came for.”

“Oh? No? Well, yeah, there’re more pressing matters at hand.” Her smile disappeared as her expression turned serious.

Charlotte saw that kind of face for the first time and straightened her slouchy body. “Yeah, I want it back.”

“The what?”

“My gun.”

“Oh, right. Kamile left it here a couple days ago. But that’s not the issue right now.” She shook her head.

“No? Oh, my ID. You got it already?”

“Yeah, but I want to talk about it first.” Charlotte blinked her eyes twice and tilted her head to the side. “How much do you know about yourself?”

“H-huh? I, well, don’t know much.” She scratched her cheek and looked to the side.

“Figures. You told me you have no memories, or that they are somehow vague, no?”

“Yes?”

Olimpia nodded, her face remained serious. “You also told me you were a girl, and I confirmed it, right?”

*Nodnodnod

“Then let me explain what I found when your blood was analyzed.”

She gulped hard and her hands closed in a fist, the muscles throughout her body tensed as she waited for Olimpia to continue.

“Your blood is young, too young. It's like you were just born.”

“Huh?”

“Also, your DNA is one of a male. Not a woman’s as you thought before, though in the exterior you’re obviously one. I guess you don’t remember having a sex change operation done to you?”

Charlotte shook her head. I forgot about it! They can also tell the age of someone from the DNA? Damn! I didn’t know! A-ah! So much for taking the DNA from men’s sperm and women’s eggs… It only worked then!

Olimpia’s face softened when Charlotte’s eyes started darting around. She walked to Charlotte and crouched in front of the couch, grabbing the girl’s hand and taking her attention. “Listen to me. We believe you're an experiment, of what kind and what they did to you, we're not certain yet. What we know is that your age is different than what you believe it's."

I'm 23! Hello! Of course I'm not 16! Ah! Charlotte's eyes kept drifting around as her head started to drip wet with sweat.

"I know it’s hard to swallow, but that’s what I found." Olimpia took out a handkerchief out of nowhere and cleaned off the sweat on her face. "Don't worry, dear. I’m telling you this so you pay attention when giving out blood. As long as you stay with us, I assure you nothing bad’s going to happen.”

Charlotte nodded slowly. Her mouth hung half open as her hands kept on tightly shut.

Olimpia stood up and walked to her room. She came back after a moment and put something in the table.

Charlotte moved her head to the table, a plastic paper on it. She blinked twice before she remembered what that paper meant. “O-oh, thanks.” She stretched her hand to the plastic and saw it had her photograph in it. The name Hiro appeared there, no surname, her blood type and a serial for control along with other things. She turned it around and saw more words about information she never provided, and was obviously fake.

“I took the liberty to forge a past for you, you were born in the wilderness north-east of here and your birthday is may 1.”

“The wilderness? Why may 1? Why didn’t you ask me for it?” She kept her eyes in the new ID, the third one in her life and second of the year.

“Calm down. Here’s a log I wish you study to match your story to the one I put in the database. Now, why the wilderness? Easy, people there live without technology, it’s cold there and nature gives them everything they need, they don’t wage in wars of the world and their soils are void of any richness. About your birthday, the scientist who looked through your DNA thought it was around that time you became aware of yourself, no? And I didn’t ask you of anything because, well, how will I ask of a newborn child to think of lies and tricks to deceive others? Now, read this.” She left a booklet on top of the table and walked to her room.

She lifted it and flipped through it without reading a word, all in all, there were almost 30 pages. “She sure has free time.”

“I heard you.” Charlotte jumped as a distorted voice sounded from the big screen next to her and pouted at the camera. She started on the booklet.

Basically, I became aware of the technology of the world and decided to go away from home, my parents helped me and I became an illegal child in this city, I’m sixteen and they gave me money they took from dead bodies the village I lived in found in the wilderness throughout the years as they didn’t have a place to spend it.

She closed it and stared at the ceiling. There was much more information written, like the exact location of the village and the name of people inside it, what she did for fun and why she knew about computers and medicine. She didn’t care about it, though. This’ll be helpful, somehow. Was the only thought she had regarding all the information.

“So? How was it?” Olimpia walked out the door.

“Good, I mean, Excellent? I don’t know how to pay for it, though.”

“Don’t worry, I made it myself without asking, you owe me nothing. Except that you now work for us, and as long as you do, the real data of you will be kept within our archives.”

“… Thanks.” Charlotte smiled tiredly.

“Now, regarding your job. There’re three works I have to test you. After you complete them, you’ll get assigned in a certain area and receive your next orders from there.” She put three printed papers on the table and explained. “The first one is regarding a program, we’ll test you how much knowledge you have on computers. The second is an autopsy, you’ll help identify bodies and will be evaluated by someone working with you in the place. The last one, you’ll help in the maintenance of augmented people. Those are the three areas you told me you were good at, right?”

Charlotte stared blankly at Olimpia, she felt scared of the girl’s speed to get things done. “I-I is that alright?”

“Yes. You got a week to do the three of them, you’ll come here next Wednesday and we’ll talk about your schedule from then on.” Olimpia answered with a business like smile.

“You said you worked as a recruiter, no? You always do this with them?”

“Kinda. It’s important to determine their worth and where’s the best place to put them in.” Olimpia smiled.

Charlotte lifted the three papers and eyed them. “I see. About my gun?”

“Sigh. Do you really want it back?”

“Of course! It’s the only thing I have left!”

“You don’t think it has a device to track you?”

“Huh?”

“Right. You might think it’s precious as an implanted memory, but we found it was made in Gercia, you know where that is?” Charlotte nodded slowly. “Well, it’s kind of far, in another continent, though it’s the closest one. Anyway, in there, they track every weapon they make to avoid unnecessary conflict, yours could be tracked at any given moment. We're about to research it, to avoid any unnecessary trouble. You still want it back?”

Charlotte frowned, this was the first time she heard of something like that. He gave me it. He wouldn’t put me in danger, would he? But , I guess they can search through it to make sure… Ah! What if they link that gun to me?! No!

“I want it back. It’s helped me a lot. Like I said, it’s the only thing I have, if it’s tracked, I’d be responsible for it, don’t worry.”

Olimpia sighed with a weak smile. “Ok. Let’s go, then.”

“Where?”

“To get your gun. Oh, and to make sure you know where that place is.”

“That place?”

“You’re going there for the third job, so you’ll get an early introduction. It's one of the main offices.”

“O-oh, I see. Let’s go, then.”

Olimpia walked to the kitchen as Charlotte stood up. She came back a minute later. “Take those, you need them or you won’t be able to get in.”

“Alright.” She took, folded and put them inside her pocket.

Olimpia’s eye twitched and walked out of the apartment.