City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Industrial Zone “NES Factory”, Medical Center “Lizard Tail”
Maksim Chernykh’s team, August 13, 2049, 7:05 AM
Despite the late-night — especially for some of them — all the teammates woke up early, right on schedule. At seven-oh-five, Dasha stumbled into the kitchen, yawning desperately, her black tank top slipping off one shoulder, bare feet shuffling, and dark circles under her eyes.
“Ah... mornin’,” she mumbled, dragging herself to the far end of the room, and climbed onto a white chair next to the table with her legs.
“Want something?” Alisa asked, pulling out a frying pan.
“Coffee,” Dasha rubbed her eyes. “In about ten minutes. With cream. And three sweetener tabs. No... four.”
“I remember,” the ‘chef’ smiled. The disheveled brunette didn’t reply, her glazed eyes already drifting back into the virtual world. Alisa threw her a reproachful look — mornings in the kitchen were for breakfast, not half-asleep work.
A couple of minutes later, Max walked in, buttoning his shirt on the go.
“Feels like home!” he said, giving his sister a quick kiss on her plastic cheek, ruffling Dasha’s hair, and pressing a few buttons on the coffee machine before sitting down to wait for his invigorating hot drink.
“How’s the back, big brother?” the android girl asked.
“All good,” he gave a thumbs-up. “No pain, no glitches, full connection with the sub-brain. Big thanks!”
“Glad to hear. Want some food?”
“No, thank you, maybe later. Right now, my system can only handle coffee,” he replied, waiting for the ‘ready’ signal, and grabbing his mug from the machine.
A minute later, Nika strolled into the dining area, fresh and radiant, with damp hair. She wore a wide smile and only denim shorts and a short white top that left a generous strip of her midriff exposed.
“Good morning, water-dwelling cyborg!” Maksim teased her with a grin.
“Who cares! Maybe I was a dolphin in my past life!” Nika retorted. “Good morning, everyone, by the way.”
“Nope,” grumbled Dasha gloomily. “We’ve got a monster invasion and an alien dictatorship taking over the planet. I refuse to consider any morning good under those conditions.”
“WonderKid just needs more sleep,” the guy said, standing with his coffee to move to the table.
“Make one for me too,” Nikola requested. “Espresso. No sugar.”
“Max, go sit, I’ll take care of it,” Alisa said, opening a cupboard and pulling out two mugs for Nika and Dasha. She placed them in the coffee machine, grabbed a carton of eggs from the fridge, and tossed a few strips of bacon onto the hot pan.
“Anyway, I’m making breakfast. You guys may be night owls, but you’ll still eat all of it if I put plates in front of you. We’ve been through these enough times.”
“No one’s arguing,” Max smiled. “Thanks, Kitten. But WonderWhiz’s right — the invasion hasn’t gone anywhere. So, I’ll try to lift your spirits a bit. Got some news. And it’s good!”
“What kind?” Nika smiled.
Dasha finally emerged from VR, her curiosity piqued as she stared at Maksim.
“I have a meeting at eight this morning, right here at the Factory,” he said without dragging it out. “Gonna try to arrange secure TACTA communication!”
“Wow!” Vasilyeva responded with enthusiasm. “Is it with the Linkers by any chance? I saw their ad last night. Meant to tell you, but... got distracted. Actually, I don’t know anything about that group. Yeah…”
“Yep, that’s them. You’re always attentive to details!”
Meanwhile, Alisa placed mugs of coffee in front of Nika and Dasha. Both thanked her in unison, immediately grabbing their hot drinks.
“Dzięki!”
“Thx.”
“You’re welcome. Breakfast will be ready in a minute. Max, that’s really great news. Can you share the details?”
“Of course,” he nodded. “But there aren’t many yet. I hadn’t heard of those Linkers before, saw the ad offering communication services for grants, sols, or barter. From the text, I figured they’re in trouble and want to get out of the city. Thought it might be mutually beneficial. Wrote to their chat-bot, they replied this morning. Said they’re interested and confirmed the meeting. That’s about it.”
“Hope it works out,” Alisa said, focusing on the scrambled eggs. “Having TACTA communication would make summoning the Drone easier. And since it’s secure, that means it uses the modules I mentioned. This would also solve our problem with maintaining a stable channel with Moira, even over long distances and underground. Try to get at least three of those devices for us?”
“Got it, sis. I’ll do my best.”
“I’ll come with you,” Nika chimed in. “For backup if needed, plus I am acquainted with the Factory. Who knows what might come up.”
“Sure, no problem. Besides, you’re practically our chief negotiator now” Max agreed. “And I can’t get back down without you. We haven’t reprogrammed the access system yet.”
“Perfect,” Nika nodded. “Let’s bring the guns too. They make a good argument in tough negotiations.”
“And I’ll be working on the System and upgrading Moira,” Dasha declared, then scratched her head thoughtfully and suddenly asked, “Nika, you’re my friend, right?”
“Uh... yeah, of course. Why?”
“Can you look for some good vape juice while you’re up there? Pwetty please?” Dasha gave her best puppy eyes, which, combined with her dark circles, made for a convincingly pitiful look.
“Sure thing,” Nika chuckled. “What kind?”
“Mostly lots of zero-base. Any amount... just get everything you can. The more, the better, yeah!”
“Hmm, got it. And you need any other drugs?” Nika asked, just in case.
“If possible, sure. But I brought some club stash, even got some ‘Aussie’ stuff!”
“Nice, you guys lived at the Club!”
“It’s for work!” Dasha pouted slightly, “But mostly, get me zero-base juice. I’ll wipe up the right concentration myself.”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Okay, any particular flavor?”
“Uh... something nutty. Or chocolate. White chocolate. Or strawberry...”
“Got it, got it. I’ll grab whatever I find. The vending machines are probably still working. I doubt they turned them off on purpose. Gotta clear them out for you.”
“Awesome, awesome, thanks a ton!”
“No problem,” Nika smiled.
Alisa finished cooking and started setting plates on the table.
“Great plan. Now — everyone, eat!”
The android was right; there was nothing left of the scrambled eggs in the end. As Max and Nika were about to leave, Dasha suddenly jumped up from her chair and blurted out quickly:
“We totally forgot about the stimulants! They finished cooking overnight. You should go to the negotiations with clear heads. And a cup of coffee after three hours of sleep is hardly enough to keep you going. Yeah!”
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City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Industrial Zone “NES Factory”
Maksim Chernykh and Nikola Kowalski, August 13, 2049, 8:00 AM
The small shop with the cheeky name “Paraphernalia for Safety” greeted them with armored shutters tightly closed over the windows, signs turned off, and the door firmly locked.
“Looks like they get the situation,” Max chuckled, approaching the doorbell, and pressing the call button.
Above the door, a conspicuously bright LED on an old camera flickered to life. The ostentatiously aged device swiveled with a faint whirring sound, staring onto the visitors.
[Did you notice how professionally they scanned us?] Max sent a quick message.
[Of course. My military-grade sensors lit up like a Christmas tree. They scanned us in all spectrums,] replied Red.
“Good morning,” a calm male voice came from the intercom. “How can I help you?”
“Morning. This is Maksim, here to see Lena. We scheduled at eight o’clock. I’ve got another team member with me. All our guns are visible and on safeties, no other weapons.”
“Your companion is a weapon herself,” the voice noted flatly. “But no matter. Come in.”
The door slid open silently, revealing a dimly lit shop filled with displays and shelves cluttered with cheap-looking electronics.
[Cover setup, just like Zelman’s,] Nika informed.
[Figured as much,] Max chuckled slightly.
A tall, slender young man stepped forward to greet them, his figure impeccably fit. He looked about twenty-five, with dark hair slicked back in a neat cut. At first glance, he seemed dressed in a classic business style — perfectly fitted black trousers with a sharp crease, a belt with a sleek buckle, a white shirt with a mandarin collar, and a simple black vest. Matte black shoes completed the ensemble.
However, a closer inspection by an experienced eye would reveal that it was far from simple. Nanotech-enhanced fabric with self-cleaning and antimicrobial properties, designed to maintain perfect form. The creases in his trousers would never falter.
Instead of buttons, there were LED indicators, cufflinks with adjustable polymorphic crystals, and a tie clip of white gold with a sapphire-styled eye of a miniature camera. And a thin black stripe along its length declared, “You’re only seeing the sensors I deliberately let you see.”
The shirt bore a subtle holographic pattern, visible only from certain angles or under bright light. The tie itself wasn’t fabric, but a flexible display capable of showing both 2D and 3D images.
This was a seriously expensive outfit.
[Max, guess what? I know this guy. Well, not personally, of course,] Nika chimed in.
[Really?]
[Yeah! That’s Leo Stormchaser, a very famous streamer and vlogger. Didn’t expect to see him here. And if he’s here, his twin sister Lena is probably around too. They usually stick together.]
[Well, I’m supposed to meet with someone named Lena. Are they reliable?]
[I think so. Quite flashy, especially Lena, but they’ve got brains; and don’t like politicians. Kind of like you, I’d say.]
The young man approached and extended his hand.
“Leonardo,” he said in flawless English with no trace of an accent. “Welcome.”
“Maksim.”
“Nikola.”
“Please, follow me to the meeting room.”
He led them through the shop to a modest, unmarked door. Descending a flight of stairs, they entered an underground room with a table, behind which sat… a cat-girl!
image [https://i.imgur.com/beESovj.jpg]
“Well, come on in – and nya! – our dear guests,” she greeted them in perfect Common Slavic. “I’m Lena. Speak however you like, I know your language well, and Leo’s sub-brain has a top-tier translator. Just like yours, I assume.”
The room brightened slightly as Max and Nika took in their host.
Neon-pink hair, a pair of cybernetic cat ears with cheerful lights atop her head, eyes with slit pupils and vibrant reddish-violet irises, and a couple of holographic stars on her cheek.
[Yep, definitely Lena!] Nikola confirmed, pleased. [First time seeing her without full stage makeup and in regular clothes.]
Indeed, the “Kitty” had only lightly accentuated her expressive eyes with shadow and liner and added a touch of purple gloss to her lips.
“Please, have a seat,” she gestured. “Coffee?”
“Green tea, no sugar, if possible,” Max replied.
“I’d love an espresso,” Nikola smiled. “No sugar either.”
“Leo, could you handle that, please?” Lena asked, elegantly adjusting her hair. “So, Maksim, I read your message. You’re right; we do need to leave Kyiv no later than tonight. Five people, two trucks, and everything in them that absolutely must be evacuated. You also guessed correctly that we need services, not TACTA money. I get your proposal, but let’s discuss it in more detail, alright?”
Leonardo returned with a tray, placing cups in front of Max, Nikola, and Lena before sitting down himself.
“Of course,” Maksim nodded, pulling his cup of fragrant tea closer. “As I mentioned, you obviously can safely summon a Drone using a secure TACTA communication module. But the problem of retreating and escaping the Protectorate’s reach still persists. You managed it once, but since you posted an ad, that’s not possible for you again. Correct?”
Lena nodded silently, waiting for him to continue.
“Good. We need secure communication for ourselves. Yep, it’s mainly for summoning a Drone. We know how and with what we’ll cover our departure once the purchased extra ten minutes pass and the protective field drops.”
“Glad to hear it,” the ‘kitty’ adjusted her hair again and elegantly reached for her cup. “It works for us that you’ll be calling a Drone because we plan to do the same. So, your team is offering us protection once the fun begins?”
“Yes,” Max took another sip of the aromatic tea. “Great flavor, I must say. We’re ready to offer you with that service. Our team is small, but we’re pros, focusing on drones and local knowledge. We’ll provide cover for the entire route out. The plan is to leave the Factory through underground passages, then move past the Towers before the ‘window of opportunity’ closes. You also want to leave Kyiv immediately, right?”
[Max, I think she’s holding something back,] Nika sent a quick message.
[Yeah. She probably doesn’t want to reveal their full plan. I’ll try to coax it out gently.]
“Yes, replied.” Lena responded, glancing at her brother for a brief moment. They seemed to have a quick internal dialogue.
“Then we need to coordinate our escape routes and methods to cross the Tower perimeter,” Maksim said, setting his cup down after another large gulp.
“What’s there to coordinate?” The cat-girl and Leo seemed to have made up their minds. “I see you guys are sensible, so you’ll be leaving the city the same way we are. With trucks equipped by TACTA reactors and stealth modules. According to our Analytical Model, there’s no other way to leave the city and survive.”
“Our model says the same,” Max grinned broadly. “You got a T8?”
“Offend us not. T9!” Leo interjected, breaking his private conversation with his sister.
“Not bad. But we’ve got T10-three-plus. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be offering you a real drone cloud.”
Nika took a sip of coffee to hide her smile.
“They’re comparing models like boys measuring wieners in a sandbox,” she chuckled to herself. “Except it’s obvious we’ve got the bigger toys, he-he.”
Lena exchanged another look with her brother, the pause stretching out. Max used the moment to finish his tea.
“Damn, that flavor’s amazing! Gotta find out what this is, might score some for myself.”
“Convincing. In that case, we can agree,” Lena finally declared the Linkers’ decision, evidently having consulted her entire team through their internal channel.
“Should we sign a contract?” Max asked, reluctantly setting down his empty teacup.
“No,” Lena laughed. “Our goals align, so it’s better to trust and help each other.”
“You haven’t finished your thought,” Max smiled back.
“Trust is built on information. We’ll give you secure communication for an hour upfront, but we want to meet online afterward with a broader team, so our analysts and tech specialists can hammer out a detailed plan with precise locations.”
“We agree. But let’s do it in four hours, not one. We have an important meeting that could significantly boost our firepower.”
“If it’s about significantly boosting firepower, the main guy here is Miro. Meeting with him?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t like him. Too... peculiar a mindset,” the ‘kitty’ shook her head. “We prefer not to work with them directly. Our team is independent and intends to stay that way.”
“And you won’t need to, trust us.”
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Just before wrapping up the negotiations, Maksim couldn’t resist.
“Guys, sorry, I just have to ask. What kind of tea is this? Where’s it from?”
“Ceylon ‘Green Elephant’,” Lena laughed.
“Exactly. That very ‘Elephant Tea,’ green, premium grade,” smiling Leo added. “Produced in Sri Lanka, packaged and distributed in Europe by the State Belarus. You know, our infamous ‘geographically closest’ neighbor.”
“Belarus isn’t widely known just for its shrimp and Camembert cheese, after all. They’ve got good tea too,” his voice was brimming with irony, as everyone was familiar with Belarusian counterfeit products. “What sets this one apart from other similar brands is that it’s genuinely sourced from Sri Lanka. If it weren’t for the invasion, I’d offer you our supplier’s contact for a small fee. But alas, they haven’t been in touch since yesterday. I have a feeling they’re not taking orders anymore.”