Viva

***

I left the store and headed straight home to charge my phone. Sure, I could’ve tried charging it there, but how was I supposed to explain the situation without giving everything away? I didn’t have time to come up with a good excuse, nor the money to buy a portable charger, so going home felt like the safest option.

When I got home, I quickly plugged my phone into the outlet beside my bed, turned it on, and unlocked it with my fingerprint.

Notifications popped up at the top of the screen.

On the home screen, there was only one app and a document with usage instructions right below it. I tapped the app right away, leaving the instructions for later.

The Live App opened, and there were three icons to choose from: Call, Messages, and Settings. I tapped on Call, and a list of answered and missed calls appeared, along with a button to start a new one.

From the call history, it looked like Inertia had tried calling me several times. She was probably just as startled as I was by the sudden disconnection back then.

I tried to initiate a new call, but it wouldn’t go through, as the app kept closing unexpectedly. A bug, maybe? I kept trying until it finally connected. It rang once, and she answered on the second ring. 

“Hello? Inertia?”

“Rei! You took so long. I thought something had happened to you. Are you okay over there?” she asked.

“A few things happened, but I’m fine now. I’m home.”

As I spoke with her on a video call, I noticed something strange about her background; it wasn’t as blurry as before. Two people appeared behind her, trying to peek at the phone screen. 

“Is that... a phone? Wow, that’s a real relic!” said a young man standing to Inertia’s left, though I couldn’t identify him.

Had she managed to leave her room? Was she in danger?!

“Who are they?” I asked her.

“Something crazy happened, Rei,” she began, but was interrupted by the young woman standing to her right. I couldn’t identify her either, as all three of them were sharing the same frame on the screen.

“Who is Rei? Can you connect with other humans?” the young woman asked.

Inertia turned to her and answered before explaining the situation to me.

“Yes... I don’t know him well, but he tried to help me when I needed it. I’ll explain everything to you later, Alba.”

Then she turned back to the screen, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Rei, I’m in the future now… four thousand years into the future, to be exact!”

“What—? How is that even possible? Are you sure?” I said. 

That defies all logic... What is she even saying?

“At first, I thought I’d gone insane, but it’s true! Look at this!” She turned the phone horizontally and showed me her surroundings.

So, had she been trapped in her own room all this time, caught in some kind of temporal anomaly? Was her room a time machine, then? But what about the date on her phone? It was the same as mine.

“Did the date on your phone change? It was the same as mine,” I asked.

“You’re right, let me check. Nope, it’s still the same. Maybe this phone is my only way back...”

“Inertia, can I take a look at your phone?” asked Alba, I think that was her name. 

“Promise you’ll give it back? It’s my only way out of here.”

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of harming you,” she replied.

Inertia handed her the phone, and now I could see her face more clearly.

She looked like a goddess, with otherworldly beauty and a perfectly symmetrical face. Her demeanor was serious, and judging by her appearance, she seemed trustworthy.

“Hello!” she greeted me, but I remained silent, barely blinking. Maybe because of her beauty… or the fact that she was from the future. I wasn’t sure.

She focused intently on the phone, seemingly unaware of my presence. Her eyes didn’t look human; they were red, and like me, she didn’t blink, but it was different. She stared at the screen as if seeing another world within her eyes.

“This seems secure, but I can’t fully access it. Some encryption is blocking me. I can’t track anything. Here, take it back,” she said as she handed the phone back to Inertia.

I was confused. Inertia was looking at them, but I had no idea what was going on… I couldn’t see enough to understand what was happening.

***

After returning my phone, Alba and Dom stared at each other in silence, neither of them blinking. I stayed quiet, just watching, while Rei remained silent on the call. Were they communicating with their eyes?

“What's going on between you two?” I asked, but they ignored me for a few seconds.

Dom finally answered, “Just exchanging info. One of the perks of the future!”

Alba then apologized, “Sorry, Inertia. I accessed your last call with Rei. No need to explain anything, we’re all caught up on what’s happened between you two. It’s all saved on your phone. I believe you can access the recordings too.”

I checked the call log, and it was true. The last call was listed as lasting 1 hour and 33 minutes. I looked at Rei, who seemed confused, and I did my best to explain everything that had happened up to that point.

Meanwhile, Alba looked worried and kept glancing at the room’s clock. 

“Dom, I informed my team that I wouldn’t be working today, but they still need me. I’ve notified Chefe, and he’s on his way back. You know everything that’s happened, so keep her safe.”

“Got it. I’m sure they’ll need you,” Dom affirmed.

“Thank you. Inertia, Dom is the best among us and the most reliable. If anything strange or dangerous happens, stay by his side. Don’t trust anyone else,” Alba advised.

“Okay...”

She stepped aside through the door and, in an instant, returned with her hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing completely different clothing. It looked like a uniform, white with golden and royal blue details that accentuated her figure. It was a blend of elegance and protection, featuring reinforced, armor-like material around the neck and down the spine.

“I’ll be back early today. See you later, Inertia and Rei. Dom, I’m counting on you.”

“Absolutely,” he replied, giving a playful military salute.

She then exited through the front door, closing it behind her. I couldn’t help but feel curious. What did she do for a living? And why did it seem related to defense? If crime no longer existed, what was there to defend?

“Dom, what kind of work does Alba do?”

“She’s part of Civil Defense. She protects Nowy, the central territory, and coordinates various operations. There’s one happening today, which is why she was worried,” he explained.

“But what is there to defend if crime no longer exists?”

“Crime still exists. Everything’s the same: petty theft, robbery, fights, poverty, addiction... Everyone out here in the outskirts wants the peace and luxury the center has to offer. Since you don’t have an Eterno, the current system’s laws don’t apply to you, so it’s best if you stay protected here.”

“Got it...”

“Chefe will be here soon. But while we wait, do you want to ask anything? I’m sure you’re feeling pretty lost right now.”

“I have so many questions... How do you access the internet? How can I research what happened from my time until now?”

I think I was more curious about the past than the current changes. The possibility that I might no longer exist in the past scared me.

“There are no more books or anything you can physically access. Information is shared through a connection between the main network and the crystal. But that’s a good question… I’m not sure how you’ll be able to access it,” he replied.

I tried searching for nearby networks on my phone, and thousands appeared. The closest one was named Dom. No way! Each Eterno must be a unique network.

“Your name shows up, Dom. Can I try connecting?”

“Go ahead,” he said.

I clicked on the Dom network, and the phone connected to it like a regular Wi-Fi network. But the connection felt different from usual.

A new section appeared on the phone, as if I was inside someone else’s app menu. In this new menu, there were other apps, and one of them was called Linkedia. Through it, I was able to access a lot of information.

Its interface resembled a galaxy, where each thematic block was like a sun, and the planets orbiting it were subtopics. So, there were many galaxies and countless possible themes.

“Hey, you’re accessing my knowledge. Your phone must work like an Eterno! You’re connecting to me just like I connected to Alba earlier,” he said.

“Incredible!”

Rei then asked, “Inertia, does your phone have access to other apps? On mine, I only have one — the Live App.”

“I’ve got plenty of apps here. That’s strange… why don’t you have any?” I wondered.

“No idea... and the weirdest part is that with this phone, I can only connect to one network called... vi-va? Yeah, Viva,” he continued.

Dom furrowed his brows as if sensing something strange, then explained, “Viva in Portuguese is a verb used to encourage someone to seize life’s opportunities. Could that be a message?”

“A message for me, you mean?” I asked. 

Could it be from my father?

That possibility somehow saddened me, because I want to go back... but if I do, will I be able to truly live?

My melancholic moment was interrupted when Chefe entered the room, accompanied by someone else.

End of Report 05.