The Lawyer

In the morning, I finally got the chance to talk to Luna in person.

I was stepping out of the chamber when she walked into the room, already carrying my new outfit, and began explaining the new mechanism she had designed to protect me from the mist.

“Good morning, Innie! This is your new outfit. You know… even after everything, you’re still human, so we need to protect your skin and lungs from the mist.”

She handed me the outfit, and as I looked at it, I realized it was a single piece. It resembled the kind of jumpsuit motorcycle racers used back in my time.

It was a dark grayish color with sleek technological details. On the upper right side of the chest, there was an emblem shaped like a red T made of scratch marks. The outfit was lightweight and seemed to be made of a fabric that would easily mold to my body.

And wait… since when does Luna call me Innie?

“It’s beautiful, thank you. But this must have been a lot of work. Why not just keep wearing the armor? Was it because of the weight?” I asked Luna.

“Ah, that’s because everyone already knows who you are. There’s no need to hide your body temperature anymore, since everyone knows you’re human,” she explained.

“Oh, right!”

I’d completely forgotten about that detail. The armor was meant to conceal the fact that I was human, but that’s no longer a secret.

“I tried to make it more comfortable this time. Let’s put it on, put it on,” she urged.

As usual, I changed in the “bathroom.”

During my confinement, I would change and take care of my needs in a designated area of the room. This corner was transparent and exposed at all times, but inside I had the option to frost the glass if needed.

I changed, and the outfit fit perfectly, but it still felt like something was missing.

“This outfit doesn’t have a mask to filter the air?” I asked Luna, pointing out that there was nothing to protect my face.

“The best part is here,” Alba said, handing me a helmet that resembled a hood. It was also dark gray, with holographic 3D dog ears in a striking design.

I should have suspected the red T made of scratches on the chest of the outfit, but with this helmet, there was no doubt.

I was about to become the mascot of TopDog.

I laughed genuinely. “What is this? Who came up with this idea?”

“This was the Chefe’s idea,” Alba replied with a smile.

I know they’ve been helping me a lot and have saved me from many things since I got here, but I’m not sure I approve of the idea… I still have no clue about their ideologies or even what this group really stands for.

“Don’t approve?” Luna asked, looking disappointed.

She seemed to notice my dissatisfaction with the new outfit.

“I don’t know… the outfit is beautiful, but it feels very political. This symbolizes TopDog, doesn’t it?” I said uncertainly, holding up the helmet as I looked at it.

“You’re not wrong, this design is related to TopDog, but the goal is a bit different from what you think. Chefe said he was under a lot of pressure from the other leaders about where you would stay. It seems they don’t want you here in the south… maybe out of pure prejudice. So he came up with the idea of ‘marking’ you. Not to say you’re part of the organization, but to make it clear you’re under his protection.”

I trust them, but what Alba had just explained still wasn’t enough to make me wear this.

Agreeing to wear something so symbolic without knowing the ideals behind it is reckless. Maybe I’ll regret it in the future.

I looked at the helmet in my hands, still uncertain, but before I could respond, Luna invited me to leave.

“Come on, Innie. I’ll explain how TopDog works, since this is also related to your new home,” she said while heading out the door.

I looked at Alba, startled. “Do I have permission to leave here?”

“Come.” Alba took the helmet from my hands and motioned for me to follow.

As we stepped out the door, I saw that there was indeed an exclusive sterilization corridor leading to a second door at the far end. I realized this because, as soon as I stepped onto the floor, a jet of air mixed with some substance hit my body from all directions.

The second door opened, and I found myself in another corridor. This one was long, and since it was a transparent tunnel, I could see everything outside.

As we walked, my eyes caught the most striking sight.

Outside, surrounding us, was a room that looked very much like a simulation center. The background was dark, almost like a night sky, but bluish lines formed cubes and rectangles all around. I felt like I had seen a room like this in a sci-fi movie, maybe I had, but it was as if every wall surface was made of 3D pixels. It looked turned off, but as we walked past, it was clear the walls had a raised texture.

The corridor ended at an elevator. Luna and Alba stepped inside, and I followed. We went from Sublevel 1 to the ground floor. I was so impressed by what I had just seen that I didn’t even ask what it was.

When we reached the ground floor, the doors opened, and we were back in Luna’s house, the one I knew. We went to the main room, where she handed me my phone, which had been in her pocket.

“This is yours, I’m giving it back to you. I believe Rei would want to hear it too.”

That was true. Rei’s opinion was very important to me and could influence my decisions, no matter how certain I felt. So I took the opportunity and called him.

“Hi,” he answered quickly.

I turned on the front camera and held the phone up to my face.

“Rei! I’m out!” I said.

“Inertia! Finally, it’s good to know.”

“Rei, listen, there’s something I’d like you to hear with me. I’m not sure how much you know about it, but it’s important to me.”

“Okay,” he said, sounding a bit doubtful about what was coming.

I looked at the two of them and signaled for them to continue.

“Well, there are things here about Chefe that you don’t know either, Alba, so everything you see here stays between us,” Luna said.

I looked at Alba with wide, uncertain eyes… so they were hiding something?

“Chefe is ashamed of some things from his past, that’s why,” Luna answered before I could even ask.

She connected her Linkedia to a globe mounted on the ceiling, selected the TopDog topic, and the explanation began.

A research source started explaining what TopDog was by definition: a political and military organization that governs the Kera region. TopDog, also known as TD, was founded in 4030 by Pedro Henrique da Silva and Luís Silveira after the creation of the five regions of the supercontinent.

From this point on, the explanation was narrated in Luna’s voice, as if her own consciousness were telling us the story.

“TopDog originated from a criminal faction that existed even before the arrival of the Eterno. Pedro Henrique da Silva, also known as Chefe, was a member of a faction based in São Paulo in 2025.

According to popular sources, the organization was more structured and functioned better than the state itself. Pedro graduated in law, worked as a lawyer, and was part of the logistics team as a strategist.”

“This is…” Alba looked at Luna in shock.

Luna made the familiar “silence” gesture and pointed at the images.

“According to him, he was offered a scholarship for the course he wanted (law) when he was young, and he accepted without knowing who the donor was, since at the time he couldn’t afford to pay for it himself.”

“Pedro earned a law degree but lost his individuality. With that degree, he was required to work for the organization in return, and that’s how he remained tied to them for years — until the sudden global shift, when 95% of the members failed the filter to obtain the Eterno. But he passed the selection process and was now free from crime.”

“He possessed unique leadership and strategic knowledge gained from the old days, and before he knew it, he was leading a small political group against the injustices of Nowy.

The world now had new laws, and Pedro used them in favor of the people in his region. After his successful contributions, Pedro was appointed as one of the rulers and representatives of the southern region.”

From this point onward, the explanation shifted into a recount by Chefe himself.

End of Report 22