Chapter 24 | Their Expense on My Living

Location: Agara, Mowaidella

The walls of the corridor felt constrained, draped in tight magenta curtains that hid the paintings beneath. Above, several chandelier-like drones swirled in time with the music played by an android near the door.

Several civilians strolled past; above their heads hung a small red square indicating they were neither variables nor anomalies. Round the corner, a cleaning robot chased a four-legged insect through the crowd.

“That’s right, I will be there in a minute.” Jeena pulled the earpiece off with a loud BEEP, muttering. “Only if they fund my stay, I could have afforded a transport to get there in time.”

As Jeena strode forward, her long hair swayed side to side. Ahu, her snake memory unit, swirled through her hair, watching Echa closely.

“So, Echa! We have a schedule to meet my parents first.” Jeena pivoted on her heels and walked backward.

Ahu muttered, “My target got out of sight!” Jeena waited, her yellow eyes fixing on Echa’s, and raised an eyebrow when Echa seemed zoned out. “Missy? You there?” she slurred.

“Sid, Index… I have to see what happened to them.” Echa murmured, walking through. Despite having recently woken up, she looked exhausted. Her emerald eyes had lost the light they once held; her hollow eyes roamed the floor.

“I am responsible for everything that happened…” She lifted a hand, partially obscuring one side of her eyes, and gritted her teeth. “The itch to know what happened suffocates me every day,” she murmured.

Jeena quickly stopped on her path. Her hand moved to grasp Echa’s shoulder in concern as she spoke. “Echa, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Echa bristled slightly at the touch before her tension eased. “Um, so about those letters, did you get any replies?” Echa asked in a calm tone.

“About that,” Jeena sighed, turning to face the front. Her long hair brushed against Echa’s face, prompting her to rub her cheek.

Ahu, which swirled in Jeena’s hair, waited patiently while Echa batted her eyes and leaned closer to it curiously. It spoke in a mechanical tone: “No mail for Jeena Amanala.” Echa gave an annoyed sigh.

After a few minutes, the corridor opened into a large, sealed fountain within the structure. Water particles glided through the air, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

A circular platform moved between the structure’s ends. It lacked any railing. A few civilians moved across it, laughing aloud, but all wore the red markings above their heads.

A young man stood alone on the platform, his back turned, tapping his leg impatiently on the floor. Jeena and Echa stopped at the edge.

Jeena looked up at him with a skeptical look before stepping onto the platform. She turned, waiting for Echa. A few dust particles fell from the edge with the weight shift.

When he spotted them, he lifted his hand and waved. “Finally, one of us.” He strode toward them. “Hello, ladies.”

“Do you guys have any idea where this CL-10 is? I’ve been searching for it for an hour now.” He said, sweat plastering his clothes, his hands hidden in his pockets. “My brother is living there. I told him I would be there by now, but it’s already late.” His voice held disappointment; he shook his head and looked down at them.

Echa remained calm, zoned out. Meanwhile, Jeena crossed her arms and pressed her lips into a thin line, looking thoughtful. “Ahu!” she murmured.

At her calling, Ahu coiled onto Jeena’s neck and spoke in its mechanical tone, peeking at him. “Yes! Get off the platform and take a left at third division; use the transport there.”

“What? T—thank you,” he said, letting out a deep breath, and quickly moved off the platform. His back was still to them, but he glanced back and offered a smile. “Really grateful for your help, guys.” He bowed slightly and began to walk away.

“CIL10? Didn’t you tell me it was overrun by anomalies?” Echa asked, crossing her arms and moving toward the center of the platform.

“True! True! The situation here is much more unstable than what you saw on Tukeana; since Mowaidella is the capital, they truly want to shake the power balance,” Jeena added, correcting her glasses and lifting her head.

“Esinmale is closer; we constantly have to deal with large-scale attacks on the borders,” Jeena finished with a sigh.

Echa stayed quiet, listening. The platform slowly began to move, green light tracing around the edges. Jeena and Echa turned their backs to each other.

“You don’t have to worry about protection, and I am constantly trying to contact your friends,” Jeena said with a smile, turning on her heels. “All you have to do is relax, Echa.”

“Sometimes, this reminds me of Sid and index,” Echa murmured to herself, nodding, before looking toward the fountain. “Thanks, Jeena,” she added.

The sound of the waterfall filled the place, and the laughter of civilians continued on other platforms.

Ahu chimed in, “Well, I analyzed the data; here is what I found: CIL10 has been shut down for weeks. After Oshna’s interference, anomalies halted their attacks for now. However, no one is allowed in or out up north.”

“Oshna?” Echa murmured, quickly turning on her heels again and glaring at Ahu. “Is she still here?” Echa asked Ahu eagerly, striding toward Jeena.

“Oshna isn’t here. She went to Parga,” Ahu replied, swirling over Jeena’s arm. Jeena lifted her arm to caress it gently, allowing it to relax.

“Parga?” Echa asked, her eyes lifted upwards at Jeena.

“Parga is the largest continent on Agara. Sure, the most stable one of all,” Jeena added in a calm tone; the information hung heavily in the air.