The fishing trip

The dive this time was in a delicate, much pleasant field than the one encountered in Billy’s head. Savan found it easier to traverse it, and the feeling of drowning and being dragged on all sides was more bearable this time around, taking Savan only one day to get used to it. 

After finding the "play" point some few hours later, Savan made themselves comfortable, slouching on the "ground". They felt like it was the right thing to do. The “movie” then started, with once again, a little child, a toddler, who lived inside a giant mansion. They immediately found out their name as well, Dilena, and that she was an adventurous kid at heart. Savan followed how they crawled from hallway to hallway, how she ran at three, and how she played pranks on her retainers at five. Never once, though, did they see her parents around.

By the time she was eleven, Savan little by little helped the movie untangle choice nods and their involvement elevated the clopy to Dilena's imaginary friend. The two were sitting by a pond, in the middle of a smaller Playground, owned by her family. More secrets kept under cloaks weaved with influence and subterfuge. 

Neither talked, but Savan could tell something was bothering the little girl.

-” What’chu doing?”

-” Fishing.”

-” Do you like it? I think it’s a bit boring.”

-” It’s not boring! It’s nice and fun, stop saying that. You sound just like mom and dad!”

After the outburst the two sat in silence, Savan just looking to the side waiting patiently for the girl, who was still pouting. After a while, Dilena apologized while weeping, and the clopy tried to console her:

-” Your parents don’t like fishing? Or they don’t like you going fishing?”

-” Both. They want me to train and do chores and stuff. They say it’s my duty, to help the family, but, but…”, stopped the girl while trying to hide her running nose. Savan conjured a napkin and helped her clean it, then gave her a little pat on the head. The girl felt a little better, so she continued her story. “ Big brother is much better, and tougher, and smarter than anyone. So, he will be leading the family, so why should I do all of this?”

Savan pondered a bit on what to say- “ Well, maybe your big brother also wants to play from time to time, but if he has to do all the work, wouldn’t that tire him out?”

-” Well, sure, but…”

-” But you two also deserve some rest. Oh, I’ve got an idea!”

-” Yeah?!”

-” How about next you have to train with your brother, you invite him to go fishing with you instead?”

-” That’s a great idea…wished I thought about it when I was at that age”

The image changed, and the young girl was now a young woman, scarred and disfigured, with a missing limb. - “ You need to leave Savan”, she ordered the clopy, while the world started to burn around them. -” Priya's staff removed the self-destruct measures of the Brands, but the one my family implanted is well hidden. My brother started the process two days ago.”

Savan then noticed how the woman was being eaten, from the tip of her feet, by the blaze that was devouring Dilena's world. They commanded it to douse itself out or summon anything that would extinguish it, but nothing worked. -” That was just me, giving you power in my mind. Thank you, by the way, for being my friend all these years. And once you're out, please look after my nephew, Marc needs some guidance of his own”. Savan then felt dragged back, outside of the world, watching how, slowly, the edges eroded and plains and skies turned to alabaster. Sounds slowly died out, until it all became blindly white and finally, void.

When they returned back from the Guidance, the first thing the clopy did was to scream out to her - “ Dilena?! Dilena! Wake up, wake up!”, but to no avail. It lasted only a few seconds this time, and they weren’t as drenched out of energy as before, but the madness with which they screamed her name, and tried to wake the C.T.D up scared Angie and Marc.

-” What is, what happened?”, asked the boy. He was confused, unsure of what to do or to say. After Savan started crying out to Azin, he understood what possibly happened, and checked for brain waves from the C.T.D, but nothing showed. She was declared dead by her systems a few seconds later.

Angie tried to make the clopy feel at ease, but Marc was livid. His mouth was contorted and spit flew with every barked question; how they knew his dead aunt's name, what happened to Azin…what went wrong.

-” She said to me that her brother did. She...let me remember dam it!”, Savan hit themselves over the head as if hoping that would stop the process. “ Dilena said that her family had their own self-destruct option and that…he did”.

The clopy didn’t know that what they just said put them closer to the Reaper then ever before in their life, but Angie could tell it. Marc's lazy, but reliable mood was now a mix of confusion, regret, and living anger. He was no longer looking for excuses or explanations, he just needed to hurt something hard enough now. For minutes on end. To hear them scream in agony while begging for forgiveness. Something like Savan.

-” That! WASN’T! MY AUNT!”, he howled while pointing towards Azin. “ You lie! I don’t fucking know what you did to Azin, but you will pay. And trying to blame it on my dad…You piece of shit clone! I can’t believe that I was stupid to feel for the little tricks, little smiles, your innocent little act.”

With each new insult, Angie tried to tell him to calm down and think about what he was saying, but deaf ears don't make for listeners. The boy was long gone past that moment, and any chances for him to still be able to call them friends went out the window when he activated two thin blades that went parallel to his arms. He no longer cared what he had to do to get to Savan.

Angie immediately activated her own, new pickaxe and the two clashed once more. Not through a sparing match this time, though. Even if she had the strength and speed advantage, she had to be careful, as his blades could cut into any type of alloy without problems. She jumped and struck, then parried, dodged him until Marc accidentally cut open the doors, which felt out. Luckily for them, they were only a few meters into the air, so they didn’t risk being dragged by the draft.

With each swing, the boy also took a step forwards, getting closer and closer to Savan. He felt it, joy at seeing them horrified that his edges were just a few moments away from parting his judgement. Marc managed to avoid one of Angie's strikes, and got in one slashing distance from the clopy. But while he ducked the pickaxe and was in the middle of lifting his head up, Savan’s metallic hand was already flying towards him. It hit him directly in the face, barreling him backwards. Angie then took the occasion to kick him out of the transport device.

The boy fell on his back, but at the last moment spun his body around and landed on his feet on the ground. Angie saw it and sent the others the message- “ Marc turned on us.”

-----

Using the little chip, his father found his son a few minutes later, distraught on the ground and broken in spirit. The captain smiled at the sight of it.

-” Come here Marchos”, he said in a caring tone. He approached the boy slowly though, mostly to see how he would react. Did he believe them, or was he still in the clear? He got his answer after he managed to embrace the boy, and he in turn embraced him back. “ It’s ok son. We will fix this, whatever it is. We will solve it.”

-” There is nothing to be fixed dad. They killed her. They murdered Azin.”

-” Shhh boy, stop crying. If we can’t fix it then, we will make them pay. What do you say?”, he said while noticing a smaller, hovering object approaching their location.