GENERAL EDMOND CROX

  The girl stood there, right in front of me.

  Guilt still ate away at me from the inside, like a slow-burning acid. I kept repeating to myself, like a worn-out mantra, that all of this was for the greater good.

  That sacrifices were necessary.

  That there was no other choice.

  But standing before her, those words rang hollow even to me.

  Two weeks ago, when Helena awakened, I felt genuine relief. An almost childish happiness for not having lost her.

  I still remembered the weight of her body in my arms, the blood, the overwhelming sense of helplessness.

  But then came the surgeries.

  One after another.

  Irreversible changes.

  And at some point in that process, I began to wonder whether what had awakened was still, in fact, Helena.

  — Let me explain…

  I began, choosing each word carefully.

  — Your brother may be our greatest hope right now. Without the auric compound, we don’t stand a chance if something like that happens again.

  I hesitated for a moment.

  — Erick… he has something special inside him. Helena analyzed the test results. After she awakened, she was the one who told us what she had discovered.

  LUNA HELEN

  — Helena…

  My voice faltered for a second, coming out rough.

  — Is the doctor… okay?

  A whirlwind of emotions surged through me. Relief, sorrow, guilt. I was grateful that Helena was alive. I truly was.

  But at the same time, I knew Erick was in this situation because of her.

  — …Yes.

  — Then what did she find?

  What is inside my brother?

  GENERAL EDMOND CROX

  I took a deep breath before answering.

  — Helena discovered that Erick’s cerebrospinal fluid contains traces of the auric compound.

  — By observing his behavior, we developed the theory that, somehow, this is slowing the advance of the carmine corruption within him… allowing him to retain his consciousness.

  I let the weight of that sink in before continuing.

  — Luna, he may be the key to dealing with all of this. We are putting more and more people into comas every day.

  The entire system is on the brink of collapse.

  — If you can help us convince Erick to cooperate… perhaps all of this will be less painful for everyone involved.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  She stared at me, her eyes burning.

  — Cooperate?

  Her voice trembled, filled with disbelief and anger.

  — You’re asking me this after that spectacle?

  After exposing my brother like that?

  — Why didn’t you ask before?

  — Before humiliating him in front of everyone?

  Each word struck like a blow.

  — I’m sorry…

  I replied, sincerely.

  — Those were not my orders.

  Helena… I hesitated.

  — She’s different. She’s not the same person we once knew. But like it or not, she’s the only one who truly understands your brother’s condition now.

  The silence that followed was heavy.

  LUNA HELEN

  Cooperate with them.

  Try to convince my brother.

  Just thinking about it made my blood boil. But maybe he was right.

  Leaving Erick alone with her, after everything Crox had said about her condition, seemed even worse.

  What was I supposed to do?

  I had to give them an answer.

  I noticed they were nervous. Dr. Lucius tapped his fingers against the table, impatient.

  — Fine. I’ll accept.

  I said, reluctantly.

  — But what exactly do you want me to do?

  You already have Erick. What could I possibly change?

  — We need you to keep an eye on her.

  Dr. Lucius replied.

  — And report anything unusual. We cannot allow her to repeat what she did with the Power Armours.

  — What do you mean?

  Mr. Crox stepped forward and explained what had happened.

  I couldn’t believe it. Suddenly, everything made sense.

  Mr. Julius’s behavior at the end… now I understood.

  Still reeling from what I had learned, my thoughts spiraled.

  If Dr. Helena had done that to the soldiers, what would stop her from doing something even worse to my brother?

  A fog of panic settled over my heart.

  I needed to run.

  I needed to see how Erick was.

  — You understand your role in this.

  Crox said.

  Dr. Lucius handed me a small device.

  — It will record everything you see and hear.

  He explained.

  — In case of emergency, press here. I’ll help.

  He didn’t explain how.

  I noticed he was nervous, reluctant to say more.

  Mr. Crox stood in the corner of the room, speaking to someone through his transmitter.

  — Done. I informed Dr. John that you’ll be reassigned to another sector.

  He found it strange, but didn’t question it. Everything’s settled.

  — Alright. When can I start?

  I really want to see how Erick is.

  — We still need to speak with Helena.

  He replied.

  — For now, I want you to remain in Sector 2. We need to avoid further problems.

  People are more paranoid than ever. It’s not safe for you to move around freely.

  ERICK HELEN

  I had already lost track of time.

  Helena didn’t stop for a second. I barely had time to eat or go to the bathroom.

  Test after test, pushing my body to its limits.

  She pierced my lower back repeatedly, extracting more and more fluid.

  Used electrodes, shocking random areas of my brain.

  Took samples, tearing open my skin.

  Beyond the physical strain, the worst part was watching the carmine veins grow and spread across my body.

  I didn’t know what that bastard wanted with all of this.

  All I could hear was the mechanical crackling of the machines inside her body… and her murmurs.

  It was driving me insane.

  There were only the two of us in that room.

  And a few drones.

  Well… except for the poor rats.

  They suffered more than I did in her hands.

  She extracted cerebrospinal fluid from my spine and tried injecting it into them, one by one.

  Nothing worked.

  They went berserk seconds later.

  Tried to kill anything nearby.

  When they couldn’t, they turned on themselves.

  It was horrifying.

  The sounds they made while mutilating themselves were indescribably awful.

  As I prepared for another round of tests, I heard the door open.

  I was confused for a moment.

  I even doubted my own sanity.

  — Luna…?

  Helena turned when she heard the door.

  — Ah… I forgot to tell you we’d be having a visitor.

  My entire body tensed.

  — What is she doing here?

  — Don’t you dare lay a hand on her, you bitch.

  Helena tilted her head slightly.

  — Easy, easy, little boy.

  — She came here of her own free will.

  I looked again.

  Luna had already stepped closer.

  I saw the shock in her eyes when she looked at my body, and I instinctively turned away.

  — You idiot, what are you doing here?

  Desperation came before fear, confusion, or shame.

  KARMA: HEY GUYS, SORRY ABOUT THE POSTING FREQUENCY.

  MY VACATION IS OVER, SO THINGS HAVE BEEN REALLY BUSY LATELY.

  I’D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO’S BEEN FOLLOWING THE STORY.

  There’s still a lot more coming.

  Stay away from robot women, lol.