With a mix of happiness and surprise, I quickly asked:

  — What are you doing here, Catherine? I thought we would never see each other again.

  Restless, she immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me to a quieter corner of the crowded hall.

  — I should be asking you that, idiot. What are you doing here? Do you even know where you are?

  — I came looking for a missing friend, Phobos. Have you seen him around here or anything like that?

  — Phobos? I have no idea. And this is not a place where you should be — she said, clearly worried about the situation.

  Before she could explain further, Askia approached.

  — You already have an acquaintance here, John. Julie here is a newcomer as well. It has been over a month already, hasn’t it?

  I looked at her and silently mouthed the word “Julie?”, but Askia continued speaking.

  — I didn’t have time to explain yet, but as you can see, these are the people searching for answers. Everyone here has been a victim of the government of Summum — and of your father — in some way. This is our resistance: the Inordinatus. Come, I’ll introduce you to the leader. He is the one who will help us find Phobos.

  Crossing the entire underground hall, I was led to a smaller room without even a door. As we approached, we could already hear two men arguing inside.

  — How much longer will it take for you to get that information, Isaac? Another one disappeared, and it feels like we’re standing still. I’ll handle it myself. I can’t stay here waiting forever.

  — I just need a little more time, Avi. Your impatience will only cost us more.

  — You speak as if their suffering can wait. This needs to be solved now!

  Without even noticing our arrival, the man stormed out impatiently, bumping into us at the entrance and walking off into the hall. The other man remained inside with a frustrated expression. Yet he quickly composed himself and prepared to greet us despite the awkward moment.

  — Forgive that scene. Our leader is a very empathetic man, and the suffering of others weighs heavily on him. I see you brought someone with you, Askia. My name is Isaac. I’m one of the aides of the Inordinatus.

  His gestures and speech were precise. One would never guess he had just come from an argument.

  — Don’t be modest, Isaac — Askia said. — He’s one of our leaders, John. I brought this boy because he is also a close friend of the last one who disappeared. He’s brave and capable. I trust him to participate in our activities.

  He said this with a certain pride while patting my back.

  — Did you manage to get that information for us?

  — I avoided showing it to everyone else here. I only kept it for you. I found a map of something underground that leads somewhere — though I don’t know exactly where. I believe we might find answers there. My lead suggests that this underground place lies beneath the military hospital behind Lower Surum.

  — The hospital?

  — Yes. I don’t know what they are doing there, but I doubt it is anything good.

  Askia simply nodded and took the map. His expression radiated determination. In that moment he saw the chance not only to recover Phobos, but also to find the many other missing people the Inordinatus had been searching for since their formation.

  With the map in hand and a plan forming in his mind, he began explaining how we would infiltrate the hospital. He would use his military rank throughout the week to gather information and find a discreet way for us to enter the hidden location.

  I did not hesitate to agree. Dangerous or not, I felt that Phobos was in far greater danger.

  But we would need more help.

  As soon as Askia stepped away to speak with his companions, I went looking for Catherine. I was still confused about them calling her Julie. Was it some kind of codename? Or was she disguised here? Either way, she seemed deeply concerned.

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  It didn’t take long to find her near the exit. This time I was the one who grabbed her arm and pulled her to a quieter corner.

  — So now your name is Julie?

  — I appreciate that you didn’t mention that in front of the others. This is the last place I expected to see you again. I can’t give details about what I’m doing here — I can only tell you to be careful.

  — Mysterious as always. But that’s not why I pulled you aside. I need your help to rescue my friend. I feel like I can trust you for this mission. Askia and I alone won’t be enough, and there’s no one else I can rely on.

  We stood there in silence for a moment, staring at each other. Her face was very close to mine. It was impossible to read what she was thinking through her deep blue eyes.

  Her entire existence had been a mystery until now.

  Yet somehow it felt as if fate had brought us together again. And it seemed she felt the same.

  We agreed to meet again at that hideout during the week to discuss the plan more thoroughly. Satisfied with everything that had happened that day, I hurried back to the lodging where Finder was waiting, eager to tell him everything.

  The great metallic figure was there in the room as usual. I explained all the details that might be important both for me and for him. His presence on the mission would certainly not be refused — the information we might obtain there could be related to the symbol he had been searching for.

  Time seemed almost frozen during the following days. Every second dragged slowly during the routine in the Order. That monotony finally broke when Askia managed to organize all the preparations and informed us of the exact time and place of the infiltration.

  There were still a few days left before the decisive moment when we would put the plan into action. It was time to return to the Inordinatus and inform Catherine.

  Following the complex path back to the hideout, I descended the stairs and immediately heard a great commotion in the hall. People were gathered in a wave of excitement. In the middle of the crowd, standing on top of a bench, was the leader Avi, shouting his speech at the top of his lungs:

  — The time for standing still as mere victims of the government of Summum is over! Each day more of our people disappear without reason, and when we question it we are treated as criminals. Many are arrested, others expelled from the city without even a chance to defend themselves from this tyranny. Together we will invade the headquarters of the Order and recover the documents that reveal what they are hiding from us. Let us use the training they gave us against them. We will be more than civilians gathered together — we will be a special force. We will be the force of the oppressed and the disappeared.

  He paused for a moment, looking into the eyes of each person present, as if transmitting his entire desire for justice.

  — Soon we will find your brothers and sisters, friends, parents and children. And we will bring justice against the Order, against the Legado, against this city. Against order — disorder. INORDINATUS!

  In unison, everyone in the hall shouted “Inordinatus!” again and again.

  The entire hall pulsed with contagious energy. Avi’s words inspired everyone — from the youngest to the oldest. They all felt that under his command they had a chance against the forces of Surum.

  Even I felt it.

  The idea of fighting for something greater only increased my urgency to rescue Phobos.

  As the crowd slowly dispersed, I found Catherine and quickly explained the essential details of the plan. Our conversation was brief. As soon as I finished, she seemed eager to leave.

  Realizing I was delaying her, I said goodbye and remained there a while longer, observing those hopeful people. All of them shared a simple wish: to see the loved ones who had vanished overnight.

  I knew that pain.

  The need to know where someone is, whether they are alive. Those thoughts do not only consume the mind — they corrode the soul.

  Having an organization that gave those abandoned souls new strength almost felt like a miracle.

  After leaving, Catherine was overwhelmed with doubt.

  How could she give information to Edison about people already in such fragile situations? It did not seem right. Yet the way they intended to seek justice could also bring chaos to the city — deaths, perhaps an even larger rebellion spreading through Surum.

  At the same time, she thought about John’s request and everything she would have to risk to help him.

  None of the decisions before her were easy.

  Yet she had to report to the meeting point.

  With every step, her legs felt heavier. A part of her wanted to abandon everything and run away. But there was nowhere left to run. For months she had done nothing but flee endlessly.

  In this city, she finally had a chance to establish herself.

  But at what cost?

  Arriving at the meeting location, Catherine stood before a kind of pedestal with a glass surface — a screen. When she placed her hand upon it, the device lit up and scanned her fingerprints before dimming again.

  Moments later, a small three-dimensional projection of Edison appeared.

  — What is your report?

  — I’m not sure we are doing the right thing. These people only want justice for what has happened to them and their families.

  — You do not understand, girl. This movement is dangerous not only for the government but for them as well. The way we do things did not begin with Emperor Summum, nor with his father. Our actions follow the principles that sustain this nation. Those principles allow this city to exist and shelter the very people who now wish to revolt. You are not doing this for me, nor for them. You are doing it for a greater good — the one that keeps the structures of our city standing strong.

  Edison’s words convinced her enough to continue. She revealed the plans of Avi’s main group to infiltrate the Order’s headquarters in Lower Surum.

  But when he asked if there was anything more, she omitted the mission she had agreed to carry out with John.

  At the very least, she could not betray her friend’s trust.

  When the transmission ended, her legs finally gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

  Guilt consumed her.

  Yet deep in her heart she forced herself to believe that things would somehow be better this way.