COINCIDENCES

Kiara opened the door. “Lyana? It’s me, Kiara.”
Sunbeams filtered through cracks in the wall and an old lantern illuminated the wooden furniture, smelling of mildew but reasonably clean. An elderly woman sat in an old chair, wearing a green shawl, staring fixedly towards the pier. Who was she?
My gaze shifted to a young woman in a nurse’s uniform. No, she was an android. A Rhea android. Her systems were programmed with general nursing and medical knowledge.
“Ah, hello. I just finished preparing Alicia’s bath,” she glanced briefly at the elderly woman, smiling tensely. “However, she’s not having the best day.”
Kiara nodded, showing she was aware of the situation. “This is Akiko.”
I extended my hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are you the doctor?”
I furrowed my brow at Kiara, but she avoided my gaze. “Yes.”
“Great. I’ll give you Alicia’s case. Is Takashi your assistant? Can I forward it to him?” Lyana asked me.
I accepted, somewhat confused. What an odd atmosphere. Why did it feel like she was expecting me?
Lyana smiled, her eyes dimming for a few seconds.
Takashi’s response came next. “Alicia Relaisse, 71 years old, born in France on May 13, 2063. Diagnosis: Stage 3, almost 4 Alzheimer’s. Loss of 82% cognitive function.”
“What? How…?” I sighed in horror. “Alzheimer’s already has a cure. What happened?”
Kiara stepped in front of me. “Calm down… Come here, I wanna show you something.”
I swallowed hard under her stare. Reluctantly, I followed her. What a disturbing situation this was.
The dusty furniture in the room revealed it hadn’t been used in a long time. Kiara opened the wardrobe, revealing small, childlike clothes with various colours and prints. Then she took out a box, placed it on the bed, and gestured for me to sit beside her.
“This box is special to Maia. It contains things she kept from her childhood and asked me to show you,” Kiara moved it towards me. “Please, take a look.”
Calming my nerves, I carefully picked up the box, handling it as if it might crumble in my hands. It was well-preserved, made of wood without locks. No secrets to hide.
When I opened it, I nearly choked on the rising dust and caught my breath. Inside was a note that read, “Day 1: today we decided we’re going to explore the world. Maia and Saymon.” I picked up a photograph showing two children: a girl with white hair and beside her, a boy with hair half dark brown, half white. Behind them, a woman embraced them. Presumably, it was a younger Alicia.
Kiara ran her hand through her hair. “This is Maia’s older brother, Saymon. When he was seven, the mercenaries took him to Nobody’s Lands. A year later, they took Maia. This doll…” She pointed to the toy, and I took it in my hands. The worn paint depicted a replica of Maia. “He gave it to her.”
“Why were they taken?” I couldn’t fathom how anyone could do something so despicable.
“That’s how things are around here. Some families sell their kids to mercenaries because they pay well. Others are born there. It’s relative,” she shrugged.
“How can that be?” I placed the items back into the box. How could she say that so matter-of-factly?
“I don’t know all the details because they connected me with Maia when she joined the mercenaries. There’s only one person who could tell you more,” she glanced at the door. “But as you saw, she’s incapacitated.”
I fell silent. In that silence, Kiara seemed to want to say more but couldn’t find the words.
Rain fell outside.
“As for Alicia, I think she chose not to undergo treatment. I think she wanted to forget everything. The disease allowed her that.”
I frowned. “Still, Alzheimer’s is terrible.”
Kiara nodded empathetically, though I didn’t think she had any.
“You can stay here a bit longer. I’ll take care of a few things,” she stood up, gave me one last look, and left.
I opened drawers, rummaged through clothes, but nothing more could tell me anything about Maia. I could only imagine how sad it was for her to see her brother leave and then her own departure to Nobody’s Lands. They were only seven years old. My heart saddened at their fate as I sat down, letting memories flood my mind.

***

May 2133

Since Maia didn’t show up, I went back home. I tried to recall the previous night, but all I had were glimpses, accompanied by a horrible taste in my mouth from being deceived. How dare those bastards do that? At that point, the worst-case scenario was all that crossed my mind. What if Maia hadn’t shown up? Speaking of which, why was she there? And the blood on her hands? I guess I’ll never know.
Still, I couldn’t help but be curious about her. There was this urge in me to see her again. I just wanted to thank her for helping me. But how? My only lead was her name. I asked Takashi to look for a Maia who looked like her, but there were no results. So, I let it be, and the days passed.
On that calm day, the initial results of my research were very positive, and the volunteers were also excited when they watched their memories from two months ago. So, before heading home, I decided to treat myself.
The colourful 24-hour shops gleamed on the nearly empty streets of Centralia. After buying a cream puff, I walked to the station to return. The train would only come in thirty minutes due to a robbery at an electronics store, the police had closed the routes for investigation, near where I was. Still, thirty minutes was a long time.
What could I do in the meantime? I wandered along the sidewalk.
Several minutes passed as I watched an interview with an android writer, Novella, on a storefront holoscreen, when I startled at the sound of metal colliding from the adjacent alley. I tried to focus on the holoscreen.
“I’m not taking the place of humans,” the android said in the interview.
The metallic sound echoed again, and I held back a shiver as two men ran out of the alley with bloodied hands and faces. One of them muttered something incomprehensible as they ran in the opposite direction. They didn’t notice me, but I didn’t feel any less relieved, heart racing and hairs standing on end. I wanted to see what was there, but I couldn’t move. But… I needed to go. After all, I was a doctor. If someone needed help, I had to help. So, I gathered all my courage and entered the alley.
A warm airlamp provided little illumination. I walked until I saw a foot amidst the piled-up boxes. My heart pounded harder as I approached a body lying among the boxes, head hidden and hands bloodied. Whatever had happened, the person had put up a fight.
As I got closer, I saw Maia’s face.
I let out a choked scream and knelt, searching for her pulse. Then, I brought her face into the light and felt a faint pulse in her wrist. She was alive. Three deep cuts on her eyebrows and lower lip marked her face. The taxi notification beeped, startling me. My first instinct was to carry her to the car, and that’s what I did.

At the hospital, we headed to the Emergency Room, and they promptly attended to her. Despite the nurses noting the absence of her biochip with automatic registration data, I said we would sort that out later and that treating her was the top priority. Being a doctor at that hospital, they didn’t question me. So, I joined the doctor examining her. She would likely be unconscious for a while.
We administered first aid. Bruising on her neck and reddened wrists worried me. I carefully removed her clothes, apprehensive, and felt relieved to see that she hadn’t suffered any sexual violence. The injuries were concentrated on her chest, and she had a fractured rib. Finally, all that was left was to check if she had a head injury, so we took her for a CT scan.
“You can place her on the gurney,” requested the neurologist, preparing the equipment to display the images. “Has she not woken up since you found her?”
I shook my head.
When the results came out, I breathed a sigh of relief. She had suffered minor head injuries, but nothing serious. Then, I requested a room and some blood tests, just as a precaution.
I kept the room lights dim to avoid disturbing her when she woke up. I stayed with her the whole time and eventually drifted off to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night, but Maia was still asleep. Her vital signs had stabilised, and I administered more pain medication while watching over her. As I stepped away, she murmured, prompting me to approach again.
“W-what?” Her lips barely moved.
“Maia, it’s me, Akiko.”
“Akiko?” She repeated to herself, eyes still half-closed. I hadn’t expected to see her so vulnerable.
“Yes. Do you know who I am?”
She coughed, trying to move her arm but groaned in pain. “Yes. Where am I?”
I touched her shoulders. “Hey, easy. It must be hard to move. You’re in the hospital.”
“Hospital? What hospital? Where am I?” Maia grimaced in pain.
“Hey, you’re safe.”
Maia looked around as if searching for a way to escape. “Where am I?”
“You’re at Saint Gordon Hospital, where I work.”
“In Zênite?”
“Yes…”
She seemed to muster all her strength to get up but failed. Each time she tried to move, she winced in pain.
“Stop trying,” I struggled to hold her down. “Please, you’re not well.” I tried to stay calm, but my muscles tensed.
“Why? Not here.” Her calculated tone disappeared. “Get me out of here. Please, get me out of here!” She grabbed my arms, resting her head against my chest.
“I… I…”
The door beeped, and I gently released her.
“Dr. Akiyama, here are the results of the blood test. The doctor in charge of the department would like to talk to you as soon as possible,” said the android-nurse, emphasizing the last words.
I nodded, closing the door. Why did he want to talk? When I opened the result, my eyes widened. I sat down in the nearest chair.
“Maia…” I murmured. She looked at me, but still didn’t seem fully aware. “Your blood type is O negative with Rh null factor.”
It was the rarest blood type in the world; so precious that the Global Medical Committee maintained a specialised centre in Zênite to manage this blood type. Was this why she wanted to avoid the hospital? But I couldn’t leave her in that condition. I put away the results and approached her.
“Take me out of here, please,” Maia pleaded.
“I…”
“Take me, please. Take me anywhere. You can take care of me. You’re a doctor, aren’t you?”
I wasn’t sure how coherent she was at that moment. “But…”
“Please,” she insisted.
She didn’t look at me with clarity, and something elusive hid beneath her demeanour. Now that her condition had stabilised, I could take her to my home and care for her. I kept some medical equipment in my apartment and could work on my research remotely for a few days.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Are you sure?”
I couldn’t force her to stay there. Her situation wasn’t life or death, and the Code of Ethics supported me. But her blood type… that doctor knew.
She nodded.
“Alright, I’ll do as you wish,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t worsen.
I called the head android nurse and informed him of the situation. He checked her condition once more with the Emergency Room doctor, and they discharged her. I prepared Maia to leave when the blood bank doctor caught up with me.
“Akiyama,” he gasped. He must have run across the entire hospital. “Listen to me, please.”
I took Maia to the car and returned to him. “Yes?” I tried to sound as patient as possible.
“You saw. Why are you doing this? Her blood, we need it. We have only one active donor of that blood type on the continent. If we can get one more, we’ll decide at the Blood Council Commission. You know what her blood means, don’t you?” His eyes gleamed.
“I know, but not now. First, she needs to recover. But I… I’ll talk to her about the research,” I said, though I had little hope she would agree to it.
His smile faded. “Alright, I’ll wait, but I can’t ignore this. Come back to me when you have news, please.”

On the way home, my head was throbbing. Maia rested, allowing herself to close her eyes. She didn’t want to at first, even though she felt so weak. She was acting so differently from the way I knew her. Clearly, the painkillers must have been to blame.
In my apartment, I laid her down on the bed. I prepared the saline solution, changed some dressings, and connected a nanochip to her hands since I couldn’t connect the machine directly to her biochip. Her vital signs appeared on the holoscreen, showing stability. That was a relief. Exhausted and barely able to keep my eyes open, I fell asleep in a nearby armchair.
“Hey, wake up,” a muffled voice called out to me. “Akiko!”
I jumped awake. “Yes?”
I sat up groggily, with a sore neck. My arms tingled, spreading the sensation throughout my body. The orange light timidly invaded the room through the window, and I realised I forgot to dim the glass.
“Akiko?” Maia called again.
I approached her, examining her wounds which had improved significantly. I mean, how was that possible? It had only been a few hours. Despite this, I avoided thinking too much about it.
“How are you?” I asked, noticing a strange taste in my mouth. I hadn’t eaten the night before, and my stomach growled.
Maia smiled. “Are you hungry too?” she rasped.
“You too? Sorry, I dozed off and didn’t realise.”
I grabbed the physical control of the apartment and handed it to Maia. “I’ll bring us some food. If the light bothers you, just adjust the brightness.”
So, I prepared a hearty breakfast with juice and fruit, hoping she would eat everything. Well, she was malnourished and dehydrated, apparently for days. She had to eat something. I took it on a tray to her and settled back into the armchair.
“Try to eat everything.”
She agreed, but when she tried to move her arms, she winced in pain.
“Damn. It hurts a lot. Those…” She looked at her reflection in the nearby mirror, scowling. “Tsk, they got me in the face.”
Knowing she wouldn’t answer if I asked about what happened, I limited myself to knowing only about her condition.
“Do you want help?”
Maia nodded.
I walked over to her. I picked up a fork, offering her the fruits. She nibbled on them one by one, savouring.
“How much does it hurt? Can you feel your legs?”
“Yes, it hurts more than my arms. My back hurts too, and it feels like my rib is fractured. And… my face, everything hurts.” She chuckled lightly. How could she laugh in that situation?
“Has this happened before?”
She kept eating, leaving me without an answer.
“You know, I need you to answer me. I’m a doctor. If you have any medical history, my approach will have to be different. If you’ve fractured your rib or been seriously injured before, maybe your body won’t respond to primary treatment. You don’t have to give me the details if you’re not comfortable with that.”
She sighed. “It’s happened before… I’m satisfied. That was delicious, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I sat back in the armchair and had my breakfast. After some time, I reiterated the question. “Alright… how many times?”
Maia had her eyes on the view from the window, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. I figured she would ignore me again.
“Many times. I couldn’t say exactly… but it’s my first time getting such good treatment.” She tried to smile but grimaced in pain.
I held back a laugh. She’s kinda cute, after all. “Alright, I’m going to take an X-ray, okay?”
Maia shrugged.
When I finished eating, I approached her. “You don’t have a biochip?”
“No…”
I found it strange, as everyone in São Paulo had their biochips implanted from birth, and removing it was prohibited by the Aether Network. Even foreigners had to have one.
“Do you have any allergies? No? Alright. I’m going to place this chip on your neck. It’s painless. Okay, I’m going to turn on the panel, and your entire bone structure will appear. It’s that simple.”
Brushing her hair aside, I noticed even the hairs on her body were white. I cleaned the area, placed the nanochip, and she shivered. The worst that could happen would be an allergic reaction, an extremely rare side effect.
“Are you alright?” It was then that I realised how close we were. Her breath brushed against my arm, and I backed away.
Her eyes followed mine. “I… I’m fine.”
“Great.” I cleared my throat.
I sat in a chair next to her while analysing her bone structure on the panel…
“Maia, do you have NB-Mend in your bones?” I pursed my lips. This shouldn’t be possible. Once again, I suppressed the whirlwind of questions burning inside me. “Anyway, you have many broken bones. They’re almost imperceptible fractures. Only your rib has a major injury. See these metals? They’re clusters of nanites that are bonding the bones in the broken parts, aiding in bone recomposition. But scientists are still testing the prototype in New York City. How do you have them?”
I stared at her with an inquisitive look, though she remained silent.
“Alright, you’re not going to tell me, are you? Fine. I’ll adjust your treatment. I’ll give you more calcium and inject Metaline, a metallic liquid to accelerate the healing process facilitated by the metals.”
“Do you have Metaline?” She showed an odd surprise and interest.
“Yes. They’ve been researching this for a while in São Paulo. At the time, I helped with the creation of the liquid.”
“So… this is where they do it?” She murmured to herself.
“Yes, but only when New York requests it. I have it because I keep a supply.”
“How long until I recover?” She changed the subject.
“I’d say at least two weeks. Without the metals, it would be a month of recovery.” I stood up, analysing the data. She remained stable, and the chip hadn’t caused any reactions.
“So, you’re going to take care of me until then?”
That question caught me off guard. Oh, dear, I was overthinking. Don’t jump ahead, I told myself, relieved to have my back to her, well aware of my flushed face.
“Y-yes.” I coughed lightly. “Until you can manage on your own, I’ll help you.”
I left the room quickly without looking at her, without waiting for an answer. I leaned against the wall, my heart racing. Maybe I needed to get some cardiac tests done on myself.
I worked remotely, receiving research results and issuing reports to my team. Sometimes, I checked on Maia. Why was I thinking so much about her? Well, I ended up finding out that she seemed satisfied watching comedy movies, even if she didn’t smile. At a specific time of day, I visited her: when the sunset painted the sky gray, and the orange, pink, and lilac lights streamed through the window. Maia’s gaze on the sky and the colours lighting her up were beautiful. I leaned against the door, watching her, distracted.
“Akiko,” she said, catching me off guard. “I need to take a bath.”
Two days passed, and her injuries improved. She moved her arms, and her legs didn’t hurt as much. Since the bandages were extensive, I only superficially cleaned them. It had been a while since I bathed a patient.
“Can you move? If so, I can prepare the bath for you,” I said without much thought.
“No. If you can help me,” she huffed, aware of her own condition.
“I-I…” Again, I turned around, my face burning. Why was I like this? I hated getting so easily embarrassed. “Sure, I’ll prepare your bath first.”
A funny feeling danced in my stomach. Ah, sometimes, even medicine could have trouble defining things.
The sound of the water calmed me as I turned on the tap and activated the whirlpool for her to relax more. I returned to the room to fetch her. Even leaning on my shoulders, Maia was heavy. She steadied her feet a bit on the floor, lightening her weight. I led her, and steam filled the bathroom. I placed a small stool at the end of the bathtub and left Maia leaning on the sink.
“Can you… manage on your own?” I asked, hoping she understood. She was only wearing a nightgown, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Oh, this was getting more embarrassing by the minute. I shouldn’t be like this. How many times had I done this before?
“Yes,” she chuckled softly.
Relieved that she understood, I turned away. Those minutes felt like an eternity as the water splashed. I sat on the stool, using a container to wet her hair and preparing a sponge and neutral liquid soap for her to wash. Maia rubbed her skin slowly, and I imagined how painful it must be because she winced with each stroke.
“Do your parents also have piebaldism?” I shampooed her hair.
“You know,” she said, “I have a lot of questions about you.”
Oh, she did? Imagine me. Knowing she ignored me once more, I rolled my eyes. A long pause followed, echoing the water splashes.
“But the main one is, why did you help me?”
“I saw you hurt. I’m a doctor, I took an oath.”
Yes, that was the truth. I would have done the same for anyone. Except… EXCEPT I WOULDN’T HAVE BROUGHT THEY TO MY APARTMENT. I suppressed a snort, thinking about how much I wanted to see her expression.
She groaned, wetting her face. “Fine.”
“Are you okay? Feeling better? I put some medicine in the water to ease the pain,” I said absent-mindedly, stroking her head.
“Yes, a lot. Thank you.”
Maia leaned over and handed me the sponge. I washed her back, the least injured area, but with so many scars. With each pass, a new scar appeared. One very large cut across her shoulder to her waist. I traced it lightly with my finger, and she flinched but said nothing.
“There. When you’re done, you can call me, I…”
Maia almost fell trying to stand. She was struggling to support herself on the edge of the bathtub. I quickly held her, and she stared at me.
“Sorry, I just want to get out,” she explained, shivering.
I fixed my eyes on her face, avoiding lowering them. Damn, why did I even care about this?
“Okay.” I helped her stand, handing her a towel and trying my best to look anywhere else.
She laughed, mocking me. “Is it that ugly? I mean, the injuries.”
Couldn’t she pretend this never happened? “No, I’m used to it. I’ve seen worse.”
“Hmm, good to know my wounds aren’t among the worst.”
I left the bathroom without replying. She was the first person to make my heart race suddenly. I hadn’t imagined myself acting so stupidly around someone.
“Let me know when you’re done.” I threw the words out there.
When she finished, I led her to the bedroom. Darkness filled the sky, announcing dinnertime. I ordered two boxes of Japanese food. I liked cooking my own meals, but I was too tired to cook. Or rather, to think.
After a while, both of us staring out the window, Maia broke the silence. “Can you sleep here? I don’t like being alone. There’s too much… loneliness.”
It was curious to see a side of Maia that I thought I’d never see. She seemed more relaxed, even with her perpetual alert aura.
“Yeah, I understand. I feel lonely too, but I’m so busy that I forget about it.” Why was I telling her this? As if she cared. “Anyway, I can sleep here. This armchair turns into a bed, it’s comfortable.”
Before leaving to fetch a pillow and a blanket, Maia whispered something. I didn’t quite catch it, but she said something like:
“I don’t feel lonely, I…”
“Sorry, I didn’t understand. Could you repeat?” I asked over my shoulder.
“N-nothing. I didn’t say anything.”
I returned and commanded the armchair to turn into a bed, lying down on it.
“Thank you for taking care of me.” Maia smiled. A cold smile. “I’ll never forget what you’re doing for me. I want to repay you, whatever you want… except, except…” She sighed. “That, I’m not sure abou. I can’t answer your questions, I can’t…”
My heart stopped for a moment. A chill ran through my blood, and time seemed to slow down. It all happened in slow motion. Why was I like this?
“You don’t need to repay me. You helped me that night, and on that train. I did it because I took an oath, and I would have done it for anyone.” I tried to avoid showing how nervous I was by my voice. “And I ask questions to everyone. Whether they answer or not, that’s not my concern.” I lied. Except for her, most people didn’t interest me.
Maia’s expression changed as if she… her face softened, looking a bit sad even. No, it couldn’t be anything.
“Right, of course. And about that night… Anyway, I’ll rest now. Good night.”
I don’t know what changed that day, but we’ve been quiet since then. I only asked how she was, and she responded with her usual coldness. Sometimes, her lips would part as if she wanted to say something, but they would seal shut moments later. Whatever she was about to say, she preferred to swallow the words.
Over time, with Metaline injections, the implants left her bones whole and stronger than a normal bone structure. The only thing Maia complained about was the metallic taste, a normal side effect. Whatever the research in New York was like, Maia showed impressive results. And that thought reminded me…
“Maia, can I ask you something? I know I said you didn’t have to repay…”
She was standing, getting ready. She was tall and strong, with scars all over her body. How did she get them? I pushed those thoughts away. Maia would leave that night, and maybe I’d never see her again. It was something I had been preparing for all these days. I don’t know why I made such a big deal out of it. She was just one person. And people were plentiful everywhere.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Can you help us? I mean, there’s this research studying the Rh null blood factor. If you give us samples of your blood, it could be crucial for the research. It could help a lot of people,” I said somewhat confidently.
“Okay… and how do I send these samples?” she asked.
I tried to hide my surprise, I expected a refusal. “Um… can I send a droid to you?”
“You can’t do it yourself?”
“I-I, I can. But how?”
She shrugged. “Just send me a message, and we can meet somewhere in Centralia.”
“R-right.”
“So, is that it?”
She came closer, giving me a piercing look, almost destabilising. All her vulnerability disappeared. The person in front of me and her daunting aura could break anyone’s defences and was shattering all of mine.
“T-thank you, again, for everything…”
I couldn’t think straight, numbed by her golden eyes. Maybe I’ll never know what else she was going to say. She chose to keep it to herself and walked past me. It took me a while to react.
“Do you want me to call a taxi for you?” I handed her the box and led her to the door.
“No need.” She stopped at the entrance. “So…”
I looked down. “Please, no more thanks…”
“Yes, the oath. Understood. So, see you when you need my blood?” She smiled spontaneously.
I nodded, unsure how to respond. The whole situation had become so strange.
“Right. See ya…” she said.
“See ya…”
But to be completely honest, as soon as she walked away, I wanted to ask her to stay. No, I would be happy just to see her again. It’s not like… her words still echoed in my head, affecting my heart, and I just wanted to forget them.

Chapter end