HUNTING

I woke up to Kiara knocking on the door. Subconsciously, a thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it. Now, however, my head throbbed as I thought about it. There was this small chance…
“I can help Alicia!”
“What do you mean?” Kiara asked.
“I’ve developed a prototype, CogniSynth, that connects to the hippocampus. If she responds to this software, there’s a chance for recovery and to proceed with Alzheimer’s treatment.”
At that moment, Lyana entered the room eagerly. “Is it true? How can we make this happen?”
I called Takashi. “Analyse Alicia’s medical history and compare it with the results I’ve obtained so far in my research. If there’s more than an 80% compatibility, let me know.”
He responded in seconds. “The compatibility is 87%.”
I smiled broadly. Despite having two determining factors, blood type and the individual’s natural memory, CogniSynth was in its final stage and was safely functioning in individuals with over 80% compatibility. Below that, I hadn’t tested yet.
“Takashi, you and Lyana prepare Alicia,” I said, handing the chip to the android. “It takes a day for preparation. Two to three days for the initial probing.”
Kiara crossed her arms. “Alright, you’re the doctor here. I’ll trust you… but I accessed Takashi’s system, and even though the research is in its final stages, it’s still not safe. If this doesn’t work, what could happen to Alicia?”
“Nothing will happen to her. Alzheimer’s causes the death of neurons in the hippocampus. At the stage she’s in, the disease has compromised her neurons long ago. Unlike a healthy person who could die or suffer severe damage.”
She remained upright, scrutinising me, seeming to analyse my soul. I held her gaze.
Kiara nodded dismissively. “Fine, if you say so. Whatever happens.”

It was nearly dusk when Kiara approached me. “Hey, you and Alicia are the only humans here. You must be hungry. Alicia eats what Lyana prepares. We can go somewhere while they finish whatever they’re doing.”
I agreed and followed her.
Kiara led me through the port city known for its maritime commerce. The predominant smell of fish, water, and metal snaked through the stalls and makeshift houses that crowded the filthy, narrow streets. Shops for mechanical and robotic prosthetics provided second-hand limbs, some outdated, with sparks flying from the joints. An unrestrained joy filled the city. I didn’t know why, but I wanted to be part of it. I smiled, thinking that life was much more than I knew.
“What? Did you see something you liked? Just say,” Kiara said.
We passed several food stalls. I stopped in front of a grimy place selling fish skewers and fries.
“Hmm, this looks good. I’ll have one of those vegetable skewers and…” I turned to Kiara expectantly. She stared at me, and the man scanned us both. Then I remembered she was an android. “A-and… I don’t know why I did that.” I smiled awkwardly.
“It’s alright. This used to happen to Maia all the time,” she smiled.
I disguised the swell of emotion at the mention of her name, glancing at the people passing by. A few minutes later, he handed me my order.
“If you want, we can eat looking at the sea. Over there…” She pointed at various freighters. “It’s a beautiful view.”
As we arrived in a bustling area, excitement tingled within me. I fidgeted restlessly as a lift took us to the top of the freighter. Rain fell gently, barely noticeable in the tiny city below, where people looked like ants.
Kiara put her hands on my shoulders. “Don’t get distracted. This isn’t Zênite.” Her eyes were vigilant.
A group of youths, leaning on the railings, eyed every passer-by, seeming ready to steal from some unsuspecting individuals. I huddled closer to her warm embrace.
We reached the edge of the freighter. The view dazzled me, and I almost dropped my skewer. Huge airlamps soared over the dock with a light so intense it seemed like daylight. The sky and the sea merged at the horizon, and the brown water shimmered, gently rippling. I closed my eyes to the sound of the waters.
“If you don’t eat, it’ll get cold,” Kiara said.
“It’s amazing,” I murmured. The fish was delicious. Maybe that powder was the special seasoning.
“Yeah. But if you could finish soon, we’d better get back,” Kiara sounded tense.

A day and a half passed. Alicia’s first memory probing was at 43%. Takashi received the data shared with Lyana, and the stable data matching left me optimistic. I sat on the couch, anxious for the results, until…
“We have to go,” Kiara announced hurriedly.
“Excuse me?”
“I… I don’t know how this happened, but why is there a contract in your name?”
I furrowed my brow. “Contract? What are you talking about?”
“Damn!” She pounded the wall. “A contract. Damn it, someone made a contract in your name. And your bounty is massive. They’re offering thirteen million reais for you.”
I widened my eyes, gaping. What the hell? “Th-thirteen? Wh-what?”
“Do you know what this means?” She brought her face close to mine. Her eyes sparkled with anger. “Mercenaries are coming after you.”
“B-but…”
“We have to get out of here now. Someone must have seen you yesterday and sent your location. Three Class 7 mercenaries are coming for us.”
“I-I… WHAT’S HAPPENING?!” I tried to contain the shivering taking over my body.
“They want you alive,” she ignored me, hands on her hips. “Takashi, I’m sending you Akiko’s contract and the code to locate the mercenaries. You can locate all except the Aurum classification.”
A whirlwind of thoughts hit me all at once. Hunted? Contract? What did it all mean?
“As for you, with a contract in your name, I can’t protect you. Don’t worry about her.” She pointed at Alicia. “You can leave her with Takashi.”
She put her hands on my shoulder, reverting to a thoughtful Kiara. “I wanna continue what Maia asked of me, and I know you do too. There’s a way we can face this.”
“H-how?” I tried to keep up with everything happening. Whatever it was, more questions would have to wait.
“We need to go to the Nobody’s Lands. You’ll have to trust me.”
I didn’t know what all that meant, but I had to trust Kiara, just as I had trusted Maia. My thoughts told me to resist with all my might, but my heart… oh, my heart yearned more and more to go on. So, I just nodded.
“You can’t stay here. I’ll install a nanocryptography in your system to make you untraceable. Go to this address as soon as possible. The mercenaries are close,” Kiara told Takashi.
The recent information still stunned my head when she spoke to me:
“Your clothes and hair, we have to change them. I have a uniform, but maybe it’ll be a little too big for you… I’ll bring it to you to change.”
My throat dried, my palms moistened. A cacophony of feelings intertwined within me. Nothing was making sense anymore. Why were mercenaries hunting me down? I couldn’t assimilate any of it.
I looked at an immobile Takashi, leaning against the wall. My heart fluttered as I thought if I owed him some kind of explanation. To be honest, I didn’t even know what to say. He was my android, and he would obey me without question. But the freedom Kiara had to think and decide without submitting to anyone made me uncomfortable. Shouldn’t Takashi have the same freedom?
“Takashi,” I called, and he looked at me impassively. “Thank you. We’ll be apart for a while. Please take care of Alicia. We’ll meet again soon.” I smiled.
“Of course.”
Kiara returned, bringing a change of clothes and black combat boots. “I hope it fits you.”
I donned the old black military uniform from a long-defunct Brazilian army, which hung a little loose on the sleeves. The boots fit me. When I looked in the mirror, I felt somewhat disoriented.
“I’m ready.”
Kiara looked me up and down. “Almost. Where we’re going, your beauty would stand out… They might recognize someone from Zênite. And you look like Zênite.”
I remembered Maia saying the same words to me. “So, what do you suggest?” I assumed my opinion would count for little.
She grinned broadly. “Cutting and messing up your hair might help.”
I looked at my reflection. For the little I saw of the Nobody’s Lands, going there with my current look would be suicide. I sighed. “Alright… do it.”
Without wasting time, Kiara cut my hair. Strands upon strands fell from my head. How could hair change a person so much? She layered my hair to my shoulders and bleached it. It was my first time as a blonde. I looked like someone else.
“You’re better now, but the essential is still missing: the trademark of the mercenaries.” Kiara handed me a black gas mask. “There are two reasons they wear these. The first is that these masks contain nanomalware that corrupts criminal recognition nanites in Aether Network systems. A mercenary might recognise you, but I’ve created a nanofirewall, so don’t worry.”
I touched the impeccably crafted nanotechnological item, feeling a strange connection to it. “So, how will they not identify me if there’s a contract in my name?”
“When they scan you, nothing will come up in the database. You’ll appear as unknown, which is quite common.”
Her explanations sounded so natural to her, but they were painful in my head.
“The second reason is the air. In Nobody’s Land, the atmosphere is highly corrosive, and the mask has an air filter so you can breathe. It also has a nanobarrier to protect your head. This uniform is designed to protect your body as well.” She looked at me expectantly.
“Alright, got it.” My head buzzed with the new information, and I just wanted to lie down, sleep, wake up, and find out it was all a dream.
“You’ll see mercenaries exposing their bodies, but they were born there, so they have a high resistance to the climate. Just one more thing, I need to hack your biochip to disconnect you from the Aether Network.
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“We need to get rid of their software.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
“I’m not asking for your permission.”
“But why?” I backed away.
“Isn’t it obvious?” She rolled her eyes. " This software has all the official codes and is your primary tracker. How do you think mercenaries know where to find you?”
“B-but, my entire life is in the Aether Network. And my connection to Takashi?”
“Androids and owners have a unique nanotracking cryptography. Your connection with Takashi will be fine.”
It’s true, but removing Aether Network access meant losing 99% of my biochip’s functionality. It was unthinkable, especially in my professional position.
Well, it was only temporary. After all this, I could reinstall. It didn’t matter. It was either this or the mercenaries would find us soon. And according to Kiara, she couldn’t protect me.
“Alright.”
My biochip’s holoscreen appeared without my permission, and various apps began to vanish. The pixels moved so fast I couldn’t keep up. It was impressive.
“Done. Nobody’s Land is an hour away from here. I’ll give you more details on the way.”
With that, we headed to the car.
Fog and a storm blanketed the entire city, preventing me from seeing more than a hundred meters ahead. I sniffled, certain my face was completely red.
“Seeing the sea on the coast,” Kiara said as she drove. “We’ll have to save that for another day.”
I smiled, but insecurity lingered in my gaze.
As we progressed, I grew excited despite fear gripping me. It wasn’t the fear of mercenaries hunting me or the threat of imminent death. I wouldn’t know until I was face to face with whatever it was. I squinted against the window, trying to see through the fog.
My time here was short but truly significant. The place where Maia had lived in her childhood. I closed my eyes, reflecting on Kiara’s words and everything I could expect. Then flashes of Maia crossed my mind. I rested my head against the window, letting memories of her wash over me.

Chapter end