RAS AT TIN

Kiara remained silent the whole time as I prepared, even though I didn’t know what to expect. After exhausting my imagination, I stopped trying to guess and let go of my expectations about what awaited me. Whatever was going to happen would happen. I just wanted to live in the moment and immerse myself in that world completely.
As we neared the landing, Kiara handed me two robes. “Consider it our disguise. You can put it over your uniform,” she said.
I touched the fabric and was impressed by its quality. Unfolding the robe, I recognised the black tunic. I looked in the mirror, and the tunic effectively concealed my uniform underneath. Kiara wore a similar one, using gloves to hide her tattoos. She also instructed me to configure my biochip to add black eye makeup.
“It worked well for you,” she said, taking a seat across from me. “They can’t know we’re foreigners. There are rebels who don’t accept Abdel, but he influences most people. If anything happens, we could be arrested, and we don’t want that. They also have some disdain for more independent androids. To them, we should only serve humans and nothing else.”
Kiara raised a finger. “You can’t wear a mask. Your face must always be uncovered. The only exception is these robes.” She explained that they avoided using Aether Network systems, so mercenaries moved among them without the risk of being identified.
That also meant that if we disappeared, were arrested, or even killed, no one would come looking for us.
“Not even someone from Zênite like you,” Kiara said, holstering her weapons.
I swallowed hard at the warning.
“Alright, let’s go.” She opened the plane’s door, and a gust of wind enveloped us, forcing me to close my eyes. As I adjusted to the new surroundings, my jaw dropped. Golden sand surrounded us, blending with a greyish sky. I could hardly believe what lay before me: a desert.
I crouched down and touched the warm sand, smiling like a fool. Kiara raised her eyebrows, looking at me strangely. Clearing my throat, I followed her to a nearby establishment.
Someone with only their eyes visible greeted Kiara. “Pass,” they said.
The android displayed her e-pass, and we circled around to where a car awaited us. After stowing our belongings, we set off for Cairo. The city was nine hundred kilometres from the Sahara Desert, and the journey would take about three hours.
“What kind of place was that?” I asked.
“It’s a mercenary outpost. The Sahara Desert is known as the Dead Zone, like Nobody’s Land. The Kemetia Command, Egypt’s militia, has no interest in it.”
So, was this happening everywhere? It was hard to believe that people lived in such dire conditions.
During the trip, I admired the vast expanse of sand, shimmering in the sunlight and creating dazzling points of light. The beauty of the place was breathtaking, even amidst danger.
As we left the desert’s borders, a massive wall surrounded Cairo. We entered a traffic queue at the gate, heavily guarded by androids and humans. When our turn came, an AI greeted us in Arabic, and Kiara ensured our entry. I understood very little due to the wind interfering with my hearing. Even with the biochip, external factors sometimes hindered real-time translation.
We flew over the circular metropolis, shrouded in sandy air. The buildings stood five hundred meters tall, guarded by twelve colossal statues of Egyptian gods sculpted into the walls. The gold of the sculptures gleamed. Twelve smaller statues surrounded the Al-Azhar Mosque, home to the leader, Abdel. Below them, people crowded in lines, holding offerings. In the distance, the ruins of the pyramids, destroyed by Aether Network attacks, covered part of the golden landscape.
We parked on a dusty street where most of the commerce focused on food, convenience, and restaurants, while robotic items were a minority. Some people walked cheerfully, while others kept their heads down.
A Cairo soldier approached a short man, striking him on the head with his weapon. “No offering, worm? Come with me.”
I tried to ignore it when Kiara announced our arrival.
The fictional facade of the Ebony Retreat hotel mimicked a sandy composition, featuring a reproduction of an ancient structure. Inside, it was adorned with obelisks and bronze columns. After the AI receptionist greeted us, we climbed a staircase and entered a small room with a window, two beds, and a dresser.
“I’ll prepare everything for our trip to the Port of Alexandria,” Kiara said.
I lay down on the hard mattress for a nap, and Kiara woke me at dusk. Shaking off my soreness, I sat up.
She sat across from me, displaying the holomap of the Port of Alexandria. “We’ll follow these mountains,” she pointed to an orange direction. “I’ll leave the car at this abandoned spot, and we’ll continue on foot. The warehouse is here. We’ll stay in a cave overlooking the warehouse, where I can gather more information.”
“We won’t come back here?”
“No. While you slept, I explored Cairo, and things are getting ugly. Soldiers are stopping and detaining people on the streets without apparent reason. It’s too risky to stay.”
“Got it.” An ache settled in my chest. I’m not liking this.
“I’ll take two days to analyse the item’s location and its weak spots. Then, on the third night, we’ll infiltrate. I’ll ask you to prepare here.” She nudged my head. “Try to relax. O.k.?”
After that, we began our journey to the Port of Alexandria. Kiara’s words unsettled my heart. A tingling sensation made me scratch my hands and raised the hairs on my arms. Something eluded my perception, something invisible lurking. I avoided dwelling on that feeling, distracting myself with the view.
After passing through security again, we flew over less technologically advanced highways, causing disruptions in the car’s electromagnetic waves. We nearly crashed twice. Miserable small towns and vegetative fields composed the surroundings.
Finally, we arrived in Alexandria, surrounded by the titanic statues of Egyptian gods. We didn’t take the main route. Kiara veered toward the mountains, which had altered reliefs, similar to the irregular geography of the rest of the city. The android explained that they used Alexandria to test the R-FUS and observe how the tremors would affect the cities. Although they hadn’t used maximum power, they caused destruction in the region up to Ras El Tin Palace, creating mountains with the quakes. Until then, they usually tested the bombs in the Sahara Desert.
“That explains why half of the Desert turned into sea,” I said, somewhat indignant.
“The only intact structure is Burj Citadel, the fortress we’ll infiltrate. Or rather, the warehouse attached to this fortress.”

We arrived at an abandoned place. The metal walls, corrupted by time, were still firm, guarding a shattered place. Obsolete technologies throughout the space, such as panels, televisions, cables and a signal tower, recreated the memory of a communication base.
“I’ll camouflage the car as a precaution,” Kiara said.
Once she finished, she undressed and asked me to do the same. I removed the tunic and put my mask back on. After Kiara adjusted her weapons, she looked at me. I furrowed my brow, uncomfortable with her scrutinising gaze.
“I’ll teach you how to use the gun. Hopefully, you won’t need it, but you should know what to do if necessary.”
I took a step back. “B-but, I don’t know. I don’t want to kill anyone.”
“Yea, yea.” She cradled my shoulders. “Please, I’ll just show you. We don’t always shoot to kill.”
Swallowing hard, I picked up the gun from my holster and opened my biochip’s screen. I found the weapon’s code and adjusted the automatic weapon connection. A tingling sensation ran through my arm and head, and the targeting hologram appeared in my field of vision.
“Very well. Now aim and fire there.” Kiara pointed to a poster on the wall.
Reluctantly, I stepped back, lowering the gun. “I-I can’t…”
“It’s just a wall.”
“I-I know, but…” A thin sweat formed on my forehead. Clearing my throat, I raised the gun. “O-okay.” I can’t let my emotions take over, I told myself, trying to calm down.
“That’s it, aim there.”
A pixelated crosshair with three circles, one inside the other, surrounded the target. My arms moved involuntarily toward it. I aligned the crosshair, received a command to shoot, but froze. My hands trembled, and my mind went blank. More sweat dripped down my face, and I blinked hard. The knuckles of my fingers turned white from gripping the gun. It’s just a paper. And with that motivation, I fired the revolver. I recoiled from the impact and dropped the weapon on the ground.
Kiara placed it back in my hand. “Never let go of your weapon.” She glanced at the poster. “It wasn’t so bad, at least now you know what it feels like. Let’s go.”
I closed my eyes. It was terrifying, making me imagine what it would be like to shoot someone for real. How could they do it so easily? I holstered the gun and followed Kiara. I had to forget what I’d just done and focus on the current mission.
We walked along a narrow trail amidst the mountains. Looking down, I felt dizzy, aware of the height above the ground.
“Try not to look down,” Kiara warned, taking the lead with agility.
I took careful steps, focusing on my feet and what lay ahead. When the trail narrowed further, Kiara held my hand. We pressed against the wall, our feet barely finding space. As we reached a larger opening between the mountains, Kiara pulled me, and I almost fell, clinging to the wall with all my strength. My hands slipped from the sweat. It felt like my soul left my body and returned.
She gestured for silence, then drew her silenced revolver, moving cautiously. Three muffled shots echoed. I dug my fingers into the rock, feeling the burn as my pulse raced alongside my rapid breaths.
Kiara tugged my arm. “Alright, let’s take this.” She dabbed a drop on her forehead and handed me the full vial of blue liquid. “It’s HeatX, a heat inhibitor that will prevent thermal sensors from capturing us.”
Over her shoulder, three bodies lay on the ground. I shook my head, swallowing bile. Still trembling, I took a sublingual drop.
“I’ll hide the bodies, wait here,” she said. Her nonchalance didn’t lessen my nausea. She mixed the blood spatters with the soil. “Let’s go.”
Kiara walked to a table with papers and weapons. She picked up a document. “These are orders to shoot anyone approaching the fortress.” She unholstered her weapon and pointed toward Burj. “There’s a row of bodies around the walls. I’ll hack their communication to avoid suspicion.”
We continued along a winding trail and encountered a hole. Kiara leaped across effortlessly. I, on the other hand, lacked both courage and leg strength.
She reached out her arm. “I’ll catch you.”
Saliva stuck in my throat as I glanced down. Sweat glued the fabric to my skin. “I-it won’t work.”
“I’ll catch you, trust me.” The determination in her eyes reassured me.
I stepped back, took a deep breath, and jumped. I extended my arm, but my fingers slipped from hers. My feet slid on the ground, and my body tilted backward. Kiara lunged forward, gripping my wrist and pulling me with force. I hugged her, tears in my eyes.
“I thought—”
“I told I’d catch you.” She stroked my head. “Now let’s continue.”
Voices at the next outpost put Kiara on alert. She asked me to wait while she checked ahead. Muffled shots followed by silence, then more shots and shouts from above echoed.
I suppressed a startle when she reappeared, pointing to a staircase carved into the mountain. “They’re patrolling from above.”
After disposing of the bodies, Kiara continued ahead, cleaning the outposts and concealing all evidence. Finally, we reached the small cave, which was cleaner than I expected. Hidden near a ravine, it offered a perfect view of Burj Citadel. I leaned against the wall, catching my breath.
“You’ll sleep on the ground,” Kiara said.
“I had a taste of that hard mattress, but…” My stomach growled. “And food?”
The android laughed heartily. “Hungry, are you?”
I must have blushed. “Not exactly. Maybe a little.” I removed my mask. Actually, I’m quite hungry.
“Here you go.” She tossed another vial to me, the label read ‘FamineFix’. “It’ll provide sustenance until you can eat properly. Just until we finish this mission. It’s not recommended for more than a week, as your body needs real food.”
After ingesting it, I felt satisfied and somewhat energised. Kiara adjusted her precision rifle on a bipod and lay down, peering through the optical sight. I sat at the cave’s edge, observing the city. Sleep soon overtook me.

I woke up before the sun’s rays reached the cave. My numb, aching body slowly regained sensation, and my arms tingled. Kiara sat nearby, ready to share some information she had gathered.
“I was about to wake you,” she said. “Let me fill you in.”
I rubbed my face, trying to fully wake up. Focus. Time to pay attention.
Kiara projected a map of the warehouse from her wrist.
“There are five floors,” she explained. “I counted thirty guards, those red markers. They operate in quadrants.” She zoomed in. “I found two blind spots. The first is through this opening. There’s a structure there we can use for cover.”
“The other option is to follow this ledge to the main entrance. There will be two guards on the way and another two after we pass the entrance. But most importantly, our objective is here.” She highlighted a small orange square in the centre of the warehouse. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s small. Tomorrow, I’ll gather more information.” Kiara deactivated the map.
I stored the details and repeated them mentally.

The day passed slowly. With nothing to do, I watched the Citadel of Burj under a sandy veil. On the horizon, the Mediterranean Sea’s waters shimmered with the sun’s rays.
I awoke under the sunset, with the sight of a sky mixed with lilac and orange, bringing clouds that reminded me of a painting. Night fell with the dim glow of two stars, something I had never seen before. I smiled and imagined Maia by my side, looking at the same sky. The smile faded from my lips. The memory of her warmed me, but she wasn’t there, and that hurt me deeply. I was on that journey to truly know her because she was my breath of life.
Maia made me feel in a way I had never felt before. She caused me discomfort, making me question my life, if that solitary path was what would make me satisfied. And even without knowing how to deal with those new feelings, something changed inside me forever. She made my heart race, gave me butterflies in my stomach, and filled my thoughts. I fell in love, and everything I wanted to do, the life I wanted to lead, the experiences I hadn’t lived, I wanted to live with Maia.
An interrupted dream.
What will become of me when this is over? What will I do?
It dawned again, and Kiara stroked my arm. She must have seen that I had gone to sleep crying. Without saying anything, she looked at me with gentle eyes. I smiled at the gesture and sat up, more sore than before. I stretched to ease the numbness.
“I’ve finished the analysis. The guards change shifts twice: once at noon, and once at ten at night, when the boat activity ends. We’ll infiltrate tonight at ten. This area will clear for two minutes, enough time for us to pass through the opening and reach this wall.” As she spoke, our path highlighted on the map. “I’ll need you. While I do the clean-up, you follow this corridor and hack the power box. You’ll use this malware.” She sent me a file called NoLight.exe.
“I’ll have already hacked the cameras, so they won’t see you. After that, come back to me. The malware will cut all the power in one minute, leaving everything dark for three minutes. We’ll go down to the warehouse, take the item, and return to the ground floor. The power will have been restored, and probably all the guards will be on high alert. By then, we’ll be gone.
Stay behind me, watching my back. You don’t need to kill, but if a guard comes our way, you need to neutralise them. As a medic, you should know where the vital points are.”
“I-I’ll try.” I cleared my throat.
It was a lot to process, and the idea of shooting someone, even without the intention to kill, made me tremble. I avoided thinking about it and focused only on what was necessary to rescind my contract and find out who the hirer was. In truth, I hadn’t reflected on the fact that I was being hunted, but I knew I couldn’t escape these thoughts forever. Nor could I depend on Kiara indefinitely. I had to learn to be strong and protect myself.
“We’ll move at nine. Questions?”
“No, but there’s something I need to tell you.”
I’d thought about it since our trip to Netheria. My intuition suggested this was the right decision. I trusted Kiara. And Maia too. I took out the watch, the phone, and the compass from my pockets. “These items were in the envelope. I don’t know what they mean and I have a feeling. I think you should keep them, at least for now.”
She looked closely at the three items. “Maia left this with you? She handed me the envelope already sealed.” Kiara combed her hair and smiled. “She…”
“She what?”
“I didn’t imagine. I mean, I knew that…” She turned the items over in her hand. “This is completely different. Anyway, we don’t have time for this now. Are you sure you want to leave them with me?”
I nodded, confused.
“Alright.” She pocketed them in her coat.
As curious as I was, I was aware of our situation and kept focused on the mission.
When the time for the infiltration came, I took FamineFix to feel satiated, with HeatX. Kiara slung the machine gun over her shoulder and took one last look around with the I’ll devour you.
“I’m a sniper strategist,” she murmured. “If Maia were here, she would do the infiltration.” A faint smile appeared on her face. Hearing her talk about Maia, even vaguely, made me smile. “Okay, we’re ready. I mean, are you?”
I just nodded, not thinking too much about it.
The steep descent was a natural path in the mountain, where we supported ourselves with our hands and feet. Kiara moved without difficulty and helped me keep my balance. When we reached the ground, my bloody hands were sweating. We hid in the bushes until we got to the warehouse. Aerial lights illuminated the vast structure, surrounded by tall vegetation, walls, and parked freighters. The concrete walls had some holoscreens for communication, and the only movement there was the guards.
We proceeded crouched to the container zone, where Kiara cut the wire fence with a laser. We waited for two guards to pass by, and then slipped inside. As soon as we saw the opening to the warehouse, Kiara rushed there. I tried to keep up with her pace as fast as I could, but a guard was already turning the corner. The android pulled me when she grabbed my hand, and I almost fell.
In the warehouse, a wall separated us from the centre. When a guard passed by, Kiara grabbed him, covering his mouth and thrusting the retractable blade from her sleeve into his neck. Then, with no hesitation, she hid the body among the boxes.
My stomach churned.
When another guard passed by, Kiara stabbed her blade into his throat with the same agility, hiding the body soon after. Now it was my turn. I crossed the corridor slowly, crouching as I passed a window. I opened my bioscreen, connected to the power box, and as Kiara showed, installed NoLight.exe. The box glowed neon red. Before everything went dark, I activated the night vision mode and returned to Kiara. She cleared the way to the lower floor, but agitated voices began to emerge from the upper floors.
Kiara grabbed a small metal box and pocketed it. Two and a half minutes had passed as we walked towards the exit.
“You can do better than that, cabrón,” said a powerful voice from a room. “Hijoeputa.” He laughed.
The sound of a whip cracking against the skin reverberated, and I held back a shudder. Kiara stopped and stared at the door with an indecipherable expression. What’s she doing? The lights came back on, but a wall hid us from the guards who came in droves.
“C’mon! No se quien crees que eres, but you won’t take me down with that little punch.”
Kiara gave a brutal kick to the door and entered the room, shooting the two guards inside. I followed her, sweating and trembling. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
“Denden?” She grimaced.
In front of us was a tanned man with sharp, feline eyes. His curly brown hair was tied in a bun and a lock fell over his forehead. Tattoos covered his entire muscular body, covered in blood.
“Kiara? What are you doing here, chica?”
“What do you think?” She rolled her eyes and removed the cuffs that bound his hands and feet. I don’t know how she did that since only electronic keys could open the nanometals. In any case, I didn’t have time to ask. After what I’d seen, I couldn’t doubt anything she could do anymore.
The man stood up, rubbing his wrists, and gave us a bloodstained smile. “I was about to free myself, muchacha. It was just a matter of time.”
“I see. You brought the Mother’s shipment and got caught, didn’t you?”
The man took a weapon from a dead guard. “They didn’t catch me. There was just an unforeseen event, and now you’re here. Suerte.”
He was very upbeat for someone all bloody and injured. I had the instinct to examine his body to see what was wrong, but I restrained myself. The mask’s information showed he was one of the mercenary leaders: Denden, a 38-year-old cyborg.
“Who’s this muchacha?” He moved towards the door.
“My apprentice.” Kiara followed him and signalled for me to follow.
“Apprentice? You brought a class one mercenary for a mission like this? She must be good.”
The two were paying attention to the surroundings. The guards were shouting, running towards that area.
“I wanted to do this unnoticed.” Kiara glared at him.
“Oh, leave it to papi here. I’ll take care of everything.”
He went out, firing several shots, and the guards yelled for reinforcements.
“NO!” It was too late. “Damn it, shit.” She drew the machine gun and fired towards the stairs.
No, no, no. What have I got myself into?! Damn. I was going to die. I was going to get shot and die. I crouched, wrapping my arms around myself, trembling with all the screams and loud noises.
Kiara pulled me up. “C’mon. We don’t have time. We need to reach the exit before the alarms go off, or they’ll surround us in less than five minutes.”
Denden led the way, abandoning the gun he used and taking a new one from the fallen bodies. A sea of blood spread across the warehouse, and with every step, a terrible urge to vomit burned my throat. I didn’t know how much longer I could withstand such discomfort.
The remaining guards awaited us at the main entrance. A loud alarm whistle sounded, and everything glowed and flashed red. I no longer knew what was happening. It was a cacophony of gunfire and screams. Kiara’s touch dragged me, but I saw nothing in front of me. I’m going to die, I kept thinking.
“IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?! HIJOS DE PUTA! TAKE THIS!” Denden laughed maniacally. “You’ll regret messing with the magnificent el monstruo.”
My body and bloodstained hands trembled almost convulsively. What the hell is this? Damn… My head spun, and the low blood pressure blurred my vision, making me lose control of my body. No, calm down, breathe. I tried to rationalise and stay calm. Calm down, focus.
Denden and Kiara were clearing the way to the exit, shooting the guards as they came towards us. When we reached the mountains, we would gain an advantage due to the terrain. After that, we’d leave. That was the plan. Yes, it will work.
“I-I’m fine,” I said to Kiara while she shot with liveliness.
“Alright, watch my back.”
I grabbed the revolver, and my visual perception increased, making me see what was happening almost in slow motion. Guards and more guards were coming from the Citadel, crossing the field of vegetation towards the warehouse. Luckily, the place gave us some advantages. We were almost at the exit when a roar from the Burj fortress cut through the air. A small ball was coming our way.
A greenish smoke covered everything, taking my breath away and making me cough desperately. My eyes burned, and my lungs felt like they were about to explode. Even with the mask, I was suffocating. Not just me, but Denden too, who dropped his weapons to clutch his throat. I caught flashes of Kiara shouting.
After that, darkness took over.

Chapter end