SIMILARITIES

July 2133

It was the third week we were going to see each other. Maia constantly occupied my thoughts, and I smiled like an idiot. I covered my face with my hands, too embarrassed to look at myself. Someone knocked on the door, and I straightened up, glancing at my reflection to make sure I wasn’t blushing.
“Come in.”
He entered imposingly. His black hair slicked back immaculately, a neatly trimmed beard with streaks of grey. He wore a well-tailored black suit and a ring with a familiar symbol on his pinky.
His bitter gaze settled on me, emanating a commanding presence that tensed every part of me.
“Doctor…”
“No need for formalities, please.” He waved off, sitting down in front of me. “Just call me Mr. Akiyama.”
“Mr. Akiyama.”
“Very well. I won’t take much of your time. That woman…” My father feigned a cough. “She has obstructed my research. I need you to petition on my behalf.”
“What research?”
He rolled his eyes and transfer me the document. I opened the file, and with each word, my stomach churned.
“I won’t do this.” I clenched my jaw.
His eyes flashed with fierceness. “I’m not asking.”
“I won’t do this. I…”
In the blink of an eye, his palm heated my cheek.
I clenched my fists, my blood boiled. I took a deep breath, holding back tears. “G-Get out! Get out immediately or I’ll call security.”
Riki stood up. “You and your mother are useless.” He spat on the floor, leaving with the same arrogance he came in with.
My hands trembled, following the rhythmic beats of my heart. I rubbed my cheek, noticing a drop of blood. I looked in the mirror at the visible mark of his hand and a cut on my face, likely from his ring. Nevertheless, I could only think about the absurdity I had just witnessed.
I composed myself and called Hideaki.
“What do you want?”
“Riki was here. He asked me to petition for authorisation to start the research that the Committee denied.”
Her breath was heavy. “Th-this… this man is a danger to the medical community. I need to take action.” Hideaki hung up before I could respond.
I rubbed my forehead, pushing thoughts of this matter aside, and thought about my meeting with Maia the next day.

That Friday brought a beautiful autumn day. I looked at myself in the mirror, and what I feared the most had happened. A bruise had appeared on my cheek due to poor healing. I configured the biochip to cover it with e-makeup and went to see Maia.
She was already waiting for me. I approached her, smiling, and…
“Let’s go.” She didn’t let me even speak and walked into the building.
I raised an eyebrow, confused by her abrupt manner, but followed her. Maia impatiently led the way. I remained silent the whole time, not understanding why she was being so indifferent. I didn’t ask about it because I knew she wouldn’t tell me. I sat down next to her and took the blood sample.
“I’m done,” I said.
She stood up, put on her coat, and didn’t even look at me once. My heart ached.
“Great, let’s go.”
As we waited for the lift, I searched in my memories trying to figure out what could have caused this situation. Why was she acting like this? Did I do something? I couldn’t recall doing anything wrong. It saddened me, and I was crestfallen.
Suddenly, light flooded the corridor, and Maia’s gaze weighed heavily on me. She touched my chin, lifted my face, and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. The lift chimed, and the doors opened. Maia waved dismissively, and the woman bowed, exiting.
“What’s this?” she asked. “Are you wearing makeup?”
What? How could she…? I forced a smile. “Y-yes. I just wanted to do something different.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like you.” Maia leaned closer, scrutinising me with eyes that seemed to spark with anger. “Are you trying to hide something from me?”
“Of course not. What are you—”
“What is this?”
“I just wanted to put on a little makeup.”
She examined my skin. “Tell me, what is this?”
“I… How can you see it? People aren’t supposed to see through the nanites.”
“Who did this to you?”
“I-I—”
She was too close for my own good. Her breath brushed my face, and I stepped back to breathe again.
“It’s nothing.” I pushed her hand away.
With agility, Maia pulled me closer and cradled my face. She rubbed my cheek, destabilising the nanites, and the bruise reappeared. “This is nothing?!”
“I want to go home.” My face burned with uncertainty. Was this some kind of game?
“At least,” she said, this time calm, “come watch the sunset with me.”
Yes, this could only be a joke. “Why would I? Since I got here, you haven’t even looked at me. You didn’t even bother to say hi.”
Maia remained motionless as we stared at each other.
I cleared my throat.
She covered her mouth, hiding a smile. Was she really smiling? She was unbelievable.
“I’m sorry. It’s just—” She stopped talking, apologising only with her eyes.
“Are you going to tell me?”
She rubbed her neck. “I-I—”
I exhaled. “Whatever.”
I wouldn’t receive anything other than apologies. I would continue to be in the dark about why she acted that way. I swallowed the agony of being in the dark and sighed.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Maia smiled brightly. I bit my lip, annoyed that I couldn’t stay angry in front of that smile.
We went upstairs and silently admired the view. It wasn’t an awkward silence. Maia seemed to want to fill that quiet, but didn’t know how to do it. Maybe she was worried… I guess I could give her an explanation.
“It’s nothing. It was my father. He thinks my mother and I should obey him.” I clenched my fists. “He’s a renowned doctor in Tokyo, but he uses questionable methods. When research involves human subjects, scientists must submit them to the Global Medical Committee. They denied one of his requests… Anyway, he asked me to petition in my name, and I refused. That’s how…”
“Okay.” She interrupted me, sparing me. “Sorry for pressuring you when you didn’t want to talk. When I saw this, I thought someone… if you say it’s okay, then it’s okay.”
Maia held my shoulders. Her eyes gleamed, radiating golden hues. “If someone hurts you, or wants to hurt you. Let me know.” She smiled.
Once again, a dark shiver ran through my skin. “I…”
She pocketed her hands, admiring the view again. “Are you doing something tomorrow?”
“I-I don’t have plans.”
“It would be nice if we grab something to eat together.”
Grab something to eat together? Like a… My heart started pounding like crazy. This time, my face heated up, but not out of anger. Heavens, what was happening to me? I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Y-yes, of course.”
“Nice, meet me here at nine.”
“Should I bring something?”
“Just yourself.” She smiled.
Under the curtain of night, we bid farewell.

Back home, I buried my face in my hands, letting out a muffled scream. The tingling in my stomach intensified, and I found myself wanting to do things I’d never do, like humming. What was this urge to hum? I had no idea one could feel like this without Pefentanyl. I tried to push these feelings aside. My bath was ready when an official note from the Global Medical Committee beeped on my holoscreen.

Official Notice No. 23.47-5/2341-SO
London, July 19, 2133
Subject: Proscription
To all members of the medical community,
Through a collegial decision, the Committee has exiled Riki Akiyama, registered with the Tokyo Regional Medical Council under number 345245-SH, thereby revoking his right to practice medicine.
Effective immediately, his presence in official medical facilities is prohibited. The knowledge of other members of this distinguished community contributing to the actions of the proscribed member will also lead to their own exile in accordance with the International Convention on Medicine and its articles, as well as the Rules of the Global Medical Committee.
Nothing further to communicate, all members are to comply with this notice.
Respectfully,
Hideaki Katayama
CEO, Global Medical Committee

My face froze, and I reread the notice several times. She really did it. She exiled him.
I sank into the bathtub, trying to digest all that information. Exile from a professional community meant losing everything. He couldn’t enter official premises, being barred even from upper floors of other societies. They couldn’t even offer him employment unless he found another occupation, which would take at least ten years.
Riki received the harshest punishment.
No, I had to admit he deserved it. What he was proposing… Not just that research, but so many others he had conducted in the past. I shook my head, trying to push him out of my mind and focus solely on my date with Maia.

The next day, I spent the day reading. Then I got ready to head to Centralia. The cheerful and colourful air overtook me, with the music and sounds of the area creating a lively mix. People walked around laughing, starting their nightlife. Maia showed up shortly after. Her white hair reflected the multicoloured hues, and she looked even more…
“Did I make you wait long?” she asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“No, I just got here.”
“Alright, then let’s go.”
As we walked, a group of loud-talking youths approached us. Maia pulled me closer, putting her arm around me.
Damn, I was so aware of her. I tried to distract myself by admiring the streets.
After arriving at a bar identified by a neon purple sign that read ‘Bar&Pub Centro’, a holographic woman greeted us:
“Miss Relaisse, the requested floor is ready. Just take the lift at the end of the hall.”
Relaisse? Was that her family name?
We went up to an empty floor, lit by violet lights. A huge window stretched from the walls to part of the floor, showing Centralia from above. Holographs and LEDs floated like a pixelated veil over the skyways, and vehicles passed by so fast they created streaks of lights. The entire Centralia was a symphony of colours.
I approached the transparent part of the floor, feeling a bit dizzy, and Maia held me.
“I-it’s wonderful,” I tilted my head to peek at the view, feeling like I was about to fall.
Her eyes were fixed on me. “Yes, wonderful.”
I smiled shyly, straightening up.
“Come.”
We sat on the white cloth, where there were tarts, cupcakes, and some cream. There was also pasta, fries, and breaded fish. Steam was rising from the plates. It was home-cooked food. Oh, she was so… so sweet. To think I thought she would kill me when we first met.
“Wow. This is so amazing. The smell is delicious,” I smiled.
“Then let’s eat,” she said.
I ate, savouring each dish. The breaded fish made me close my eyes, it was so tasty. I wondered if she made them herself.
“If it weren’t for the buildings, we could see the sky,” I wiped my fingers. “Anyway, there’s not much to see beyond the pollution.”
“Yeah… but there’s a place in Brasil, where its said we can see the night sky, the stars and…” She cleared her throat. “Must be amazing.”
I smiled with my eyes on her. The place was known as “where you touch the sky,” a mountain with an altitude of approximately 2,995 meters.
“Do you like music?” she suddenly asked.
“Um, I rarely listen, but I like it.”
“This moment calls for music.”
I grimaced when she pulled out a phone and wired headphones. These devices were so old I didn’t even think they existed. How did she have one?
“Do you mind listening with me? You better come closer then.”
In a timid stride, I approached her, putting a headphone in my ear. Thus, I listened to music with an engaging beat, captivating me in the first few seconds. A female voice sang. The chorus was:
Ah, oh, ah, oh
We want more
Ah, oh, ah, oh
A life worth living
We watched Centralia’s nightlife under violet light and a song marking that special moment. I closed my eyes with the woody fragrance coming from Maia, our arms touching and her head resting against mine. Maybe she was closing her eyes too. In that moment, I remembered a phrase that said the best things in life were invisible, and that’s why we closed our eyes. I smiled at the thought.
The song ended, snapping me out of the trance. Maia’s face was very close to mine. I saw all her freckles and her messy white hair falling over her amber eyes staring back at me.
I removed the headphone, and moved back. “Nice song.” My face burned so much, my heart beat so fast, that I could only keep my head down.
She chuckled softly.
We stayed silent until we left, and she waited with me until the bus arrived.
That feeling again. Why was I acting like this? I fidgeted my fingers, looking down. When the bus arrived, I walked towards it, but Maia gently grabbed my arm, turning me to face her. I frowned. She smiled. I wanted to pull away, but she affectionately kissed my forehead.
“See you later, Akiko.”
So, without waiting for any reaction from me, she walked in the opposite direction, disappearing into the crowd.
“W-what?!” I whispered. “What just happened?”
My body warmed up, my cheeks tingled, my mind went completely blank. My insides were dancing in celebration. I was so aware of the kiss on my forehead that if it weren’t for the loud music playing nearby, I would have stood there for who knows how long until I went back home.

***

A haze hung over my vision, and I rubbed my numb face. My stomach twisted. I sat up, weakened, with a sour taste in my mouth. My head throbbed with hunger.
“I need to eat,” I murmured, resting my hands on the bench, battling nausea.
“Just hold on a bit longer.”
I rested my head on the bench. I must have drifted off again when Kiara called me. Her voice sounded muffled in my ears.
“Put on the mask. Akiko? Oh, forget it.” She put the mask on me and gently pulled me out of the car by my arm. “I know you need to eat, but you have to help me.”
“O-okay.” I gathered all my strength and got my feet on the ground. “Okay, let’s go.”
Kiara stayed close as we walked through a dim area. I strained my eyes, spotting a convenience store across the way under a lone airlamp. Whistling wind brought with it squeaking metal and a scent of burning. Was this Netheria?
A bronze-chrome android leaned over a holoscreen at the counter. Behind him were snacks, drinks, food, and various electronic devices. When he looked up, he blinked and smiled.
“If it isn’t my favourite customer,” he chirped. “Come.”
“Cut it out, Berg. You say that to everyone. How are you, anyway?” Kiara said.
“Oh, you know, same old.” He glanced at me. “Who’s this? New mercenary?”
Kiara nodded.
“Cutie. Always good to have fresh meat on the market. Some of those mercenaries who show up here are real brutes. Just the other day, one demanded entry, and I said, ‘You ain’t coming in, honey. Need to show the pass.’ But did he have a pass? Of course not. So what did he do?” Berg leaned towards us over the counter. “That’s right. He pointed that nasty flamethrower at me. You know what I did? That’s right. Called Mafu to handle it.” He chuckled manically.
“Who are you without Mafu, right?” Kiara smiled. “Alright, let’s eat before we go in. This human needs some sustenance, so give her your best dish. As for me…” She flashed a holopass. “I’ll take whatever’s newest.”
“As you wish.”
I sat at a nearby table, and Kiara joined me.
“I’ll wait for you to finish eating before I explain some stuff.”
I laid my head on the table. The surroundings spun. How…? I lifted my head. “How am I supposed to eat wearing this mask?”
“On the left side. See, there’s a button. Click it and…”
The front part opened. At that moment, Berg placed on the table a plate of breaded fish, fries, beans, and sauce. I ate without thinking.
“Did you leave this poor creature in captivity? How cruel. Anyway, let’s see…”
A holoscreen projected in front of Berg, showing a catalogue of weapons, accessories, and other items.
“These just arrived.” He clicked on the hologram, and a gun appeared in front of us that looked so real. So real, Kiara took it in her hands. “Unlike your CA-12, this little beauty here is South Korean, straight from the studio. There are only three of them. Its technology enhances precision and guides your hand straight to the target. I call it the meatbreaker.”
“I thought the meatbreaker was that Hatsan 12 Shotgun,” Kiara said, examining the gun from various angles.
Berg stopped laughing. “Because that weapon creates such a mess, the room where they tested it had flesh, organs, and blood all over the place. I’m talking about a room…”
“… of sixty square meters. Yes, you’ve said that before.” She rolled her eyes. “Show me a sniper rifle.”
He clicked again, and the gun in Kiara’s hand disappeared, replaced by another tremendous, completely black weapon. When the android looked through the scope, the gun lit up with some holograms.
“This beauty is called I’m Going to Devour You. It has a shot of two kilometres per second, reaching the target at three thousand and a half meters away. It’s the deadliest weapon on the market. Guess what?” His eyes gleamed. “It came straight from Russia. Trix showed me this one. She knows her stuff.”
“Alright, I’ll take this one. The CA-12 hasn’t disappointed me yet. And that SVCAK-17Z I had was destroyed on my last mission,” she said with a hint of regret in her tone.
“Great. As for our little friend here, are you going to keep her with this half-baked revolver?”
“Yeah, it’ll do,” Kiara replied for me.
I nodded to show some participation.
“Well, suit yourself.” He returned to the store.
Kiara turned to me. “Better?”
“Yeah, it was delicious. Thank you.” I pressed the button to close the mask.
“Cool.” She gave a discreet smile. “Now, the first thing you need to know is that everything prohibited in Zênite is allowed in Netheria. That doesn’t mean it’s lawless there. Mother controls the right side, Vermina, and Father controls the left side, Solterra, and together they rule Netheria. Tentro is a neutral area, where killing is forbidden. That’s where we’re heading. You’ll see some people with contracts on their names, but we can be relaxed about that. No one can hunt anyone, that’s why it’s a safe place.”
“We’ll talk to Mother or Father to find out how to rescind your contract. I wanted to avoid this, but since we’ve reached this point, you need to maintain your composure. Much more than in Nobody’s Land. If there’s the slightest suspicion that it’s you, things can get ugly.”
I nodded as she spoke, though uncertain if I understood everything.
“I figured we might have to come here, so I warned Takashi we’d be delayed,” she smiled. “He said everyone’s safe there.”
My eyes must have lit up. Knowing about them eased the tension in me. “Have they completed the survey?”
“Hey, hey. Let’s focus on your situation first. If all goes well, we’ll see them soon. Now…”
Suddenly, a freezing air surrounded us. No, it was worse. A shiver ran through me, raising the hairs on my arms, warning me of terrible danger. The cold air wrapped around us more and more. Then, someone jumped from Berg’s store, heading our way. I squinted to see better. He was tall, wearing a long black coat with a hood, black trousers, and military boots.
“Well, well.” He emerged from the darkness, chuckling hoarsely, and pulled down the hood, widening my eyes. “Kia, are you spreading our secrets around?”
“Secrets everyone knows?” She replied.
He smiled with a certain charm. “Fair point.”
He looked at me with a fierce, ruthless gaze. His wavy, tousled hair, cut back, framed his friendly features. But… that aura. His aura petrified me. I was face to face with fear. Despite being so familiar, all I could feel was fear of him. They looked so alike. His hair was half-dark brown and half-white, and those eyes… amber eyes. He was Maia’s brother.
“You… we finally meet. You have no idea how much I’ve been waiting for this moment, Akiko,” he hissed, emphasizing each word.
He was Saymon, 29 years old, an inactive Aurum mercenary.
“Did you visit Nobody’s Land?”
“Of course. You know how they are. Mother always wants to make sure a level one contract is fulfilled. I’ll get straight to the point with you. Did Maia leave you anything? Specifically, a watch and a compass?”
I avoided reaching into my pockets, where Maia left me the items.
Kiara shook her head.
Saymon closed his eyes, tilting his head back, exhaling. “Right.” Then he fixed his gaze on me. “Akiko, Akiko…”
“You said you wouldn’t take up our time, if I recall correctly?” Kiara sounded impatient.
“Hey, chill. Just want to exchange a few words with our friend here. After all, I really wanted to meet the person who captured my dear little sister’s heart.” He chuckled softly.
“I-I—”
He silenced me with a wave. “Just listen to me.”
Saymon smiled enigmatically, showing his beautiful white teeth. Like Maia, his coldness pierced through even his affable demeanour. Only it was much worse.
I gripped the table, cold sweat running down my forehead.
“What if we helped each other, huh? No one will know about her…” He glanced at me briefly. “In exchange, you’d help me find something very important.”
Kiara rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”
He pulled a Joker card from his coat and handed it to Kiara. The embossed designs glowed in magenta neon.
“Help me find what this key opens. When you find it, I’ll come to you. As for you…” He stared at me intently. “What I most appreciate in the hunt is seeing the prey cornered.”
Saymon gave a proud smile and turned, disappearing into the darkness.
I swallowed, silently mulling over how he was almost identical to her. And what was that presence? I couldn’t even breathe and follow their conversation. Then I heard a high-pitched scream, and I shuddered, so immersed was I in my own thoughts.
Berg came towards us, carrying the weapon Kiara had chosen. “Girrrl, I froze back there, almost peed myself. That Saymon, what a man. He gives me the chills, but I’d give anything to see what he’s capable of. If you catch my drift.” He winked.
“Save us the details, please,” Kiara grimaced.
Huh? Did he really mean that? “I had no idea androids could… desire humans,” I said, feeling embarrassed.
Berg laughed, leaving me feeling shy. “Oh honey, you clearly don’t know much about us. Anyway, here’s your weapon, Kiara. I’ll get back to my stuff. Your entrance is allowed.”
“Thanks.”
The android returned to his post.
“I knew he’d come to us, but not this soon. Saymon is known as the one who sees everything. He works for both the Mother and the Father, and he knows…” Kiara waved it off. “Nah, for now, we shouldn’t worry about him.”
Easier said than done. I was still reeling from how alike they looked.
“What’s this card?” I changed the subject.
“It’s a key. According to my analysis, it has a governmental algorithm from the Aether Network. I’m not sure what it opens, but I know where to start looking. We can do that later,” Kiara said, stretching her arms.
“We?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Of course. I’ll make use of you a bit. After all, the place is in Zênite,” she said, picking up the weapon and stashing it in the car. “Let’s not worry about that now, we should go. Ready?”
“As ready as I can be,” I forced a smile.
“Oh, relax. Netheria isn’t what Zênite makes it out to be. You’ll like it,” she assured me.
We walked to the back of the establishment when I tensed all my muscles, hearing a low growl that turned fierce. I was lost in darkness under a single flickering light. I couldn’t see anything. I wanted to turn back, but Kiara held my arm.
Suddenly, a monstrous lion appeared, with prosthetics on its legs and wires running through its body. It sniffed us up and down. I held my breath until the lion turned and disappeared into the darkness.
“That’s Mafu. He wasn’t going to attack us,” she continued walking.
“R-right… good to know.”
Airlamps illuminated the path, set every hundred meters. At least I felt safe with Kiara. Even though the events in Nobody’s Land weighed heavily on my heart, and I had many questions, I would wait for the right moment. And him… her brother. With no time to understand any of my emotions, I needed to keep going.
Above us, São Paulo’s airhighways reigned, and an entrance, situated many meters below the main highway of Centralia, stood out between two neon-lit buildings. A shiver ran down my spine. I had never considered going there. It was a complete taboo for us. Although everyone knew that if Zênite remained intact, it was because Netheria existed.
I fought against my reluctance, lifting my head.
“We’re here,” Kiara smiled, spreading her arms. “Welcome to Netheria.”

Chapter end