Metalized Dusk

A medical staff composed of local clopies and, to Melina’s surprise, a fully metalized nurse, which she, correctly, presumed was probably another C.T.D. that Savan released.

Melina- “ Hey…Billy. Is our clopy friend the only one that can do this?”, she asked, scratching her head at realizing what that would entail.

Billy- “ For now, yes. The group that went in with Savan today helped out during three other sessions, but that’s three out of…12?”, the cyborg estimated, looking for confirmation from Vivar.

Vivar- “ 13, including Azin. It was fine and dandy so far, but I think all these dives are getting to them. They won’t say it, but I think Savan is reaching a breaking point. The problem is we don’t know how many C.T.Ds there are left, and we’re still planning on saving all of them. At least, that’s what me and Savan decided on. “ Vivar massaged his forehead as if he was trying to press away a migraine, one which he believed was probably caused by himself. The two were eager and excited that they found a solution to the C.T.D. issue, but the price the knight believes is to be paid by the clopy is no longer worth it.

Melina, doing some head calculations while snapping her fingers, replied with an estimated number- “ 89 I think, minus the 13 ones.” She pressed her heels into the ground, gathering the courage to ask her question-” By the way…you mentioned Azin. If she was also…cured?...where is she? I’ve been wandering around this place for 1.5 years now, but I’ve never seen her…”

Neither of the cyborgs said anything, and head pointed towards Savan, who was glued onto two monitors, looking for any other traps hidden in the two captured C.T.Ds. Melina understood what the two meant and crouched near the clopy and just watched them work.

Melina- “ Anything?”, she nonchalantly asked, not expecting an answer.

Savan- “ Busy now…But no.”

The girl hummed for a while, doing the same thing Savan was doing. Then out of a sudden she pounced her question into them-“ Huh…so, what happened to Auntie Dilena?”, she asked, staring right at the clopy, unblinking and unmoving; a chill scared the clopy like nothing else before, and for the first time in a while, Savan felt danger crouching by, but it wasn’t enough to frighten the monitors. The anger spurred from the trap was beyond what the bodyguard was able to inflict.

Both of the cyborgs then approached, feeling that neither would have made a productive first step. Vivar took one of Savan’s cables connected it to himself, and asked Billy to do the same. All three of them went catatonic for a few seconds for an impromptu meeting.

Melina- “ Wait, they can do this…? I wonder then…”

After the three returned, Savan reluctantly agreed to tell her everything that happened during Azin’s dive, but the prisoner refused. “ I’m guessing you guys checked to see what kind of tech I have right?” The clopy raised an eyebrow, confused.

…

Melina- “ Yeah, yeah, I’ve been ready for a while now”, she waved her hand around, bored and annoyed at responding for a fourth time to the same question.

Billy- “ Huh…I never thought about it, but it would make sense her family would have similar tech with C.T.D. if we were used as test subjects for the prosthetics and upgrades as well.”

Vivar- “ Yeah, but the connector used on us has the mind alterations plug. Would they…”, thought the cyborg before realizing that the Brands would definitely not allow a destructive force like the Commissar to run freely without some backup. “ Probably without their knowledge, but they more than likely would want an ace against the Zin family…”

The prisoner and Guide lay next to one another, falling into a forced sleep, letting their minds close in on each other. This was the first time in a while that Savan let a stranger become a guest inside their head; which was why the two cyborgs joined them as well.

Unlike the turbulent ways of the C.T.Ds, the clopy’s mindscape was an endless field of multicolored grass. “ By choice”, added the ghostly face of the clopy. “ A chamber…for new guests.”

Melina- “ Oh?...Wise, though. We barely know each other, after all.”

Billy- “ Hey, if you have Dilena’s story, can you…sometimes show mine as well? Curious, you know?”

Savan bit their lip and fidgeted with their fingers before finding a way to reply- “ I…don’t know how much I have saved. Usually, since I technically spent decades inside a C.T.D.’s mind, the process deletes everything after I exit. Dilena was different since I was forced out and…I asked the Doc soon afterward to help me save as much as they could since she was…you know”

Savan- “ Now, Milena…before you see my retelling of my guidance with Dilena, let me just say this. After she died, Marcos blamed me for it. Tried to kill me, even. I didn’t understand it, but in the end, I get that we also barely knew each other, so it makes sense now why he trusted your father’s words over mine. So…”

Melina- “ Let’s just…start this, ok? And I’ll judge you afterward, if that’s what you’re talking about.”

Savan- “ Are you? How could you be sure it’s not a fictive memory to … you?”

Melina- “ Because I’ve known Auntie before she…disappeared. I know what to look for. I’m older than Marcos and spent my formative years with her…”

Savan- “ Fishing?”

Melina- “ No…but she spoke about it, from time to time about it. “

The clopy then opened a door-like space, inviting the prisoner inside a small room, with four chairs. Melina and Savan stood in the front, while Vivar and Billy took the larger seats from the back. Unlike Savan’s dives, though, the memories flew by faster, seen on a giant, flat-screen;

Savan- “ By the way, I’m giving you some control regarding how you want to watch this. If you want it to go faster or slower, just slide your fingers in front of you from left to right and vice versa. “

She gave me a thumbs up, with her face glued to the show running in front of her. The faces of the background people were distorted, walls and tiles were missing entirely, with blank spaces appearing instead and most of the audio was either barely hearable or missing. And yet, to Melina, this was the most captivating thing she had ever experienced beforehand.

Hours passed by and the four watched in silence at the shattered movie; Vivar slouched in his seat from boredom, Billy started doing circles in the concrete and Savan was checking up on Melina, trying to figure out her reactions. An annoying task, as the girl was focused and unflinching. The most she moved was to bend her back and get her face closer to the screen.

…

After a while, they got the pond and the burning of Dilena’s world. Most of the dialogue was too mangled to be understandable, but Savan noticed something about the prisoner. Whenever she couldn’t hear her aunt, she would silently move her mouth, trying to lip-read Dilena’s words. And she was more focused on comprehending her last words than everything else.

When it finally came to an end and she saw her aunt disappear from Savan’s vision, she was done. Ready to leave.

Melina- “ I’m…I need some time, ok? I don’t have an answer yet…but give me…”

Savan- “ Sure, that’s no problem. Take as much time as you need.”