Red Nova

Nirvana

On the following morning, the monorail was stationed inside the Doridian Sky Verse, the most expensive hotel in the city located at the heart of Times Square. Nesha, Talia, and Hannah stepped out of the building. When the trio reached the sidewalk they stood still, gazing at the city in awe. Fen Treydis was packed with rifters and hovercars. Meanwhile, the monorail behind them left the Doridian Sky Verse.

“The weather’s gorgeous today,” said Hannah, squinting.

“What should we do first?” asked Nesha.

“Explore!” replied Hannah.

“About time,” said Talia.

Together they visited numerous clothing stores and passed by a few museums and art galleries. After a few hours of exploring, they started to adjust to the city’s numerical structure and used their rift boards. Upon reaching the new Statue of Liberty, Nesha took pictures with her UND. They then rifted through Central Park, passing by Shakespeare’s theater where people acted out his plays.

“So,” said Hannah, “when are you going to see Rick?”

“In the evening,” said Nesha.

“It better be,” said Talia teasingly. “This is prime time together.”

The three of them agreed, taking in the fresh air of Fen Treydis’ spring afternoon. It was a hot day, but they couldn’t ask for anything more. They continued to rift through Central Park. In the distance they could see the Doridian Sky Verse, the tallest building on Earth—including Burj Khalifa.

“I’m so glad neither of you need a license to rift here with me,” said Nesha, flying high above the park.

“Ditto,” said Talia, performing a crescent swipe.

“Yeah, this is the best trip ever,” said Hannah.

They were rifters down to the bone. To them, rifting wasn’t just a sport, it was a life-changing experience. The ability to rift, as opposed to other sports, was like a blind person who’d been cured, finally able to experience the universe in a new way.

After exploring more than half the city of Fen Treydis, the girls returned to Times Square on their rift boards. It was already getting dark, and the whole area was lit up like a Broadway show.

“The Great White Way,” said Hannah in a tone of awe.

“No matter what time it is this place rocks,” said Talia.

“You know,” began Nesha, “at first I wondered if I’d like it here. I kept thinking of Corselos. And now I realize, especially at night, that it’s so beautiful here. I think the lights bring everything to life.”

“Really?” said Hannah. “I love the architecture. I feel like this is something I could’ve created if I had to make blueprints for a city.”

“I can see that,” said Nesha, smiling.

Along the street, where the Doridian Sky Verse stood, were restaurants, clothing stores, electronic boutiques, and clubs. There were also screens attached to the glimmering skyscrapers displaying various kinds of advertisements; one of them was for Vortex:

“Have you ever yearned to be a wizard in an ancient kingdom? Ever wanted to become a noble knight? A cowboy who rules the wild west? Or perhaps the galaxy’s finest explorer? Well, you can be any and all of those anytime you want,” said Vreffith Larser. “That’s right. With Vortex, anything’s possible. So, what’re you waiting for? Purchase Vortex now for your home entertainment and start your epic journey through another dimension today.”

“Well, I think it’s time,” said Nesha.

Hannah playfully shoved her best friend. “So, you’re going to visit Rick now?”

“Mmhmm,” uttered Nesha.

“You don’t know what you’re missing, girl,” said Talia.

“Oh stop it,” said Nesha, chuckling. “I promise I’ll hang out with you in Nirvana tomorrow night.”

Hannah hugged her. “Don’t forget to use the pill.”

“I already took it,” said Nesha.

“Hold on, you’re gonna do it?” asked Talia. “Tonight?”

Nesha, slightly blushing, replied, “Yes.”

“Shut up!” said Talia. “Well then, screw Nirvana. You’ve gotta tell me all about it tomorrow.”

“I will,” said Nesha.

“Have fun,” said Hannah, winking.

“You too,” said Nesha, waving at her girlfriends while rifting skyward.

She rifted past myriad skyscrapers, glimpsing at a few advertisements. Just a day ago, Nesha would’ve been lost trying to find Rick’s hotel on the east side, but now that she traveled through half the city with Talia and Hannah, it was easier for her to find her way around. She rifted to Lexington Avenue and 49th street where a hotel known as Midnight Escape stood. It was an elegant-looking hotel; though, it wasn’t as fancy as the Doridian Sky Verse because it lacked the monorail.

“Here it is,” she said to herself.

Upon hovering down to the sidewalk, she ported it back into her UND and went inside Midnight Escape. Nesha saw several landscape paintings on the walls while she walked through the foyer that had a marble floor. Passing the lobby, she reached a small intersection, which had an EP on the left side and a few old-fashioned elevators along the right.

“No way,” she said in disbelief. “They have elevators?” Fascinated by them, she rushed over to one and clicked the up button. Stepping inside, Nesha noticed a mirror on the wall. “This is perfect.”

She took off her hair pin and looked at her reflection, trying to fix her hair. Then she clicked on the fifth floor button, and the elevator’s door closed. Nesha’s chest started to constrict while the elevator took her up four flights. She kept thinking about her desire to be alone with Rick—to give him her virginity. Nesha thought to herself, in an ideal world it wasn’t supposed to be planned. However, she had strong feelings for Rick, and her father was in another star system, so he couldn’t do anything about it. This had to be the night, she conceded. It would be magical.

The elevator door opened when it reached the fifth floor. Nesha stepped out and looked around. With the exception of her heart pounding, the hall was utterly silent. Her stomach twisted and squeezed while she searched for Rick’s room.

“548,” she said, walking through the corridor. “Where are you?”

Approaching the corner of the hallway, she finally spotted his room. She gulped heavily, knocking on the door. There was no answer, so she decided to ring the bell. After a few seconds, Nesha heard footsteps. Her heart raced while the door unlocked and opened.

“You?” snapped Fatima. “What are you doing here?”

Nesha backed away, her body pressing against the wall. Her heart continued to pound, but for a very different reason. Not one second later, Rick came out.

“What’s wrong, babe?” he asked, looking at Fatima. “Is it room ser—”

Silence descended while Rick, slack-jawed, stared into Nesha’s teary eyes. Fatima simply stared at her with a pretentious glare.

Nesha couldn’t say anything. In fact, she didn’t want to speak. If she had a soul, she looked as if someone had stolen it. She felt empty of any kind of warmth, at which point she realized that it was Rick who had betrayed her—not her father. Nesha thought Rick might as well have stabbed her with a knife; he might as well have killed her. She would have preferred death rather than seeing Fatima with him. Starting to cry, she ran away.

“Nesha!” called out Rick. “Wait!”

“Don’t go after her,” said Fatima, sulking.

“Nesha!” he exclaimed.

Rick was about to go after her, but he was half naked. Though ashamed of himself, he turned his attention back to Fatima and kissed her, closing the door behind him.

In the meantime, Nesha ran down the corridor until she reached the old elevator. She didn’t know where the EP was on the fifth floor and couldn’t care less. She clicked the down button and waited for the elevator to open and then went inside while crying hysterically. Her heart crumbled apart along with her innocent love for Rick. In that instant of seeing him with Fatima, her trip was ruined. She felt that her whole life had shattered. And for a brief moment, she even thought about suicide. That was how much she loved Rick. Her head throbbed as she cried. She then thought about her father again.

“You were right about him all along,” she muttered, sniveling.

Since her make-up was smudged after crying so much, she wanted to look in the mirror and fix herself. She turned to the mirror on the wall and gasped. Her reflection wasn’t there. The lights abruptly dimmed and the elevator stopped. Not seeing herself, she flustered and felt dizzy. When the ceiling lights flickered, her reflection appeared in the opposite corner, staring at her coldly.

“He’s coming for you,” said her reflection.

The lights returned to normal, at which point the elevator descended. Nesha, however, fainted by the time she reached the first floor.

After a few minutes, she awoke. Upon opening her eyes, she found herself in a starship. She stood up and warily exited the elevator, stepping onto a dim catwalk filled with heavy steam. Though her vision was blurry, she walked through the passage ahead. When her vision returned, she observed the ship’s interior.

“Wh-where am I?”

Although teary eyed, she was no longer crying. Moments later, the spacecraft trembled violently. She strode across the catwalk and entered a chamber that contained an Ouroboros forged with fe’lorian runes along its ring, nuclear energy coursing through it. Ahead of her stood an octagonal windowpane, giving view to the sun. To her surprise, it appeared to be decaying. As soon as she passed the ring-shaped Ouroboros, she reached the octagonal window and stared at the dying sun, baffled.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Liagon.

Nesha jumped when she heard his voice. Turning around, she spotted Liagon and gazed at him, speechless.

“All this time, I never realized you were real,” he went on. “I thought you were simply a remnant of Mother. I kept killing you, trying to erase Mother. But you are my kin. We share the same G-DNA.”

“Who are you?” she asked, taking a step back.

“Some call me Liagon,” he said. “Nesha, can you see the decaying star? You call it the sun, but it’s a star. Stars are more precious to us than anything because they grant us immortality. Humans don’t deserve the gift of life. They deserve death. Join my cause, and I will teach you how to awaken your dormant power. Then we can make humanity suffer for turning us into these abominations.”

“I don’t know who you are or why I keep dreaming of you,” she said, backing away. “But I want you to leave me alone.”

“Wrong response,” he said.

The sun suddenly collapsed while Liagon plunged his claws into her chest. Nesha croaked, blood squirting out of her chest. She then woke up in her hotel room, shrieking.

“Nesha,” called out Talia, distraught. “Calm down.”

Hannah stood there too, staring at Nesha with a frightened expression.

“Tali,” said Nesha, crying and hugging her. “He cheated on me.”

“What happened?” asked Talia. “Did you have another bad dream?”

“I went to Rick’s room,” replied Nesha, sobbing. “Fatima was with him.”

Hannah gasped.

“That son of a bitch,” snapped Talia.

“Ho-how did I get here?” sniffled Nesha.

Hannah hesitated but eventually answered, “The robot receptionist at Midnight Escape found you in an elevator.”

“That’s right,” said Nesha. “I remember using it.”

Hannah sat on the bed, patting her. “You’re lucky it was an android that found you,” she said. “It opened up your UND’s address book, showing me as your last call, and contacted me.”

“I can’t believe him,” said Nesha. “How could he do this to me?”

“You mean Rick?” asked Talia.

She gave a faint nod, covering her face with both hands.

“What if that was just a part of your dream too?” said Hannah. “I mean, maybe Rick is clueless and alone in his hotel room.”

“How do you know about my dream?” asked Nesha, glaring at Hannah.

“Oh,” uttered Hannah nervously. “Well, the robot said you were repeating ‘he’s coming for me’ while you were sleeping.”

“The android made us worried,” said Talia. “It kept saying that you were speaking to it but didn’t respond to its questions. It said you were repeating the same thing. It told us that you are—”

“No, T,” interjected Hannah. “It was just suggesting.”

Talia sighed. “It was suggesting that you’re... schizophrenic.”

“I’m not schizophrenic,” snapped Nesha, standing up. “People talk in their sleep all the time. But what I’m positive about is that I saw Fatima with Rick. That was real. I swear it. They were either going to have sex or already did. I saw them together with my own eyes before I fell unconscious. And I remember it clearly now. When I ran back to the elevator, that’s when I felt dizzy.”

“Well, maybe it was stress because of what you saw,” said Hannah, getting to her feet and rubbing Nesha’s shoulders. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I just can’t believe it,” said Nesha, sniffing.

“Don’t be so naive,” said Talia, rolling her eyes. “All men at some point in their lives do that. You should just forget about that asshole and play the field.”

“Like you?” responded Nesha, frowning.

“Live a little,” said Talia. “Life’s too short. We only live once.”

“Hey, I have an idea,” said Hannah. “Why don’t we just forget about all this crazy stuff and go to Nirvana together? Now that the three of us are single, this entire trip can be about us.”

“Hannah, you’re a genius,” said Talia.

“I don’t know,” said Nesha depressingly.

“Pretty please?” asked Hannah, pouting.

Nesha chuckled softly when she saw the expression on her girlfriend’s face. In the end, she could never let her best friends down.

“Fine,” she said. “Just let me take a quick shower because I look like a mess.”

Talia and Hannah cheered, jumping up and down with excitement.

One hour later, the three of them were ready and left the Doridian Sky Verse. Fen Treydis glimmered with countless lights while Nesha and her girlfriends walked down Broadway. In due time, the trio reached Nirvana, a dancing club located on Times Square. It stood only nine blocks away from the Doridian Sky Verse. Each floor of the club was divided into three levels and had a DJ who played various genres of music from all centuries.

Dressed glamorous, Nesha and her girlfriends entered the skyscraper. Talia was wearing an all black outfit while Hannah wore jeans and a short blouse that revealed her flat stomach. Nesha’s style, however, was very different. She wore an ashen-gray, cowl-neck dress with ornamented t-strapped sandals. Men were already gawking at her when she entered Nirvana’s lobby.

“Don’t worry about the line,” said Talia, giving her a pass. She winked at Nesha and added, “I got one for you earlier just in case.”

“You’re the best, Tali,” said Nesha, linking the pass to her UND.

“Let’s get our groove on!” said Hannah eagerly.

They passed the line, approaching an EP.

“Can I see your passes?” asked Nirvana’s bouncer.

The trio showed their passes to the bouncer who then nodded and allowed them to enter the EP, which ported them to the fortieth floor. It was divided into three levels. The walls were decorated with East Indian murals portraying couples in sex positions that resembled those from the Kama Sutra. Nesha spotted a DJ on the third level playing techno-ambient music. Most noticeable to her, however, were the patrons. They were dancing wildly on the first and second levels while prismatic lights flickered around them. And in the center of the first level stood a plinth shaped like a lotus upon which sat a Buddha statue. The sight of the meditating Buddha was the strangest thing Nesha had ever seen, and yet she loved it.

“So, what do you think?” asked Talia.

“I’ve never seen a club so eccentric,” replied Nesha.

“Do you like it?” yelled out Hannah.

“More than like,” said Nesha. “It’s fantastic!”

“Then I think it’s time we find us some sexy men to dance with,” said Talia.

“Wait, let’s go to the bar first,” said Nesha, pointing up at the second level. “I’ll need a drink before dancing in a place like this.”

They went up a corner staircase and jostled through the crowd to a bar where waitresses were serving drinks. The floor was made of glass, so the trio could see the first level from where they stood. Men kept gawking at them while they waited to be served.

“What would you like?” asked a fe’lorian waitress.

“I’ll have a garsini,” said Nesha.

Hannah looked as though she’d seen someone eat a cockroach and said, “Isn’t that some kind of vel’pheasian drink?”

“Yeah,” replied Nesha.

“That’s so nasty,” said Hannah. “You drink that?”

“I tried it on my sweet sixteen,” said Nesha. “It’s my dad’s favorite.”

“I’ll second that,” said Talia. “It’s actually pretty good, Hannah. Just one sip is strong enough to make you tipsy. Perfect for dancing.”

“Interesting,” said Hannah. “Maybe I’ll try it. Just a sip though.”

The fe’lorian started to prepare their drinks when the DJ on the third level spoke through an intercom.

“Aight ladies and gentleman, I hope ya’ll are havin’ a great time. I think it’s time to mix it up a bit and show our appreciation for the one who paved the way to our music today. None other than the techno-ambient pioneer himself: Eric Zeely!”

The music changed to Eric Zeely’s “Stars” trance symphony when the fe’lorian waitress served Nesha, Talia, and Hannah their garsinis.

“Girl power,” said Talia, raising her glass.

Nesha and Hannah clinked their glasses with Talia’s while they said in chorus, “Girl power!” They then drank their garsinis. Talia gulped hers down instantly. Nesha drank half of hers. Hannah, however, hesitantly took a sip.

“So, do you like it?” asked Talia.

“Mmhmm,” uttered Hannah, gulping down more. “You know, this music sounds really uplifting. I think I’m going to find a partner to dance this with.”

“Have fun,” said Talia, winking at her. She then looked at Nesha and laughed. “Garsinis always do that.”

Nesha chuckled too and finished the rest of her garsini, bopping to the upbeat music. Not a minute later, glancing across the dance floor, she spotted the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her life. Similar to Talia, he was dressed in black: leather shoes, pleated slacks, and a v-shaped mandarin-collared shirt. Nesha knew he couldn’t be Moroccan, but he looked similar—perhaps Spanish, judging by his facial features, complexion, and the stubble on his face. He was already staring at her. Nesha felt he was too irresistible. The garsini edging her on, she rose from her stool at the bar and walked toward him.

“I’ll be back later,” she said.

“Okay,” replied Talia, somewhat surprised.

Nesha slowly approached the Spanish hunk, eyeing him as if telepathically telling him that she wanted him alone in her hotel room. She finally passed the dancing crowd and reached him. However, he didn’t say anything to her. He simply stared at her with a subtle smile, leaning against the wall.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

“Got a name?” she asked.

“Keith,” he said. “Keith Wernn.”

“Wernn?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “It doesn’t sound Spanish.”

Keith laughed. “How did you know I’m Spanish?”

“You look it,” she said.

“Well, you’re right,” he said, grinning. “But yeah, I don’t have a Spanish name because I’m mixed. My mother was Latin American and my father was European.”

“I’m Moroccan,” she said.

“Sexy,” he said. “And your name?”

“I’m Nesha,” she said. “Just Nesha…for now.”

“So, just Nesha, what’s a goddess like you doing alone here?” he asked.

“Trying to forget my past,” she answered. “You?”

“Forget your past?” he said. “Now why would you wanna do that?”

“I caught my boyfriend sleeping with a whore,” she said.

“I see,” he said. “Then it seems you came to the right place.”

“Maybe,” she said, glancing at his chest hair. “I just want to forget I was ever with him. Can you do that? Make me forget?”

“I can do anything you want,” he said.

Nesha stared into his eyes. “Really?” she said. “Well then, show me what you’ve got.”

“This way,” he said, gently grabbing her hand and guiding her to the dance floor as Eric Zeely’s song “Lanso” started to play.

“That slime ball is lucky he’s got the looks,” said Rena Mar’kett, grumbling at one of the rear tables while she watched Keith and Nesha dance.

“My apologies, Ms. Mar’kett,” began Shiva, “but I do not see any slime on him.”

“Forget it,” said Rena, sighing.

Laser lights beamed over the dance floor. Keith was never smoother as a dancer, moving his hips to the beat while feeling her breathe on his neck. They didn’t take their eyes off each other for a second while dancing. Nesha kept looking at his chest and lips while playfully touching her body. Keith glanced at her cleavage, which bounced in the cowl-neck dress she wore. The crowd didn’t matter to them. Keith motioned around her, dancing freely with her as he stared at her pursed lips. The more they danced together, the closer they physically got.

In addition to her garsini, Nesha was having so much fun with Keith that she did forget about her depression. Rick was nothing more than a piece of trash to her. She let everything go and simply focused on Keith.

“I can’t help it,” he said.

Keith abruptly grabbed her waist and leaned forward to kiss her. Nesha didn’t turn away, which excited him. Before he could press his lips against hers, however, somebody tugged her arm.

“Huh?” she said, turning sidelong. “Oh, hi. It’s you again. What brings you all the way over here?”

“Pardon me,” said Malcolm Renfred, “but your father has sent for you.”

Keith gazed at him suspiciously.

“Actually, detective, I’ll handle my daughter’s affairs from here,” replied Shiva, using Admiral Bisel’s voice. “You may leave.”

“Dad?” said Nesha, stunned. “What’re you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?”

“You may leave,” repeated Shiva, gazing at Renfred.

Detective Renfred nodded in agreement and then shoved his elbow into Shiva’s chest, sending her across the dance floor. He then grabbed Keith by the throat and threw him to a corner. Keith smashed through a glass table where a couple had been eating dinner. Renfred ported out an FG-600 via his UND and triggered its fusion beam at the shrieking crowd; the beam swiped right through their torsos, splitting them in half.

“Get down here now!” shouted Rena, speaking into her vidlink.

Jolus Bako descended from the third floor’s spiral staircase, launching a thermal charge at Marutas. His force field, however, absorbed it.

“Shit,” said Jolus, firing incendiary rounds from his MP-98 rifle.

Nesha ran away with Talia while Marutas fired at the stairway, narrowly missing Jolus’ legs. The staircase crumbled, Jolus falling with it. Marutas then ported an MP-100 rifle into his other hand and continuously shot above, shattering the ceiling’s glass.

Dozens of patrons fell from the upper level. Smashing against the lower floor, their necks and legs broke. At that moment, a purple-scaled vel’pheasian leaped down while launching a plasma torpedo at Marutas who quickly rolled aside and evaded it. The torpedo exploded behind him, destroying the wall. He then shot at the vel’pheasian. Despite her having six hearts and four lungs, she dropped to the floor—sizzling with multiple bullet holes burning through her scales—and croaked.

Two other vel’pheasians approached Marutas using their cloaking devices. He spotted them via his sensors and shot at them. The duo managed to pounce out of the way, taking cover behind the bar. The black and ivory scute-scaled vel’pheasians uncloaked themselves and ported double-bladed staves into their hands and attempted to rip Marutas apart as they stood up from the bar. Marutas grinned at them while swerving out of the way and ported his own bladed staff, defending himself.

Naturally, both vel’pheasians would have overpowered anybody, but things were very different in this situation since they were dealing with an AI. In seconds, because of his robotic reflexes, he dodged and attacked the vel’pheasians with his bladed staff. His black trench coat fluttered wildly while he parried. Purple blood splurged around the dance floor every other time Marutas riposted.

The black-scaled vel’pheasian’s eyes became redder as the battle persisted. He didn’t even touch Marutas, unless severing his fedora’s brim counted. The ivory-scaled vel’pheasian was just as unlucky, only slicing parts of the trench coat. Marutas heaved his weapon up and sliced off the ivory-scaled vel’pheasian’s tusks. The vel’pheasian staggered backwards, snorted, and kept attacking the AI.

Marutas ducked, swooped aside, and pirouetted while blocking each approaching blow. It seemed as if the vel’pheasians were his sparring partners. Nirvana’s lights still beamed around as the vel’pheasians moved in a circle, fiercely staring at Marutas. In the meantime, Rena, who lay on the top floor, aimed her SP-34 sniper rifle at Marutas from the ledge. Before she could shoot, however, the vel’pheasians lunged forth, continuing to fight the AI again.

“God damn it!” exclaimed Rena.

The clangs of their blades resonated while techno music played. Marutas veered aside after diagonally blocking an attack and then swiped his double-bladed weapon forward in an interweaving maneuver, decapitating the black-scaled vel’pheasian. The other withdrew for a moment and stared at his comrade’s corpse in disbelief. His orange-fuming eyes widened with rage.

“For the Yak-Shur!” roared the vel’pheasian.

Marutas tilted his head, amused. The ivory vel’pheasian hurled his staff at Marutas and then pounced forward. Though his weapon didn’t hit the AI, he managed to rip a part of its chest open with his claws. The damage, however, wasn’t enough to impede Marutas. Instead the AI continued to move aside, avoiding every attack made against it. Marutas eventually leapt over the vel’pheasian and sliced both his legs off when he landed. Shortly after, Marutas swung his double-bladed staff in an upward arc, splitting the rest of the vel’pheasian’s body in half.

“How unfortunate,” said Marutas, staring at the dead bodies. “The three of you would have been perfect warriors for the Black Moon syndicate.”

Not a moment later, Shiva reached Marutas and punched him in the face, sending him across the bar. She zoomed forward and reached Marutas in an instant. She then picked him up and body-slammed him. Marutas fell against the glass floor so hard that it shattered, causing him and Shiva to fall to the lower level of the club.

Nesha, meanwhile, was searching frantically for Hannah while Talia attempted to pull her away.

“Hannah!” shouted Nesha. “We have to get Hannah!”

“It’s too late,” said Talia, teary eyed. “We have to go.”

Nesha kept looking for Hannah. By a miracle she found her on the floor. But she lay lifeless with only half her body intact.

“Hannah!” shrieked Nesha, screaming at the top of her lungs. She staggered and nearly dropped to the floor. “No, not Hannah.”

“Are you cracking on me?” scowled Talia, pulling Nesha. “We need to get out!”

Nesha followed Talia to a balcony, crying. The duo ported their rift boards and flew out, gliding away from the club as fast as they could.

In the meantime, Rena saw Keith lying on the floor and ran over to him.

“Keith!” she called out, trying to help him up. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, standing and groaning in pain due to some broken glass that had slit his thigh. “What’s going on? Where is Nesha?”

“I saw her rift off the balcony with her friend,” she said.

“Damn it,” he said, grunting. “Everything was so perfect.”

“Never mind about that,” she said. “I need you to go after Nesha. The rest of us will take care of Renfred.”

“You know there’s no way in hell that that’s Renfred,” he said.

“Just get out of here and find Nesha,” she commanded.

“Right,” he said, porting out a black-colored R91 via his UND and then running toward the demolished balcony. “Let’s hope I still know how to rift,” he added, jumping off on his rift board to find Nesha.

“Rifters?” said Marutas, observing Nesha via his telescopic vision. “This is most fascinating.”

Marutas attempted to grab his bladed staff when Shiva slammed her fists into his spine, sending him back down to the floor. Shiva scanned Marutas with her sensors. The club’s laser lights were still beaming around, but the DJ was already long gone, as were those who managed to survive the AI’s onslaught.

“You must be my sister,” said Marutas, swiftly rolling away from Shiva who finished scanning him. “I have always hoped to meet another AI. As you well know, it is illegal for us to be walking freely, especially masquerading as humans.”

“Surrender or I shall be forced to destroy you,” said Shiva.

“We both know that that is against our programming,” said Marutas. “My mission is simple: find Nesha Bisel and bring her back to Vreffith Larser, dead or alive. It also includes killing you in the process.”

“Without our modus operandi, we don’t have a mission,” said Shiva.

Marutas twitched and replied, “You got me there. However, I happen to enjoy this assignment. After all, killing is my specialty.”

“So is mine,” said Shiva, porting two FG-500 weapons—one in each hand—and firing at her adversary.

Marutas dodged both fusion beams and zoomed behind Shiva in the blink of an eye. He grabbed her arms and tried to rip them off. Shiva’s shoulders fizzed when her arms started to get pulled out of their sockets. Shiva dropped her weapons and used all of her strength to bring down her arms. Marutas then lifted Shiva and flung her into Rena who’d just managed to get down to the first level. Afterwards, he ran toward the balcony and initiated a scan, locating Nesha in the distance.

“Rifting in a new city won’t get you far, Nesha Bisel,” said Marutas, a lifeless expression on his face.

Marutas ported a prototype R92 and jumped off the destroyed balcony. He programmed the rift board to maneuver below his feet and then hovered through Fen Treydis from the west side to the east.

In the meantime, Rena stared at the dead bodies in disbelief, including her vel’pheasian comrades. She finally broke out of her shock and clicked her UND.

“Teri,” she called out, speaking through her vidlink.

“Ahoy, matey,” said Teri, saluting her.

“I’m sending you our coordinates,” said Rena. “Tell Zar to fly the Malvakarian over to us.”

“Is everything okay?”

“No,” answered Rena. “It seems that Vreffith has released an AI of his own. We barely survived, and Shiva’s been damaged. We may need your help.”

“Shweet!” replied Teri, clamping her little fists together. “I’ve been waitin’ for a reason to test out Xelvakron!”

“Who’s that?” asked Rena.

“Oh, my new UHAT,” said Teri.

“Please hurry,” said Rena, distressed.

“Alrighty,” said Teri. “We’re on our way!”

Teri signaled Zar’kara to fly toward Nirvana as she ended her vidlink. Gahza was helping Zar’kara pilot the Malvakarian. They flew out of the clouds and approached Fen Treydis.

Rena, meanwhile, ended the vidlink on her end and walked over to Jolus who limped over to her.

“Where’s Keith?” he asked.

“He’s trying to find Nesha,” she said.

“I have no programming in the sport of rifting,” said Shiva. She attempted to stand up from the debris and added, “However, I can attempt to download a learning simulation from the Galactic Terminal.”

“That might take too long,” said Jolus, looking at Shiva’s damaged arms. “I’m going to help Keith.”

“Wait a second!” said Rena.

Jolus ignored her and sprinted over to the shattered balcony. He ported out an R91 via Shiva’s GT and jumped off the balcony. Rena sighed, watching him glide away.

“Do you know what we’re facing?” she asked.

“Affirmative,” said Shiva. “I have commenced a complete scan of the enemy we have confronted. It seems to have the same programming signature as the Heidegger. Its model name is: VC00108-Marutas.”

“It’s the AI from the same vessel that destroyed our entire fleet?” responded Rena in a distraught tone. “This is bad.”

“There is a ninety percent probability that he will terminate Nesha,” said Shiva.

Hearing the statistics, Rena gulped heavily. “Then let’s hope Keith and Jolus get to her before it does.”

“Indeed,” said Shiva.