Both Iker 'Trickster' Felix and Lucia grew closer to Joaquim even though he could barely remember the week that apparently passed. It became clear that they noticed his change in behavior within the sudden morning he might as well have just spawned into.

  Are you alright? We haven't been able to find your brother sadly. It's like he vanished.

  What's wrong? ...are you okay? I'm here for you if you need anything.

  Joaquim wondered if he was going mad or if he simply had a more severe case of cullaways. Cullaways were more extreme when one was underslept and malnourished, but whether it was a day or a week that passed, it was probably not long enough to fully recover. However, his body showed signs of having a a week's worth of excellent Italian and Puerto Rican dishes from Iker. Joaquim had to press on his body to find his past frail frame, which in turn made him think of how he would be able to wear Gabe's older clothes comfortably. However, that was no longer necessary to consider.

  It did indeed seem like Joaquim chose the clothes in the levitating white dresser. Most of the blue attire in the oval and steel drawers aligned with his tastes. Seizing his indigo sweatshirt with gray stripes caused memories of the forgotten week to trickle in. Spurred by the reason behind the choice in the denser clothing, including the pair of jeans he just pulled out with his other hand, the memories of excursions in the city flowed into his mind's eye.

  It can't just be cullaways...

  How could he forget going on the sideways Ferris wheel that stretched for miles on end that encircled the entire city of Ember?

  How did you do so well in the bootcamp? Your performance was... I would say godlike, Colonel Iker Felix had mentioned to Joaquim when autumn announced its arrival for the first time at Ember's Kismet Wheel. It had done so with a sharp breeze rushing through the open pod in between them while Iker had been sitting opposite of Joaquim amicably. When he was not in civies, Iker wore the custom-made officer uniform only the officers in the single digit platoons would receive. It had all the eye-catching qualities of a trench coat, a netrunning suit, and a combat uniform. Unlike the baggy trench coats Joaquim often saw in No Man's Land, the one Iker wore was a perfect fit and it could still look formal with its sleeves rolled up, and to top it all off it could also camouflage in urban settings with the grey, white, and black grids sporadically printed on them. Iker had said it was the most time-saving outfit he received; he no longer had to change in between parades and missions.

  I just... did it I guess, Joaquim remembered himself answering back then as the wheel spun around.

  Before he could continue either playing or replaying the Kismet Wheel conversation in his mind, he was able to recall a disturbing memory that did not feel like it came from his own mind.

  Even though he could not remember acing the bootcamp, or where this building he was leaving was located, after the military staff told Joaquim he could do the final test to join two platoon, Camilo as Dalia had walked in through the automatic entrance. The menacing glare the undercover shapeshifter had given Joaquim was unforgettable. Even after he had walked past Camilo to step outside into the crowded steel sidewalks of Ember City, he could still feel Camilo's gaze on the back of his neck above his army shirt's collar. Joaquim then had looked behind him to find Camilo with bloodlust within his shadowed, feminine, and shapeshifted eyes.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  This was all playing in Joaquim's head until he realized he went on autopilot and climbed down the cherry wood stairs to reach the first floor of Iker's three-story home. In one way or another he was here multiple times; he did not have to think about the direction he was going to get to the first floor. Iker and Lucia were still scurrying and whispering to each other, most likely worried about Joaquim's sudden change in behavior.

  Don't rely on me to pass two platoon's test. You're on your own this time, a mysterious voice said.

  Before Joaquim could process what just happened, another voice boomed across the vast living room. Past the crosswise peach and floating couch that resembled a fluffy earring, an earthplexus hologram was open with a white reporter elocuting.

  "The Supersoldier Base is at capacity and in a frenzy due to the overwhelming amount of non-timesakes, Alkrezians, and talking animals jaunting in. Numerous altercations between talking animals and Alkrezians occurred due to conflicting beliefs. Joining us is the first ever elected talking animal in the city of Ember, and the first talking lion as..."

  That was the base I was in yesterday! Uhm... or a week ago?

  "Are you sure they are not just exaggerating?" Lucia yelled from the kitchen. "One platoon and Ember Comsa might be wanting to stir up anti-animal and anti-immigrant sentiments."

  "Well, you still gotta go," Iker said, walking past Joaquim after climbing down the stairs too.

  "Am I coming too?" Joaquim asked.

  "Nope. You're staying with me," Iker replied.

  Iker's hothouse hosted genetically-engineered and aloft sundries, and the honey-like lighting and the lukewarm humidity were a welcome change from the cool home that surrounded it. The topmost plants were the ruach cactuses which Joaquim instantly recognized. He was unsure whether he recognized them because he was in this hothouse before or because he knew how invaluable these cactus plants were in space. Right above the rim of the midair pots were veldt-like blades surrounding the cubic cactus. Actually, all the fruits and vegetables in the hothouse had taken the shape of a cube.

  Joaquim's scan was interrupted by the hollow thud that came from the double swinging doors of the hothouse, and Joaquim knew who came in even though he did not remember how they met.

  "Thank you for waiting for Iker here," Noah said. The muscular and unusually tall android had an amicable gaze even though his gray irises would always analyze a new area upon entering. Without much awareness of how this would perceived socially, Noah eventually met eyes with Joaquim once more. Behind him came another thud.

  "Sorry to keep you waiting," Iker said, now back in civies.

  "Did you have a mission in the morning?" Joaquim asked.

  "Yup I did," Iker replied. "However, I asked you to come here for a reason."

  The one thing that Joaquim never noticed until now was the steel square that had a dividing line close to opposite side of the lush garden. Iker must have motioned it with his mind to open it because the steel square began to move to reveal an entrance into the bottom part of the levitating platform under the house.

  "Why did you want me to come here?" Joaquim asked.

  For the first time since they met, Joaquim saw Iker shed some of his general aloofness before answering the question.

  "You're going to tell me what secrets you're hiding," Iker replied.