This didn’t feel right. Everything had happened too fast. There was no way they could call this a suicide. It didn’t make sense. None of this made any fucking sense.

  I downloaded the footage of Professor Gale’s death, which, in hindsight, might have been a bad idea. The moment I did, the clip automatically started playing on the main monitor.

  —What the fuck?!

  The guard, who had been dozing off with his feet up, jolted awake, nearly falling off his chair. In his rush to get up, he tripped over the very same chair, then stumbled into the desk, knocking over a couple of keyboards in the process. His face said it all: pure panic.

  When he saw me, he tried to unholster his weapon, but the safety was still on, and his fumbling fingers couldn’t get it loose.

  I reached for my knife, and that was enough to make him freeze. He hyperventilated for a moment before finally processing what was happening.

  —Kailen…?

  —Yeah.

  —Shit, kid, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What the hell are you doing here?

  I knew him. Back when I was at the academy, I had helped him finish his studies.

  —I’m investigating Professor Gale’s death.

  The guard frowned.

  —Why?

  —Because there’s no fucking way what I just saw was a suicide.

  He sighed, scratching his head.

  —It wasn’t. He overdosed on Adeletorephenol. Everyone knew he popped that shit like candy. In the end, it caused a clot in his leg that went straight to his heart. It’s all in the autopsy report the academy did.

  That was a tough pill to swallow. I sank back into the chair.

  —Then why the hell did they announce it as a suicide?

  The guard shrugged.

  —That was Professor James’ call. He… I don’t know, I think he wanted to discredit Gale’s research.

  —The autopsy? They did an autopsy here, at the university?

  —Yeah, they didn’t want to involve any authorities, so they handled it internally.

  —And the samples? The vials?

  —They should’ve gotten rid of them already. They wanted to close the case as fast as possible.

  —Hey, do you think you could help me check if any are still around?

  The guard shook his head immediately.

  —Oh, hell no. Don’t do this to me, man. I finally got my life together after graduating. I’m not screwing it all up now.

  —I need help. I want to dig into this. There are too many things that don’t add up.

  —Look, I know you want to get back at James, but this isn’t gonna do you any good. Hell, you even benefited from it—your thesis got approved because of his death.

  He shut up real quick when my hand went back to my knife.

  —I don’t give a shit about the damn degree or that rat James. I’m telling you, there’s more to this. Someone else was involved. Someone who’s not in the records. Take me to the professor’s body and help me recover the samples.

  The guard let out a deep sigh and looked down.

  —Come on, kid, if they catch me, I could lose my job. My daughter’s finally proud of her old man… I don’t want to fuck up the little I’ve managed to build.

  Ah, fucking pussy.

  I ran a hand over my face and let out a sharp breath.

  —You don’t need to risk anything. Just take me there. If it’s impossible, I won’t ask you to get involved any further.

  He hesitated. I could see him weighing his entire life in that moment. To him, this situation was like standing at the edge of a cliff. That’s how much his job meant to him. That’s how tamed he was.

  —Alright... I’ll try.

  The walk to the improvised morgue was silent. The guard walked a few steps ahead of me, shoulders tense, eyes fixed on the floor, like a man heading straight to the gallows.

  Despite the late hour, the hallways still had some movement. A couple of assistants passed by, too caught up in their own conversations to pay us any mind. A group of students came out of a room, their eyes buried in papers and tablets, probably dragging along some last-minute assignment. No one gave us a second look.

  As we neared the basement, the guard started sweating. He pulled out his access card with a trembling hand and swiped it against the reader.

  —Relax —I said, without lowering my voice. Nervousness always drew more attention than calm.

  The reader beeped softly, and the door slid open with a quiet click.

  The smell of disinfectant and old metal greeted us as we stepped inside. There were only two gurneys, one of them occupied by a body covered in a grayish sheet. At the back, a small station with scattered surgical tools and a couple of filing cabinets. The whole setup felt rushed, as if it had been thrown together with no real intention of maintaining it for long.

  —There he is —the guard muttered, crossing his arms and staring at the door like he expected someone to walk in at any moment.

  I stepped closer to the body and carefully pulled back the sheet.

  Professor Gale lay pale and stiff, the autopsy marks still fresh on his skin. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

  —I’ll go look for the samples —the guard said, his voice tense.

  I glanced at him as he left, his steps quick, his breathing heavier than normal. He was scared shitless.

  I was left alone in the morgue, staring at Gale’s body, trying to find the answers no one else wanted to.

  In reality, I had only one lead. I closed my eyes and took the deepest breath I could. I was hoping to find something, anything. I didn’t want to believe this all came down to a simple blood clot.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  When I exhaled, I went straight for the leg I had seen him clutch in the recording.

  Luckily for me, I had something most people couldn’t afford: top-of-the-line optical enhancements. And “top-of-the-line” wasn’t just a fancy term.

  I zoomed in and started scanning the area, going over every millimeter with surgical precision. I had no idea how long I was at it—only that at some point, the guard came back, dropped the things I’d asked for in a corner, and stood by the door, stiff as a board, like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

  Finally, I found something.

  —There’s an injection mark.

  —What do you mean?

  —Someone injected him with something.

  —In his leg? That’s impossible. The autopsy report doesn’t mention anything like that, just the samples they took from his wrists.

  I checked the extraction marks and compared them to the one on his leg. They were different. Not from the same type of needle.

  —Someone definitely did something here.

  Was I being paranoid? Maybe someone tampered with the autopsy results. Maybe he just hit himself.

  His clothes were nearby, so as a last resort, I checked his pants, looking for any signs... and there it was. Between the fabric, there were signs of damage consistent with a surgical needle.

  —I have everything I need.

  —Seriously? Then let’s get the hell out of here, please.

  —I won’t forget what you did for me today.

  —Don’t mention it, kid. Let’s just get the hell out of here.

  I walked back with the guard, retracing our steps through the corridors. The moment he reached his post, I saw him exhale in relief, like he had just dropped a weight that had been crushing him.

  The only thing I knew for sure was that someone had done something. The how, the when, and the why were still a mystery.

  I left in a hurry. There was still one thing I could do at the academy. Someone who could help me go through the data. There had to be something there.

  I headed towards the girls' dorms.

  "A friend, huh?"

  I had just realized it. Thinking I had one. Thinking I considered her one. Did she see me the same way?

  I walked through a crowd of students, moving at their usual pace, carefree. In the distance, I spotted Viktor’s group. They were lounging on some benches, chatting, laughing, flirting with a few girls. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  I didn’t have much to say about them, but not too far from there, a sudden shout broke the routine.

  —Kailen!?

  I turned my head and saw her.

  Among a group of women, one figure stood out. Her dark hair fell in uneven strands, partially covering her face. A choppy, abrupt cut, almost as if someone had just grabbed a pair of scissors and hacked it off without much thought. The way the strands framed her gaze gave her an air of mystery... or maybe she just didn’t want to be easy to read.

  —Susa?

  The one and only. Exactly who I was looking for.

  I approached, and as I got closer, I noticed the tension in the air. What had seemed like a single group at first was actually two: five girls on one side, Susa on the other. The scene was clear. They were cornering her.

  —Susa, I was just looking for you.

  She lifted her gaze, visibly confused.

  —Huh? Me? What for?

  —I need help with an electronics project.

  —You’re kidding, right? Out of everyone I know, you have the best grades in both advanced and applied electronics.

  —Yeah, well… it might have something to do with encryption.

  —Ah, I see. You don’t have the right systems for that kind of work. Makes sense.

  Before I could reply, one of the girls in the group crossed her arms and let out a mocking laugh.

  —Wow, so the freak has friends now.

  —Are you sure you’re not just using her to do your work? —another one added with a smirk.

  —If anyone here needs to use someone, I highly doubt it’s me. —My voice came out flat, almost bored.

  The girls exchanged glances, clearly not used to being talked back to like that.

  —Come on, Kailen. Don’t tell me you actually wanna hang out with her.

  I took a step forward, and the one who spoke flinched, just a little.

  —I don’t think I heard you right —I said, locking eyes with her—. Wanna say that again?

  Silence. One of them suddenly found something very interesting on the floor.

  —That’s what I thought.

  I turned to Susa.

  —Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.

  She nodded quickly and hurried to follow me. Behind us, the girls remained silent.

  After a few steps, it was Susa who took the lead.

  —You look like you’re in a hurry.

  —Something nasty happened. Unfortunately, I have another big project in two days, so I'd like to gather as much information as possible before I have to leave.

  —I see. I’ll help however I can. It’s the least I can do for you.

  Susa gave me a smile—the kind I hadn’t seen in a long time. Genuine, with no apparent reservations. The key word being "apparent," because in this city, I doubt anyone has a completely clean conscience.

  —Changing the subject a little… tell me more about yourself. Why haven’t I seen you these past three years?

  —You don’t know?

  —The only thing people say is that you went back to your family. Viktor made sure to spread rumors that you disappointed your grandfather with your poor performance, among other nonsense. Of course, most people just pretend to believe him. Even those who don’t like you have to admit your skills are unmatched.

  I hesitated for a moment before answering.

  —That’s all in the past. There’s no going back to that life for me, Susa. As for why you haven’t seen me… it’s because the Neuvak sent me to war two years ago.

  Her smile faded for a few seconds, but then she tried to replace it with another—one meant to be reassuring.

  —Well… if they sent you as an officer, at least you must have made a name for yourself. With a good reputation, there’s still a lot you can do.

  I shook my head. I knew the Neuvak had claimed all the credit. Even though my name was in the real official records, that didn’t stop them from forging reports with Viktor’s name and showing them to anyone willing (or paid) to see them.

  —Something like that, Susa.

  —So, what have you been up to lately? Got any interesting stories from your time in the campaign? What were the other officers like?

  Ah, Susa… Even though she was shyer than most, she still loved gossip just as much as the rest. Unfortunately, I had nothing to tell her that her stomach could handle.

  —Military operations are classified, Susa. Telling you could get you in trouble. Besides, I didn’t do much on the field, just marching from one place to another and coordinating artillery strikes. A lot of math.

  —Wow, you were always a genius. I’m sure they saw your unmatched talent and assigned you to that right away. I’m so happy for you.

  Susa smiled at me like a flower in bloom, like the greenhouse flower she was. I did my best to smile back.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell her how the Neuvak had abandoned me there. After all, she was just like me—a castaway from her own family, an outcast, a lamb led to slaughter. Like me, she was born from an unapproved union, and like in my case, her parents were exiled for their defiance. And just as with me, her grandfather kept her close only for the sake of appearances.

  I tried to change the subject, steering the conversation toward Susa’s life and her current situation at the academy.

  Finally, we arrived at the lab, and she got to work almost immediately. I sat down in a chair and relaxed, expecting the process to take several hours.

  It hadn’t even been thirty minutes when Susa was already done.

  —I'm sorry, Kailen, but there’s not much I can do with this data. The security is incredibly tight. I’ve never seen anything this serious. Every time I try to analyze a line of code, defense patterns activate and obscure different sections. It’s an aggressive system.

  —It’s okay, Susa. You don’t have to feel bad.

  —Where did you get this? And why do you need it?

  —It’s connected to the death of a good friend. I was hoping this would shed some light on what really happened to him.

  —Oh… I’m sorry for your loss. I wish I could do more. Having your friend’s signature would definitely help. I really hate that I can’t do more.

  —What do you mean?

  —Isn’t this your friend’s tech signature?

  —I don’t know. I don’t even know what this is, to be honest.

  —Ah… in that case, everything points to this being exactly that. Your friend looked more like a Nest Technomancer than a hacker from the Pits. Though… I wouldn’t rule out the latter either. This code is a total mess.

  Susa kept analyzing the data, deep in thought. Meanwhile, an idea began to take shape in my mind. If I was hunting down a Nest Technomancer, the best way to do it was with another one. Now, I just had to figure out where to find a top-tier one.

  —Thanks a lot for your help, Susa.

  I gave her a quick hug, grabbed the data disk, and headed for the door. But before I could step out, I felt a tug on my shirt.

  —Wait, Kailen. I can see you’re in a hurry, so I won’t invite you for tea… but I’d like to know if we’ll see each other again.

  —This is… complicated, Susa. I’m on thin ice with my family, and yours doesn’t think too highly of me either. It’d be hard for us to meet up without it causing trouble for you.

  —I know, but still… I don’t want to lose you. You’re one of the few friends I have.

  —In that case, take my contact. You can message me from time to time. Just know that I’ve been getting sent on missions more often lately, so I might not always be able to reply.

  —I understand. Having a way to reach you is all I wanted.

  Susa shared her contact with me and, in one quick motion, planted a kiss on my cheek before dashing away like a startled rabbit.

  Oh, Susa… I’m not the right one for you. At the very least, I have the decency to admit that if I ever made a move on you, I’d be dooming you for the rest of your life.

  I’d rather just keep walking and let our paths drift apart.

  I’d rather keep…

  Keep walking…

  Why am I running again?

  What am I running from? Am I afraid?

  Afraid of Susa? Afraid of these feelings?

  …

  Feelings…

  Will Susa claim Kailen's heart? Will she have competition? Could this be the start of the novel's romance arc? ?? All these questions and more will *not* be answered in the next chapters.

  Thank you for reading!

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