Chapter Text
For a life as bizarre and eventful as the one she had led since she inhaled the first breaths of air at her damned birth, the situation she currently faced was ridiculous, but unfortunately with many precedents, since the IPC polluted just like gasoline to water, every corner of the universe, even more so if it had things of interest to “preserve”.
But twenty-four thousand credits for a mid-range cell phone? In addition to there being no cheaper brands or models, it was tremendously stupid for the capacity that the device offered, so she looked at it in the display case with some resentment. It was very important that she communicated with the buyer since otherwise she’d lose the money which she had already counted on to make her next trip.
Galia I, “Inmidas” or as every merchant referred to this planet: “The Universal Crossing” was an important location and the midpoint between two really economically prosperous solar systems, so eventually its environment was adapted to receive tourists, entrepreneurs that entered and exited every minute, each one of them boarded the return ships with their pockets full of money or merchandise.
Such an important point full of stores with many offers, companies in constant close competitions and an inherently classist population is one of the places where you would least like to stay longer than you should, far from the scandalous, the entertainment media were tailor-made for the rich and the rich had very depraved, perverse tastes that curiously the IPC would always overlook as long as the production of goods was efficient.
Damn, a few minutes ago she had seen a girl come out the store, she couldn't be more than fourteen years old and she was very happy with the phone that Kafka was planning to buy, while she was grabbed by the waist by a man in his sixties and she gave him a kiss on the cheek; evidently he was not her father.
It disgusted her, too much, but she needed to think quickly, so her best option was to steal a phone from any passerby to make it to the point with her client, it was easy, she had already done it many times in the past, she just had to find someone very distracted, if they were carrying a lot of things it was better, then cause them to collide or ask for directions and voilà.
Then with a sun that seemed to want to burn her head, she walked among the crowd of salarymen and gentrifiers, mixing as well as sugar with the morning coffee of all those people captive to numbers, slaves to the texture of the credits in their hands and the neatness of the credit history in their bank accounts.
Most of the buildings were the largest skyscrapers she had come across since she began her journey. Even if she turned her head up she couldn't see the top of them, so she preferred to walk with her eyes straight ahead, imagining men plump with money around their waists converted into alcohol, their dirty gazes would rest on the ants that would bring another drink to their sweaty hands.
Whatever the case, her purple eyes were instinctively guided towards a set of very casual clothes surrounded by blue shirts with sweat stains and some slightly more expensive suits. She was surprised that with those looks, someone had actually stopped to talk to this woman far from any insult.
But on the other hand, it was her ideal victim. As soon as her eyes watched her from head to toe, in a couple of seconds she located her cell phone stored in the back pocket of her baggy jeans. Among the city bustle, she could barely make out the words that were exchanged in the present conversation.
It was something about… Aeons? Yes, they were praising the Amber Lord as well as asking her questions about important events but Kafka couldn't care less about the issues regarding those creatures with their very altered perceptions of reality, so without the need to touch any unnecessary place she took out the device from the compartment in the clothes, and skillfully re-mingled with success among people.
She took a simple hacking device and managed to break the security of the screen locks and made a simple call.
"The arrival of the new era is here," she stated in a serious voice but rolled her eyes to the back of her skull. “Will the reception be in the same temple?”
Look, usually her smuggling deliveries were small, quick, simple, there wasn't even a reward on her head, just her name in the criminal systems of very insignificant planets quite a few light years away from her current location, to which she would never return; So her client's need to use this childish secret language was very useless in her opinion.
Even though this was an important man, the merchandise he was purchasing was common on the black market, nothing to worry about.
"Yeah. Everything’s ready for the ceremony in five minutes,” answered a manly and panting voice.
Kafka simply hung up, leaned against the wall of the alley that served as refuge during those short exchanges, and sighed as a few drops of sweat fell from her neck to slide over the skin of her back. Summer in Inmidas was one of the worst she had experienced in years.
✮ ✮ ✮
"This is not what I asked you for," reproached the guy with short greasy hair and unshaven beard of several days.
"Oh? How is it not? It's a one hundred-gram piece of Stellaron," Kafka said, shaking the bag with the incandescent golden gem. "I stole it myself," she added.
The meeting point was behind a space-bus station designed for short trips between one or two planets into that solar system, there were no people at all since it was lunch time for the workers, and the only consolation for Kafka was that the shadow of the building partially covered them from the tireless sun.
“How can I be sure that this thing carries Nanook's wishes?” the guy questioned.
Kafka inhaled suddenly to gather patience, suppressing any other gesture that could ruin the purchase. Of all the clients she had, the religious fanatics of the aeons were of the worst kind.
"I assure you that you will be able to experience the full effects of Stellaron, I know it is a small piece but you have a whole collection, soon there will be corrosion and fragmentum so that you can... witness firsthand the elixirs of fallen destruction," Kafka explained, shaking the plastic bag in the man's face, as if he were some kind of dog.
“The ones I have bought are authentic, and I can tell you, young lady, that they do not shine as fake as the one you intend to sell to me. It looks like it has a LED light inside," she added.
Kafka, this time didn't hide the heavy sigh that left her lips nor the movement of her head from side to side in total exasperation.
“Look, pal; I came here on a trip that lasted a week in community ship full of refugees or undocumented people like me, I did a feat to evade the border security of this corporation's fan club and you come to tell me that it is false, when you have enough money to make this purchase without even noticing the change of numbers in your bank account,” Kafka asserted, putting the Stellaron back in her pocket.
“AND? You already know the perks of your job, brat”
“And apparently you don't know yours. Take a quick look at the forums you are in and you will realize how you have been scammed”.
The man frowned in confusion.
“How do you know that?”
"I always investigate the stupid guy who's going to buy from me." She shrugged her shoulders in a disinterested gesture, which fueled the fury of the man in front of her.
He wanted to say something, argue and prove that he was the one who was right, but the doubt had been already successfully implanted in his mind so he took out his phone, scrolled for a couple of minutes and spat a dense phlegm of greenish saliva onto the floor while he cursed with all the possible expressions that crossed his brain.
"That would be forty-five thousand credits," said Kafka, extending her open palm.
"This doesn't change anything" the frustrated man replied. “It's only one hundred grams, I can't tolerate it costing so much money”
"Oh, please, you paid more for less," Kafka commented.
"But it was because of Stellarons coming from the stellar remains of Nanook's home planet," the guy defended himself.
Kafka opened her lips a little, raised her eyebrows and let out an angry laugh. Gods, how stupid could he be?
“Do you want it or not?” Kafka questioned, ready to implement plan B to get out of that bizarre place.
"Fuck you," the man responded, and wiping his face with the palms of his hands, he walked away while stamping his feet as if he were some kind of cartoon.
How picturesque, Kafka thought.
Anyway, she looked up at that bluish canvas that had a few strokes of white, wrinkled her eyebrows, twisted her lips and kicked the floor... sneaking into a ship was never an easy job; Getting another buyer was a much more logical option but she wasn't going to lie, she had already lost motivation .
She put her hands in the pockets of her worn shorts, ready to walk while she thought a little about what had happened, in reality it would be better to look for something to distract herself... escape from this bad experience, yes, of course, as always.
However; At the third step a firm grip on her forearm stopped her in her tracks, a cold heat rose up her neck to her temples so she immediately pulled herself hard, then she turned around in alert and it didn't help her to calm down when she recognized the person who had approached her.
"Since your purchase was not completed, I think you can return my phone," said that woman.
Her voice was calm, somewhat deep, and that golden gaze immediately uncovered Kafka, because there was nothing that disturbed it, it was impossible for her to define a predominant emotion, her pupils did not dilate or contract, even the brightness seemed... plastic .
It was disturbing… She must use contact lenses herself to achieve that effect.
“You are mistaking me for another person. I don't know what you're talking about," the purple-haired girl responded, after swallowing thickly.
"I saw you and felt when you took my cell phone out of my pants," argued the red-haired woman, who crossed her arms. “There's no need to get the police involved, right? Just give it back to me and nothing will have happened,” she finished.
Kafka planned to leave the device lying around in some corner of the city once the purchase had been completed, but after the unfortunate result, she decided to keep it for a while longer to make the search for both a new destination and a new client easier if she were to arm herself eager again.
“I insist. It's a big city, it could have been anyone," said Kafka, really ready to flee.
To Run, run and run because that was the best thing she knew how to do.
"Don't take me for stupid," her interlocutor stressed. “That’s a very dangerous stone you're dealing with there. So you can either give me my phone back and I'll pretend you don't have a Stellaron in your pocket, or you can be arrested on two charges," she asserted.
Kafka turned her head downward slightly, her gaze hardened and she licked her teeth without opening her lips. This situation was irritating her immeasurably. Although violence is not the first response she should have in these types of circumstances, but...
As if her words were some kind of witchcraft, a pair of tall men, already adults with a receding hairline of thin hair covered poorly by a beret, approached them walking with their backs as straight as a ruler.
“We have been reported that there were illegal activities in this area. Do you remember seeing someone selling suspicious things?” asked one of the officers.
Kafka really had to suppress a shiver that wanted to run through her body when she heard those words, not out of fear (she would never be afraid) but out of pity and disgust for the authority that that police duo represented.
Whatever the case, she quickly accepted that her last hours in the sun of Inmidas would end here, she would be arrested again and again, she would escape, adding the feat to the list of all the previous occasions in which it had happened.
“Really? But it is such a quiet area. The bus station is always full of people, here there are only online shopping exchanges,” said the red-haired woman, after supposedly crossing her arms thoughtfully.
“We were notified of an individual with purple hair. So we need to do a quick check on them,” the colleague who had not mentioned a word yet came forward to say.
Kafka kept a mental countdown to choose the right moment and leave, thus causing a chase because: if they were going to take her, at least she wouldn't make it easy for them.
“Without any kind of order? Just because my friend has purple hair is already a suspect,” the tall woman commented. “But, I wouldn’t like to interfere with your job, after all they invited me to Inmidas with the slogan that it was very safe here, it is an honor to see you work from up close”
The redhead turned to see Kafka, with a naturally fake smile, and extended her hand to her.
“Please give me the merchandise so that the officers can confirm nothing strange is happening here”
Kafka decided to play the role that had been unexpectedly assigned to her, and gave them the phone that she had... stolen from her a few minutes ago.
“Ah, you see. It's ridiculous that phones here are so expensive and limited, mine broke down and I needed to get to a meeting as soon as I landed. So I decided to buy one of second-hand and arranged to meet this girl for the delivery”
The pair of police officers, without any particular expression, took the device to unlock it and realized that there was only one call recorded, all the other settings were from factory, in addition to the fact that the case also had a slightly worn appearance, even so they seemed to investigate a lot between applications in search of something more.
"I've told Topaz so many times that they need to expand their options on certain planets," the woman sighed. “I guess that I will have to come to the Starliz convention next year better prepared to avoid these inconveniences”
The officers put their inspection aside and slowly looked at her with eyes wider than usual; In Kafka's mind, the same impression had been buried, the same stupefied amazement with three simple words: “Starliz, Topaz and Convention”, a shared question formed in the thoughts of the stunned ones “who was this woman?”
One guy, the one with the three-day stubble, cleared his throat.
“Excuse me, miss, what did you tell us it was your name?”
“I didn't” But despite her words, she smiled brightly “My name is Himeko “Researcher of the Stars”
They immediately returned the cell phone, and bowed their heads slightly as a sign of sorrow.
“I am very sorry for the inconvenience caused. Thank you for your cooperation," they said almost in unison and left.
And this made Kafka chuckle quietly for a moment, impressed as well as amused by this very peculiar exhibition that she had just witnessed, despite the apathy she had begun to feel thanks to her failed deal, she now experienced a very incisive curiosity that she could not simply ignore until she obtained at least a satisfactory answer.
“Why did you do that?” Kafka questioned, shifting her weight on her right side.
Himeko was now checking her device reset to factory settings while clicking her tongue in disagreement since there was nothing she could do until she returned to the hotel room with a stable wifi connection that would charge her like twenty credits for five minutes.
"Because I want to know how a piece of Stellaron managed to sneak into The Universal Crossing without the IPC realizing it," she answered honestly. “And because I have some small problems with the authorities, but that is a topic for another day”
Kafka tilted her head like a feline, then raised an eyebrow in disbelief at the statement she had just heard. A soft current of wind blessed their sweaty foreheads as it moved harmoniously between their bodies, the sound of fallen leaves being carried through the air, filling the empty space of conversation that surrounded them.
Nothing was adding up at all.
“Who are you?” Kafka asked.
Himeko frowned as the corners of her lips lifted in a half smile, but she didn't look offended, rather, intrigued.
"Everyone knows me, but those who don't, it's because they simply don't need it," she declared first of all. “I am the navigator of the Astral Express and the eighty-fifth member of the Genius Society,” she said, omitting her already mentioned name.
A sense of alertness settled in Kafka's ears, which burned with something similar to shame, but about what? Having made a fool of herself in front of someone so important? Or of being an insignificant person next to Himeko?
She took a half step back, not sure whether to call her a threat or not.
The story of the woman who reinstated the trailblazing path was a very popular one in various corners of the universe, and Kafka never thought that the plan would last long enough, despite the influences of the aeons that had even fallen over humanity, it was too risky. And surely the new navigator would end up in shambles on some expedition, thus repeating the cycle, which is why she never paid too much attention to the news and rumors.
Now the Genius Society, she considered it an unnecessary faction in every sense, as well as pretentious, and perhaps, in some bar a couple of solar systems ago, she had heard that the society had acquired a new member; she never imagined that it was the same person as the navigator, likewise, it never occurred to her that in this vast edentulous space, she would meet her so closely.
"I was scamming him," she said to get out of this situation. "As he said, real Stellaron doesn't shine so falsely," she finished, with her hands back in her shorts pockets.
Himeko, noticing the sudden change in her body language, wiped her temple with the back of her hand and shook her head.
"I don't buy that you're so ignorant," she asserted. "I can't sell to you to show me your little rock either," she added.
Kafka was doing a few mental calculations, and now that she could see the results more clearly, she was concluding that this woman was… to be cautious around.
(As minimum).
"Someone like you shouldn't be used to failing very often, but I assure you that you're wrong," she argued.
Himeko's smile contorted a little, barely perceptible to be interpreted as a real change, but Kafka could successfully deduce that her words had provoked a certain tone of bitterness in the redhead's emotions.
"The Starliz is tonight at the Centralia Hotel convention center," Himeko said, then she rummaged through the pockets of her baggy jeans until she pulled out a rectangular sheet... it looked, in fact, like an old motherboard. “You shall come if you are looking to get out of here as soon as possible”.
Kafka took the invitation in her hands, observing each component, decided to play its battery, causing a hologram to immediately be projected in the air with a legend that indicated the dress code only (the instructions was to wear non-flammable clothing).
Himeko walked away without saying goodbye.
✮ ✮ ✮
Kafka bent her torso slightly while cold water falling from the tap accumulated in her hands that imitated the position of a bowl to collect the greatest amount. When she was satisfied she began to rinse her face repeatedly, the change in temperature against her hot skin was very pleasant and helped her better to evaluate her options.
She no longer had a phone, she could steal another one. She no longer had a buyer, she could get another one if she stole a phone. She no longer had the threatening presence of Himeko, she could then get another buyer after taking a phone and thus get her money again.
…
What was she going to do then?
Going to Starliz, of course, that was her best option.
As soon as the Navigator of the Astral Express disappeared from her sight, the workers who had left their places during lunchtime shuffled back like discouraged children, so without pain or temptation, she approached several of them to ask the same question: What was the Starliz?
It was a technology and science convention, which each year showcased the extraordinary discoveries and innovations of a considerable part of the known universe (regulated by the IPC), there were always deep-pocketed investors, influential figures and even a few celebrities from the popular media to give a little more promotion to the event. At the present celebration, everyone was very excited because after decades, a member of the Genius Society agreed to attend as a special guest.
Kafka, despite listening carefully to all the explanations from beginning to end, only registered that each individual emphasized the presence of wholesale black credit cards, and that was tempting, interesting, just what she needed to leave Inmidas and even live a while without the need to get dangerously close to the Fragmentum again.
So she left the restrooms of that gas station, with her face clean of sweat and her hair slightly damp after running her hands over it to groom herself and arrange a few hairs out of place, and later she entered the unnecessarily big (in her opinion) convenience store.
She bought a pack of cigarettes and an energy drink since she hadn’t slept at all on the collective ship that brought her to a tremendous planet plagued by suited vermin.
The event was supposed to start at eleven in the morning and end at ten at night. She couldn't get an itinerary of the conferences or a map to guide her inside. Apparently, the tickets were very expensive and the invitations were coveted, so it was an impressive niche of people who already knew where everything was just by reading the directions.
And although Kafka had an enviable sense of direction, as soon as the guard at the entrance tore a piece of her motherboard and tied a phosphorescent bracelet on her wrist, she was overwhelmed by the number of people walking and the magnitude of the space.
Everywhere she looked there were robots, automatons, machines both tiny and almost colossal, scenarios with experiments that looked risky, dozens of mouths speaking in words so particular that it was very difficult for her to understand without fear of making a mistake about the topics they were discussing. Nerds, geeks, young and old all... very mixed but in perfect harmony somehow.
She shook her head a little as she continued walking, she needed to wake up as soon as possible or they would notice how lost she was and she wasn't in the mood to...
“First time here?”
Damn it.
Buzzcut, wearing a hoodie still when it was warm inside despite being at night, wore (honestly, dirty looking) converse, jeans and a straight-toothed smile that was supposed to charm anyone.
“Oh, of course the I'm not like other brainiacs, see? I know fashion and I have a pretty face.” Type of guy.
"No," Kafka answered curtly.
"I think so," this man who, in fact, looked younger than her, smiled again.
"I'm just looking for someone," the purple-haired girl added as she crossed her arms.
They both cared little about standing in the middle of the path, not that they were much in the way despite the looks of disdain they received from the people who had to surround them to pass.
“Where did you agree to meet? Maybe I can guide you there. This year they reversed the order of certain rooms,” the boy explained, tilting his head, which caused the most defined curls of his hair to sway for a few moments.
"Really, I'm fine," said Kafka, ready to walk again until she found some poor soul who caught her attention.
"My name is Li, by the way," this guy commented as he matched his steps with Kafka's, moving away from busy areas.
For real? the woman thought.
"Griselda," Kafka replied.
“An unusual name,” Li said, with a laugh too raspy to be considered natural or even unique.
“Don't you have friends you came here with? “the smuggler asked, losing patience.
Li opened his eyes, perplexed by the sudden change in atmosphere as well as the intonation of her voice, and cleared his throat a little.
“Well, I…”
Applause could be heard very far away, on the upper floor of the convention, since it raised so much money that they could afford that little luxury, even though the scandal must have surprised them, guiding them to the source of the sound along with the crowd that flowed in bliss in the same direction, Kafka, was willing to get rid of this attempt of a remora that surely sought to prove something to the rest of his precocious friends.
“I came with…”
“Li!” a tall man with gray hair and oily skin called.
Kafka laughed softly with a bit of mockery when she realized the situation, and simply walked away. Not only was he a brat, but one who was accompanying his parents, who on top of that, seemed to be toxically controlling with the poor boy.
Anyway, now, on to the next target: Fans of the aeons and eccentric millionaires.
The next floor was a room, with dozens of fairly large round tables, a stage in front, and several food counters as well as waiters going from one place to another in a hurry, accommodating the spaces that were vacated after each presentation to always have them ready in case other guests arrived, there were also many other people who preferred to stand.
"You missed my presentation," came a familiar voice to her ears, and she didn't even have to turn around when Himeko had already surrounded her to be face to face.
This time she was not wearing the same casual outfit as in the afternoon, but rather an elegant black dress with matching silk gloves that reached her elbows, her hair was tied in a half ponytail and she had “natural” looking makeup but they both knew the amount of details and products that were actually on the face.
"It seems so," Kafka replied, then crossed her arms.
"Did you bring your little gem with you?" Himeko questioned.
Kafka raised her chin, and instinctively, in a very discreet manner, widened her legs, ready for any outcome where she had to act quickly.
"So that's what this was all about?" she asserted “To Corner me in an IPC’s dog place”
Himeko, unlike the pubescent boy from a few minutes ago, laughed gracefully, even warmly, while shaking her head.
“To corner you? No, no” suddenly, she revealed the one object she was hiding behind her back, an elongated wallet that looked quite full of credits “I want to buy you that piece that you couldn't sell in the afternoon”
Kafka frowned, licked her dry lips quickly and looked around... so many potential buyers, it was her dream come true... But everything seemed to be planned from the beginning.
“What do you know about... the stone?” It was dangerous to mention that name with so many people around.
"Come, let's sit down first," said Himeko, and guided them both to a table somewhat away from the stage, on the opposite side of the entrance to the room where not so many people were concentrated. “I deal with it almost every day,” she admitted. “It doesn’t let the Astral Express go on the star rails”
Kafka nodded, taking a seat next to the redhead.
“I didn't think that for someone so intelligent, that would be a constant problem”
Himeko continued, ignoring that comment.
“The current way of neutralizing it's not efficient. It is a very unstable process that doesn't last long. The investigation is still ongoing,” she clarified. “That's why I'm interested in acquiring a smaller, more manageable sample”
"Fifty thousand credits," she said, not wanting to hear more, "and it's all yours."
Himeko slid the purse she was carrying on the white tablecloth.
“There are one hundred thousand credits” She raised her hand to attract the attention of a waiter, who immediately left them two glasses of champagne “they are all yours”.
This woman must have had some plan in place if the transaction seemed to be that easy, so Kafka took her glass to thoughtfully stir the yellowish liquid, took a sip and immediately regretted it: It was a low-quality wine, which she didn't expect to find it at an event as refined as that one.
"I don't want you to complain at me after a while and put out an arrest warrant or something crazy, so I'll be honest with you," she began. “ I didn’t take it off Nanook's home planet, or any destroyed stars, or anything like that. There's a small planet a solar system away called Plianis IV, they don't even know what Stellaron is honestly, and its corrosion is actually very minimal, I got it from there”
Himeko nodded, and held her own hands on the table, a gesture so simple that Kafka could not get a clear idea of what it meant.
“No matter where it is taken from, it still has the same capacity”
Kafka sighed, until she finally found someone who understood the basics about The Destruction and the vomit they had left across the universe.
“That said, why would you spend so much on something so ordinary?”
"I can just give you the fifty if you want." she shrugged and tried to pick up her wallet.
But the tip of Kafka's fingers arrived first, drawing the object a couple of centimeters towards her, an action that made Himeko smile.
"It's just curiosity," Kafka added.
“Because I know that the price of that jewel is much lower, but I also know that the Inmidas “work ships” charge you half of what they charge here to get you safely off the planet. Everyone else who offers less for those services are scammers”
Himeko drank her champagne, accidentally staining the edge a little with her neutral-colored lipstick.
“I invited you with the promise not of buying that stone but of getting you out of here, right?”
"That's something I'm well aware of," Kafka replied. “I have my ways to leave Inmidas as easily as I entered”
"I know, and that's exactly the other thing I want to know," Himeko leaned forward in her seat. “The universal crossing has a very accurate system to locate traces of Stellaron coming from outside, how did you get past those filters?”
Kafka finished the rest of the glass in one gulp.
"Ah, so you were buying my confession," she commented, then clicked her tongue.
Himeko leaned with one elbow on the table and opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, other diners came to occupy the previously empty spaces.
“Even if you don't tell me, the money is yours; I suspect you're going to need it soon," she declared.
Kafka, had no idea what she was referring to.
Until Himeko's line of sight was directed behind her and a few seconds later, an unpleasantly hot hand fell on her shoulder, accompanied by a smell of cheap cologne that made her nauseous.
It was a trap, she already knew it from the beginning but she had faith that although she was invited, she wouldn't have to see Himeko's face... still her ambition was big, her hunger overwhelmed her and didn't let her think with enough clarity.
"Miss, we need to ask you a few questions," said the security guard.
He was an older man, perhaps in his fifties, with rough skin and hard facial features; Kafka looked at him directly in the eyes without being surprised.
That apathy that she had fought all day was returning with force, causing her to feel every extremity of her body with an enormous heaviness, if she could stop breathing she would do so but her brain wouldn't let her rest either because the most likely thing is that during the interrogation they beat her up.
"No," she answered simply.
“You must cooperate with us to maintain peace at the event”
“And why should I go with you? I'm not doing anything wrong. Check the security cameras,” Kafka said, defensively.
Since, she was so close to her freedom to lose it now for something stupid.
“A guest of high reputation warned us that you could be carrying… something dangerous. We'll just do a quick check, if true, we'll escort you out”.
Kafka heard “We are going to kick you in the ribs and take away your only way to make money on this planet.” This small exchange was drawing the attention of the entire table, Himeko unlike their meeting in the afternoon, had not mentioned a single word. For her part, she only observed the scene carefully, it didn't even seem like this caused her any kind of pleasure.
“And who can be so important as to make you come personally and doubt their security systems?” the purple-haired girl questioned.
"Mr. Varax," the security guard said. “Co-founder of the convention, you will then understand that it is important to comply with his requests”
Kafka raised an eyebrow as she nodded, twisting her mouth forward in a kissing grimace before making a popping sound with her lips. The virtue that brought her out of Pteruges-V had been weakening for a few years now.
It was a possibility to meet that madman, after all her investigation had yielded the data that the guard confirmed to her right now, however; She didn't think the man would be so resentful towards her for a trifle.
"Listen to me, uh," she looked at the card with the man's name. “Finnick, I'm a good friend of Mr. Varak. He's been looking a little erratic lately, and you wouldn't let me lie, would you?”
Himeko collected the data of the scene that was unfolding. First of all, Kafka was moving her fingers under the table and could tell by the subtle movements of the tablecloth. Second, despite wearing contact lenses, her eyes seemed to shine a little even more so under the cold light of the event, and third, this man's vision became unfocused, her pupils were now extremely dilated.
"Yes, he's been acting very paranoid," the guard accepted honestly.
"But your concerns are real, I'm afraid," Kafka continued.
Himeko looked away for a moment at the rest of the table, several of them seemed intrigued by the development of this situation while others had already been distracted by their cell phones.
“The suspect you are looking for is that one over there. He looks very haughty and has a bundle in his pocket," she pointed to a random person in the audience. “I think you should teach him a lesson, how dare he mock security like that.”
The guard simply nodded his head, and in the most bizarre way possible, ran up to the supposed suspect to tackle him to the ground, causing even the background music to stop, and everyone's attention to fall on a respectable security agent punching for no apparent reason a guest.
Himeko narrowed her eyes in doubt.
“Who are you?” she questioned when her table companions got up morbidly to watch the event.
“I'm the one who is going to retire, closing the night with a flourish”.
Several people tried to stop the guard, but they received more blows without direction, which caused tempers to quickly rise.
“And do you have a name?” Himeko asked, imitating her interlocutor by standing up.
“Miss Navigator, I didn't think you'd be so interested in me.”
Many screams were heard and the scene became very violent, now several guests were fighting among themselves, but the pair of women didn't give them the slightest bit of importance.
"I have my fixations," Himeko admitted. “And so far you haven't done anything other than to get my attention.”
Kafka, tilting her head, put away her purse when she realized that the scandal was only growing and growing.
“It's that crazy woman over there, what are you waiting for!” he shouted… no, Mr. Varax howled, pointing at Kafka, and now three burly men were running in her direction.
"Let's go now," Himeko said, quickly grabbing Kafka's wrist and dragging her through the violent crowd.
Kafka confirmed that Himeko had little to do with the outcome, so she decided to follow her, tracing a route in her mind outside the hotel so they could separate their paths and flee.
“What is your plan?” she questioned. A woman then picked up and slammed a shorter man onto a table next to her.
"Well, since they saw me with you next to me, I'm committed to this," she responded.
They walked quickly until they saw the stairs but it was too late, it was full of human barricades that would prevent their passage.
"Mhmm," Himeko muttered, with discontent she turned around looking at the window and approached it, placed a hand on the glass and measured its thickness.
"Well, that's it," said Kafka, hiding behind a thick pillar. “It was an absolute pleasure doing business with you, Himeko”
And the redhead didn’t respond, she just stood on the other side of the pillar, covering herself of something that Kafka could not guess until she heard the sound of the window breaking into a thousand pieces the next second. With her eyes wide open she observed how everything had been the work of what seemed like some kind of automaton... with electric saws... or something like that.
Himeko did not stop and, gaining momentum, she ran until she jumped as far as she could but fell.
Fell?
Kafka quickly approached the edge, stupefied with what her eyes were witnessing, the summer night wind hit her directly in the face, moving her hair insistently and when she lowered her head she saw intense lights and metal and heard loudly the whistle of a train that made her ears ring.
For a few seconds, she could only admire the majesty of the Astral Express from the front row... it was colossal, it remained suspended in the air despite there being no metal rails underneath, and it had the driver's cabin door open, with a Himeko, who looked up expectantly while holding onto the handle, half her body out, hair dancing in the wind.
“If you don't come, they're going to take your money!” she shouted from her position.
That snapped Kafka out of her trance, and she looked over her shoulder at how her little carelessness had left her surrounded by already armed men who were approaching at a steady pace... With adrenaline now running through her blood, she stepped off the edge, turned around, and walked towards her captors.
Himeko, smirked, somewhat disappointed by that decision, perhaps her calculations had failed her but it was fine, at the end of the day that variant was more of a whim of hers.
Before giving the orders to the conductor to get out of there, she heard screams of disbelief and saw a Kafka, jumping with an almost sadistic smile on her face, devoid of doubt or caution for her actions. Himeko managed to pull back, leaving a good landing strip in the cabin.
She barely managed to land with the tips of her feet on the door frame, holding onto the handle she lost her balance backwards but the next moment she could push her weight forward, finally fully entering the Astral Express.
Himeko, now smiled completely and gave the pertinent orders to Pom-Pom, to leave The Universal Crossing, after the door closed automatically, she offered her hand to a panting Kafka.
“Welcome…”
The other woman looked at the gloved fingers, and although she didn't take them when she stood up on her own, she finally admitted some sincerity since the day began.
Kafka wasn't stupid and everything was too convenient. She admitted that Himeko realizing the theft of her phone was an oversight on her part, she didn't count on her later listening to her entire conversation with the crazy Nanook fan, nor did she expect her to read enough into the situation to make sure she left her with no better options to sell the Stellaron, by putting a feast of the wealthy in front of Kafka.
She was even gentle enough within this web that she had woven, to continue giving her the faux illusion of the election after successfully predicting that she wouldn’t go unnoticed at the Starliz.
How hilarious, a situation worthy of a member of the Genius Society.
“Kafka”
“Welcome aboard, Kafka”