Sleep left and never returned, leaving Dante to stare thoughtlessly at the wall. A while later, he got up and went to the bathroom, washing his face at the sink before spending another hour staring at his reflection, after which he returned to his bed and sat down at the edge.
Eventually, he fiddled around with his NIM and opened a file he hadn’t touched in a very long time. It was a screenshot from an article he had read in the past. The headline read {Brilliant Researchers Lost In Tragic Accident.}
Right under it was a photo of a young couple holding a trophy of some kind. The man was thin and pale, not very handsome, but not unpleasant to look at either. His most recognizable feature was the red hair on his head. The woman beside him seemed like a stark contrast. She had a kind of graceful beauty that was difficult to miss even in a large crowd, with raven hair that reached down to her shoulders.
Wilhelm and Iris Cipher Alistair, two of the most prominent scientists in the last few decades and leading researchers in the field of hereditary diseases and genetic disorders. Their joint efforts had led to many breakthroughs, greatly contributing to the genetic therapies that saved humanity from illnesses that were once thought impossible to cure.
Opening a browser, Dante began to search for any info he could find on the two. There were countless articles detailing their achievements, and new announcements whenever they reached a new milestone.
Dante noticed that he could recall each and every event mentioned in those articles. His understanding of the topics had improved compared to the past, but he still found himself struggling to grasp the details, and trying to decipher them only ignited the emotions he tried so hard to keep buried.
Eventually, he closed the browser and sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The articles had mentioned it more than once. Wilhelm and his wife Iris had dedicated their lives to treating every disease, but having lived with them for no less than fifteen years, Dante had an inkling that the truth was a little different. The problem was that he couldn’t remember exactly what it was.
’Curing every disease...’ He thought, straining his mind in an attempt to remember. Unfortunately, his efforts bore no fruit. ’... Damn it...’
[Dante, are you awake?]
Volcan’s voice came at just the right time, preventing his thoughts from spiraling.
The AI confused him with his question. After all, he had been using his NIM for some time now, which should have been an obvious sign that he wasn’t asleep.
’Were you pretending that you hadn’t noticed me waking up?’
[My apologies. You seemed to be in deep thought so I chose not to disturb you.]
To his surprise, his resident AI had learned how to be a little more tactful.
’Did something happen?’
Seeing that he hadn’t brought it to his attention, Dante concluded that it wasn’t anything urgent.
[Yes.] Volcan replied evenly. [It concerns the child named Finn Ward. He seems to have tracked you down to this building.]
’... you got to be shitting me...’
Talk about bad timing.
[I have detected multiple robotic constructs moving through the building. They seem to be the same eight legged machines we saw at his hideout.]
’I guess we can’t keep delaying it anymore.’ Dante thought. ’I will deal with him before work.’
He went about his preparations, taking more time than usual, seeing that he woke up earlier than usual. Just as he reached the door, a pang of hunger hit him, serving as a reminder that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday’s lunch.
He took out another sandwich from the collection he bought the other day and chewed on it as he headed out. The Bowl of Fortune opens pretty early most of the time, but 07:20 was still far too early.
He was sure that the old cook was already up and about by now, and that she would prepare something for him if he showed up at her door, but he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. His only choice was to down the dry sandwiches made with ingredients of a dubious nature and wait till the afternoon before he got to eat some proper food.
’Alright, Volcan.’ He thought while chewing the last of his sandwich. ’Just as I told you.’
The AI went to work while Dante walked leisurely through the dusty hallways of the megacomplex. He could hear the distant noise of the city get louder as it awoke, but the streets of Hollowgrade remained calm and quiet. Just as he reached one of the nearby staircases, he noticed a small object crawling past him, its eight legs fast and precise. Another one passed him soon after he stepped on the floor below, and when he looked.
To some, it might have seemed that the small mechanical creatures were leading the way, and that he was following after them. No one was there to witness it, however, which was a good thing in and off itself.
Since his new apartment was close to the ground floor, Dante was able to reach the underground parking lot in no time. He followed the directions of his resident AI and reached a certain corner soon enough. Surprisingly, the lights in that area were still working.
"HMM!! HMHMM!!! HMM!!!"
Lying on the oil stained floor was a young boy who was in desperate need of a growth spurt. His legs were restrained by a chain made from the small mechanical spiders, and his hands were tied behind his back using the same method. One of the spiders was on his face, clasping his mouth shut and only allowing terrified hums to escape.
When Dante arrived in front of him, the blond boy went static, his already pale face losing more of its color. Taking in his pathetic state, Dante let out a mocking snort.
"You never learn, do you?"