I cling to my duster. It’s mid winter and no, I’m not cold. I believe I have never been cold, if not as a child when I lived in a Sevyhal alley with my brother. The reason why I tighten the collar in is to not call too much attention on me. I dabbed the wound on my neck as best as I could but he must have hit a capillary and it’s still bleeding on my clothes. A half an inch to the right and my blood would be on Borri avenue, together with my dead body.

I push back the katana handle and curse while gritting my teeth. The cape has always been a better hiding place for Katana and Wakizashi. I pass a couple of guys that are coming out of the Darkness, the place where I’m headed to, and then I sneak in through the front door. The two bouncers give me the once over and recognize me. I enter undisturbed and climb the red staircase which leads to the upper dance floors. The air is warm with the breath of people who crammed the place for hours and now, at closing time, are leaving.

I twist and turn around three people who are coming down and reach the top floor. I slide through the dark crimson velvet curtains and I finally relax a little. The lights are on and the music is off. There is still a handful of people, most of them are collapsed on the sofas. For the rest of the place is empty. With the exception of the bartenders, who are reorganizing the bottles. He is counting the money at the cash register.
I approach the counter. – A Mojito – I hear him counting in a low voice
– Actually we are clos _- He sees me. He smiles. – Yes sir! – but right before he gets the bottle of rum he stares at me, he slightly moves my collar and then looks around us. – Come on – he says.
I snort. – I wanted my Mojito… – I murmur but I still do as told. I go behind the counter, I hint a simple greeting with my head to one of the barmaids and follow him to the back room, which is used as a warehouse. As I enter he closes the door behind me and passes me a stool. I sigh again and sit down. It’s pointless to fight him, it would just give me a headache and I don’t want to argue. The Mojito comes first if I let him get on with it. He takes the first aid kit and grabs another stool for himself. He moves my collar and wrinkles his nose and eyebrows a little. When he uses that expression he’s a bit ridiculous. – Well, it’s not a pitbull’s bite – he says while he’s disinfecting it – it was caused by a firearm… Who was aiming at your carotid artery? –
– That is none of your business – I answer. I’m not angry, but I don’t want him to take the liberty of asking questions like that. My business is just mine. I simply let him clean my wounds in order to get my drink faster. He’s very stubborn.
He smiles – Right, but I ask you every time it happens and, sometimes, when you’re lost in your thoughts, you answer me –
-I have to make another trip to the other side of the barrier – I say. He finishes disinfecting me and then takes a sterile gauze. He applies it to the side of my neck and a shiver runs down all the way to my back. That sort of blue bunch of bananas really had to hit me on my neck!? He notices my goosebumps and smiles. I snort. I can’t concentrate if he keeps his hands on my neck.
– You were saying? – He says slyly. He sticks the gauze with a band-aid. The skin on my arms does not seem to want to return to normal.
I’m trying to focus – I have to go back to Galariel forest to find someone really good this time – I grit my teeth – He broke one of our rules and, at this point, I will break another one –
He raises an eyebrow, he doesn’t understand. Then he lets it go. – Have you got a plan?-
I grin – Definitely. –

****

– Damn it! Tears, you have mason’s hands! – I clench my teeth while my right eye is watering for the pain. Tears is changing the dressing on my ear.
-If I were a sensitive person you would have hurt my feelings… – he mumbles with a cigarette in his mouth while peeling a plaster to stick the bandage.
To be fair, I complain but he didn’t do a bad job, he seems to be very used to treat different kinds of wounds. And, after all, living with Tears is not so bad. I can keep the music on loud. I can eat what I want, when I want it. And he cooks very well. He doesn’t hassle me with questions like where am I going and what am I doing. The house is always neat, chores are established on fair and rational shifts, and last week even took me to IKEA to buy a new bed. Okay, I had to nag and pester him for three straight days, but exhausting him is my weapon. He always gives in in the end. Maybe I’m easy-fitting but his constant making fun of me and his grumbling around the clock are things that I barely hear anymore. It goes in one ear and comes out of the other.
– Right, as good as new. – He closes the first aid kit and puts out the cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table. We are on the couch. He gets up to picks the left over pieces of plasters and bandages to throw them away. – In a couple of days time your ear will be completely healed.- I carefully touch my bandage. The ear is burning hot but, from what I saw, I only have a cut in my pinna. Luckily it didn’t come off and Tears was able to stitch it up. That’s why I’m telling you he’s good at healing wounds. I have a very lousy pain threshold. I don’t care to look cool, if it hurts I say it. But I have to admit that he is good with stitches.
– I can hardly way to take off this dressing, practically my hearing is mono… – I mumble. Tears is looking at the clock, it’s the third time that I notice him checking the clock on the wall in this past half hour. I don’t have time to ask him if he has an appointment because someone rings the bell. It’s the first time I hear the bell because no one ever comes to visit us, so it takes me a moment to understand what it is, but Tears goes to the video entryphone, looks at the screen and pushes a button.
– I’m going down to the garage – he tells me while raising the wooden hoist shutter.
-Who is it? – I ask.
-The mechanic, for the Leon – he closes and goes down. Ah ok, then he wasn’t doing all by himself. It seemed strange … I get up, I stretch and go to the computer. It’s been a half an hour since I used it and if I’m not eating or sleeping it’s already too much for my usual standards. I sit in front of the monitor and, almost automatically, I check the social networks, forums, email, and all the portals I usually haunt. In the meantime I think. It’s the first quiet moment since our last battle. And Sin was there. Once we got home Tears medicated me, then I crashed on the bed and, after twelve hours, I had breakfast and I was medicated again. Now I finally have time to collect my thoughts. I can almost hear him hissing an inch from my ear. – You have no business here – I repeat out loud. Does he think that it’s a private battle between him and Tears then? I stretch out on the chair, while my right ear is painfully throbbing. I access the Confederation archives, looking for Tears’ folder. – He had my same code without the b, it should be easy to find him – I mutter to myself. Famous last words, I get to a page with the privacy article on it. I snort. Tears is no longer an ally. He served his sentence and therefore his data is no longer available, at least to the level of protection with which I am allowed to enter, and I’m already lucky to be able to access this one… I scratch my forehead. Now is Tears’ voice that echoes in my head, from last night… “And he doesn’t even have that fucking bracelet anymore” was that what he said? So he was wearing it before? I am now searching Sin’s name. It’s a peculiar name and he’s still one of the Confederation enemies so, just like with the refugees, I should be able to find him on the database. I start the search when the bell rings. I get up and snort.
There is Tears’ face of in the video. I speak into the phone – What? –
– Bring us three or four beers, we’re parched. –
– How many of you are there? – I ask.
-Two. But I count for three. –
I shake my head. – I’m coming.-

****

I lift the wooden hoist shutter with my right hand. In my left I have a six-pack of Guinness. I hear metal thuds that I don’t localize immediately. Then I see a pair of boots coming out from under the Leon. I stop in front of them. -I brought you beer. – I bend, I put the beers down and while I’m opening the pack I glimpse the feet owner coming out from under the car. I grab a beer, I get up and I come face to face with two boobs.
A 36C I would say. Fine, round and healthy. That’s definitely not Tears.
– Hello, Sunshine… You’ll find me a bit further up – I strain to raise my eyes and come to a young smiling face, framed by wavy plum colored hair. I can’t tell if the color is natural, which would mean that she’s from my world, or if it’s dyed and in that case it’s very well done. The eyes are hidden under a bushy and messed up fringe, tousled to perfection. The hair is tied back but it should be at shoulder blade length. It’s thick and unruly. She takes the beer from my hand, as I am frozen on the spot. She opens it and drains half of it. I hear her giggle, obviously I must be making a perverted face and I am probably drooling too. Those tits are a masterpiece. The girl should be around 25 years, and is wearing gray mechanic’s overalls, which are a little wide everywhere but on the waist. The plunging neckline clearly shows a black bra. What strikes me (besides the breast of course) is a beautiful tattoo on her breast, it starts from the collarbones and goes down under her overalls, it’s all done in curls, like a lace. It’s big but not tacky at all.
– Exactly which one of your chakras has got a problem? – Tears’ voice. I try to focus but I can not take my eyes off the neckline.
– Oh well… –
He raises a hand, stops me and grabs a beer. – No. For your own safety it’s better if you don’t answer me. – He opens his Guinness and makes a vague gesture with his left hand – This is Mesis, Electra Mesis.-
She smiles slyly, hands on her hips. – It’s a pleasure to meet you Sunshine… –
Tears continues with the presentations – Mesis, this is Zendaru of Samirien, the rookie that they stuck to my ass.-
-The Pleasure is all mine… Miss Mesis. – I utter. She leans in and whispers
-Call me Electra, he never will, but you can do it, Sunshine… – I swallow.
Tears finishes his beer with the second sip – Careful Mesis… he’s a minor…- Then he goes back to his work. He’s fumbling around a huge box.
– I don’t think I’d denounce her… – I murmur. I get hit by an empty can. I turn around furious. – Tears? FUCK YOU! – I hit me right on my injured ear. I massage the bandage.
He grins. – Hey… Teething makes you nervous? – I see him raise an whole bonnet all by himself.
– I get nervous when someone hits me with cans… That’s that… – I mutter as I keep on massaging my ear. It hurts like hell…
– Look, Princess… The only way you would be more useless now would be if you turned into the same floor you are standing on. Do something, grab a pair of gloves and bring me that windshield – he vaguely points to a box with a brand-new glass.
-The windshield?… Ok… – I look around – What kind of gloves? –
– The mauve ones…-
– The w_ –
Tears screams – Just a pair of gloves! You brainless! –
I run and I hear Electra giggle.

****

There is no one in the streets. I am now in a suburban, semi-deserted part of the city. I adjust my sunglasses on my nose and look down. Sunlight irritates me, but it’s not the only thing. I am clean and alert. I have nothing in my system and my receptors have always been more animal like than human: they are sharp and fine. Probably the result of many years doing the job I’ve always done and then other years of chasing refugees and then escaping Shield henchmen. Not a sound, not a noise caused by human beings within my range. Of course it would be a different matter if there was a sniper around. I know that there’s no one around but at the same time I’m also sure that there is someone and that that someone is watching me. I am under fire. They are monitoring me. It could be a refugee or someone sent by the Confederation, or Tears or any other person driven by revenge. After all, I can not keep track of all the ones that would like to see me six feet under… After all.
No matter how many people will state the very opposite, I can assure you that my brain works. I stop and close my eyes. I take a deep breath and lean against the wall of the house next to me. – There is no one.- I tell myself out loud. Another breath. I open my eyes. I stare in front of me, but I can not resist. I jump and my right earring faintly lights up. A leap and I reach the roof of the opposite house. I begin to run at breakneck speed, jumping from one roof to another one, from a lamp post to another one and I don’t know for how long I run in the cold winter air with the aid of magical air currents. I only know that I eventually land on my house balcony or, better, the place where I live now. The living room window is always open, and I close it behind me. I lean against the window frame out of breath.
– Sin, you can use the doo__ – His sentence is cut off by the blade of my katana which is now on his throat. He doesn’t move and stares at me, he’s serious but calm. I stare back at him, I’m still out of breath. The katana between us twinkles in the afternoon light coming from the glass door. – Do you recognize me? – He asks. I don’t say a word. Of course I recognize him, but can I trust him? Damn it I know I can trust him! But the katana does not move from his throat. He smiles slightly and raises his hand to slowly remove the blade holding it between his thumb and forefinger. – You are safe here, remember? – He asks.
– I’m not safe anywhere in this and that other fucking world, Tom! – He smiles.
– So you do recognize me! You’re feeling better than I thought… – He ignores me and goes to the kitchen. I sheathe the katana and massage my temples. I try to relax but I can’t help looking around me. I realize I’m casting glances everywhere, but it’s always better to just look around me than running aimlessly for hours.
I follow him to the kitchen. I sit down and, without even looking at him I know what he’s doing. The sound of the cabinet. Running water. And then he puts my medicine box and a glass of water in front of me. I snort.
Light Novel - Service's code He sits next to me and looks at me smiling. – Come on, I don’t think you’ll have to fight today, and if we have to hire new refugees, it’s my job as usual, isn’t it? – He’s right. And I know it. It’s my plan for crying out loud, of course I know it! But that does not stop me from trowing dirty looks to the neuroleptic capsules. I put my elbows on the table, I take off my sunglasses and I massage my eyelids.
– I can manage even without them. It’s not serious, it’s just a light seizure –
– Sin…-
I lash back – NO! – I scream. Then I freeze. Back again… Don’t give in. You can control yourself even without those damned drugs. He doesn’t move an inch for two good reasons. Well, maybe three. The first one is that he is used to being with me. He’s seen me in far worse condition than this and just raising my voice and twitching means nothing to him. The second is that although I am probably the most feared assassin in the world where he comes from (and the second was my colleague) he does not fear death.
Nope.
And that fascinates me. For example, I am afraid of nothing. I am always convinced that the world is going to attack me and devastate me in a collective beating, but that’s because of my paranoid disorder. Mine is not fear, it is a perennial state of alert that devastates me psychologically and physically. I can never relax, I can’t ever unbutton myself with anyone because I doubt everyone. In short, I don’t fear the beating, but I’m always sure that it’s going to happen any moment and I have to be on the ready. While he just does not fear death. He gave up a long time ago, when I was sent to kill him.
That day he died. He is no longer the master of his own life. I’ve spared him in exchange of this: his life. Why is that? Because I am not able to work alone. I need a partner. I have always worked in pairs. But no one could replace my former colleague so I needed someone who was not my equal, but under my orders.
In other words, a slave.

****

I hear the engine revving up and down at breakneck speed according to the tested gear. The row of trees along the road looks like a brown stain topped by a green one. Electra is sitting in the front seat and she’s humming a tune I don’t recognize. I’m in the back seat, clinging everywhere. – Tears! – I scream -If you go any faster we’ll go back in time! –
He chuckles – I said we had to test it, if I go at 20 m/s how do I know it wont walk out on us during a chase? – He steers to the right and I roll on the left door.
They pass me a pack of fags. – Fancy a smoke, Sunshine? – Electra is the picture of the most peaceful woman in the world. It almost seems she was delivered on a Formula One car.
During a race.
I decline. – No… No thanks… I’m too busy trying not to get a stroke… –
A little further on I see an old stone bridge. Give or take the passage must be pretty much as wide as the Leon.
Electra smiles – What do you say, Tears, should we test the alignment? – She asks in the same tone one would ask you if you’d fancy a cup of coffee.
-Why not – And with those words Tears leaves the steering wheel and crosses his arms, grinning.
My blood falls to my feet. I really feel it flow in my shoes as if it was looking for an escape route. I hang on the seat – I once saw a similar scene in a movie Tears! – The bridge is just a few meters from us. – They didn’t make it! – I flatten down between the seats. I don’t hear any crash but I roll again, clashing everywhere. This means we spun out. When I get up we’re in neutral, still on the other side of the bridge. Tears gives a friendly pat on the steering wheel. – Perfect! –
– As always – she says -Thanks for driving me back. – She gets out peacefully and gives me a nod from outside the window – Bye bye Sunshine! – She then heads to a nearby parked black, lowered Alfa Romeo Mito with tinted windows.
I’m all disheveled – B… bye… –

****

– She’s your girlfriend, right? – I ask.
– I am with no one – he answers. We’re heading back home. I just recovered my wits after the race.
– Sure, and you named your beloved car after her as a sign of friendship, right? – I am referring to the letters printed on the back of Leon. The first time I wondered if he had given a name to his car, but now that I met Electra I understand why her name is printed on the back of the car.
He raises an eyebrow. – She put those ones, this car is one of her creations and she wanted to sign it.-
I grin – C’mon… I can see it in your eyes that she’s your woman… –
He rolls his eyes and puts his elbow on the left door – If you could see through these eyes, you’d be crying curled up in a corner.-
I snort – Can I know why are you so emotionally impaired, Tears? – He ignores me and continues driving. I try again – Don’t you believe in love? –
He represses a laugh – Sure. I believe in love and I believe in cancer. They are both diseases –
I snort again. Sometimes there is no dialogue with this man – Do you take notes when you watch macho movies and then repeat the cool lines? –
This time he’s the one snorting – Look, Countess, there is a thing you have to learn about life: people come and go, but they don’t stay. It’s needless to get attached to anyone, sooner or later they’ll fuck you up. –
I remain quiet and mull over. – Did you have a trauma during your childhood? – I ask. We are entering the garage
– I’ll give you a trauma if you don’t stop minding my own business.-
I grin. – I think I found a chink in your armor. When you die, it will be for the love of someone… –
– Fuck you. – Is the only answer he gives me.

****

– Your session has expired. Please log-in again and re-run the desired search. – I read from the computer monitor. -What the hell was I looking for? – I wonder. Every now and then I feel a bit like the guy in the movie “Memento.” I shrug. I log back into the Confederation database, and search for the name Electra Mesis. One result found in the database. I smile. I was sure about it. That intricated tattoo is made of all those marks that they put onto you when you complete a Confederation mission. I try to access the personal files but the data is restricted. I grumble and throw myself back on the chair. I decide I deserve a break, so I get up and head to the kitchen. When I pass from the living room, I see him sitting on the couch with some papers in his hands staring at me. I ignore him and proceed to the kitchen. The kitchen is separated from the living only by a counter on which we have lunch, so he keeps staring at me. – I could swear I’ve seen you somewhere… – he says while chewing the back of a pencil in his hand.
– Well it’s likely, I’ve been living here for something like three weeks – I open the fridge and check the inside.
He puts his papers down on the couch – Right, you probably look like someone I’ve seen before … But also your last name sounds familiar… Are you noble or something?-
I look away and snort – Yeah –
I see him raise his eyebrows. He probably did not expect this answer – You are noble? – Something clicks in his head -Wait a second – he gets his feet off the table and looks at me – Are you telling me that you’re one of the Samiriens? The royal family? –
I nod.
– Of what degree? – He asks.
I shrug. – Theoretically I should be sitting on the throne, but since I’m not of age yet, my mother is still in charge.-
– So why the fuck are you a thief then? – he freaks out.
– Yes, but_ – We stare at each other with wide open eyes when the floor starts shaking. A roar from the garage below. We both turn to the hoist and from the stairwell a great cloud of dust comes up.
I bolt to my room to retrieve the Glock. Tears already has the Beretta in his hand. I hear him curse and mutter something like “If he broke the rules this time I’ll kick his ass, and not in the way he would like it…” I barge into my room and freeze on the spot.
He is here.
Sin. Sitting cross-legged on my desk.
He smiles. And the door behind me closes by itself.