Everything was very confusing. Starting with the fact that this boy was Tristan Salazar, the notorious Doctor Tristan Salazar. That was chronologically impossible. He had died more than a hundred years ago, and the boy was only a few years older than me. Perhaps he was a descendant. On the other hand, there was also the absurd claim that the Engel had been brought by the Naewat. Where did he get such an absurd theory from? He was mocking me, and giving him any attention would be a waste of time. 

"You're the one trying to confuse me. I think I'd better decline your offer to spend the night here. If you're going to mock me, I prefer to go look for my companions myself." 

I was about to go out the door, but the young man who called himself Tristan Salazar grabbed my arm, preventing my escape."Hold on, don't leave. You're saying some crazy stuff, but you seem to know things nobody else does, so I'll cut you some slack."

I shook my arm to free myself from his hand and looked at him defiantly. Now I was starting to get really scared, but I had to stay strong. I would never give him the pleasure of seeing me afraid. 

"Prove to me that you're telling the truth," I demanded. 

"How can I prove it to you?" he replied, frowning. 

"I don't know. Don't you have an ID or something?"

"An ID... Oh! Wait here."

The young man left and a few seconds later returned with a small laminated paper. That type of document had become obsolete due to the lack of natural resources that we had at the academy. There were a few dozen paper books stored in a library as a public treasure, but everything else was the latest technology. That was already a point in his favor. 

He showed me the laminated document, and my theory of the descendant was shattered when I saw the birth date of the aforementioned Tristan Scott Salazar.

 "It's impossible. How could you have been born in 2004? That's a chronological inconsistency that..."

"Ada, I've been thinking about something. You're probably gonna think I'm nuts, but what do I have to lose, right?" He took a breath, preparing to let out what he was very sure would be a stupidity. "Tell me, where and when do you come from?" he now asked, narrowing his eyes with insistent curiosity. 

The same idea that had crossed his mind had crossed mine too. That again dismantled my theories and I had to rebuild new ones. When? That was the question of everything. Why hadn't I thought of it as a possible hypothesis before? 

"I come from the Omega space station, in the year 2136..." I paused briefly to observe how my interlocutor's face was losing color. A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows and his eyes opened wider and wider. "... As far as I know, Earth has been destroyed by the war between humans and Naewat in the struggle to steal the Engel from us, an invention of the illustrious Doctor Salazar, and the few of us who have survived are confined to separate space stations: Alpha and Omega. But you, tonight, have completely destabilized the foundation of all my life's knowledge by telling me that the Engel is a contribution of the Naewat."

"Ada, what year are you talking about for this war?" he asked, running his hand through his hair.

"In the year 2024."

"That's this year. Are you aware of what you're telling me?" Again, the young Tristan ran his hand through his hair, but this time, panic was beginning to frame his tired face. 

"I've traveled through time..." I murmured, still not quite believing what was happening. I looked around again, but this time with a new perspective. All that was part of the history that I knew so well... or at least thought I knew because, in light of the new information I had received firsthand, I had to be careful about what I could believe and what I couldn't. 

"Can you tell me exactly when the war will break out?" he continued to inquire.

"January 21, 2024," I replied automatically.

"That's next week!" he slumped onto the sofa with an alarmed expression. He rubbed his face several times until he gave me a terrified look. "It's going to get out of hand, isn't it?"

I gave him a few moments to process the information. He seemed quite shaken. What was history to me was the near future for him; a not-very-promising one. And what goes through our minds when we're told how many days of peace we have left? What if we knew the date our lives would end? In fact, the date of the illustrious doctor's death was included in the curriculum as a historical fact: April 10, 2024. He didn't have much time left. Perhaps I should omit that detail.

"And tell me, Doctor Salazar..."

"Please, call me Tristan," he insisted.

"Oh, alright, Tristan. And if you didn't invent the Engel, why do they say in the future that you did? Why you?" I asked, wanting to shift the conversation to less dangerous topics.

Salazar looked at me with dismay. He seemed to be hesitating between telling me the truth or keeping me in the dark.

"The answers you seek might be dangerous for you," he replied. "The world around me won't hesitate to tie up loose ends if it deems necessary." He looked at me as if I should understand the strange analogy he had just made.

"What kind of loose ends?" I asked, feeling a knot forming in my stomach.

"Silencing people who know too much... you know what I mean."

"I understand..." Truth be told, it didn't seem logical to me, as my innocent mind couldn't accept disobedience to authority. "I'm not a threat to them. Besides, if they don't know I know, they won't need to silence me. Please, tell me the truth, as it happened."

Salazar looked at me doubtfully. He didn't seem very willing to talk, but neither was I willing to leave such a big gap in the foundation of my beliefs. I had just lost the basic pillars of what made up my entire culture. I had to... I needed to fill those gaps with new information.

"I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning..." he muttered, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "Alright, girl from the future. I'll tell you what I know, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'll accept the consequences," I replied with a hint of excitement in my voice.

"You see, I'm not a doctor yet. I'm supposed to get my doctorate this summer because the Montreal company has hired me to do a 'science job' for them, I don't know if you know what I mean." 

I shook my head. The informal jargon of 21st-century Earth was something I had never quite mastered.

"Let me explain it another way. The multinational Montreal has offered me a doctorate in molecular biology if I do a small job for them. The president of the multinational, Doctor Olofson, is closely supervising my research, making sure I meet deadlines, so I don't have many options to delay what seems inevitable."

"Olofson... that's the same name as the president of our academies. Maybe he's an ancestor..." I mused thoughtfully. "And what's so serious about your research that it needs to be monitored so closely?"

Salazar observed me for a few moments, still unsure if he wanted to continue talking.

"I'm developing a fusion between the Naewat Engel and a bacteria that, in theory, should enhance the effectiveness of the Engel in humans. However, the latest results I've been getting seem to please Olofson, even though they're alarming."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, the bacteria have merged in some way with the Engel, and since the Engel is part of the genetic structure and DNA of the Naewat when infected by the bacteria, its effect causes almost instant death. It's as if the bacteria have learned to kill them from within, making a specific selection between species, as it is harmless to humans."

"But that's a mistake! Everyone will die! Naewat and humans. You shouldn't create that bacteria!"

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," he muttered, looking down. "They already have some of the prototypes. The bacteria is airborne and once released, it will kill any Naewat within a ten-meter radius of someone infected or carrying it."

"But... how could you do something like that?" I asked incredulously. "Millions of lives will be lost! Isn't a Naewat also a living being?"

"Do you think I don't know that?!" he exclaimed angrily. "It's a f**king massacre! But they forced me..." His voice trembled for a moment and his eyes flooded with tears. "I opposed participating in such a project from the beginning, but a few months ago, when I went to pick up my little brother from school, the teacher gave me a note with the Montreal stamp. They took my brother and... if I don't deliver satisfactory work before summer, they'll kill him."

"That's terrible," I murmured, stunned.

A noise caught our attention. A soft whistle came from the kitchen, emanating from a steaming device. Salazar removed the device from the stove, poured the contents into two cups, and handed me one. The liquid was black but had a rather peculiar smell that made me want to try it. 

"Coffee?" he offered. "It'll help you warm up. You must have been cold out there in such light clothing."

"Thanks." I didn't know what it was, but if it was going to help me warm up, I would gladly accept it.The drink had a strange taste that, although I didn't like it, I didn't dislike it entirely either. At first, I was surprised. It was bitter, yet sweet. It was... different, but not bad. Much better than the tasteless multivitamin juices they gave us at the academy.

"What's in this drink?" I asked, inspecting the dark liquid.

"Coffee and sugar, plain and simple," he said, shaking his head. "I'd offer you some milk to soften the taste, but it's something we can't afford." He paused briefly as if he wanted to know more about anything I could tell him without knowing quite how to ask. "So... what are your Naewat friends like? Tell me about them."

"Well... I don't know where to start. They're like us, but more..." I paused to think about the answer for a moment. They were more of everything than humans, and it was simply difficult to choose one quality among all.

"Intelligent?" he said, encouraging me to continue talking.

"Yes, although I'd say arrogant."

"And agile?"

"And strong, proud... and beautiful." The image of the hybrid returned to my thoughts and my cheeks colored. I tried to banish those unnecessary thoughts from my head. There were a thousand more important things that should occupy my mind at that moment, and Dareh, much less his beauty, was not one of them.

"Yeah, they're pretty similar to people from our time." He was silent for a few moments. He seemed thoughtful. "Alright, let's get some shut-eye, and we'll figure out what to do about your friends tomorrow. It'd be crazy to go out there now after all that's happened. You can sleep in my brother's room. It's not fancy, but it's better than the floor, right?"

"Thank you."

"If you like, you can shower there," he said, pointing to an old door at the end of the short hallway. "I'll get you some comfortable clothes to sleep in."

I turned on the tap. The water was very cold at first but gradually warmed up, though it never got completely hot. I examined the toiletries on the small glass shelf and sniffed them one by one. They had a pleasant, fruity smell. It was much nicer than the plain soap we were given at the academy. I let the lukewarm water run over me and shivered. The room was cold, and the water didn't do much to warm me up. So, after washing quickly, I turned off the tap and sighed, feeling goosebumps.

I wrapped a towel around myself and found a brush to detangle my hair. It was too long to be comfortable, so I tied it up. Then, I got ready to put on the clothes Salazar had given me.

I remembered seeing this kind of clothing in Earth history class. They called it a sweater. People wore them for exercise or just to be comfortable. I held it up and saw a chemical formula printed on the front. 

"Trinitrotoluene..." I read it aloud, unsure what it was, as we had never studied it. I put it on anyway. I was excited because it was the first time I'd worn anything other than my uniform. I loved it. The fabric was soft and thick, and it kept me warm. It was a bit big, but I liked the feel. I didn't bother with the bottoms because they were so big, they kept falling, so I left my legs bare. The sweater came down to mid-thigh, so it was covered enough to be decent.

I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the others. Were they dead, like Salazar had said? I shivered. I didn't want to think about anything happening to June. No. I was sure they were safe somewhere. Naewat were excellent fighters, and even though Dareh could be a bit of a jerk, I was sure he would protect June if he had to.

When I left the bathroom, I put my bracelet back on. It used my heartbeat as a power source, so it had turned off while I wasn't wearing it. I tried to turn it on, but as expected, it didn't have any way to send instant messages to June or Styan. I sighed in frustration. I couldn't just sit around and wait for the right moment to find the others. I slumped onto the worn-out sofa and looked around. There had to be something in this house that could help me contact them.

My attention was drawn to a small, rectangular device with two antennas. If it had antennas, it must be sending some kind of signal. 

"What's that?" I asked Salazar, who was washing dishes. He looked over at what I was pointing at. 

"That? It's a router. Do you want the Wi-Fi password?"

"Wi-Fi? You have Wi-Fi?" My eyes widened. 

"I need it for university, so Montreal pays for it. It's part of my scholarship," he said, frowning uncertainly. He didn't understand my sudden interest.

"Can I take a closer look?" I asked hopefully. 

"Sure... but please don't break it. I need it."

It was a long shot, as the type of signal was old and had become obsolete after the discovery of the ORI, which was much faster and more secure. Next to the router was a monitor and a computer that looked very old to me. With a bit of luck, it would be so old that it wouldn't have a wireless signal receiver but a removable one. I looked behind the PC and smiled when I saw what I was looking for. If I could connect my bracelet to the signal from that small device, maybe I could detect the signals from June and Styan's bracelets.

"That... I need it too," Salazar protested with a small groan. 

"I need to connect this to my bracelet," I warned him. "And it'll probably be useless afterward," I smiled, hoping he would understand that it was absolutely necessary. 

"Ah... whatever. I'll just tell Montreal to give me a new one. Do whatever you want..." he huffed, returning to his work in the kitchen and ignoring me.

I opened the small wireless receiver and connected an ORI wire from my bracelet to the device. It immediately recognized the Wi-Fi network, and my bracelet had no trouble hacking the WPA encryption. My face lit up when I saw that, despite the weak signal, I had managed to connect to a network.

I projected a holographic image of the bracelet and sent a couple of messages to June and Styan, but as expected, they didn't receive them. Then I accessed the search program and started looking for bracelets within a one-kilometer range. I sighed when I saw how slow it was going, as the network couldn't handle the amount of data my bracelet was requesting. That was all I could do for now, so I had to wait.

While I was doing this, I realized that Salazar had finished his chores and was watching me curiously. I assumed that holographic touchscreens weren't very common at that time. It was logical that he would be so interested.

Suddenly, a noise startled me, and Salazar looked up at the front door. "Damn it... not now..." he groaned worriedly.

"What's happening?" I asked, closing the bracelet screen.

"I'm afraid we have visitors, Ada. You have to..." Salazar fell silent when he saw me stand up. "Where are your pants?!" he exclaimed, blushing.

"They kept falling, so I didn't wear them," I replied nervously, noticing the alarm in his voice.

"It's alright. Ada, listen to me," he whispered. "Listen, hide under my brother's bed and be quiet. Don't move. Got it? Don't let them see you, or you'll be in trouble."

I nodded and immediately did as he asked. I didn't know what was happening or why Salazar was so worried, but whoever it was at the other side of the door, seemed dangerous.

While hiding, I listened to strange voices and strained my ears to try to make out what they were saying.

"Tristan Salazar, we haven't heard from you in a while. How's everything going?" said an adult male voice. It seemed like he was trying to sound friendly, but it was clearly fake.

"It's going well," Tristan replied coldly.

"That's good. Soon Earth will be like before, how it should be; just for us. We'll show those damn cats who's boss," said another, rougher voice. 

"I don't understand the point of this war. They just wanted to live in peace! What if we're wrong? Aren't we going too far?"

"Don't be naive. Those damn cats are way too smart. They're all looks, but their intentions are evil. They want to take over, enslave us, maybe even wipe us out, and rule the planet. That's why they're here! Don't you watch any sci-fi movies? Aliens always want to conquer the world!"

"Come on... they have enough technology and skills to blow us off the face of the earth. We're no match for them! The fact that they haven't done it yet, doesn't that tell you something in their favor? We're fighting this war alone. They're just defending themselves. They're not attacking us!"

"Bullsh*t..." 

"What if I could prove that they're not hostile? Wouldn't it be worth ending this?"

"Are you having second thoughts, Tristan?" said the other man. "Are you starting to side with them?" 

"That's not what I mean. I'm just looking for an alternative to the massacre."

"The boss is getting a little antsy because you've been skipping class for days. Don't be stupid and do what we say," I heard a loud noise that I imagined was an intimidating bang on the wall.

"I think I'll have everything ready this week. Tell the boss I can't go to university at this stage of the research. The bacteria is now in a very delicate state and transportation could be fatal. For now, I've only managed to finish a prototype that still needs to be tested on mice." 

"Look, the boss needs to see results. We're going to take a small piece of the prototype, just to keep him happy."

"But that's crazy! It's completely unstable and could be dangerous," Salazar exclaimed, trying unsuccessfully to convince them. They continued talking but the voices sounded distant and echoed. Where were they going?

I remained still, waiting. Until I was certain they had left, I couldn't move from there. They had gone to see the research, and that wasn't good. We had to prevent it from coming to light. I had to stop the massacre...

A few minutes later I heard a mechanical noise and then footsteps approaching the living room again. My bracelet's alarm emitted a soft sound, warning me that it had found two devices compatible with my search. I covered it immediately and accidentally disconnected it from the receiver. But the worst was when I felt one of the men's footsteps stop in front of the door to the room where I was. I cursed inwardly. I couldn't even see where my friends were.

"Anyone else here?" said the man with the deeper voice.

"No," Salazar replied, his voice too high-pitched to sound natural.

"So, what's with the two coffee cups?" insisted the second man.

"They're mine... all mine... I'm studying for university exams and I need to drink a lot of coffee to... stay awake."

One of the men, suspicious that Tristan was lying to him, entered the room where I was, took a deep breath, and let out a guttural sound like a laugh that made me shiver. From down there I saw his feet. He was wearing huge black boots that came up to mid-calf, like the ones soldiers wear, but made of a more worn-out material. Then he slowly left and stood for a moment in front of the bathroom. It was wet, from my shower. He must have suspected something, but luckily he turned around and went back to the living room.

"The bastard's got some chick hiding under his bed and thinks we're blind," laughed the man with the deeper voice.

My heart raced wildly at being discovered, and a new alarm on my bracelet warned me that I was exceeding healthy heart rate levels.

"Oh, no..." I whispered, covering it again.

"Hey, Tristan, what about a little sharing?" said the other man, also approaching the door to the room. He took a few steps until he stopped in front of the bed, and I began to feel a sharp pain in my stomach caused by terror. I didn't want to go through anything similar to what had happened on the street again.

"Please," I heard Salazar's voice. "If you already have what you came for, I ask you to leave."

"You're such a stingy bastard, Tristan. We do all your dirty work, and if it wasn't for us, you'd be toast. And don't forget your little crybaby brother."

 There was no response for a few seconds. When Salazar spoke, his voice was deep, due to worry.

"Tell Olofson that this is just a show of good faith, as you said. He must not try to use the bacteria yet. It is unstable and we don't know what could happen."

"Alright," the man finally replied. "We're off, we've got stuff to do. You should focus on your work, and leave the ladies for when you're free."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the warning and the message..."

As soon as I heard the living room door close, I slid out of my hiding place and went over to where he was, but stopped short when I saw him standing in front of the door, leaning on one hand and looking at the floor. He noticed I was there looking at him and smiled.

"Even though I'm not the one pulling the trigger, I feel like the deaths of thousands of innocents will be on my shoulders," his voice trembled and he looked away so I wouldn't see how the tears were fighting to leave his eyes.

I didn't know what to say to him. I had been taught to believe that he was a great hero who had saved humanity, and the whole situation was terribly disconcerting.

"We should get some rest," he said, wiping his eyes discreetly. "Let's hope that your bracelet works and you find your friends."

"Oh... about that..." I raised my wrist and the ORI thread of my bracelet was hanging from it. The other half of the thread was still hanging from the small wireless receiver, and Salazar looked at me frowning.

"What does that mean?" he asked, fearing that the answer was not favorable.

"Well... I hope they have received the signal from my bracelet and know where to find me because, without the ORI wire, I can't connect the bracelet to the receiver's motherboard and..."

"Alright," Salazar snorted, rubbing his face tiredly. "Today has been a long day and I need to rest. Make yourself at home. Tomorrow we'll see what we do."

He grabbed a blanket and lay down on a cot that was next to the wall facing the corridor. He was dejected, and I didn't know what to say to cheer him up. How do you cheer up someone you've been idolizing your whole life and suddenly discover has been a fraud? It wasn't his fault, of course. He hadn't asked for any of this, but I had to admit that I was quite disappointed. I settled into the bed, which wasn't comfortable, but at least it wasn't the cold, hard floor of the street, as I had been warned. For a moment I missed my comfortable life in the academy. I hadn't realized how lucky I was with all my needs met, and I had lost it all. I couldn't imagine that life on Earth was so sad. Where were the butterflies? And the big, green trees? And the bright, warm sun? Styan had been right all along. There was nothing. A lump formed in my throat and tears escaped from my eyes. Earth had been a great disappointment to me, and I just wanted to go back to Omega. I should never have stayed with Dareh. I should have left with Esau. If I didn't find my friends, I would be trapped there forever, in that sad and dangerous world.