Nothing prepares you for changes, especially big ones. Even knowing in advance and having the time to rehearse different scenarios mentally isn't enough. I had imagined a thousand times how seeing Michael again would be. What I would feel, what I would say. I assumed he would have changed and did my best to be ready. But when the moment came, nothing helped me. Even though I did my best to hide it, deep down I was mourning. Mourning for his name, which didn't define him anymore, mourning for his skinny bones, which talked about hardship, mourning for his tired eyes, which revealed his sleepless nights, mourning for that sweet smile that was nowhere to be found.

After our conversation at the Phoenix Group's headquarters and showing me Erik's gift, I was relieved to see that Michael finally trusted me. He wanted to tell me everything: why he stayed on the other side, why he joined the Phoenix Group, and most crucially, what Heather had to do with it all.

As we left the house, we walked down a sandy path and arrived once again at that cabin where, weeks earlier, they had caught us. I looked at it again, remembering the moment when I realized we had been ambushed.

"Wait, how did you know we were coming?" I asked.

"We led you here." Michael said.

"You... led us here?" I repeated frowning.

"You came to destroy an energy source, right?" Michael said, and I nodded. "Well, it doesn't exist. It was a trick. We faked a signal, and The Nexus Court fell for it."

"So, you wanted us to come here?" I asked.

"Yeah... We set it up to make sure Heather Anderson would come, but I didn't expect to find you on the team. That wasn't part of the plan." He said.

As we passed by the cabin again, Michael told me the trapdoor inside led to the cells where we had been held for those weeks.

The Phoenix Group's settlement was about a twenty-minute walk from the cabin. When we arrived, I was shocked at how large it was. This couldn't be considered a settlement; it was more like a sprawling town. It wasn't as high-tech as the Reg Society, but I couldn't see the end of it.

They had used the largest trees to build round houses around them, stacked on top of each other like cylinders. There was a lot of vegetation too which was odd because greenery was quite limited on the other side.

"This is amazing." I said.

There were quite a few people on the streets, but no one paid much attention to us. Some children were playing in a fountain, splashing water at each other, while others moved swiftly using some kind of flying skate that lifted them half a meter off the ground.

Suddenly, I saw a group of people waiting in a long, snaking queue that stretched out from an establishment and wrapped around it. When I looked closely at them, I realized they were Techno-humans. However, it was hard to be sure because most of them had their implants half-torn out. There was a woman with an implant hanging from her neck, a man with a prosthetic arm that seemed not to be functioning, and a child who kept scratching the back of his head, where a metal plate was rusting.

Michael stopped and locked eyes on them. "Refugees from the Reg Society. We welcome everyone here and help them get rid of their implants if we can."

"Is that possible?"

"Sometimes it is. Sometimes it comes with side effects. Each case is different. But we do our best." He explained.

"There are so many." I said.

"And more will come. The Reg Society is suffocating its people. More and more are deciding that a brief taste of freedom is better than a long life as a slave."

My eyes moved from the woman with the neck implant to a young girl with two prosthetic legs, and finally to a child whose head implant flickered with tiny green and purple sparks. I couldn't help but wonder about each of their stories; how they had escaped, and how it was possible that during my years working at Nexus Court, no one had ever mentioned any of this to me.

I also thought about Kate, her wife, and their baby daughter, Zoe. Did she know there was an alternative to implants? Or had they found their own form of happiness within the Reg Society? Why did everything have to be so polarized? Wasn't there a way for both worlds to coexist without war?

· · ·

We moved toward the watchtower in the town's northeast. It reminded me of the electric tower at the border. We climbed to the top floor, which was somehow a vantage point like a lighthouse that offered a sweeping view of the entire city. Machines were interconnected in a maze of cables leading to a central antenna.

There, I met Anika, the soldier with a braid so long it nearly brushed the ground, and Ryan, whose buzz cut was the strangest I'd ever seen.

"Anika, Ryan," Michael called and they both turned to him. "Today, I'll take Grace to The Hole and tomorrow, we'll have the meeting."

Anika and Ryan looked at me differently since Michael had taken me out of the cell. Their eyes couldn't leave me, as if I were some exotic creature. I had caught them more than once whispering and looking at me out of the corners of their eyes. Curiosity, excitement, but also distrust. Maybe it was the fact that I was his sister that shocked them. I'm not sure, to be honest.

I wondered if Michael had ever mentioned me to them before or if he had ever mentioned his past life. If he had someone he trusted. Anika looked trustworthy; she was very talkative and usually seemed calm, but she repressed a lot when Michael was around. Ryan, however, always seemed to be on high alert. Hypervigilant. Not a man of many words. But he did talk a lot with Michael, although it was usually through whispers in the ear.

During my days in the cell, I tried to talk to him several times. I asked about the large scar on the back of his neck, but he didn't want to tell me. Another day, I asked why his hair was half blue and half black, and what was up with the geometric shapes in his haircut. Still no words. The next time I saw him, he wore a hood that he never took off again. Message received: my questions were annoying him.

"What's the Hole?" I asked.

"It's a place you need to see before anything else. You'll understand once we get there." He said.

Suddenly, a buzz in the distance. Growing louder with each second.

Michael rushed to the tower's balcony and peered out. Anika and Ryan followed.

"Drones." Anika said.

"Come see, Grace." Michael said.

I joined them, watching as three Reg Drones scoured the area, heading our way.

"They're probably looking for us." I said.

"I thought so." Michael replied.

The drones drew nearer, skimming over the Phoenix town for about a minute. They didn't descend, didn't make a sound. They just passed by and left.

"See? It's like we're invisible. They can't get any information anymore."

"Because of the signal blocker?" I asked.

"How do you know?" Michael looked at me surprised.

"We passed a small town on our way here. They had something similar." I said, pointing at the central antenna.

"Yes, we've installed signal blockers in every town we could. It's time to reclaim our privacy."

As we walked to the place called "The Hole," I told Michael about my life as a Narval Officer and then at the Nexus Court. At first, he tensed up, clenching his teeth as if trying to hold back the criticisms that were probably piling up in his mind. But I was confident that if he listened and understood the complexity of everything, he would come around. And that's what happened. The more I talked, the more he relaxed, listening without judgment.

However, It was particularly difficult to talk about Heather, the attack, and the events at the tunnel. Even though five years had passed, that memory and the wounds surrounding it were still fresh and bloody.

After a thirty-minute walk, we arrived at what seemed like a massive lake. I blinked twice to make sure it was real. Lakes had dried up ages ago. Yet, this one not only wasn't dry but also had extraordinarily crystal-clear water.

"I know," Michael said, reading my thoughts. "It's real. This lake regenerated over the years."

"But how is this possible?" I asked.

"Grace, when we were separated at the border, the Phoenix Group took care of me. Among other things, I learned that the earth is not dying."

"The earth is dying. We've seen it since we were kids." I stated.

"It was back then. But it's not doomed as the Reg Society wants us to believe. It's regenerating. Slowly and with our help, but it is." He said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I've seen it with my own eyes. That's why we call it 'The Hole.' When we arrived here, it was empty. Over the years, it has regenerated."

"What about the acid rain?" I asked.

"We haven't had acid rain for the past four years." He explained.

I stared at the water, unable to hide my amazement. The lake looked like something out of a dream. The nearby mountains reflected on its surface like a magical mirror. Some aquatic plants stood out, firm and vibrant green, exuding energy and vitality.

"Are you saying this lake is swimmable?" I said.

"It is!" He said with a smile.

Michael took a deep breath of fresh air while I lost no time and dipped my feet into the water. The cold touch of the stones on my soles and the fresh, clear water embracing my skin transported me back to childhood. Those early years when we still visited lakes and rivers. Michael and I would try to catch frogs, though they always escaped, while Mom and Dad competed to see who was brave enough to jump from the rocks.

I turned to Michael. He had his eyes closed as if trying to merge with the soft wind that caressed the trees. He now looked more like the Michael I remembered.

"You always loved rivers and lakes." I said.

Michael opened his eyes. "I still do."

"This place is beautiful. I need to show it to Heather."

Michael stared at me for a moment, as if he were trying to find the words for something he was thinking about but couldn't bluster out. 

"It's serious, isn't it?" He finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

"About you and Heather." He said.

I smiled. "Can't speak for her. But to me is as serious as the fact that Erik's still waiting for you."

Michael looked down, averting my eyes. There was a long silence.

"How is he?" He asked quietly.

I picked up a stone and threw it in the water, trying to make it skip as many times as possible. It only managed two bounces before sinking.

"He's been forgetting things, I won't lie to you. But I visited him every week to make sure he still remembers you." I said.

Michael approached the shore and skimmed his hands across the water.

"Sometimes you don't need implants to forget people, only time."

"You just need to see his smile again." I said.

"Sadly, It's not likely to happen." Michael said, looking as if he had a deeper understanding of the situation.

"Why not? I know where he is. With your tech, we might be able to remove his implant."

Michael kneeled and caught a flower that was floating on the water. He seemed distracted but I could see the gears turning in his mind.

"Maybe, when everything ends..."

We strolled along the shore, and Michael pointed out a cave that, according to him, led to another shore on the other side if you swam through it. I felt like I was ten years old again, exploring on an excursion with my brother. How I loved those days.

"Grace, do you know why I brought you here?" He asked.

"Let me guess, there's a hidden treasure in this cave and you need a partner in crime?" I replied with a grin.

Michael rolled his eyes. "This lake represents what we're fighting for."

"I get that," I replied, "but deep down, I think we're all fighting for the same thing, even those in the Reg Society."

"Maybe," Michael said, "but right now we're facing a serious risk. The situation is more critical than you know, and I need you to promise me something."

"What's that?"

"Tomorrow, we'll fill you in on the mission. But you'll also need to convince Heather to help us. We need her."

"You'll have to explain why," I said. "She's incredibly stubborn."

"You'll understand everything tomorrow." He said.

"I don't want to wait." I said crossing my arms on my chest.

"There's no option."

I sighed and looked at the lake, pondering.

"And what if..." I said as I slowly waded into the water. Michael watched me with a raised eyebrow. I flashed him a grin and sent a spray of water right toward him. He was so caught off guard that he didn't react in time and ended up completely soaked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He said irritated.

"What." I said playing dumb. "Are you too old for a little water fight?"

"We both are too old for that."

I splashed him again, just for good measure.

"Stop!!" He said, backing away.

"What about a mud and water fight?" I said while catching a ball of wet sand from the ground.

"Don't you dare." He said but the mud ball was already flying in his direction and charshed on his chest, splashing tiny dots on his face.

"Oh my God, Michael, how have you survived all these years? You've got no reflexes at all." I chuckled at his annoyed expression.

"Okey. You're gonna regret this." Michael leaned down to grab a mud ball and then he threw it at me with all his might.

I dogged it. "Maybe you are a Commander now, but you're still terrible at this." I laughed.

Michael didn't give up and chased me until he got to smash a mud ball on my head.

For a moment, as I watched the water splash and Michael run along the shore, scooping up mud with the enthusiasm of a kid, it seemed like the fiery wing tattoo under his eye vanished. His hair seemed to grow back, and his cheeks filled out, looking like the adorable ones he used to have. Rownad was gone. A young, cheerful Michael remained.

It was clear that, like Erik, I'd need to keep reminding Michael of who he really was to bring him back. As he had said: Time and loneliness were as dangerous as any implant the Reg Society could have. 

Hey, reader!💖

How's your day going? I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I can't thank you enough!

I've been thinking about Michael and Erik, and I'm curious: how would you feel if you had the chance to reconnect with a love from over five years ago? 😬😬😬Would you go for it? Let me know!

By the way, random thought, where I live, it's summer and OMG🧑‍🚒🧑‍🚒🧑‍🚒, it's hot as hell. How are you handling the heat? I could use some advice.

Thanks for being here with me for another week, you're the very best! Love you!

Ava 💫