Chapter 89: The Future
Both agents remained with their backs to Gabriel. Neither of them made the effort to utter a word.
After the surprising revelation, they had preferred to maintain a balanced silence.
The automated car advanced with a sliding smoothness through the wide avenues of Neo-Atlas Inferior. Every so often, a slight electric hum broke the silence while the engine adjusted its speed.
The city lights slid past on the other side of the windows. Numerous and flickering.
The heart of the city allowed itself to be seen.
A monotonous sea of lights stretched on without any apparent end. It felt like the shell of an empty soul. Yet it served as a refuge for countless lives.
Gabriel remained immobilized on the leather seats, with his wrists and ankles firmly held by flexible devices.
It was not exactly a comfortable position.
His skin was beginning to irritate, without the restraints giving way a single step.
"Where is Noel?"
The question finally broke the silence.
The old driver looked through his rearview mirror.
"Be patient, young man. We will soon arrive there."
Gabriel did not insist, ending up accepting it. He would not get any other kind of answers.
He needed to be extraordinarily patient.
He rested his head against the backrest and returned to thinking about the only message Noel had sent him.
"They will come for you."
Through his analysis the message slowly transformed into an image completely different from the past.
At first he had interpreted those words as a warning.
But at that moment, inside that vehicle and having experienced the previous altercation, it was beginning to seem more like a notice.
Noel had already anticipated exactly what would happen. Probably he even wanted it to happen. But other facts, such as the fight, he probably would not have managed to guess.
They were still nothing more than speculation. There still existed no proof that backed such a conclusion.
Calm was fundamental at that instant. Because anxiety only led to committing stupid mistakes and would worsen his situation.
In that way they traveled only with the hum of the engine interrupting the silence. When a few minutes passed, he finally decided to test the waters again.
"Couldn’t you untie me after all this spectacle?"
The younger agent let out a small sarcastic laugh.
Before responding, the driver spoke with absolute calm.
"If I untied you right now, my companion would probably have no problem kicking your ass." He said, looking briefly through the rearview mirror.
The young man smiled widely.
"This man has lived more years than my grandmother, you’d better believe his words."
Gabriel abandoned the idea with dissatisfaction. The trip promised to be uncomfortable and silent.
Probably it was their own revenge for his reaction. It certainly seemed justified. The younger agent would need ice for a few days.
Fortunately the strange device pressing against his skin was flexible and did not cause irritation.
The car traveled at an extraordinary speed. It was the first time he observed and traveled in a vehicle that accelerated like a spaceship.
Before he could begin to curse his luck for his discomfort, they began to slow down.
With an impeccable maneuver from the driver, they finally stopped.
"I love cars you actually have to drive. Not these automatic pieces of junk."
When the hum disappeared, the engine finally shut off in an instant.
They had arrived at their destination.
The younger agent turned toward him.
"You know that we are professionals, right?"
Gabriel raised a curious eyebrow at the sudden question.
"Yes."
The man took out a folder from the side compartment. He extracted several carefully ordered sheets.
Finally he placed them on Gabriel’s legs.
"We need you to sign this confidentiality agreement. Right now."
Gabriel lowered his gaze analyzing the contract.
"On paper?"
The agent snorted.
"Yes, damn it. There is nothing dirtier than the network." He ended up crossing his arms.
That response made Gabriel smile involuntarily.
"You damn bastard, how do you plan for me to sign if you haven’t even untied me? Don’t they teach you that in your garbage academy?"
The old agent simply observed the scene like a small spectacle. He was a veteran and had experienced similar experiences in the past.
Finally after they removed the devices from his hands and legs, he was able to take the document with attention.
Between his hands rested the papers like forbidden material destined to be analyzed in depth. He’d heard countless stories about deceptive contracts.
He would not fall so foolishly.
He began to read carefully. The document was extremely long, with detailed clauses and technical language.
But even so it turned out to be surprisingly clear.
Its content revolved with absolutism around a central point: to keep absolute silence. Under all conditions, there was a deep veil of secrecy.
He was not to communicate anything of what he saw, experienced, and heard.
What he would discover inside those facilities could be disclosed under no circumstance.
There were no abusive clauses or legal traps.
He finished signing with confidence.
The agent immediately recovered the documents.
"Perfect."
Gabriel raised his gaze with a bit of doubt.
"Is it that important?"
The driver responded while opening the car door.
"Much more than you imagine."
The exterior air was completely different. Cleaner and free of the pollution that plagued the lower neighborhoods.
He did not even need a few seconds to notice it.
The gray light pollution had largely disappeared.
Probably they were in a zone where the beauty of aesthetics still survived as an influential factor.
"In those facilities do they have Noel detained?"
He asked while observing the enormous complex in front of them.
The driver smiled.
"Your friend is there. But I would not exactly use that word."
"Prisoner?"
The young agent let out a snort.
"Bah! Let’s go. This brute has no remedy."
He waved a hand with evident resignation.
Soon they arrived in front of a gigantic completely smooth metal door. Similar to the entrance of giants.
There was no visible lock or way to open it.
But the older agent brought a small card close to a panel. Immediately afterward he placed his face in front of a scanner.
A faint blue light scanned his pupil.
Access was easily authorized.
A synthetic voice resonated with robotic clarity.
The enormous doors began to slide silently to the sides.
Gabriel remained observing the mechanism. He had never seen a technology of those proportions before.
In the lower neighborhoods, most doors still worked with rusty hinges.
That kind of mechanism practically belonged to another world.
The young agent noticed his expression. He smiled with evident superiority.
"Is this the first time you’ve seen a door slide?"
Gabriel did not even look at him.
"I bet it’s also the first time you’ve been hit so hard."
The agent’s face changed immediately.
"You...!"
He took a step forward.
"Want to check if I can still do it without a club?"
"Damn...!"
The argument had barely begun when a deep voice interrupted them again.
"You two... Have no remedy."
The driver sighed deeply.
The older man looked directly at Gabriel with a symbolic reproach.
"Soon you will see your precious friend again. You need to arrive in perfect condition." He said with a slightly more severe expression.
Gabriel had to accept his error with humility. He needed a small self-criticism.
For the first time since he met him, he felt a small hint of shame. He should have hit him even harder.
The driver seemed to read his face. He shook his head resignedly.
"Anyway, we have much more important matters."
They began walking again. Every few meters a new security door appeared.
At each one it was necessary to repeat different procedures.
Cards with scanners. Facial recognition mechanisms and biometric verification.
Each access impressed more than the previous one.
Gabriel observed everything with genuine astonishment.
It was the first time he understood how enormous the difference was between the lower neighborhoods and the rest of Neo-Atlas Inferior.
He had lived his entire life surrounded by obsolete technology. The garbage among the garbage.
As they advanced, the driver spoke again.
"I hope you understand the importance of the confidentiality agreement, Gabriel."
He nodded calmly.
"You can be sure, I always keep my promises."
The man for the first time seemed slightly satisfied.
Unlocking the last door, it took a few seconds to open it. Finally he said:
"Everything you will see here... Has any dissemination prohibited."
He slowly activated the mechanism.
"Because this..."
The door finished sliding.
An immense white room appeared before them.
Dozens of people in impeccable coats walked among holographic screens, analysis tables, and enormous crystal cylinders filled with transparent solutions.
The atmosphere was silent and orderly.
Each researcher seemed completely concentrated on their work.
It was the first time he contemplated a similar scene.
The agent took a step forward. His voice sounded calm but with tints of pride.
"Welcome."
He slowly extended an arm toward the laboratory.
"This is the laboratory for the future pest control."