Chapter 93: M and S
Guided by an invisible force, they did not stop again. The images kept succeeding one another while their surroundings distorted.
They were warm and pale colors.
But his mind kept returning irremediably to the transcendental column of blue light.
It was the first supernatural fact his eyes observed—unless it was some special military technology.
Someday... Will I also be able to?
His questions would receive no answers. No one would be willing to answer them without first paying an excessive price.
Even so, a path of human transcendence did not seem an impossible story.
Or perhaps he was only dreaming.
Outside the nature that contained the limits of the camp, the elevator suspended itself with a façade that stood out.
Shiny—on its technological surface their faces reflected like a mirror.
"This is the end of the road. You will be released again to the exterior, but maintain discretion. Do not forget your friend’s face," said the veteran agent.
"You’re lucky. That boy has enough talent for them to reconsider his well-being," continued the younger and less outstanding agent. Sarcasm impregnated his tone.
But he was immediately silenced by the cold eyes of his superior. It was an implicit warning sunk into the bones.
Participating in other identity controls, they were finally able to board the interior of the elevator.
Gabriel was extremely uncomfortable in a corner. He did not need words to express his concerns.
He was beginning to understand the terror of knowing too much. But he knew they would not kill him.
Yet, not yet.
Back in the long pristine hallways, they set off again on their path with indifference. Neither of the agents had the intention of conversing inside the facilities.
These damned laboratories are so similar to the city. Cold and indifferent, as if no one counted.
The tired and bitterness-covered faces of the scientists seemed to support his thesis. Everyone moved at high speed, fueled by caffeine and other supplements.
The camp has not yet been infected by this energy. But soon it could change.
It was another reality. Cultivated in black earth and upon solid pillars that were the millennial trees.
A strange energy managed to prevent their small society from falling into madness—domination or envy.
The accumulation of blue light, so similar to fireflies, probably represented the last light of a humanity abandoned in the darkness.
In the confusion and the fear... Judgment.
"Body to the ground, Gabriel, body to the ground, Gabriel."
The sudden words burst his bubble. He woke from his own daydream.
The first thing he saw was a bump. Then a stupid expression.
The fool, apparently, was checking that he had not died from an accident—which was very possible inside research facilities.
"For a second I thought some kind of God had randomly fulfilled my wish," the younger agent murmured disappointed.
Gabriel observed carefully his way of walking. He was still straight.
"Get in!" shouted Agent M.
He had lowered the window of the sliding car. His forehead furrowed with exasperation.
Without perceiving it they had abandoned the interiors of the research center.
Inside the vehicle they sank into an uncomfortable silence. Until the engine started with a vigorous force.
"I hate those facilities. They completely lack human touch."
"Those guards look like they will open fire at any moment," the younger agent nodded.
That interaction was observed with strangeness by Gabriel. Apparently he had confused a key aspect: they were not such friends.
"I swear that if they take me there again, I will immolate myself together with one of those giants."
The comment caused Agent M’s laugh. Nevertheless, he had to say: "We still have a guest, Agent S."
Gabriel’s pale and expressionless face reflected in the rearview mirror.
He seemed an innocent angel. Or a potential psychopath.
"You can continue. I will keep silent."
"You have insulted us, you have humiliated us, and you have even hit my companion with a metal stick." Said with authority the most aged of the three.
With each accusation the shame grew in his chest. It was an overwhelming force that had no mercy.
He was not ashamed of his acts; he was ashamed of being inefficient.
"We know each other so much. We are practically friends already. So you do not need to be a shy child."
The conclusion took even the other agent by surprise.
"Is this my friend?" he said while pointing at Gabriel.
"SHIT!"
The situation that was quickly losing control returned to its initial calm. They had only needed one phrase:
"I will teach you a little about the Great Disaster."
That brings us back to the current situation, where a music of frantic impulse played on an object of antiquated technology.
According to Agent M’s own words, it was his favorite music.
An ancient and timeless composition.
"You should not feel uncomfortable with Agent S! He also comes from an ordinary background. I am sure you will be able to forget your differences," he said over the tone of the speaker.
Agent S immediately threw him an offended look. He had violated his privacy with absolute calm, even proclaiming that he could get along with the uncultured brute.
"With him? We practically belong to different worlds." He exposed with rejection.
"Could we expand it to a couple more planets?" he asked from behind.
The driver had to swerve hard when distracted by the laugh. He could have caused their deaths at that moment, but it was worth it.
In contrast, the other two remained terrified in their seats. They had had a personal appointment with death for a second. And the culprit wiped a tear of laughter.
"Damn crazy..."
"Get used to it," responded Agent S.
"See? You can get along better. You just started with the left foot... Or the wrong bump," he ended up murmuring the end while observing his companion’s forehead.
"When will you tell me about the Great Disaster?"
It was the only reason he still remained on the sidelines.
The Great Disaster was a historical phenomenon practically forbidden. Only the high spheres had managed to partially preserve that part of the past.
Agent M had once formed part of those high spheres. His knowledge and rigor were unquestionable.
"The Great Disaster? When did I promise you that I would talk to you about that, you damn liar?"
"You just said it a few moments before," Gabriel finally participated.
Before the two expectant gazes, his shoulders lost strength. He sighed with defeatist airs and finally said:
"You are monsters. Tearing apart this poor useless old man. On a good day it should cost you a few beers."
Both ignored his theatrical movements worthy of a drama queen. Even Gabriel had been, unconsciously, attracted by the mysteries surrounding that historical period vanished in the fog.
Rumors had always existed. But those voices were nothing more than dissatisfied people who propagated invented or senseless stories.
The only fact was that it really existed. It was not a joke orchestrated by a mastermind. It had been practically erased from the annals of history.
"Well, remember: none of the words I will repeat must ever leave your heads. Not even to your most intimate confidants," said the agent adopting a more closed tone.
"What?! Will you say it now? Together with him?!"
"Yes, now, and what?"
His affirmative response immediately silenced the grumbling young man. Although he was reluctant, his desires to hear the truth from his superior’s mouth were even greater.
Gabriel for his part admired the man’s temperance. Having to endure such a noisy companion was a Herculean challenge.
"The Great Disaster occurred a long, long time ago... Do you want more?"
At that moment he was almost impaled. The two pairs of eyes that observed him practically transmitted a vengeful fire if he dared to stop at that instant.
"This is anachronistic knowledge that survived trials by fire in my former family. In a past, the technological wonders we enjoy today formed part of the collective fantastical imaginary."
His words immediately captured the attention of his two receivers. Like a crude act of magic, they had become two library mice, eager for knowledge.
"A war broke out. A cataclysmic war. The ancient nations entered the fervor of battle with excessive ambitions. Stone, only stone remained behind them."
He made a dramatic pause.
"Humanity almost went extinct."
"We only survived by the genius of a few. The giants who rose in that turbulent era, who finally achieved the civilizational technological leap, and created the pillars of growing and sustainable humanity."
Atlas. Prometheus. Luzbel. Etc.
His two companions shared a fleeting glance. They had their own reasons for doing so. Unknown to both.
Gabriel for the first time began to stabilize the mystery that enveloped the high spheres.
The foundational myth of an era that should not have existed. The names of Atlas and Prometheus were not unknown to him.
"And in that way we evolved until today. Like rats surviving their own destruction, seeing a new twilight only by the lady of fortune. The era of the Neo-Cities," Agent M finished, doubting having said too much.
"We arrived," he murmured.
After having navigated through the chaotic streets of Neo-Atlas Inferior, they had finally arrived at their destination. The poor and precarious residential complex was only a few meters away.
Gabriel descended from the vehicle with a short: "Thanks."
He received strange looks from the passersby. A transport of that style was too luxurious.
He ignored them, saying goodbye with a slight nod toward the dark window. Observing how they quickly withdrew, he thought:
Lady of fortune? Rats have no idols, sir.