Meanwhile, at the Semáforos headquarters in Chaco, Hammya was undergoing constant checks for potential after-effects.

  "I'm bored," she said for the third time, breaking the silence of the consultation room.

  "I know, you've told me," the doctor replied with a sigh.

  "...I'm bored."

  "For heaven's sake, can you please stay still?"

  Hammya looked the doctor in the eyes, impatience practically radiating from her.

  "I'm fine."

  "We don't know that. You were with the Agents, you were tortured. It is highly probable you have sequelae, and it is best to treat them early."

  Hammya scoffed. "How? I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, and judging by your reaction, neither do you."

  "Arrogance," the doctor put on her glasses and typed something on the computer. "Very common in people who claim to be fine but aren't. I've seen it before."

  "...Fine."

  Hammya had been physically and mentally tortured. The children saved that night emerged from the situation with various personality disorders and post-traumatic stress, including the only surviving "adult." But of all those people, only one seemed to have suffered no damage: Hammya Saillim. Candado saw this as a problem, as if her mind had normalized the situation. At his request, Hammya had to attend the Semáforos physician—an order she could not refuse. It was obvious that refusal was not an option, so, without further ado, she accepted.

  "Alright, that concludes the physical."

  "Finally."

  "With me. Not with the Inspector."

  "Blast it! What does he want?"

  "He said he wanted to see you to ask you some questions."

  "Is that all?"

  "I don't interfere with his work, and he doesn't interfere with mine. That's how it works."

  "Negligence."

  "Yes, yes, yes. You may leave now, my queen. I have patients to see."

  Hammya climbed down from the examination table, gathered her things, and headed for the door.

  "Don't forget to come back tomorrow," the doctor reminded her.

  Hammya turned just before the door closed completely.

  "Nee-nee-nee nee-neeee," she whispered to herself, mocking the doctor's tone.

  When the doors to the large hallway opened, the atmosphere had changed. There was no one. The silence felt heavy, almost hostile.

  "I hope it’s nothing serious."

  Hammya decided to walk down the hall until she reached the doors of the command offices. It was then that a voice stopped her.

  "Oh, Hammya."

  "Who?"

  A middle-aged man materialized beside her. "Oh, sorry. I'm Gabriel. I don't think we were formally introduced."

  "Yes, I think I saw you that night," Hammya said, trying to recall his face.

  "Oh, well," he replied. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

  "Joaquín wants to see me."

  "Oh, he does? Great! I don't think it'll be anything bad, he's a good kid."

  "Ha, ha, I hope so."

  "Don't worry. Anyway, I'd like to stay, but I have to go back. If you need anything, you can find me in the library."

  "Thank you."

  Gabriel gave her a handshake. "Take care."

  "You too."

  Gabriel walked away, but he did not stop observing his hand.

  "He nullified my perception," he whispered to himself, fascinated. "Fascinating."

  For her part, Hammya was also looking at her own hand.

  "I felt a tingling sensation in my hand. What a weird guy."

  She hadn't even noticed Gabriel's intentions.

  "Hello," Hammya said, knocking on Joaquín's office door. "I'm here. I heard I was called in."

  The door opened, and a familiar face greeted her. It was Ruth.

  "Oh, Ruth, how are you doing?" Hammya asked, smiling.

  Ruth nodded her head, without saying a word.

  "I'm glad. Is your boss in?"

  Ruth opened the door and invited Hammya in with a gesture. Joaquín was facing away, looking out the window.

  "Excuse me," Hammya interrupted.

  "Come in," Joaquín replied without turning.

  When he did turn, he was met with a different, more mature Hammya.

  "I see you've changed a bit."

  "I have, actually. I thought you'd be more surprised."

  "I'm really not," Joaquín said, sitting down at his desk and gesturing for her to take a seat.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "Yes, something is wrong."

  "Is it bad?"

  "I hope not."

  "What is it?"

  "Tell me, Hammya, who are you really?"

  "Hammya Saillim."

  "Candado Catriel Ernést Barret, Joaquín Franco Barreto Gómez, Héctor Bonamico Ramírez... Just Hammya Saillim?"

  "...Yes. I know it's strange, but that's my name."

  "Born in Entre Ríos, Uruguay town, on Saavedra street."

  "That's right."

  Joaquín took out a report and removed a sheet.

  "Now I know how you look when you lie," he said, sliding another sheet onto the table. "How about you show me how you look when you tell the truth?"

  "No records... Wow, there's nothing here."

  "You were expecting to find something else, weren't you?"

  Hammya smiled with forced innocence. "How about we drop these silly conversation parameters?"

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  Joaquín leaned on the table, his gaze growing more intense.

  "Who are you?"

  "Hammya Saillim. That is my name."

  "...Very well."

  "If you don't need anything else, I'll be leaving..."

  "I can't stop thinking about the coincidences since your arrival. Candado saves you from some teenagers. Cliché. What were you doing in the woods? I've spent a lot of time on Isla del Cerrito, and a case of abuse was never reported there. Not to mention you knew exactly where Candado lived."

  "I told you already. My father..."

  "Your father said where he was, yes. I read the letter, it's undoubtedly his handwriting, but the letter says nothing about his house. As far as I know, Rueda only knew he lived in Resistencia. There was no way he could have known he lived on Isla del Cerrito. Did you let Candado know, or did you just divert his attention with that letter?"

  "Think what you want. They're just conjectures."

  "When the Semáforos were attacked, you insisted strongly on coming. No... you planted the idea that you were interested in this institution. That forced Candado to bring you. During the fight, after claiming you didn't know how to use your power, you used them to help him."

  "Wow, you give a lot of free rein to your imagination. It almost sounds like a conspiracy."

  "Your records are very normal, but suddenly, they change radically. You attended an elementary school, then that record is erased. The funny thing is that you go to that school and your name appears, but it doesn't state that you attended a single class. However, the professors' signatures are present. Then, your home: there's a street and a number, but the house doesn't even exist. You say you have a neighbor named Raymundo, but, I repeat, there is no house in that area. But, to top it off, a few months after your departure, a certain Raymundo appears, buying a plot of land there. It's chilling, but this is even more chilling: your friend is a girl named Amanda, Raymundo's daughter."

  "...And?"

  "Raymundo has no children. Well, he didn't until a few months ago, when he started dating a woman. And that same woman is, at this moment, five months pregnant. They decided to name their daughter Amanda."

  "..."

  "It's evident that you knew what was going to happen. That includes the attack on the Semáforos and the incident in Buenos Aires. Lives were lost in both catastrophes, lives that could have been saved if someone had predicted it. Which leaves me wondering, what other calamities are going to happen now?"

  "What's going to happen now?"

  "Now? I'm not interested in what you want to achieve, but you got close to Candado, and it bothers me. You can start your life over away from him. Don't worry about the area; I'll take care of it."

  "Nonsense."

  "Excuse me?"

  Hammya stood up, her expression completely changed.

  "Come on, Joaquín, I don't want you to do unnecessary things. Believe me, I'm not here to hurt Candado."

  "For someone who lies and forges their records, that's hard to believe."

  "I'm not here to hurt Candado. Quite the opposite. I want to protect him, not to mention that... that..."

  "What?"

  "That... that I love him."

  Her eyes, which looked like glass, turned a shade of pink.

  "That's why, no matter what I have to do, I will protect him. I don't want to lose him again."

  "Again?"

  "I want the same as you."

  Joaquín knew she wasn't going to talk about it.

  "...Whatever, but you're wrong about one thing. I don't want the same as you."

  "You don't want to protect him?"

  "He and I are friends, but our differences on certain things have distanced us by sixty percent. It's no longer the same friendship we had before, but a more cordial, collegial one."

  Hammya noticed a look of loneliness in him. "If you care so little, why do you want to keep me away from him?"

  Joaquín stared into space for several minutes. The room was engulfed in a silence that was uncomfortable for both her and Ruth, who was still standing in a corner.

  "...I have my reasons. I'm still his friend, and I want to help him, which means I have to do certain things because of an oath I made."

  "So, I have to leave?"

  "Unfortunately, yes."

  "Can't I change your mind?"

  "No. It's nothing personal, but it will have to be done. You see the future, right? Find a way to fix this."

  Hammya lowered her head like a scolded child.

  "Joaquín, please don't take me away from him. I can't tell you my situation right now..."

  "In that case, all the more reason."

  Hammya raised her head and looked at him with a plea. "Please, I swear it's nothing dangerous for him."

  "But for others, it is, right?"

  "That... that... depends."

  "Depends on what?"

  "There are many factors. I can't see the future, alright? Only what I've lived."

  "So, a time traveler. Another one who got lost along the way."

  Joaquín stood up. "Don't worry. Wolltra Howard will help you get back to your time, or if not, that Delfandor Lunek guy will, if you're from another dimension, of course."

  "Please, I beg you, don't take me away from him."

  "Stop begging me. Nothing will change, and you're starting to annoy me."

  Suddenly, the desk lifted from the floor and flew straight up against the ceiling, splintering and raining wood all over the office. Hands made of wood, with sharpened fingers, materialized and clutched Joaquín's neck. Hammya, standing in front of him, had a furious look.

  "Calm down," Joaquín said, trying to maintain his composure.

  "Are you afraid of me now?" Hammya spoke with a terrifying voice.

  "I said, calm down."

  It was at that moment that Hammya remembered: there weren't two, but three people in the room. Ruth Van Grace's eyes were bloodshot, and her fingers were inches from the back of Hammya's neck. They were trembling, not with fear, but with anger and an incessant fight to control her murderous impulse against the girl she had considered a friend.

  "Van Grace, stand down now."

  Ruth snapped back to reality. She hesitated, but she obeyed.

  "Thank you," Joaquín looked at Hammya. "I see you're showing your true instincts now. You're lucky. She would have killed you. Now, if you don't mind, let go of me."

  Hammya smiled.

  "I'm glad you—"

  She grabbed him tighter and slammed him against the bookshelf.

  "HMM...!"

  Ruth attacked.

  "Stop, Van Grace!"

  Ruth's fingers managed to damage the back of Hammya's neck enough to show a slight green bleeding.

  "Hammya, I am aware that you have a thirst for blood and that I'll probably die, but that doesn't mean you'll leave alive. Ruth is dangerous when she's angry. I don't want to be presumptuous, but if I die, she will kill you brutally."

  "You think I care? Look at me. Do I fear that mute girl?"

  Ruth began to grind her teeth. She was struggling to...

  "Maintain control, Ruth. Look at me, not her."

  Hammya slammed him against the bookshelf again.

  "Be smart, Hammya. You won't get out of here if you kill me. You'll turn the entire O.M.G.A.B. and the Semáforos against you."

  "I tried to be nice. I tried to be friendly. I tried to be your friend, but you are just the same as before."

  "I see. We knew each other. Lucky me," Joaquín chuckled.

  Hammya grabbed his neck and slowly began to apply pressure.

  "You don't want to hurt Candado. You were the one who harmed him."

  "No... not that I... recall," Joaquín spoke slowly as he tried to mitigate his breathing.

  "No. Not yet, but you will. You always do."

  "You've watched too many... movies."

  Ruth was starting to tremble.

  "Don't move, Agent Van Grace."

  "I think you should worry about other things, shouldn't you?" Hammya squeezed his neck.

  "Ha, ha, ha. It's incredible that you managed to fool Candado with that innocent girl act."

  "You're wrong. I didn't fool him. I was honest... well, until a few days ago."

  "Oh, so you're one of those girls who goes crazy for love," Joaquín scoffed.

  "Wouldn't you do the same for the person you love? We are the same, Barreto."

  "What? Go behind his back, hide the fact that you're a mistake in this world, and that you're going to kill those who disagree with you and your sick love? Forgive me, but don't compare me to you."

  Hammya was furious. She looked like she was about to commit an atrocity, tempted to break his neck, but then she remembered Candado. How could she look him in the eye if she killed his friend?

  "No."

  Hammya sighed.

  "Candado once said," she reached into her pocket. "If you can't convince a stubborn person, then negotiate."

  She pulled out a tiny box wrapped in a black cloth.

  "What is this?"

  "My negotiation."

  "A gift," Joaquín snorted and took the box. "It's not my birthday, but I accept it."

  He began to unwrap the box, opened it, and a sky-blue and white feather began to glow from inside. Hammya let go of Joaquín and sat down in the chair.

  "Ruth... leave us alone."

  "...!"

  "Go, Van Grace, now."

  Ruth hesitated but accepted Joaquín's order. She walked to the door, opened it, and looked at him one last time, pleadingly, to be allowed to stay.

  "I'll be fine. Close the door."

  Ruth lowered her head and obeyed.

  Joaquín took out the feather and inspected it up and down.

  "Do you think it's fake?" Hammya scoffed.

  "No. It's his."

  Then, she looked him in the eyes.

  "I know what you want to ask: How? Where? And When?"

  "No. Who?"

  "You never stop surprising me, do you?" Hammya dropped her mocking tone and became serious. "You. You told me."

  "How close were you to me for me to tell you that?"

  "No, you died in my arms when you told me."

  "I died?"

  "That's right... The war took everyone, including you."

  "My brothers...?"

  "Lautaro survived, but Kruger disappeared after your burial. And your parents... they were the first to die along with Candado's family when everything started."

  "I see... If you're going to negotiate with me, you know exactly what I'm going to ask for."

  "I know. Where are they?"

  "That's right."

  "To secure this deal, I want your word."

  "Why?"

  "The three of you have a moral code you always follow. For Héctor, it's life: 'All life is sacred.' For Candado, it's truth: 'I never lie.' And you, your word: 'I always keep my promises.' So I want that: a promise."

  "...I promise... I promise that nothing that happened here will be known, including your past."

  "Good."

  "Now you."

  "They are in a container. I can't tell you where; you just have to wait. If you take them out, you will break them. Only one person can retrieve them."

  "If so, how did you get this?"

  "I was quick and cunning. I stole it from an Inquisitor."

  "I see. And?"

  "Oh, I almost forgot. You only need their prince. They are the Inquisitors with the golden forehead, and I will facilitate that by fifty percent."

  "Why don't you just tell me now?"

  "Because I don't know. Only you know, you told me that. If I had seen the record much earlier, I would have caught him. Now it's too late."

  "Records?"

  "This year, 2013, someone registered, an Inquisitor infiltrator. Look for him, only you will find him."

  "..."

  "Can I leave?"

  "...Hammya Saillim, you may go. And don't worry, I will keep my promise."

  "Great..."

  "Hammya, thank you."

  "Whatever you say. Remember to keep your word."

  "I will."

  Hammya patted Joaquín on the back and left the office, walking toward the person who was her friend, who was waiting with visible anger and annoyance.

  "By the way, Ruth..."

  "..."

  "I'm sorry about what happened. I hope we can still be friends."

  Hammya extended her hand. Ruth, instead, pulled hers away abruptly and made a sign for her to leave.

  "...I understand. I'm very sorry."

  Ruth continued to show her anger. When Hammya had left, Ruth went back inside the office.

  "..."

  "Hello. I see we're being rebellious, huh?"

  Joaquín was sitting at his desk, looking at the feather.

  "Finally. Finally, I have a clue."