Slowly opening heavy eyelids, Danan met the girl’s gaze, her eyes fixed on his face.
“He’s awake! Lils! Eve!”
Before Danan could mutter he’d just woken up, the girl, her face a mix of shock and joy, leapt onto Lils’s back as she stared at a monitor display. Coffee rippled in Lils’s mug, and, fumbling a keystroke, she patted the girl’s head lightly. “Obviously,” she sighed, exasperated. “Danan doesn’t die that easily.”
“But he was out forever! You’d think he was dead!” the girl protested.
“Look, Danan’s tougher than you or most others. It’s getting stuffy—back off a bit, okay?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Glancing at the girl’s forlorn expression, Lils sighed again, adjusting her stylish glasses. “Fine… if you’re cold, come here.” She lifted her blanket, sipping her coffee.
“…”
“Danan,” Lils said.
“What happened to Damocles?” he asked.
“Eve knows best,” Lils replied.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Danan shifted his gaze to the silver wings glinting under streetlight, settling on Eve seated in a chair.
Tapping her knee rhythmically with closed eyes, Eve wove electronic particles around her silver wings. Danan felt an indescribable beauty in her presence. Ethereal, perhaps? No—such a cheap word would diminish her worth.
Gold, silver, platinum ingots he’d never seen, stained glass he’d never glimpsed, sparkling gems—all luxuries beyond his world, useless for survival. Yet, they were the closest metaphors for Eve. Sitting up, wiping his sweaty body with a random towel, Danan stared silently at the silver girl, hesitating over what to say.
“…You’re awake, Danan,” Eve said.
“Yeah.”
“How do you feel?”
“Fine. Eve, what about Damocles?”
“He let you and me go, then vanished. I carried you and the girl back here after you collapsed using Code Onimus.”
“I see.”
“‘I see’? That’s it? Nothing else to say?”
“Sorry, I caused trouble. And…”
“And?”
“Thanks.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Lils and Eve’s eyes widened with surprise, a collective gasp echoing.
“You’re welcome, Danan,” Eve replied, a beat late, rattled by his unexpected words.
“Lils,” Danan said.
“What?”
“Where’s my gear?”
“Bathroom or sink. What, work already?”
“No. Get ready to go out, all of you.”
“Why?” Lils asked.
“We’re grabbing food. Eve, you’ve met him—the gate’s security soldier, a mid-level city trooper. Got a meeting with him.”
Lils’s typing stopped, her sharp eyes, visible through her lenses, catching Danan in stunned disbelief.
A misunderstanding? Danan was a loner, guarding his privacy fiercely. Even Lils’s dinner invites were rejected nine times out of ten. For him, who valued solitude above all, to invite others to eat was unheard of.
“Who’s paying?” Lils asked.
“I am.”
“What? A change of heart?”
“Not really… just, well, a little.”
“A little?”
“I thought I’d try trusting someone.”
Heading to the bathroom, Danan shed his clothes, a faint smile crossing his face as he closed the frosted glass door.
“…Eve,” Lils said.
“What?”
“Danan’s different, don’t you think?”
“Maybe. I’m a bit surprised too.”
“Surprised? That’s an understatement! Danan inviting us to eat? Never happened before!”
“I haven’t known him as long as you, but… shouldn’t we be glad?”
Fair point. Saving her work, Lils powered down her PC, eyeing her and the girl’s clothes.
Coffee stains and wrinkles marred her white coat, paired with a black tight skirt and cutter shirt. In the undercity, no one stared at others’ clothes, but meeting mid-level city folk was different. Rubbing her chin, taking a deep breath, Lils turned to the girl. “Got any clothes?”
“Huh? Clothes? Just these.”
“…Eve, you?”
“Me? Borrowing from your dresser.”
“…”
“What’s wrong, Lils? Clutching your head?”
Come to think of it—Lils opened a drawer of Danan’s clothes, seeing only black durable suits and body armor. “Not one decent outfit,” she said, laughing past exasperation.
“Danan!” she called.
“What?”
“How were you planning to meet your friend?!”
“What do you mean?”
Fresh from the shower, Danan stepped out, toweling his hair. Pushing Lils aside, he donned his usual—body armor, suit, and tattered coat. “This is fine, right?” he said, as if it were obvious.
“Are you an idiot?” Lils snapped.
“Don’t get it.”
“You don’t need to. Danan, care about your appearance a little!”
“It’s just food. Why’re you so prickly?”
“Eve,” Lils said.
“What?”
“You too. Question your outfit, even a bit.”
“Why?”
Prompted by Lils, Eve glanced at a mirror, seeing herself wrapped in silver wings.
Clothes were just fabric—nothing surpassed her current gear. Her silver wings and nanofiber skin armor, Thin Ice, were optimal; shedding them was illogical. Shrugging at Eve’s baffled expression, Lils turned to the girl, her pitying gaze softening at her ragged appearance. Stroking her thin frame gently, she said, “You’re cute, so we’ll get you normal clothes. Don’t end up like them.” She combed the girl’s hair carefully.
“Like them? Danan and Eve… they’re amazing,” the girl said.
“Really?”
“Yeah… I’ve never seen anyone stand up to Damocles. Danan… he risked his life for me. I can’t badmouth people like that.”
“…Hey, Danan,” Lils called.
“What?”
“You’ve got to be this girl’s role model.”
“Role model?”
“Yeah. Like the old man was for you, now you’re hers. Got it?”
“…”
“That’s the responsibility of protecting someone, your duty.”
“…Got it.”
Lighting a cigarette, Danan exhaled thin purple smoke, crouching before the girl. “Lils, what should I do?”
“Teach her how to survive, for starters. But you’re not heading to work now, right?”
“Nah.”
“Then take her and Eve, buy them some clothes.”
“…”
Right. Flexing his mechanical fingers, Danan nodded slightly. “Let’s hit the commercial district. Money can buy anything there.” He stepped to the door, turning the knob.
“Danan,” Eve called.
“What?”
“You’re… no, never mind.”
“Alright.”
“Exactly.”
Glancing at Eve, who swallowed her words—you’re kinder than I thought—Danan led the three to the commercial district.
