The ride toward the top was exhilarating. Xena could see a small part of Grand Valley as they hovered over the vast grass field. Her feet still trembled, though, as if the thin surface made of water would break the more she stared at them. She lifted her feet and saw drops of water coming down from it.
"We're almost there," said Xena after she turned around and saw how close they were getting to the cliff.
A moment later, Aqua and Xena finally reached the edge of the tall cliff. Xena stepped out first since it was Aqua's order. They both had smiles on their faces after successfully reaching the top of their destination.
Xena looked at the thin surface made of water in front of them. The said surface now looked calm as there were no ripples of water on it.
"Now, time for the fun part," Aqua chuckled. The same mischievous grin finally showed up on her face. Xena's eyes watched as Aqua slowly brought her foot near the surface of the water. She gradually placed the tip of her toes and the soles of her foot on it, and as if it was some slight drizzle, the water that was once a wide, flat surface broke down droplet after droplet.
Before the rest of the liquid fell down on one spot, Aqua quickly raised her arms in both directions, which then resulted in the water spreading evenly throughout the vast grass field, returning to where it came from.
The brown hues of the lifeless grass immediately turned back to its primary colour—like the end of a long drought. The dead grass field was lifeless no more, and it brought Xena a feeling of happiness.
"Good. That should do it." The woman responsible clapped her hands in satisfaction. Aqua then gesticulated towards the long path behind them. "Let's go. We have a long path before us," she said, showing Xena a close-lipped smile.
Through the thick leaves of Arkenhill's forest, the yellow morning sun shined. The long walk began but unlike the first time, this one was rather quiet. The warm light passing through the leaves and reflecting unto their faces made Xena narrow her eyes.
"We're just watching the science center from afar, right?" asked Xena.
Aqua turned to her and squinted her eyes because of the bright light. "More like observing, all we need to do is gather information about the outside," she replied.
"That way, we can come up with a good plan on how to infiltrate the inside." Xena nodded her head, agreeing at Aqua's plan. Silence circled them once again, Xena thought a conversation would start since Aqua was a talkative one, after all—but it didn't.
Ever since their conversation last night, Aqua spoke less and less. There was something boggling her mind, putting her in a confusing spot. A grave sigh escaped Aqua's mouth while her eyes turned toward Xena.
"What if… you can't find your mother? What will you do?" asked Aqua. The sudden question caused Xena to face her. They met eye to eye—both had sadness in their black orbs.
Xena shook her head in denial. Even though the chances were likely that she would not find her mother, Xena couldn't just give up. "That won't happen. I'll find her for sure," she argued.
"But what if…" Aqua paused and sighed.
"All right. I was just curious, that's all," Aqua replied with a bitter smile. The silence filling the space was like an on and off switch: each time a conversation starts, it quickly dies down, bringing silence along with it.
Xena stared at the brown, dry path ahead of them. She wanted to ask a question that would let her know more about Aqua. And Aqua's past was something she wanted to uncover. She clenched her fist and wondered, Is it too soon to ask? We've only known each other for a while, and I want to know more about her.
Taking a deep breath, Xena exhaled and asked, "Can I ask you something?" She looked at Aqua with curious eyes.
"Yeah?" Aqua shrugged while faking a smile.
Xena, with curiosity in her eyes, looked at Aqua and questioned, "Did you… at least try looking for your brother?" Not long after, Aqua released a small chuckle.
"You're a straightforward girl," Her eyes darted towards her shoes and stared at them for a while. Xena thought she might have been too blunt about it, and judging from Aqua's reaction, she concluded that it wasn't the right time to ask. Especially since they've only known each other for a day.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to come off that rude," apologized Xena, but Aqua seemed to have gotten over it fairly quickly.
She shrugged and met Xena's eyes. "It's fine…" Aqua took a long pause—breathed and exhaled. "None of it matters in the end. Because I'm truly a coward."
"What makes you think you're a coward?" Xena furrowed her eyebrows slightly. She definitely disagreed with Aqua's comment. After all, she thought that jumping from a 20-meter high cliff didn't seem cowardly at all.
"I dunno. Maybe because I never had the courage to look for my younger brother like you do…" Aqua replied with a melancholy look on her face.
"After the soldiers killed almost all of my family, my first instinct was to run. Yet I—I saw him being taken away and I did nothing." The confidence Aqua had in her tone disappeared. Aqua's voice was brittle, as if she was trying hard to hold her tears back.
The memory of her past brought guilt to Aqua's soul. Xena looked away, Aqua's experience mirrored hers. She as well couldn't do anything and ran as fast as she could. Her parents had sacrificed their freedom and life—just so their daughter could escape.
But if it weren't for her mother's sacrifice, Xena would be lifeless on the ground, just like her father. Xena felt her fist clench upon remembering the horrible and vivid memory.
"My mother is my last hope. She's the last one left in my family. And if I lose her just like I did with my father, I wouldn't know how to cope with it," said Xena. Tears welled in her eyes, giving it a glossy shine.
"And… I know you might think it's too late now. But you can still find your brother," concluded Xena. After that, Aqua had not spoken since. They both remained silent, but this silence lingering around them brought comfort to their souls. It was much-needed for the two of them.
It went on for the whole travel and they weren't aware of it. Aqua made a left and right turn, while Xena mindlessly followed her. The next thing they knew, the comfortable silence they felt reassurance from, changed into raging sounds of old-school cars on the streets.
Xena gasped, she hadn't noticed that they finally reached the end of the path and unto the busy streets. Aqua flinched back to reality, breaking her long chain of thoughts after realizing they had arrived. Their eyes followed the cars racing across the street.
Having seen Grand Valley, the sight before them differed like night and day. The heart of Arkenhill seemed peaceful, while this one was nerve-wracking. With the cars going over the preferred speed limit, you would feel as if you're risking your life just trying to cross from street to street.
The worn-down buildings that scattered around this area were no match against Grand Valley. Xena should have known not to compare these two towns. This is the area the government rarely cared about, after all.
Aqua tiptoed to see if there were any science centers around them, but apparently there were none. So she turned to ask Xena. "So where's this science center you spoke of?"
Xena narrowed her eyes and tried to familiarize herself with the area. "It's near… a warehouse. It could be about a mile away from it. I just can't remember," she replied honestly.
"Damn it all. It could be on the other side then," said Aqua. She clicked her tongue in disappointment and let out a sigh.
After mere seconds, Aqua snapped her fingers when an idea struck her. "Let's get a ride. Maybe we'll see it once we travel around the area."
Xena nodded her head in agreement. They rode inside a cab which Xena thought was strange. That is until Aqua explained that people called these types of services a taxi ride a long time ago. In 2050, they now call this business of driving strangers to their destination a 'link drive'.
It amused Xena, but she didn't want to dwell too much on this new experience of hers. And so she focused on looking outside the car's window to see if she could see any science centers.
"Wait!" yelled Aqua. Xena flinched after hearing the sudden rise of Aqua's voice. She hurriedly tapped the driver on the shoulder, in which he reacted annoyingly to, and told him they have finally reached their destination.
"F'ken hell. Ya two wanna die from a car crash?" The angered driver aggressively stepped on the brakes with his foot, causing an immediate pause in the middle of the street.
"W-we're sorry. But you went pass our destination," Xena apologized numerous times before stepping out of his almost broken-down car.
"That's why ya say where ya wanna go first!" He yelled and shook his head. The car then drove off and a trail of gas followed the vehicle.
"Wow. Did not expect that." Aqua laughed. She had been living in Grand Valley for too long that she forgot how rude the people around here acted.
Xena sighed and furrowed her brows. "Come on. The science center is not too far," she stated. The determined look on Xena's face made Aqua feel a sense of hope.
They both walked on the sidewalks not too long and finally reached their destination. The science center was bigger than Xena had imagined. It was twice the size and twice more intimidating. This science center stood out like a sore thumb amongst the others. Its design was reminiscent of the architecture in Grand Valley. The only difference was the wired fences surrounding the building like the tall gates in Grand Valley.
"This… is probably where they take Arkens," declared Aqua. Xena couldn't take her eyes off of it. There was something odd about its difference from the other buildings around them.
Aqua gulped, she looked around and felt confused. "But why would they put such a blatant design in the middle of one of the poorest towns in Arkenhill?"
Xena bit her lip. " I have no clue," she said. She then turned her eyes towards a vast sum of Arkenian Soldiers unloading from a truck inside the fences, and only meters away from them.
"Let's go." She immediately grabbed Aqua's wrist and ran. They ran far enough from the building, but close enough to see every detail on the outside. Aqua and Xena had the higher ground, and they focused greatly.
"Are they… unloading people from the truck?" Aqua nudged her shoulder and pointed at the area where a row of trucks stood. Xena squinted her eyes to look closely. And just as Aqua said, people from all ages, men and women, unloaded from each truck with their clasped hands behind their backs. Sorrow, guilt and pain appeared on their faces.
Xena couldn't bear to see the number of Arkens unloading from the trucks. Her lips quivered in resentment and anger. She couldn't understand why this was happening. It has been about a month since the president introduced the Metamorphosis plan—just what does the government want to do with them?