It has been five days since Cj and Miya left Apsychos Island. During that time they were traveling to a faraway city called Ervil, located in Arcland. It is said to be the most populated city in the world with over fifty million people inhabiting it. For a place with so many people, it is not a surprise to have a few gift users laying low. There are a handful of people in the city who is in possession of a gift. One of them happens to be one of Cj's closest friends. When they arrived Miya wasted no time renting hotel rooms for her disciples, Cj and herself. Two hours after they settled down Miya paid Cj a visit to his room. She knocked on the door expecting a reply immediately.
...
"Cj! Are you in there?" she asked curiously.
The door suddenly opened with an old familiar face greeting Miya. A grey-haired man with grey eyes cuts all over his face and had unusually pale skin. He was in a tuxedo and had on a backpack. At first glance, Miya was speechless of the person before her. She did not know what to say or how to say it. "Stephano Jupiter is in this hotel. Am I dreaming?" she wondered. The well-known inventor/scientist is in a public place for all to see. She quickly forced herself inside the room then slammed it shut.
"What are you doing here Professor? I was told that you were dead" Miya said confused.
The old man giggled at the woman's question. "Wow, you really felt for this. I am disappointed in you Miya. I thought I told you that the Professor is dead. I killed him earlier this year" said the old man.
"Huh? The voice sounded exactly the same as the professor's but his tone of language is off. You must be Cj in disguise" Miya concluded. The old man nodded yes in reply.
"A friend of mine just visited. He used his gift to change my appearance. It comes in handy at times" said Cj rubbing his face. They only just arrived in Ervil but Cj already did something behind Miya's back. The door opened behind Miya showing a little boy in school uniform. He looked almost identical to Cj except for their height and hair. The boy's hair reached all the down to his shoulders while Cj's has not. The boy had two bags of sweets in his hand while two lollipops were in his mouth. He handed Cj one of the bags and said "Cj, give me a proper introduction".
"No prob brother. Ahimoth Yaht, 14 years old and currently attends high school. A timid kid that can't keep his emotions in check without the help of sweets. He has a very useful gift too. The ability to shapeshift anyone he touches. He can give you a whole new look if he wants to. Sadly he can't use that ability on himself. Silly drawback" said Cj.
"Nice to meet you Ahimoth. My name is Miya" she introduced. The boy lowered his head the second Miya tried to make eye contact with him. He nervously stared at the floor tiles while sucking his candy harder than before.
"Anyways, thanks to Ahimoth I now have the face of Professor Jupiter. Should make things easy" said Cj. He picked up a magazine off his table and showed the cover to Miya. Human Evolutionary Program (HEP) West Division Shut down. Miya knew little about HEP so she asked for elaboration. "HEP is a worldwide company that offers the world advanced technology. North Division focuses on Medical Science, South Division develops new software annually, West Division creates machines such as Robots, AI, and computers. Lastly, the East Division handles firearms. The West Division has shut down four years ago but before it did they created something magnificent. My professor used to talk about it all the time" said Cj.
"BEA, that must be it. The AI that was created then suddenly abandoned several years later. News has it that Aoi Quin gave up on it after realizing the potential threat it can cause. You once told me that the Professor wanted to steal it" said Ahimoth.
"Yep, since he isn't with us anymore the task is left upon me. In order to have a long future, I need BEA on my side. BEA was the name given to Stephano Jupiter's first child. The Artificial Intelligence BEA was created based on that living person. Most of the things she can do Stephano's kid could do the same. BEA was a genius that died too soon" said Cj. He held Miya's hands tightly and stared straight into her eyes. Despite having the appearance of an old man Miya couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She turned her face away from him and asked "So when and where will we get started?"
For almost an hour Cj repeatedly told Miya and Ahimoth the plan he has for stealing BEA. First enter the West Division with the face of Stephano Jupiter, otherwise known as the Professor. Once that part is complete there is no doubt that Cj will be caught in the act after gaining access. There are elite guards protecting every headquarters for HEP, even when they are shut down. Cj must beat the elite guards in the West Division and extract information out of them. Info that leads to BEA's whereabouts. Lastly, Cj will convince BEA to join his side. Cj has most of the heavy lifting but Miya and Ahimoth also have roles. Ahimoth will need to shut down all the security systems in place for Cj to move freely. Cj and Ahimoth will need a quick retreat from the island, Miya's responsible for getting them off. No one had any problem with it. Cj made sure to give himself most of the dangerous parts of the plan.
The World Famous AI suddenly disappeared. To the public, it is stated that BEA simply disappeared. They gave no further explanation on the matter. For all, they know BEA could be working secretly. Performing a task that is deemed forbidden by society. Cj had no way of knowing BEA's location with 100% certainty. The most that can be done is to infiltrate the West Division where BEA originated from and hope for the best. Before Miya went back to her room she remembered a troubling phrase.
"Cj, earlier you said in order to have a long future you need BEA by your side. How come?" she asked?
"Ahimoth, you may leave now. This isn't something I would like you to hear" Cj sighed. He opened the door for the little one to exit then began explaining everything to Miya. "The Professor and I are on a Death List. You too if I recall correctly. With BEA by my side, I can defend myself better. Should I go on or have you heard enough?" Cj asked harshly. She went speechless, no words could come out when she needed it the most. Finally, she met someone who was in the same position as her but she could barely do anything about it. The chains wrapped around Miya's heart squeezed tightly just by the thought of telling Cj her story. Why is Miya not shown to the world as King Almon's daughter? What makes her have authority despite not existing to the majority of her people? She wanted to blurt out so many things.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Miya screamed. The pain in her chest gradually went away but it still hurts. The answer he gave her was so overwhelming she had to stop him halfway. At first, she thought Cj was just a guy who worked for Professor Jupiter but he was something more. She never imagined that the Professor would tell Cj every single detail about his life and everyone else's. "What was he thinking? Was he drunk when he told you all of this?" Miya asked. Before Cj could respond she covered his mouth. Her skin began to look pale with sweat all over her body while she was in pain.
"Well? Must I go on or do you understand my situation better? You and I are in the same situation except yours is more severe. You can't even talk about your future, can you? Simply because you won't have any" said Cj. The two looked at each other, one with tears falling down her cheeks while the other looked extremely pissed. Now that Miya knows Cj more than ever she thought back to when Cj kidnapped her. "You brought me in your basement because you knew I was on the list. You could I have told me that from the beginning" cried, Miya.
"Let's end it here. Tomorrow we have to focus on getting BEA on our side" said Cj.
The next day Miya along with two of her disciples waited on the Hotel rooftop. Around 8:30 am Cj arrived on the rooftop with his friend Ahimoth following behind. They quickly went inside the helicopter and took off. One of Miya's disciples was a pilot so he took the task of operating the copter. While in the skies Ahimoth constantly looked through the window. He was taken in by the view he never experienced before. "First time in a helicopter?" asked Miya.
....
Ahimoth immediately stopped looking through the windows and scratched his head. He clasp his hands together and began staring at them. He could not look Miya in the eyes no matter how hard he tried. "This is the first time for him. He lives in the slum, this opportunity might never arise again" answered Cj.
"Where is HEP West Division located? I have no clue" said the pilot.
"Jeez, here I thought GPS was developed for a reason. Every division is on a private island owned by Aoi Quin. Just fly north of Arcland. It is actually very close to our country. It's the number one reason I decided to live here after the professor was killed" said Cj. Six hours later around 3 pm, they arrived at the private island. The pilot had no intention of trespassing so he gave Cj and Ahimoth life-saving jackets. "Sorry, but you two will have to swim. I will go as close as possible but I won't land on their surface" said the pilot. Miya happened to agree as well. Cj had a complaint but Miya ignored him. She held patted Ahimoth on his shoulder and told him "Be safe, don't act on your own".
"Do we really have to swim? Our clothes are going to be soaking wet and plus all of the devices Ahimoth brought with him will be destroyed thanks to the water" Cj complained.
"Are you saying your devices get destroyed by water touching it? Do you two live inside caves?" Miya asked surprisingly.
"No, I am aware of devices that are hundred percent waterproof but Ahimoth does not have any of those. Do you know how expensive those equipment are? Should have expected this from a rich lady" Cj sighed. Ahimoth dropped his backpack and said, "He's right, I can't go in the water with these things on my back".
"Whatever, I'll just buy you a proper device real quick," Miya said taking out her phone. Two hours of time went wasted on getting Ahimoth new devices but it was all worth it. Another helicopter met up with Miya and handed her phones, earpieces, laptops, watches, and even waterproof clothing. Miya gave Ahimoth what he needed then kicked Cj off of the copter. Ahimoth followed right after.
"I'll be back by morning whether you succeed or not," Miya said before taking off. The moment the helicopter flew up in the skies Miya could not help but feel worried. She finally met someone who is in the same predicament as her. "We can work together and stop my father's madness," she thought. The chains around her heart began tightening once more.