Sitting on the hood, Livya tried with all her might not to focus on Naomi stitching her arm. The sensation of the needle going in and out was excruciating.
They hadn't said a word during the entire journey. It was too much information to digest. The Crow worked quickly on her companion's arm, already past the halfway point.
"You're good at this," Livya commented.
"From how much I've done it," Naomi replied, not taking her eyes off what she was doing. "Practice makes perfect."
Hylari held the shotgun while pacing back and forth. Her concern became even more evident by the large lenses of her glasses, which made her eyes appear bigger. She kept checking the entrance, waiting for Gabriel. By the time they arrived, five large men had come to speak with her, and she had sent them running through the city to carry out orders.
Hasty footsteps made all three of them look toward the entrance. Even Naomi paused in the middle of what she was doing to glance. Gabriel entered, gasping from the run he had made to get there. They all waited in anticipation to hear what he had found.
Bracing one hand against the wall, the young man opened his other hand, revealing a small black circle. Naomi narrowed her eyes, but didn't need to get close to know what it was.
"I see," murmured Hylari, stopping in her tracks.
"But just because they wear the ring doesn't necessarily mean they are Crows," Livya announced. "They could've just taken it off a corpse."
"I thought of that too," Naomi started, returning her attention to what she was doing. "But the way they fought wasn't that of someone with no training."
"The Crow's right," Hylari added. "I saw what happened to my establishment. An amateur wouldn't have shot so lethally or been able to hold off one of you for so long."
Gabriel felt compelled to agree. The woman he had fought earlier had a fighting style similar to his own. From what he saw on Naomi's face, she had realized the same thing.
"They came after us," Naomi concluded.
"Yeah," Gabriel agreed.
No one had any doubts about it now. The attacks were targeted and focused on each of them. Unfortunately, there had been casualties, but the primary target had been the trio.
"That only raises more questions," Livya began, thankful that her companion had finished stitching her arm. "If they came on the orders of the Big Brother, how did these Crows fall under his influence?"
An uncomfortable silence hung over the group. They had no proof, only theories, and all of them pointed back to the traffickers. Hylari swayed from one foot to the other, seeming to remember something, but kept the information to herself.
"Spill it, what do you know?" Naomi demanded, her tone sharp. She had noticed the other woman's strange reaction.
"I have some new information that arrived with a caravan," Hylari replied.
"And you weren't going to say anything?" Gabriel asked, incredulous.
"Quiet," Naomi ordered. "Let her talk."
"There's a Grave suffering a lot because of this drug. I believe I've mentioned it. Anyway, many Crows have gone missing during their investigations," the old woman sat on one of the carts, looking much older than she was. "I believe that at least the two oldest ones also realized something about the bodies."
Both Naomi and Gabriel nodded in agreement, but Livya was left confused, waiting for an explanation, which Naomi provided.
"Everyone was a drug addict."
"What?" Livya asked, slowly understanding, a chilling feeling settling in her chest. "They were drugged?"
"That's just a theory, Livya," Naomi continued. "But I think so. They were likely motivated to do everything Big Brother told them in exchange for more drugs. They must've been captured because of the insane number of gang members. Even though they're Crows, it's impossible to fight that many."
The young woman didn't fall, but the memory of the people hidden in the Pit came to her mind. It was the same smell.
"To bring someone to such a state..." murmured Gabriel. "Big Brother must have used everything."
Even living in a destroyed world, one that was constantly being rebuilt and changing, the young man thought he was used to all kinds of atrocities. But the hatred and disgust he felt grew intensely. He saw the same feelings reflected in Naomi. It was rare to see her so full of hatred, and this was the most intense he had witnessed.
"Which Grave?" Naomi asked.
"What?" Hylari asked, lost in thought.
"The Grave you said was suffering these losses of Crows," Gabriel clarified.
"Thirty, Grave 30." Hylari raised an eyebrow. "Are you going there?"
"Yes," Naomi replied, cutting off the conversation. "It's closer than ours, and to have any chance, we need more people."
"There's more," the old woman continued. "It seems the Crows are preparing some kind of attack. Some of the groups they sent must have discovered the location."
"We need to go then!" Naomi said, hurrying toward the driver's seat.
The other two followed. Gabriel, behind, trying to stretch his ribs, and the young woman in the front. Soon, the engine's vibrations made the whole vehicle shake.
"Why are you helping us for free?" Gabriel asked, looking at Hylari.
"I realized today it's better to be on your side than against you."
"Good thing you figured that out," Naomi said, without looking at her.
Suddenly, the car sped off back into the desert, leaving the small woman holding a shotgun behind. Livya, a bit lost from the rapid change in events, just kept watching the sands pass by. One moment she was resting in the city, the next she was fighting for their lives, and now she was heading toward a new grave.
This is what you call a debut mission, she thought.
Gabriel tried to remember why Grave 30 triggered memories. He felt like he had heard of it before, but he was too exhausted and gave up on that mental search for a moment.
"It opened again," Naomi warned.
"What?" the young man asked, eyes still closed.
"Your ribs. I don't know how your eye is fine, even after taking that door to the face."
He immediately raised his hand to check the cut above his eyebrow. He had totally forgotten about it, but was satisfied to see it was just as Naomi had left it. Now, his ribs were a real problem. There was no time to let them heal.
"I hope Hylari's information is right," Gabriel changed the subject. "If they're planning to attack Big Brother, I want to join in."
"You're not the only one," Livya pointed out, unconsciously stroking the handle of her weapon.
The driver didn't say anything but agreed with both of them. The sands began to blend with grass. What was once only brown now had green patches, and with each passing minute, the green grew and took over the sand.
The scorching heat of the desert disappeared, replaced by a pleasant breeze. Without noticing, the car sped through a green plain with bushes and shrubs full of purple flowers. Trees appeared timidly, spaced apart, and as if to make up for their numbers, all of them were at least ten meters tall.
Livya was stunned by the drastic change. Seeing deer grazing and green and blue birds singing while flying was a strange, but very good sensation.
— You must be thinking, — Gabriel said as he sat to admire the place, — how is such a sudden change possible, right?
— Yes, — the young woman replied simply.
— Radiation. — Seeing Livya reach for the radiation counter in the glove compartment, he quickly added: — Don't worry, there's none here. What happened is this: after the Third War of the Ancients, the world was filled with radiation, and almost all of humanity shut themselves in the Bunker, right? — He didn't wait for an answer. — During that time, nature changed a lot, and some places absorbed much of it. So, the world is like a blanket made of colorful fabrics, you'll find everything.
— It's incredible.
— Yes, and you'll see many other places as beautiful as this one. Of course, there are also the unpleasant ones.
Livya thought of Cova Thirty-Four and how it was inferior to this place in terms of beauty but didn't want to say anything to the two of them. Then a question came to her mind. She shared it:
— This is my first mission as a Corva, not a recruit. — She adjusted herself to place her arm in a better position. — Are missions usually like this?
— Intense? — Naomi asked, receiving a nod from the young woman in response. — No. Actually, this is the first one where so much happens.
— Yes, — Gabriel agreed, closing his eyes again. — The only one that came close was during the recruit phase.
Livya noticed the look on her colleague's face as she winced at what her partner had said. The image of Naomi shaking while holding the Magnum came to mind. Maybe something terrible had happened back then that left her with some kind of phobia. She didn't want to ask about it, remembering what Michel had told her: if Naomi wanted to share, she would.
The memory of the dead comrade left a bitter taste in her mouth. She struggled to focus on something else, and fortunately, something on the road helped with her efforts. A massive lake, with people fishing in small canoes. On the shores, a road began, and that was where Naomi was driving.
The air smelled like water, and unlike the Oasis, there was no constant sound of a waterfall's roar. The same pleasant smell, without that detail, became Livya's favorite place.
Further ahead, a warehouse with several people dressed in black grew larger with every meter the car covered. The figures seemed alarmed, running back and forth. Gabriel put his head between the seats and said:
— That's why I remembered Cova 30.
Naomi was about to ask why to her partner, but there was no need. Stopping the vehicle, she saw the Corvos approach with their hands on their weapons. She raised her hand showing the ring, relaxing them a little.
— You? — said a short Corva with black hair, surprised.
— Do you remember us, Ana? — Gabriel shouted through the car window.