Salvador | Merkana Czar's House | 4 Hours After Chronus'Gaze.
Merkana was currently walking back to her home. Could she have driven her own vehicle? Yes, but she forgot it at home. Life as a worker isn't easy, especially when you're so busy that, as soon as one job ends, you're hopping onto a space taxi to head to another city for more work.
Spotting her quaint, medium-sized home in the distance, she couldn't help but appreciate its charm. It was an old house she'd bought from an elderly lady and then renovated. The place had been so dated that she'd found a TV and a cellphone in excellent condition (not that she knew how to use such antiques).
{CA/N: Here's my disdain for people who are too lazy to read instructions or warnings on things. Half the problems in the world would be solved that way! We live in an age where people call technicians because their air conditioners don't cool—because they're set to the wrong mode!}
As she approached, the door opened automatically—a feature she loved teasing Sirius about. He always retorted with, "So what? The door's still made of matter, not light." Clearly, he was just jealous of her beloved door, Jurema. Yes, the door has a name.
Entering her home, she gestured for the door to lock. Hearing the confirmation sound, she removed her jacket and hung it behind the door. The moment it touched the coat rack, a blue light with specks covered it completely, then disappeared. What was this? A dry-cleaning process with sterilization, of course. Not that water and soap were obsolete, but Merkana preferred practicality.
Quickly, she took off her shirt and pants, revealing a top and shorts underneath. Yes, she was so practical that she wore her loungewear beneath her work clothes, making the transition swift.
"Ah, finally home. What time is it?" she muttered, checking her DD. It wasn't even eight yet.
"Really? I thought it was midnight already..."
It had been a long day for the mercurian. Sighing in exhaustion, she decided to prepare a fire-infused tea. Shaking the bottle containing the element, she poured it over pepper leaves and placed them in water.
She set them on a special countertop in her kitchen. It resembled a cooktop disguised as a counter, with a glass opening below resembling an oven. Adjusting a small holographic screen on the counter, the tea was ready in seconds as if by magic.
While her fiery beverage brewed, she went to the fridge to grab the leftover Milanese lasagna infused with the earth element she had eaten yesterday. Unlike the creamy texture one might expect, it was delightfully crispy.
Wasting no time, she grabbed her food and sat down to watch something. Her life moved at a slow biological pace, much like her relaxation time.
After a session of "The Fat Chinese and Micro Wolf: New Adventures," a cartoon she adored, she received a call just as she finished eating.
She switched her DermaData to "Auditory and Ocular Mode" upon noticing the call, then answered.
"Hey, Mel! How are you?" asked a young mercurian girl, roughly the equivalent of 15 years old, with silver hair—a characteristic of their species.
The girl's face looked like dried clay in some areas, with small "volcanoes" that were actually pimples. Ah, yes. Did we forget to mention? Mercurian skin is made of stone—specifically, a kind of flexible, soft, and smooth rock.
{A/N: Don't ask how that's possible. Just accept it. And yes, that's a threat. Push further, and you'll be the next Verbalase!}
"I'm good, Lumara. Thanks for asking. And you? How are things on your end?" Merkana asked with a concerned expression.
"Haah... Same as always. Every darn day, some giant monster larger than the royal family's castle shows up, the Stone Squad calls their Giant Robots, and supposedly they save us..." She rolled her eyes before continuing. "Hah, sure, they save us—after destroying even more. My house has been rebuilt six times this week alone!"
Merkana's face showed disappointment and sadness, but she tried to compose herself before responding.
"That's awful, but… hey, my offer for you to move in with Galdran still stands."
"Are you kidding me? He smells like churros!"
The older mercurian burst into laughter at the younger one's remark.
"And what's the problem with that? Got something against sweets?" she teased.
"Do you even need to ask after I found out where our planet's lava candies come from?!"
"What, did you think they fell from the sky? It's not like there's much besides animals on Mercury."
"..." The silence lingered for a few seconds. "Alright, you've earned a Galdrede triangle with that comment..." Lumara gestured dismissively.
Merkana just rolled her eyes.
"Hey... how are the heroes on Earth? Are they at least more competent than Mercury's?"
"In a way, I'd say yes. One of the priorities here is to avoid destroying things, so that's already a plus, haha..." She let out a melancholic laugh.
"Speaking of, you won't believe what one of the former members of the 5th Generation Stone Squad said on a podcast." The younger mercurian's tone was both irritated and eager to gossip.
"Don't leave me hanging! Spill it!" Merkana, activating her apparently mercurian feminine instincts, responded with interest.
{CA/N: Hey, this might come off poorly—}
{A/N: Silence!}
"He said the rose was cheating on the red with the blue, and on top of that, they had a secret game to see who could destroy more when no one was in the city!" Lumara exclaimed.
"Those sulfurous volcano-spawn! If that's true, I'll personally have a 'talk' with them." As if the world responded to her fury, a red aura of anger surrounded her, and her hair dramatically floated upward, classic anime-style comedic rage.
"They have no shame admitting such profane crimes! This team is such a disappointment!" Merkana added with even more fury.
---
Curiosity Number 1 About Mercurians!
Since they have the ability to be "guided by destiny" (in massive quotation marks), their culture largely revolves around this concept. "The Journeys" serves as both the planet's religion and a kind of common sense among them. One of the worst possible crimes is adultery, as everyone can know who their destined person is!
---
"No! And he even spread slander about mom and dad!" Lumara exclaimed loudly, furious.
"What color was that scumbag? Tell me, tell me!"
"Fuchsia!"
"AAAAAAH, of course it had to be! Those ones are always the most deceitful, in a color that's literally fake purple!"
"No, and get this! He even said the red one's child is his!" Lumara added with a serious expression.
"What a piece of obsidian!"
"And on top of that? He claimed he was cheating on the pink one with the orange one!" Lumara said, disgusted and enraged.
"Hah, poor him if he thought he could just say whatever he wanted. At this point, he's probably in serious gravel with the government and our God!" Merkana declared.
Her sister stayed quiet for a moment.
"No way… no way…" Merkana muttered, incredulous and horrified.
"This is all anyone's been talking about, and so far nothing's happened to him. The podcast got taken down, but no one in the government has done anything about it," the younger girl said, a little disappointed. "But the outrage is so massive, almost everyone's hoping for a public execution of those wretched traitors."
Merkana sighed and spoke with a strange, dark smile.
"If justice won't do anything… the Journeys surely will, for spitting in the face of love," her voice carried a chilling tone.
Her sister felt a small shiver but decided to ignore it.
"Speaking of love… have you caught that Renovas guy yet?" Lumara teased.
"Uh… about that…" the older girl scratched the back of her neck with her left hand.
"You've gotta be kidding me! You've been trying for over five years, and still nothing?!" Lumara exclaimed.
"I honestly have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Back in high school, I'd ask him to 'get water' with me every time we were alone, and he'd just offer me an extra bottle! I thought it was cute, especially since it was always a sustainable one, but… By Zelé's Bald Head!" Merkana exclaimed.
"Who's Zelé?" Lumara asked.
"Earthling expression," Merkana replied.
"That doesn't answe—ugh, whatever." Lumara gave up.
"Watch your language," Merkana warned.
"I'm 15 already!" Lumara retorted.
"Still not old enough," Merkana declared.
Lumara just chuckled softly at her sister's words and then said, "Are you sure you don't want to change guys, sis? Are you even sure the Journeys said anything about him being your match? He doesn't even seem like a person—he's more like a lamppost!" Typical teenager move—when losing an argument, resort to attacks!
"Yes, I'm sure, and at least I've already found who I want to marry, ahem."
"Marriage, to me, is just a societal scam. It's just a fancy way to waste money and announce you're stuck with someone for life. Pfft, as if any of that's necessary."
"You're only saying that because you've been rejected five times—and counting."
"Uuuuugh! It's not my fault he still hasn't felt the Journeys like I have! That idiot…" Lumara pouted angrily, puffing out her cheeks.
The older sister laughed loudly again, enjoying every moment spent with her little sister.
"Alright, sorry to kill the mood so suddenly, but I need to tell you—I'm going back to the hero academy here on Earth," Merkana announced with a small smile.
"Congrats! I didn't think they'd still accept you after… well, you know. From what I've heard, they say heroes have to deal with loss."
"I guess when there's potential, they bend the rules a little. And I hate to admit it… but in a way, they're right. This isn't the dream job anyone can handle, so I…" Merkana paused for a moment. "Honestly? I didn't want to go back, but… today, during a certain incident, I… felt our God's hand guiding me, like it was whispering in my ear, giving me the feeling that a certain phrase Sirius said wasn't just true but also meant I wasn't on the right path."
"Well, if that's what 'destiny' has in store for you, just dive in, sis."
The younger girl couldn't help but smile warmly. It was nice to see her sister regaining the drive to aim higher.
"There's nothing I can do but wish you good luck. I hope your time there is the best it can be!" she said with a big smile.
The older sister gave a weak, tired smile, crossing her arms.
"Heh… thanks," she said while reflecting on her past. Then, deciding to say goodbye, she added, "Well, Luma, I have to sleep soon—might as well take advantage of getting home early. May the Journeys guide you."
"Goodnight, Mel. May the Journeys guide you," the younger girl said, bidding her sister farewell before ending the call.
With the weekly conversation with her sister up to date, Merkana stretches in her chair and gets up with simplistic grace. However, before heading to bed, she feels something—a very familiar sensation for her kind that grabs her attention, telling her to go outside.
"Hmm... The Journeys want me to what? See Galdran, perhaps?" she wonders aloud.
Without much hesitation, she steps outside. Ignoring this feeling wasn't usually a problem, but neither would it often bring anything important. So, following the advice of the "God of Journeys" was usually the best course.
With a wave of her hand, Merkana unlocks the door while grabbing her clothes and putting them on. She steps outside and locks the house behind her.
She grabs her motorcycle, customized by that idiot Benji. According to him, the current model was the "Main Tachyon Beetle 07 - H Era." She heads towards Galdran's shop. Her bike closely resembled 21st-century racing models—there wasn't much left to improve for ergonomics, and flying vehicles were not a better option considering the already excessive number of accidents on the ground.
The motorcycle resembled a Hercules beetle with a crimson color scheme. It had two blue headlights separated by a line shaped like oval insectoid eyes, bisected by the middle line. The "horns" of the beetle served as the handlebars.
While riding through the streets of Salvador, she caught sight of a very familiar shadow, making the feeling of the Journey intensify even further.
"Sirius?" she thought aloud.
Making a quick decision and feeling the Journey grow stronger, she pressed a button on her bike, added thanks to certain modifications.
A holographic keyboard appeared, and she entered the code "H03."
"Transform. Invisible Dragon, Pull the Cast Off."
Immediately, the motorcycle turned completely invisible, and with a sound of pressurized air escaping, certain parts of the vehicle folded inward, as though shedding armor. The headlights changed to a grid of three stripes emitting light.
Quietly accelerating, she began tailing her target. Something told her that what was about to happen was significant.
She entered the same alley as the shadow at a low speed, hugging the wall. The bike's engine gradually became quieter until the sound of the wind was more noticeable, but it was nothing concerning.
Turning around a corner, she saw the shadow from before, and the feeling of the Journey tied to the person ahead of her was strong but gradually faded as she caught up. Observing the situation, she saw something that surprised her slightly.
Her Sirius was, at that very moment, trespassing on private property. She wasn't afraid that he was stealing—no, he wouldn't even take a coin he found on the ground.
She was afraid, and disappointed, at how amateurish he was being about it.
Was this boy really aiming to be a hero? First, he should have researched the place and disguised himself as a new employee. Then, he might actually get somewhere.
Such stealthy infiltration for someone so young could only have been taught by a mad professor, one with long hair and so extravagant that he looked… flamboyantly gay.
Back to reality, the boy was climbing into a factory through a window he had managed to open from the outside. One of the downsides of modernity was that everything was connected to technology. Why have someone open or close something manually when automation could do it? Naturally, in such a world, hackers could practically invade anything.
Watching the younger one disappear inside the building, the woman decided to cover her face and follow him. Waiting outside wouldn't satisfy her curiosity, nor ensure Sirius' safety.
Since the man's potential escape route was already open, Merkana waited a moment before stepping in after him.
Walking through the place, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. She heard a faint "beep" and turned to see a security camera.
(It's expected, but I'm not too worried about you. I just hope no one's watching…) she thought, aware that the sound was meant to deter thieves and troublemakers, warning them their movements had been detected.
Moving forward, she saw a light illuminating part of the corridor with markings on the walls, indicating that to the right were BR, the elevator, and the janitor's room; behind her, the emergency exit; and to the left, Production Line 1 and security. The last noteworthy detail was the company logo alongside its name, "Pharmakos."
[Note: "BR" stands for "Being Resources," since not only humans live on Earth anymore. Expect to see this term on almost every sufficiently advanced planet.]
Without hesitation, she turned right. Sirius wouldn't invade a pharmaceutical factory unless it was to gain special access to the site's electronics.
Continuing forward, she saw the RS sector door slightly ajar.
(Smart, at least he left it open,) she thought. It was a good strategy to monitor whether someone entered, reinforcing the mind's awareness of the door and creating enough strangeness or pride to buy time.
Looking around, she saw a marking on the wall and a metal door with a window, indicating the janitor's room. Without a second thought, she entered, waiting for either a guard to arrive or Sirius to leave the RS room.
It turned out to be Sirius who emerged, apparently having achieved his goal.
(That's it! Haha, looks like he can handle himself,) she thought, realizing what he had done.
He had obtained employee credentials, which would allow him to delve deeper into the system and uncover something. If her memory of today's conversation with Hirofumi served her right, he was likely searching for answers and believed this company might hold them.
Hearing the sound of multiple footsteps coming from her right, Sirius ran toward the emergency exit, having heard them as well. Without hesitation, she left her hiding spot, facing five men running her way. They immediately stopped and drew electric batons with water-emitting tasers from their belts.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?!" their leader demanded with a gruff voice.
Merkana simply cracked her knuckles and smiled discreetly beneath her face covering.
"Not much of a talker, huh…? Boys, get into position!"
They all charged at her, but what they didn't expect was Merkana decelerating time in her lungs, causing air to move much more slowly and leaving them breathless. They stopped abruptly, unable to breathe.
In a small burst, she first grabbed the leader by the collar and threw him far away. Immediately dodging two batons by ducking, she struck both guards' arms with open palms, breaking them.
The two fell to the ground, and she jumped to avoid a dual leg sweep. Then, defending against nearly synchronized punches and kicks with one hand, she sped up her movements, landing three blows in under five seconds on specific body points, incapacitating them.
Both dropped to the ground in agony, only to be knocked unconscious by a kick to the head from Merkana.
With the fight finally over, Merkana sprinted toward the exit, spotting Sirius slumped against the wall at a corner. Before intervening, she paid attention to the dialogue.
"You said it was good I'm not gay, huh?" Sirius began speaking with difficulty.
"H-hey, don't tell me that...!" the man began to tremble.
"That's right! THAT'S RIGHT! I swing the other way! Embrace the baguette! BURN THE TOAST!"
The guard backed away, letting go of Sirius, who dropped to the ground. The man was sweating bullets, trembling from head to toe.
"Shut up! I don't believe, I don't believe you!"
"What, darling?!" Sirius, to toy with the situation, mimicked the most stereotypical voice possible, reminiscent of Mattheuz.
The guard began sweating even more, tears of blood streaming from his eyes as if he had witnessed something Lovecraftian.
"MOMMYYYY! HELP! THERE'S A GAAAAAAY!" he shouted, rolling on the floor in hysteria.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughter echoed—it was Merkana, who had barely managed to contain herself until that moment, which she considered a solid 7 in self-control.
"Merkana!?" Sirius asked, recognizing the voice as he turned his head with difficulty.
"Oh, hi, Sirius," she replied with a friendly smile, sitting atop the guard.
"When did you-!?"
"Hmm…" She placed a finger on her lips, pretending to think. "A little before you got here. Now let's leave before we get into more trouble, and you can tell me why you came here." She extended a hand to the younger one.
"Haah, fine… Sorry for giving you trouble." He replied, leaning on his friend, feeling his body gradually recovering.
And… he took advantage of pretending to be weaker to stay closer to his companion's stone skin, which he had always loved feeling. So smooth, so warm, so pleasant…
"Are you done yet?" Merkana.
"Ah! Yes, I... I'm better."
(Seriously, I really want to kiss you right now!) Merkana thought with a hint of lust.
(Why is she looking at my mouth…? Oh, no! Did the punch from that guy make my lips swell?! Oh, come on!) Sirius reached a completely wrong conclusion.
"Well, I broke in because I researched this so-called Betelgeuse and discovered that this company, Pharmakos, has many rumors about being a branch of Betelgeuse. But neither of them has ever admitted it, even with former employees claiming it's true."
"That's... strange, to say the least," the Mercurian replied, feeling there was something worse than expected about this.
"Yeah, that's why I came here. I had to see firsthand if it was true or not, so I came to access one of their HS systems. Companies are usually very strict about separating personal and work data and don't accept Dermadatas as a means of work."
"I know, I've worked for several like that. Most were just extremes, either very good or very bad."
"Yeah, yeah. Well, what I found is that the two are indeed connected. From what I managed to see in the employees' system, it was enough to hack the executives' system and confirm this. And there seems to be more to it, but there wasn't enough time to look further."
"Okay, but I don't see how this helps."
"Simple. If the two are connected, I can take a look at Betelgeuse through this one, as well as check if it's just a money-laundering scheme and find out who the 'owner' and main shareholders are. Yes, I know the Academy will handle all of this, and in a much easier way, but I don't want... to sit around doing nothing."
"Sirius Renovas taking action!? Who are you, and what have you done with him!?" - She joked as the two finally left the place, with Merkana kicking the exit door open in style.
"Hey!" - He responded with comic irritation, just to play along, but his voice turned more serious. - "But seriously, I realized—No, my dad helped me realize that I've been a... lazy, sloppy, depressive mess, and it hit me—I need to do something."
"You just realized that now? I thought you cared about this."
"I really don't care, but I at least need to chase after what I want. And yes, I just admitted I wanted things to fall into my lap..." - He said with a lowered gaze.
(Oh, so that's why?) - She thought, recalling the feeling from the Journeys.
"Sirius... Hah... I'm holding myself back so hard not to smack you right now." - She admitted as she finally removed what was covering her face.
"Huh? Why? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, it's just that you took almost your entire life to break free from your inertia, and that's only because ONE person confronted you about this problem. Did you really think you could achieve your dream with that attitude?" - She asked seriously, knowing that sometimes speaking the truth was more important than sparing someone's feelings.
"No! I would've definitely trained and improved myself when I got the chance to become a hero." - He said with slightly bruised pride.
"Hah... Look, I'll take you home and then head back to mine to sleep. But I want you to really think about what you just said and find the flaw in that statement."
"Huh? But there's no—" - He was cut off.
"There is, and you need to see it. I'll keep working at Sávio's snack bar, but I don't want you bothering me there until you figure it out, okay?" - She asked firmly.
This hurt Sirius more than expected, and that dreaded emptiness began to creep in, a darkness clouding his thoughts, and a small tear almost forming in one of his eyes.
Certain memories resurfaced—his mother, his father, the day he met Merkana.
And now… for the first time, in a way he couldn't even understand, he had fought with his best friend.
But he tried to stay strong, forcing a smile and nodding slightly.
After that, Merkana did exactly as she said, taking the boy home but refusing to even look inside, helping him up to the door and no further, giving a small wave goodbye before leaving.
The night was more exhausting than expected, but she decided to just finish the last bit of tea left and sleep peacefully, taking the time to rest.
(I finally understand why the Journeys sent me there… they wanted me to fix this.) - Merkana smiled. - (You helped me indirectly, and I'll help you too, Sirius. You'll thank me later, idiot.)
She finally fell asleep, now knowing she just needed to wait a bit.
However... it was the opposite for Renovas, who refused to sleep that night because he had work to do... a lot of work.
...- . .-. -.. .- -.. .
To be continued…