The streets of Pit 2 were crowded with pedestrians walking quickly through the city, which seemed to never sleep. Nahara was sent to investigate the strange disappearance of an ever-growing number of people, something that puzzled her at first, after all, the city had five Nests.
Nahara was a Crow from Pit 30, sent to a city that was not her own on the mission she was assigned. The city had five Nests, which were the Crow bases, and there she was, an outsider, trying to solve the problems of other Crows.
Street lamps lined the road at intervals of fifteen meters, powered by generators that kept them on. This was another reason the Pit never slept. In all the other forty-eight cities, only the Bunker and the Pit 1 that grew around it had this privilege; the Nests had their own, but none on this scale. The place was responsible for the fuel sent to the Bunker, where ships docked and left the ports every fortnight.
Nahara trailed behind a couple walking frustratingly slow in front of her, forcing herself to squeeze through a group of people to get ahead, sending them an irritated glance, but they completely ignored her, engrossed in their flirtation. Along with the group, she arrived at an intersection, turning right onto a larger street than the one she had been on moments ago.
A vendor stood in the middle of the street on top of a wooden crate, shouting out the prices of his products at the top of his lungs. Nahara's eyes scanned the buildings, which were tall skyscrapers. For centuries, Pit had been one of the metropolises of the Ancients, before they destroyed themselves in the Third War of the Ancients. Although most of the buildings were in a decaying state or had simply collapsed over time, the city's inhabitants had done their best to rebuild them.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a narrow alley between two houses, a dark place where some figures appeared to be conversing, hidden in shadow. Even with the large number of Crows in the city, it still had its dark side, like all the others.
The sea breeze brought the salty scent of the ocean to the Crow's nose, along with the smell of fish from the market by the sea. At first, the smell made Nahara a bit nauseous, but after a few days, she got used to it, now only noticing it when she thought about its existence.
She had encountered many problems upon arrival, such as her and her partner Ana not wearing the standard black Crow attire or their signature ring on their index fingers, instead opting for simple brown clothes to blend in. Initially, every time she felt something near her waist, she instinctively reached for the knife hidden beneath her shirt. And when she finally stopped doing that, she ended up getting robbed, an event Ana never let her forget.
Finally, she arrived at the square where she had arranged to meet Ana at the bar. Five Crows guarded the square, preventing any fights from breaking out. A colossal tree grew in the center of the area, with several benches scattered around its trunk for passersby to sit. On the other side of the street, at one of the many corners leading to the square, she spotted the Lobster Bar, a building from the Ancients that had been renovated multiple times. Just above the door, a neon sign of a lobster holding a drink blinked in red. She walked toward it, having to sidestep a man who staggered out of the place clearly drunk, saying something that he probably thought was a compliment about her backside.
Nahara simply ignored the comment, opening the double doors of the bar and being hit by a mix of smells: fried fish, vomit, alcohol, sweat, and others she couldn't identify. Everyone stopped for a brief moment to assess the newcomer before returning to their conversations or card games, realizing she posed no immediate threat. She quickly walked across the concrete floor, dodging iron tables where a woman ate fried fish almost desperately, and another where a group of fishermen seemed ready to throw punches over a card game. She spotted the bartender behind a long wooden counter, who seemed indifferent to everything going on around him. She leaned on the old wooden counter, drawing the man's attention, and he smiled professionally, ready to serve her.
"What would you like?" he asked, leaning back toward her, their faces close.
"A distilled drink with lemon, please."
Without wasting time, the bartender grabbed a glass from under the counter and placed it on the table, then followed with a half-full bottle of clear liquid. He poured the drink halfway, added a slice of lemon, and filled the glass to the top.
"One coin for the pretty lady."
"One coin?" Nahara asked, indignant at the exorbitant price. "With that, I could buy any fruit."
"Or one coin," the man replied, not losing his professional smile, and reached for the glass. "Or you go without drinking."
Muttering to herself, Nahara grabbed one of the coins from her pouch and tossed it onto the counter. Unfazed, the bartender accepted the payment, handing her the glass, and she took a sip, the liquid burning as it went down. She had developed a taste for the drink.
She looked around the bar, needing to sidestep four people who suddenly stood up from their tables, laughing or about to fight. Ignoring them, she continued searching for her partner and eventually found her. Hidden at the back of the room, Ana sat alone at a table with only two chairs. A glass sat on the table, and Nahara watched as Ana absentmindedly traced her fingers along the edge, lost in thought.
"Sorry I'm late," Nahara said, pulling the empty chair and sitting down.
"You took forever today," Ana replied, a bit irritated by the long wait.
"Ana, you know how complicated it is to get around this city at night," Nahara said, though it wasn't much better during the day, but she decided not to say anything. "What are you drinking?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
"Plum distillate, but I didn't like it much," Ana then realized what Nahara was trying to do. "Don't change the subject."
The sound of a bottle breaking echoed, followed by loud laughter, but no one seemed to care, except for those involved.
"Okay, I got nothing. I was walking around hoping to get lucky and see something unusual, but nothing."
Nahara felt bad about it. She had been in the city for two months and it felt like they had just arrived, with no progress in the investigation, while the number of missing persons increased almost daily.
Ana adjusted herself in the chair, placing both hands on the table while systematically tapping her fingers. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips.
— Did you find anything? — Nahara asked, full of hope, and seeing the other woman nod, she continued. — How? What?
— I won't lie, it was pure luck. Earlier, I was in one of the alleys looking for something when I came across a group of kids.
— Up to that point, it's normal. The city is full of them.
— I thought the same, but there was something strange about them. They were terrified — Ana ran her hand through her black hair. — As if afraid of their own shadow.
That information unsettled Nahara. She had met many street children during her two months in the Cova, and for one of them to survive, they needed to be brave or they would starve, or worse could happen to them. She waited for her partner to continue the story.
— I went to talk to them since I thought it was strange, seeing those people huddled and scared in an alley in broad daylight — she took a small sip of the red drink, making a face before continuing. — I spoke to them, and they told me that a strange group came the night before, taking several of them.
— Wait a minute — Nahara interrupted, looking at her suspiciously. — You're not telling me you believed everything they said, are you? Ana, these kids would do anything to deceive someone.
— I was skeptical at first, since I remembered your incident with the robbery.
Nahara frowned at her colleague, who seemed to be enjoying the memories, but quickly returned to her story.
— The terror was real. I've seen many terrified people in my life, and I can tell you, it was genuine. The fact is, there was an adult among them, and I told him to come to this bar today to talk to us.
The other woman involuntarily adjusted herself in the chair, sweeping her eyes across the room. She took a long sip of her drink, placing the nearly empty glass down afterward.
— These things are said right away, Ana — Nahara spoke, disapproving of her partner.
— But I haven't told you the best part yet!
— You're telling me the person we're looking for will just walk through the door and hand themselves over to us?
— Not exactly, the kids told me they heard the word "Doctor" several times, referring to someone who seemed to identify that way.
— Doctor — Nahara whispered to herself.
Ana noticed a twelve-year-old boy take a tray full of differently colored distilled drinks, carefully carrying it to a table where he sat with his friends of the same age. A man exited through a door on the side of the bar, carrying a tray that emitted smoke. The sounds of pots and pans and swearing from the kitchen made the young woman realize the bar's kitchen was behind that door. The man, in his thirties, went to their table, placing the dish in front of the Corva.
— Your fried seaweed, ma'am.
— Thank you very much — Ana replied, surprised by the waiter's politeness as he returned to the kitchen.
The seaweed was battered and fried, making it crisp and crunchy when bitten. Without wasting time, Ana took one and ate it, savoring the crunchy food. Nahara just observed her. She didn't understand what her partner saw in the food, but she didn't comment and did the same with her lemon distillate.
— Want some? — Ana asked, her mouth full.
— No — Nahara replied, then continued. — About this Doctor, what else did you find out?
— Nothing — the Corva admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. — But I believe my contact might have more information.
Nahara turned to see a strange, shabby man enter. This time, no one seemed to care as he clearly searched for something. Ana raised her arm, catching the newcomer's attention.
— Is it him? — Nahara asked.
— Yes — Ana answered through clenched teeth, as he hurried to their table. — I was starting to think he wouldn't come.
— How can I know if he's really a Corva? — the man asked, completely ignoring what had been said.
Taking a deep breath, Ana ignored the cold glances from her partner across the table, taking out her ring from one of her pockets and showing it to the man.
— Why didn't you talk to the Corvos from any of the Ninhos in the city about this? — Nahara asked.
— Who is this? — he asked, totally ignoring the question.
— My partner — Ana replied.
— Another Corva — his features relaxed visibly.
— So? — Nahara pressed on.
— I don't trust the Corvos in the city, nobody does.
That left a bad taste in Nahara's stomach. Even though she didn't like them, the Corvos were something many people held onto for a sense of security. It wasn't easy to hear that.
— Can you tell us what happened yesterday? — Ana asked, appearing indifferent to the comment.
— I was with the kids last night when four men showed up, taking some of the boys. They always spoke to one, who was farther away. I tried to see his face, but he was wearing a white mask and covering his hair with a gray hood. Even so, it was obvious he was the leader because of the strange white clothes he wore.
— The Doctor — Ana said to herself, understanding why he had that name.
— I tried to help, but those things just froze me where I stood.
— What do you mean, things? — Nahara asked, seizing the opportunity he gave.
— They weren't human — he noticed the looks he got, adding, — I know it sounds crazy, but it was like metal was growing directly out of their flesh. Tubes, pipes, and metal plates.
Nahara didn't want to say anything. She knew very well that when someone was terrified, they saw things that weren't real. A person holding a pipe could turn into a monster. Ana seemed to think the same.
— When I gathered the courage, I followed them — he seemed on the verge of tears. — In the alley behind the Favo inn, there's a hidden door in the wall opposite the street.
Feeling the excitement return to her body, Nahara wanted to ask more questions, but the man bent down and spoke seriously to them.
— Please, save the kids! — With this plea, he left without waiting for any answer.
Seconds felt like hours, and even with all the noise and the sounds of tables and chairs being dragged, it seemed to Ana like she was in a world of silence. She was processing the information she had just received. It really was a group, just as she had suspected, and they had the location that might be their enemy's base, even if it was only temporary. There was no reason to wait.
— There will probably be many of them — Ana said to Nahara.
— Yes, it's time to end this! — Nahara said, standing up determined, walking over to the bar and ordering another distilled drink with lemon.
— Another one?
— I feel like I need something strong, this night is going to be intense. — She drank the glass in one go, then left the bar with Ana, heading into the crowd.