There was something hidden behind the people of Cova Dois, Ana felt it as she walked through a group trying to enter one of the many nightclubs. She felt like the whole place was about to explode into chaos. It was well-known that people disappeared with a regularity that was far from normal, even for a city of such magnitude. To make matters worse, the Corvos showed no concern for this, and the inhabitants were at their limit. If this continued, she feared a popular uprising.
And to make things worse, a cult that called itself the Heirs kept stirring things up, planting ideas in the minds of those easily impressionable, spreading the belief that they had inherited the land and that people with mutations were unworthy of this gift, deserving only death. The deformities were seen as a punishment left by the Ancients for those not accepted in this new world. Everything seemed on the brink of erupting into anarchy.
Nahara knew the location the man had mentioned earlier in the bar. Leading Ana down the main street, they had to walk along the sidewalks as the center of the avenues was occupied by two rows of carts, coming and going with all kinds of cargo. Merchants had to be creative to attract attention to their shops, using neon signs that seemed to move with flickering lights, giving the impression that the image was in motion. The most eye-catching one showed a woman opening her legs in a vulgar way and closing them quickly afterward. Another merchant used people who shouted in front of banks, getting louder than the crowd, and finally, Nahara's favorite, a small shop where two men dressed as shrimp and one as a swordfish held signs with the night's promotions.
Corvos patrolled the avenue, which was crossed by dozens of streets, some smaller and others the same size, along with an absurd number of alleys. But what was supposed to be a reassuring image for the population only gave Ana an increasingly stronger sense of unease. She saw Nahara stop next to an alley waiting for her, her cheeks slightly flushed from the drink.
"Let's go in here!" Ana shouted to her partner, but when she saw that Nahara didn't understand due to the noise, she approached and shouted again. "It's this way."
Nahara nodded and followed her partner toward the street. The smell of urine mixed with the rotten food coming from overflowing trash bins. Fat rats scurried around, and a dog eating the remains of some moldy dough briefly glanced at them before returning its attention to the food.
Both of them knew that this was the side of the city the authorities tried to hide. Even with the streets alive with lights, food, shops offering everything one could imagine, and occasional bands playing their music and passing a hat around the crowd afterward, this side was ignored. As if, by doing so, it would simply cease to exist.
Further ahead, the corridor split into two more, and at this division, the light from a fire and drunken voices could be heard. The duo passed quickly, but paid attention to a group of beggars huddled around a barrel, using it to keep the flames going, talking and passing around a half-full bottle of alcohol. Eventually, the dark alley opened directly onto a regular street, where pedestrians hurried in all directions. Nahara raised one hand, signaling for her partner to stop and looked at her with expectation.
Using the same hand, she guided Ana's gaze toward a place where it seemed a house was missing, what the Ancients called a parking lot. On one of the walls, though barely visible, it was possible to distinguish a door further in.
Nahara signaled for her partner to head in the direction of an alley next to the location, crossing the street and slipping into the narrow alley between two buildings. Only one small shop separated them from their goal. They walked close to the wall until they reached the end. Ana moved ahead of her partner and retrieved a small vial hidden under her loose shirt, carefully letting a drop of blue liquid fall into her left eye. The burning sensation was briefly agonizing. Biting her lower lip and closing her right eye, she positioned herself, only lifting her face enough to see the location.
Taking the vial from Ana's hand, Nahara carefully stored it to avoid breaking it. She knew its effects well; it was called "Cat's Eye," a drug that enhanced vision in the dark, allowing the user to see normally in complete darkness, but the price for this was a pain similar to being pricked in the eye, and the effect would disappear as soon as the person blinked.
Framing the location, Ana noticed a strange pile of blankets just a few meters from the door. The rising and falling of the fabric made her realize someone was there. The rest of the area was empty, containing only a few dumpsters overflowing with trash. She returned to the hiding spot, blinking systematically to restore her eye to normal.
"So?" Nahara asked.
"There's someone near the door," the young woman answered, rubbing her eye. "Which doesn't make sense. If this is really the Doctor's base, why would he allow a homeless person who might end up hearing or seeing something? If he made a fuss, the whole street would stop to look."
"It could be a guard," Nahara commented.
"I wouldn't doubt it."
"Stay here. I'll handle it." Seeing her partner about to protest, Nahara continued, "Your eye must still be burning, so stay quiet. It's just one, Ana. Any Corvo could take care of him."
She didn't wait for the protest. Nahara stepped out of the alley, bending her body and limping slightly on one leg to appear fragile. It didn't take long for the man to stand up as she approached. Judging by the bulge near his right thigh, he was armed. She limped a little more, when the man spoke.
— I wouldn't get any closer if I were you! — There was a threat in his voice.
— What did you say? — Pretending not to understand, Nahara moved closer.
— Are you stupid or what? I said go away.
Out of the corner of her eye, the young woman noticed that one of the dumpsters was positioned against the wall, completely blocking the view of pedestrians in case something happened. She slid her right hand to her waist, grabbing her knife, and with a swift movement, she spun the blade in the air, striking the guard's throat. He didn't understand what had just happened; he was about to tell her to leave when his entire body went limp, and then darkness consumed him. Quick as a cat, the young woman approached, recovered her knife, and positioned his body against the wall as if he were sleeping. It wasn't long before Ana appeared with her red eye.
— You could've been more discreet — Ana commented harshly.
— What matters is that the path is clear — Nahara retorted, cleaning her weapon on the blanket covering the body.
Ana couldn't argue with that. She joined her partner, standing before the door. She reached for the doorknob, which turned with no problem. The door creaked a little as it opened. Both were surprised because they expected the place to be locked.
The door swung wide open, revealing a staircase that descended at least fifteen meters. It was then that the smell hit the Corvas' nostrils. Nahara would recognize that iron odor anywhere, and the same went for her partner—the place reeked of blood.
Pulling out her knife, Ana took the lead, descending the staircase. Her footsteps echoed in the narrow corridor, and the smell grew stronger with every step. The staircase led directly to a blue plastic curtain. Slightly unsteady, the Corva gently pushed it aside enough for both of them to slip through without drawing attention.
Nahara entered as soon as the space was wide enough, jumping into the room with readiness. Her eyes scanned every corner for any enemies, but she only saw a strange, very white room—everything from the floors to the walls to the ceiling.
The duo found themselves in a large room that opened up to a corridor. White neon lights shimmered on the walls. Iron stretchers were lined up beside the corridor entrance. Everything looked extremely clean. They walked down the smooth floor, and that's when the horror began. Unlike the first room, the second one was splattered with blood, with pools of it on the floor and walls. A pipe against the wall had human limbs hanging from it.
Nahara felt like she was going to faint when she saw a thigh that had its bone replaced with a steel bar. Beside it was an arm slowly swaying, the palm of the hand removed, and the nerves replaced with wires. A chest cavity opened up with ribs replaced by pipes. The lower part of what seemed to be a woman had pipes coming out from the outside of her thigh, and a gear was positioned around the knee, attached to another pipe that extended down to the foot.
A completely naked body was hanging by the neck, with what appeared to be bones mimicking the limbs and spine. Ana recognized it as an exoskeleton, something the Ancients had used in war to enhance the body's performance. The sound of a drill made the duo turn away from the horrific scene, only to find themselves facing a room crowded with modified bodies. A clear plastic curtain separated the room into two sections. Behind the plastic, a man dressed entirely in white was drilling into the knee of a legless body, working meticulously without any shame as he tampered with the severed limb. The iron table he used was dripping blood from its edges.
Two men lay a few meters away from the room's separation, on the side of the Corvas. Both had modifications on their arms and legs, with iron plates protecting vital points. One of them had a shell-like protection over his right hand, while the other had his hand's nerves replaced with wires.
— You found me — said the Doctor, not looking away from his work. — They've been looking for me for a while.
— What the hell is this place? — Nahara spoke, feeling her whole body tremble, struggling to keep her voice steady.
— This is my lab — Doctor finally said. — I thought it would be obvious.
— A lab? — Ana spoke, advancing. — This is a slaughterhouse.
The Doctor walked over to the front of the table and sat down in a clean spot. He looked at the duo with sadness, as though pitying them. It was impossible to see his face, as he wore a white mask and a gray cap.
— I'm improving the human body — he finally said. — We have such fragile bodies, a shell that could break at any moment, but we can be better, stronger, faster. You're Corvas, so you must know what I'm talking about. You've probably been in a situation where you wished you could do more than your body allows, right?
Both women exchanged glances, getting closer to the man with wild eyes.
— I'm doing experiments, just like the Ancients did before. I will improve our species until it becomes something far superior to what it is — he said, his gaze filled with pity. — To do that, I need to test things. It's for the greater good.
Nahara was two meters away from the curtain when she felt something close around her heel. She looked down just in time to see one of the fallen men, with his nerves replaced, closing his fist around her leg. The strength was abnormal, breaking her limb into dozens of pieces. She screamed in pain as she fell, and her attacker stood up.
Ana, reacting on reflex, stabbed her knife toward the neck of her partner's assailant when the second man rose, landing a punch to the side of her head with his hand protected by iron. The force was so strong it snapped the girl's neck instantly. Ana's head swung forward like a ball inside a sack, and the Corva fell dead.
— That wasn't supposed to happen — the Doctor said tiredly. — But it's done. Well then, Corvas, these are some of the experiments that have worked relatively well. Just imagine when they're perfected!
The same hand that crushed her ankle dragged her toward the surgery table.
— I have some ideas for what to do with a Corva.
Nahara struggled as she was tied down, feeling the cold blood against her back. The pain, combined with the sight of Ana's body, drained all hope from her. She stopped fighting, tears falling down her face. She spoke.
— You're a monster!
— You know, Corva — the Doctor replied, grabbing the drill again. — A monster recognizes another.