"You know me? I don't believe we've met."
"Yes, that's right… we haven't met…"
The man smiled.
He held up his arms to Kismet, soaked in blood.
"Would you like some?"
"I think I'll be alright, but thanks…"
Kismet pointed the shattered blade right at the man's throat. "I'm not messing around. Why did you come here?"
"Won't you just do it already?"
His companion nodded in agreement. "Yeah, get it over with. Why're you still talking?"
Kismet was dumbfounded.
They're suicidal?
This surely is a roundabout method…
Is it some kind of reverse psychology? Well, it's not going to work…
"Believe me, your fate is sealed. But you will not die before you talk."
The man on the left laughed. "And what if we don't?"
"…"
Torture is banned. Even if it wasn't, I'm not in the mood for such a thing.
I could take them hostage, and wait for any further disturbances. It seems like the best idea… but what if that's what they want me to think?
They have to be bluffing. It's getting into my head… I can't tell if they're actually willing to die or not… but how could they bet on me wanting information?
I'm overthinking this…
I don't need any information anyway…
Forget it.
Kismet clapped his fingers. The bees rushed forward and swarmed the two men. It happened too fast for them to react. Not even a centimeter of skin was left showing.
The buzzing turned frustrated.
Something's wrong?
With another clap, the cloud backed off.
A pile of glass and bandages fell to the floor.
Their bodies…
They're gone?
Not even these bees can eat humans whole. How did they disappear?
He put his back to a corner to prepare for a follow-up attack, but none came.
The threat surely isn't over yet.
Do I just wait here, or go somewhere else?
He stared at the pile of glass and bandages.
I need to dispose of that. It gives me a bad feeling.
They must have had some strategy planned to avoid me, but got unlucky, so they had to escape…
I'll return to the surface once I'm done.
He raised his hand.
"Recombine."
The bees picked up the sword fragments they had dropped while swarming the men. They flew into a cluster, the pieces joining together with magnetic clicks.
Kismet shuddered as hundreds of bees ticked his hand and wrist.
"No, I need you all to carry the glass and bandages. Bring it to the disposal room, and return when you're done."
They obeyed his order and buzzed off down a tunnel.
Let's see…
Spinning the spiral blade on the tip of his finger, Kismet paced around the fountain.
They didn't disturb the dust where they sat down. No footprints either. It would be great if the bees could track by scent…
He stopped in his tracks.
A sentence written in the dust…
"Float the river."
Kismet laughed. "You came here just to tell me that? I would if I could, believe me…"
It makes me feel a little better about not killing you. Our ambitions might not be so different.
He opened his arms wide. Should be right about…
BZZZZZZ
Now!
A cloud of bees grabbed his collar, muffling his scream as they shot into the darkness.
…
Gasp
He choked.
Bright flashing lights assaulted him.
WEEEEEE WOOOOOO
Deafening mechanical screeches. He was going to explode.
Everything was soaking wet, bright, glistening, plastic and colorful.
He was covered in disgusting slime, in a pile of trash. Halfway buried under the surface.
Yellow and black and blurry. Veggie noodle scraps and shards of aluminum foil with burn marks.
His nose was too clogged to breathe through. He strained his neck to keep his mouth above the muck.
WEEEEEEE WOOOOOO
Fluorescents flashed faster. Coalescence of plaster and ash and plastic.
VRRMMMMM
Gears clunking and chunking as engines opened their maws to guzzle fuel.
He furiously clawed higher up on the pile.
He wiped his eyes, but they only grew wetter. It stuck in his eyelids as he blinked. Even through the scum, he could see the walls closing in, inch by inch.
A hand gripped his wrist and pulled him up. The first thing he noticed was the bite of the unclipped fingernails, but he was grateful.
"I awoke just before you. There's no way out of here. We'll be crushed in five minutes, if I had to guess."
He got a smile in return.
"One's purpose isn't always easy to grasp."
"Indeed. That's why we trust."
"…"
"What?"
"Your arm. It's melting."
He looked down. His arm was falling apart like wet paper.
"So it is."
"That's the answer to Azarias's riddle?"
"It appears to be so. Paper, huh… it fits. Don't know if I ever would have guessed it on my own. He didn't make me that smart…"
"Me neither. But we figured it out in the end, right? That must mean there's good things in store for us."
"Yeah. Whether we see it all play out for ourselves or not, we're part of something important."
"…I still have one question. Why can't I bleed anymore?"
Over the deafening noise, they read each other's lips, hoping it wouldn't be the last time.
CRUSH
Only paper mulch was left.
And emanating from the mulch, a faint green light.
…
"You aren't hurt?"
Kismet smiled. "There wasn't a fight."
"You mean you took them out that easily?"
"They disappeared right as I was killing them."
The woman across from him frowned. "What did they leave behind?"
"Just some trash."
"No contamination?"
"Just glass and bandages."
Kismet looked at the beehive in the corner of the room. It was silent.
Sleep well…
He walked towards the door.
"Hold on."
He sighed and faced her again.
Dark skin with green eyes and messy hair. He thought she was pretty, but was too lazy to pursue anything.
"Do you remember their faces clearly? Let's get Aleksi to do a composite sketch."
"Can I sleep after?"
She took out a teabag from her pocket and handed it to him.
His mouth twitched. That's not enough…
"Come on."
They left through the double doors and circled around the building, the bees following right behind.
Kismet handed the teabag to a bee. "Four sugar packets."
A ginger man was standing where the ground turned to clay.
"Aleksi, can twins always be told apart?"
He rubbed his beard. "With only a face, it can be near impossible."
"I guess it's better you only have to do one sketch."
Aleksi looked at him quizzically. "There were two attackers? You don't look hurt."
Kismet gave him the same explanation he had given Teresa.
Aleksi shook his head. "I don't get why they would leave. Are you still monitoring for disturbances?"
"Yeah. Half the bees are spread around the maze. After we're done here, I'll search the city. It's impossible to get that far."
His gaze turned to the vast canyon, and the giant wall. He stared right through it, into the chasm…
And then up.
A giant hourglass, floating far above the city. It almost scraped the ceiling.
Everyone was so used to it being there, they hardly looked at it anymore.
It was trickling so slowly. It didn't seem like it would ever be done.
Engraved on the side was a single sentence:
"If the Mountain has not been summited when the time runs out, the Memory Reclamation will begin."
His head snapped back. "Let's do this before I forget their faces."
When Aleksi showed him the first draft of the composite sketch, he was surprised by its accuracy.
Kismet had tried his best, but he struggled to translate the mental image of a face into words.
"You must be a mind reader."
"We're all mind readers, aren't we?"
Kismet laughed. "Depends on who you're reading."
After a few more revisions, Aleksi tilted the drawing at all angles. "It's not the face of anyone in Alavieska."
"I'm glad my memory didn't fail me. I wonder when they crossed the chasm."
Aleksi rubbed his forefinger and thumb together. "Athalia and Enza didn't bring anyone back with them. Security's been tight recently. Even if they hadn't always been on this side, they were here for quite some time."
"Hiding in the canyon?"
"Maybe. But I think we should quit talking, the danger hasn't been eliminated for sure. I'm headed out to search."
Kismet turned and sprinted down the main street.
Aleksi glanced at Teresa. "Your orders?"
"Check the waste disposal chute, I have a certain feeling. But first, show me the sketch."
Aleksi obeyed.
Teresa's brain twitched as she stared at the face.
"It's not anyone I know."
She took the drawing and stuffed it in her pocket.
"Go."
She chuckled and watched Aleksi's back as he ran inside the Institute building.
So that's our next minotaur, eh?
Big job for a chameleon…
Aleksi stood in front of a door that was covered in handles.
He suddenly felt nauseous.
I didn't have any water today…
The smell of trash would make me vomit for sure. It's not disobeying orders to take care of myself!
He turned and rushed through a corridor, arriving at a water fountain.
He rubbed his hands in anticipation. Nothing like nature's ice cold delight when you're parched…
BLEEEGHHH
He gagged and spat a mouthful on the ground, then vigorously wiped his tongue with his sleeve.
The hell? That's disgusting.
He bent down and looked at the small pool of liquid.
It was opaque and gelatinous with dark spots.
Aleksi gave up last night's dinner to the floor.
A water source problem? Unheard of. It must be a problem with this fountain. I'll tell Teresa, but she'll be mad if I don't follow orders first…
He returned to the bizarre door.
Off to Hymylä I go.
He reached high up for a crank handle and gave it three turns.
With the sound of a click, his nose was invaded by nothing less than hell.
He wanted to throw up again, but there wasn't anything left.
No, that's not normal… It's never smelled this bad… They're supposed to put chemicals in it…
It was somehow sulfuric, sickly sweet, and devilishly sour all at once. Mold, rotten vegetables, old brine, decomposing sewer sludge, sharp gasoline and metallic laboratory chemicals.
Aleksi slammed the door shut.
Clank
It bounced off the latch.
He tried again.
Why won't it close? I need to stop this smell right this second.
He was about to slam it shut, but decided not to force it. He leaned in and examined the latch closely.
"Oh no…"
…
Kismet was taking his sweet time.
Rushing around will make me less attentive.
But he knew it was partially an excuse.
He wanted to walk the streets and enjoy the fresh air…
Nobody was out this time of night.
It was bright as if it was day. It never got dark in Alavieska.
Kismet's nose wrinkled up.
"Gross… haha, Athalia must've escaped…"
His joking expression was wiped away as the smell rapidly grew stronger.
Seriously, what is that?
He covered his nose with his shirt and jogged further down the street. He was more than halfway across the city, but he could still smell it.
It's like the trash chute on steroids.
The trash chute…
He gave up thoughts of searching and sprinted towards the Institute building.
Even with his nose covered, the air felt disgusting to breathe in.
Teresa stepped out from an intersecting street. They nearly ran into each other.
She was confused at his wrinkled expression and covered nose.
"What's wrong?"
"You're lucky, not having a sense of smell."