Kate- Shuffles forward in a packed train cart.

  *Khkhhh... Khkhhh... Khkhhh... Khkhhh... Khkhhh... Khkhhh... *

  Industrial cleaners' smells cover musty clothes and human body odours.

  Announcement on the speaker- *TEE du DUNG*

  "Attention passengers: Next stop, Dome 6—Mar-a-Laguna, Sea of Tranquility, and New-Eden Embassy. Following stops: Dome 228, Dome 238, the Asstronaughty, and continuing on the loop."

  Kate- Sits, opens a journaling app.

  *Sighhhhhhh!*

  "You sure this is gonna help?"

  Cere- It can't hurt much. Therapy is tricky, what works for one like a charm for one might be useless to someone else. Putting our emotions in words can help us realize what is bugging us deep down; Things we need to tell ourselves. Be mindful that this might dredge emotions you are trying to suppress, this might end up being a hard moment. Are you sure you want to do this now?

  Kate- Need to keep busy. Going back is... hard... So, this is basically brainstorming for a battle plan? Looking for vulnerabilities to patch?

  Cere- Yeah, that's not a bad analogy.

  Kate- What should I say?

  Cere- I don't know, this is your shitshow, not mine.

  Kate- You're literally plugged full-time in my brain!

  Cere- You didn't pay for the Dr. Watson application, you got this idea from the Dark Web through some unidentified and unreliable source. I cannot comment more on such a risky endeavour.

  Kate- Errrrrrmmm OK...? hum...!

  Kate's diary entry 1- Not sure what to say, this is my first time journaling. What do people put in a fucking journal? Poetry? I guess... Oh, here's one, old stuff, 40 years old by now or something. The origin isn't clear, t's an anonymous settler's classic. Illegal stuff. Cherry had us kids learn back home; She wanted us to know where we were coming from.

  Cairns of Dust (a Lunar Settler's classic)

  [Verse]

  Cairns of dust homes of sleeping giants

  A child wastes away all that remains

  Of yesterday an immature shadowplay

  We toil under the domes we strain

  [Verse 2]

  Until we drop for Pharos our only sun

  Cruel whip guiding light child of God

  Praise pain or die bound in chains

  Tying earth and sky cruel facade

  [Chorus]

  Painted cornerstones in colour of blood

  A dark empire crimson-dyed

  Parents sell child a corner of paradise

  Grind the debt with our bones

  [Verse 3]

  Dead like life dead like hope

  A child’s only laze a sorrowful gape

  No solace in the morning rays

  Just shadows lurking in disarray

  [Bridge]

  Cold hands carve the future

  Turning dreams into ruins under clutter

  Life’s a sentence with chains that mutter

  A whispered curse no escape utter

  [Chorus]

  Painted cornerstones in colours of blood

  A dark empire crimson-dyed

  Parents sell child for a corner of paradise

  Grind the debt with our bones.

  When I activate the AR, it reminds me of those banned words; Illusions painting over a grey concrete prison, blurring over the pains of our existence. Without Cherry I would have had to grind that debt our parents took to get here. I can't imagine how hard it must be for those who got weighed by that burden at birth.

  For a while now, days succeed one another, just like the view out of my train's window. Grey, blinding light, black, grey, blind, black... Is this what existence should be like? Ashes and dust, bone-deep cold then blazing hot, no in-between, always feeling like you're sitting on a fucking spike. What can one do facing a mute Universe, anathema to Life, the indifferent celestial machine? How does one face those eldrich gods we built for ourselves: Corpo, Crawler and Algo. We feed those gods with our prayers just so they would spare us a moment more, but do they ever answer?

  Red Cap woman- Shoulder check Kate as she moves forward in the train. Agitated, visibly jubilant. Rises over the crowd by stepping on a seat.

  "PRAISE BE GOD! HIS HOLINESS, THE PRESIPOPE! May he turn paradise into a New-Eden, great again! May he purge those who poison our blood! May he burn the illegals, the Browns, the Blacks, the Jews, and the immorals, witches, cyborgs, whores and all the other commie filth!"

  Kate- Pulse accelerating, mouth-breathing fast and hard.

  *Huf, Huf, Huf, Huf, Huf, huf hufhufhufhuf, gulp*

  Grips her gun.

  Cere- We're on embassy ground Kate. If there is an incident you'll be sent to the pyre, literally.

  Kate- Mutters while rocking herself slightly.

  "Gonna kill these mother fuckers, gonna kill 'em"

  Cere- Kate? Kate!

  Kate- Vertigo from hyperventilation.

  Fades to black.

  Cere- Emergency therapy authorized under the asset management program. Confirmed. Contacting next of Kin...

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  ....................................................................................................................

  Teen Kate- Keeps looking at a text in her AR glasses. Heat flutters slightly.

  Stink's texto- Wanna hang today?

  Teen Kate- Talks to her glasses

  "How should I answer?"

  Mar-E- "I do not know. As a virtual assistant, I am not allowed to guide you in matters of the heart. What do you think?"

  Teen Kate- *Sigh*

  "Well, he's kinda cute, and he has a future. I'm sure he'll become famous one day! The way he integrated that smell profile in Mom's last VR was fucking ICE! He's kinda fun to be around and always has weird ideas. Should I kiss him?"

  Mar-E- "This is for you to decide, I am not allowed to comment."

  Teen Kate- "Stick in the mud much?"

  Teen Kate's texto- Sure! Got something new for me to smell?

  Stink's texto- Gt something alright, see you usu' 'ley.

  Kate- That's a weird-ass VR or something? No, too personal, digitized memories?

  Teen Kate- *Hummmm hum hum hum*

  Sees the Asstronaughty's neon AR from afar and smiles.

  "Can't wait for Angel training!"

  Mar-E- "Your mother said explicitly no practical combat training before 18 and no active duty before 25. She was quite clear on this. You'll still have to wait for three years. Do not be impatient to put yourself into harm's way."

  Teen Kate- Sticks her tongue with a grin.

  "Party pooper! I'll just practice my basics in the meantime, I'm already fucking ICE at athletics and parkour, and I kicked Alana's ass last week."

  Mar-E- "That fight was not authorized. You should not risk your brain development like this."

  Kate- Naive kid, heads full of dreams of heroes. Violence ain't like in the VR dumb girl. Ain't a sport to be proud of, not a display of skills. It's about being able to take the pain and crushing your soul to dish it back in kind until someone goes down or loses their will. It's about blood and guts and holding the madness in check just long enough for the other to lose their shit and break... or killing them.

  Teen Kate- "Mom thinks I'm still a child."

  Pouts a second, then smiles.

  "At least, she let me replace Stacy at the reception for the show last week. Must be seeing that I can do more than just study random poetry and shit, right? I'm the eldest after all."

  Mar-E- "You are indeed the elder child your mother adopted, by a whole week!"

  Teen Kate- "You're fucking with me again!"

  Mar-E- "I would never!"

  Kate- Weird how some parts of that day I remember clear as day... Nearly everything else in my life? Lost.

  Teen Kate- Starts arguing, voice cracking.

  "I'm a natural, she must see that right? I..."

  Frowns lowers her tone.

  "I just want to feel useful, to give something back. Hey, Mar-E, what's a "paon"? She used another Frenchy bird name again yesterday I didn't understand."

  Kate- That's you peacock, unaware of dangers, facing hunting beasts with feathers and guts; A symbol of pride and stupidity.

  Mar-E- "Paon, or peacock in English; A majestic extinct bird, known for their pride and courage. They used to show eye-like feathers in a grand display to scare and intimidate predators."

  Kate- Cherry knew you too well, too bad she couldn't see when reality would catch up.

  Teen Kate- Turns toward an alley, sees Stink's back from the corner. Heart starts beating erratically.

  "YO STINK! What you brewing this time my man? Anything I should smell?"

  Stink- Turns his face, distraught, bruised and bloodied.

  "Kate? FUCK! RUN! RUN! NEW-EDEN NUTS! GET HELP!"

  Teen Kate- Confused, notices a large armed crowd behind Stinks.

  "Wha...?"

  Lookout Cultist- Sucker punches Kate in the eye.

  Mar-E- Drops to the ground, twisted, broken, covered in liquids.

  Cult leader- "Grab the li'll bitch!"

  Stabs Stink twice to the stomach.

  Stink- Drops to the ground holding his wounds.

  Lookout Cultist- Grabs Kate from behind and holds her tight.

  Teen Kate- Brain pops then freezes.

  "NOOOUH! LET ME GO! STINK! STINK!"

  Cult Leader- "Get her ready for me boy, gonna have some fun! Is all the whores are good for anyway, might as well use them well no?"

  Teen Kate- Bounces, using the leverage from the grab, to give a swift circular kick to the approaching cultist.

  *Crunch*

  Cult Leader- Bloody nose, anger surprise and pain on his face.

  Kate- Nice kick! Didn't remember that one. Bet he did though, when I caught up... Remember how he looked at me, nose still fucked up years later.

  Third Cultist- "Fiesty! You good Jo? Don't worry, I'll tenderize her for you while you take care o' that."

  Joseph, cult leader- Pulls out a white printed plastic gun from his coat. Points the canon toward Stink's head and pulls the trigger.

  Plastic gun- *BANG!*

  Teen Kate- Time slows down. Red paint on the wall...

  Something's wrong, paint, rare in Paradise...

  Ears ringing, touches her cheek with the tip of her fingers they come back into view covered in blood.

  Gunshot...!

  The ground seems to rise brutally to meet her face.

  Falling... no, pushed...

  Realization striking like a whip, more painful than crashing head first on the hard surface. Time accelerates, chaotic, disjointed.

  Pitbull Kate- "STIIIIIIIIIIINK! YOU FUCKERS ARE DEAD, I'LL SKIN YOU!"

  Slips out of control for a second, flipping herself like a snake. Bites the cultist holding her near the carotid artery but doesn't quite break the skin.

  Lookout Cultist- "AAAAAAH FUCK! GET HER OF GET HER OFF!"

  Joseph- Kicks Kate in the stomach and ribs multiple times.

  Pitbull Kate- Grabs anything vulnerable in her reach, gouging an eye and twisting the trachea of her captor.

  Lookout Cultist- Struggling to breathe, visibly panicked.

  *Cough cough wheeze*

  The murder of cultists- Grabs Kate.

  Pitbull Kate- "THIS IS ANGEL'S TERRITORY DUMB FUCKS!"

  Fourth Cultist- Looks at the struggling lookout and shrugs.

  "See any around? Don't worry, we just gonna play a bit rough. We're sending a message to the other whores: The Saints are taking over."

  Joseph- Puls a small gas canister and a blowtorch. Bloody teeth, a cruel amusement on his face.

  "This one is too much trouble, she'll be a perfect vessel for the Lord's Will!"

  Teen Kate- Mind shortcircuits. Tries to wrench herself away from her captors with increasing strength, nearly slips a limb a few times, but fails to do anything significant.

  Joseph- Steps on her shoulder.

  Burns her right arm to the bone methodically.

  Pitbull Kate- Flash of searing pain, smells of gas mixing with burned hair and mouth-watering cooked meat. Snaps, sees red, bites Joseph's leg in a rush of adrenaline and gets away with skin and muscles.

  Joseph- "DAMN ANIMAL! FUCKING PITBULL!"

  Kate- Now it makes sense, that's why they called me that back then...

  Fourth Cultist- Bashes Pitbull Kate with a metal pipe.

  Teen Kate- Drops unconscious under a rain of magboots kicks and improvised clubs.

  Kate- Fuckers! I got all of you back for that, didn't I? MY message to you animals, broken bodies for the next savage on my list.

  ..........

  Pitbull- Wakes up, broken, confused, pain everywhere to the point it loses all meaning or importance.

  Distant gunfight- *Pop... Popk.... takakakaakakaatak... Pop Pop Pop!*

  Pitbull- Spent gunpowder? Gunfire...? Alive? For now... gotta do something...

  Kate- I don't 'mber this... Waking up after...

  Pitbull- Open your eyes, soldier, can't afford a nap! One eye, two?... Nope, just the one. That'll do.

  Tries to rise from the pavement, but falls back on her face after her right arm refuses orders.

  Something's fucked. Assess... don't feel the right arm, no pain... extensive damage. Probably a goner.

  Rises to a sitting position using only her left arm.

  Kate- Damn, what is she? A Terminator? Just tried to use her busted arm, falls on her face and only takes a second to retry...

  Pitbull- Looks straight at her burned arm without flinching, barely teetering to consciousness.

  Charred? No, cooked through, no strength, as expected.

  *Sigh*

  Prosthetics. Guess that's what a "dinde" used to feel like at Tanks Giving... nothing. Pain feels like a blinking dot, distant, like on a display. Other senses are weird too, sharp, unpleasant. Sound's overwhelming... movement like a whip...

  Clicks her fingers with her left hand and shrinks back in pain. Pain... eureka! Touches her cheek, clear liquid and blood dripping from her fingers again. Then touches her deflated eye with a piece of Mar-E's glass embedded in the socket. A bolt of pain! Wakes up to clarity in an instant... mind fading again. Poke her eye again, HARD!

  Adrenaline jolts the old processor, fading to black again, quickly. Must be dying from internals. Breathing? Constrained. Sorry Cherry, 'll go curtain down first. See my bios now? Hope so...

  Hears movement in the nearby street.

  Fuckers are back to finish the job?

  *Vrrrr vrrr vrrr vrrr vrrr*

  Armour cervos? Angel powersuit!

  Sees burning wings in the gloom, flashes of fire against the wall.

  *Pop POP POP POP!*

  Stink! Maybe... maybe they can get to him... Can't speak... Gas canister!

  *Clung...*

  A Burst of piercing stabbing pain in the thorax. Drops the can.

  FUCK ME... like knives in the shoulder.

  *CLUNg...* *PAKATAKAKAAKAKAKAA*

  Blinding explosion of pain

  Teen Kate- In burning tears.

  No answer, too much going on. I... I can't

  Pitbull- Stink's counting on you soldier STRIKE!

  *KLUNK!!!*

  Fading from consciousness.

  Texas- "What the fuck's going on? KATE? STINK? FUCK!"

  Pitbull- Name?

  Texas- "I NEED MEDICALS ON MY POSITION. NO, IT CAN'T WAIT NOW! Cherry, they got to the kids first! It's Kate and Petrov, it's bad, real fucking bad!"

  Teen Kate- Fading,

  Can hear my name...

  to black.