LUCEM
LXXV Chapter

Of all, there are three things left:

the certainty that he always starts, the,

the certainty that he must continue

, and the certainty that he will be interrupted before completing it.

******

Sleeping for a few days left me with a lot of things. Like a book with a missing piece of scrap. Who's the fucking guy, who keeps saying that time is just about money?

My eyes widened in surprise. Marbella removed my wrist from her grasp.

“I already knew it was him,” he said, speaking quickly, his eyes darting towards me and then away from me. "The preparation is almost done." Pause. “Tell them to practice more and prepare for any possibilities. And then remind him that he's only reporting to me. I'll decide what and when he can talk to her."

Marbella touched a finger to her temple.

And then, narrowed his eyes at me.

Heart jumped. I straighten. I no longer wait to be asked. As she looked at me like that, I knew it was my cue to acknowledge the contents of my mind.

“Au— Marbi. I want to know if all your wounds have recovered, if you don't mind I want to check them.”

Marbella raised an eyebrow at me.

He seemed to be talking when, finally, the door opened. Waves of steam came out from the doorway, Magenta and behind him appeared a man. She was tall, taller than Venus, with wavy brown hair, light brown skin, and bright eyes whose color was not immediately visible. He's wearing a white lab coat. High rubber boots. A face mask hung around his neck, and a dozen pens had been put in his coat pocket. He made no attempt to advance or step aside, he just stood in the doorway, seemingly hesitating.

"What the hell is going on?" Marbella. “I sent you a message an hour ago and you never showed up. Then I came to your door and you made me wait.

Marbella spoke in an unusual tone, there was tension in it.

The man, Magenta told me his name was Lucio, he didn't say anything. Instead, he assessed me, his eyes moving up and down my body to show an unseen expression. I'm not sure how to process his reaction.

Magenta sighed, grasping at something that was not clear to me.

"Lusio," he said slowly. "You can't be serious."

Lucio stared at Magenta. "Unlike you, we're not all made of stone." And then, look away. "At least not completely."

I was surprised to find out that Lucio had an accent, which was no different from the villagers near our old house. Lucio should be from that region.

Magenta nodded again.

"Alright," said Lucio coldly. "What do you want to discuss?" He took out a pen from his pocket, opened the lid with his teeth. He reached into his other pocket and took out a notebook. Turn it open.

I was suddenly blind.

In an instant the darkness flooded my view. I rubbed my eyes. The blurred image reappeared, time accelerated and slowed backwards and began. Colors flashed through my eyes, widening my pupils. Stars explode, lights flash, lights up. I heard a voice. One voice. A whisper—

I'm a thief

The tape was replayed. Played back. Like a corrupted file.

I

I

I'M ME I'M

I

a thief

the thief, who I stole a notebook and this pen from one of the researchers.

"Of course."

Magenta's sharp voice brought me back to this moment. My heart is pounding in my throat. Fear pressed against my skin, making my hair goosebumps. My eyes moved too fast, circling in distress until they stopped, at last, on the familiar face of Marbella.

He's not looking at me. He didn't even talk to me.

Calm relief flooded me when I realized it. My interlude only lasted for a moment, which meant that I did not miss more than a few words exchanged. Lucio looked at me, looking at me curiously.

Me and Marbella followed Magenta and Lucio through the door and entered, and as soon as I passed the doorway, a gust of cold air made my skin shiver. I didn't make my move any further from the entrance before I got distracted.

Amazed.

An amazing room, I've never seen anything like it before. Steel and glass are responsible for most of the structures in that space. Very large screens and monitors, microscopes, long glass tables full of chem glasses and half-filled test tubes. Accordion pipes cut through the vertical space around the room, connecting the table surface and ceiling. Artificial light fixture block hang in the air, buzzing stably. The light here is very blue. I don't know how they can hold up.

I consciously followed Lucio and Magenta to a crescent-shaped table that looked more like a command center. Paper is stacked on one side of the table top, the screen flickers on it. There were a lot of pens stuffed into the chipped coffee cup on top of a thick book.

Books.

I haven't seen such relics in a long time.

Lucio pulled his seat. He pointed to a bench tucked under a nearby table, and Marbella shook her head.

Marbella and I stood up.

“Alright, then, go on,” said Lucio, his eyes flashing towards Marbella. "You said there was a problem."

Marbella suddenly looks uncomfortable. He had not said anything since earlier, finally, Lucio smiled.

"Get it out with that," said Lucio, pointing with his pen. "Can you write it all down?"

"I didn't do anything wrong" said Marbella sharply.

Then he frowned. "Again, I don't think so."

"Then what is it?"

Marbella took a deep breath. Finally: “She said that she . . . .just protect me instinctively.”

Lucio's eyes widened. He glanced over from Magenta, me and then back again to Marbella. And then, suddenly—

She laughs.

My face's warming. I stared straight ahead, studying the strange equipment stacked on a shelf on the opposite wall.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Lucio writing on a glowing flat board. I understand all of this modern technology, but he still seems happy to write by hand. That observation is strange. I keep that information, don't really understand why.

“Interesting,” said Lucio, still smiling. He shook his head quickly. “Very reasonable, of course.”

"I'm glad you find this funny" said Marbella, looking upset. "But I don't like it."

Lucio laughed again. He leaned back in his chair, his legs outstretched, crossed at the ankles. He was clearly interested, excited, even with his development, and it caused his previously melting coldness to be clouded. He bit off the pen cap, considering Marbella. There was a twinkle in his eyes.

“Did my eyes deceive me,” he said, “or did the great Magenta claim to have a conscience? Or maybe, a sense of morality?”

"You also know better than anyone, so I'm afraid I won't know what it's like."

"Touch." Magenta Voice.

"Anyway"

"I'm sorry," said Lucio, his smile widening. “But I need another moment with this revelation. Can you blame me for being fascinated? Considering the indisputable fact that you are one of the most ambitious humans I have ever known and among our social circles, that means a lot—”

"Ha ha," Magenta's laughter flat.

“—I think I'm just surprised. Why is this too much? Why is this a line you won't cross? Of all things. .”

"Lusio, be serious."

"I'm serious."

“In addition to the obvious reasons why this situation should bother anyone. The cat girl was not even in her twenties. I'm not that bad.”

Lucio shook his head. Lifting pen. "Actually, he's in his twenties ."

Magenta seems to be arguing, then—

"Of course," he said. "I remember the wrong copy." He glanced at me as he said it, and I felt my face getting hotter.