Irina Peneus was standing there, my own mother, holding that large knife that had stolen Mrs Nevermore's life from her. Her blood had turned the silvery blade crimson, and it was dripping thick droplets on the floor of the stage in front of my mother's feet.

She was fully dressed in military gear. Her eyes were two inhuman, blue orbs with a similar glowing as mine, but hers seemed artificial in nature. Her face was marred with the poison of hatred. Her body language was screaming war. The stiffness in her revealed that her emotions were long lost.

It was obvious that she didn't recognise me at all. She was an android, one who was not 'awake' like my brother and his colleagues on that stage in Hotel Poseidon during Apollo's press conference.

I tried the impossible, nonetheless: calling her.

"Mom?" I whispered, feeling that time had frozen for me. However, I recall many other heavily-armed androids like her springing into action, coming from backstage, running behind her, jumping down onto the grass dance floor, and running to the dining area. "MOM?" I said louder, hoping she would snap out of it.

In a matter of seconds, the dining area was a war zone. Red tainted the tablecloths, the napkins, the glasses, the food, the chairs, the humid grass, everything. Yelling and gutting was the symphony of corruption I could hear. An unspeakable massacre took place despite Apollo's bodyguards and the extra security he had requested.

Speaking of the devil, he was the only one to get protected. The rest of the clones were being slaughtered.

Eros was kneeling on the floor, holding his mother close to the floor with tears in his eyes. He was shaking her body as if he could make her magically come back to life, but it was no use, obviously.

My mother's eyes shifted from me to him, and then she smirked with blood lust written all over her face.

"MOM?!" I called even louder. "Wake up! This isn't you!"

Eros turned his face to me and stared at me as if a bolt of lightning had just struck him. Then, his gaze turned to my mother. She was already raising her large knife to strike at Eros.

"Irina Peneus! Please, stop!" I yelled, hoping that her name would shake something in her. It didn't.

Out of the blue, Eros left his mother's lifeless body on the floor. With a look of pure hatred that I had never seen in him before, he dodged my mother's direct attack. He kicked her arms, making the knife fall with a loud clatter a few feet from both of them.

They lunged to get it at the same time. I gasped.

Eros was faster. He got the knife and stuck it in my mother's gut.

I saw the tip of the knife kiss the air on the other side of her body. Blood emerged from the wound on her back.

"NO!" I yelled with teary eyes.

My mother's lifeless body fell to her knees, and then, flatly on the floor, face down with the knife still piercing her abdomen. I was shaking all over.

Eros was panting and in a state of shock. So was I.

I fell to my knees, and then he said in a panic-driven voice:

"I'm... I'm so sorry. I-I... What... w-what have I done?" His voice creaked by the end. He stared at his blood-stained hands, which were shaking.

All of a sudden, the egg hatched and I found a baby dodo staring at me with love and devotion. It flapped its baby wings with joy and tried to come closer to my chest, to the edges of the box. Its clumsy, baby feet found some trouble while walking on the straw inside the box.

Eros and I stared at each other for what seemed an eternity with hurt and bewilderment.

I could still hear the cries of some clones begging for mercy like a muffled background sound. The only reply was gunshots or their throats getting slit. It was chaos down there.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Apollo getting evacuated by a large group of bodyguards while calling angrily on his phone. He was probably trying to contact more reinforcements, but it would be too late to save anybody but him.

His beloved androids had obviously been tampered with again. No wonder he was pissed off.

Apollo's bodyguards were having a hard time evacuating their boss, who was unwilling to leave without me, apparently. I could tell because I saw him pointing at me and barking orders to his men. It didn't matter that they were busy shooting any android who dared to come close to them.

A few seconds later, two of Apollo's bodyguards came for me onstage and grabbed my arms with brute force, only to feel them leave me a second after.

Sigi had made his way through all that carnage to save me. His waiter suit was drenched in blood. I noticed that while, with two flawlessly executed boxing moves, he rendered the two bodyguards who were meant to steal me away and take me to Apollo unconscious.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" he yelled at me, ignoring Eros. He pulled me up to my feet and made me hurry down the stage's stairs.

"Daphne!" I heard Eros yell with remorse and hurt while Sigi and I were running away. Eros had extended a hand to me as if he didn't want me to leave him behind.

"Sigi, wait! We have to save Eros too!" I exclaimed while I held the dodo's box close to my chest, careful not to drop it or the baby bird by accident. We stopped dead in our tracks.

I saw that Apollo was being led by force to the stone pathway to exit the premises safe and sound.

"He's a clone, and Apollo's hatchling," Sigi replied in an angry complaint, but as if he was regretting what he was about to do. "But I'm gonna save him. Only ONCE, okay?! For you."

We went back on the stage in a hurry.

"Come!" Sigi yelled at Eros, snapping him out of shock. Sigi grabbed Eros' by the biceps of his right arm and forced him to stand. Sigi and I led the way, running down the stairs. Eros followed us closely. He was as scared as I was.

Sigi made sure we could escape safely to the poker canopy, not calling the attention of any androids by hiding in random places like behind broken tables and such. He led the way to the back of the premises, grabbing my hand.

While we were escaping, I witnessed more murders of clones. I saw the corpses of some waiters too. They were traditional humans, but they had been murdered anyway.

We sneaked under the poker canopy, where I spotted a back door at the far end.

"This is where we split," Sigi said harshly to Eros. "No offence, but I don't want to be seen with you. Our survival chances might be better if they don't see me helping a clone. At least I hope so. You know where this door leads to: the faculty. Go in, hide, or leave the premises through the front door. I don't care. It's your choice."

"Wait! What will you do?! Go back?!" Eros exclaimed with worry.

"I've got my friends there, you idiot! They need me! Do you think I'm gonna flee and not check on them?!" Sigi shot back angrily at him.

"Then, let me take Daphne with me," Eros insisted. "I'll get her home safely."

"No, you don't get it. I've only saved you because she asked me to. I've had enough of clones messing with her life! Ever since she's met you, our life has got a lot more complicated. Apollo realised her resemblance with a former love interest of his because of the stupid ad for your company! I hate it! Besides, she lives just across from my home, so I am taking her home, is that understood?!"

Sigi was right, but he could've been gentler with the truth. Nevertheless, the gory scene taking place a few feet from us was pressing us to keep it short and take action, leaving politeness aside.

"I'll be fine, Eros," I said. "Just go. We'll talk later. Take the baby dodo with you."

"I... I'm so sorry, Daphne. I-"

"We'll talk later! Just GO!" I insisted with worry.

Regretfully, he took the box and the dodo from my hands. Then, he turned away and entered the building in a hurry. I heard the baby dodo whining when it realised that I was no longer close to it.

"Fucking finally," Sigi complained. "Now, don't look at me like that. We have to reassemble with the guys and K8... and Kono, I guess. I haven't seen them in the last few minutes. I hope they're fine."

"I know," I replied seriously. "Eros shouldn't see us or hear us speak about sensitive issues. He can't know who we really are."

"Let's go and find out where the hell the guys are."

We sneaked a peek. In the botanical garden, I saw Taro, Sven, and Cian shooting at androids non-stop. Thank God Apollo was no longer there.

Gabi was helping some waiters escape through the romantic pathway which led to the main entrance and the parking lot. At least there would be some survivors besides us.

"We need to make a run for it. Ready?" Sigi asked me with worry right after making eye contact with Cian. The latter nodded, and I hoped that it meant he would cover us.

"Ready," I whispered back, feeling the adrenaline surge through my entire body.

We ran across the garden while Cian and the guys covered us.

Soon, Gabi and Cian joined us in our escape. Taro and Sven were coming behind us, but once we were in that winding stone pathway I couldn't see them anymore. We were running through it when Gabi said:

"Taro and Sven are covering our backs. Don't worry. K8 has already evacuated Kono."

"So,... this was Agape's surprise?" Sigi asked with a deep frown of disapproval.

"You... you didn't know?" Cian asked in amazement.

"No, neither Daphne nor I knew," Sigi replied while panting. "I only got a text message from Agape a few minutes ago, telling me about the imminent attack of her recently-messed-with androids. I barely had time to check on my gun and ammo!"

Cian made a wry face.

"Agape's gonna hear from me," he eventually said with disappointment. "She should've..."

"Wait! I didn't know about the plan before coming here either!" Gabi yelled all of a sudden, feeling hurt. "I got a text like that too. That was the only info I got from her. Was that Agape's real plan for tonight?!"

"Fuck, I took it for granted that all of you knew!" Cian exclaimed back with a deep frown just like Sigi's. "I knew about it before coming. I thought... Damn! I should've checked whether you knew and..."

There was something wrong with Agape. Why hadn't she told us in advance?

Sigi's hand on mine grabbed me with more strength.

"Wasn't that your mother up there, on the stage, Daphne?" Gabi asked me while crossing the stone archways of the entrance to the botanical garden and going down the stone stairs. We were headed to the parking lot, on the right.

"Yes, it was her," I whispered sadly while panting.

That was when Taro and Sven joined us at the stairs after one final, loud sequence of gunshots.

"Fuck! There's one persistent android right on our tails! Well, I think there's just one of them. Anyways, we have to flee!" Taro exclaimed as if his pride had been wounded. "Hurry! Let's go!"

I could hear that android's loud strides on the stone pathway we had just left behind.

I saw the muzzle and the front sight shining under those romantic golden lights as the android was aiming at us, and then, I saw his face right behind the gun he was holding. His brown eyes then shone with a hatefully unnatural, brown glow.

It turned out that the persistent android who was skilled at messing with Taro was no other than a good old friend of ours.

"Ray?!" I exclaimed.

"Fuck! It's really him!" Sigi exclaimed in amazement.

"Dodge!" Gabi yelled right before Ray pulled the trigger.

We were lucky that we dodged it by throwing ourselves to the ground. Taro and Sven aimed at Ray with their guns as an automatic response.

"NO!" I yelled. They stopped, although to be honest, I didn't think they would.

"What do you mean 'no'?! He's gonna kill us!" Gabi complained while Cian took the lead and managed to disarm Ray with a bold kickboxing move.

His gun fell to the ground with a metallic clatter.

"We need to find a way to 'awaken' him!" I exclaimed while getting up and rushing to both Cian and Ray, who were involved in a boxing match of sorts.

"But how?!" Sigi asked panting, following me close up the stairs.

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at Sigi with wide eyes while an idea dawned on me.

"I know how! Sit down!" I urged him yelling.

"What?!"

"Sit down! NOW!"

He did as I said while I saw Cian sparring with Ray in a boxing match to the death under the large stone archway.

I knelt in front of Sigi and unlaced one of his shoes in a hurry with a smirk on my face. I rose to my feet once more, leaving a baffled Sigi sitting on the ground behind me.

"Cian!" I yelled. "Get Ray on the ground! Immobilise him! I need to force Ray to smell it!"

Cian didn't hesitate for a second. A couple of boxing moves later, he had him on the ground. Taro, Sven, and Gabi came to his aid to hold Ray's arms and legs.

It was my turn. I shoved Sigi's stinky shoe over his bloody face, making sure that his nose was fully inside the shoe. Ray struggled in the guys' grasp and tried to get the shoe off his face by shaking his head left and right, but it was no use.

I had put all my faith in a stinky shoe. I hoped it would work!

"Really?!" Sigi exclaimed in disbelief while coming closer to us. "My shoe is gonna save Ray?!"

"I really hope this works," Gabi whispered.

"Well, he was a manic, right?" I asked him.

"He used to complain about my stinky combat boots every day," Sven said with a stupidly hopeful smirk while grabbing Ray's legs with all his might. "The bloody idiot!" He chuckled with teary eyes.

And then, the magic I was hoping for happened.

"What the fuck are you doing, Daphne! This is disgusting! Yuck! Get this shoe off my face!" Ray yelled with a muffled voice. "AH! Damn, it stinks!"

"He's back! HE'S BACK!" I yelled with joy, taking the shoe off his face and letting it fall from my hands.

The guys didn't let Ray go, though. They hugged him instead. It was a wonderful sight.

"You're back, bro," Sven whispered while hugging him tightly. He was emotional, but he didn't seem to mind now that he had gotten his old friend back. "Thank God you're back!"

Sigi joined the group hug. I did so too.

We were enjoying that lovable moment when my eyes snapped open with the sudden realisation that our problems weren't over just yet.

"Stay away from him!" I yelled at my fellow rebels. "Ray, your nape! NOW!"

They were too stunned to reject my commands. I took my parrot out and scanned Ray's nape, right under his classy man-bun. A soft click sound was the tell-tale music I was expecting to hear.

"As I suspected, Ray's got a new nanochip," I concluded. "I knew Apollo wouldn't let his androids go out and about without proper, intimate supervision."

"Damn, Daphne. Thank God you're quick and imaginative!" Gabi exclaimed with satisfaction.

"Arigato, smart rookie," Ray whispered back at me with a nice smile.

"We've got no time to lose!" Sigi exclaimed while putting his shoe back on. "We have to flee! Before more androids come out! NOW!"

We got up and ran down the stairs.

"Get on your bikes!" Cian commanded while pointing to the parking lot. I followed Sigi and the guys. We hurried to the huge parking lot.

"When we're safe and sound," Sigi told Cian with a warning glare while running right in front of me, "and with Agape, I need answers, Cian."

"I know. I want answers too, believe me," he replied as if he had been betrayed. "I also want to know what Agape thinks she's doing by withholding info from some of us."

Sigi got on his bike and waited for me to sit behind him and hold on to him. I saw Ray holding onto Cian's back on his bike while the rest of the guys had already turned on the engines and started riding back home. Sigi and I followed Cian and Ray up close.

We passed by Victoria Square, and once on the main avenue, we saw a large group of red glowing eyes trotting in the distance, in the dark streets of Thalis.

"Fuck! Technowolves!" Sigi exclaimed when those artificial monsters fully came into view.

Apollo's last-minute reinforcements, I guessed.

All the guys and Sigi turned right and hoped to get lost by zigzagging through the smaller and much more intricate, side streets of Downtown and Buenavista neighbourhoods.

I turned my face behind us to see whether we had lost them, and we had. In fact, they didn't seem to be interested in us. Their priority seemed to be getting to the faculty's gardens and letting loose there. The carnage would be even more devastating.

I worried about Eros like never before. I hope he would either hide or flee from the faculty safe and sound.

Besides being worried about his well-being, I was also hurt because of what he had done. He had murdered my mother. I could think of a hundred justifications for his actions, but those didn't ease the pain roaring inside me. I had just lost the one and only chance I had at getting my mother back.

I had also lost Mrs Nevermore, who had been kind and generous to me despite not agreeing with the final aim of her NGO. I hoped I would not lose Eros because of this incident, as well.

At least I was safe from Apollo for the time being. I wouldn't get a forced brain transplant that night. That was something.

Relief, sweetly mixed with the happiness of getting Ray back, rushed through me. If only I could find a way to free the rest of the androids!

However, would Agape let me? I was sure that her 'gift' for Apollo that night was messing with his beloved androids once more, weaponising them into raging, killing machines that would perfectly suit Agape's thirst for blood.

If that was true, I wasn't sure I could keep my anger at bay. Why had she used them for her own gain like that? Why not 'wake' them up? And why not tell us about the full scope of the plan? Well, she had only told that to some of us.

We would argue again, Agape and I. I frowned, feeling a huge wave of sadness and betrayal taking over me. I hugged Sigi's torso tightly while he was riding the bike back home, back to Amanita.

I had the nagging feeling that we were only in the eye of the storm.

Hello, my sugar cubes!

Did you enjoy the benefit? Ray's back! YAY! :D

*Note on foreign words: 'arigato' means 'thank you' in Japanese.

XOXO

MS

*Note: There are no "good" or "bad" characters in this book. Erase all notion of good or bad sides to a conflict from your mind when reading this novel.
People and sides are always part good and part bad, for better or worse. Mistakes and POVs from characters in this book might define them for good or for a short period of time; their opinions might shift or not; but rest assured that there is no pure white or pure black in moral terms.
So, please refrain from posting comments criticising characters for being good or bad at certain points of the story. People and fictional characters are multifaceted. Deal with it.