A few minutes later, we reached our destination. K8 and I entered Amanita and went down the stairs in a hurry. We were the first to arrive. Agape was sitting on her stool, noticeably brooding over some nasty thought in silence.

Not long after our arrival, everybody was gathered at Agape's office. I was nervous. Being in close vicinity of people who might've framed me to get me arrested and sentenced to death by the clone police wasn't something I looked forward to. That, of course, if it hadn't been the Secretary of State. Only when Gabi, Cian, and Siegfried came in I felt a bit more at ease, though. I still wondered whether Agape knew about the mutiny and, if so, whether she had done anything to steer this vehicle in the right direction.

I might not trust her deviant ethics, but I did trust her leadership.

"What's wrong, Agape?" Cian asked her with worry.

"The mosquito operation has been a complete failure," she replied, disappointed. Her frown had never been so deep. "They've found absolutely nothing. No androids, no 3D printers. I should've gotten notifications through the alternative network, since I've made them also part of it, like our hacked chips. But nothing."

"Impossible, but..." K8 complained with a frown.

"Are the mosquitoes defective?" Taro asked, not letting K8 finish speaking.

"No. They are in complete working order," Agape replied sternly, more frustrated at herself than anything. "I've been making tests with K8 as a target. Since she's the closest to those androids I can think of and have access to, I told her to go and hide in different parts of the club, your home, the cellar, and out in the open even. The mosquitoes were able to find her every single time."

"Then, what's the problem?" Taro asked while he crossed his well-built arms over his chiselled chest. That pose enabled me to take a good look at the Maori tattoos on both his arms. They were breathtaking.

"The androids and the 3D printers aren't in the City Centre, which means..." Cian replied, realising the truth.

"Which means we're fucked," Agape concluded with a sarcastic smirk.

"Then, where are they?" Ray asked then.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Agape replied, pissed off.

"Great!" Vera exclaimed with sarcasm and defiance. "Not only have we lost a precious amount of time, but also you've been playing with our chances of survival, Daphne! Nice one, bitch."

I couldn't believe she was blaming it all on me. I stared at her with bewilderment.

"Stop it right now, Vera!" Agape shouted at her before I had time to reply. "That's not true. Besides, I've been thinking. But I want you all to tell me what you think. Do you believe they could be hidden in the Tsu Community neighbourhood?"

"Lots of factories and warehouses. It could be," Ray replied as if he thought it was a good idea. "Shall we get ready to repeat tonight's op there tomorrow night, Agape?"

"Yes, I was thinking about that. What do you guys think? Has any of your mosquitoes flown in the direction of that neighbourhood instead of going into the City Centre by mistake, maybe? Any weird behaviour?"

"I was the closest to that area. And no, not that I've noticed, at least," Sven replied seriously.

"Agape," Momo intervened then. Her green eyes were loaded with restlessness. "I insist on attacking the clone authorities before they launch that project. We could kill..."

"Denied," Agape answered harshly before Momo could finish. "Your idea is too risky. We've been talking about it these last few days. I don't want you to rush into anything. We're not ready for that level of exposure yet. We've discussed this a hundred times already these past two days, Momo. I need to bring down the GSNS network first. The chaos that would follow would give us the upper hand, then. Our exposure wouldn't be a critical issue as it is now. We need to buy more time instead. We need to infect those androids and 3D printers as soon as possible."

I was surprised to find out that Momo had been insisting on the subject in private with Agape, and that the latter had denied her whim to spring into action over and over again.

"What if the androids and the 3D printers aren't in the Tsu Community?" Nemesis asked in a foul mood, with her perfectly ironed black hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall of ebony. "Then, what?" 

"We strike a different neighbourhood. Until we succeed," Agape replied firmly.

"That might take too long! What if we don't get to them in time?!" Sven complained. His veins were protruding due to anger and frustration.

"Agape, you're obsessing over something that shall only buy us some time!" Taro insisted. "There's still the main operation to carry out. What about it? We're running out of time, kaiarahi*1."

"We can do everything," Agape insisted herself. "Simultaneously. Don't worry."

"What if they aren't in Thalis at all? What if they're outside the capital?" Vera asked nervously, with her gold ring earrings dangling as she talked.

"Then, we shall widen the scope of our search."

"Are you suggesting we should be searching all around the world?! The world is huge. They could be anywhere!" Momo complained further.

"What if they're locked somewhere?" I asked, frowning. "Somewhere out of the mosquitoes' reach? Like an underground facility?"

"There are always air vents, Daphne. And yes, I've tested their ability to track using air vents." She sighed out of tiredness and frustration. "I can't believe it! The plan was perfect!"

"Agape," Cian said softly, calling her attention. "Don't fret over this. We shall do as you please. But if this plan doesn't work out soon, I suggest we leave it altogether. I still think it would buy us some time, true, but if we have to set aside the main op to deal with this, maybe it's not worth it. We can deal with the consequences, Agape. You know that. Besides, the additional check-ups shall begin shortly. Tomorrow's Ray's turn, actually. Followed by Gabi this Friday. The rest of us are due to get checked next week. The benefit shall take place that Saturday, and there are still a lot of preparations to go over. In addition, the alternative network still needs an upgrade, the one you had been working on before you decided to let it go to focus on the mosquitoes. Don't you remember? Agape, please, don't become an overachiever. There's far too much on our plate right now."

"I guess you're right, Cian," Agape admitted with kindness, but I could tell she was hurt and tired. "I'm lucky to have you." She sighed. "We will repeat the op tomorrow night, at the Tsu Community, though. If they're not there either, we're calling it a night and we shall focus on what's important."

"I could still go back to the Sappho Residence and try to get more intel if you want," I offered.

I heard someone scoffing.

"Enough!" Agape yelled right after she slammed a hand on her desk with brutality. Then, she stood up imposingly only to go on: "Now's not the time to argue among yourselves. I'm not forcing you to be friends, but I expect you to cooperate. You were not hand-picked by me to bicker and sneer at each other all the time! You're here to work, goddammit! I don't care that you don't get on well with each other! I want all of you fully concentrated on the tasks at hand and comply with my orders. I don't want to hear any more complaints, or witness any more childish tantrums like this or yesterday's fight; do you hear me?!"

An awkward silence followed her harsh words.

"Good," she said with satisfaction. When she eased her pose, she went on firmly thus: "Daphne, you shall try to sneak into the home office of the Secretary of State again. Let's see whether you can find additional info that might help us locate the androids and the 3D printers. If we fail tomorrow night, we shall wait for you to find that info. As for the rest of you," she said looking at them harshly, "you know what to do. Tomorrow I shall send you a new map via text message, with the Tsu Community's perimeter delimited and fragmented into sections. You shall repeat tonight's operation."

She made a brief pause while she walked in front of us leisurely, and she stared deeply into the eyes of each and every one of us as if she was trying to read our thoughts.

"Besides that, get ready for the check-ups," she went on. "A few minutes before your turn, you shall come to me and I will un-hack your nanochip. When your check-up is over, a colleague shall come to you to re-hack it. As for the benefit, we shall talk about the preparations I've been carrying out on my own later when all this mess is over. Not that I owe any of you an explanation, you know," she added defiantly. "Now, go home. You should get some sleep."

Thursday morning came after a night full of nightmares and cold sweats. My bedsheets were soaked in my sweat. Too many people were trying to murder me in the wildest dreams I had ever had.

I went to work at Replica, Ltd., as usual. I was industriously sweeping the stairs, all alone that morning, when my life took a turn for the worse. Panic was knocking on my door once again.

Oh, wait. No, that was my mobile phone vibrating in the pocket of my white coat, but close enough. I wasn't used to it yet. That was why I got startled.

It was Siegfried. My heart soared when I read his name flashing on the screen.

"Ray got caught during his check-up," Siegfried whispered with a panic-stricken, sepulchral voice the second I answered the call. "The clones found out he's a rebel. They have... He's dead."

When he fell silent, I felt a tornado of sadness swallow me whole. My hands started shivering. I could no longer stand. I sat down on the recently-swept flight of stairs.

The last koi, the last carp, of his bloodline had got caught. I remembered what he had told me about his tattoo and why it mattered so much to him. My mouth was hanging open, my lips and throat soon felt dry, and my mind was riding a train of negative thoughts at full speed while flashing images of Ray's face lit up in my mind's eye. We weren't close, but he was one of the few rebels whose opinion of me I had managed to turn around, thanks to a faulty washing machine.

He was dead. I would never see him again.

"Now what?" I whispered feeling torn.

"First and foremost, keep calm. Agape's working non-stop to armour the alternative network. Besides that, she's checking what might've gone wrong during Ray's check-up. She's recorded what's happened to him through his nanochip. She's completely sure that his nanochip was in complete working order. He had his thoughts under control. Everything was going smoothly. Even the next-gen scanner that the clone police have put on his nape signalled that there was nothing wrong with him. And then, they've started to question him directly about his status as a rebel. Agape says it's weird. It doesn't make sense at all."

"How did they know then?"

"No idea. Agape's so frustrated right now... He hasn't succumbed to torture, though. He's given no names, no info about us at all. He's endured the worst and most painful ways to die, Daphne. For our sake."

"Oh my God..." I felt tears freely spill from my eyes.

"I don't think the police has got anything on us unless they believe we're guilty only because we were friends, worked, and lived together. That's not enough proof, but who knows? They haven't come home or to Amanita to get us – yet. At first, I assumed they'd come to kill us all in a hurry, but they haven't. I wonder how they found out he was a rebel and what they're planning."

He sighed, and I could tell that he was extremely nervous by the way the air he had expelled vibrated erratically on his phone.

"Our check-ups will be harder than expected. Tonight's Ray's candle. Wanna come?"

"Yes, of course, I will."

"OK. Tonight at 10."

I hoped that coming to Ray's candle and sharing a story about him with the rest of the gang might help them realise that I cared and that they could count on me.

When I parked Frankie in Amanita's parking lot, I knew something was off. There were bits and pieces of glass everywhere. Some windows of the club were broken. I took a good look at the house, and most of its windows were broken too. There were also eggshells on the floor and stains on the facade.

I rang the doorbell of their home. Gabi opened the door and greeted me without mirth while holding a candle. The hall was in the dark but for his candle, just like the rest of the house.

"Hey, Daphne. Thanks for coming," he whispered seriously.

"I see the clone police hasn't come to get you. Someone's been here to attack you, though."

"If the police forces haven't come by now, I don't think they will. The neighbours, on the other hand, haven't wasted a second to let us know what their opinion on us, as you can see."

"What happened?"

"Well, the latest news broadcast has told the whole world who Ray was and where he lived and worked. Which is great," he replied with sarcasm. "So, first, a large group of masked individuals have thrown eggs at our house and yelled some insulting words at us. Next, some other people, also masked, have thrown stones at our windows and Amanita. Later, some Molotov cocktails, too."

"Oh my God! What happened? Are any of you hurt? Or...?" I asked with worry.

"Nah. We're tougher than that," he answered with pride. "Most of our windows haven't survived the incident, but the rest of the house is fine... more or less. Besides that, so far, we've received enough hate mail to give the poor postman backache. And one of those envelopes carried a stink bomb. I'm sorry if I still smell like a dead skunk," he added, a bit ashamed. "I've showered thoroughly five fucking times. I've tried everything, but..."

"I don't care if you smell funny, Gabi," I replied warmly, but still worried.

"Thank God for that. Agape doesn't wanna be in the same room I'm in," he added, feeling genuinely torn. "She keeps ordering me to shower again and again... and I keep asking her to supervise whether I've missed any spots while I shower, but she keeps ignoring me."

"Oh, my poor Gabi. You don't waste a single opportunity, I see," I replied sweetly. I loved his antics. I didn't understand why Agape didn't fall for him. He was so cute!

"Anyway, if that wasn't enough, to make matters worse..." He sighed deeply. "Our service providers won't come and make any deliveries that we need for tomorrow night. Like beverages and stuff. Amanita's almost dry. We haven't got enough supplies for tomorrow. They won't answer the phone even. Aaaand we've got no electric supply either."

"Oh my..."

"They're boycotting us because they think that, if Ray was a piece of rebellious trash, then so are we." His voice denoted that his patience was wearing thin.

No sympathy from fellow traditional humans at all.

Like I had always regretted, solidarity could not exist among us, traditional humans. Amanita's rebels might've worked hard and risked a lot to fight for a cause that they believed was worth fighting for to save many people. Although I didn't agree with murder and their line of ethics, I felt bad for them. They didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Our fellow traditional humans weren't willing to spare any empathic kind of feeling towards them, though. Otherwise, they could get caught and executed too. Thus, they were turning against us to ensure their own survival.

"Besides that, I don't think customers shall show up at all," Gabi went on sadly. "Why should clones come to Amanita now that they know that a rebel was working there?"

"I'm so sorry."

"At least Cian's prospects look better. He stopped working at Amanita a few weeks ago. He now works at a champagne-making company, Noët et Phandon. But the worst is that..."

Right at that moment, Siegfried came into the hall and interrupted Gabi.

"The worst, according to Gabi, is that our coach has banished us from the hockey team," Siegfried said with a dejected attitude.

I was glad to see that he was fine. No burns from Molotov cocktails, no bruises, no nothing – apart from that cut on his right eyebrow with stitches. I sighed.

"He's still thinking about it, dude!" Gabi replied with a hopeful tone of voice. "Look, he can't win a single match without the three of us, you know," Gabi replied feeling sure of himself. "Cian, you and me. We're indestructible. He needs us. He won't banish us."

"I'm not so sure, Gabi. He's like the rest of them, traditional humans," Siegfried added, feeling unsure and sad. "He doesn't want trouble."

"If he does banish us, I'm done for! I need my cachet as an elite hockey player!" Gabi complained with a frown. "Otherwise, I've got zero chances with Agape. I know she loves hockey. She's a fierce fan, did you know that Daphne?"

"Gabi, dude, you're a lost cause," Siegfried replied, visibly tired.

"Can I ask you something, Gabi?" I asked him with worry. "Are you afraid for tomorrow?"

"Of course, I am!" he replied in a heartbeat. "Tomorrow's Friday, match day! I want Agape to secretly drool over my fluid moves on the court – and I need to be in the team for that."

"No, I meant that tomorrow's your check-up," I added seriously.

"Oh, that. Nah," he answered with confidence. "I'm awfully sorry about Ray, but his thirst for vengeance ran too deep. They asked him about his koi tattoo. I think it was the tattoo's personal story that got him caught."

"I'm not so sure about that," Siegfried replied. "Anyway, it's 10 already. Let's get on with the candle ceremony. Come. They're waiting in the living room, upstairs."

Hello, my sugar cubes!

Things are getting tough for the rebels. ☹ Are they gonna get caught? Stay tuned to know more!

XOXO

MS

*Note 1: "kaiarahi" means "leader" in Maori.