|-WARNING-|

SilverBowAndArrow and Marigold Estes no longer exist.

|------------|

Enio swallows hard and shoves a half-popped blister pack into his pants pocket. Blue light from his desk monitor rushes to the glass of water he daintily sips from, and diffuses everywhere, bathing his office in a synthetic glow.

It is a simple room. Not one devoted to extravagance as to hint at a sickness of greed. Nor is it as cluttered as it would be if the CEO were stricken by madness or obsession. People present him with flattering ichor trinkets—cages within which the aura can perform plaything tricks as if it were a tiger in a zoo—so often that customarily disposing of the toys has become part of Enio's regular routine. In fact, almost all instances of ichor have been removed from Enio's office. His computer, a necessity, and a conflictingly beat-up copy of the newest model, is fed ichor from a single port in the white walls, and his Choralium, but that is it.

This is something he has in common with the woman he watches walk up to his steel, windowless door. Enio sets down his water and stretches out of the sofa to press a series of keys, unlocking and opening the door. Then he sets his glasses into place and sits back into the folds of his trenchcoat. "You wanted to talk?" he calls before she even appears in the doorway.

"You were the one who invited me here." Crystal does not wait to be invited in. She runs her finger along the wall, popping all the little water bubbles projected onto it by Enio's drink. The pink and black bandana she has worn over her nose for so long is now down by her neck, and her orange leather jacket burns like a flare. It is an odd home for her, but she has made herself at it.

"You were the one who killed my son."

Crystal takes a few more steps toward a place where the wall is painted by analog light instead. She leans against it and feels a distant warmth.

"Your biological son wanted to infiltrate ChorTek Tower. I won't lie, I wanted him to do it too. I helped him. I assume it was one of your security guards who killed him."

Nothing of Enio's but his lips move. "He wasn't to know. I don't know how you managed to figure it out, but nobody ever told him who I was... who was his dad. He had no clue what you were getting him into. He thought it was you that would bring me to the table." Enio's nostrils flare, "Your name meant nothing to me. And then he died thinking it was all a coincidence." He stares Crystal down as he speaks, not just with his mirrored eyes, but his entire body is pointed towards her.

Crystal steps forward and snatches a random paper from the crescent-shaped desk then backtracks to her haunt and buries her head in classified information. It does not put her in danger, anything of any real importance would not have been left out in the open. And this is the most audacious way she can think of to shy from Enio's gaze. "I played it straight," she says without looking up from the document. "Whatever I knew and whatever he didn't did not change the execution at all... As long as you played it straight as well."

There is a beat.

Of their own accord, Crystal's eyes peek over the page to watch Enio's bowed head. "I told him to wear his collar up. His scars were still showing through the makeup and Victor's the kind of piece who would wear it like that anyway." Enio grabs at his knees and lets out a facsimile of a laugh. "He would only stand there after I said that. Frozen cold. I had to get up and do it myself. I suppose that wasted precious time." It is as if he put on weight over the course of that sentence. The couch now sags beneath him. "What do you want from me?"

"You invited me here, Enio. I know it wasn't to help me extort you, and I will not offer you my hand. I came here not as a hero, but as your personal villain. What do you want?"

"My life."

"Then don't give up."

"I already have. My wife, my son, are all gone. I gave them all up for my chemical. There was so much I had to do, and I had to give them up so they could find something better than me."

"What have we done to each other? What is it about this world that everyone will give up on their real dream before their fake one? Like, without fail. We are so close to having everything we need, but we cannot stop until we scorch our souls, setting everything we hold to ruin."

"I don't know," Enio admits, and rests back into the blue-drowned cushions with a wry cluck. "We Icari." 

|-TASK FOUR-|

There isn't anything you have to write about this time. This is the song task and that is all that it is. The video in the header of this chapter is Chi Mai by Ennio Morricone and that is your inspiration. I'll be sending out some links in discord as well, and just be careful because there are a few different versions of the song about, so make sure to use the one provided. For a song task, I judge it by how well the mood and tempo of your writing matches those of the song, as well as if the progression of your entry follows the song's progression. I have mapped out the different sections in the song and will be looking for these sections to each be represented. If you have any questions about the criteria, just ask and I'll be happy to give some advice and lead you to excellent examples of song tasks from prior competitions. 

|-WORD LIMIT-|

10,000 words.

|-STAKES-|

All entries will go up for votes this task. I will not be giving out any byes, but I will have a special vote in which the highest graded entry will get 4 votes, then 3, then 2, then 1 in descending order. Three of you will make it to the finals.

|-DEADLINE-|

Sunday August 10th 11:00 PM EST

Remember to email your submission to me at [email protected] before the deadline. EVERYONE must submit like this. If you would like additional feedback, you can ALSO share a Google Doc with the same email before the deadline. Good luck!

|-THE_HACKER-|

The Hacker: Jordan Baxter

The Victim: Delilah

The Crime: "Magic mushrooms desynchronize your brain for up to three weeks."

SilverBowAndArrow: 5 (+0)

Delilah: 6 (+3)

Marigold Estes: 4 (+0)

Jordan Baxter: 4 (+2)

Fiddle: 1 (+0)

Wish Bone Lean: 4 (+0)

Aleki Young: 2 (+0)