Although the Pod was extremely lightweight and fluid in its motion, its landing in the West Fields was sickening. They had all braced for the impact and knew what they had to do, but this shock was bigger than expected.

Dizzy and sprawling on the floor, it took them several lengthy seconds to admit they were all safe. Epos was the first the get up.

"Quick, hurry up. You need to get running now!"

Starling immediately took Ananda's hand. Although she was still mad at him, she didn't push him back. They headed through the sliding gates and jumped on the ground in a cloud of red dust, followed by Arende and Kizuna. Jay stayed behind, reluctant to leave. He called out to the group:

"We will come to get you."

"I know you will."

The last thing he saw was Kizuna's little salute and her brave smile before she disappeared into the Fields, in the direction of the Waste Zone. Was it the last time he saw her? He felt this characteristic, nesting fear inside him. The fear of loss... It was now a matter of seconds before they would all get caught or escape. But Jay knew he had become different: hopefully, no system would identify him. He had more time. He turned to Epos, frowning.

"No, I won't give you in."

His fate depended on the human being he hated the most. How could he trust his enemy, this man who showed no faith or mercy... This blond rat.

I hope Aura knew what he was doing.

"Yeah? Well, I don't trust you."

"Yep, I can't be trusted." Epos' evil grin was an invitation to fight, but Jay didn't move. Something was telling him Aura had to be right... Epos spoke again:

"The Restricted Area. The sooner the better. My life also depends on you, now. I hear them. Just get the hell away!"

A speedy jump onto the dusty soil. Tiny dry particles all over his hands, sticking to his damaged suit. Hiding behind the tall red leafy plants of the Fields. The soft buzz of the Retrievers' pod. A last look above his shoulder: Epos standing obediently beside the Retrievers, looking down. The now familiar, quiet and self-assured composure of GloCo's agents. Epos looking small and defeated for the first time. A mad race towards the Red City, which Jay had to fly over before reaching the Composium...

Jumping into a Utility Pod was easy and although he was prepared for it, it came as a shock not to be formally identified. As night was falling, Jay quickly travelled above the City. The peaceful atmosphere of the colony contrasted with the wild beats of his heart. Steadying his breath, he realized how unique and enjoyable it was not to have to exert permanent control over his feelings anymore.

You can't cure me. You can't catch me. You can't know how I feel.

The softly gleaming little blue lights, the large elongated streets, the gigantic flat buildings. The ballet of pods flying southwards, swarming near the Leisure Pod Centre. Thousands and thousands of twinkling lights in the City, indicating the high activity of Dream pods. In the hush of his vehicle, Jay contemplated the beauty of the Red City, its quiet, harmless activity. For an instant, he longed for the careless life experienced there. He wondered if he had ever really been careless. And free. He felt as if a whirlpool of emotions and experiences had left him stranded on the shore of B24. Could he ever reconcile the rush of boiling feelings and the hint of exhaustion that constantly merged inside his mind and body?

For an instant, Jay thought he was going to fall asleep. Asleep meant exposing himself to various kinds of dreams, dark and vivid, that left searing traces of happiness or pain on every inch of his skin. Alternating, always, between past and future. Sapphire lights were dancing before him, reminiscent of old departures. The Red City reigned below like a Queen of the desert, holding sway over dust and dryness in a quiet, subdued way.

The Pod was a peaceful, docile specimen. Her low, humming sound lulled him into an unexpected state of comfort, while the view of the spreading town was dissolving before his eyes in a beguiling manner. The immense network of streets and their beryl little dots started dancing and Jay's head fell on his chest.

Silence in times of danger is a daring luxury. Exposed yet blissful, Jay fell into oblivion at the worst moment possible... until a sense of stillness brought him to his senses. The Pod had solftly landed near the Arch. The night was still. A few vehicles were still active, and a handful of passengers was trickling steadily through the gigantic filtering device.

The Arch was destroyed. The Composium was shattered. Epos was right... It looks as if nothing happened.

Jay gently patted the Command Pad, bidding the Pod good bye and leaving the Landing Zone's safety to reach the Arch. The Composium was quite a sight, even for a runaway. The immense structure expanded over thousands of square miles, into a vast, intricate grid of flat buildings with shiny or see-through walls. Most of the roof structure reflected starlight and sunlight, so that it was constantly enveloped with a protected shield of coruscated glimmers.

At that time of the day, luckily, noone noticed the sturdy athletic man passing through the Arch without triggering any greeting identification message.  Noone heeded his slightly erratic look, his damaged suit, his excessively lean yet muscular figure. The passageway remained silent and Jay pushed through, his heart beating wildly.

This is it, then. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The rest was a blur of looks exchanged, people met, growing whispers. Retracing his old steps, Jay entered the Composium, went swiftly through the Station where all traces of the Galaxy Games had been removed, except one. High up above the main gates, a colossal screen displayed Starling's regular, fine features. Below his smiling, handsome face, Jay could read:

Memory be given to the One who Fights.

In Loving Memory of Starling Kite, Galaxy Games Warrior.

It is all for the best.

The place was shiny and spotless and it was hard to believe it had recently been the scene of total chaos. Glider after Glider, Jay moved deeper into the Composium. Developing department. Department of Transportation. Department of Water. Recreational Department... The Composium started looking more stern and official. GloCo's interlaced initials appeared on all the sliding gates as Jay headed towards the Restricted Area. Rehearsals with Aura had imprinted the Composium's map in his mind and he didn't hesitate for an instant. He knew that the place where they would keep Epos lay beyond the Composium's main grounds. He had to borrow Ascenders and traverse an open field scattered with stones and shining gems, to reach the Intelligence Area, a whole separate, complex building. A smaller Arch greeted him with an empty, silent message... GloCo's reign was such that the possibility of a free agent had not been envisaged. After all, not a single human being walked on this planet without having their body and soul checked upon permanently.

So with increased confidence, Jay kept hurrying through the corridors and the now empty, dark rooms, until he came closer to the dreaded, mysterious Restricted Area. But there was no entering further into these meanders without encountering a more demanding checking system. Stepping through a large, noiseless hall, Jay met a Guardian Retriever who instantly cocked his eyebrow and looked at him in a perplexed way.

"Your arrival wasn't announced. Decline your ID, please."

"Auditing Agent 189. Clearance demanded," said Jay, knowing all too well that his looks didn't match the status mentioned. The Guardian Retriever scanned him from head to toe and seemed to waver for an instant. He then moved his hand in the direction of Jay's forehead. This move indicated both a threat and an examination, but Jay didn't react and stood there, waiting. He had accepted to rush ahead of danger.

The Retriever lay a quiet hand on Jay's forehead, widened his eyes and gave him a perplexed look.

"Mh... What's your mission?"

"Epos Meane's reconditioning. This has to be finished asap."

Meanwhile, a second Retriever had joined them and performed the same trick on Jay. They looked at each other.

"No impeachment. It means you can enter."

"Wait... no notice given?"

"That's right. But Auditing Agent 189 is registered. And Epos Meane's case is to be closed tonight."

"Right. You may go," said the other, gazing at Jay with piercing eyes.

Jay nodded and walked swiftly ahead, looking confident. He knew the identity suggested by Aura was reliable, but improvising about Epos had been risky. He felt his heart racing madly in his chest. While pondering on the foolishness of the situation, he kept quickening his steps, passing through several vocal checkpoints. His auditing agent identity proved trustworhty, even if he sensed tension building up. Each time it took a little more time for clearance to be granted.

He finally reached the Restricted Area. What he discovered was mainly a long gallery of rooms. Transparent walls allowed to see couches aligned under neat medical equipment. Jay recognized the place as soon as he saw it. He had been there. Yes, he had been on a couch like that. Surrounded by this spotless environment and unmanned apparatus. His memory splurted out visions that tore his guts apart. He had been through hell there... Stumbling, breathing fast, he started running, fear gripping him by surprise. He kept on running until he heard a piercing scream in the quiet, still edifice.

Epos...

Jay rushed toward the place where the blond rat was lying, more immobile and rigid than a statue, yet developing impossible sounds of horror. He was lying flat on his back, eyes wide open, his slender body glimmering all over with silvery nuances. Something that resembled a second skin covered him completely, going up his neck and face, and it looked vibrant and alive. That thing was actively shivering over Epos, and every tremor seemed to trigger a new piercing scream.

Coming closer, Jay froze in abomination. Epos was staring at an invisible spot. Wrapped in the gleaming membrane, his body was extremely tense, and sweat was trickling over his pale face. The soft sheath constantly rearranged itself, pressing a little, losening its grip here and there. He opened his mouth but no sound came out of it. Jay realized he had very little time left. By the look of those veins pumping up, and considering the screens nearby displaying increasingly erratic lines and fleeting images, whatever the reconditioning process was aiming at was almost achieved. 

"Cancelling phase activated in 30 seconds."

Jay grabbed every bit of skin he could seize, and ripped it from Epos. The more skin he shed, the more Epos seemed to gasp, until he suddenly writhed in pain, finally able to move. Jay didn't stop tearing madly at the live enveloppe, breaking millions of tiny threads as he went on. As he kept disconnecting this gluing network, Epos seemed to regain some of his senses and crossed Jay's eyes. He tried to sit up but before Jay could help him, his head fell back and he shut his eyes. Drenched in sweat, livid and litsless, his muscles relaxed and his features lost their usual hardness.

He's falling asleep! That's why he told me... Of course, he knew what was going to happen.

Jay slapped Epos and pulled him with difficulty from his couch, while the membrane was trying to reconnect its multifarious threads and glue itself to him again. In the midst of all the hissing noises and low flashlights the wrestle produced, Jay managed to wreak Epos from the hellish place where memories were diffused out of people's minds.

A low, drilling sound now resounded as Jay crossed various halls and rooms, dragging an exhausted, disorientated Epos. He knew where he had to go, still deeper and further into the Composium, to the most forbidden place of all. Hurrying by, he caught glances of other rooms and couches and wondered how many suspicious deeds were achieved there. The alarm was now getting louder. As Jay tried to go faster, Epos stumbled and fell, letting out a sharp cry of pain. He looked at Jay and said the most surprising thing:

"I'm not of any use, I'm too weak. Leave me. Your last chance is to run and reach the Flight Zone. Run now, run!"

Jay considered the proposition, his breath abated, his mind confused. He felt the temptation of revenge, the urge to leave Epos behind and let his dear Retrievers deal with him the way he deserved to be treated. But instead, he pulled Epos from the ground, hurled him on his shoulders and started running again, madly.

The moment he resumed his race, Epos lost consciousness. Jay was alone.

Carrying the inert weight of his enemy, stressed out by the ever-growing sound of the alarm, confused by all he had seen and the near-certainty of his imminent death, he pushed through, thinking of his friends waiting for him. Thinking of Aura. Thinking of Hera. Thinking of Kizuna.

Braving death was certainly easier than facing his own feelings...