The street was quiet and peaceful. Somehow, this didn't surprise Dorrian. Back in the day—when he was younger—streets like this had been bustling with life. They were full of people, not always with honest intentions, busying themselves with their own affairs. It didn't matter whether it was day or night. It might sound cliché, but something was always happening.
Decent people avoided such places. They said it was dangerous, that you could lose your life. But in reality, this was the place that teemed with life. Dorrian, however, had listened to the call of civilization and wanted to escape from this street at all costs. And, ironically, today he deeply regretted having succeeded. He belonged there. He should have died with it. He felt safe there.
And now… he walked, more terrified than ever, when, as a toddler, he'd fled from people who wanted to hurt him for some foolish mischief he'd committed. Even though it had once been full of shady characters, he'd known what to expect in a place like this. He knew where to hide in case of an emergency, so as not to be discovered. Now the entire area was hostile to him. He was walking into the unknown, and he knew that what he feared wasn't people, but the artificiality that had crept into their lives.
Suddenly, a sound rang out. "A tipped bottle," he thought, "probably a cat... but... no... that's impossible, the cats are long gone! Wind? Some unexplained shift in the tectonic plate??? No, it couldn't be a coincidence. Better to be cautious. He approached the wall cautiously. He decided to wait a moment before moving on.
Damn! I wouldn't have even noticed something like that before. And now? Now I'm stuck like a terrified rat against the wall because something accidentally tipped over a bottle. Oh well. Except these days there are no coincidences anymore. Now everything's planned in advance... Anyway... never mind. As soon as they give me the slightest chance, I'll destroy this damned machine and return chance to the world... but for now... if I'm to make it in time, I have to risk it.
He moved. At first cautiously, along the wall. Then more and more boldly, until he was walking at a relatively fast pace, but never leaving the wall more than half a meter. Damn! I'm going to be late because of my dawdling. I hope this woman has more patience than me. By the way, I still don't know her name or what her real interest in eliminating Morris is. Because it's definitely not for noble reasons that she wants me to deal with him. Morris may not have been a prude, and he's already gotten under my skin, but for him to immediately become a threat to the world... Something stinks here. But for now... this is the only chance to even get close to this damned machine, so I have to dance to their tune... for now.
He approached the agreed-upon spot. The warehouse resembled an old hangar, surrounded on three sides by low buildings, with a slight rise on the fourth. It reminded Dorrian of those few happy moments during his internship in Bolivia during college. The perfect place for a trap. He'd better get his bearings first… It was still in its designated spot… so he probably wouldn't mind if I spent a little more time exploring.
He approached the nearest building. It looked abandoned. He went inside. After a moment of searching, he found the stairwell leading to the upper floor exactly where he'd expected it.
"Some things, thankfully, never change." He smiled to himself and carefully made his way up the stairs.
The upper floor was empty. Just a few scattered old pieces of furniture, with contents scattered here and there, barely recognizable now. A typical landscape for unfrequented parts of the city. He looked around for a safe vantage point over the surrounding area. He decided the window with the hanging remnants of the blinds was perfect for this purpose. He walked over and peered out. It was already semi-darkness outside, but Dorrian had excellent eyesight, so it didn't bother him at all. Nothing… absolutely nothing. Completely calm. Too calm, I'd say. If it's so dangerous, why is she standing so still? He pondered for a moment. “I can't see anything from here, and I can't stand here forever…” He carefully stepped away from the window.
Suddenly, however, he froze. “I fucking knew something was wrong.” He stood still, listening. “The sound came from somewhere across the street.” He walked back to the window and peered out. The woman he'd been meeting, a haven of peace just moments ago, also began to look around nervously. “What's going on? It's unlikely it was a coincidence. One strange sound, even today, can be logically explained. But two such occurrences in this desolate neighborhood are impossible.”
Dorrian took a closer look at the building across the street. Suddenly, something flashed by one of the shutters. "I could have sworn I saw something." He was about to turn his attention to the building opposite, when he noticed that the woman seemed to have noticed something too, because she began to creep toward one of the buildings. The one Dorrian was in. He panicked. He didn't know whether to continue watching the building opposite, or try to hide from her and wait for events to unfold.
He finally decided to trust her. He watched the building opposite, glancing only occasionally in her direction until she disappeared into the same building as him. A moment later, he heard the gentle creak of the stairs, which had also led him here. He turned in that direction and, expecting to see the woman herself, pressed a finger to his lips as if to signal her to be quiet. However, the wait for the woman's appearance seemed dangerously long. He already thought he must look like an idiot to the attacker, who was undoubtedly watching him from around the corner. However, when he lowered his finger and looked back out the window at the building opposite, he heard a slight sigh from the stairwell. When he turned, he noticed the stranger cautiously approaching him.
"I didn't know it was you," she whispered.
"What? Would the attacker be gesturing for you to be quiet?
" "If he thought it was one of his friends..."
"Hmmm..." I hadn't thought of that... so where did...
- As you were turning, that delicate light fell on your profile.
- And after just one meeting, my profile was so deeply etched in your memory that you recognized me by it?
- This is no time for silly jokes. I heard a sound across the street...
- Yes, I know, I heard it too. I was about to move on...
- And while we're on the subject. So what are you doing here?? Don't you trust me yet?
- Let's see... A strange woman comes up to me during my evening reflection and offers me a chance to settle scores with my old enemy, demanding absolutely nothing in return. Finally, she invites me to a deserted neighborhood to, as she put it, give me the details. You might call me a skeptic, but I don't trust gift horses and always look them in the mouth. Especially those I don't know.
- You're exaggerating a bit. First of all, it's not true that I'm not demanding anything from you. On the contrary: I'm demanding a lot.
- Well, that's exactly what I expected.
- As I told you before. I want you to leave the machine untouched so it can continue to serve humanity.
"As I told you, I can't promise you that.
" "I know, and I'm in it for you to change your mind.
" "Okay, okay. But now's not the time to chat. Do you know a safe place? Because we shouldn't be hanging around here any longer.
" "What about that guy on the other side?"
"He must have followed me, because I heard him earlier on my way here.
" "And you're only telling me this now?"
"Keep it down, he'll hear us. Besides, why should I tell you earlier? Besides, he probably didn't even notice you, because he didn't even react to your escape from the warehouse. I think he's still watching the windows, looking for me. I don't think he noticed you."
"Don't you think so? What if he noticed us both?
" "And what would he be waiting for?" If he were hostile and knew we were both here, he would have attacked already. If he hadn't expected us to meet and was hostile, he would have attacked me earlier. I'm sure he noticed me then. Besides, he didn't get here by accident. I think he's just watching me. Although I don't know why. To tell you the truth, I thought you and your brethren were preparing a trap for me.
"And what convinced you to trust me?
" "Nothing. I still don't trust you, but I decided to take a chance...
" "Right... But you're forgetting another possibility... Maybe the stranger actually found out about our meeting somehow and ambushed us, but he doesn't know we'd already met...
" "Yes... it's possible, but it seems unlikely to me, because then the stranger would be waiting with you, not searching for me in a ghost town.
" "Has it ever occurred to you that I might have lost him? And he stumbled upon you by accident?"
"No, because I saw how calm you were, and then how surprised you were by the strange noise coming from that building. Of course, you might have thought it was me sneaking into that building to check the area. But even so, I saw that you were clearly unprepared for unforeseen circumstances. And therefore, for an uninvited guest. Or rather, it's impossible to lose someone you're not expecting.
" "Okay. Point for you. How does that help us?
" "Nothing, actually. I think that regardless of the stranger's attitude, we shouldn't give him the opportunity to continue following us.
" "So what do you suggest?
" "We'll probably have to split up again.
" "But how do we do that?
" "One of us will leave without sneaking. The other will observe our stranger's actions and eliminate him if necessary.
" "So, should I act as bait?
" "That would be good. However, since the stranger is 99% sure he followed me here, and there's a chance he hasn't seen you yet, I think I should act as the rabbit this time."
"But I wouldn't be able to hurt him."
"Oh, right... I forgot about your 'moral principles'. You can't physically hurt anyone, but brainwashing is a possibility.
" "Don't mock me. You know best that it's not up to us. That's why we need you so much right now!"
"Okay, then we have to play this differently. Later, we'll discuss your moral principles and how "you" turned into "you"... But for now... We have to take a risk. Let's do as I said. You stay here and observe the stranger, and if you decide it's nothing serious, you'll catch up with me. However, if it turns out you think he's dangerous, or he's still following me, leave him to me. I'll try to ambush him after a few hours. In that case, wait a few days and try contacting me again.
" "But how will I find you?
" "And how did you find me the first time?... You'll be able to handle it. Besides, there's no telling if I'll still be alive.
" "But... okay, I guess we have no other choice, let's do as you said.
" "Okay, I'm leaving. Just remember! I'm relying on your judgment, so don't let me down. I wouldn't want to kill some errant Citizen who accidentally gave chase.
" "You can trust me."
"I'm still not sure about that."
With those words, Dorrian descended the stairs. He paused for a moment before leaving and adjusted the knife protruding from his belt. "I hope this isn't the time yet for us to embark on a murderous dance, dear friend," he thought, and stepped out into the street
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