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Chapter 46: Trust Issues (Part 2)

"I\'m kidding," she giggled. "These aren\'t the same stars you\'d see from Earth. What you see changes every night, depending on The Santa María\'s current location. The ship captures daily images of the space around it and sends them to the Novus."

Her eyes shone like the stars she described to me, as deep and vast as the Milky Way. I will cherish that memory for the rest of my life, yet also rue it, for I could have kissed her then. It was the perfect moment, and I let it slip away. The next day, I vanished before her eyes and lost my chance forever...

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"So let me get this straight," Amelia\'s thick French accent pulled him back to the present. "This Administrator who just contacted you... uh, Adriano...?"

"Ricardo," Alan corrected, his gaze drifting away from the moon overhead. From their spot atop the rooftop of the Moonlight Dream Inn, he could survey the entirety of Beginner\'s Town.

"Right, Ricardo Silva! So, he doesn\'t trust his colleagues?" Amelia asked, passing him the wine bottle they were sharing.

Alan took a swig before replying in a dry tone: "Seems so. He must have reached the same conclusion I did. The only way the Singular could have breached the strict Alvearium\'s security protocols is if someone inside helped it, which would be terrifyingly easy to do. That devilish thing could fit into a single memory drive. Hey, do you have any of those chocolate bars from earlier?"

"How about something that pairs better with wine? Do you fancy some bleu cheese?" she suggested, opening her inventory window, then glancing his way. "Y-You\'ll like it, trust me."

"If it\'s as good as this wine!" He shook the bottle, hearing it empty. "Oh..."

"I have another bottle, so drink up. It\'s courtesy of Kathleen Maher anyway," she muttered, avoiding his gaze.

"Huh? Did you steal this?"

"I took a couple of bottles as a parting gift, yes... and one of whiskey... and rum. And before you scold me or anything, she\'s a narcissistic jerk, okay?! So I don\'t feel bad in the slightest!"

"She seemed a bit mean, sure, but other than that, I enjoyed hanging out with her."

"Oh, come on! If you knew what she asked Karen and me to do, you\'d--!" Amelia\'s eyes widened, and she quickly pursed her lips.

"Karen? Your best friend, right? The tall girl with black hair? What? Did something happen between you two?"

Amelia snickered. "Who the hell said she was my best friend?"

"Your sister."

"Whatever," Amelia muttered, handing him a plastic box filled with thick slices of blue cheese. She then hugged her knees and rested her chin on them, the chilly night air playing with her hair. "Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"Sorry."

"For what?" he asked, his mouth full of cheese.

"For what we did to you."

"You helped me defeat that albino girl, so we\'re even now, remember?"

"But what about the others?! It didn\'t have to be this way!" She closed her eyes briefly before standing. The moonlight illuminated her distressed face, making her eyes glow like amber gemstones. "If people under Marco\'s influence knew what you\'ve been through--"

"Nothing would have changed," Alan interjected, setting aside the cheese box. "Your pals would have left anyway. Heck, I bet the rest would have quit too as the word spread. It\'s one guy\'s word against three years of peace in this world." He chuckled bitterly before his expression darkened. "Let\'s just say for a moment that Astrid listened to me and agreed to help, okay? So tell me, Amelia, who would stick around in a guild whose mission shifted from \'let\'s be number one\' to \'let\'s chase this invisible threat\'?"

"It\'s not invisible!" she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting her volume. "What happened today is proof of it," she added through clenched teeth.

"You\'ve been saying that all day, but I still don\'t see the connection. Why do you think this is all related?"

"Well..." She pouted, sitting back down, her hands in her lap. "It was pretty obvious that albino girl was targeting you. We can agree on that, right?"

"I suppose, yes... Her timing and how she spoke to me were suspicious." Alan pondered for a moment. "Ricardo Silva had access to my data, so other Administrators might too... Do you think that albino girl works for one of them?"

"Most likely," Amelia nodded slightly, biting her lip. "Someone wants to silence you..."

That thought sent chills down my spine!

"Hold on. If some crazed Alvearium employee really did bring the Destructor of Humanity here, why would other Users help them?"

"Oh, sweetie. Your naivety is kind of endearing, you know?" She sneered. "While most of us tried to survive or fight that virus, some weirdos worshiped it as the next step in human evolution. That\'s why it\'s no surprise if some of those nutjobs ended up here as passengers."

"I\'m the Embodiment of Progress..."

The voice of that mysterious girl echoed in his mind.

No freaking way... That\'s exactly what she said...

He leaned forward, overwhelmed by a sudden urge to vomit. "Jeez..."

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes... Thanks, Amelia. It all makes sense now."

Although I wish it didn\'t... If Users are really aiding this computer virus to thrive in this controlled environment... No... No, no, no, no, no!

This nightmare might never end, Isabella! The Novus could just be a repeat of Earth!

He tugged at his hair, buried his face in his arms, and repressed the urge to scream.

"Alan?" she called softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You don\'t have to bear this burden alone. You have Ashley, and now I\'m here too. I really want to help."

"You keep saying that," he whispered. "But why?"

"Call it a whim, or boredom, whatever! You should rather tell me why YOU\'RE doing it. Besides this hero complex you keep pushing on us..."

"Hero Complex?" he asked, chuckling, their gazes meeting. "You know what? Fine! You win, Amelia Laflamme! Let\'s team up, or whatever, as you say. I\'ll talk to Ashley about it tomorrow."

"You really enjoy playing hard to get, Alan Warden, but I can\'t complain," she giggled, offering her hand. "I don\'t mind a challenge now and then; it keeps things interesting."

\'Playing hard to get?\'

Alan thought, shaking her hand. She seemed genuinely relaxed, unlike her typically rigid demeanor, and her smile was as innocent as a child\'s.

Which is a stark contrast to the nightmare I had about her the other day, where I dreamed she was a blood-sucking demoness. Was my brain warning me to stay away from her? And now here I am, ready to trust her.

He chuckled, still holding Amelia\'s hand.

During that dream, I said, \'this isn\'t a bad way to die\'. Was that prophetic? Because if I have to make a deal with the devil to complete this mission, so be it.

"What\'s that smile about?" she asked, smirking. "Thinking something naughty? Come on, share."

"I\'m just relieved, that\'s all," he shrugged, releasing her hand. "It feels good to talk about this with someone who isn\'t an expressionless AI."

"Great. But aren\'t you concerned about starting from scratch? I might have some gold saved, but technically, we have no resources," she clicked her teeth, looking out over the town. "It\'s a shame Marco wouldn\'t help..."

"Haven\'t you heard the saying, \'better alone than in bad company\'? We have Ricardo Silva on our side now! He\'s worth a thousand Users. No, hundreds of thousands!" Alan munched on another slice of cheese, also observing the town. The colorful ads promised services available 24/7. "As for Marco and the others..." He began, sighing. "I can live without cleaning up my reputation, but it eases my heart to know that the one who hated me the most now sees me differently." He looked into her eyes and smiled.

Amelia\'s mouth hung open for a moment before she replied: "That\'s right! That means you\'ll have to do your best from now on so you can meet my standards!" She tossed her hair back and smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "It\'ll take a while before you can take on a two-headed dragon, so in the meantime, I\'ll handle it for you!"

"Sure! Go get them, Hell Princess!"

Amelia tilted her head, blushing. "I-I know I\'ve been calling myself that, but it\'s embarrassing when you say it out loud..." With that, she grinned and scooped up Sloochie from the floor, literal \'Z\' letters appearing above it. "I\'m going to get some rest. What about you?"

"I\'ll stay a bit longer," he replied, handing her back the cheese and the second wine bottle, but she shook her head.

"It\'s all yours. Good night, Alan."

"Good night, Hell Princess."

"Oh, shut up."

Amelia leaped down from the three-story building, leaving Alan alone under the digital moon. He looked up, feeling drained.

Oh, man. I don\'t know why, but I\'m in the mood to hear that song again. He opened his User Interface, his finger hovering over the Error tab.

I wonder if Adriano could help me with this. Doesn\'t hurt to try.

He tapped on his friend list and sent a message:

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\'Hey, sorry to bother you. I should have waited until you contacted me first, but... Could you help me with something? One of my UI options has been locked for some reason since my return. You\'re the Glitch Administrator, right? Could you help, please? See ya. Peace, man.\'

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After sending the message, Alan reopened a message from Amelia from hours earlier:

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\'Here\'s the song I showed you earlier. It wasn\'t free, just so you know. But I bought it for you, so you can become a Cosmic fan too!\'

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He tapped on the file, and the song began playing in his mind.

Through the stars, I send my plea

Just come back and set me free

I have so much to say

So come here and hear me sing

~ My he-aa-art goes boom-boom when you\'re not arounddd! ~

"Music and melancholy... What a match made in heaven," he muttered.

After hearing the song one more time, he received a new message notification from Ricardo. Whoa, I didn\'t expect him to reply until tomorrow. Is he an insomniac?

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Ricardo: The system must have locked your inbox after you logged out. Do you want me to restore it?

Alan: But I\'ve been using the messenger just fine since yesterday.

Adriano: After you left, some private messages were sent to your inbox, and the System blocked any access to them. There. Restored. And those from Ashley Yates too. I\'ll catch some \'z\'s\' now. Today\'s conversation has been the most tiring I\'ve had since I started working.

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"Ashley Yates..." Alan muttered as he tapped the newly available \'Inbox\' tab.

\'191 Unread Messages.\'

Astrid #1: Alan? Where are you? I hope this isn\'t a prank, you idiot!