Darkness.
A voice.
“Dani.”
Far away.
Another.
“Let him sleep.”
Footsteps.
A door.
Then:
nothing.
Hours earlier.
Daniel was not moving.
Monitor.
Breathing.
Bandages.
His left arm immobilised.
Part of his face covered.
A dark line of dried blood still visible beside his cheek.
Flora stood beside the bed.
She said nothing.
Lina was on the other side.
“You can sit down.”
Flora shook her head.
“I'm fine.”
Lina looked at her.
Flora lowered her eyes to Daniel.
“He's an idiot.”
“A complete idiot.”
Flora barely smiled.
Then looked at him again.
“When he wakes up, tell him I came.”
“I will.”
Flora took a step towards the door.
Stopped.
“No.”
Lina frowned.
“No what?”
“Don't tell him.”
“Why?”
Flora looked at Daniel again.
“Because he'll make a nuisance of himself.”
Lina smiled.
“That too.”
Evening fell.
Lina went out for a few minutes.
Coffee.
A call.
Air.
When she returned, someone was outside the room.
Xenya.
A small bandage on one hand.
A cut on her lip.
Clean clothes.
Her hair still untidy.
She was not carrying her daggers.
For the first time since Lina had known her:
she seemed not to know what to do with her hands.
“Do you want to go in?” Lina asked.
Xenya looked up.
“I...”
A pause.
“I only came to see if he was still alive.”
Lina looked towards the bed.
“He still is.”
“Good.”
Xenya nodded.
Did not move.
Lina opened the door.
“I'm going to get something to drink.”
Xenya looked at her.
“You don't have to.”
“I know.”
Lina went out anyway.
Xenya went in.
Closed the door.
Very slowly.
Daniel was still unconscious.
Xenya came closer.
A chair.
She sat down.
Stood up.
Sat down again.
“This is ridiculous.”
Daniel did not answer.
Xenya rested her elbows on her knees.
Looked at him.
“You're much less annoying like this.”
Silence.
“In case you're interested.”
Nothing.
Xenya looked down.
Her hands.
The bandage.
The small cuts.
Then she looked at Daniel's face again.
“You didn't have to do that.”
Her voice came out quieter than she expected.
She frowned.
“Well...”
Corrected herself.
“Yes, you did.”
A pause.
“Because you don't know how to stay back.”
Daniel breathed.
Monitor.
Xenya swallowed.
“But...”
She looked towards the door.
As if checking that no one was there.
Turned back to him.
“Thank you.”
Nothing.
Xenya smiled awkwardly.
“For me.”
Another pause.
“For everyone.”
She looked at his immobilised arm.
The bandage on his face.
“I would have gone in.”
Silence.
“Even if Vega had told me not to.”
Xenya looked down.
“And she probably would have caught me.”
No answer came.
Of course.
Xenya stayed still.
“You did go in.”
Her fingers moved towards Daniel's right hand.
Stopped before touching it.
Xenya looked at her own hand.
Drew it away.
Immediately.
“Right.”
She stood up.
Too quickly.
The chair scraped the floor.
Xenya caught it.
“Perfect.”
She breathed.
“This didn't happen.”
She reached the door.
Stopped.
Looked back.
Daniel was still the same.
“Wake up.”
A pause.
“You still owe me an explanation.”
Xenya left.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Daniel opened one eye.
White.
Ceiling.
Light.
He closed it.
Opened it again.
A lamp.
A curtain.
A wall.
Hospital.
He tried to move his head.
Pain.
“No...”
A chair moved.
“Dani.”
Daniel shifted his gaze.
Lina.
“Hello,” he murmured.
Lina looked at him for two seconds.
Then gave him a very gentle tap on the leg.
“Idiot.”
Daniel closed his eye.
“That hurt an awful lot.”
“Liar.”
“A little.”
Lina stood up.
Came closer.
And hugged him.
Carefully.
Daniel felt her avoiding his shoulder.
He raised his right hand.
Rested it on her back.
“I'm here.”
“I know.”
Her voice sounded different.
Daniel said nothing.
When she drew away, he tried to move his left arm.
Nothing.
He looked.
Immobiliser.
Bandages.
“Shoulder,” Lina said.
Daniel breathed.
“Ah.”
Lina pointed at his face.
“And that.”
Daniel raised his hand.
She caught it.
“No.”
“I was only going to touch it.”
“Well, don't.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Is it that bad?”
Lina did not answer immediately.
That was enough.
“Can I see it?”
Lina picked up the mirror from the table.
“The doctor said that, for now, there doesn't seem to be any serious damage to your eye.”
Daniel stopped smiling.
“For now?”
“It's very swollen. They need to keep checking it.”
Daniel took the mirror.
Bandage.
Bruises.
Swollen skin.
And a wound running from the area around his eyebrow down towards the side of his face.
Daniel stared.
“Will it stay?”
“Part of the scar probably will.”
Silence.
Daniel put down the mirror.
The Alpha.
Claw.
Blood.
“The others?”
“Alive.”
Daniel closed his eye.
Let all the air out.
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
Lina sat down.
“Iskander's in quite a bad way, but stable. Alyra and Xenya have bruises and exhaustion. Melisa's fine, considering. Vega and Serrano are still in hospital.”
Daniel nodded.
“Good.”
Lina looked at him.
“Some of them have been here.”
Daniel turned towards her.
“Who?”
“Flora.”
Daniel smiled.
“What did she say?”
“Not to tell you she'd been here.”
“Very Flora.”
“Nair came by too.”
“Nair?”
“He left you some water.”
Daniel looked at the bottle on the table.
“Of course.”
“And Armando put in an appearance.”
Daniel's smile faded a little.
“Did he come in?”
“Not for long.”
“Very him, too.”
Lina hesitated.
Daniel saw it.
“Who else?”
“Xenya.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow slightly.
Pain.
Bad idea.
“Xenya?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
Lina shrugged.
“I wasn't here.”
Daniel looked at her.
“How convenient.”
“I went to get coffee.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Dani.”
“I haven't said anything.”
The door opened.
A doctor came in with a woman wearing A.E.E. identification.
“Daniel Rodríguez.”
“Yes.”
“How are you feeling?”
Daniel looked at his body.
“Wonderful.”
Lina gave a small laugh.
The doctor did not.
“Your shoulder injury will need time. Your eye will remain under observation, but right now we see no signs of permanent loss of vision.”
Daniel exhaled slowly.
“All right.”
“You've suffered several injuries. No training.”
Daniel looked at him.
“How long?”
“We'll talk about that later.”
“That never means anything good.”
The woman from the A.E.E. took a step forward.
“When you're well enough, we'll need your statement about E-47.”
Lina looked up.
“He's only just woken up.”
“I didn't say now.”
Daniel looked at the woman.
“What do you want to know?”
“What you remember.”
Forest.
Alpha.
Ground.
0
Then:
fragments.
Daniel frowned.
“Not much.”
The woman made a note.
“We'll come back.”
When they left, Lina closed the door.
“Don't say anything yet.”
Daniel looked at her.
“About what?”
Lina opened her mouth.
The door opened again.
Xenya came in first.
Behind her:
Alyra.
Melisa.
Iskander in a wheelchair.
Daniel looked at the chair.
Iskander raised a finger.
“Not a word.”
Daniel smiled.
“I wasn't going to say anything.”
“That's a lie.”
Alyra pushed the chair.
“He's been saying he can walk since we left.”
“I can.”
“You can't.”
Xenya walked past them.
“If you try to stand up, I'll sit you back down myself.”
Iskander looked at her.
“Those are threats.”
“Correct.”
Daniel watched them.
Bandages.
Bruises.
Tiredness.
Daniel looked down.
“I'm sorry.”
Xenya frowned.
“No.”
Daniel raised his head.
“What?”
“Don't start.”
“I was only going to...”
“I know what you were going to do.”
Daniel barely smiled.
“Can you read minds now?”
“No. You're predictable.”
Alyra looked at Xenya.
Xenya noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Alyra said.
Xenya frowned.
Melisa closed the door.
Daniel noticed.
“Right.”
He looked at them.
“What's going on?”
Melisa folded her arms.
“What do you remember?”
Daniel thought.
“The Alpha.”
“Go on.”
“I was on the ground.”
Silence.
“I couldn't get up.”
Xenya looked down.
Daniel continued.
“Then...”
Something.
Very quiet.
Daniel frowned.
“I heard a hum.”
All four went still.
Alyra was the first.
“A hum?”
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.”
He looked at their faces.
“What happened?”
Iskander let out a breath.
“You got up.”
“I remember that.”
“No.”
Iskander shook his head.
“Afterwards.”
Alyra spoke.
“The Alpha attacked you.”
Daniel waited.
“And didn't reach you.”
Daniel frowned.
“That makes no sense.”
“Exactly,” Xenya said.
Daniel looked at her.
Xenya came a little closer.
“You'd take a step.”
A pause.
“And appear where you shouldn't have been.”
“Appear?”
“Not like...”
Xenya searched for the word.
“You didn't disappear.”
Daniel waited.
“I don't know how to explain it.”
“You're the fast one.”
“Exactly.”
Xenya looked at him.
“That's why I know that wasn't speed.”
Alyra continued.
“There was something around you, too.”
“What?”
“The background looked wrong.”
Daniel frowned.
“Wrong?”
“Displaced.”
Alyra raised a hand.
“As if something didn't fit.”
Melisa added:
“It looked like a manifestation.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Ether?”
Silence.
“Did I use Ether?”
Xenya shook her head.
“We don't know what you used.”
“But you saw it.”
Alyra nodded.
So did Iskander.
Melisa:
“All of us.”
Daniel opened his right hand.
Closed it.
Nothing.
“And the Alpha?”
Xenya looked at him.
“You drove her back.”
Daniel took a while to answer.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I can't.”
Xenya did not smile.
“I know.”
Daniel looked at Melisa.
“What did I do?”
“We don't know.”
Alyra spoke:
“The last blow...”
Daniel looked at her.
Alyra continued.
“You hit her.”
“With what?”
“Your fist.”
Daniel looked at his hand.
“That's impossible.”
Iskander let out a breath.
“We had several of those that day.”
Daniel let his hand fall onto the sheet.
“What did you tell the A.E.E.?”
Silence.
Xenya leaned back against the wall.
“That it was me.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
“Voltris intervention.”
“Xenya...”
“Vega decided.”
Melisa nodded.
“Serrano supported it.”
Daniel looked at them all.
“Why?”
Alyra answered.
“Because you're still zero.”
Daniel frowned.
“I know that.”
“We saw something that doesn't fit any of the seven Houses.”
Silence.
“And we don't know what would happen if someone inside the A.E.E. decided they needed to find out what you are.”
Daniel looked at Lina.
“That's why.”
She nodded.
Melisa spoke.
“We don't know if we're overreacting.”
“That's very reassuring.”
“But we don't know if we aren't, either.”
Xenya looked away.
“For now, the report says it was me.”
Daniel watched her.
“You could get into trouble.”
Xenya looked at him again.
“You stood in front of the Alpha for all of us.”
Daniel did not answer.
“So we're fairly even.”
Daniel barely smiled.
“I don't think so.”
Xenya shrugged.
“Your problem.”
Daniel looked at the four of them.
A thought seemed to strike him.
“So what happens to us now?”
Iskander raised his head slightly.
“To us?”
Daniel gestured at the group as best he could.
“This.”
Alyra understood.
“Nothing's been decided.”
Daniel looked at her.
Alyra continued:
“They put us together for E-47.”
Melisa nodded.
“The grouping was part of operational training. Different Houses, U.A.O., affinities and roles working together on a real, supervised outing.”
Xenya leaned a shoulder against the wall.
“We're not a permanent unit.”
Daniel fell silent.
Iskander looked around.
“So after nearly dying together, they split us up?”
Alyra looked at him.
“That was always the plan.”
“Poor emotional planning.”
Xenya let out a breath through her nose.
Daniel smiled.
Melisa shook her head.
“After the reports, they'll decide our next postings and training. We might end up together again.”
“Or we might not,” Daniel said.
No one answered immediately.
Xenya was the first.
“Well, we'll see.”
Melisa picked up a bag.
Put it on the table.
“There's something else.”
Daniel looked at her.
Inside:
fragments of the A.R.E.
“That is registered,” Melisa said.
She took out a second bag.
Smaller.
Daniel saw what was inside.
A claw.
Large.
Dark.
“This isn't yet,” Melisa said.
Daniel looked up.
“What do you mean, it isn't?”
“I found it before they finished the recovery inventory.”
Silence.
“I put it with your equipment while they were evacuating you.”
Daniel looked at the claw.
“Does the A.E.E. know it's here?”
Melisa shook her head slightly.
“It hasn't been registered yet.”
Xenya watched the bag.
So did Daniel.
“Melisa...”
“I haven't decided what to do with it.”
“That's even less reassuring.”
“Good.”
Melisa put the bag on the table.
“When we know what really happened, we'll decide.”
Iskander raised a finger.
“Brilliant. First mission and we've already got secrets.”
Alyra looked at him.
“You're not helping.”
“I'm trying to ease the tension.”
“You're not easing it.”
“Then I'll try later.”
Daniel looked at the claw.
A sound.
Metal.
CRACK.
Nothing else.
“Did I break it?”
“It looks like it,” Melisa answered.
Daniel let out a breath.
“I don't remember doing it.”
“We know.”
Melisa put the small bag away again.
“For now, it stays here.”
Hours later.
Evaluation room.
Daniel seated.
Shoulder immobilised.
Bandage on his face.
Sensors.
Lina behind the glass.
Melisa waited beside her.
The technician activated the S.E.E.
Daniel looked at the screen.
RESERVE: 0
FLOW: 0
CONTROL: 0
SYNCHRONY: 0
Silence.
The technician frowned.
Daniel did not.
“Again.”
The technician looked at him.
“The reading is valid.”
“Again.”
Second reading.
Sensors.
Silence.
RESERVE: 0
FLOW: 0
CONTROL: 0
SYNCHRONY: 0
Daniel looked at the result.
The technician checked a side window.
His expression changed.
Very slightly.
Daniel saw it.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Your face didn't say ‘nothing’.”
The technician did not answer.
A notification appeared at one edge of the screen.
RAW DATA REQUEST
INTERNAL PRIORITY
SOURCE: RESTRICTED
Daniel managed to read it.
“Who requested that?”
The technician moved the window.
Too late.
“It isn't shown.”
The woman from the A.E.E. entered the room.
Looked at the screen.
Then at Daniel.
“Send the unprocessed records as well.”
Daniel watched her.
“To whom?”
The woman held his gaze.
“I don't know.”
Daniel smiled without humour.
“You're getting more reassuring by the minute.”
She looked at the results.
“Have you manifested anything since you woke up?”
Daniel thought of Xenya.
A step.
An impossible distance.
The Alpha.
“No.”
“Nothing?”
Daniel raised his right hand.
Empty.
“Nothing.”
The woman studied the screen.
“According to the S.E.E., you still show no recorded activity.”
Daniel looked at the four zeros.
That night.
Lina was asleep in the chair.
Daniel was not.
He went into the bathroom.
Switched on the light.
Looked in the mirror.
Removed part of the bandage, as far as he was allowed.
The wound crossed the area around his eyebrow.
Ran down towards the side of his face.
Swollen.
Red.
Still fresh.
A mark.
That would probably stay.
Daniel raised his right hand.
Waited.
Nothing.
Five seconds.
Nothing.
He closed his fist.
The Alpha.
Too far away.
The fist.
Impact.
Daniel opened his hand.
Nothing had changed.
He looked at himself again.
One eye open.
The other still swollen.
Shoulder immobilised.
Bandages.
The door appeared in the mirror.
Lina was awake.
“What are you doing?”
Daniel looked at his hand.
“I don't know.”
“Well, don't do it at three in the morning.”
Daniel smiled.
“Great advice.”
“I'm your sister. That's what I'm here for.”
He went back to bed.
On the table:
a bag.
Inside:
the broken A.R.E.
Beneath it, still unregistered:
the Alpha's claw.
Then Daniel looked at his hand.
Somewhere in the A.E.E., someone had just requested all his data.
And the S.E.E. still said:
0 / 0 / 0 / 0
This time,
Daniel did not look away.
CUT TO BLACK.
END OF EPISODE 23 — TRACE