MONSTROSITY

Her wings beat in the air at the highest point of a building, overlooking the imposing Tower of the Executors.

—Damn, where the hell can that scoundrel be?

—Elara... Samuel is... in the Tower," The Shadow whispered in an erratic and bewildering voice. "There is... a police cordon in the... cafeteria. That means they have probably taken him here. The Tower of the Executors... is where... you must look.

Elara turned to try to understand the broken messages coming from that place.

A dark and sinister presence emerged, it was her, from when she was driven only by bloodlust.

—How can you be sure Samuel is in the Tower?—asked Elara curiously.

The Shadow nodded slowly. —I can smell him... I can smell two people with Samuel's characteristic smell. But I don't know why.

From her position on the building, Elara could see a strong police contingent around the Tower of the Executors. Blue and red lights flashed, and security agents patrolled the surroundings. There were also drones flying over the area.

Elara considered what Alex would do.

—Listen, Elara. I have an elaborate plan that will allow you to infiltrate undetected. We can use the shadows to hide.

However, instead of following her alter ego's approach, Elara decided to take a more direct approach. —Instead of complicating things with an elaborate plan, I could simply approach one of the Tower's offices and ask about Samuel.

12.1

Valeria listened attentively to Samuel, but she couldn't help feeling a slight doubt inside. Did he really not remember anything about the war against the aliens?

She decided that she had wasted enough time on this topic, instead, she noted in his file the need to conduct a more detailed study of his memory.

— Well, Samuel, now that we've talked about your experience in the war, I'd like to know more about your relationship with Lily. I've noticed there's a special connection between you, can you tell me more about it?

Samuel felt a momentary tingling but this was his chance to get rid of Lily and his past.

— I'm willing to testify against Lily, in exchange I want immunity, isn't that a fair deal?—

Valeria took a moment to think about Samuel's proposal. On the one hand, it was an opportunity to obtain valuable information about Lily. If Samuel testified against her, it could help convict and bring her to justice. On the other hand, Valeria wasn't sure if she could trust Samuel.

— Samuel, before we go any further, I'd like to better understand why you want to make this deal. What is your motivation for testifying against Lily?

Samuel sweated before answering. — Valeria, I should clarify that my relationship with Lily as an employer occurred after the alien war. At that time, she was still a kind person and used her position to help others in the darkness that had emerged. However, as time went on, I noticed a change in her attitude and methods.

Valeria understood Samuel's perspective better. — Would you mind explaining what you mean by "kind"? What kinds of actions was she taking at that time?

Samuel took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding. — When I say Lily was kind, I mean she cared deeply about the people suffering due to the aftermath of the war.

— It seems you are disappointed by the change you've observed in Lily. Am I correct?

Samuel frowned, recalling a particular incident. — After the war, while I was in the mining town of Clamoria, an incident occurred that I suspect may have marked a significant change in Lily. It was related to the orphanage where she lived and the father.

A small speaker inside the room announced the public execution of Diablo.

Valeria approached the cell door and stopped. She looked back at Samuel, who was watching her.

—Samuel —she said formally—, I have a different proposal.

—What proposal? —

—On behalf of the party, I am willing to offer you a binding contract. If you accept the contract, you will be given a new identity and protection under the protection of the party. In exchange, you must testify against Lily. Furthermore, you will help me go after the criminal citadel and its high command.

—Let me explain in detail how this binding deal would work. As you know well, the law is my life and my duty as an executor is to ensure it is strictly enforced.

—I must emphasize that if either party fails to comply with the agreement, the other party has the legal right to retaliate. This means that if the Party fails to keep its word, I myself as a representative would pass away.

Valeria left Samuel's cell and went to oversee the public execution of Diablo, a known revolutionary.

She had the binding contract page carefully stored among her documents. She knew it was a risky deal, but it could be the key to dismantling the feared criminal citadel once and for all.

On the way to the execution yard, Valeria decided to stop by the Party's offices to rest for a few minutes. She needed to process all the details of the plan thoroughly before moving forward.

Once at her desk, she took out the sheet with the binding contract and read it several times. Everything seemed in order, and the terms were clear.

Sitting she could hear a slogan coming from under the floating island. "Freedom for the oppressed!" a voice shouted among the crowd. Immediately the police mobilized to silence the subversive shouts.

Immediately, an amplified voice was heard over the loudspeakers:

Attention, this is a restricted area. Any attempt to disrupt order will be met with lethal force. I repeat, any attempt to disrupt will be met with lethal force.

One of the protesters managed to break free and ran straight towards the execution platform wielding a knife. Valeria didn't hesitate for an instant. She spoke into the intercom she wore on her uniform:

—To the officers on the front line, you have authorization to open fire. I repeat, you have authorization to open fire.

The shouts were quickly silenced, replaced by moans of pain. Valeria showed no expression on her face.

12.2

Alex heard the report of his creation. Clearly, something very sinister was happening in the city, beyond the search for Samuel.

He scribbled some new instructions in his God's Notebook:

Priority #1: Continue searching for clues about Samuel's whereabouts, but exercise extreme caution to avoid being detected. Priority #2: Gather evidence of illegal activities and report them anonymously to the authorities. Priority #3: Abandon any civilian in danger.

The notebook offered him two limited possibilities based on his level.

The bound girl could be a clone used as food. Tame the creature.

He added a new instruction:

"Leave the encounter for now and continue searching for clues about Samuel."

Warning.

Special Priority #1 Eliminate the creature to level up."