Chapter 13: Silence
— A decoy?! What do you mean by that, Alpha? Dante asked, looking confused.
— Well, the NEW ORDER is trying to portray us as a plague, as parasites that need to be eliminated... So let's let them believe that, Alpha replied calmly.
— He's right, said a female voice.
It was Denivela, accompanied by a man who served as her guide. She entered the room, supported by him and using a cane. She walked toward the two men before calmly taking a seat.
— What do you mean? Dante asked.
— Since we are seen as parasites that must be crushed by the NEW ORDER and the rest of the population, we need to keep a low profile. We need to make them believe that we are abandoning our actions, reduce our infiltrations into their system, and step back in order to rebuild ourselves.
She paused for a moment before continuing.
— Besides, we already have Elya and her journal with us. Add to that the destruction caused by Arthur... It would be better for us to disappear from their radar for a while.
— Exactly. We have drawn too much attention to ourselves these past few days. There is no need to make things worse, Alpha added.
— Although I don't really understand your strategy... you are the strategists, so I'll trust you, Dante replied with a slight sigh.
---
A few moments later, on Elya's side...
After all those stressful days, she had recovered enough and was finally ready to begin her training.
— I see you've already gotten used to the morning routine of this base, Naël said with a hint of irony.
Elya slightly jumped.
— You!
— Yes, me... Ready for your training, princess? Naël continued, leaning against the door frame.
— And what if I said no? What if I don't feel like it?
— You don't have a choice.
— That's exactly what I thought... So why ask if I don't have a choice?
— I was just teasing you. Come on, let's go.
Elya followed Naël through a long, dark corridor before arriving at a huge ancient field. An old athletics track from the old world.
— Where are we? Elya asked, her eyes filled with almost childlike curiosity.
— An infrastructure from the old world. Today, we're going to evaluate your endurance and speed.
— Wait... Already?
— You were probably expecting us to come admire the scenery, ride scooters, jump rope, and then be done, weren't you? Naël replied mockingly.
She took out a stopwatch.
— Alright. Run one lap around this track in two minutes.
— That's a...
Elya didn't even have time to finish her sentence before Naël had already started the countdown with a whistle.
— Go!!!
Used to following orders without thinking, Elya immediately took off.
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Dante was watching his son through a glass window while doing his best to hide his concern.
— Don't worry, he'll recover. For him, these are just scratches.
It was Tina, the head doctor of the infirmary. She was the one who supervised the entire medical department.
Dante looked away from Arthur but did not look at Tina.
— Tina, it's you... Several broken ribs and multiple fractures, and you call that scratches? That's not very professional for a doctor, lying like that, Dante replied with irony and sarcasm.
— Your son is strong. He'll recover without any lasting injuries.
— And why should I worry about this ungrateful brat? If he hadn't tried to play the hero, he wouldn't be in this state. It's better for me anyway. At least I'll have some peace for a while.
— A conceited son, an arrogant father... Only you two know how your family works, Tina replied sarcastically before walking away.
Although he pretended to be indifferent, Dante was deeply worried about Arthur. After all... he was his son.
---
Back on the training field, Elya had just finished her lap, completely out of breath.
— At least the NEW ORDER academies produce obedient dogs. Still... your result is pathetic: 3 minutes and 47 seconds.
Naël brought a hand to her ear.
— Shawn, let them out.
— Let what out? Elya asked, slightly worried.
— Well, since you refuse to give it your all, I'll force you to.
At that moment, two enormous dogs came out of nowhere and started chasing Elya.
She didn't even have time to catch her breath before she started running again for her life.
— What kind of method is this?! I'm sure this isn't even legal! Elya shouted while running as fast as she could.
— You're at the Remnants' base. Nothing is legal here... And run faster, because they haven't eaten for two days! Naël shouted, barely holding back her laughter.
— This is impossible... Damn it!!!
Elya ran as fast as she could. In less than two minutes, she was already back beside Naël.
— Calm down... nice dogs... Naël, help me!!! Elya shouted, completely terrified.
— Relax, they aren't dangerous. Your panic is actually what scares them. Come here, you two.
Naël crouched down, and the dogs ran toward her, clearly excited.
— Good dogs... Now go back to your cages.
At those words, the dogs returned to where they came from.
Once the animals were gone, Elya let out a long sigh of relief before collapsing onto the ground, exhausted.
— What you just did was criminal, Elya said, completely out of breath.
— At least you broke your record. Humans can be fascinating when faced with danger, Naël replied mockingly.
— Haha, very funny. I'm dying of laughter.
— Come on, get up. We're not done yet.
— What?!
Elya's training continued until late in the evening. When she finally returned to her room, she was completely exhausted.
— Get some rest. We'll continue tomorrow, Naël said.
— This is impossible... At this rate, I'm going to die, Elya muttered in despair.
The day ended like this.
Then a new one began.
A repetitive routine for some... but a true nightmare for Elya.
Day after day, the training continued without rest.
Three days passed quickly.
Everything was calm on the Remnants' side.
But within the NEW ORDER, the situation was completely different.
The Director had called a meeting gathering the senior heads of the computer department as well as the leaders of the patrol units.
Sitting behind his desk, he observed each of them before speaking in a cold voice.
— What exactly is happening?
One of the patrol unit commanders stepped forward.
— Sir, the Remnants have significantly reduced their surveillance activities and appear to have withdrawn for no apparent reason.
A member of the computer department then took the floor.
— Sir, their attacks on our computer networks also stopped abruptly overnight. There has been no activity whatsoever... as if...
The Director slightly raised his eyes.
— As if what?
The man hesitated for a moment before answering.
— As if they were trying to erase all traces of their activities.
A heavy silence filled the room.
The Director slowly turned his gaze toward Megan.
— And you, Megan... what do you think?
She thought for a few seconds before answering.
— In my opinion, sir, this is most likely another strategy of theirs. They may be trying to make us lower our guard in order to prepare for their next attack.
The Director remained silent for a moment.
Then a slight smile appeared on his face.
— Very well. I see that there is no need to remind you of your incompetence this time... for once, you have shown a minimum amount of intelligence.
No one dared to answer.
— Go. And above all, do not lower your guard. We don't know where they are... but they know exactly where to find us.
— Understood, sir, they all replied in unison.
The Director turned toward Megan.
— Megan, take care of the rest.
— Understood, sir.
Megan left the room, but one question remained in the Director's mind:
Why would an enemy preparing an attack choose to disappear?