The Deep of Oblivion

– I feel that there is another one.

Nia didn't understand what exactly she meant.

– Another what? – she asked, but Lira ignored her question.

But her people were clearly happy and inspired by this statement. They exchanged glances, smiled, and whispered something to each other. Something was about to happen. Something important. That would change everything.

That same day, Lira put on her best dress. It was made of some unusual fabric and sparkled in the light of artificial lighting. She looked as if she were going to a holiday.

Lira left the hut and disappeared into the gray haze. Nia remained in captivity, wondering what was happening. Where did she go? And what does it mean: “I feel that there is another one”? “I must find out. And be ready for any turn of events,” she thought.

Chapter 6

Several days passed, full of agonizing anticipation. What was Lira planning?

Finally, Lira returned. And she wasn't alone.

An unfamiliar man was walking next to her. He looked confused and disoriented. His clothes were simple and unpretentious, somewhat reminiscent of those in which Nia had awakened in the alley: a simple shirt and trousers, unobtrusive colors, no hint of high technology. Another lost soul.

He had a simple, hiking bag over his shoulder.

Nia felt her heart begin to beat faster. Who was this man? And why was he so similar to her? Like a reflection, but in a different mirror.

– Meet, – Lira said, introducing the man to her henchmen. – This is Ein. He will live with us.

There was falsehood in her voice. What was she plotting?

Ein looked around the hut with fright. It was clear that he did not understand where he was and who these people were. His gaze fell on Nia. Confusion and recognition were read in his eyes. “Does he know me? Or do I just seem familiar to him?” A quick thought flashed.

– Who is she? – Ein asked, pointing to Nia. His voice trembled.

– This is our assistant, – Lira evasively replied. – She helps us around the house.

Nia felt her suspicions increase. Something was wrong here. Lira was hiding something. And this Ein… He was the key to unraveling her past.

Lira had no sooner finished introducing Ein than her henchmen, as if on command, rushed to him and began to search his bag. Ein was clearly surprised and did not expect such a turn of events. He tried to resist, but there were too many of them for him alone. “Poor guy, he doesn't understand anything,” Nia thought.

They shook all the contents of the bag out onto the floor of the hut. Nia watched this spectacle with curiosity. What was there that was so interesting to Lira and her gang? Maybe something would give a clue?

Lying on the floor were: a pendant made of some strange, matte stone. An antique watch with a cracked dial and leather strap. Some item, the purpose of which Nia did not immediately understand. It was a small metal cylinder with some buttons and indicators. And finally, something that looked like a flash drive. Exactly the same flash drive as the one that Nia had in her bag when she woke up in the alley.

Nia felt her breath catch in her throat. A flash drive… What did this mean? Was this the key to her past? And why did Ein have one too? Coincidence? Or fate?

Lira ran to the bag and grabbed the flash drive. Her eyes burned with greed.

– This is what we need! – she exclaimed.

Triumph sounded in her voice. What did she know?

She tried to insert the flash drive into a device of incomprehensible purpose, but nothing happened.

– It doesn't work! – she said with disappointment.

– You probably need to enter a code, – her henchman said.

– What code? – Lira asked.

– He should have it, Ein.

Lira turned to Ein, who was still standing in shock from what had happened.

– Where is the code? – she asked sharply. – Where is the code for the flash drive?

Her voice was harsh and demanding.

Ein looked at her with incomprehension.

– I… I don't know… I don't remember anything…

Nia felt a pang of sympathy for this lost and frightened man. She knew what it meant to remember nothing. “He is the same as me. A puppet in the hands of fate.”

Lira's people were clearly upset that the flash drive was not working. They began feverishly sorting through different options, trying to enter something on the strange device. But all attempts were unsuccessful.

Lira watched this useless occupation with irritation.

– Enough! – she ordered. – You're just wasting time. He won't remember anything anyway.

– What do we do with him? – asked one of the henchmen.

Lira pondered for a moment.

– We'll do the same thing with him as we did with her.

She pointed to Nia. What was she plotting?

– We will leave him as a prisoner, – Lira continued. – We will watch him. Maybe he will remember something. Or his actions will clarify something for us.

She looked at Ein with contempt.

– Now you will be here, – she said. – And you will do everything that we tell you. Otherwise, you won't feel well.

Ein was still in a state of shock. He didn't understand who these people were and what they wanted from him. He looked at Nia with fright, as if seeking protection from her. “I must help him,” she thought.

Nia felt a pang of sympathy for him. She knew what it meant to be lost and helpless in this crazy world.

But she couldn't do anything. She was a prisoner, like him. And if she tried to help him, she would only bring down the wrath of Lira and her cronies upon herself.

Having lived for some time under one roof, in constant fear and tension, Nia and Ein realized that they were in roughly the same conditions. They were both prisoners of Lira, both remembered nothing about their past, and both were desperately trying to survive. “We are together. And together we can break free,” the girl constantly thought.

They began to talk, sharing their thoughts and feelings. But Nia was cautious. She had learned not to trust anyone in this crazy world.

Having once made a mistake with trust, Nia decided not to tell Ein the whole truth about herself. She didn't tell him that her flash drive and bag remained in the hospital, from which she had fled, forgetting about her things. She told him that she had taken nothing from the street on which she had found herself.

Ein, in turn, told Nia his story. He said that he had awakened in the same alley as she. Immediately after his appearance, Lira appeared nearby, who said that she knew him and would take him to a safe place. The name Ein she also came up with for him herself. A trap. She was laying nets.

Nia listened to him with great attention, but doubt crept into her soul. Why had Lira found such a lost and unremembering person? And why did she need them?

Nia told Ein that she also didn't remember her real name. She said that this name had come to her head when she woke up in the alley, and since she didn't remember her real name, she decided that she would consider the name Nia to be hers.

They both understood that Lira was hiding something. That she was using them for some purpose of her own. But what were these goals? And how could they get out of this trap? Together we will find a way out…

After several weeks of careful planning, Nia and Ein decided that it was time to act. They convinced Lira that Nia had begun to regain memories associated with the artifact.

– I remember… I remember that the artifact is hidden somewhere not far from the place where I woke up, – Nia said, trying to look as convincing as possible. – I was scared… of some people in uniform… they looked like policemen…

Lira became wary.

– And what? – she asked.

– I dropped the bag with the artifact so they wouldn't catch me! – Nia blurted out. – I was afraid that they would take it away from me!

Lira frowned.

– Where exactly? – she asked. – Where did you drop it?

Nia pointed towards the city.

– There, not far from that alley, near some abandoned building

Lira looked at one of her subordinates.

– Check, – she ordered. – Search all the abandoned buildings and their surroundings in that area.

The henchman went to the city, leaving Lira, Nia, and Ein alone.

This was their chance.

Nia and Ein exchanged glances. They knew that they had to act quickly. Now or never.

– Run! – Nia whispered.

They turned around and ran in the opposite direction from the city, away from Lira's gang. Lira, stunned by the sudden turn of events, froze in place.

– Stop! – she shouted. – Come back!

Her voice sounded full of anger and rage.

But Nia and Ein didn't stop. They ran, without looking back, knowing that they would be chased. Freedom. It was so close.

Nia, over the months spent in captivity, had memorized every detail of the surroundings. She knew that far from the house where they were kept, there was a small stream, a winding ribbon cutting through the gray landscape. This stream became their hope for salvation. "Water. It would wash away our tracks."

Running up to the stream, they took off their shoes and, shivering from the cold, stepped into the icy water.

The stream was narrow and shallow, but the water was piercingly cold. It burned the skin, restricted movement, but the fugitives were full of determination. They knew that this was their only chance. “If only they wouldn't freeze.”

They walked in the water, trying to step carefully so as not to raise splashes and create unnecessary noise. Nia knew that they needed to go against the current in order to hide the direction of their escape. Quietly and inconspicuously.

Approaching the stream, they carefully rubbed out their tracks with dry leaves and branches, hoping that this would confuse their pursuers.

Having walked far enough along the stream, Nia and Ein went ashore. They left clear footprints leading towards the hospital. They wanted to create the false impression that they were looking for the artifact.

Then, holding their breath, they returned along their tracks back into the stream, carefully concealing their true path. Hide. Confuse the tracks.

The water was unbearably cold. Teeth chattered, muscles cramped from spasms, but they didn't stop. They knew that Lira would not forgive them for escaping.

Finally, they emerged from the stream in another place, far from the hut. They were wet, frozen, but free. Freedom.

Before them stretched a gray plain, leading to the lights of a distant city. A city full of dangers and mysteries. But a city where they hoped to find answers to their questions.

Nia and Ein were exhausted. The icy water, the gray plains, the fear of being caught – all this had taken a lot of energy from them. But they didn't stop. They knew that they had to get to the city.

Fortunately, they managed to grab the bag with Ein's remaining belongings when they fled the hut. There was no artifact in it, of course, but there was a watch.

The watch! It was a real salvation. Thanks to it, the heroes managed not to lose their sense of time. Without the change of day and night, it was quite difficult to navigate, and the watch helped them keep track of how much time had passed. The lighting in this world was always like in the evening – dim and subdued. But it was enough to see the road and avoid obstacles.

After about seven hours, exhausted and frozen, Nia and Ein reached the outskirts of the city. Before them opened an amazing landscape, sparkling with lights and filled with the noise of strolling cars.

Chapter 7

At the entrance to the city stood a huge arch, made of shimmering metal. On the arch was emblazoned: “Tesla City”. Below, in smaller print, it read: "United Population Limit: One Billion People". And, right at the bottom, as if someone had forgotten to remove it, was visible “The Only City of New Earth”.

The population inscription looked like an electronic scoreboard, the last digits of which were constantly flashing. Nia and Ein watched as a unit was added to the number, and then immediately subtracted. It created the feeling that the city had a strict limit on the number of residents, and everyone who arrived took someone's place.

This inscription alarmed Nia.

– What does this mean? Why is the population limited? And what happens to those who disappear from the scoreboard? – she asked quietly, not taking her eyes off the flickering numbers.

Ein shrugged.

– I don't know, – he replied. – But we need to go further. I have a feeling that if we linger here, something bad might happen to us.

She understood that fear was nothing compared to the hunger and thirst that had been tormenting them since their escape from Lira's hut. Gathering her courage, they passed under the arch and entered the city.

Tesla City struck them with its splendor and desolation. Huge, curved buildings soared upwards, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. Flying cars whizzed by with a quiet hum.

Nia and Ein walked along a wide avenue, trying not to attract attention. Their clothes seemed to shout that they were strangers.

Soon they saw a huge skyscraper, distinguished from the other buildings by its architecture. It was made of glass and metal and resembled a huge crystal tower. Most likely, you can find water there, Nia thought.

– Maybe we should go there? – Ein suggested, nodding at the skyscraper. – It should be warm and, perhaps, there will be food.

Nia agreed. They approached the automatic doors. Nia let Ein go ahead, pushing him slightly in the back. “I need to see if a card or pass is needed,” Nia thought, but the doors opened without any obstacles.

They found themselves in a huge hall. It was a little more lively here than on the street. People scurried back and forth, staring at their gadgets. “They behave like zombies,” Nia thought. The main thing was not to stand out…

She felt her throat dry and her stomach twist with hunger.

Nia and Ein tried not to attract attention. They walked along the wall, peering around. Soon they saw a small door with the inscription: "Service Room". At that moment, a man in uniform headed towards the door.

– Now or never, – Nia whispered, and they quickened their pace, trying not to look at the man, so as not to arouse suspicion.

They managed to slip into the doorway, almost colliding with him. The man walked without looking back, as if he hadn't noticed them, completely absorbed in the screen of his gadget.

Nia quickly closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against it with her back.

They found themselves in a small room, where round tables stood along the walls. On the tables were small, transparent glasses filled with water. Forgetting about everything, Nia and Ein rushed to them and, like thirsty travelers in the desert, greedily drained everything to the last drop. It was just water, but now it seemed to them like nectar, the most delicious drink they had ever tasted.

Nia, having quenched her thirst a little, looked around. Her gaze fell on a device that resembled the cube from which Lira had taken out food.

Ein, without waiting for an invitation, went to the cube and began to chaotically press the buttons.

– What are you doing? – Nia hissed, fearing to attract attention.

– Trying to create something edible, – Ein replied, without looking away from the buttons.

Suddenly, multi-colored pieces appeared from the device, resembling plasticine.

– Food! – he exclaimed. – It seems that this is really a machine for producing food!

They quickly pounced on the printed food, satisfying their hunger. Nia tried the "plasticine" with the taste of grapes, and surprisingly it turned out to be quite edible.

Having eaten and drunk, they felt a surge of strength, but also anxiety. They needed to leave.

– We need to leave, – Nia said, looking around. – We need to do something with our clothes. We stand out too much.

But there was nothing suitable in the room.

Then, trying not to attract attention, they left the service room and went out into the hall. Full, but very tired, they walked through the streets of Tesla City, looking at passers-by and buildings.