/~Contrario~/
I woke up with the heavy weight of silence pressing firmly on my chest.
The neon light strip on my ceiling came to life, painting the apartment in soft blue hues. Outside the window, Irish Valley's skyline glowed in its usual synthetic calm, quiet, efficient and steadily humming with purpose.
"How did they get to fully emulate weather change in this world? Who runs this world, in fact?" These questions lingered in my mind as I rolled off the bed and got to my daily workout.
I did a quick Stretch before 200 Push-ups and ended with shadow form practice with Stray.
I did the same routine every day. For me, discipline was the only god I had left.
Sweat clung to my back by the time I reached for my neural pad.
[Text Message: To Renn]
> "You training today?"
It didn't take long for him to get back to me.
[Renn]
> "Would I ever miss leg day?"
I smirked, that was typical Renn.
---
As I got to the Crucible, it was already buzzing when I walked in. As usual, the drones floated above, scanning warriors who were locked in various training sessions. Looking around the room, I soon found an empty pod by the side and jumped into a light circuit to warm up. It was nothing fancy but it was just enough to shake off the morning stiffness.
As I finished my last set of combo lunges, a familiar voice broke my rhythm.
"Well, well. I would've never taken you for a gym rat."
I turned, wiping sweat from my brow.
Maxi.
She wore a light combat jacket zipped halfway leaving her cleavage seductively sitting in place. She had her ever-present mischievous gleam dancing in her hazel eyes.
"Oh, what an unpleasant surprise. Are you stalking me now?" I asked with a faint grin.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please don't flatter yourself, One-Slot."
I chuckled. "Rude, but I expected it."
"You just got here right?" she asked. "How about getting in on it with me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm asking you, One-slot for a friendly spar"
That made me raise a brow. "What's with the sudden interest? Since the incident at the outpost, you've been very mean to me, so what changed?"
She didn't answer and just sent me a duel request. Without a smile on her face. She wasn't joking around.
> SPAR INVITE – Maxi Vega vs. Contrario Williams
I hesitated, looking at her, expecting her to say something.
"What a drag," I said before I accepted her invitation.
The simulator booted up and dropped us into a minimalist arena that was flat, industrial, with reflective floor panels and had ambient haze.
Maxi's avatar materialized beside her, it was sleek, compact and had a fluid design that was focused on agility. I could already tell she was a duelist, quick, close-range and a precision killer.
She wasted no time and jumped in right after Stray materialized.
"So…" she said in between her movements, "You seeing anyone?"
I blinked. "That's your opener?"
"Just answer the question," she said with a smirk, darting left and landing two strikes on Stray's shoulder plate.
I decided to move on with it. "No."
"You're giving that 'I'm too tortured for love' vibe," she teased, ducking a counter-swipe. "Is that your thing, is that what it actually is?"
"Well not exactly," I muttered. "I just… haven't found someone who can deal with all of this."
She bounced back and gazed down at my waistline "Well you're packed down there"
"That's not what I mean, stupid"
Lunging in with a fast double strike followed by an upper jab, she said, "You mean the whole 'cursed one-slot user who carries emotional damage like luggage' thing?"
I shrugged. "I wouldn't put it like that, but it's something like that."
She didn't laugh and she didn't smile. At that moment, she did something odd.
Her avatar shifted. Fluid code lines rippled across her form, and then, with a snapping sound, a red saber ignited in her grip.
Not just any saber. From what I saw, It had weight and hummed with energy and presence.
She lunged in again.
"She's faster..."
I barely blocked her before the force of the attack knocked me on my back.
In a flash she pinned me down, the glowing blade hovering an inch from my throat.
And that's when I saw it, right on her armor's collar:
MXI-V.
My heart thudded and I felt it missed twelve beats.
Two nights ago. The stranger who walked me home. The one who listened to me ramble in a drunken haze at the Booty Hole bar.
"It was you," I breathed.
"What are you saying?"
I was slowly trying to gather my words, "Two nights ago at the Booty hole, it was you"
She didn't deny it. "I've been watching you since you came here, Contrario."
At that moment, I tried to activate Stray's defence matrix. He surged forward with a claw uppercut, but Maxi saw it coming. She sidestepped and had me in a tight joint lock tighter than before, and I could barely breathe.
"Why?" I grunted.
"I don't know," she said softly, her eyes boring into mine. "Something about you felt different."
We fought again, my anger now simmering beneath the surface. I wasn't mad that she watched me. I was mad that I didn't notice her watching me.
"You were watching yesterday too, weren't you?" I asked through clenched teeth as we circled each other.
Maxi hesitated.
Then… she deactivated her weapon and held out a hand.
"I love you, Contrario."
The words hit like a shotgun blast.
I didn't move. Couldn't speak.
She kept going. "You were real with me that night. Drunk as fuck, but real. You talked about what it's like to be the weakest link. About wanting to matter and be acknowledged. I felt that. I see you trying every single day to be better. And it scares the hell out of me how much I want to see where that leads."
I looked down as I swallowed hard.
"Maxi," I said softly, "You're amazing. And.....and you're strong too. But I can't give you what you want."
She looked down with a sad smile on her face.
"I figured."
I walked past her and just couldn't bring myself to look back.
As I reached the exit, Renn strolled in, tossing an energy drink in the air.
"Wagwan Cee, ready for—wait, where you going?"
"Not anymore dude," I muttered as I caught the drink.
He blinked as I passed him. "Yo bro, you good?"
I waved a hand. "I'm Fine. I'm just… not in the mood."
-----
The day went on faster than usual and evening passed quietly.
I was eating alone until Renn showed up, balancing a meal pack in one hand and a crate of beer in the other.
He didn't say anything at first. Just sat beside me and flipped on the rooftop projector, and pulled up the latest raid replays.
After a long time, I broke the silence.
"Maxi told me she loves me."
Renn didn't flinch. "And?"
"I told her I couldn't return it. I feel like a jerk man." I said with a sigh.
He shrugged. "Well, better a jerk than a liar. If you're not into her like that, she needed to hear it."
I nodded, staring at my food.
"You thinking about Jennifer? I've seen how you look at her. Are you into her like that?" he asked.
I didn't answer, I didn't have the answer so I didn't need to answer him there and then.
Renn leaned back. "Just don't forget to be human, man. You're allowed to have feelings even if they're messy sometimes."
He stood and stretched, indicating he wanted to leave.
"We've got a job tomorrow man," he said. "make sure you're up early."
"Got it," I muttered.
---
As he left, I stood by the window, watching the simulated stars blink up ahead.
Whatever tomorrow was…I had to be ready for it.
Before going to bed, I checked what tomorrow's mission was.
The next mission was leading us outside Irish Valley to an unstable zone crawling with rogue AI factions. I didn't know where it was but I do have history with rogue AIs.