Immediately after crossing the border and passing through the control center, Adia instructed her robotic chauffeur to speed up in order to reach Milan. What normally takes six hours by car, they completed in less than four.Reia began reviewing the areas they were passing through and noticed that the system was sending her numerous notifications. She wanted to wake up Podbe, but seeing him sleeping so peacefully, she decided not to disturb him, not even with a few gentle electric shocks.As they approached the city, the greenery of the fields gradually gave way to concrete. More gray than green, yet they always found traces of nature in parks, gardens, and buildings like the Bosco Verticale. They could see clusters of motorcycles and cars parked everywhere, people bustling about, technology intertwined with history in both ancient and modern architecture. The sun was already high in the sky, casting its light over bridges connecting streets and canals visible from every corner, colo

Aiden’s shouts echoed through the house, startled by the intensity of Adia’s gaze. She glanced at the kitchen clock; it was three in the afternoon. “We don’t have much time to buy a suit, but at least we can fix your hair,” she said. Without giving him time to react, she grabbed the boy, lifted him as if he were a feather, and rushed upstairs with him. Podbe followed alongside, wagging his tail curiously. They entered Adia’s room, which was as spacious as Aiden’s but painted a light green that gave it a fresh and cozy feel. She sat him down in front of the mirror and observed his hair, messy and unkempt. Noticing something strange near the back of his head, close to his neck, she gently pulled on a tube that blended with his skin. To her surprise, the object turned out to be a sort of artificial hair extension.Adia looked at him curiously. “Why were you hiding the rest of your hair? It’s clever, but unnecessary.” Aiden lowered his gaze and replied shyly, “At the orphanage, they would

Finally, they arrived at Adia’s house. They repeated the same procedure: being scanned by the dragons and other security measures. Once inside, they noticed that all the lights were off. They closed the door carefully, but someone startled them from behind. It was Adia who scolded them for arriving so late. Then, laughing softly, she said:“Of course, if I were your mother, you’d already be grounded, young man.”After their souls returned to their bodies—so to speak—Adia asked the boy how his first date had gone. Aiden replied that everything had been wonderful until an incident occurred, and the girl had to leave. Adia, who normally wasn’t nosy and didn’t care much about details, simply remarked that it was fine for a first date and that there would be another chance.“Tomorrow is another day,” she said calmly.Aiden first denied that it had been a date, somewhat flustered, but then added:“Yes, you’re right, tomorrow is another day.”She told them:“Well, go to sleep.”The boy and t

“What’s down that path?” asked Ezequiel, also known as Agent B.Brea, or Agent C-Two, consulted the map before responding:“If you follow that path, you’ll reach Arnoldstein.”Agent B paused thoughtfully. Then, turning to Lidia, he asked:“What was the boy’s name?”“Aiden, sir,” she replied with the formality of a soldier addressing her general.“Well, kid, you don’t have to be so formal with me like you do with bossy Marie,” said Ezequiel with a mischievous smile.Marie approached him and let out a sound of disapproval, glaring at him with a fury that didn’t require psychic interpretation to understand. Ezequiel brushed off her reaction and suggested to Lidia and Rino that they accompany them since they were already there, but not without first asking them to send him an image of the boy.“We should send the image to headquarters; it might help shorten the search,” Marie proposed.“It’s not necessary,” Ezequiel countered. “I doubt the kid has left the country.”“Alright, let’s head d

“No, Aiden!” Reia, the artificial intelligence inside Podbe’s mind, cried out desperately. “Something is wrong; the place, the girl’s behavior—everything is off. What do we do now? I’ve lost the connection with him. I need to wake Podbe up; maybe if I use one of the electric shocks, he’ll come in,” she thought.“Get up, Podbe!” she pleaded repeatedly, but the dog didn’t move. Apparently, whatever Elena had given him the food was so strong it could have knocked out an elephant, Reia reflected.Exhausted by the lack of response, she began to meditate, hoping Podbe would wake up so they could go after Aiden. She looked at the girl lying unconscious in front of Podbe and started blaming her for everything that had happened.“That’s why I’m an intelligence: I anticipate events. If Aiden hadn’t met you, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” she muttered to herself, continuing to talk and calculate possible solutions. “You’ll hear me when you wake up, lazy dog,” she shouted at Podbe, though sti