Entering Genecies felt like a dream as she followed Stormflash through the gateway.

  Ayna found it surreal, though this was only the outer section of the megacity; it was no doubt less affluent than the centre, but it was a multitude more sophisticated than any city she had seen.

  Ayna had seen grander cities as a developer of the game, yet even the advanced virtual technology had not captured them this vividly; this time, she was there in reality, and it was an out-of-the-world experience.

  Holographic signs and bright neon lights, surrounded by a cityscape display of information, greeted visitors as the streamlined, beautiful, clean pathways led into the city.

  Stormflash had left the bike behind; it seemed you required a permit to bring vehicles into the Megacity, something Stormflash didn’t want to risk for a cheap, run-down vehicle.

  It was rather bustling, yet the Megacity was well-ordered, with seamless integration of all services, including transport, where citygoers moved like clockwork to their destinations.

  Ayna, for the first time in her new reality, saw a variety of alien species that differed entirely from humans.

  One of which was the Vakarond, a striking humanoid species characterised by its tall, angular physique. Their skin is a tough, leathery texture, ranging in colour from a deep obsidian to metallic silver. They had sharply defined features, with high cheekbones, elongated jawlines, and piercing, luminescent eyes that were shades of blue, green, or even a fiery orange.

  The Vakarond were a warrior species; they held many planets and often served as mercenaries, maintaining a presence across many worlds. Their robust skeletal and muscular structure made them prized bodyguards and elite soldiers; it was no surprise that the Corps hired them.

  They were an intimidating presence and were renowned across the Galaxy for reliability and adherence to their contracts.

  Tall Vakarond eyed them as they passed; they were over a head taller than the average human and decked in their thick armour whilst carrying heavy rifles, making them a menacing sight for fugitives.

  Stormflash gave her a comforting smile as he said quietly, “Never seen a Vakarond? They are large, tough and excellent soldiers, and the Corps pay them well to be here. Not many mess with a Vakarond regiment, saves the Corps much trouble when most are cowed by their reputation alone.”

  Ayna nodded; the Vakarond were not the only alien species, but they were the most eye-catching.

  Most were humanoid, though some were fantastical. One of them is the Selarin, a race resembling lizard-men with large Komodo dragon-like heads, who, despite their ferocious appearance, are an intellectual species known for their advancements in biotechnology and excellence as biologists.

  “Where are we going?” Ayna asked, curious, since thus far she had been following Stormflash as he expertly navigated the Megacity like a natural.

  “I have made arrangements. I think it is time for me to be honest with you. I will take us to an accommodation, where we can discuss things in more privacy.” Stormflash said ambiguously.

  Honesty? Is he about to reveal all of his motives?

  Ayna did not have a clear idea of Stormflash to begin with; despite her knowledge of the game, the background on Dr Xavier, Stormflash, and the Helixas Corporation was still not fully fleshed out.

  It is one of the more convincing signs of how she knew this was no game, as none of this was supposed to exist. These were events before the game's current versions.

  “Sounds good to me,” Ayna replied. Stormflash was being upfront with her about his intentions; if he wanted to be secretive, as a C grade, he did not need to lure her anywhere, as he had many such opportunities.

  Stormflash had a slight smile as he replied, “Thank you for your trust. Now we must go to the residential section of the City, which would take time on foot, though the transport makes it easily accessible.”

  Ayna continued to follow Stormflash as she admired the surroundings. Genecies was sunny, bright, and peaceful, a stark contrast to the Settlements they had passed through on their way here.

  “Don’t be deceived by beauty,” Stormflash warned, noticing her looks of admiration.

  Ayna felt her cheeks redden as he saw right through her, yet continued to follow as he led.

  White, sleek, and soaring skyscrapers filled her view, towering above the streets as she observed vertical lush gardens and waterfalls that integrated perfectly with the city's buildings.

  Idle chatter filled the surroundings as many discussed the Federation, the ongoing talks in the Galaxy and the sudden lockdown in Tanus. It seemed Genecies and other Megacities halted transport offworld, shutting down spaceports without warning, surprising many of the natives.

  Ayna tried to ignore such chatter and act natural; she did not feel it was a coincidence, given the spaceshorts shutting down upon their arrival after Stormflash's words about Dr Xavier's influence.

  Stormflash then turned a corner and directed her to follow. She followed the sleek white path as she came across an advanced tram-like system.

  The tram was slick and aerodynamic, arriving swiftly.

  Stormflash said, “Time to get on. We should get to the residential area of the City quickly.”

  Ayna followed him and found that the tram used magnetic levitation, allowing it to float above a specialised track.

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  The tram had sliding glass doors operated by a touchscreen, and as citizens approached, they used their neural interface to enter, then tapped the icons on the screen to select their desired stop.

  It was rather simple, and Ayna followed Stormflash as she felt her neural interface flicker, sending the requested information to the tram operation system similar to the entry gate before she entered Genecies.

  A line of text appeared in her vision as the words floated whilst simultaneously sounding in her mind, “Please select your destination; payment will be dispensed upon selection.”

  At that moment, Stormflash intervened, saying, “Accept to pair with me, I will select our destination and dispense payment.”

  Ayna saw her neural interface flicker with affirmation as she paired with Stormflash.

  She accepted, and the glass doors slid open as they did for the citizens before them, and both of them entered.

  The interior of the tram was stylish yet not overly opulent, with holographic advertisements, real-time city data, and spacious seating that offered comfort.

  Ayna sat beside Stormflash as the tram quickly filled.

  She turned to him and said, “So, how quick does this thing move?”

  Stormflash chuckled at that and replied, “Very fast. Genecies is a huge city, yet this tram can get around in minutes.”

  Ayna found Stormflash was correct, and the tram practically zoomed to their destination, and Ayna found herself leaving the tram not long after her entry.

  The residential area of Genecies was not what Ayna expected, though she supposed it mainly housed mercenaries, workers, and the lower classes, not the Corpo execs.

  It was not as plush as the entrance of the Megacity, which was no doubt intended to instil a sense of awe, though it remained neat and orderly.

  Ayna found it boisterous here, with chatty mercenaries, citizens and workers going about their day.

  There were many temporary accommodations and the like here, and Ayna was curious which one Stormflash intended to take her to, until they stepped outside a building with neon lights showing the words, ‘The Golden Block’

  Ayna thought the name was rather strange, yet Stormflash gave it no heed as they entered.

  The building was a tall obsidian skyscraper covered in flickering lights. The entrance was gated and held a thick, solid steel door.

  An advanced camera with an eerie eye-ball-like lens turned towards them, seeming to scan their approach.

  Stormflash waved his hand at the entrance and said, “I have bought accommodation, my room should be available now?”

  Ayna paused for a period as she awaited a change before the door, without warning, opened with a loud clack.

  Stormflash entered smoothly, and Ayna did her best to keep up as she was a second behind.

  Ayna soon found the reasoning behind the gold in the name of the building, as the interior walls were a bright gold that stood in contrast to the smooth, polished black floors

  As soon as they entered, they saw a large receptionist desk ahead, with a smiling, pretty receptionist behind it.

  On either side of her stood the entrances to two lifts.

  Stormflash approached the desk and the receptionist, her eyes a beautiful gold as her skin glowed unnaturally as she spoke robotically, “Welcome to The Golden Block, your room has been registered to your name, payment is successful, as promised, we provide the utmost confidentiality to our clients here, you are welcome to go to your accommodation. Are there any other queries you wish to ask?”

  The receptionist, a clear android, blinked at them eerily as the bright smile never left her face.

  “No, everything is good. I want to go to my accommodation now,” Stormflash said.

  The android nodded her head as she flickered a screen before she said, “Your room is prepared, and both of your IDs have been paired. If you enter the elevator to my left, you will automatically be directed to your rooms. Thank you for staying at The Golden Block.”

  After their brief conversation with the creepy android, they entered the lift and soon found themselves at the accommodation Stormflash had rented.

  It was a spacious, well-decorated accommodation with advanced facilities for everything you would need. It was far larger and more luxurious than the one she held in the space shuttle.

  A comfortable lounge awaited them, and Ayna found herself relaxing as Stormflash took a device before planting it near them as he said, “Just a precaution, now I can finally explain everything. I only partially told you my motive before, yet the truth was, I knew you, or more accurately, the person you were cloned from. She, well, she, though not a relation, we were very close. Before, I was filled with rage every time I saw you, as I felt you were a mockery of her. Dr Xavier never truly removed my full autonomy; he enjoyed it, he was odd, and he both enjoyed and loathed complete control. To tell the truth, in the beginning, I wanted to take you with me more to slight him, yet I knew you did not deserve the fate you got handed, you see, Dr Xavier cloned you, her for a reason… and that was because her DNA was the most compatible with the experiments he had seen. Yet, he was never fully able to replicate it until, you…”

  Stormflash seemed at a loss for words at that point.

  Ayna felt overloaded with the information Stormflash suddenly gave. She replied, “That makes sense.”

  The sudden hostility when they first met, the weird behaviour around her, as she at times looked distant, as if he was seeing somebody else. It was because she was a clone based on a person he knew.

  Stormflash shook his head as he said, “Though that is the gist of my motives, there is far more. For one, I am working with the Federation, you, I mean, her, the woman you were cloned from was from an important family there, before her family was slain, and she was taken. I was there when that monster Thaumavore came and tore apart and devoured the family's most powerful supers, far stronger than I, in a blink. It is the reason I had to take drastic measures.”

  Ayna felt disbelief at Stormflash and said, “Did you just say Thaumavore? Isn’t that impossible…”

  How can it be? Thaumavore was meant to be the one to end Dr Xavier; it was a mindless calamity that ended up devouring Tanus. For it to be controlled?

  Stormflash looked solemn as he continued, “Dr Xavier is still manipulating that monster, and everyone believes he holds no control; that is far from the truth. Thaumavore devours worlds based on his direction alone; it is not a mindless being but something far worse.”

  Ayna's face turned graver as she came to the realisation.

  All this time, I thought it was a mere coincidence that Tanus would become a long line of worlds that Thaumavore consumed, yet what if it was not?

  What if she had been reborn as not a character absent from the game?

  If the events were meant to play out like this from the beginning, that her escape to Tanus was meant to happen, what if the reason the world, Tanus, was destroyed by the devourers of worlds was that it had been searching for her? Or the one her body was supposed to be, before Ayna Reagan's soul had merged with the experiment subject known as One.

  The thought was chilling.

  And the deeper she thought, the more believable it became; it made the stakes far worse. She thought she had escaped the danger, yet is anywhere truly safe from Thaumavore?

  A super that was a living calamity, that took the combined might of tens of millions of players and the galaxy's strongest powers to stop.

  I need to move faster. I need to warn Stormflash. Time to take more initiative with the information I know; perhaps that could save Tanus and us.