《Archfaith》 1.. "We¡¯ve been warned of meteorites, aliens coming back, even the horns of the end of the time ¡­..but not this¡­" That''s what my grandfather said watching the sky explode that night, then fall like a torrential rain of fire from an apocalyptic movie. I was busy playing games on my tablet this whole time; I got used to the explosions, and to my grandfather¡¯s endless rambles I barely understood¡­¡­ He wasn¡¯t expecting an answer from me anyway. It was a festival. except, nobody was celebrating anything, and the bursts in the sky were anything but fireworks. Daily In the news, they talk about satellites and wars, and we don''t know anything else. I don''t completely understand what a satellite is or what they are fighting for, only afterwards, it rains electronic parts, and now, we are the ones fighting to get the most of them. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. My uncle would often blame Westerners waging their wars on top of our heads, completely ignoring our insignificant existence, but my uncle was only an alcoholic failure; that''s what my father said. The last time blue eyed people came close to our village, they took our argan trees, our only livelihood, and replaced it by buildings with unseen technologies. then told us we should come here to study rather than cultivate the land, and that was the way to achieve human greatness. Seven years had passed since that. Now, we don''t have Argan to provide for ourselves, and our teenagers who went to these buildings didn¡¯t learn how to cultivate the land. so they get their money from robberies, drugs, and dealing prohibited electronics. And we¡¯re poorer now¡­ ¡­That doesn¡¯t look like human greatness. My grandfather suddenly stood up taking me out of my thoughts. Then went despaired towards the mosque with small steps. The prayer call was still the only recognizable thing at his age, everynight it was calling: -God is the greatest¡­..God is the greatest. 2.. Today, the sky is clear enough to let the nearest town be visible from these mountain tops. Every kid from the village was laying down with flowers on his hands, waiting and expecting, as it is a major component of our everyday existence. Even though I''m young, I quickly understood that we can not make a lot happen, all we had to do is wait until stuff happens to us: wait for people with electric cars to come at us, expect people¡¯s eyes to become friendly enough , and maybe offer us some money. Years ago, the government forced the sole ownership of electric cars, and Nobody around here had the finances to do so. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. but we knew how to stealthily use gas cars¡­¡­ some kind of way¡­this war had some benefits for us. My name is Sa?d. My life consists of collecting flowers in the morning, bringing them here, and waiting for tourists to take a break at the roadside so we can offer them, and hopefully¡­¡­. receive some money in exchange. From the time governmental aids were halted, the rivalries between kids from different villages had grown drastically. Everybody was eager to get something for his parents at sunset. Not only that, but our manners were getting worse too. Now, the kids were trying to steal, rob, and adults got bit by bit involved in kids'' hostilities. 3.. As soon as the little van appeared on the horizon, everybody got up and started heading down the road side. After a fierce fight, Sa?d acquired his place on the first row and can peacefully watch the van approach. Hopeful eyes were on the little van, waiting and imagining: the number of people, how they look and how much money they have. It finally stopped. The crowd retracted bit by bit while the van kept getting bigger and bigger before those tiny eyes, and the door opened like a temple gate leading to the unknown. Until that moment, only darkness can be perceived from the outside. Inside, aged and badly bronzed legs can be seen agitating. Those disgusting body parts started emerging, and the little crowd continued to collapse on itself looking smaller and hopefully attract some mercy out of those monstrosities. All the efforts didn''t make the scenery better¡­. To those body parts was attached the biggest monstrosity of all: their faces! But soon the kids will be relieved of this scary theater. In a blink of an eye, all The creatures were aligned in front of the young crowd, and Each kid meticulously analyzed their faces: If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Bruises¡­.. small shelves of blond hair glued to decaying skins¡­¡­, the kids were doing an overwhelming job to catch any sign of sympathy. All those white tourists were looking down with a degrading look as if they were waiting for some worship offering. Sa?d on the other hand was completely off. This time, it was the last nail on his dream''s coffin. He waited so long for the young blond lady he''d seen online . Now, Sa?d understood that those expired pieces of meat are all he¡¯s getting. A mass of anxiety formed inside his gut while he kept showing a smile and offering flowers¡­.. The blond lady he has seen online!..... Sa?d hated each day of this burden, but kept returning, resisting the darker paths his peers took, in hope the blond woman would appear someday and take him to his dream land. Today, Sa?d knew his only reason to come back here will be money, and also knew his manners will worsen like all the others. His movements slowed down, he was caring less and less about the tourists, and everybody now is pushing him around to get in front while he has ceased to resist. With each push, the mass of anxiety formed inside was agitating and hurting more. Sa?d was being drowned bit by bit inside his thoughts: What now? Does this even matter? I¡¯ll live the rest of my life for this little money?¡­. While drowning, Sa?d remembered his drunk uncle gibberish on the dining table; gibberish he couldn''t understand and his mother didn¡¯t seem to care about. The Only phrase that kept ringing inside his little head was: ..... All those ladies are stuck inside a factory unable to live, or think, or even have some time for themselves, all we¡¯re going to see is there liberal corporate overlords who are allowed to live and travel¡­ But all that didn¡¯t matter now: his uncle was chased out of the house, Sa?d will probably not see the blond lady, and he still needs to bring money to the house each sunset. 4.. Her skin was radiant, she was smiling with her Magnificent line of teeths and her juicy lips; slowly blinking her eyes while looking at me. Behind her, our verdant family farm¡­¡­ my childhood playground¡­. my lost heaven. She bent down and waved for me to come. Everything felt safe and welcoming. When I came, she caressed my cheek with her soft hands While I fixed her enchanting blue eyes. The bright face lit up with a smile as she slowly covered my sight. During that brief moment, I didn''t feel my feet, nor the hand over my eyes, I was happily letting myself down into an infinite void. She Suddenly uncovered them, keeping the other hand behind her with a questioning look. I had to guess what she was holding. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. But I just stood there looking without answering¡­.., and She still gave me my present: A new tablet with all the games I dreamed of or watched, I¡­..i can touch them¡­. Interact with them¡­.PLAY THEM! The lady was tall, she lifted me and placed me on her lap as I explored each game with passion. She tenderly caressed my hair and I joyfully lifted my gaze to meet her eyes. At that moment, I was unsure which was better, the tablet or her. A distant voice was approaching, I didn''t pay much attention at first, Although, the lady¡¯s nervousness made me concerned. When I took my eyes off the tablet, The entire horizon was reddish As the voice kept getting closer. I started distinguishing what it was: The prayer call ! The sound of it kept getting louder, everything was agitating in a reddish tone, I turned around, my family farm was on fire. The lady started gripping my hand strongly, I took my head up to question that, and she wasn¡¯t there¡­. The ugliest face I''ve ever seen was there !! Her beauty was fading quickly as if something was draining her life energy. I fought to get free of her grip and we both fell down. She kept holding my arm as i was pushing farther from her. Her body started catching fire until it was fully recovered. She jumped with her last forces and strongly hugged me till we both were burning. I pushed a scream of pain, despair and disappointment, then woke up in my bed to the morning prayer call filling the atmosphere. 5.. This night was special. For the first time, Sa?d felt hatred towards the blond lady. As he¡¯s peeing, he thought about the factory where all the ladies were stuck: why are they stuck in the first place? and why are the old tourists keeping them there? His uncle''s gibberish wasn¡¯t supposed to make any sense. Sa?d came back to his bed but wasn¡¯t feeling sleepy anymore, he laid down, turned his head where his uncle Naser used to sleep and started wondering about the last time they were here together, a cringy memory started popping, he resisted at first, but it quickly took over his thoughts. He remembered the time his uncle was weirdly moving his hand inside the blanket producing weird noises. Sa?d spent years before understanding that his uncle was actually masturbating. He used to play games on his uncle¡¯s phone and saw all those meaty women pictures he kept there. That''s surely what he was thinking about when pleasing himself. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Then he remembered what his uncle used to tell him when he was drunk Your dad got you to fulfill his emotional needs, your friend¡¯s parents also¡­ He never knew what that meant, and thought it didn''t mean much. His uncle¡¯s weird ideas made people think of him as an absolute genius, or a complete degenerate. Sa?d always felt Nacer was trying to cause chaos in the household, his father hated him for that, which led to multiple fights where Nacer claimed his mental superiority over Sa?d¡¯s dad -Ali- who considered all his mumbeling just meaningless garbage to make himself look smarter. Unlike those of his generation. Nacer went to city schools, and always felt he wasn¡¯t supposed to end up in this village. Few years after his arrival to the city, he willingly cut contact with his parents and other familiar individuals coming by. His mother kept irrationally believing something happened to him, and refused to believe her own son doesn¡¯t want to deal with her anymore. 18 years had passed since that, and Nacer was back to the village to find both his parents and his older brothers dead with only one sibling remaining, his sister who already was married with one son: Sa?d. 6.. The snowy peak today covered the sun, the rays coming from behind made him look majestic. While it may make for a beautiful picture in a wallpaper, it wasn¡¯t the case for the villagers. The warm sun causes the snow to melt rapidly resulting in sub-zero temperatures Turning the kids work in the flower fields into a self inflicted torture. Sa?d was standing in the middle looking at his blueish cold fingers. He already tried all he knew to get them warmer, but nothing seems to work, and he still didn''t collect enough flowers. It was an unavoidable pain. A sound took Sa?d¡¯s attention coming from behind, it was a gas car sound which was rare to hear around, but Sa?d already knew who¡¯s fearless enough to drive them regardless of the authorities: ¡°The Jinn¡±. He was a real Jinn, he can only be seen early in the morning or late at night. The times he visited the village in bright daylight were counted knowing that the authorities were actively looking for him. But generally, he was safe, The corrupt authorities were too lazy and lacked resources to come up here and catch him. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The older kids noticed him and started running toward his car leaving their flowers behind. The younger ones weren¡¯t allowed to interact with him, they could only watch and listen. Soon, his car was surrounded by a tide prompting him to exit. Jinn still concealed most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. He wore blue glasses and a black Pikachu hat turned backward, with his long, dirty hair flowing down the sides. He rushed to the back of the car, pushed all the kids nearby and said ¡°no work today guys, do you want to see something you''ll never see in your life ?¡±. The crowd didn''t answer, and that was a ¡°yes¡± for him, then he opened the trunk of the car. And everybody was shocked. BILLS! A LOT OF THEM! The trunk was full of piled money. the older kids slowly approached it. He slammed it on their faces, asked them to go to the front, and took a pile he threw at them which they started fighting for, then invited the younger ones to take from the remaining bills inside. Even though he was a criminal, he was a gentle one. But for Sa?d, it didn¡¯t matter. grabbing enough cash was his priority so he can be relieved from this torture for couple days. The kids seemed more composed compared to the teenagers who already started punching each other. The Jinn didn¡¯t seem to care, he only laughed, and kept turning them against each other and enjoying the brawl. As Sa?d¡¯s group were walking back towards the village, Jinn¡¯s car passed them by, he probably got bored of the spectacle. Regardless, Sa?d''s fingers will remain warm, and the tourists won''t have their egos fed today. 7.. With every night, Suffocating Darkness plagued these mountains, everybody was hiding from the big ogre looking for another soul to consume. staying inside, hoping he''s no longer hungry was the way to wake up another day. This ogre is called cold, and here, there is no decisive way to fight him. Except for Ourar village, this night, he refused to fit in the context and decided to run wild: lamps and neons lit, laughs, talks adorning the ambiance. In the old days, those kinds of vibes were only allowed for a governmental figure ¨Cmostly corrupted¨C. but things had changed; Now, criminals receive the same treatment. This quiet part of The Grand Atlas mountains was forced into it, from the time liberals took over the ruling class, bills promoting a lax approach to criminals were forcely passed, people said at the time it was a plan to assassinate the middle class, and turn the population into uneducated savages eliminating any opposition and putting the country completely in their control. The plan didn¡¯t go as intended. quickly, criminals got out of the authorities hands who initially tried to use them as extra judicial enforcers, bit by bit, rural areas became unmonitored forcing the governing authorities to cut aid, finances, and life essentials, leaving organized crime as the sole provider. And this is how a criminal found himself sharing the same room with wise, religious and educated men. Feets laying next to each other were enjoying tea and dried fruits in this large rectangular room with low windows which serves as a living room for Berbers ¨CNorth African natives¨C. Everybody was having a fun time except one, who was holding his tea cup without drinking it, glaring deadly at the Jinn and his interactors: it was Sa?d''s dad -Ali-. He was an old school guy who still believed in the central authorities, not on a principle basis, but the central authority gave him an important role in the region; granting him power, reputation and some money from time to time; a position passed down from his patriarchal predecessors. His grandfather was the first to start it by working as a spy for the French during their occupation of Morocco. After retreating, Him and multiple people who served them were given properties and governmental positions; But it was all spent on alcohol, drugs, and prostitutes. Ali¡¯s grandfather started losing his influence, forcing him to prompt his son Hassan -Ali¡¯s dad- for the authorities as a replacement. Hassan, who was one of 17 legitimate and illegitimate kids, understood that this was his chance to take over his father¡¯s remaining wealth and cut the road for his siblings. As soon as he took position, Hassan started his campaign by using falsified documents, threatening with murder and rape, and probiting his siblings from any heritage after his dad¡¯s passing. That moment was getting closer and closer. Hassan¡¯s father was soon in his bed unable to move, and in order to do so, he needed a surgery that costs a lot and can only be done in Europe. Hassan left his father to rot with one of his wifes, and kept providing him with enough alcohol until he died. After a fierce battle in court with his siblings, Hassan won. But they still had another card on their hand: a large rumor that he purposely killed their father. He survived that also, but his reputation was shattered, prohibiting him from any support by the ethically driven Muslim Berbers. Hassan spent years without having any kids consuming cheap meat to fulfill his sexual needs, afraid of being done the way he did his father. At his 50¡¯s, a torrent of regrets and guilt started hunting him as the fountain of youth started to dry out, he softened bit by bit and got married, then gifted with his first child: Ali -Sa?d¡¯s father-. At this point, Hassan was far from having any influence or authority in the region, surviving his brothers and sisters was enough. He owned a cozy farm where he wanted to spend his remaining days. his siblings'' progeny on the other hand had a different idea. Ali will be his only child. coming at a moment when his father was not as tough, he grew up spoiled, and it quickly took a turn for the worse, resulting on his first rape accusations profiting of the innocence of rural young Berbers girls. Hassan¡¯s life soon consisted of fighting rape accusations that his son was accumulating using corruption and threats to the girls families. This got people heated, and reminded them of his previous deeds with his siblings. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Now, His nephews were going after him and his properties taking advantage of the population''s anger. Hassan who wanted to spend his last days in comfort is now facing his son¡¯s action plus the nephews'' set of lawsuits to regain what belonged to their parents. He watched bit by bit his properties taken from him and given back to them. He already spent a lot of money trying to corrupt the court, pay the fees and lawyers. This time, it seems to be the one he¡¯s not getting out of. He managed to save his son, but he was doubting if it did matter?... The answer will come soon as His physical health and his mental health started to decline, and like he did his father, he rotted alone in his farm house. but unlike his father, his wife wasn¡¯t there for him, and he quickly found himself transported to the hospital where he died one month and a half after. This whole time, Ali was in the Khenifra region seeking as many prostitutes and drugs as possible, until he got slapped with the news and found himself the inheritor of a disputed amount of wealth he needed to fight for in order to keep. He got the call while seeking pleasure in a red lighted room surrounded by ¡°friends¡± and prostitutes. and there he sat, shocked and naked with his penis in a female¡¯s hand. everybody was having fun, except him, the one who paid for everything. even the one who was cuddling with his genitals felt something was wrong, and silently left. The next day, Ali was alone in his car driving back home, all his ¡°friends¡± refused to accompany him knowing that the prostitutes were paid for 1 week in advance¡­.. At the end of the day, Ali was their milk cow for free sex and alcohol. The only thing on his mind during the entire ride was how to handle the lawsuits considering his lack of experience and knowledge. His mind snapped towards nightmarish thoughts: losing everything and living on the streets, getting criminals paid by his cousins to kill him, getting attacked by the population as soon as he got to his native region¡­. His fingers started itching to take any other turn than the one he was supposed to take, but to where? The roadsides stopped being flat and got higher and higher: He was getting closer to the mountains. At this point, the anxiety had already consumed all his mental energy. Now, he felt nothing, and just kept going forward. For the first time, Ali understood he had no other way other than facing it himself, his father was gone, and for good. The car stopped at Ait Ourir ¡ªthe central town of the surrounding villages¡ª Ali was out of gas for a long time and kept driving with his electrical hybrid motor, he stepped out, took a look at all the people surrounding him, nobody knew who he was, nobody cared about him. he was supposed to feel safer after all his overthinking, but some kind of way, that made him feel uncomfortable. He took a look at the coffee shops, they were all old, Only one had a modern digital facade. This one had a hot lady on it, but she was still wearing more clothes than the ones in the city Ali got in, sat on the table, then kept playing with the touch screen covering its surface. These dudes are so greedy that they still didn''t set up the menu to order from here. He raised his head, looked at the waiter for a moment. the waiter finally turned, flashed a professional smile and shook his head mimicking: i¡¯ll be there. As Ali finished smiling, he felt a presence behind him holding the chair, he still didn¡¯t turn, but a hand appearing next to his face made him do so. A tall guy with a mustache was reaching out, He wore cyclops smart glasses, the newest single lensed version, But the temples next to the ears were too big than the normal ones, it was doing more than just giving the time and the weather. Ali kept looking at him without reaching back. The guy took back his hand and pulled the chair in front of him, sat, then said in a hurry ¡° i knew your dad, well, i didn''t knew him but i knew of him, that¡­.¡± The guy shut up when he heard the waiter approaching: ¡°Hot milkshake please,¡± he said. The waiter smiled with a head gesture, then turned to get Ali¡¯s order, but Ali was fixing the table trying to process what was going on around him without answering. The stranger then intervened ¡°And an ice tea for my partner here, thanks¡± then threw a quick smile. The waiter smiled back then got away feeling something was wrong, the stranger then turned back to Ali and continued ¡°That why i¡¯m here, we need you and you need us¡± He kept talking, and during this moment, Ali got all kinds of scenarios going through his head about who the ¡°we¡± are supposed to be, without paying attention to what the guy was saying. Then got back to the conversation when he noticed the word (lawsuits) being thrown around. He then murmured out of his anxiety ¡°the lawsuits? you mean the one my cousins have against my father''s properties?¡± The stranger stopped, looked at Ali as he realized everything said before had not been heard, then answered in a clear tone ¡°Yes.¡± Ali pulled his chair closer. The stranger was sure now he got his full attention. He connected his glasses to the smart table, and showed documents he turned around with a hand gesture to Ali ¡°Here the 23 lawsuits held against your father¡¯s properties, i can get rid of 15 of them just using my relationships, and for the rest, we need to figure out other ways¡± Ali glanced at the man''s face, he couldn''t see his eyes, but his tone made him confident, ¡°Ok, what do I need to do?¡±. ¡°Just take your father''s previous role with the government¡± the guy followed. Ali thought for a second, ¡°isn¡¯t There anyone taking care of that at the moment?¡±. The stranger hesitated, then confessed in a lower tone ¡°I mean¡­ we''ve run into some issues with the population here lately¡­¡± Ali noticed his reluctance to elaborate further, but it didn¡¯t matter, this was Ali¡¯s only way out. ¡°Ok then, when do I start?¡± The guy suddenly cut him ¡°BE-FORE, you need to pay a visit to Marrakech, there is ¡­. Let''s call them ¡®procedures¡¯ to do. after that your welcome to your new post¡± Ali suddenly woke up from his memories to The Jinn talking loudly. He got disappointed realizing he was still in the same living room, where an uneducated criminal is getting all the attention, and where he lost all his power. Ali tried to take a sip out of his tea, but found it was already cold, so he left the cup on the ground, and kept following the conversation: ¡°Hey, you''re still on that collecting satellite fall offs, C¡¯mon man, you¡¯ve been on the same thing for years now. If you still ain''t getting nice girls and some sick weapons after all those years, get yourself another job buddy haha¡± said The Jinn addressing one of the attendants. ¡°So what the deal man, tell me some.¡± The Jinn slid his hand inside his jacket and pulled multiple things. Ali was able to see them from a distance, And was completely shocked: wires, chips¡­..and BLOOD¡­¡­EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE INSIDE MY HEAD! 8.. Two days had passed with no work in the flower field, every kid was regrouped in another one: The solar panel farm, the only governmental project still in use, any other project has been dismantled and sold in parts by local looters. It has been 2 hours since the group was laying with their tablets in hand, checking the satellite map one time, then raising their heads upward another. all they can see in the sky are fractured lines like in a broken glass. It looked majestic, Least they know, those are satellite debris illuminated by the sun. ¡°THERE HE IS, THERE HE IS¡± screamed one of them, and everybody got their heads back down at the tablets. As the satellite approached, the internet signal strengthened, heightening their dopamine levels in the process. The online game they were waiting for showed a ¡ª Connecting... ¡ª screen. The tablets started scanning the surroundings and automatically putting them in the same party. The kids were experiencing an uncontrollable smile watching the round countdown start, Sa?d veins were overflowing with adrenaline, his grip on the tablet sides was getting stronger as the countdown approached the ¨C GO ¨C sign. 5¡­.4¡­.3¡­.2¡­¡­. ¡° SA?D!!!!¡±. The whole reality shattered around him hearing this scream. He drowned his face inside the tablet hoping it¡¯ll go away, But it came back stronger¡­. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°SA????D !¡± A flow of anger slowly submerged inside, he put his tablet off and saw his father approaching behind the transparent screen, he knew he couldn''t ignore him anymore. ¡°Yes dad. i¡¯m coming it just Nasim, he was holding my arm !¡± Nasim turned around with a perplexed look, then Sa?d¡¯s father shouted again ¡°I don¡¯t care!, we have something to do, come quick!¡±. ¡°The hell you were saying?!¡± ranted Nasim. Sa?d turned around, glanced at him, ignored what he said and kept walking. ¡°Hey, I''m talking to you!¡± He called again trying to get Sa?d''s attention. But Sa?d continued without answering. Nassim''s frustration got the best of him. He then rushed Sa?d, grabbed his arm, and forcefully turned him around. Sa?d already had a fist prepared that he threw, dropping Nassim to the ground, Sa?d then jumped him, unleashing a series of savage punches. The crowd ran to separate them, but Sa?d was uncontrollable lashing at anyone who tried to intervene. Witnessing the chaotic scene, some of the kids decided to join in and started attacking Sa?d in retaliation. After a last shout, Ali was furiously walking towards where he left his son and got shocked seeing all the kids beating him down. He stormed them with a wooden stick hitting and kicking to free his son from their grip. ¡°Uncle Ali, he¡¯s the one who started trippin on us, ask everybody.¡± said one of the kids while holding his back from Ali''s kicks. Ali grabbed his son, threatened every kid around, then dragged him toward the gas car waiting. Now, Both had been far away from the village for a long time. Their bodies were shaking due to the rocky ground beneath the car. Sa?d was looking from the window and seemed lost inside his head. Ali kept an irritated face all along throwing a look at his son sometimes; Sa?d never looked back. This time, Ali fixed Sa?d longer, then suddenly lowered his head, got as close to Sa?d¡¯s face, and said in a stern but low tone. ¡°Look young man, i don¡¯t care if you understand it or not, but in this world, when somebody is on a degeneracy trip, it¡¯s not free, somebody is paying for it, my dad paid for mines, i¡¯m gonna pay for yours, so you better start taming that temper of yours before you get older¡­.,¡± Got closer to his ear again and whispered ¡°because I don''t know if i''m gonna stay long for you like my dad stayed for me¡­¡± then furiously got back straight. Sa?d kept a blank expression during the whole discourse, and of course, he understood none of it. All he was thinking about is: The blonde lady will never come, and he just lost a bunch of friends. Sa?d¡¯s losses were getting heavier each passing day. 9.. Amidst the towering skyscrapers and the floating highways filling the horizon, the old Marrakech seemed like a green leaf concealed inside concrete, driving the price of attendance to skyrocket. Fierce fights have been waged by the old families living within to maintain ownership of their houses, constantly threatened by the country''s elites and their international allies. This struggle has turned the old city into a weird mix of filthy rich and deeply poor roaming its streets dispicing each other. An aerial perspective can give a clear contrast where the affluent areas sparkles with lights and holographics, while the impoverished parts sink into an infinite void of darkness. All the roofs seem occupied by only white skinned people, the other skin colors were there to serve them, the rest were only allowed down stairs. Gert was one of those whites occupying those roofs on a daily basis, he seemed to appreciate the traditional mosaic work of Morocco, and constantly asked how such religious sub-humans came up with such beauty. He dipped the traditional bread into the olive oil, then put it inside his lipless mouth and closed his eyes while enjoying a completely natural olive oil unlike the one he¡¯s used to in his country. Sometimes, Gert regrets showing those subhumans any knowledge or technology, and preferred if they stayed illiterate producing some natural food While he and his liberal partner kept leading humanity to its next step. This last thought suddenly sparked some bad memories, but quickly forgot seeing a snowy white lady with a black suit emerging from the elevator. ¡°Oh, you got yourself new red eyes!¡± as he¡¯s pulling a chair for her. ¡°Thanks, I forgot we didn¡¯t meet for two weeks, what do you think of them?¡± ¡°Honestly, added to your black suit and purple hair, you look bossy and dominant¡± Her eyes shone. She leaned on the table, gave her sexiest smile and said while playing with her hair ¡°That turns me on hearing it from a handsome guy like you.¡± Gert smiled back and asked ¡°Aren¡¯t you married?¡± Keeping the same smile she answered ¡°Does it really matter?¡± He looked down on the table with regret. ¡°Poor Richard, sometimes I feel bad for him.¡± The lady quickly took a serious tone ¡°Well, you can count it as a part of the punishment manhood receives for mistreating women for centuries.¡± Gert was shocked hearing that, but quickly got his smile back. ¡° Sure, he deserves it.¡± She furiously crossed her arms and legs then said ¡°I think you better start that briefing.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Gert felt betrayed wondering he wasn¡¯t the one starting the flirt situation, but he kept himself composed ¡° Yes. Of course, I''m sorry. Discrediting the cybermorphobia narrative was the main field of work these two weeks, cybermorphobia will still be our main focus for the next months, any opinion discrediting cyber body change can stand as an obstacle to monitor the population¡¯s behaviors and counter the Unhumanists efforts. Our artificial intelligence made a simulation with the use of Tesla, Amazon, Apple and other firm¡¯s data concluded that 4553 high profiles will pose a resistance to our plan. We had a range of 13402 co-actors with a lower threat level. The intelligence also concluded that 40% of the high risk profiles can be neutralized in a judicial way, 30% can be dealt with with an extra judicial way safely without arousing the public opinion. We don¡¯t have any conclusions for the rest.¡± ¡°And Why is that?¡± ¡°Well, a large scale of rural areas in this country became unmonitored, Chinese and Russian devices and softwares out of our control made it over there using border smuggling from Algeria, the only way of getting intel is by using hackers and on ground information gathering, and of course, this process take longer than the data gathered from people¡¯s everyday¡¯s devices.¡± She wondered for a second, ¡°can this have an influence on the success probability of our activities against cybermorphobia ?¡± ¡°The simulation doesn¡¯t see any potential threat coming from this missing data, putting into consideration the previous years of data we had.¡± Gert pulled a single lens smart goggles, connected it to the smart table and showed a bunch of graphs. she grew weary as she looked and requested ¡°can you just tell me what it says?¡± Gert zoomed on a portion of the text ¡°Our simulation concluded other serious threats than the ones you were thinking of. It actually comes from your side.¡± ¡°More precisions?¡±. ¡°In a nutshell, the independent republican states of the US, and the pariahs states in central and latin america poses more threats than the non-monitored areas according to our simulation.¡± She furiously cut him ¡°you know for a FACT than the republican states is a hard subject to deal with at the moment !! just tell me more about the latin america¡¯s situation.¡± Gert pulled his chair closer to the table, selected a map from the bunch of data shown, and continued ¡° This map shows all the decentralized and quantum-resistant encryption devices, a portion were successfully eliminated, but there presence is a huge threat not only to our control over the rest of the world, but our control in the US itself.¡± He took a glance at the lady¡¯s face. she seemed worried, ¡°A significant part of the world who refuses our politics are actually using those services to communicate, services that are out of our control, and they can quickly spread over to southeast asia and north africa making our plans harder to execute, affecting by the way the situation here in Morocco¡± Both stayed silent for a moment. The lady started examining parts of the documents shown in the screen and taking screenshots. During that moment, Gert was worried about the earlier flirting situation wondering if it would affect his relationship with his superior. He noticed as she was busy, something down the street was getting her attention. He looked and saw a young boy running in the traditional Marrakech neighborhood emitting happy laughs. He then looked back at her face: her stares at him weren¡¯t innocent. This could be his way to salvage their relationship. Gert fixed her forehead, leaned closer and whispered ¡°You know, I can get that little kid brought to your mansion, all tied up and ready to be consumed.¡± She lifted her head with surprise. He didn''t give her a chance to comment and continued, "I believe you deserve it. You''re here working for mankind''s supremacy, while these low-lifes stand as obstacles to your supreme goal. I''m certain if this kid knew who you are and what you''re doing for mankind, he would be happy to give himself to you." She stayed frozen looking at him, He was confident she wouldn''t comment. She Then took a brief look at the boy. A bunch of dark thoughts filled her head which she tried to resist at first, then lat go when she realized she was part of a human rights group: She was above all third world countries'' laws. 10.. ¡°....In 2025, a large conspiracy shattered the TOR network reputation. The accusers stated that the large number of nodes inside the network was operated by NSA and CIA agents at the time, and that the network was using fabricated accusations to ban any node not under their monitoring¡­.¡± A man with a single lens wearing a futuristic gray blazer was giving a presentation¡­. ¡°......At the time, major western researchers accused it of being a Russo-Chinese propaganda, But until this day, no proof has arisen to support that¡­.¡± The blazer has a unique asymmetrical design with buttons that line up diagonally across the chest accentuating the shoulders. An uncommon look in this country, He had to be an international teacher. ¡° ¡­..Zubair Shorooki, A Pakistani, And Kamal Aslan, a Turkish, are pinpointed as the main initiators of the OnionLink Project, which served as an alternative to the TOR network¡­¡­..¡± He was pointing at 2 faces in the Large led screen at the front of this larger university class. ¡°......Zubair is also considered the mind behind the idea of Ghost Beacons, even though he didn''t have any role in initiating or building it. Kamal was killed supposedly by the Mossad in 2032, And Zubair still¡­..¡± Those students were¡­¡­. Different ! Face tattoos, Cyber body modifications¡­.. But their skin is dark ! I''m sure they are Moroccans ! But not those ¡°Morrocans¡±. A large Led screen¡­.. A technologically advanced classroom¡­¡­. The expensiveness of their looks surely means they belong to a ruling class owning the economy of this country. The type who lives in a Western echo chamber, migrate to a Western country to finish their studies, and come back again to the same echo chamber to rule over the population. The poor locals never had a chance to rule themselves ! Far back, isolated from everybody, two individuals didn¡¯t seem to look like the others, they looked ¡°normal¡±. but in this context, they were the ¡°different¡± ones. their long Djellabas with Berber motifs, and an old school way of dressing made them like an artifact from a historical site. Each entrant kept looking at them. Once in their seats, they asked their comrades about the unusual duo. Although we couldn''t hear their response, we could assume The answer was always a shrug or a joke, perhaps suggesting a lost time machine, an escape from a museum, or even a zoo¡­. The duo was an old man and a young kid, who was digging himself deep inside his djellaba. His little brain was endlessly rewinding all kinds of horrible scenarios that could happen to him in this place looking like a dentist waiting room. The old guy on the other hand didn¡¯t seem to care about his surroundings, he had way worse matters to worry about: His own life! He just did an overwhelming job convincing the security to let him in this highly secured building. Only People from Western countries or Alike intend this place, it benefits from higher security norms than the local ones. Earlier, as the security saw the two approaching the entrance, they stood up while keeping a hand on their guns. A long exchange between the duo on one hand and the security on the other occurred concerning the doubt they had about the two having anything to do with anybody inside; their old clothing style wasn¡¯t reassuring. Finally, one of the guards proposed a chip verification with a device to determine whether they were eligible or not. Ali claimed he had what it took to be inside this building, and how he needed to talk to somebody important concerning an urgent topic. The guards doubted this story, but in their minds, if these two have even a slight chance for an entrance eligibility, the chips they had should be obsolete and outdated¡­.. and shouldn¡¯t exist on the database anymore. Moments later, The guards were shocked when they realized that Ali not only had a brain implant, but that his implant was still active in the database. It meant these two old clothed unknown individuals ¡­..were allowed inside! The guards felt they were under some kind of elaborate scam, so one of them followed the two as they traversed the large hall inside the building: ¡°Well¡­, you know I''m just a security guard at the end of the day, I''m only doing my job! But can you guys just get inside this teaching room for the moment and wait until somebody you can talk to shows up?¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Ali and his son followed the security guard¡¯s advice. and this is how they ended up inside this large technologically advanced classroom. Outside a blond man was approaching the entry, the security didn¡¯t stand this time: he seems to be a regular. As he got near the outpost, one guard called him with broken English: ¡°Sir Gert !¡± He stopped, turned around, and the guard whispered something in his ear. He didn''t react and continued inside. He then headed directly to the classroom and opened the door. The whole class turned around looking at him, they thought he was there for some management related matter, but surprisingly, he ignored everybody and headed straight to the two historical artifacts sitting alone in the bottom of the class. ¡°I don¡¯t have time and also, I don''t want to talk here, follow me please¡±. Then The three went straight to the exit one after the other. The class was surprised and wondered who those two individuals were? and why Sir Gert was garenting them any interest. Outside, Gert pointed to the elevator, the two started walking toward it, but then snapped his fingers, and instead, pointed to another direction, this time it was the entry hall¡¯s coffee. Gert felt these two weren''t worth the time taking the elevator to his desk at the 8th floor. Gert sat first without inviting them, not even a hand gesture. Ali and his son stood for a moment wondering if they should sit. Finally, Gert looked at them with impatience prompting Ali to pull a chair, then pulled another one for his son who sat carefully while fixing the blond guy. Ali then initiated the conversation with a low voice and a fake smile ¡°Thanks sir for your time. I used to work for Sir Mcgavin from the American school in Marrakech, he wasn¡¯t allowed around but I think you know from child molestation allegations, any¡­¡± Gert cut him off with a strict tone ¡°Please. Those are conspiracy theories believed by the illiterates, cut that and go straight to the point.¡± Ali kept smiling despite his frustration ¡°Yes Sir i¡¯m sorry, well¡­¡± Gert cut him off again ¡°Tell me first what¡¯s the nature of your relationship with Sir Mcgavin? and why are you even allowed in this building? What model of chips do you have as a brain implant?¡± ¡°I was Sir designated as the Ca?d of Ait Ourir rural Area, mean i hold most of governmental power, that when Sir Mcgavin got into contact with me, he first started inviting me to the American school¡¯s celebrations and events, then soon started asking for services in exchange for cleaning my record with the Moroccan authorities from any criminal allegations.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a corrupted piece of garbage.¡± Said Gert while fixing Ali¡¯s eyes. A long silence followed. After mixed thoughts, Ali realized he wasn¡¯t here for this, he shouldn¡¯t let any provocation prevent him from his goal. ¡°Maybe Sir, but I have someone worse than me that will soon be an issue for Morocco and its international allies¡± This last sentence got Gert interested. But he kept his superior tone and asked ¡°Who the hell can be of any annoyance to me or my partner, I don''t see that, especially if he was an insignificant illiterate from your rural area.¡± Gert realized he didn¡¯t need to treat Ali like that, But for some subconscious reason, he felt the need to do so. ¡°I know Sir, of course none of us can be of any annoyance to you Sir or any of your European partners, but I felt as someone who worked for you the need to warn you.¡± Gert thought for a second as he ordered from the table¡¯s digital screen. Ali kept his eyes down this whole time while Sa?d was happily enjoying all the delicious desserts popping on the screen. After validating his order, Gert looked at Ali and said ¡°So¡­.. why do you think I should care about this individual, what is so dangerous about him?¡± The despair lest Ali¡¯s face as he passionately started explaining ¡°They call him the Jinn, his real name is Anas, yesterday I saw him with a bunch of brain implants he was getting from digging dead corpses and bursting their heads open.¡± ¡°A low-life criminal doing Low-Life crimes, why should this be of any concern to me?¡± ¡°The problem is, I have a high suspicion that the final buyers of these chips are the Chinese, including the ones enhanced with brain cells. i know for a fact he sells them to smugglers from the Algerian borders, and a number of those implants have recent technology i assume shouldn''t be on your rivals hands.¡± Gert looked around worried: The cameras, The sensors, even the small digital screens on the table were collecting data. Gert knew he cannot ignore it now that many devices had a trace of this conversation. The situation was serious, Gert needs to turn down his attitude. ¡°Remind me again of your name?¡± Gert said with a surprisingly respectful tone. ¡°Ali Issiki, and this is my son Sa?d¡± Gert was about to express his indifference about his son¡¯s name, but retained himself knowing he couldn''t act the same way. ¡°I¡¯m gonna add you, let''s stay in contact.¡± Gert scanned Ali¡¯s avatar, no shared contact events or hobbies were shown except for one place: Collaborative project. How the hell do I have any common project or collaboration with this guy?!! I¡¯ll check that later. Ali suddenly remembered something: ¡°I forgot, our area is infested with QSD¡¯s and i need to take a long trip out of my area in order to contact you.¡± ¡°You mean those Quantum Signal Disruptors?¡± ¡°Yes and they are hard to detect, even the authorities prior failed to get rid of them.¡± A long silence followed while Gert focused on his tablet. He then lifted his eyes and looked at Ali: ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry, have a good day Sir.¡± Then quickly got up and dragged his son by his hand. When Ali got a bit too far, Gert put his tablet down and grabbed his head with both hands in despair. I-DON¡¯T-CAAAARE about this anymore, I don''t believe in this shit anymore, Humanity can just eat shit and DIE !! As he watched Ali and his son walk away from the building, a brilliant idea struck his mind. A smile began to spread across his hairless face, he probably had a way to get this burden out of his shoulders. Ali''s face was getting farther from Gert, who behind him slowly became indistinguishable among the tide of people. His mouth suddenly mumbled: ¡°Hm... Yeah, conspiracy theories¡­¡± Sa?d looked up trying to grasp what his dad just said, and quickly got uninterested guessing it had to be an adult matter. Ali knew it wasn¡¯t a conspiracy theory for a simple fact: He and his crew were the ones carrying out the kidnappings of kids on behalf of Sir Mcgavin! 11.. Progress¡­humanity ¡­..I DON¡¯T CARE ANYMORE! In a cloudy night gently drizzling, A lone walking shadow was producing those thoughts. The moonlight glow appeared a few times making something on his right hand shine: it looked like a firearm. The person seemed to be walking down a descending path, surely a mountain. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! You wanted the glory for yourself?! That''s what you strived for?! Then I''m gonna take it away from you like you took it from me, none of us gonna benefit ! The shadow was stumbling from time to time, all his focus was on his angry thoughts. I will not even give you the pleasure of retaliation, i wont give myself to you, i''ll take, without nothing given back He seemed so drowned in his rage that nothing could pull him back. Keep the peace. Don¡¯t disturb the peace¡­.. BULLSHIT!! It¡¯s only peace when the beneficiaries are you Long fences with surveillance cameras started appearing in the distance, he didn¡¯t seem far from civilization. Tomorrow the ¡°peace¡± will be disturbed in the city of Marrakech. 12.. Somebody shot a lady in a mansion¡­¡­. a young kid was kidnapped¡­.. more satellite warfare ¡­¡­the T.V news seems as usual. It¡¯s surprising it still exists and has an audience. Sa?d was facing the T.V ... looking at it, But not watching it. This place felt corrupted; it smelled rust, piss and drugs. His dad was nervously twiddling his mustache fixing the doorway leading to the next room. Gradually, a sound of wheels echoed from it, And The creaking hinges Announced the arrival of the person he had been waiting for. An aging worn figure emerged from the doorway; Rami, an old friend of Ali rolling in a mechanical wheelchair. He seemed careless; he never bothered investing in a smart one. ¡°You think you became that important to make me wait all this time bastard! Were you pimping for your mom or somethin¡¯?¡± said Ali with a malicious smirk Shocking Sa?d who never heard his father use such language. ¡°With the news I have for you, I think you''re the one who should think about doing it with your mom¡¯s dead corpse.¡± responded Rami. A concerned expression crossed Ali''s face ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I got insight, you got down ranked from AB to B¡± he responded while searching on his old smartphone. "What the hell ?!! Do they actually expect me to do something about the situation I''m in?!! Do they want me dead?!" screamed Ali in frustration, then angrily sank down onto the sofa. Rami stoically observed him, then continued, "Yes, they want you dead, as if you didn''t already know." Ali glared at him aggressively but averted his face and twiddled his mustache again. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°You had to look at it positively¡± Said Rami,¡°You''ve worked for the system for so long, it¡¯s a miracle you still didn¡¯t get hurt, I know of people who were Tagged as D¡¯s or Even E¡¯s and completely vanished from the face of earth. you¡¯re still here buddy.¡± Ali wasn¡¯t trusting him. He felt he was hiding something ¡°I¡¯ve been on the system for so long like you said, and you too, every time these liberals act like this, they want some extra dangerous work from us.¡± Rami slowly smiled showing his decaying line of teeths, then said ¡°Exactly, and there you go.¡± Ali heard a notification sound on his smart watch, he noticed an incoming message, then projected the hologram to see what it was about, as it materialized, Ali¡¯s face turned from anticipation to pure horror. "THIS¡­..THIS GUY IS FROM MY VILLAGE!!! I CAN''T HANDLE HIM! I DON''T WANT TO DIE!" Ali exclaimed, completely overwhelmed. Rami¡¯s eyes got wide open with a broad grin as he enjoyed Ali''s freaked-out state. And With a degenerate laugh he said ¡°You think this is it, huh? Haha, glad to have crossed paths with you buddy! See you in hell !¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be scared of the fact that Ali was enraged nor that he was a disabled man in a wheelchair unable to fight back. Sa?d meanwhile was going backward with little step towards the corner of the room, his father going insane and Hilarious laughs of Rami shivered down his spine. This is the first time he''s witnessed his father in such a way, and everything about the other guy horrified him:, his laughter, his smell, his decaying teeths, his two tumors, and the worst, his total lack of compassion. Sa?d was desperately trying to make sense of the situation: is my father going to die? Is this the ritual to go to adulthood? Am I an adult now? His thoughts were cut by A sudden sense of pure despair. As he lifted his head, he was met with the bulging eyes and smile of Rami piercing his weak soul with a predator look. As a child Sa?d used to run behind his father for safety. Now, even his father didn¡¯t feel safe. After a last kick on Rami¡¯s dining table, Ali headed to the doorway. Sa?d quickly followed him, he didn''t feel like staying alone with that man. Rami observed with a smile, then headed back to his room and continued watching porn on his wall size TV. Ali stepped out oblivious to the fact that his world was about to change. Little did he know, the decision had just been taken. 42 minutes ago¡­. 13.. ¡°...... two dead bodies were found, a woman and a man that had been identified as 41 years old Nasser Tifard, and 36 years old Ariana Krasni¡­.¡± A car was zooming in the Noble Nexus, a V I P motorway constructed only for the Moroccan elite and international agencies. Inside the car, Gert¡¯s blond hair was easily distinguishable, his eyes weren''t on the road, but on the LifeSync stream broadcasting a murder that just occurred and that highly concerned him. On his way, he wondered about the reason he¡¯s being put in this situation in the first place. After a moment of despair and confusion, he clearly remembered why. It was this time he had his eyes pointed on a window directly looking up at the planet he came from: Earth. At this point, he had completely lost faith in anything he had been spoon-fed by his superiors. However, he was unable to voice his dissent: dismantling the false optimism the moon station''s owners were pushing became a matter of life and death. Yet, this wasn''t his sole problem. Liberalism, Humanity¡¯s progress, freedom ... ideals ingrained in him since childhood; letting go of them now meant losing everything. "....We stand as Earth''s vanguards, humanity''s champions, forging a path to secure its future. Allow even a shred of doubt to taint our hope, and demise shall befall you. There exists no alternative for humanity but to emerge victorious, NONE!!..." His trainer''s impassioned speech continued to reverberate within him. When he went to space at first, those words were inspiring and motivational. Now, his trainer just looked like a degenerate lunatic. Driven by the promises, hopes scattered in science fiction. Gert wanted to ascend there to make those hopes a reality. After few years, he was now looking down at earth after those hopes were struck by the solid wall of reality. He snapped out of his memories to The smart windshield highlighting the path he needed to exit the motorway, his anxiety soon came back reminding him why he was speeding: He needed to keep people away from this as much as possible before anything went out! As he pulled in the front of the mansion, everything was as expected. The gate was full of journalists¡­¡­. Or intelligence agencies. Luckily, they weren¡¯t allowed in. Gert jumped out of the car without locking it, hurried past the swarm of ¡°journalists¡±, and quickly got intercepted by security guards in the front gate: ¡°Excuse me, nobody is allowed inside¡± Gert locked eyes with the guard and retorted,¡°Who ARE you?!!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The guard without losing his calm replied in a composed tone ¡°That''s a question you need to answer before getting in, Sir.¡± The professional tone shown by the guard started fading as Gert kept staring at him with a threatening look. He doubted his ability to properly do his job as a simple Moroccan facing his Western white overlord. His family and the ability to provide for them started weighing in his mind, And soon he mumbled ¡°Well Sir, let me see what I can do¡±. He then went inside. 5 minutes had passed, and the guard was back,¡°Sir Konrad asks you to put your car in idle mode and then to go inside.¡± Gert quickly taped his pockets, did as he was told, and rushed inside the mansion. Rapidly walking, he gave each corner a superficial look while getting closer to where Konrad was. He now was sure nobody else was around. When he ran inside the door, he was met by a kneeling old man wearing a modern suit with golden motifs, seen from the back. He looks young due to his black hair, but his all white beard revealed his real age. Konrad looked back at Gert while running a hologram simulation trying to guess what happened to the dead bodies laying there. ¡°What that retard in the front gate thought he was doing?¡± exclaimed Gert. Konrad gave him a low glance, got up and answered in a cold tone: ¡°First that is not a retard, he¡¯s part of our private security company we got here to keep anybody from getting involved. Second, I already knew you were here the time your car came around the perimeter, its hardware signals were all over the place and their IDs were already on my database. Third, I purposely kept you at the front gate because I needed to check something before asking some questions.¡± This last sentence made Gert uncomfortable, Yet, he stayed confident knowing he didn¡¯t remember doing something deemed wrong lately. ¡°Gert, you know who i am, and what i can do. You know the resources in my disposition. so, don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Gert got more disturbed hearing this. Konrad added after a long silence: ¡°Do you have anything to do with this?¡± Gert¡¯s doubts turned suddenly into anger, but he kept himself composed and asked in a slow pace to keep his emotion under control ¡°What makes you believe I do?¡± Konrad didn¡¯t answer, turned around, and with a gesture asked Gert to follow him. Both men got upstairs, then inside a bedroom. ¡°I thought I was the only one aware of your superior little secret, but I guess somebody else does¡±. Said Konrad while throwing a quick glance. Gert anxiety was intensifying; Konrad was a professional at psychologically messing with people. He opened the dresser''s door, uncovering a big hole on its wall, ¡°I don''t have time to figure out how the system to open your superior¡¯s backdoor works, but I know where it was, so I just broke through it. excuse me for mess¡± quickly smiled, then got inside A narrow alley with a reddish glow emanating from it. ¡°I know you¡¯re aware of her secret, but have you ever got in here?¡± he said as he traversed the corridor. Gert wasn''t answering, only giving him a blank look, and they both ended up inside an open red room with multiple erotic tools, a shelf full of wine bottles, a chair and a table. Konrad stopped and suddenly turned around, making Gert nearly collide with him. ¡°Does this belong to you?¡± he said while pointing to the right side of the room. Gert didn¡¯t turn; he already knew what he was pointing at. Konrad fixed Gert¡¯s eyes waiting for anything¡­.. But nothing came. He then pulled his tablet and started walking out, he said without turning, "Clean up your mess and find a way to hide that kid from anyone''s eyes." on his way out, Konrad added, "Your degeneracies have started becoming too costly," he then exited. Gert¡¯s spine went cold hearing the last sentence. It was the kind of sentence someone hears before their life gets destroyed, then cut off from the system for good. Gert knew he was high in the liberal system; Gert knew his fall will be painful. 14.. The metro looks busy today, Open mouths were producing incomprehensible noises even the most sophisticated algorithms can not make sense of. The Faced creatures seemed to be involved in some social self-validating ritual; All except one, it was busy thinking about another bloodier ritual it will be part of if it doesn¡¯t find a way out¡­.. All possibilities were traversing Ali¡¯s head while sitting silent. His son Sa?d leaned on his side the whole time. Changing sides?!! Will the other side make me pay if I do?!! Is there a way to get rid of him and go on with a peaceful life?!!! For the first time in years, Ali was facing a situation pushing his mental capacities to its limits. From the time the central authorities lost control over the rural areas, Ali was put on the side forever¡­.. That''s what he thought, except, the system had him in a corner of his mind to be of use someday, and that day had come. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Next to him, Sa?d was sleeping¡­. Well, I''m sure his eyes are closed, what he''s seen today will keep him awake for a moment. to spend his time, he was reviewing an old memory he had with his drunk uncle. ¡° A bunch of those stars don''t exist anymore, only their light is still reflecting on us.¡± If my uncle was right about the blond lady, maybe he was right about the stars too. In this recollection, they were situated a kilometer away from the village, a location selected specifically to ensure his uncle¡¯s access to the internet. This is precisely where the ¡°Targant n inna¡± stands, a term that translates to ¡°mother¡¯s argan tree¡±. However, only a handful of locals still comprehend its significance, as the Berber language has gradually faded over the years due to its amalgamation with Arabic. The tree, standing tall against the mountain, was right among the stars. It looked like the last stitch that was still keeping the sky and the mountain together. Suddenly, The world outside the window, which was a blur just moments ago, starts to regain its colors and shapes as the slingshot train comes to a smooth stop. The doors slide open with a soft hiss, revealing the bustling platform of the train station. Ali violently grabbed his son out of his memories and stepped out onto the platform. Hand in hand, they made their way through the crowd, heading towards the exit. As they got out of the station, they¡¯re greeted by the sight of a cityscape bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. Despite the captivating beauty of the scene, it was unable to seize Ali¡¯s attention. In his case, nothing could. He navigated swiftly through the crowd, hoping to reach the spot where the gas cars, operating illegally, were stationed. Missing them meant a potential overnight stay in Marrakech, a place where only nightmares ventured after sundown. 15.. Moans were heard coming from the dimly lit room. Gert, sweaty and naked, was plugged into a web of wires connected to his headgear, immersed in the holographic porn beamed directly into his neural cortex, painting vivid scenes of sexual intercourse. Amidst that, a subtle unease took over him, getting his dopamine pathways hijacked, reminded him he was part of the one that should control people with it, not getting controlled by it. A wave of guilt crashed over Gert as he disconnected from the immersive experience. Anxiety creeped back again forming a black hole inside sucking any sense of well being. Every device in this room looked recent, except for one; an old rusty smartphone on the corner of the desk. he was their due to Gert efforts to completely forgot about his existence, but he could not get rid of him, this old rusty piece of metal was connecting him to his worst nightmare until now: Konrad. Konrad was skeptical; he still refused to use any hologram interaction, or even simple audio or video. Even though the data was collected by his partners, the knowledge he had about their ability to monitor people¡¯s lives made him parano?d. Every time he was asked about it, his answer was ¡°keyboard allows me to deeply evaluate my words.¡± And if they were hearing us, that smartphone would soon ring with a message notification. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [konrad][00:16 GMT+1]: Ghost beacon JDS again, forget about it, it¡¯s the NSA business now¡­. Finally, Gert felt relieved this long day. Ghost beacons generally meant a dead end. Those devices were small, capable of hijacking any wireless connection around, and powered with artificial intelligence to imitate other devices in order to stay hidden, and the worst, they were scattered everywhere around the globe. Gert pushed the notification to read the rest of the message. [konrad][00:16 GMT+1]:......According to the NSA, the JDS is an acronym for (Junk data spawners), it was first made by unhumanists, then adopted by the Oriental pact during their ongoing war against us, it purpose is to fill the western cloud databases with junk data, making the artificial intelligence unable to make full profile or knowledge about people, and create misleading intel.¡± Gert didn''t care about the message, but one thing caught his attention and gave him a rare opportunity to land a jab on Konrad. ¡° It¡¯s not NSA anymore, it¡¯s GSA.¡± [konrad][00:18 GMT+1]: Yes. Sorry for the mistake. It became GSA. and it will stay. Humanity should win¡­¡­ right? :smileyface: Gert just emerged from his anxiety, only to find himself falling back into it again. Konrad never uses emojis, neither dumb motivational sentences like that. Why is he doing it now?! Does it Really matter?! I¡¯m i overthinking again?!!!! Noooo¡­.noo¡­.no¡­¡­¡­ Konrad is¡­.. There is no way he would have known that ¡­¡­ I''m ¡­..i¡¯m surely overthinking again¡­ 16.. From this mountain¡¯s summit, the night-lit skyscrapers of Marrakech emerge as a dazzling jewel suspended in the heart of an infinite ether. Beyond the shimmering lights and breathtaking skyline, lies Deception, uncleanliness, dishonesty, and¡­ Our magnificent view suddenly got interrupted by two shadows Walking up the dirt alley. Both were silent, only The soft crunch of footsteps could be heard, the poor young Sa?d already walked 5 kilometers, and Ourar¡¯s village was still far. Sa?d cannot complain, he can risk being cannibalized by his own father in the middle of nowhere. Earlier, Ali got into a dispute with the gas car driver for a stupid reason. He thought it as an opportunity to release his stress by punching the driver¡¯s face, but no chance, the driver had a pistol. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. He ended up doing Ali the favor of not shooting him and left him on the side of the road at the mercy of darkness and cold. As they walked along the mountain path, a distant explosion shattered the silence, prompting them to turn around. The two figures stood on the mountain, eyes transfixed on the cloudy sky. An intense burst of light breached the gloom, its brilliance amplified by the contrast with the surrounding darkness. A colossal and radiant object, erupted in a sparkling display of light and sounds, like a meteor shower in reverse painting the sky with trails of shining debris. Knowing they were still in the area with internet access, Ali threw a quick glance at his smartwatch which showed a red urgent alert, his disinterested eyes only caught a few words: Sabotage, Space station and China. He then turned around and kept walking, leaving his son behind. Sa?d stood full of wonder. His small hands clutch his clothing, a gasp escaped his lips with a palpable innocence as the light reflected in his wide open eyes. The stars !! They are still there ! My uncle was wrong ! The blond lady is coming soon !