“I can easily say H knew me inside and out, but I can’t say it was vice versa. Trusting him -- that was never an issue. But truly knowing H, his deepest thoughts, his heart, that was a different challenge. He kept everything bottled up. And there was a part of him, the part I witnessed, when he attacked Filipov, that maybe I didn’t want to know. “

“Tell me about his mother.”

“His mother, as I already said…. or did I?”

She realized she wasn’t sure anymore how much she has told the Source. The border between her thoughts and her actual spoken words became blurry. The Source’s stoic face wasn’t revealing anything that could help her in answering that question.

“Well, H’s mother Eve Hanneghan was a world-famous pianist. Nothing was known about his father. I never heard Eve talking about him, not even with my parents, and if I asked H he’d just say he didn’t have a father. When I persisted, you know how it is, as a kid you don’t take into account how sensitive the theme is, he got mad and walked away. Once I grew up, I stopped asking.”

“His mother died in the Event?”

“Yes, it happened on the first day when it all began. She was at the concert hall. The berserker drone bombed it to the ground. H was staying over at our place that night. When my father gave him the news the next day, it was the only time I saw H cry. I also cried. Eve was the nicest, the most caring person, and a beautiful woman. It sounds stupid now, but as a child, I envied H his mother. You see, my parents were very strict and quite stingy with emotions. I think science in a way was their preferable child.”

She chuckled, thinking how well her last sentence summarized the essence of her relationship with her parents. “Umm…I mean…I’m sure my parents loved me, but I sometimes felt like they are looking at me from a scientific distance as if were an experiment in a carefully designed environment. They must have been disappointed by my mischievous behaviour, by my obsession with what they’d call a low-level entertainment, and most certainly by my bad grades at school. I had more freedom with my grandma, the mother of my mother, who used to live with us. She spoiled me, although she too was strict when it came to tidiness. She had me cleaning up my room all the time. I hated it, and probably that’s why my room has always been such a mess later on. However, her meticulousness continued to reflect in my work. I wonder if she’d be of proud how I turned out.”

The bittersweet memories. Those people, none of them were in her life anymore. “On the other hand, the only fault of H’s mom was that she was often away due to her musical career, so H spent quite a lot of time with us. Every time Eve came to our house or when I spent time at hers, it felt like a gift to me. Whenever she had to leave for a concert she hugged H so tenderly, barely holding back the tears in her eyes, and I remember feeling resentful and jealous, even though she always also hugged me. I was competing for Eve’s attention. The funny thing was, H didn’t mind at all, he just was happy his mother was present.”

“Your father was the only one from your family to survive the Event?”

“Yes. My mother died at the research institute, my grandmother died in our house, when a drone fell on our roof. I witnessed that. Eve was at the concert hall. All dead. My father survived because he and his colleagues worked deep underground at his research facility when the first impact happened. I survived because…” her voice trembled and turned into an inner whisper…because of H.

“Afterwards, H stayed with you and your father?”

“Yes. I think H adored and respected my father almost with the same intensity I adored his mother, but without the jealousy part. My father treated him in the same way he treated me, no less no more. H was always so grateful. If H ever cried again after the loss of his mother it was probably when my father disappeared. I never actually saw him crying, but that’s ‘cause I was too busy being miserable and indulging in self-pity at the time. Now that I think about it, I acted very selfishly. First, when Eve died, but I was a child then, grieving over my own losses, so that’s forgivable. But when my father disappeared, for that I have no good excuse. Because H had been always there for me, even as a kid during the horrible times following the Event, and I can’t say I was there for him when he needed me, not even as an adult.”

***

“So you’re saying, my dear nephew, that my son tried to rape this woman?”

“Yes, auntie. Remember Stemetski, she was one of mine, once.” Akayev smiled smugly. “She did that great job with your leg.”

“Right, right, I remember.” Filipova stroked her chin then pass her hand down her throat and turned her dark eyes on Filipov. Sitting on the chair, which looked more like a throne, she inspected him from afar. “Jasha, look at you, you’re unrecognizable –“

“Iss wass thas bastard…” mumbled Filipov, having difficulty to articulate the words properly due to his damaged face, and pointed his finger at H. “Hess and Akayev wass on thiss togethsser, sssey killed Bertot soo and--“

“Shut the fuck up!” The sudden change in her tone, which in an instant transformed from a caring, motherly observation into a blistering shout made Filipov’s whole body shiver.

Taking a long breath Filipova leaned her head on her hand as if it suddenly became very heavy. Her voice once again acquired a softer, quieter tone: “For a long time I hoped you’d change…but to no avail.” Her partner Johnson, a beautiful but also intimidating black woman standing behind the throne, placed her hand lovingly on Filipova’s shoulder. Filipova turned to her with a gentle gaze and reciprocated her gesture by putting her hand on top of hers. Then she commanded one of the other two female lieutenants standing in the vicinity of her throne: “Kyla, take him downstairs for now, I shall think of an adequate punishment after.”

“Hai hai, madam,” said the shaved, olive skin woman, whose body looked as strong as H’s.

“Butss mossther, you have ssto believe me, ssthey provoked me…sshey…I had to do something, it’s not my ssfault!” Filipov screamed in despair when Kyla’s large hands began to drag him away.

“Kyla, wait.“ Filipova stood up from her chair and walked toward her son. Filipov’s heavily bruised eyes acquired some hope as his mother approached him.

“Jasha,” she said caringly and stroked his swollen face. “You attempted to do the same to that woman, as the man, who fathered you, did to me. But even he, the scum he was, did not try to deny it. Quite the opposite, he boasted about it, well, until his mouth was still able to speak. You know, how I hate when a woman is abused by a man’s physical strength, don’t you?”

Filipov nodded his head, sobbing like a small child, and she nodded with him.

“But a rape? In my own house?” Filipova raised her voice. “You think I don’t know what happened? I know exactly what happened because Johnson saw it all, and she‘d never lie to me. Nor would Akayev. Rape? Under my roof, Jasha? You brought me nothing but shame!” With those words, she slapped him so hard, that only Kayla’s arms prevented him from crashing to the floor. “Take him away! I can’t look at him anymore!” She turned abruptly and walked with long strides back to her throne.

Filipov’s legs gave way and Kyla had to carry him out of the room. Filipova sat immovable on her chair until the screams and then yelps of her son died down. The distress on her face was replaced with a cold, focused stare, which she directed at her nephew and his friends, who stood below the elevated platform on which she sat. Filipova was quite a beauty, tall and slender, with elegant, almost aristocratic facial features and long, completely straight blond hair, sharing far more physical resemblance with her nephew than with her son. Only her dark eyes, which like endless black pools glittered on her white, smooth face, spoke of some filial connection between her and Filipov. Those eyes hinting at the madness hidden deep inside her kept everyone in the room on the edge.

“Stemetski, is it? I apologize on behalf of my son. What he did is unforgivable. Rest assured his punishment will be adequate. I do however want to offer you compensation. Would 20 silver taels be satisfactory?” Filipova addressed the party before her in a cold, imperious voice.

Ana averted her eyes, staring at the floor at her feet. With her short hair neatly tucked behind her ears, her bruised face was fully exposed. Hunching her shoulders, she looked extra-pitiful. “Boss Filipova, I…I’m most grateful for your generosity, but I don’t need anything really. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I see, it’s hardly adequate,” said Filipova, scrunching her thin eyebrows a little. “50 silver taels?”

“Auntie, may I approach?”

Filipova nodded and Akayev came up to her. She listened with attentiveness while he whispered in her ear, and then spoke again: “Stemetski, my nephew tells me it’s your wish to see the Palace?"

Ana smiled like a shy little girl, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "Well, yes. It’s been my wish since I can remember. I’ve always wanted to see where our Emperor lives. If there’s any way you can make this happen, it would be the only compensation I’d accept from you. If it can’t be done, then your apology was already more than enough for me, Boss."

Filipova leaned her chin on her hand and remained like that for a prolonged moment. The whole room turned completely quiet. The feeling of uncertainty and nervousness about what Filipova would or wouldn’t do next emanated from everyone present.

"I like how you talk, Stemetski." she said, abandoning her thoughtful pose, and causing everyone to flinch at her sudden words. "I guess you could join my entourage for the Event celebrations. And of course your friend, and… who else, did you say, Akayev? “

“Nobody else, auntie, just me and the two of them.”

Ana’s bewildered stare turned at Akayev and her mouth opened to protest, but Filipova, whose full attention was still directed at her nephew, didn’t give her the chance.

“Ok, fine then,” she immediately said, smiling agreeably at Akayev. “So this year, my dear nephew, you and your two friends are welcome to join me for the visit to the White Palace as part of my entourage. And of course those 50 silver taels, I will give them to Stemetski anyway. I’ll send them over to you later. Make sure she gets them and spends them on a proper dress for the Palace. A dress code is required…that goes for all of you. However, let me make something very clear.” She turned from Akayev to Ana and H. “After this, I owe no favour to any of you. Is that understood?"

“Absolutely, auntie."

“Of course, thank you, Boss Filipova. I’m most grateful,” said Ana, mustering up the sweetest smile possible, while sneaking in a few glares at Akayev, who in return raised his eyebrow smugly at her.

The remaining of the two lieutenants -- a busty blond Amazon, approached Filipova and leaned in close to her ear. Ana made eye contact with H and then with Akayev, who replied with a shrug. After they exchanged a few sentences the blond stepped away and Filipova addressed them again: “One more thing, Andrews here would like to know if, ehmm… Hanneghan would like to stay for the night?”

Confusion appeared on Ana’s face.

“Oh, don’t you worry.” Filippova said, making a dismissive wave with her hand “It’s all pleasure, I assure you, Stemetski, nothing bad will happen to your friend. You see, we quite appreciate men, who stand up to protect the woman’s honour. “

“We actually have to return--”started Ana.

“It will be my pleasure,” H interrupted her and bowed slightly.

“Great, now that we settled this, we can all get back to our duties. Akayev, I hope you come more often to visit me.”

“I’ll try, auntie, but you know, business first.”

“Oh, you charmer.” She gave him a light pat on the cheek and together with Johnson left the room smiling, leaving only Andrews, who eyed H flirtatiously, behind.

“This was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Damn, I’m smart as fuck. I practically pulled off a mission impossible in there. You can’t be unimpressed, beautiful?” Akayev remarked to Ana while leaving Filipova’s premises.

Walking at a quick pace and stubbornly looking at the ground, Ana didn’t say a word. It wasn’t until they reached H’s jeep, that she finally stopped and lashed out: “What the fuck was that, Akayev? You were supposed to ask for Margot to come and not yourself!” Her fists were clenched and she barely stopped herself from kicking at the car.

“Oh, oh….calm down, it was an impromptu idea and a brilliant one too. It’s some dangerous shit you’re getting into, beautiful, and I just thought my brains and abilities will come in handy. More than Margot’s.”

“The fuck not!”

“Well, it’s not like you have a choice now, do you?” He flashed a dashing smile and pushed his hair from his forehead. His smugness irritated her.

“Fuck you, Akayev! Just remember, if you anyhow get in my way, our deal is off, plus I’ll make sure you end up on the rebels’ black list.”

“Such horrible threats coming from such a lovely mouth. Shall I take you home? My car is right over there.” He proudly extended his arm at his yellow Hummer.

“No,” she snapped, sat in the Jeep, and slammed the door. Akayev leaned on the window frame: “How will Hanneghan get back then?”

“Don’t give a fuck. He can walk home, for all I care.”

“Auch, are you mad at your dog for not following you?”

She rolled her eyes at him and started the engine.

“Oh, by the way, the 50 silvers I keep of course. We’ll go shopping together when the time comes, and the rest, well, let’s call it a commission for a well-done job.”

He barely had the time to detach from the car so promptly she drove away.