That girl has short yellow-ish hair and large green eyes. She looks amazing even in her home T-shirt and shorts. With a body like this, I suspect, she might secretly be real-life Power Girl. But she is my step-sister, and for such thoughts, I will burn in hell. Alice crouched to pick up the boiling kettle from the floor. The plaque with her name and level (zero, like with everyone else) stayed at the height level. I tried to distract myself by thinking about sockets in the kitchen. A decade passed, but nobody bothered to fix them. Since Mr. Svenson helped me to destroy this family, he could’ve at least done some work at the house. You know, just for good karma. “Thank you for letting me in”, I said, trying to be polite. It was my flat after all. She had barely anything to do with it. Alice was the daughter of mom’s new husband and moved here when our parents decided to live in suburbs. By the way, mom was unhappy to see me. Looks like she erased me, dad, and Liam from her life and was very content with that. In other words, she didn't even let me into their closed community. Some sleazy guy from security asked all kinds of questions, and then mom stormed out of the gate and told me to get lost. I didn't want to spend the night at the station, and paying for a motel room would have been a waste. Visiting Alice was my only choice, and she did not disappoint. “Pfft, I know how that is. Went through a bunch of places myself, before asking dad to let me stay here. You pay a ton, and all you get is a damp dungeon on the first floor. Wouldn’t wish it on my enemy. So, until you find a job and a better place you can use a small room.” The small room is my room, thank you very much. “Won’t that inconvenience you?” She smirked. “I’ll let you know once that happens.” Alice is four years older than me. We’re not that close. Saw each other couple of times when we were children, and, perhaps, that's it. Then the whole story happened, the move, etc. I'm glad that she at least recognized me. We sat down at the ancient table in the kitchen. I saw the dark spot Liam left all those years ago and felt immensely nostalgic. I and bro were playing siege. He rammed into the wood at full speed, because he wanted to be a siege ram. “Why did you suddenly decide to return?” she asked. “Just wanted to find my roots, I guess. Oh, and West Coast is kinda ass.” “How about we add some honesty to this tea?” Those emerald eyes were sharp. We’ve met each other four or five times, but she saw right through me. Probably knew everything about my story as well. “Dad kicked me out. I’m on the run from loan sharks. Trying to turn a new leaf. All of the above. Or none. Pick whatever you like” “Whatever one is true, I guess?” “Okay, I was joking about loan sharks.” “So, you're a funny guy, Arthur…” she took a careful sip of her tea. “May I ask a personal question?” She had a habit sticking out pinky finger while holding a mug. Like she was some kind of a noblewoman or something. But then again, maybe she was. Her dad definitely has that high society air around him. “Go ahead.” “Irene barely talks about you. And when she does, it’s nothing pleasant. Well, you see…” “Yeah, I see.” People can smile and be friendly to you, but they always talk behind you back. You’d think with so many loonies around, nobody would pay attention to your little quirk, but no. For some reason, I was branded for life. “Are you okay now? Be honest, please.” How to put it? I’m doing pretty well. All stat windows are present. I still have one unit in strength, speed, endurance, energy, and will. There is still no totem, no seals, no apps either, and finally no archetype. Digital Complex still haunts me, even when I’m trying to ignore it. But that’s not the official story. “I’m fine, believe it or not.” “Maybe I do.” “There are no more glitches if that's what you mean. By the way, those were merely some hallucinations caused by neurosis, and that’s it. Stories of my woeful insanity are blown out of proportion by mom. You know, so she wouldn’t feel guilty banging your dad behind her husband’s back.” Alice's smile was sour. “Guess, she decided to stick to her story then.” “You are free to make your own conclusions and trust whoever you want. Although, you still call her by her name and that speaks for itself”. “Why, I trust you. Wouldn’t let you in if I didn’t.” she looked away. Apparently, my words hit the mark. “To be honest, I don't care if you’re seeing things. As long as those aren’t gnomes telling you to burn the whole place down. It’s not them, right?” “Nah, just floating digits. Gaming addiction from childhood, basically non-existent now.” “Good. You know, I want to help you. You mom creeps me out, but you are still my step-brother, for better or worse” There was a rather awkward pause. For some reason, Alice kept glancing behind my back as if she saw something there. Why, though? “A soulful tea time for siblings, united in their hatred for wicked step-mom,” I said, finishing my cup. “Indeed” she muttered. “What are you planning to do?” “I'll start by looking for a job. Maybe some schmuck in Eastward needs a sociologist. That degree was pretty useless so far.” “I would ask if there is an opening in our firm, but you’d need to know a lot about logistics and transportation for that” “That would be awkward. Besides, I have no idea what are you actually doing. Sending crates to China? “See? It would be easier to find something you are already good for. Although, sending crates to China is exactly what I do there. And you don’t look like an office type of guy. No offense.” “None took. I don’t want to waste my time in a cubicle anyway. Don’t worry, I’ll manage something. And after that, there is one man I need to find. But this is not a matter of a couple of days. That’s the whole plan at this point.” “If you tell me details about that guy later, I can help. I know someone whose job is to look for all kinds of people” Her words were puzzling as was her attitude in general. I’m not used to people being nice to me unless they are hiding a knife somewhere. “What's the catch?” “Meaning?” “You are too kind. I can’t help being suspicious, sorry. We haven't seen each other since childhood, but you act like you are my real family.” Which is especially jarring after getting a shovel of shit to the face from actual family. Alice smiled; arms folded across her chest. “Either you only see bad in people, or I’m just as crazy. Pick whatever you like.” … I was going to stay in Alice's old bedroom, which was actually my old bedroom. She has long moved to a bigger one with a view of the mountains and sea. Mine had a busy highway outside. Only a small sofa, a wardrobe, and a chair remained from the ancient days. Oh, and the poster with busty amazon on a closet door. From a day we’ve arrived on the planet, I was scared of this lady’s angry battle face, but Liam fought tooth and nail to keep it. How this vulgar thing survived in a girl’s bedroom is a mystery that we are not destined to reveal. Well, okay. I'm not picky. On me, I had only a bag with a second set of clothes, and nothing else. The decision to leave the farm was swift and impulsive. I took my things and disappeared into the endless cornfield. I very much hope that nobody is looking for me. I changed clothes, threw the rest into the washing machine. There was nothing else to do but sleep. The next day promised to be hard with all that job search and starting from scratch. There was nobody in the city I knew, besides Alice. Truly a new leaf. A variety of thoughts began to enter a relaxed mind. Damn, big ,sister is pretty hot. Those legs and everything. Eh, Kim, what the fuck are you thinking? We don’t want to make staying here any more awkward than it already is, do we? This happened when I was almost in the dream kingdom. At first there was some disgusting squeak. First thought – that damn phone died again. But then, my phone doesn't beep like that. Maybe it’s something in Alice’s room. How can she sleep through this? The squeaking did not stop, and I opened my eyes. And closed them immediately. The eerie wall of text on the ceiling didn’t go away. The anomaly detected in the coverage area! Your Sleeper Agent Protocol has been activated. After a few seconds, the system will reboot and the main settings will be unlocked. Be careful and don’t make any sudden movements. I felt myself rapidly losing consciousness. Tried to scream, but just opened my mouth like a fish out of water. The pain went away pretty fast, but those seconds felt like a couple of eternities passed. Text messages filled my head and then spilled into the room like some kind of weird laser show. In the very center of the disco light, there was a symbol that looked like a stylized tribal tattoo. A bizarre toothy creature with long ears and tentacles. It bent over a ball that symbolized the defenseless Earth. No idea how I knew, but I knew. Under the emblem there was a large inscription on the ancient incomprehensible language, and then ... STIGMA You’ve got a message from the Order of the Jaegers! We welcome you as a new sleeper agent in the mortal realms. Most likely, you don’t have any idea what’s happening. This is normal. You’ll get all the necessary information soon enough. Here are some details. For other instructions please contact your Observer. This is merely a twist of fate. You were chosen from many mortals, abandoned, and pushed into the fringe of society. Now you’ll have to protect those who rejected you. This is a second chance. Time to pay back the debt. I was so lost. Was I dying ...? No. Probably should have died back then, at the pier. That’s what second chance means, right? Your world is not yet part of the Cradle, and we wish it would stay that way. But the walls between or planes are getting thinner. This process must be stopped. The flow of the Atma poses a great danger to the mortal ecosystem. If left unchecked, it can contaminate your world with the internal systems. This event will have disastrous consequences. It can lead to fragmentation and then rebirth in the Cradle. A very unpleasant spasm ran through my body, but then I actually felt better than before. The fatigue was completely gone. The muscle ache which tormented me for several years vanished as well. Even runny nose stopped running. Whatever it was, it got rid of chronic sniffles in the blink of an eye. With the strength we gift, you can prevent bloodshed and protect the mortal plane. The creatures touched by Atma must be destroyed. Hidden daemons must be bound by the Pact. Refusal to perform these duties is punishable by the Order of the Jaegers, unless you give up your power. After a while, I was finally able to get up. I breathed heavily; heart beating like mad. The fingers were numb. What was it? The nightmare? No, it can't be that simple. Something has changed. The menu, which I have tried to ignore all my life, has become more complete, brighter. I now knew its content by heart. Welcome to the Amaravati Network Remote Mortal System. Your Clearance Level: Sleeper Agent. Consider using the “Help” section if you have any questions. More detailed instructions can be obtained from the Observers in your area. List of active Observers in your area: Viper King - Level 78 (contacts hidden); Hell Cloud - Level 75 (contacts hidden); Ghost Pepper - Level 71 (contacts hidden). What? Whom? Eh? Right now, the anomaly is within your reach. Your task is to neutralize it one way or another. Be careful. Remember, the priority is to protect mortals and maintain secrecy. Please note, that refusing to complete an assignment is a minor violation. I blinked several times. The message disappeared, but the small icon flashed in its place. The marker looked like a stylized arrow and was pointing down. The system said I should get dressed and go outside in the middle of the night because there was an anomaly nearby. And then, I realized that its what real madness feels like.