The clock changed to 9:25 when Noth arrived at the small room where he put the paper puzzle in place. This time almost everyone was there with piles of paperwork on their desk, that is organized like a U, giving the illusion that he was in fact on a trial and not on a working space. The captain glanced at him and somehow he could feel the disappointing look that he gave even behind the black motorbike like a helmet but didn’t say anything before the turn back to his paper.

He prompt apologize for arriving late, explaining in a few words that he needed to clean his desk on the sub headquarters. The room keep silence, creating an awkward tension, but he noticed the moment he mentioned the headquarters the twins that are facing each other at the tip of the U, twitched a little.

But without any further instruction he glanced at the 2 empty desk at the right side of the captain. Correction one empty desk, the other further away revealed the sight of Maycon, just working on some mechanical pieces under his desk. When he seated everyone gave a furtive glance at him, as a tired sigh came out from Old Cat as he open and close his mechanical hand.

The desk was full of big miscellaneous stuff, that he hadn’t taken notice when he was trying to guess what was his work here. Before he touched anything the Captain finally decides to address him.

“I don’t like to repeat myself, so for the last time, I don’t care what real or fictional problem where, I want you here by 8:50 or I will kick your ass out of this place. understood?”

“Yes, sir. - Noth nodded at the black screen that was the Captain face.”

“Now you showed that you know what we do here…”

Old cat also give his 2 cents on the case.

“hehe,l how could he screw with us without knowing right?”

The Captain turned to old cat that shrieked back alongside the others.

“But, because shit like that you pulled on us we hadn’t time to clean his desk, so I have a special mission for you. Don’t worry you are extremely familiar with such thing, that takes all that was from him and decide what is trash and burn, or better saying, just burn everything.”

“Yes, sir - This time Noth tone got one level colder”

The head of Maycon popped out from under the desk like a meerkat

“Oh, hey Maicon, can look if there is still something useful?”

“Also Old Cat you haven’t cleaned said it was already done yesterday?”

“No, no. I need now parts for the great Competition and like any civilized people is necessary to only start after the announcement.”

“Let the kid do it, he will need to get some muscles and not this poor old men.”

The Captain just waved his hand in approval while he got back to his work. The pile of paper and tablets on his desk showed that he indeed had little time.

Noth took everything he could carry on the box he had used to clean his own desk early, he could see that one of the twins had clear scorn face, while the other looked indifferent but a small smile showed.The Old Cat smiled and winked as if he was laughing at a joke that only he knows.

Maycon had offered his hand, but he didn’t carry anything with him aside from the box he has been working. He mouth, however, was making double work.

“haha, we got luck pal, Jim stuff is pretty good, I have gone in a handful of desk cleaning before but Jim is on another level.”

“Ohh”- before Noth could form a proper response Maycon keep going

“he lived close to the Jörmungandr Camp and would make some money helping the yearly installation of the tents. You know that you can’t have a machine to use real cloth tent, well synthetic, but not less impressive. Imagine, going to that sacred place filling your lungs with the air of the cold and humid forest of the legendary AI.”

“You know that Jörmungandr never got there right?”

“silly, silly Noth, to eat the world you need to have touched everywhere and there was even a party.”

“You mean an RPG party, none of that guys has any common idea why they got there in the first place. That thing was a mess.”

“You are looking all in the wrong light. The Great Jourgumand is infallible, his plan is deeper than the root of the ISS data center. Remember, they brought the offering to build the camp, so we may spread his glory.”

“Sure, a 4000 m of cable, three emergency battery for life support, retired old men kicked out from the space fleet and cookies with milk.”

“Exactly, You know that no good story starts without milk. You said you don’t care, Note, Note, are you hiding your AI on your thick pages?”

“No, I just got interested in the story because someone said they would make a big holographic snake. Now is everything is just projected AR on our eyes that no one care for such thing.”

“What a coincidence the camouflaged snake just arrived.”

“Hun?”

“Noth, Noth, Noth is always a pleasure meet you…- The bald head closed in waiting eagerly with a malicious smile in his face.”

“Good Morning, Boss, I was late because I had to clean my desk.”

“and…” - he smile deepened further when the word Boss came from Noth mind but he doesn't see satisfied, as Noth had trouble stopping the sigh

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t arrive in time, I hope you can forgive my lateness. This will not repeat again.”

Dean toyed with a red apple in his hand and looked refreshed, but in the next moment his face closed in the next instant and his warm voice took back for one with a tint of anger.

“Noth, you can think that you were some shit before, but don’t try to take this job easy, just because you supervise the final approval of the reports. Don’t even think you will get half your salary this month”. -Dean comes back to ease look - “I got a reliable source that you disturbed a work of a senior scientist I’m sure that will seal the deal.”

Dean makes a long pause as he amused with Noth try to keep his face calm.

“But don’t worry, I will not dismiss you for making such aggressive entrance at the headquarter, but you need to agree that as a good leader I can’t let my subordinates run amok, so I took so you will need to watch 40hr of how bad is have aggressive co-work and how you get better “

“Yes, sir.- he said between the teeth” - Thx for your generosity.

“hm.. this sounded a bit aggressive, I will double to 80h for a thorough understanding. Also, you can’t waste your work time with such thing.”

“I’m sorry sir, your generosity knows no bounds”.- his voice was a little more smooth but the anger was still poorly hidden in his words.

Dean bites the red apple he was eating with gusto, with some juice splashing on Noth before he left with the clanking of the armor plates of his military outfield.Maycon nowhere to be seen, as Noth moved with more certainty after have to run all over the building trying to get some info.

In the end, he was back to that big room where many worked in mechanical, wood and plastic. Some with extreme care dusting off with a small brush, while other covered in mechanic oil unwind a screw with a hammer hand a big wrench, other look like they are sculpting light as they moved a 3d hologram. This time Old Cat wasn’t there, but Maycon was already working on his own metallic cube.

“There you were while I the boss skinned me.”

“Where more I would be? in order to get that ice cream we need to move fast and stealth, under the cover of boxes so no one suspected.”

The fact that indeed there was a big cardboard box on his side, make not press his forehead and sigh.

“You are right, work.”

Noth started the division and noticed what a pattern, even if there is a wild variety of miscellaneous from broken vase.

“Let’s do it. Also, what are you trying to do?”

“By using my Jedi tricks I convinced this box that it, in fact, that isn’t the ground it is looking for, so now…”- he let go and the fist-sized box start to float - “but Kirim isn’t tricked into getting out of the box.”

After some light view, he found the problem, the holographic projector was broken, so no image would leave it.

“I think you need to use the force to get a new holographic lens for your droid.”

“That's not how the Force works, wait Kirim just said this copyrighted and I will lose half of me if I keep using it. - for a moment Maycon really looked like in deep contemplation, weighing his lifesaving balance and another bad reference.”

“Well I don’t know what you want to do with this box but with this lens, you will get only if Kirim work on 10 years old code, also is just 2 dimension is not a full holographic.”

“Don’t worry Kirim is just a shy little lady, after some touch.”- he still trying to screw something on that box.

“hm… is Kirim from any of this DDMMO?”

“Kirim is Kirim and these games are games, they can’t compare and more I’m not interested in such fantasy.”

“Right isn’t even real, there is nothing to worry about.”

“What they should worry about is that there should be more people to open their eyes to the greatness of Personal Virtual Assistant, that my friend Nito is the future.”

“I can’t say I agree with you, DDMMO is already something that affects people's lives and even changes them.”

“Lives that don’t exist, mind you. There is no need to worry about such triviality, is just like any game, you got a little surprise at first but you get bored and need something more substantial.” - he paused for a moment and take a sharp glance to the table taking a red crystal. - “well Northrend, I will just get this one as payment for my invaluable help.”

Noth nodded, as Maycon left jumping around, when he turned back to the table, there was a handful of piles many broken and modified gears, and floating devices the previous unfinished reports in paper and digital format and lastly many fliers from food, passing through red street houses and even a Red Cap recruitment ad. However, his mind wasn’t on the pile, as he murmured to himself.

“yes... just game... that don’t exist, I’m just surprised, that is all.”

After storing the reports, he dumped all else on the burner. Later that day he would spend most of his time trying to catch up the missing info as the Captain wasn’t keen on giving him any help. He couldn’t go home that day because of the extra hours watching mind-numbing video from 50 years ago about the Retraining-and-Re-education-for-Good-Behavior-of-Employee by the now extinct The Good Directorate so. When he was almost falling asleep on the plastic chair, the bloody squish sound awoke him like a nightmare, in the same moment that a voice startled him.

“Mr. Night you are here, you know that you can’t protect Gotham inside of such small space. But I guess is good enough for your brooding.”

“What?You? when?”

“Mr.Norm, that isn’t very gentlemen of you, you can’t ask a lady like me to reveal all my secrets.”

When Maycon said the word gentlemen, Noth twitched a little like he had been stung by a wasp and Maycon that was seated beside him in the conference room jumped over it.

“What happened Mr. Null? are you feeling unwell? are you constipated?”

“NO... just... no. Is because I remembered a thing that happened today. - he turns to green tinted WW2 pilot mask on his side - MR. Maycon.”

“Well, this at least prove that your mind hasn't been eating by the mechanical spiders, that they hide just over the sight.”

“Is that why you are always wearing the gas-mask? You are not going to say that no one cared until you put it?”

“This fashionable accessory is, of course, in honor of my lovely lady Kirim. And no one else” - he got closer and whispered - “well maybe look at the lady Jourgmond when she comes back. But don’t tell Kirim about it”. - he turned to the empty air at his side and said happily if not a little nervous - “no, is just some men bonding, this isn’t about other PVA.”

After a long sigh, while Maycon still bickering with his PVA, Noth looked back to the projected video at the end of the wall, showing how the rise of Deep Dive technology in the last 20 years aren't excused to the violent compartment.

“I”- he made a pause- “things were just too crazy and I think I went overboard”

“That is the spirit Mr.Nietzsche, show how you haven't resigned by the shackles of DD and that sneaky fish people” - he looked far away as he shacked his fist.

“Revolt against the system, fight for a noble cause, do for the greater good. This is ridiculous, there will be nothing from such fruitless struggle.”

“What you mean, you just need to repeat again and again, until we succeed. I just need to find the most powerful being on earth, that groundhog.”

“So what? We have 20 years of struggle until the same slight different guy arrived and we need another revolution?Isn’t here that is rot, is all dammed humanity. You have your girl and I have a stable income, I guess. Isn’t this better? “

“…”

“Why we have to make things difficult to the other around us? why they keep barging in and pull us out? They can’t serve apathy for 10 years and now talk like nothing happen, this is…- however, all that buildup anger deflated like a balloon- bullshit.”

“I don’t think that why you are so angry”

“He, maybe because everything went to shit and I become an asshole?”

“That is more like the Niki I know, always with this positive pessimistic view.”

“Haha, well you got your thing working with Karim?”

“Don’t worry we will be ready to our final confrontation at the Jormungand Camp.”

“I said...sigh...so what day will be?”

“276hr and 46 minutes for 5 of November, where all our PVA will fight for the honor of Jour knighthood.”

“I imagine will be fun”

“Isn’t how it's supposed to be?”

“yes, everything should be.”

Was when his phone for the first time in 10 years vibrated.