The lights of our house pulsed the moment we stepped through the door. The black tiles of his kitchen sheened and the silver and grey marble top for the island centred in his kitchen sparkled.

Hannah held me tighter, nestling herself in my arms as Shin-Lee checked her head, ensuring she wasn’t cold.

As I stepped inside, I passed a swirling pattern painting to my left and a stick-man fighting a dog to my right. Both were Hannah’s handy work, but I preferred the latter if I had to choose a favourite.

The two layered cake that sat on the kitchen island, was sculpted into the shape of two skyscrapers buildings. The skyscraper on the left had a large part of it bitten out as if it were bitten.

The second building had a green monster with its maw wide open hanging on the building ready to take a second bite out of the building.

The monster was painted green whilst the skyscrapers were coloured blue and white, with the windows having a translucent sparkle on them.

The woman who designed this cake was in high demand, which meant Shin-Lee had to order the cake two months in advance. It didn’t help we were two cities from her, but we paid extra to ensure the cake would get here in pristine condition.

All that effort, only for the little munchkin could be asleep before taking a bite out of it, I thought sourly.

Hannah didn’t see the cake, it was meant to be a surprise, but as she was lying in my arms trying her hardest not to let me go I couldn’t bare myself to let her down.

“Give her here,” Shin-Lee said.

“Are you sure? She’s been antsy.”

“Don’t worry about it Kaiden. She just needs a shower before.”

Shin-Lee took Hannah from me as if I were a bother. Hannah didn’t even fight when her mother took her away. They both disappeared down the hallway and headed to the bath, leaving me to look at the cake as if I were some fiend, ready to devour it.

My stomach growled the moment the vanilla essence and cinnamon emanating from the cake hit my nose.

The blueberry bubble gum scent trailing from the skyscraper icing left me feeling jaded. I wasn’t sure if I enjoyed it, or hated it, but I could taste the flavour on my tongue.

After staring at the cake for two more seconds. I finally shook my head, and then walked over to the dining table to my left.

I tapped the table, and the menu from the dining exploded on the surface. Four glass sheets extended from the bottom of the table, pushing the chairs out of their way.

The sheets of glass had sharp points which gleamed as the sheets rotated from the attachments at the bottom of the table. The sheets rotated slowly, turning upwards then combined, forming a pyramid on the table, enclosing the cake perfectly.

A subtle vacuum noise emanated from the corner of the table and I watched as three red dots blinked green, then blue. ‘Atmosphere Vented’ a warning message said. I guess the cake will last a little longer, I thought.

I stomped myself over to the living room, kicking my foot on the coffee table and pressed a button to my right. A part of the roof retreated and my television slid down from the roof. “News,” I said aloud.

The television pulsed on, and two news anchors popped on the screen. At the top right corner was a picture-in-picture, showing a familiar face.

Elhisia Weitson standing in front of a crowd of reporters, smiling, and absorbing thousands of flashing cameras pulsing every passing second.

As I watched, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was part of this, despite how much Elhisia despised me, in her own words “You didn’t even bat an eye when you left my people for dead!” She told me.

She was right, and she was wrong. If I hadn’t decided to take her from the Waste, Valeon Epin and his men would’ve killed her, along with her people.

Naedon and the cobra squad contacted me not too long after they helped me take out Akatani and his Hannya Boys.

They told me that Valeon did indeed slaughter everyone within Devil’s Reach, something I didn’t need to know. I didn’t need that burden, despite knowing deep down it happened.

That mental weight of it all, throbbed at the back of my mind as I thought about it. It felt like a festering wound, that would eventually kill me from infection.

I mean, they were days when it didn’t cross my mind, but then they were days when it did think. The reality always reminded me that I couldn’t. So I’d swallow deeply, and try my best to push such thoughts out of my mind, as best as I could.

The Princess turned, then walked towards The Labor the President of the Labour Union. “I guess the negotiation has finally finished,” I said, watching them turn to the cameras and smiled gently. “You have what you need now Princess. Don’t fuck it up.” I said aloud.

The Weitson Heiress concocted a plan to wrestle her father’s company from him by forging her own kidnapping and heading into the Waste with some device called a lineagecube.

Apparently, the lineagecube was some micro-super computer that allowed the Weitsons to semi-predict where they should invest their funds, but it also provided them with the know-how on how to stay ahead of everything they needed to. Well, that’s what Elhisia said it did.

I couldn’t say I believed her, because I know The Federation would never allow such a thing to exist without their knowledge.

Anything’s possible in truth. Hell, we have nekomusume’s and cyphenarous’ walking around us in droves, yes, they were a minority but stuck to themselves, but the Federation did allow DNA manipulation to that extent, yet they despised cloning.

Double standards, or is it? I thought. I let the thought settle in my mind for a few minutes, but realised I truly didn’t care enough to allow this to be on my mind.

It wasn’t my concern, because my family was the only thing I was concerned with.

The lineagecube, however, was concerning. If the Weitson Group had such a powerful item in their hands, what did the Romacellins have?

The more I thought about it, the more concerned I grew, which always forced my thoughts back to the serphandias Akatani wanted…was there some type of relation? If so, what?

The lineagecube and the serphandias had crossed my mind on occasion, but I always forced them out of my mind. Curiosity always killed the cat, I reminisced, not knowing where I heard the quote from.

“This is history in the making,” An short bearded anchor said. “Not only has Elhisia Weitson guaranteed thousands of jobs removing trash from thousands of landfills throughout the Federation, but she’s also provided a wage increase of 25% across the board…for all Phrazeon Group employees!”

“Yes Timothy, this is a HISTORIC move by Elhisia Weitson! Not too long ago, the Industrial District was set ablaze by these very employees. And look at that, a 25% raise! Maybe I should burn down my office, and frequent a 50% raise, don’t you think!”

“Sounds like a plan!” The other announcer said with a laugh. If only these dip shits truly knew what happened I mused bitterly. Y’all wouldn’t find it so funny…but then again, they would…the pompous asses.

“But enough jokes Barley, I truly think what Elhisia is doing is GREAT, not just for her or the Phrazeon Group, but the entirety of the federation!” The short-bearded anchor said.

“Agreed Tim! After successfully winning the bid for the Landfill Withdrawal Contingency Act Bill, Elhisia not only has secured the future for the Phrazeon Group but also her legacy. What a start for the Young Chairman, don’t you think?”

“Indeed Barley, not only has Elhisia accomplished so much at such a young age but she’s done what most Chairmen haven’t done in years and that wins the people. And by people, I mean everyone, not just her current employees, but the new ones that’ll be looking for a job once they start outlining new dump sights for trash within the federation.”

“Change,” I grunted, not interested in the verbal diarrhoea these two anchors were spewing.

Another channel pulsed onto my screen, showing an old man with a grey to white beard. “Selician Industries have announced a new prototype Automaton, that could replace our troops within The Waste.” The old anchor said.

“What? Militarised Automatons? Who in the fuck would you want a Military Automaton? What if it got hacked, or the damn Artificial Assistant became sentient…that makes no sense!” I growled at the screen.

Oh shit, I thought realising that Hannah could’ve possibly heard me. “Doesn’t matter, she’s taking a shower, which means she’s up.”

I sat back in the chair, and then looked over my shoulder. A minute passed and anxiety crept up into my chest with the sudden thoughts that I’ll be leaving soon.

Over the past two months, Hannah didn’t allow me to leave her sight unless she was asleep, and usually, that was when she fell asleep in my arms.

Hannah dealt with her trauma in her own ways, forgetting the experience in itself. To replace those memories, she clung to me as though I’m always disappearing, and she was right.

I’d hardly been there for her seven years of life, physically, but I made sure, that despite the distance between us, I spoke with her as much as possible.

My work in CSS was short stints into the Waste were like snippets of time, eating away at our time together these past 7 years, but it was all for a good reason.

Someone had to pay for Hannah’s Myelofribosis treatments. Shin-Lee was open to working, but I was against it. I made more than enough credits with CSS so that she could take care of Hannah and not need the stress of dealing with people, ever again

It worked, in its own way, but like everything in life, they are gains and losses and the loss I chose was time with her so she could live to see tomorrow without problems.

Did it pain me to lose time with Hannah? It sure did but sacrificing time with her life, was the best thing I’d ever done in my life, along with taking Shin-Lee out of the Latrina Empire.

“Daddy, are you coming to bed?” Hannah said from behind me. I turned, flashing my best smile, only to see her in a towel, water dripping on the ground whilst Shin-Lee towered over her, wearing a towel as well.

“Of course baby.”

I pushed myself off the couch, stalked myself toward her, and then scooped her up into my arms. As I began to dry her. Shin-Lee didn’t say anything but watched as I lifted Hannah into her room.

As I took two steps into her room and felt an ominous gaze circling around me. Shit…I need to shower or Shin-Lee will kill me, I thought. “Have to take a shower too Hannah, just give me a couple minutes, ill be back.” My little girl frowned, but I walked on over, rubbing her hair. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

The warm embrace of the water from my shower, washed over me like a rainstorm, sending a refreshing sensation across my body that made me feel cleansed.

In the coming days, I don’t know how much longer I’d be able to enjoy such peace, but I won’t ever take these moments for granted.

I’d almost lost my wife and daughter to a god damn psychopath, and to repay the debt for having them saved, was due. I’d finally caved on Mr Black’s request for my help on a particular project he was working on.

A project he’d yet to debrief me on.

I finished my shower, dried myself off and clothed myself in some house clothes, returning to Hannah. I lay in her bed, and felt nestle up next to me and clutch me tighter than my SMB ever did and kissed me on the cheek and wiggled as she did so. “I love you, daddy.” She said softly.

“I love you too,” I responded.

Hannah was out cold within minutes, but her death clutch was still something I had to work around. The girl had found different ways to hold onto me, ensuring if I’d move she’d wake instantly.

I slowly held her arm up, ensuring it still touched me as I shifted down her bed, letting my right leg trail off. Hannah’s left leg was wrapped in my left foot which was the tricky part of escaping her grasp. I made sure that whilst my body slowly moved down, she couldn’t sense anything.

Eventually, I was halfway off the bed. I reached out for one of her stuffed toys, cradling it in her arms, then used all my upper and lower body strength to worm my left leg out of her grasp.

There! I thought, finally wrestling my leg free after a three-minute battle. Hannah didn’t move, nor did she suspect I was there, based on peaceful she looked. I pushed myself up from the ground, and hit the light switch, feeling that ominous gaze hovering over me once me. “Right,” I whispered. “Hannah’s been scared of the dark ever since the kidnapping.”

I doubled back, hitting the light switch. The lights pulsed on and I set I pulled the clamp down to keep her door open. Once I reached the middle of the corridor, I dimmed the lights but kept them bright enough just in case Hannah woke for her to make her way to my room.

The second I walked through the door, Shin-Lee rushed into my arms, hugging me tightly. If I weren’t cybernetic, my spine would’ve strained from how tight she hugged me.

I looked down at her whilst she buried her face into my chest, then watched as her eyes glassed for the eighth time this week. “Can’t we just run away?”