C-3

The ringing was harsh over the silence. He was less than half awake, and to his drowsy ears the sound was like the stabbing of a flint. He stuck his indexes into his ears, shut his eyes and curved his lips in a smile.

After the fourth ring, the call was answered.

"Hello?"

A greeting one word long. But had so much to say. About her mind. About her wariness. About her hesitation. About her anchored excitement. About her tiredness. About her.

"Ms Farah?" Came the reply in his voice.

His smile widened.

"Yes," she answered expectantly. "Is this?"

She was pulling on the mask. In an effort to control the narrative?

He was tickled, but remained unmoving.

"We spoke last night," his voice replied. "There is a bug in Gaia."

She didn't say anything immediately. Maybe she was waiting for the call to end, like last night. Maybe she was waiting for more. Maybe, she was wondering how much trust to give.

She was at the losing end. In the end, it was she who broke the quiet.

"Who is this?"

There was no answer. She sighed audibly. Pulled off the mask. Decided to extend her trust.

"How do I know to trust you?"

"I can wait. Go onto dark sky."

Yes. That certainly sounded like him, and not just the voice. He had seen Farah's picture. He could imagine her face, her expressions, as she logged onto dark sky. She got no clues, but she would know what to look for.

A little short of a minute after, she confirmed his faith.

"The bug?"

Her voice was different. Serious mode was turned on. The pushy reporter had caught on to the bait.

"Yes," came the reply in his voice. "It's not a person."

"There's really a bug in Gaia?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

Silence.

"You know of it?"

Silence.

"Why are you telling me of this?"

To this, there was an answer.

"People deserve to know. Someone has to tell them. Who better than one who was brave enough to report on the mayor's corruption. Wouldn't the people believe more if it was you reporting about the bug?"

She considered carefully before replying.

"What else can you tell me?"

He shook his head in the tent.

"I hope to witness the miraculous perseverance of Ms Farah."

"That was good," he said when there was silence again.

He massaged his eyes gently, waking fully.

"Is the page ready?"

"Yes," came the answer in the electronic voice. "Would you like to see?"

Before he could answer, a screed opened, showing the page titled, Porto's Heirs. It was everything he had asked for. An article with the date of posting from over a year ago opened next, titled, Gaia - The realisation of the horrors?

"Beautiful," he praised sincerely.

Men had more to share.

"Posted comments on pages from the list of Neo's sources. Should have updates. Neo won't miss the link to Porto's Heirs. He won't suspect. Will only blame his carelessness."

"Alright. Next. A letter must be delivered to the mayor's office. Informing of the nefarious designs of certain parties on the city, and of several dangerous individuals having moved into the city in the recent weeks. Anonymously, of course. Must be dropped at the office in person. The person must seem aware of all the surveillance in and around the building. Must not be caught on any."

"When?"

"Today. Evening. After work hours."

"What else?"

"Can we track all parties interested in the bounty?"

"No. Too many. Too complicated. Too long."

"Can we backtrace the bounty? To who placed it?"

"Will take time. But, can be done."

He smiled. And that was all Men needed.

"Also, keep an eye on Sia. Better still, engage her. Spare an id. Send her a confession. Make it convincing. Talk only about her physical beauty. Was there an event or a celebration in the academy recently?"

"Yes. The founders' day was a month ago."

"Sia participate? Or attend?"

"The class of data programming had presented a holographic play. Sia was an actor."

"Perfect. That's where you saw her. Love at first sight, or something like that. Get her a present. I know. It's okay. Sacrifice another id. It's the end days. We have to spend big."

"Okay," came the reluctant reply.

He smiled again, a teasing smile.