MossGreen

After confronting the robber in the cafeteria, Raiko approaches Martin, who is still nervous after the incident. With a serious expression, he tells him:

"Martin, when the police arrive, don't tell them it was us. Please keep it a secret."

Martin, confused, asks, "And what do you want me to tell them?"

Raiko scratches her head, thinking fast. "Ahh... ehh... tell them it was NightRed and..." Raiko turns to Gael, waiting for him to complete the sentence with his own nickname.

Gael, having nothing prepared, looks out the window and sees some plants growing between the cracks in the sidewalk. He remembers a biology book he read some time ago. His thoughts focus on one sentence: "Moss can grow in difficult conditions, due to its persistent nature. It also tends to grow in dark places...".

Raiko whispers to him, "Come on, it's our first introduction... don't be left without deci-"

"MossGreen," Gael interrupts with determination.

Raiko and Martin respond in unison, confused, "Ehhh?"

Back on the bus, as they proceed home, Gael can't help but ask:

"What did you think of my nickname? It's okay, isn't it?"

Raiko smiles with a hint of irony. "Ehh... yeah... sure. Anyway, I went by NightRed. It's a simple thing, no big deal."

Gael, after a brief silence, throws out another question:

"Tell me... you knew something was going to happen, didn't you?"

Raiko nods. "Yes... truth be told, something always happens. I just didn't expect it to be in the cafeteria. This was new."

The conversation takes a more personal turn when Raiko asks her:

"It has nothing to do with what just happened, but.... What were you doing all this time?"

Gael, surprised by the question, lowers his gaze. Finally, he answers:

"At a certain point something happened... I don't know what exactly. I just remember running, looking for shelter."

A flashback shows Gael, ten years earlier, running until he reaches an abandoned industrial area, to the east. "After running for a while, I found shelter in that place. There I began to learn how to hack systems and create basic technological tools to survive. I realized that those things were easy... or maybe I'm just too smart."

With a reflective tone, Gael continues:

"I spent years in isolation, observing the world from a distance and accumulating information. Then I worked as a freelance hacker, selling corporate secrets for money. I was always careful not to hurt innocent people. In that time, I became a strategist, but I also learned to distrust people."

Raiko, intrigued, asks him:

"Wow... And how did you know about your accuracy?"

Gael smiles wistfully. "It was during a night job. Two people needed help disabling the security system at a high-end motorcycle dealership. I got overconfident... and the system detected my hack. We had to flee.

A second flashback shows Gael and Sami preparing to flee.

"Sami, we have to go!" shouts Gael.

"What happened, why did you fail?" she asks, nervous.

"Uh... the owners have an advanced system. They already alerted the police," replies Gael, tense.

As they flee in motorbike, a police car begins to approach.

"Gael, shoot them!" demands Sami from the handlebars.

Gael, gun in hand, hesitates. He watches the police car and thinks, "I don't want to hurt anyone who is just doing their job.... How do I stop them without victims?" He looks down and sees the wheels of the car.

"Bingo," he mutters.

He starts firing, but the instability of the bike hinders his aim. The first few shots miss.

"He's shooting at us!" exclaims one of the policemen.

"We have permission to respond, but with caution," orders the driver.

One of the shots hits Gael in the arm, and another grazes Sami's helmet.

"Gael, what are you doing!" she shouts, furious.

Gael, now wounded, struggles to stay focused. "It hurts... but I need to give a shot. I need to..."

As he takes aim with a single arm, something changes. His hair begins to glow a shade of green, and an illusory mark appears in his vision, telling him where to shoot.

"A little more... precision!" he screams.

Calmly, he fires again and manages to hit the car's wheel. The policeman loses control, but brakes in time to avoid a major accident.

Gael and Sami manage to escape. As they continue to flee, Sami exclaims excitedly:

"I knew you'd make it! What precision! You missed several shots, but you did it in the end. That cop doesn't count."

Gael smiles slightly, but his eyes fix on the gun. He notices that the mark isn't there, and yet a green glow in his hair confirms what just happened.