Chapter 3: Ada’s 12th Birthday

On the day of Ada’s 12th birthday, she would have, at the Shareplace, been granted the privilege of monitoring the station’s control AIs.

Sol arrived earlier than lunchtime, surprising the girl. She was wearing a sleeveless black tunic and waited until Ada finished a chapter of her book before speaking. Sol handed her a short silver chain.

“For birthdays in the HS, we give gifts. I thought this kind of ritual might bother you, so I kept it simple. I got you a little gift. It’s a small chain for attaching Léon.”

Ada accepted the chain and silently fastened Léon to her belt. The way she was dressed made her resemble Sol slightly. Ada also wore a sleeveless tunic, though hers was pale blue and had the word CITIZEN printed in black along one leg. Her hair was starting to grow out; at the Shareplace, heads were shaved, and the fibers were recycled for various uses.

“We’re going out to Calchas Prime today. I’m taking you to a restaurant. Well, technically, the HS is treating you. You’ll see—it’s nice.”

Sol feared Ada might resist, but the girl smiled sincerely. Poor thing, she needed to see the world.

They left the room without the escort drone, and for the first time, no doors locked audibly behind them. For the first time, the elevator descended. Ada had never seen the building’s entrance, having been brought there unconscious. Her heart pounded.

The doors opened onto a vast, dark blue entry hall equipped with screens, reception desks, and holographic guides projected by AIs. The hum of drones—both controllers and messengers—filled the air. Men and women in officer uniforms and formal attire bustled about. This was clearly a special facility. A slender, three-legged Xeno turned its eyeless head in every direction, wearing a brooch with the HS insignia. Though everyone was busy, they all greeted Ada as she passed:

“Good morning, Sol. Good morning, Ada.”

Ada nodded, stunned that so many people knew her.

“They all like you,” Sol said simply with a smile, only to be interrupted by a stern-looking blonde woman with her hair in a tight bun under a cap.

Sol stood at attention before her.

“Ada,” said the woman, lowering her gaze to the girl, hands clasped behind her back, “The Human Society is honored to have you as our guest. And when I say guest, I do not gloss over the circumstances that brought you here. Upon reaching adulthood, you will be free to go wherever you wish. But if you choose to stay here, you can count on us to treat you better than our own.”

The woman gave Sol a stern look, tapped her collar twice, and walked off. Sol, fumbling nervously, pulled a golden trident-shaped Psi brooch from her pocket and pinned it to her tunic. Her superior nodded, smiled apologetically for her perpetual severity, and moved on.

The Xeno leaned its agile head toward Ada as she passed. Ada extended her hand but froze when it sniffed audibly, retracting before any contact and returning to its tasks.

Finally, the double doors opened to sunlight.

The administrative detention building stood on the edge of a circular plaza, surrounded by towers reaching into sunlight amplified by the refraction of water. In the distance, the rumbling roar of cascading waterfalls formed a constant backdrop, while the bustling crowd moved to and fro, seemingly indifferent to its own enormity and the peculiarities among it.

Ada was awestruck by the Xenos, trying to catch the eyes of children her age. Most were absorbed in portable EVs or invisible virtual games. Others, grounded in reality, played tag among the legs of a large, gray creature resembling an elephant but proportioned like a centipede, moving slowly.

Sol led Ada to an elevator that plunged into the shadowy depths beneath the administrative district—a structure with countless floors, possibly hundreds. So many that small elevators served different levels, while massive Xenos descended a circular ramp spiraling around the central shaft. The light faded into artificial illumination.

Ada and Sol leaped laughing from the elevator, holding hands. Ada checked to ensure Léon was still securely attached to her. The area was filled with residences, drone merchants, and custom AI programming offices. A Xeno painter, its tentacled appendages hairy and extending from a round body covered in dots, captured the scene in surreal purples, save for the orange glow of the overhead lights.

Sol guided Ada into a building with large windows—”Food from This World and Others.”

Ada pressed her nose to the glass. The interior featured tables for humans and counters for Xenos, where steaming bowls of food were being served.

Sol stepped away to a nearby shop. A poster showing a cross-section of a human with a brain emitting radiant beams obscured most of the window, though inside, a couple of anxious-looking individuals sat in the waiting area. The sign read, “Goodbye Worries,” with another poster on the door:

WE’VE ALL HAD DIFFICULT MOMENTS

or carry with us memories that

HAUNT US IN OUR DREAMS.

TIRED OF NIGHTMARES?

Want to FORGET a moment from your past

that no longer matters to you?

WE CAN HELP.

Psi techniques are painless and do not alter

your personality in any way.

We identify the memory and remove itfrom your psyche.

Our process includes THREE

follow-up sessions to ensure complete success.

MEMORY ERASED OR YOUR MONEY BACK!

Our practitioner is a Psi graduate of Prospero University. We do not treat Xenos.

“I doubt he went to Prospero,” Sol muttered.

Ada saw her mentor frustrated for the first time.

“Are they liars?” Ada asked.”Oh no. I’m sure he’s competent and does his job well. The HS takes Psi work very seriously.” Sol snorted like an annoyed animal. “We have Psi Controllers ... really no-nonsense types. Barely human. We call them the Empty Eyes. No, Ada, here’s a vital lesson. You’re young, but I know you already have bad memories. The kind that will haunt your dreams forever. Would you have them erased?””I’m not sure. Well ... it’s about my brothers and sisters who died, but if I forget them...””Exactly. Your memories, Ada, are your life. Fear is a tough emotion. It often overwhelms us. But it’s also precious information. It’s there to protect you, to say: Be careful, something’s wrong. Act! Observe it, respect it, and it will help you. Fight it, and it will hit harder. But no matter what, never forget. A living being is the sum of their memories.”