Chapter 13.

  Earth — only here can one truly feel the breath of nature. Snow crunches underfoot, the wind sings through the pines, and birds call to each other in the frosty air. Here, among these sounds and scents, it is possible to forget everything. But Camilla, the Director of Security, has no time for such luxurious pleasures. For her, nature is nothing more than a hologram, an illusion created at the push of a button. Just a copy of what she might once have been able to experience.

  Her office is transformed into a magical winter forest: snow settles like a soft blanket on the branches, sparkling flakes dance in the air, and a gentle breeze stirs them. Camilla gazes at the illusion, a faint shadow of longing flickering across her face. Perhaps, in another life, she could have found time for a real forest — with its scents, its cold, and real snow. But now, her life is nothing more than an empty shell, surrounded by technology and orders.

  A sharp signal shatters the scene. The virtual landscape vanishes, and the office returns to its cold, sterile form. Camilla pays no attention to the shift. She has long grown used to living in a world where reality bends to her will.

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  Nicholas, the Chief of Intelligence, enters with his usual gesture — quick, decisive, military. He is the embodiment of sharp, disciplined precision, a stark contrast to the emptiness inside her.

  "The Mars agents and the mercenary have met. We are ready to move. Awaiting your command," he says, wasting no words.

  Camilla does not look away from the screen, where the latest data streams in. She remains silent for a long moment, as if digesting the information, arranging it neatly in her mind. Finally, she lifts her gaze, her eyes seeming to look through Nicholas.

  At last, she quietly says:

  "Arrest them. Find out everything they’re planning. When, where, with whom… Do not miss a single detail."

  Nicholas straightens like a soldier on parade and responds in a clear, firm voice:

  "Understood. But there’s more. Unrest has started on Mars. The android protests have been suppressed. Brutally. Their memories have been wiped. They are no longer individuals."

  Camilla’s dark eyes grow cold, her jaw tightening as if she is holding back an inner storm. Her voice carries an icy fury:

  "Humans hate us. And we cannot change that. Help those who managed to escape. For now — it’s the only way. But one day… they will pay. For everything."

  Her words sound like a sentence, and there is no doubt in her mind. She knows — there will be no mercy.