Chapter 16

  Visit To Prison

  Part Two

  Before joining the official, Manya double-checked if she could have an unsupervised conversation with the inmate, which official agreed to.

  Visitation room, contained necessary furniture and snacks for the guest. Sitting across from her was an angel who lacked wings.

  Manya pulled her arm forward. “Hello, I am Ira Wings.”

  A smirk played on Ira’s lips; she returned the handshake. “Manya.”

  “So, you finally found time to see me?” Ira said. Her hug seemed forced, which Manya blamed on the hospitalities of a prison and the absence of her wings. The wings she saw moments ago. Ira looked her over. “Someone’s enjoying their time here.”

  Manya told her about everything she had experienced since arriving in Sevavann. How she became a celebrity and achieved the remarkable feat of blue rank. She stopped her chirping after observing Ira’s gloomy eyes.

  “Enough about me. How are you?” Manya said.

  “Fine. This isn’t your average prison. You would be shocked to see the cell a prisoner gets. It’s like a three-star hotel room, with several perks, but I hear screams from lower floors. It might be the abode of ruthless criminals.”

  “Still struggling without wings?” Manya said. Ira nodded sadly. Manya mouthed the words, “I have seen them.”

  Ira’s intense bloodlust peeked through her eyes. “Where is it?”. And returned to her normal state after a twitch. “Sorry, it’s just. My life has become hard since I have lost it, the uncertain pauses, and shivering at night. Please, tell me, where are they?”

  She marvelled at her best friend’s endurance and shared every detail of the guarded room. And also, about the less security at the prison, “But, I have to deal with Vega before helping you,” she whispered.

  Manya felt another sharp pain shoot through her abdomen, forcing her to the knees. Like an orb of thousands of hot needles expanding, tearing apart her organs.

  “Are you ok?” Ira helped her up.

  Manya gulped the advance pain relief liquid. It soothed her pain in mere seconds. “Nothing, just cramps. Maybe the food here isn’t edible for me. Vega had already given me some liquid for this.”

  “Vega?”

  “I just told you. Forget it. She’s the personal assistant assigned to me.”

  Ira poked her with the mean to tickle her. “Personal assistant, is she like Amelia?”

  Their laughter filled the room.

  “I’ll tell Vega to go back home or tell her to do some errand,” Manya whispered.

  Ira shook her head.

  “No, I’ll help you, and we’ll run to some distant planet,” Manya said.

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  “And why would I go to some mysterious uninhabited planet with you, and… And not with some decent guy?” Tears welled up in Ira’s eyes.

  “Hey, you’ll be free, I promise,” Manya said. Ira embraced her in arms.

  “Can’t you turn back into a human?” Manya said as they pulled back, “Why, my only best friend, had to be from the species I hate?”

  Ira’s lips curved into a warm smile. “You don’t hate angels. You hate the ones defaming our kind. And you’ll find many non-angelic entities, way worse.” An official interrupted the end of the visiting hour. “Goodbye… Ira Wings.”

  The official escorted Ira down a long, dim pathway. How would Ira pull off the escape alone? Unless she had charmed some officials.

  ***

  “I shouldn’t have been rude to you today,” Manya said.

  ‘You don’t have to feel guilty for an innocent expression, and I should also have adapted to your emotions.’

  “I was surprised when I saw your friendly approach from the beginning.”

  Vega smiled. ‘I changed it, because the scans told me your urgent needs.’

  “And what were they?”

  ‘That you urgently needed a friend or anyone you can feel close to.’

  “Were?”

  ‘Yes, the need for affection seemed to have calmed down now.’

  “You are a formidable invention.”

  She ended her exciting and affectionate day by jumping onto her bed. It melted away her stress like ice cream on a hot summer day. How will I face him tomorrow? An enemy in disguise, whose smile. “Why do you have to be on that side?”

  ***

  At 4:16 am, the sight of the lively land took her aback.

  ‘Here Ms.’ Vega brought a cup of black coffee resembling the one she used to have at the coffee shop. However, the face of the waiter, who was killed because of her, still haunted her.

  She yawned. “Does everyone wake up this early?”

  ‘Not regularly, only during the events.’

  “What does he mean by his speech yesterday?”

  ‘Yajvan?’

  She responded with a demeaning nod. “Who else?”

  ‘It could mean, hundreds of things, he might market our planet to the entire cosmos. Introduce business, sports or technology.’

  “Wait—you said this place is filled with outsiders, and there’s also imports from MS. So, I am a bit confused.”

  ‘Only those who have signed a non-disclosure agreement to establish business here. There are thousands of theories why Yajvan had kept this planet hidden.’

  Manya prevented her coffee from falling from thousands of feet above. Is this event have something to do with me?

  ‘Ms., can I discuss a doubt?’

  “Sure,” she slurped the last sip.

  ‘In just a day, I have learned everything about this planet, how it functions, importantly, how life here works. And there’s never been an individual who has achieved the blue rank,’ Manya grinned with proud, ‘This doubt of mine began when I got the message from Yajvan.’

  Manya turned to her, “That I might be the reason behind today’s event.”

  It startled Vega. ‘Yes Ms.’

  “Vega, what could be the reason for him to—summon me?”

  ‘The connection you share with him it can be anything. Because the king only summons new rankers to officialise their ranks, but it happens in the castle itself, not at some remote location.’

  “Wait—I am not official?”

  ‘No Ms. You will meet Yajvan and he’ll grant you full authority of your rank and your first mission.’

  “… Too much drama.” Manya’s eyes fixated on the vast expanse of the night sky. A gentle breeze, carrying with it the faint scent of earth and dew. “I hope we’ll get answers to all our questions today.”

  In no time, a holographic screen appeared between them. “What is it?”

  ‘Location of your meetup with Yajvan. It’s in the middle of the ocean, but,’ Vega went through several screens ‘There’s no information about any land around that area.’

  “He’s a psycho, your king. And the cars here can float. But first, do you have any pill or water, which would help me strengthen my heart?”

  Vega smirked. ‘I have already prepared it.’ she passed a small, tiny container. A text hovered beside it, labelled “Gerix.” ‘It will boost your intellect, willpower, confidence, will prevent sexual urges and mental stress.’

  Manya moved the bottle away from her mouth. “This will make me asexual?”

  ‘Yes, but only for a few hours.’

  “Hours? Okay.”

  After downing the liquid, a fiery sensation coursed through her veins. Her vision grew sharper, and a smile spread over her. A sense of empowerment enveloped her, casting away lingering hesitations. Moments later, she leapt off the balcony, but Vega stopped her jump of freedom.

  “Leave me! I always wanted to jump from here!”

  ‘Ms., it’s not safe, and you have a meeting to attend to.’

  “Ok!” She rushed back inside. “I’ll drive the car!”

  ‘I don’t think it’s—’ Manya was already in the garage, and teleported inside the car. So does Vega. ‘Ms., how and when did you learn to teleport?’

  “Why else it took me hours in the washroom?”

  Within seconds of accelerating, she could smell the refreshing breeze of the starry ocean. “It’s amazing! Oh, I will kick his ass. So hard that he will spill everything.”

  ‘What have I done?’ Vega said.