Adia was in the house, sipping a cup of hot coffee while calmly flipping through the newspaper and playing cards with her multipurpose robot. It was already past ten o'clock at night. The warm light from the lamp illuminated the room, creating a tranquil but slightly melancholic atmosphere.
"Hey, Tron!" called Adia, looking up at her metallic companion. "Have the guys come by for Aiden and the puppy Podbe?"
The robot processed the question before responding in its always polite tone:
"No, my lady, I haven't detected any approach to the house."
"How strange," she murmured, lightly furrowing her brow. "I'm not one to meddle in other people's lives, but I don't think that date should be so long as to lose track of time. Besides, he's still just a kid, like a big baby. I should have given him a phone so we could stay in touch," she added with a resigned sigh.
Tron tilted its mechanical head to one side and responded without hesitation:
"As you say, my lady."
"Ah! Sometimes I forget you're a robot and won't answer by giving your opinion, but will always respond kindly. Next time I see your creator, I'll tell them to install one of those personalities their newer models have," Adia said with a teasing smile.
The robot paused briefly to process the idea before replying:
"Yes, my lady."
"Well, let's get back to the game; the boy will return soon," said Adia, shaking her head to clear her worries.
They were playing poker. The cards crackled between her fingers as Adia arranged her hand.
"Look, Tron, I have a full house," she announced enthusiastically, showing her cards: a six of spades, a six of swords, a six of hearts, a three of clubs, and a three of spades. A triumphant smile crossed her face. "Sorry, dear, I won."
But the robot calmly replied:
"I'm sorry, my lady, but I have the ace of clubs, the king of clubs, the queen of clubs, the jack of clubs, and the ten of clubs. I have a royal flush."
"Oh! Tron, you always win," she protested, pretending to be annoyed as she dropped the cards onto the table.
"If you'd like, my lady, I can teach you how to play, or I can let you win," the robot responded courteously.
"No! Just wait; I'll beat you next time. Deal again," insisted Adia, determined to reclaim her pride.
As the robot dealt the cards, Adia began to reflect, somewhat worried, on whether it was right to interfere in Aiden's life and go look for him. Her mind wandered between responsibility and respect for the young man's independence.
In another place, on a worn-out sofa, Elena lay unconscious with a damp cloth on her forehead. The blow that had knocked her out had been brutal. On the other side of the room, Podbe slowly opened his eyes and began to rise, shaking his head to clear it.
"Good to see you up, you lazy dog," Reia said with a tone that mixed relief and reproach.
Still dizzy, Podbe looked around and asked:
"Where are we, and where is Aiden?"
"I warned you, Podbe. You shouldn't have eaten something just because it was offered, especially from a stranger," Reia scolded, her voice filled with anger.
The canine lowered his ears, ashamed.
"But she seemed like a good person. I didn't think she'd poison me or anything like that. My sense of smell wasn't enough to detect what she used in the meat."
"Her? Good?" Reia exclaimed incredulously. "Because of her, some men captured Aiden and took him away. I don't know where he could be; I lost my connection with him."
Podbe felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He began to cry silently, mourning the loss of Aiden. Reia tried to comfort him, gesturing toward Elena on the sofa.
"The only one who might know where he is lies there, next to Elena."
"Oh! And as for your question about where we are, someone carried you along with her and brought you here."
Suddenly, footsteps approached the room where Podbe and Elena were. Podbe began to bark, alert.
"What are those howls and noises?" asked a male voice from the shadows.
As he stepped into the light, a man in his twenties was revealed. He had short green hair and well-defined muscles, as if he practiced martial arts. His dark eyes gleamed under the dim lighting. He wore loose pants, a short-sleeved polo that showed off his pronounced biceps and triceps, and sandals. He looked at the dog curiously.
"I see you're doing better and full of energy. Hopefully, your owner will wake up soon too."
"My owner? She's not my owner, not even close. She's a traitor," thought Podbe, though only barks were heard in response.
"Calm down, boy, she'll be fine. The blow they gave her must have been pretty hard. But what happened to you? I don't see any bruises; you were just unconscious."
"She drugged me with something in the meat," thought Podbe, unable to express it in words.
The man approached the dog, though Podbe growled slightly.
"I get it; you must be hungry, which explains your defensive behavior. I'll be right back."
A short while later, he returned with a plate. On it was a piece of meat, which he placed beside the canine. Podbe began to eat.
"We just talked about this—you can't eat things strangers give you," Reia scolded, giving the dog a couple of electric shocks. Podbe yelped comically.
The man thought it was a sign of gratitude.
"Well, I've never had a pet before, but I hope you liked it," he said, watching as the dog finished savoring the meal.
After eating the piece of meat, the man approached the dog and noticed its tag.
"Ah! So your name is Podbe, and your owner is Aiden. That must be this girl's name," he thought.
"Well, my name is Gat. Nice to meet you, Podbe," he said, extending his hand. The two locked eyes in a moment of mutual approval.
The dog approached him and licked his hand.
"Good boy," Gat said, patting him on the head.
Gat kept wondering what had happened to the two of them and why they had been lying in the street.
"Oh well, I'll just have to wait for the girl to wake up," he thought.
The next morning, Elena woke up after the heavy blow she had received. The guilt and all the stress she had been going through had made her sleep deeply through the night.
"Where am I?" she asked, bringing a hand to her head. "Oh, my head hurts; everything is spinning."
She slowly got up from bed and saw the dog barking furiously at her. She was frightened because the dog seemed ready to bite her for what she had done the day before.
"There you go again, Podbe, with your barking," said Gat, entering the room. "I see your owner, Aiden, is awake, and that's why you were heading toward her. But I see you want to bite her, if I'm not mistaken."
The young man picked up the dog from behind and held him in his arms.
"Hello, Aiden, my name is Gat."
She looked at him, confused, and replied:
"No, my name isn't Aiden. My name is Elena. I'm sorry."
The girl burst into tears. Gat approached her and said gently:
"There's no need to cry, little one; you're safe now." He handed her a handkerchief to dry her tears. "Tell me what happened to you."
A moment passed before she began to speak. As she wiped her tears, she started recounting what had happened—from her father's involvement to what she had done to Aiden and how she had drugged Podbe with a special concoction that even the animal with the sharpest sense of smell couldn't identify, making any food seem more appetizing.
The boy listened to the entire story and understood why the dog was angry and wanted to attack her instead of showing affection.
Elena started crying again, and looking at Podbe, she apologized between sobs, saying how sorry she was for what she had done. The dog looked at her, but instead of feeling anger, he felt empathy for her after hearing the story. Reia also softened, though she remained somewhat upset. The dog wriggled out of Gat's arms and licked Elena's face. She could only respond by hugging him tightly.
"If I could do something to turn back time and fix this, I would," Elena told Podbe.
"Is there anything I can do?" Both turned to see Gat, his expression determined, ready to help them with their dilemma. "Take me to your father, Elena, so we can figure out where to start looking for Aiden."
"But before that," Elena said, "I need to let the person Aiden was staying with know. They're probably worried since it's another day, and we're already seeing the morning light through the window."
In the forest, Elliot's team, alias Agent I-Five, along with three others, continued to follow the trail of a liquid resembling blood that had left a path. They followed it for a couple of hours until they reached a cave, where the trail led further inside.
"Stay alert," Elliot instructed the two accompanying him. "Draw your weapons and prepare for anything."
They pulled out their flashlights and proceeded to enter cautiously.