“Oh, no. No, Eden. You might… not belong to one of the Zodiacs in terms of background or skin color, but you’re no sheep either, love. We all know it. Didn’t you notice you stood as an equal to the Zodiacs today?”
“Yes, but that’s because my father, and Pan–”
“Nope. Forget your daddy issues, you’re a headstrong woman. Most people would not have even been able to go into that room full of Zodiacs without shitting themselves. Especially with the Dragon or the Tiger... You just don’t feel that fear from them, because you’re familiar with death yourself. I see people like you, sometimes. Like Pratiti, or A. Not killers, but survivors. People who still feel fear, but they’ve conquered enough pain not to be crippled by it. You’re not like most people, Eden, you’re on a different scale. It might not be obvious to you, but it’s true. You don’t need a Zodiac. You’ve got the backbone to stand up for yourself, love.”
Hearing this from another Zodiac made Eden a bit proud, although it was still hard to really believe. She knew Lecky had no reason to flatter her or be nice to her. He was probably the weakest Zodiac himself, but he didn’t need to suck up to anyone.
After this though, neither of them talked anymore. Climbing up the last stairs required a lot of strength and focus. Finally, they reached the ground floor, making Lecky let out a long sigh. Eden felt her connection to her legs come back, and moved them around carefully, checking that all the digital nerves were back online and connected to her SIN. She maneuvered her hips, not enjoying the painful sensations that came after using her real muscles to drag them around.
“Damn it,” she groaned.
“Sorry about the bunker. Security reasons…”
“It’s fine. They can be a pain even without that anyway, I’m used to it.”
“Good. We should get back to the border, your… Tiger is really not happy, and I’d like to not be killed before tomorrow at least.”
Eden chuckled. She could easily imagine Dante glaring at whoever was guarding the border and resolving to terrorize everyone until she came back. They walked back, this time not using the bikes but headed to the east at a quick pace.
“There’s something else I needed to tell you,” suddenly declared Lecky, “about tomorrow’s attack on the Core.”
The streets around them were now more of a real city than a slum, and Eden could see the first rows of real houses, meaning they were almost at the border. It was just the two of them, which was quite unusual for a Zodiac… Lecky really didn’t have much security around him. No wonder he had needed the help of another Zodiac to protect the hackers.
“I won’t fail,” nodded Eden.
“Perhaps, but it’s not that. Eden, some of the people under my protection were originally Core citizens.”
She stopped, turning to him, surprised. Lecky took out a little piece of paper from under his coat, handing it to her mysteriously.
“Some fled, just like you. Not everyone who lives there is as controlled, nor as blind. It’s faint, but there is resistance on the other side too. People who will help us out.”
“…You didn’t mention that at the meeting,” muttered Eden, a bit shocked.
“Because most of the Zodiacs won’t care, and the others won’t believe it. We see the Core as the enemy, but… we need to remember the Core we are fighting is the people at the top, not the citizens. People who were born into a corrupt system can’t just open their eyes and see the truth one day. They believe the lies fed to them since childhood. You can’t hold them responsible for their blindness.”
“…I know,” muttered Eden.
Lecky smiled.
“Yeah, I figured you’d understand. The people on this list are ones that can be trusted. Citizens of the Core who know what’s really going on in the Suburbs and will help us. Some of their relatives are here now, but they managed to prove their loyalty to our side. Go to one of them once you get to the Core tomorrow. They will help you to find a place to hack safely from and do what they can.”
Eden’s eyes went down to the list, a bit surprised. So this was the other reason they had wanted to privately talk to her… Dante would probably not have cared much, but the other Zodiacs would have refused to trust people from the Core. She nodded and hid it in her pocket.
“Got it, thank you, uh… Lecky.”
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he shook his head. “Thank me once this is all over tomorrow… I have a feeling it’s not going to be an easy one.”
Eden grimaced a bit. Although she felt the same, she really didn’t need a reminder.
They finally reached the border where, indeed, Dante was shooting daggers at the men standing at what ought to be the invisible border of Lecky’s territory. There were a few bikes lined up, some with people on them, while half a dozen Italian cars were running behind Dante. He had a half smoked cigarette in his mouth and was glaring at the man standing in front of him, who was talking.
“She’s almost here,” insisted the guy. “Can you wait a damn minute and not pull out threats like that?!”
Indeed, Eden noticed a few of the Italians had guns in their hands, ready to fire at Lecky’s men in front. The man leading the group of Lecky’s men was tall, with long, purple hair under a beanie, and wearing a dark, somewhat grungy outfit with silver chains hanging at his hip.
Finally, Dante’s eyes shifted from him to Eden, and his expression subtly softened. Noticing this, the purple-haired man turned around, spotting them too. He had bandages around his neck and one of his arms, making Eden wonder if he was a hacker too… He sighed.
“Finally! Can you not invite the partner of a bloody murderer into our territory next time, please? That guy was literally threatening to kill us all if his chick didn’t come back! What the fuck, Leks?!”
