[The Tempest trilogy: Book 2] After the incident in Ostrava's Neoclash arena, Zoya faces dangerous challenges. Nightingale's uprising threatens to destroy the whole Europe, the racist Yeomen movement steps up their campaing against Castaways and Rya...
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In the end, I found a nice older woman who agreed to take me to Ryan's house. We even have a nice chat and when we arrive, I tip her well. I wish I could meet such people more often. She had no prejudice against Castaways, even after the attack, but neither she was a hardcore Neoclash fan. She didn't know who I am and I decided to leave it that way.
Finally, I see a modern house in the middle of nowhere - Ryan adores technology, but also privacy and natural landscapes. There is a garden in front of it, now covered with a layer of snow. It's my garden. I built it all by myself and I can't wait until it starts to bloom again in spring. It's my place to relax, meditate and train. My own tiny dreamland with flower beds and several fruit trees.
I use a keycard to unlock the front door and step inside. Ryan's home used to be too sterile and the furniture was, well, a bit outdated. Throughout the monts we are together, I managed to bring at least some colors to the technocratic interior and with the money I won in Neoclash, we could buy brand new, expensive furniture, so the house finally looks decent.
"Welcome home, Zoya," a disembodied voice, soft, young and female, greets me. It's AVIA, a voice-operated artificial intelligence system which basically runs the whole house. You can ask her to make you a cup of tea or turn on the TV, but also to find you data on the internet and filter them.
I undress my jacket and hang it on a coat stand. Then I aim towards the basement door, sure I will find Ryan there. I descend a few stairs and open the door, stepping into a completely different world.
Upon hearing the word basement, most people imagine gloomy, unkept space to store things we'll never need anymore, but we are afraid to admit it. This basement would prove them wrong. A large, white, brightly illuminated room with countless futuristic devices and computers inside. Ryan's laboratory.
I walk through it slowly and carefully, afraid to even touch any of the complex machines about whose purpose I have no idea. However, Ryan understands them well and thanks to it, he is about to make the most important discovery for Castaways.
This is the place Ryan worked on the cure for Flicker, a deadly disease which affects Castaways only and causes slow, tormenting death. Now, it seems that the worst nightmare of Castaways will disappear thanks to Ryan and his cure which works both as a remedy and vaccination. I have no idea how did he do it, but if he manages to finish his project, he will earn my eternal respect.
"Welcome home, Zoya!" Ryan greets me. He is a tall, skinny guy with typical nerd appearance including eyeglasses, sleek hair and phony, nasal voice with heavy British accent. His face looks like constantly judging anyone in his presence and his eyes radiate condescendence, but you'll get used to it after a while.
Our beginnings were a bit awkward, but in the end, we became close friends and I managed to thaw Ryan's antisocial heart at least a little. It was me and the money I made in Neoclash which allowed Ryan to start realizing his plan to synthesize the cure.
