“Living with you is my poison, human. But more importantly, where did you get those Doritos?”

  “A trash can…”

  Another shot rang out. Underneath, the young woman slalomed between passers-by, spilling wine on her dress. The shooting stopped when she joined a denser crowd at the entrance of a S’mores Shop. The men, apparently local gangsters, dispersed to look for her. She reached the end of the railing. We knew she was doomed.

  “The Triad? Weren’t they all spaced from Thebe by the Fongs?” I asked while we had positioned ourselves just above, swallowing the tortilla chips while enjoying the free show.

  “50 toks they’re gonna throw the whore off the cliff,” Ali bet.

  “That could be messy.”

  “Yeah. Coriolis’ a bitch,” my partner said before taking my cigarette away and tossing it into the void. It made a curvy trajectory before hitting a singing Mac Tonight animatronic.

  “The local watch will put an end to it anyway.”

  Such a show felt unusual on Thebe, where firearms faced strong discouragement. The local robotic militia and their drones showed little leniency toward anyone who broke the rules.

  However, once her holographic costume partially removed because of a glitch, we realized that the arrival of the police would have been bad news for the young woman. She turned out to be this good old androgynous kleptomaniac and maybe our only friend in the entire system. This time, she had camouflaged her smell with a sneezing amount of Exclamation perfume and Aqua Net hair spray.

  “Z-hoe!” Ali shouted.

  Startled, the thief glanced up at us, her eyes empty of reflection. My partner twisted herself to extend her hand towards our friend below. Seizing the opportunity created by a shift in the crowd, our friend let herself be pulled onto our platform, evading her pursuers unnoticed. The struggle against the relentless pull of centrifugal force added to the challenge, but once safe, the cyborg wasted no time. With a shimmer, her holographic appearance shifted, this time transforming her into a hip-hop singer sporting a massive cap and dark sunglasses.

  “What kind of embarrassing situation did you find yourself in with the Chinamen again?” I asked, handing her the last crisp.

  The thief ignored me as she caught her breath. Her plastic lungs were about to explode.

  “Need help to zero those thugs?” my partner pursued.

  “What? No!” the Maiden reacted, declining the salsa-covered nacho Ali swallowed without further ado. “I was about to escape anyway…”

  “Your girlfriend bet a bunch of tokens you wouldn’t,” I snitched.

  The Maiden falsely gasped. In response, my partner just flipped her spice-stained finger at us.

  Back to the Kitty half a Martian hour later, our off-brand beatboxer told us about her misadventure. She did receive our message regarding Belle Sassie and had been on Thebe for more than a month, tracking down the old associates of a man called King Xiao; formerly known as the Emperor of the Outer Worlds.

  At his peak, Xiao was the greatest godfather of all the Triads beyond the belt, or Tak Khuun. He was described as a giant with prodigious strength and corrupted by all possible vices. Vices that he could afford thanks to his limitless fortune. Nevertheless, he vanished overnight a long time ago. Unverified sources mentioned a deal that went south with the Soviets; others believed in a mutiny within his own clan. Many Triads under his control were dismantled by the Emporium, the Feds or the free market.

  Ali pulled her head out of the fridge and slipped back into the conversation she had abandoned for her usual snack upon returning home. “Ain’t you aiming too high?” she worried, confirming my thoughts. “I read he was a hell of a nutjob! And a Techno-puppet.”

  “Miss Valedictorian does know her history!” I said before receiving a smack on my head with a slime-milk jug.

  “Sh’yeah, this guy’s surely flatlined by now. Mobsters don’t retire.”

  After finally switching back to her true appearance, the Maiden swiped away her comment by waving her hand. “I know from a very trustable source Xiao’s alive and well, and behind the Emporium’s former shipments of Monsutā tech. Crossed with what the poor mutants said to you on Mayflower, and your recent case with Kamirov on Amalthea, the last information I stole tonight confirmed where the Tak Khuun’s hiding. Namely Jupiter II.”

  “Europa!” Of course! Yaan-ze mentioned water, and the second moon of Jupiter concealed an ocean beneath its icy crust.

  The Maiden wiped a drop of milk from my partner’s lips, then smiled at me. “Europa’s not far. Hence my combo-idea.”

  “Your plans usually go south,” I retorted.

  Ali intervened to side with her girlfriend. Done with her cereal, she had buried herself into her computer screen. “Y’know, Lee, Xiao’s worth a shitload of pizza.” To conclude her plea, she put in front of me the still pixelated poster of Zi Xinj Xiao with a bounty of C$1,500,000. Yes. C$1,500,000! The Wheel of Fortune!

  I backtracked. Obviously, this was a risky idea. Could we trust the Data Maiden on this? But after all, how old was Xiao? He would have been about ninety. Who wouldn’t kill a hundred-year-old commie for that much? Especially a commie running a Monsutā rig.

  “And where exactly is our Alzheimer Emperor?” I asked. “Europa is a barren world of toxic water even Nestle wouldn’t rebottle.”

  The Maiden replied: “In a bunker at the bottom of the ocean. The same toxic ocean coated with an impenetrable ice dome. Unless someone here knows a safe passage…”

  “Won’t he expect us after your little… show tonight?”

  “No way. The webrunner I worked with was smart enough to cover my tracks. Plus, I designed a plan which includes costumes! Don’t you like dressing up, Lee?”

  Our cocky friend passed a steel orb between her thin fingers. The ball opened in two, revealing a miniature hologram projector. Two scantily clad young women suddenly emerged between the three of us. While grossly kissing as two snails copulating, they held the name and address of a courtesan agency.

  “I comprehend the necessity of disguising,” I remarked, aiming to dispel the silence of the flight. “However, was it truly imperative I partake in this absurd charade as well? This attire is utterly preposterous. Surely, you’re aware I have a pedigree to uphold?”

  Like my humans, I wore a multicolored kimono and thin white silk socks. They spared me the traditional hairstyle and makeup, although this didn’t stop them laughing at my condition as a martyred cat.

  Remind me to renew my charitable—and tax-deductible—contribution to PETA.

  The ship jolted violently, its course locked on Europa—the forgotten moon. Inside this flying coffin, it was just us, hurtling towards danger under the control of a web-draped android whose empty eyes betrayed nothing. King Xiao and his henchmen trusted no humans to pilot their craft, especially when it came to reaching their secret underwater sanctuary.

  According to the agency, this was the third covert delivery to Europa this month. The troubling details? The last two trips were strictly one-way. The implication hung heavy in the stale air, gnawing at the edges of my composure.

  That’s why I insisted on reviewing the plan, forcing every detail to the forefront of our minds. It had to be airtight, foolproof—simple enough that even Ali, with her penchant for distraction, could commit it to memory in less than a day. Failure was not an option; the stakes were far too high.

  “We find Xiao; we kill Xiao; we tear his FID off his cold body,” recited my human, checking her gun, well-hidden between her thighs.

  Yet she didn’t seem comfortable. Something was worrying her.

  The Maiden had also noticed the change in Ali’s attitude since she had announced this plan involving bypassing the prostitution network used by the Lost Triads. “Are you ok?” the thief asked, making sure that the mechanical pilot was still focused on its work.

  “No. I just don’t like being crammed in here like cattle for slaughter. Knowing what’s at the end…”

  The data-thief grabbed Ali’s face in her hands and kissed her. “Xiao dead, no more Monsutā bio-nightmares will ever resurface. Let’s end this once and for all.”

  Ali armed her Desert Eagle with iridescent reflections, ready to fight once on the spot. The Maiden also checked her chrome daggers, and we remained silent until we reached the ice layer covering the hidden ocean of Europa.

  “Diving mode engaged,” warned the android. “Brace.”

  We descended into the frozen waters of the abandoned moon in a cave specially designed to be a discreet entrance. A long journey to the abyss followed. This same abyss possessed rudimentary life forms, brought back by some germs forgotten on the first probes. By the time we neared our destination, the alien wildlife had vanished, leaving only darkness and the faint, uneasy sound of our breathing to accompany the slow march towards whatever waited ahead.

  The abyss seemed to press in on us, a cold, unfeeling void that could swallow us without a trace. The walls of the spaceship felt tighter with every breath, every creak of the hull a reminder of the flattening weight above and around us.

  Beneath the crushing depths of Europa’s ocean, a citadel emerged from the darkness—a sprawling complex, its sheer enormity defying comprehension. The walls bore a deep, menacing red, a shadow that seemed to pulse faintly in the submersible’s lights as though the structure were alive. Spanning the sea floor, this underwater kraken stretched as far as the eye could see, its dimensions rivaling that of a megapolis. Massive, ribbed towers shot upward from the ocean bed, their tops vanishing into the murky waters above. Each structure was linked by a tangled web of thick, black pipelines that writhed like veins, transporting unknown substances between the labyrinthine sections. Glowing conduits of electric blue snaked along the red walls, pulsating, a heartbeat for the monstrous facility. Giant docking bays lined the perimeter, their enormous beaks ajar, spewing bubbles and streams of particulate waste into the water.

  “This can’t be just a refurbishing hub…” I whispered.

  “Xiao seems done with his second-hand business. This place is ready for mass production!” the Maiden said. “This is indeed a full factory the size of a continent…. and it seems… alive?” She swore. “I’ve never seen a place like that.”

  “I did,” Ali said, instinctively covering her thigh holo-code.

  The place roared with life. Towering smokestacks exhaled plumes of opaque liquid that hung heavily in the water like subaquatic storms. Occasionally, vents would burst open, releasing jets of red-hued steam that diffused into the ocean like ghostly clouds. Among them swarmed, automated half organic drones, resembling mutant squid with multi-jointed cyber-arms. They zipped through the water in perfect synchrony, maintaining the endless machinery.

  Up close, the underwater bio-bunker looked like the bloody fortress of Balmorya, the Goddess of Eyes, but hundreds of kilometers below Europa’s surface.

  “Approaching mode engaged,” the android warned again. “Brace.”

  The ocean floor beneath was scorched black. Craters and trenches carved by its construction formed a scarred, desolate landscape. Among the structures, the lights of endless conveyor belts and assembly lines flickered, revealing glimpses of other strange, bio-machines, their purposes inscrutable.

  We entered the living complex. Once in the airlock preceding the reception hall, two thugs in black three-piece suits escorting an amphora-shaped tin can no bigger than a child greeted us. The robot with genuine human eyes addressed us, inviting our group to follow him to his master’s lair: “Hurry up! We’re late! Late!”

  Before we started moving, the Maiden turned to my partner and whispered to her: “Will you be ok, Ali-love?” Her voice quivered.

  My human trembled but answered in the affirmative before I jumped on her shoulders to reassure her. “I’m here with you, girl. Let’s give King Xiao the night of his life and go back to playing Forgotten Quest on Thebe.”

  She caressed me again before kissing me on the cheek. “Yes…” she said, answering the robot at the same time.

  The former godfather’s castle, beating heart of the factory, was a veritable stronghold decorated with oil paintings, crimson draperies and shiny ceremonial weapons. Between white porcelain vases, only jade dragon statues guarded the red doors leading to the apartments. Patrols and servants were sparse for such a titanic place.

  Two cyborgs awaited us at the end of a massive scarlet doorway, its surface intricately carved with the Triads’ underworld history. Stone fountains bubbled softly in the corners, their steady flow of golden water creating an eerie calm. The walls were adorned with relics from a forgotten Chinese dynasty—long, ceremonial spears with intricately carved hilts, and shields, their surfaces gleaming faintly despite the years. It was a remarkable collection, a testament to Xiao’s wealth and obsession with preserving history. Each piece seemed to tell a silent story, whispering tales of a time long past.

  The automaton beside us reminded us that it was time for the search—a delicate part. The enhanced humans were equipped with palpation implants, capable of detecting the slightest irregularities. Thankfully, there were no infrared or scanning systems to contend with. Down here, deep beneath Europa’s icy crust, King Xiao seemed to believe he was untouchable. I did assume he was wrong.

  When one of the sinister ogres wanted to put his hand between Ali’s legs, the robot with human eyes ordered him to stop: “We don’t touch the Master’s threats!”

  “Can’t you forget the protocol for one minute, huh?”

  The second guard stared at the three of us before brooding in his beard: “And the cat? Gotta be a midnight snack for us!”

  “It is simply to enhance the atmosphere, my dear sir,” the Maiden replied with impeccable grace, her tone measured and refined. “A delicate touch of feline sweetness, if you w—”

  “Shut the fuck up, whore!” the brute cut her off.

  “Silence!” cackled the automaton. “We’re late!”

  The sentries nodded in acknowledgment before sliding open the door to a small, austere lavatory. The sterile air inside felt almost oppressive, but it was a candid respite. I could feel the tension radiating from Ali, her heart pounding visibly in her chest, a nervous energy that only seemed to intensify as we proceeded.

  The robot moved ahead, its sleek metal body gleaming in the dim light, guiding us silently through the delicate curtain of pearls that separated the lavatory from Xiao’s personal apartments. The beads shimmered, their smooth surfaces catching the light like droplets of water, a mesmerizing sight that did nothing to quell the growing unease in my chest.

  Beyond the curtain lay a grand hall, but the room was no longer just a collection of antiques; it was an antechamber of doom! Between towering marble columns stood an array of what could only be described as instruments of torture—twisted devices from every era, their sharp edges and rusted surfaces glinting in the low light.

  And then, the true danger revealed itself. Dozens of henchmen emerged from the shadows, their guns raised, pointed directly at us. The air grew still, thick with the threat of violence, and the space, once ornate and grand, felt like a prison.

  “Bogus…” the Maiden said, not knowing whether she should grab her knives or not.

  “To say the least,” intervened one of the two cyborgs that had just appeared behind our backs.

  The guards apprehended my two acolytes. Grabbed by the scruff of the neck, I was pinned to the ground by the robot who later threw me into a magnetically locked cat carrier.

  “Ali!” I shouted. “What is goi—”

  “Welcome!” King Xiao entered from the opposite doors. The Lost Triads’s master easily measured within three meters. He didn’t have a 90-year-old grandfather constitution at all, despite his long white beard and shaved skull dotted with brownish spots and glowing microchips. Some of them turned red before the godfather’s nose started losing drops of brownish blood. He stared at the Maiden before chuckling. “Don’t even try speed-hacking me, you filthy witch!” He said those words with the deepest voice I’ve ever heard in all my lives. “Your wireless Sheba tricks could backfire badly.”

  We were violently led to the center of the room, where henchmen placed a ruby throne. The robot positioned me on the right armrest, the cage gates facing the main golden fountain. Xiao sat comfortably before adjusting his velvet robe. I could see him through the side ventilation filter of the box.

  “My grandsons are now fastening both of you with an explosive necklace unjustly prohibited by the Technocratic Slave Convention recently imposed on the sovereign corpo-kingdoms,” the giant explained. He pulled two remote controls from his inside pocket and pressed a button on one. The moment he released his metal thumb, an electric shock shot through Ali, causing her to scream and collapse to the ground. Without a flicker of hesitation, he repeated the motion, his defiance unwavering as he faced Maiden. “After only three warnings, the collar explodes. Nevertheless…” Against all expectations, King Xiao thumbed the button a third time but this time he didn’t take his finger off it. “Nevertheless, I doubt the Kitty’s crew understands the concept of an ultimatum.”

  “Monster!” I yowled behind bars.

  “They were armed, Yéye!” shouted one of the men after displaying Ali’s caliber.

  “Of course, they were!” Xiao snorted. “They’re no entertainers but bounty hunters and data robbers, báichī!”

  Another thug threw the Maiden’s blades into the fountain basin facing the throne before King Xiao rose and grabbed the thief by the throat. “You witches!” started Xiao. “I’ve seen Korolev walk on the moon with a Nazi-designed rocket. I watched an Irishman endorsed by a Sicilian crime syndicate winning the last American election. And I’ve witnessed my hometown being turned into glass by a synthesized devil my own country programmed.” He lifted the cyborg’s metal body two meters off the ground, at arm’s length, without the slightest effort. “Nothing can surprise me anymore!” The godfather tightened his grip, making the Data Maiden cough white blood. He laughed again. “Why are you here, Zéphyr the Data Maiden? Steal from me? No. Mancéphalius would have never involved a bounty hunter. Killing me, then? Doubtful… The Alliance and I are on good terms. The Kingdoms? WarTech?” He chuckled, before biting the tip of his tongue. “The Emporium. Lao. Yes. He somehow found a way to dispatch you there, after you destroyed my old lair in Las Pallas. He sent you to erase any link between his new Emporium and the Lost Triads. I can’t believe it—the Data Maiden became Linus Lao’s lackey!”