An indescribable pain, a frightful feeling; and after that, a deep desire to never repeat the experience. That’s what Juzo and Malin felt when they passed through the dimensional barrier and returned to the world, already in another place.

They materialize on their feet; such a milestone, according to those who had done it before. However, their legs couldn’t stay straightened for long. Dizziness beat them; dizziness beat anyone, and they soon went to their knees. Fortunately, they were trained people, soldiers with quick reflexes, and they stopped falling to the ground with their hands and not with their mouths.

Juzo gasped for air, and before trying to move again, he waited for his breathing to normalize, his muscles to stop spasming, and the pressure in his head to subside. An annoying whistle slit opened his ears. He scoured his eyes; sparks of light were bashing his retinas. He sat on the floor. Was that horrible!

He heard a moan. It was Malin. They had escaped from Broga. Who knows what would have been the fight’s outcome if they hadn’t crossed the portal? Better not to think about it; the possible outcome filled him with dread.

He looked around and found himself in a damp and warm alley between two brick walls. They were under a cloak of evening darkness, shrouded by an unpleasant odor that came from a garbage container. His first impression of Proxima City wasn’t the best.

At least it’s not raining here, he thought.

Malin also felt her head about to explode, a burning sting in the pit of her stomach, and an itching sensation from her feet to the last strand of hair as if she were covered with bedbugs. Of course, that sensation was preferable to the one she had experienced when she had put her arms into Broga’s shield.

“Now I understand why Auriga are forbidden,” she groaned and remained sitting on the floor for a moment.

All her body was in pain. Her back was numb, as well as her thighs, neck, and rib cage area, where she’d taken most of Broga’s blows. Those robotic arms might not have been in good condition, but they could still hit hard. Her cheeks were burning, and she tried to remember if the android had also punched her there, or if it was just because of the experience of crossing the portal.

“You all right?” Juzo asked.

Malin nodded.

Their senses began to return to normal. The ringing in their ears diminished and the noise of the traffic reached them. There was a street ahead, they could see cars passing by, and there was also a green glow imprinting on the pavement. Time to stand up. They tried to help each other lift, but they were still charged with static and shared a shock. They cursed, took a breath, and straightened their legs; at least as much as they could.

Malin rubbed her waist; it hurt a lot; and found that her jacket had ripped.

“Juzo, I had a beautiful evening planned for tonight,” she protested. “This favor will cost you dearly.”

She fixed her hair, pulling it back, then she did the same with his, and even fixed his uniform that had been untidy after arrival. As surly as he was, Juzo allowed her to do so without protest; he always allowed her to do it.

“And the android?”

“He didn’t make it,” Juzo said.

With the dizziness still touching their feet and stomach, they peered out onto the street and found the source of the greenish glow: a huge luminous sign above their head that said: ‘Welcome to Dana’s. The first shopping center in Proxima’. They were indeed in Proxima City, an ocean away from their country. The Auriga had worked. And if there was any doubt, there was a huge clock on the top of a building, announcing the time. 8.53 p.m.

“Five hours apart,” Juzo pointed out and went down the street toward an avenue. “Come on, this Uri guy’s house is not far.”

She took off her torn jacket and covered a homeless man sleeping on the floor between cardboard boxes with it. Then she followed Juzo, intrigued, waiting for him to speak. When she realized she wouldn’t receive an answer, she nudged him.

“Aren’t you gonna tell me?”

He didn’t say a word. All right; that was Juzo being Juzo. But she was in pain, and she no longer had the patience to endure stupid attitudes.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” she stopped him. “I wanna know what the Totem was hiding. I wanna know if the bruises that in a few hours I’ll have all over my body will be worth it.”

“Yes,” he revealed.

Malin raised her eyebrows. “Yes, what?”

Juzo turned to her; and now that they were under the streetlight, Malin could see it well. His eyes were red and there was deep fear on his face. Not only fear; there was also regret on that face.

“Yes, they will be worth it,” Juzo said.

So shocked she was by that expression that she let him go.

“What happened there, Juzo? What did you see?”

“Malin, please. Not now,” he said and continued. “Give me a moment to process it, okay?”

Malin went still, now with more fear than doubt. She had to force herself to move her legs.

When they reached the corner, they found the panorama they were waiting for: Buildings that gave one the impression of being stuck in a great canyon of concrete and glass; people here and there, cars and motorcycles walking, and parking meter robots harassing drivers who had just parked their vehicles; all immersed in a constant murmur of voices and engines, light towers, illuminated billboards, and a night sky almost lost up there.

Juzo confirmed his location by looking at the street-name signs and then walked down the avenue. As the blocks progressed, the skyscrapers got lower and lower and became buildings.

Malin made an annoyed gesture, very subtle; although Juzo detected it anyway. During the past few minutes, he’d seen her several times rubbing the area of ​​her ribs under her breast. She was in pain and trying to hide it.

“You okay?” he asked; he knew she wasn’t.

“Sure,” she said and stopped rubbing. The fight against Broga was taking its toll. “Did it occur to you that your brother might be, I don’t know, vacationing somewhere far from here?” she asked, perhaps to shake off Juzo’s attention.

“He hasn’t left the country. Rigel told me,” Juzo replied.

“Good, but what if he’s not home now?”

“I’ll wait for him to arrive,” Juzo said. He was so stubborn it was overwhelming.

“And what will you tell him when you find him? That you are his twin and that he is part of a project to become a human repository of energy?”

“Will I be lying?”

“He’ll slam the door in your face,” Malin said.

“That will no longer be my problem.” Juzo walked faster. “Now hurry up. The Satellite Agency will surely have sniffed us out and may already be behind us.”

“Damn!” Malin patted her forehead. With the conflict, she had forgotten about them.

After a while, they came to a pedestrian area full of people, shops, and restaurants; full of life and bustle, of voices and music.

“Why are there so many people on the street at this hour?” Malin was really intrigued. “Is it here they sleep during the day?”

“Curfews aren’t the rule,” Juzo replied and walked over to a newsstand to ask the clerk how to get to the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Twenty-first Street, where Uri O22 lived.

The clerk put down a bundle of inactive holo-newspaper cards and pointed out: “You go on for two more blocks and then turn right.”

While her friend made inquiries, Malin killed time checking out the various holographic covers that came out of the countless cards packing the display stand, along with the few paper-based newspapers that were still being sold. Until she saw a picture from a particular magazine and smiled in disbelief. The name was Loud, and on the cover, there was someone identical to Juzo; a little younger and more refined-looking, though. The truth was that this Uri guy looked sexy in his underwear. She picked up a copy, unfolded its holographic pages, flipped through it, and handed it to Juzo with a grin from ear to ear.

Juzo took a quick look at the holo-magazine. Dead serious, he deactivated it, left it among the others, and left.

“I’m beginning to think this brother encounter will be more than interesting,” she said.