Anaks Exhale
A traditional drink of the Beacon’s technicians. Perfect for long night shifts… or for drowning completely desperate decisions.
Ingredients:
• 50 ml anak (unfiltered distillate)
• 20 ml tanzin juice
• 10 ml josan berry syrup
• a pinch of black salt
• ice
• okor stones (for serving)
Instructions:
- Add ice, anak, tanzin juice, and josan syrup into a shaker.
- Shake thoroughly until well chilled.
- Pour into a rocks glass over okor stones.
- Garnish with a slice of tanzin and finish with a sprinkle of black salt for a mildly sharp kick.
“You don’t drink to forget. You drink to survive another day.”
Ela, Beacon, Vin’s Workshop
“You have to do it. Please. This is his only chance…”
Ela snatched the bottle of anak from Vin’s hands before he could take another long swig. She knew convincing him wouldn’t be easy, but if he got completely drunk, it would be impossible. She needed a technician, not a drunk.
“This is madness,” he growled at her, furious.
His eyes burned with rage and raw despair. She could tell how deeply her request had hurt him. It wasn’t just the bottle she had taken from him. It was what she was asking. Her idea crossed every possible line.
His gaze flicked to the broken shell of Tonot, which had been brought into his workshop that morning. The official report claimed a modifikant had snapped and attacked a werren. The unofficial version would sound very different. Either way, the result of that violent outburst now lay lifeless in the middle of the workshop, waiting for someone to decide whether it was even possible to bring the shell back online.
“He’s afraid,” said Seren softly into the silence. She stood right next to the unsuspecting Vin, watching him with a faint furrow in her brow. Only Ela could hear her voice, and she echoed it out loud without even realizing.
“You’re afraid,” she whispered. “And I understand.”
“You understand me?” Vin laughed bitterly. “Ela, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Let me remind you, I’m already facing fifteen years in a labor camp. Just talking to you about this is risking everything.”
His voice was rough, full of anger and frustration. The way his eyes kept darting to the door made it clear he feared being caught at any moment.
“Although,” he added, spreading his arms, “maybe I shouldn’t even worry about that. If they find out, they’ll hang me on the spot. And you too, by the way. Shells are untouchable. Do you understand that?”
Ela stepped closer, nearly brushing against his shoulder. She could smell the oil on him. Vin had become saturated with the scent of the workshop, unsurprising for someone who practically lived here, day and night. She tried to keep her voice calm, to hide the storm that was churning inside her.
“I know the risk. But honestly? No one can prove intent. Reng damaged the shell. You just tried to fix it. If it doesn’t go according to plan, that’s not anyone’s fault.”
“That’s bullshit, Ela. And dangerous bullshit at that. I should report this right now,” he said, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. “But I’ll give you a chance. Walk away, and I’ll pretend this conversation never happened.”
“He doesn’t get it, does he?” Seren’s voice echoed in Ela’s head. Her lip twitched in silent frustration. She had hoped it would be easier. A few sweet words, maybe a spark of challenge, and Vin, who always loved a difficult task, would agree to recalibrate the synchronization system. But it turned out the young technician still had lines he didn’t want to cross.
“Vin, have you ever thought about your future?” Ela decided to try a different approach.
Vin’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as they locked onto her face. “Why?”
“I mean, before they caught you, you lived out there. You had family, maybe friends. Maybe even someone you really loved. And they took all of that from you.”
“Don’t pull that on me,” he growled, frowning. “You don’t know a damn thing about my life.”
“I don’t,” she admitted. “But I can see what your life is now. Buried in this workshop, drowning in alcohol, staring at a future that never changes. I could come back in twenty years and find you exactly the same. Although… maybe the booze will kill you before the boredom does.”
The workshop fell quiet, broken only by the low hum of one of the running machines. Vin stared at her, and she met his gaze with steady defiance. They held eye contact for a long moment before he finally looked away. Embarrassed, he wiped sweat from his brow, nervous tension beading on his skin. When he eventually shook his head, Ela took a deep breath.
Seren’s voice echoed in her memory.
“You have to show him he matters. Or he won’t listen.”
“Vin, I know this sounds insane. And I understand you’re afraid. I’m afraid too. But I also know you’re the best technician I’ve ever met. If anyone can change that synchronization, it’s you.”
Vin narrowed his eyes again, his gaze sharp with mistrust. “Don’t start flattering me. I’m not risking my neck so you can prove a point.”
“I’m not doing this for myself!” Ela fought to keep her voice calm, but it wavered despite her efforts. It hurt that he saw this as some sort of personal whim. Her hands clenched into fists. “This isn’t about me. It’s about all of us. About the fact that the Beacon isn’t infallible. Tonot’s mistake proves that. And if we have a chance to change anything, it has to be now.”
“Tonot’s mistake?” Vin froze, clearly caught off guard by her choice of words. Ela realized too late that in the heat of the moment, she might have said something she shouldn’t have.
“What are you talking about?” he pressed, rubbing his hands together in agitation.
For a moment, Ela felt like she had forgotten how to speak. But then she looked at Seren, who gave her an encouraging nod. It was clear there was no point hiding it. This was her wild card, and she had to play it and hope it worked.
“Tonot was already faulty before today’s incident,” she offered carefully.
Vin frowned. “What do you mean, faulty?”
“He has an error in his synchronization. And it’s been there for a long time.”
“That’s nonsense,” Vin shot back immediately, clearly thinking she was making it up just to win him over. “The system would have detected it.”
“The system can’t see it.”
He fell silent, clearly turning the new information over in his mind.
“Who else have you told about this?”
“No one,” she admitted.
“Well, you should have.”
“Maybe. But now it’s just you and me who know. No one else.”
He narrowed his eyes with suspicion, but something in her tone had finally caught his attention. She could see it. So she decided there was no point holding back. She told him everything she knew, or at least most of it. Even what Seren had shown her deep inside the Beacon, where an entire population of werrens lay in stasis. She spoke of how the Beacon worked, about the shorts and malfunctions that sometimes occurred. And how one of them had damaged Tonot, leading to the flaw that had changed his behavior.
Vin listened in silence. Only when she finished did he shake his head slowly.
“That sounds… completely insane. But it also kind of makes a twisted kind of sense.”
“Because it’s true. All of it. I swear.”
“Well, it would explain all the strange questions you’ve been asking me lately,” he muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he studied her. “But I still don’t get how you know any of this. This isn’t the kind of information you just find lying around the Beacon.”
His eyes narrowed again, his suspicion deepening.
Ela hesitated, then shook her head firmly. “I think I’ve shared enough secrets for one day. Maybe the time will come when I tell you the rest. But not now.”
He didn’t like her answer, that much was clear, but after a long pause he seemed to decide not to push it further.
“Alright. Let’s say I believe what you’ve told me…”
“I’m not lying to you.”
“I didn’t say you were. I said you’re telling me something you believe is true. But you and I both know we understand almost nothing about this. What we know barely scratches the surface, and I’m not convinced we fully understand what happens when we interfere with the process. Maybe the werrens have a reason for syncing the way they do. But you’re right. Now that your modifikant took the shell apart, this might be the only shot you have. You just need to figure out how to authorize the change.”
She frowned. “Authorize?”
“Yes,” Vin nodded. “Surely you didn’t think you could just make a change without it being confirmed by a werren. You’re not that naïve, are you?”
Heat rushed to Ela’s face as she scrambled to think. She hadn’t accounted for that. Then her hand instinctively reached into her pocket and she realized, she hadn’t included that in her plan, but someone else had. Tonot.
“What about this? Will it work?”
The Sleeper’s chip clinked against the surface of the table.
The young technician’s eyes widened, stunned, as he carefully picked up the tiny piece of werren tech and turned it over in his palm.
“How in twisted’s name did you get this?” he asked, clearly rattled by her readiness.
“It belonged to the Sleeper that’s now lying in the morgue.”
“You weren’t making any of this up…”
Ela nodded. “I told you. That Sleeper was taken down this morning by our modifikants on a field op.”
“What a coincidence,” he said, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
“No coincidence. Tonot sent them there on purpose. Two of them died. Zerik and… Miren.”
She faltered on Miren’s name. She couldn’t shake the memory of Reng’s accusation, screamed just moments before he lunged at Tonot. The mission had been a disaster despite all of Tonot’s preparation. He knew where he was sending them, but only prepared Reng. The others had faced something they weren’t ready for. That wasn’t strategy. That was cruelty. And it didn’t make Tonot seem superior to other werrens. If anything, it made him far worse. He had knowingly sent them to die.
“Miren? Your old roommate?” Vin hesitated, unsure of what to say.
Ela only nodded. There was nothing more to add. There would be time to grieve, but not now.
Vin’s tense expression slowly softened. His hands relaxed from the edge of the table and he muttered quietly, “I’m sorry.”
Then he looked over at Tonot’s broken shell. With a heavy sigh, he lifted the warped chestplate and set it aside. His expression was grim, but his hands were already working.
“This is going to cost us everything,” he murmured without looking up.
“If someone has to pay for it, it’ll be me,” she answered softly and wiped a tear from her cheek, one she hadn’t meant to let fall. “If they find out, I’ll tell them you acted under my orders.”
Vin looked up at her, his eyes flashing with sarcasm. “That’s noble of you, but you and I both know no one’s going to believe that.”
“I know,” she said with a shrug. “But they'll write me off before they risk someone who can still fix their messes.”
He hesitated, then sighed deeply and nodded. “Well, let’s hope you’re right about how these tin cans think.”
Ela exhaled, relief softening the tension in her chest. “So you’ll do it?”
Vin ducked under the workbench and pulled out another bottle of anak. He took a swig without hesitation, which made Ela smile despite herself. It seemed Vin’s workshop was half repair bay, half liquor stash. She handed him back the first bottle and then leaned in to give him a quick hug.
He stiffened awkwardly, clearly unaccustomed to sudden sentiment or human warmth. But when she pulled away, he managed a small, uncertain smile.
As she stepped out of the workshop, she felt the small surge of a quiet victory.
“That was quite the performance,” came Seren’s voice with a sly smile that instantly cooled Ela’s rush of relief. “The grief, the tears… if I were him, I would’ve believed you too.”
“You’re cruel.”
“I know,” Seren said, still smiling. Then she vanished, leaving Ela alone to face her conscience.
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