The Formation of MAVE:

Episode 11. Another Encounter

The girl who had locked eyes with Marty slowly blinked her eyes and then turned around, starting to walk away at a leisurely pace. Her steps were much lighter and fresher than the ordinary people of IDYPIA.

She's inviting me to follow.

Marty was confident in her intuition. The girl's movements lacked the emptiness of an IDYPIA citizen, something that neither Tyra nor she could imitate. Above all, if it was her, she might know the answer to what Marty was feeling right now, something she couldn't explain well with the words she had.

With that thought in mind, Marty began to follow the girl slowly, trying not to attract the attention of drones or security agents.

Let's see what this is all about.

Marty's footsteps were unusually light and spirited.

Let's go all the way.

***

Passing through the barren city with towering buildings and following the swaying path through the barley fields, Marty began to see the walls surrounding IDYPIA.

Hmm? Isn't that supposed to be a restricted area?

However, the girl didn't stop. She paused at a certain spot, smiled mischievously, and then vanished into thin air.

Wait, what? What happened? How did she disappear?

Startled by the girl's disappearance, Marty hurriedly ran to the spot where the girl had been standing.

"Over here."

"You surprised me."

The girl appeared like a hologram to the left of Marty.

"To be that surprised you must be one of us after all."

"Well, you did suddenly appear out of nowhere. Huh? But who are 'us'?"

"Try holding my hand. Then you'll understand."

The girl extended her hand to Marty. It was a slender and elegant hand. Marty took the girl's hand without hesitation.

"Whoaaaaa!"

The long corridor with extended vacuum tubes sucked the girl and Marty in as if they were passing through the tunnel of a high-speed train. The place they arrived at was an old and rusty building that looked like it could be demolished at any moment.

"Where is this?"

"This is one of the buildings of the 'Intelligence Research Institute,' an ancient building built during the early days of IDYPIA's establishment, which is now closed. It's located outside the IDYPIA barrier and has been closed for a long time. Even the surveillance sensors of the AG Security Center have been removed from here, so it can't be traced by the brain chip's location tracking device."

"Such a place exists?"

At the girl's words, Marty looked around. The building had traces of explosions here and there, making it quite old in appearance, but the sunlight penetrated deep inside, giving it a cozy atmosphere. Near the areas with traces of explosions, there were aquariums where various creatures were studied, and in the garden, moss and various plants created a small ecosystem, living in their own balance.

"Wow, this is impressive."

The girl approached Marty, who was marveling at the various aspects of the place.

"How is it?"

"Um? What do you mean?"

"This place."