"The deposit deal's off..." I said, taking a drag from my cigarette."You'll get it back later anyway."
"Forget it," Muzaffer replied, turning slightly. "We'll make up the cost somehow... what's lost is the real issue."
The consulate was still under lockdown, and the investigation inside was ongoing. At least we had found a quiet corner to catch our breath after giving our statements.
"Didn't pay much anyway, so I'm not losing sleep over it. It was, what, forty bucks tops."
"You got it cheap..."
"Right. Bargained them down hard..." he continued. "The real estate scene here ain't that great anyway. Not just property, even the general economy's weak. Typical of an overgrown metropolis, what else did you expect?"
"I thought the Chinese trade routes flowed through here..." I asked, spinning my cigarette between my fingers.
"That's a load of crap. That story's been going around for twenty years, never amounted to anything. Even if it trickles into Palawan, it's all black market and weapons trade. Nothing legit ever reaches here. The big business runs on illegals over there. Legal stuff barely brings in anything here."
"Illegals?" I asked, taking another drag.
"Exactly. Everything shady happens there. Not here. And whatever they produce, they ship it off to South America or Africa. For obvious reasons."
"Frustrating..." I said, flicking the cigarette to the ground.
"You don't say," Muzaffer muttered, stroking his chin. "Place is like a damn black box. Everything's happening, but we don't know shit. Just the occasional rumor leaking out."
"How do they leak?"
"Some stuff slips from the corporations. That island's been under the grip of mega-corps for the last 25 years. They've grown so big they can't even control their own power anymore. So things get out... or so they say. Even the leak could be part of the cover."
"Totally unrelated but... do you think Remzi had anything to do with it?"
"No way, man. That guy had nothing to do with anything. He was just a castoff. Got sent away for something back in the day."
"You think it's that simple? I mean... guy got assassinated for no apparent reason—unless he took his own life. No debts, no signs of depression. The only thing that makes sense is someone inside couldn't stand him."
"You're making something out of nothing..." he said, clearly annoyed. "Neither the corps nor anyone inside would bother with Remzi. You're blowing him way out of proportion."
"I think you're downplaying it too much, Muzaffer..."
"Whatever's going on, it's an anomaly..." he said, rolling his eyes. "There's an explanation, sure... we just don't have enough info yet."
"Anomaly?"
"Yeah. Just something weird, that's all." He leaned against the outer wall of the consulate.
"If I were you, I wouldn't..."
"Alright, alright! We get it, you prickly fool," he cut me off. "I'm downplaying it, fine. But come on, we've got nothing to go on. No proof, no leads. That's all we've got right now..."
"Something's been off these past few days..." I said, leaning back as well. I turned my face to Muzaffer. "You remember the weekend? Or Monday morning?"
"What are you getting at?" he asked, confused.
"I can't be the only one who went through that. We were both there..."
"What are you talking about?" he said, like I'd gone insane. "Where were we two days ago?"
"What?" I whispered.
"What ? Have you lost your mind, Celal? Two days ago? We were at home, both of us. You even said, let's just stay in, remember?"
"I said that?" I could feel a warm drop of sweat run down my forehead.
"Yeah... and you kept bringing up that chubby cleaning lady. Said you were into her. Or we played cards, remember? You lost bad."
"Muzaffer..." I said, my voice rising. "That makes no sense... none at all..."
"And what you're saying does?" he shot back, part scolding, part warning.
"The ancient city..." I said in fragments. "We were there. With the towering columns, the shops, the amphitheater...!"
"What the hell are you on about? What ancient city?"
"The marble paths, the carved pillars..." I said, grabbing him by the collar. "Remember, screw it! You were gonna beat me up for trying to sneak in. Remember, man!"
"What..?"
"Remember!" I yelled, cutting him off. "We were in the amphitheater. There was a woman singing arias... and then... right in front of our eyes..."
"Celal..." he said, trying to pry my hands off him. "Calm down, man..."
"We saw it happen, Muzaffer! That woman... they killed her in front of us. Didn't we wake up here after that?! We did, right?! You have to remember! Don't tell me you've forgotten! It was right in front of us! How could you... wait... it's all... it's all connected to Remzi..."
"What the hell are you saying...?"
"Of course... I made it all up in my head..." I said, suddenly bolting off. I had no time to think. I didn't know why I was doing it. Somehow... somehow I thought seeing Remzi's dead body might make it all make sense. I passed everyone—security, the lockdown, the whole investigative unit—just rushed through them. Reached the top floor, the Chief Attaché's office.
The investigation team was there. So was the body. I saw it with my own eyes. But... it didn't look like him. No—it wasn't him. Definitely not. It was as if... no, no, it couldn't be, right? I didn't want to think I'd fully lost my mind. No... I refused to accept that.
For a moment, I felt like time had stopped. Not outside—but in my head, everything was moving at light speed. Flow itself had abandoned me. That's when I heard it... that voice again, as if in the middle of a calm ocean inside my mind.
"We meet again..." the voice said warmly. "How have you been?"
"You..." I muttered. "You..."
"Still wondering who I am, huh? Can't blame you. I'd ask the same thing in your place," said the tall man with long black hair, emerging from the darkness. His beard looked longer now.
"Who are you?" I kept asking. "And what am I... what am I doing here?"
"You'll probably be mad at me for this, but... you'll get to know me in time. For now, I'm here to help. Though calling it 'help' might be a stretch." His tone softened with apology. Then the ocean around me turned into an old, worn-down dorm room. Wooden furniture. A window facing the sunset.
"Please," he said, pulling out a chair. "Take a seat. Catch your breath."
I sat down. So did he, across from me, under the crimson rays of the sun. None of it made sense. It had all happened so fast.
"This might sound weird," he began, "but right now, we're inside your mind. More precisely, what you're seeing is a kind of synthetic memory. It has a purpose. One day, you'll understand."
"Why am I here now?"
"Like I said—to help. Or rather... to cooperate. That's what this is."
"Cooperate?"
"Exactly," he nodded gently. "To repel something far worse that's yet to come."