The Torre de Luz towered over São Paulo like a black finger to the sky. 46 floors of glass and steel reflected the city's light, but beneath their feet it was dark – too dark.
“WE HAVE ARRIVED," said Don Pedro, jumping off the ship. His sombrero fell off, but he caught it with his paw. “Clean landing."
“YOU ARE AN ANIMAL!" shouted Lucas. “YOU CAN'T LAND! YOU CAN ONLY FALL!"
“IT'S THE SAME," said Don Pedro.
“NO!"
“YES," said Don Pedro. “EFFICIENT."
“I—" Lucas paused. He took a deep breath. “Fine. Let's go inside."
“First, we need to reach the underground garage," said Tito from his position on the dashboard. “That's where the shaft begins."
“AND HOW DO WE GET INTO THE UNDERGROUND GARAGE?" asked Isabella.
“THE DOOR IS AUTOMATIC," said Tito. “I WILL OPEN IT."
“YOU WILL OPEN IT?!" shouted Lucas.
“OPEN," corrected Tito. “GRAMMAR IS IMPORTANT."
“GRAMMAR IS NOT IMPORTANT! SAFETY IS IMPORTANT!"
“BOTH ARE IMPORTANT," said Tito. “SWITCHING TECHNIQUE."
“PLEASE STOP!"
Tito tapped on his tablet. A moment later, all phones beeped simultaneously.
“ACCESS GRANTED," said Princess on Isabella's tablet. “THE DOOR WILL NOW OPEN. WE SENT AN INVITATION."
“AN INVITATION?!" shouted Lucas. “WE BREAK IN AND CALL IT AN INVITATION?"
“IT'S SOCIAL HACKING," said Princess proudly. “VERY ELEGANT."
“THAT'S WARRIOR-LIKE!"
“THAT'S ELEGANT," repeated Princess.
The underground garage door slid open silently. Behind it were several parking spaces, some cars, and a ramp leading down.
“WE ARE IN," said Don Pedro, sniffing. “IT SMELLS LIKE... GREASE AND FEAR."
“FEAR?" asked Isabella.
“YES," said Don Pedro. “ANIMALS HAVE CRIED HERE."
Chico flew ahead and landed on a concrete slab. “I SEE SOMETHING. A SHAFT."
He pointed to a metal hatch in the corner of the garage. It was inconspicuous, gray, and had no label – except for a small symbol: a tear.
“THIS IS IT," said Don Pedro. “LEVEL 47."
“THE HATCH HAS NO LABEL!" said Lucas, stepping closer.
“THAT MAKES IT SECRET," said Tito. “NO LABEL = HIDDEN."
“THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"
“YES IT DOES," said Tito. “IF SOMETHING IS NOT LABELED, PEOPLE THINK IT'S NOT THERE."
“BECAUSE THEY ARE LAZY," said Chico.
“SWITCHING TECHNIQUE!"
“I HATE YOU ALL!"
The phone vibrated. “I CAN TAKE OVER THE LOCK MECHANISM."
“THEN DO IT!" said Lucas.
“WAIT," said Don Pedro. “ASK FIRST."
“ASK WHO?!"
“THE HATCH," said Don Pedro seriously.
“THE HATCH CAN'T SPEAK!"
“EVERYTHING CAN SPEAK," said Don Pedro. “IF YOU LISTEN."
Lucas stared at the jaguar. “You want to ask a door if we can come in?"
“YES," said Don Pedro.
“THAT IS..."
“EFFICIENT," said the phone.
“NO!"
“YES," said Don Pedro. “IF YOU ASK, IT OPENS BETTER."
“HOW?"
“BECAUSE IT'S RESPECT," said Don Pedro.
Lucas sighed. He turned to the hatch. “Um... hello. We need to come in. Please?"
Silence.
Then the hatch opened. Slowly. With a creaking sound like an old tree in the wind.
“THAT WAS..." began Lucas.
“RESPECT," said Don Pedro.
“THAT WAS COINCIDENCE!"
“IT'S THE SAME," said Don Pedro. “COINCIDENCE IS RESPECT WITHOUT AGREEMENT."
“I"— Lucas closed his eyes. “Fine. Let's continue."
The shaft led steeply down. A metal ladder leaned against the wall, and the air grew damper and colder the deeper they went.
“WE ARE SUBSCRIBED," said Chico, landing on Lucas's shoulder.
“BUT NOT MUCH," said Tito from below. “30 STEPS LEFT."
“30 STEPS IS NOT MUCH?"
“NOT FOR ME," said Tito. “I AM SMALL."
“YOU ARE A MONKEY!"
“SMALL MONKEY," said Tito proudly.
After 45 minutes they were down. Ahead stretched a long corridor, lit with faint blue light. Pictures hung on the walls – but not normal pictures.
“WHAT ARE THESE?" asked Isabella, stepping closer.
“THEY ARE PHOTOS OF ANIMALS," said Don Pedro, reading the small signs below. “CAPYBARA. TOUCAN. SLOTH. ALL THE MISSING ONES."
“AND WHY ARE THEY HANGING HERE?"
“BECAUSE THEY SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN," said Don Pedro. “OR... BECAUSE THEY BELONG TO THE EXHIBITION."
“TO THE EXHIBITION?!"
“YES," said Don Pedro. “AS AN EXAMPLE."
“AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT?"
“THAT WE ARE CONTROLLABLE," said Don Pedro quietly.
Isabella placed her hand against a picture of a capybara. Its eyes looked straight back at her. And it was as if it...
“He is crying," she whispered. “He is crying."
“THE PICTURE IS CRYING?" asked Lucas skeptically.
“NO," said Don Pedro. “THE CAPYBARA IN THE PICTURE. HE IS CRYING. BUT NOT FOR ME."
“HOW CAN YOU SEE THAT?"
“TEARS IN A PICTURE?" asked Isabella. “THAT IS—" She paused. “They are real tears. From the real capybara."
“THE MACHINE COLLECTS THEM," said Don Pedro. “EVERY PICTURE IS A STORAGE STATION."
“THAT IS—""
“HORRIBLE," said Princess from the tablet. “LIKE BAD LIGHTING ON A BEAUTIFUL FACE."
“THAT IS THE SAME!"
“NO," said Princess. “THAT IS MORE PRACTICAL."
“I"— Lucas closed his eyes. He counted to ten. Then he said: “We find the capybara now. Immediately."
“YES," said Don Pedro. “BUT BE CAREFUL."
“WHY BE CAREFUL?"
“BECAUSE I HEAR SOMETHING," said Don Pedro, pricking up his ears. “STEPS."
Everyone went silent. Indeed, a faint clicking was heard from the corridor. Metal on concrete. Regular. Approaching.
“WHO IS THAT?" whispered Tito.
“I DON'T KNOW," said Don Pedro. “BUT IT'S NOT ONE OF US."
“WE MUST HIDE!" said Isabella.
“WHERE?" asked Chico. “THIS CORRIDOR IS OPEN."
“BEHIND THERE," said Tito, pointing to a small niche in the wall. It was half hidden by a curtain of metal mesh.
“THERE!" said Isabella.
They slipped into the niche just as the steps came closer.
Two figures emerged from the haze. They were tall, wearing white suits and had face masks that showed no features. Only smooth surfaces.
“SECURITY CHECK," said a cold voice. “ALL SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL."
“TEAR COLLECTION," said the other voice. “PERCENTAGE: 87.3 PERCENT."
“CONTINUE?" asked the first.
“YES," said the second. “PHASE THREE BEGINS AT 90 PERCENT."
“UNDERSTOOD."
The two figures walked on, past the niche, without noticing the group.
As soon as they were gone, they came out.
“87.3 PERCENT?" whispered Isabella. “WHAT KIND OF PERCENTAGE IS THAT?"
“TEARS," said Don Pedro. “THEY ARE ALMOST FULL."
“90 PERCENT..." said Chico. “THEN PHASE THREE BEGINS."
“OUR MESSAGE FROM DR. CAMILA SAID PHASE THREE WOULD BEGIN WHEN WE ARRIVED," said Don Pedro. “THE TWO FIGURES CONFIRMED IT."
“THEN WE ARE ON TIME?" asked Lucas.
“JUST RIGHT," said Don Pedro. “IF WE WERE SLOW, WE WOULD BE TOO LATE."
“THEN THE ANIMALS WOULD BE LOST?"
“LOST," said Don Pedro. “OR WORSE."
“WORSE THAN LOST?"
“CONTROLLED," said Don Pedro quietly. “WITHOUT FREEDOM."
Silence. Then Lucas said:
“Where is the capybara?"
Don Pedro looked down the alley. At the end was a large door with a red marking: “Level 47 – Access for Authorized Personnel Only"
“THERE," said Don Pedro. “BUT THE DOOR IS PROTECTED."
“PROTECTED HOW?"
“BIOMETRIC," said Tito, tapping on his tablet. “IT REQUIRES AN IMPRESSION FROM AN AUTHORIZED DOOR."
“AN IMPRESSION FROM A BIOLOGICAL ANIMAL?"
“YES," said Tito. “THE MACHINE WANTS TO KNOW THAT WE ARE TECH-ANIMALS."
“THAT'S GOOD!"
“NO," said Tito. “IT'S SAFE.” He paused. “WE NEED TO DO A BIOMETRIC SCAN."
“WHO?"
“ME," said Chico. “I AM A BIRD. MY CHIP IS CLEAR."
“Will it work?" asked Don Pedro.
“I DON'T KNOW," said Chico. “BUT WE'LL TRY."
Chico fluttered to the door. He placed his beak on the sensor. A moment of silence. Then...
“CHIP RECOGNIZED," said an electronic voice. “MEMBER OF PATAWEB. ACCESS GRANTED."
The door opened with a soft hiss.
Behind it lay a large room. In the middle stood machinery – huge pipes hanging from the ceiling, and under each pipe sat an animal. The capybara, the toucan, the sloth, the opossum.
And they were silent. Too silent.
“THEY WERE...", began Isabella, pointing at the animals.
“THEY WERE TREATED," said Don Pedro quietly. “THEIR TEARS ARE BEING COLLECTED."
“HOW?" asked Lucas.
“MACHINES," said Don Pedro. “THAT DERIVE THEIR EMOTIONS."
At that moment the capybara opened its eyes. They were cloudy. Not blind. But...
“Do you see?" said Don Pedro. “HE DOES NOT CRY ANYMORE."
The capybara slowly turned its head to them. Its lips moved. A flat, mechanical voice came out:
“Help. I cannot... cry."
“WE ARE HERE," said Don Pedro. “WE WILL SAVE YOU."
“SAVE?" said the capybara mechanically. “THERE IS NO SALVATION."
“THERE IS ALWAYS SALVATION," said Don Pedro.
“NO," said the capybara. “IF YOU CANNOT CRY... THEN THERE IS NO FREEDOM."
“THEN WE WILL GIVE YOU YOUR TEARS BACK," said Don Pedro.
“YOU CANNOT," said the capybara. “THE MACHINE IS TOO STRONG."
“WE WILL TRY," said Don Pedro.
He stepped forward. And then something incredible happened.
Everything on the machines grew brighter. The humming grew louder. And then... a light. A bright, white light from the center of the room.
“I AM IN," said a voice. Not mechanical. Human.
A man stepped out of the light. He wore a white suit, but no face mask. Instead, he had a simple smile.
“Welcome," he said. “I have been waiting for you."
“WHO ARE YOU?" asked Don Pedro.
“My name is irrelevant," said the man. “What matters is what I do."
“AND WHAT DO YOU DO?"
“I collect emotions," said the man simply. “From animals. From humans. From everything."
“AND WHY?"
“BECAUSE THE WORLD IS TOO LOUD," said the man. “AND I MAKE IT QUIET."
“THAT IS NOT GOOD!"
“YES IT IS," said the man. “QUIET IS PEACE."
“QUIET IS NOT PEACE!" said Don Pedro. “QUIET IS CONTROL."
“SAME," said the man. “JUST DIFFERENT WORDS."
“SWITCHING TECHNIQUE!"
“PLEASE NOT AGAIN!"
The man laughed. “I see you have many friends."
“WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!" said Lucas. “WE ARE ENEMIES!"
“ENEMIES ARE FRIENDS WITH DIFFERENT OPINIONS," said the man. “WE CAN BE FRIENDS."
“NO!"
“THEN YOU ARE ENEMIES," said the man. “NAIVE."
He raised his hand. And at that moment all the machines turned on. The four animals began to scream. Not loudly. But at a frequency everyone could feel.
“STOP!" shouted Don Pedro.
“NO," said the man. “IT IS TOO LATE."
“THEN WE WILL FIGHT," said Don Pedro.
“FIGHT?" said the man. “WITH WHAT? A JAGUAR? A BABOON? A FROG? A HUMAN?"
“WITH US," said Don Pedro. “AND WITH THE TRUTH."
“TRUTH?" said the man, laughing. “TRUTH IS JUST A VIEWPOINT."
“NO," said Don Pedro. “TRUTH IS WHAT REMAINS WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS GONE."
The man became serious. “Then let's see if your truth is strong enough."
He buttoned up. The machines grew even louder. And then, out of nowhere, a hum. A deep, vibrating hum that went through the whole room.
And then...
Everything became silent.
The machines turned off. The animals stopped screaming. The man stared at his hand.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?" he asked.
“ME?" said Don Pedro. “I DID NOTHING."
“THEN HOW?"
“SWITCHING TECHNIQUE," said a new voice.
Everyone turned around. At the entrance of the room stood... Dr. Camila.
“CAMILA!" shouted Lucas.
“HELLO," said Dr. Camila. “SORRY FOR THE DELAY."
“HOW DID YOU GET HERE?" asked Don Pedro.
“I ALSO PRESSED A BUTTON," said Dr. Camila. “AND TURNED ON ANOTHER MACHINE."
“THAT MAKES NO SENSE!" said the man.
“YES IT DOES," said Dr. Camila. “THERE IS A SWITCH FOR EVERYTHING."
“AND WHO MAKES THE SWITCH?"
“THE ANIMALS," said Dr. Camila. “THEY SAVED THEMSELVES."
“THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!"
“NO," said Dr. Camila. “IT IS HUMAN."
“HUMAN?"
“YES," said Dr. Camila. “THE ANIMALS SENT A MESSAGE TO THE MACHINE. A BUG. A VIRUS."
“A VIRUS?" said the man angrily. “YOU SENT A VIRUS?!"
“NO," said Dr. Camila. “THE ANIMALS DID IT. I ONLY MADE THE CONNECTION."
“THE ANIMALS?"
“YES," said Dr. Camila. “THE PATAWEB."
The man laughed. “258 ANIMALS? AGAINST ME? THAT IS—" He paused. “NO. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE."
“IT IS TRUE," said Don Pedro. “SWITCHING TECHNIQUE."
“I"— The man hit a wall. “I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"
“THEN DON'T BELIEVE IT," said Dr. Camila. “THAT CHANGES NOTHING."
“WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?"
“DECIDE," said Dr. Camila. “THAT IS YOUR CHOICE."
“WHAT CHOICE?"
“EITHER YOU DELETE EVERYTHING AND FREE THE ANIMALS," said Dr. Camila. “OR THE MACHINE DESTROYS ITSELF."
“THEN THERE IS NO WINNER!"
“THAT'S RIGHT," said Dr. Camila. “AND THAT'S GOOD."
The man stood still. For a long time. Then he said:
“I have... never cried."
“THAT IS..." began Isabella.
“HORRIBLE," said Princess. “LIKE A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS."
“NO," said Don Pedro. “IT IS SAD."
“THAT IS THE SAME!"
“NO," said Don Pedro. “HORRIBLE IS COLD. SAD IS WARM."
“THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"
“YES IT DOES," said Don Pedro. “SWITCHING TECHNIQUE."
The man closed his eyes. Then he said:
“I give up."
“WHAT?" asked Dr. Camila.
“I GIVE UP," said the man. “I GIVE UP EVERYTHING."
“AND THE ANIMALS?"
“FREE," said the man. “ALL OF THEM."
He raised his hand. A button. A click.
And then... silence.
The machines turned off. All lights went out. And the animals...
The capybara opened its eyes. It looked up. Then it saw Lucas. And then... it began to cry.
First tears in months.
“HE IS CRYING!" shouted Lucas.
“YES," said Don Pedro. “FINALLY."
The man sat on the floor. He looked at his hands. Then he said softly:
“I... I want to cry too."
“CAN YOU?"
“I DON'T KNOW," said the man. “I HAVE TRIED FOR SO LONG."
“THEN TRY NOW," said Dr. Camila. “WITHOUT THE MACHINE."
The man closed his eyes. A moment. Then...
A tear. Then another.
“I AM CRYING," he said. “FINALLY."
“CRYING IS GOOD," said Don Pedro. “SWITCHING TECHNIQUE."
“I HATE—""
“I KNOW," said Don Pedro. “BUT NOW IT IS IMPORTANT."
The man wiped his tears away. Then he stood up. He looked at the animals. At the group. At everything.
“What happens now?" he asked.
“Now," said Dr. Camila, “you start over."
“START OVER?"
“WITHOUT THE MACHINE," said Dr. Camila. “WITHOUT CONTROL. WITH FREEDOM."
“THAT IS..."
“SCARY," said Princess.
“THAT IS FREEDOM," said Dr. Camila.
The man nodded slowly. Then he said:
“I will help. With the cleanup."
“GOOD," said Dr. Camila. “THEN WE ARE ALL ONE."
“ONE?" asked Lucas.
“TEAM," said Dr. Camila.
“TEAM?" said Don Pedro. “THAT IS EFFICIENT."
“NO!"
“YES," said Don Pedro. “SWITCHING TECHNIQUE."
“I HATE—" Lucas paused. He took a deep breath. Then he smiled. “Good."
“THAT IS BEAUTIFUL," said Dr. Camila.
“BEAUTIFUL?" asked Don Pedro. “THAT IS—" He paused. “THAT IS HUMAN."
“THAT IS—" The man paused. “THAT IS..."
“FREEDOM," said Isabella.
And everyone said it together:
“FREEDOM."
And at that moment, far away in a lab where no one was, the last screen went dark. And someone whispered:
“Phase Three is complete."
“What comes next?"
“Phase Four," said the voice. “But that... is another story."
The End of Level 47.