Fleeting flashes. Disconnected images. First she was in front of Carlos, staring at him while he focused the camera on her, then everything was chaos and he was no longer there. The sky burning. People screaming. The river dyed the crimson red of blood furrowed by dozens of corpses. Then she was with the legionnaires close at hand offering her the security she needed, but instantly they were gone too. All dead. Killed by those nightmare demons that destroyed everything, filling it with darkness…

Another flash and a light, a blue glow that filled her with warmth, as if finely tearing the veil of shadows that dominated her. There it was, she saw it again, the imposing figure of that machine, that figure, that thing that had appeared out of nowhere saving her life at the last moment. That kind of armor whose face she kept observing and that had somehow pierced not only his gaze, but also her soul.

WAKE UP

A female voice invaded the scene, it seemed distant but at the same time very close.

MARIA, WAKE UP

That name, it seemed strangely familiar to her. It evoked the feeling of a person who had been her, but who was no longer one. From someone belonging to another time, another place. But then, who was she now? She couldn’t stop wondering. All of her space was filled with a voracious appetite full of questions, curiosity, the need to know. A spark lit in her heart and finally she thought she found the answer…

Maria opened her eyes slowly. A sea of lights suddenly dazzled her while on the other hand the shadows continued to hold her. Something wasn’t right.

‘Calm down dear, don’t strain your eye. You don’t know what it cost me to find you,’ she heard the familiar voice again.

The nervousness began to increase. There was something horribly wrong with her, something wasn’t working as it should. Then she became aware of the gauze and bandage covering part of her head and her left eye. Or rather, from the place where she should have her eye. Now she only noticed emptiness and darkness there. And that was how she finally remembered, she remembered everything that had happened and the serious injuries she had received. She burst into tears uncontrollably.

‘Everything is fine Maria, don’t worry. You’re safe, you’re out of danger,’ she heard the same voice at the same time she noticed someone holding her left hand.

Maria tried to regain her composure and focus. Step by step she was getting used to that amalgam of lights and shadows. She began to make out a white ceiling and walls. To the right of her was a window with a curtain, she couldn’t see what was outside, but it was bright. It must have been daytime. She slowly turned her head to the left and finally knew who was with her, it was Ana Fernández, her Head of Production at the television news channel.

‘Ana, is that you?’ She managed to ask weakly.

‘Yes, my dear. You don’t know how worried you had me, that you had us all. You can’t imagine what it took us to find you.’
‘What happened?’
‘You do not remeber anything?’
‘I remember seeing the soldiers die, then that thing pointing at me and thinking I was going to die. Then an explosion and that metallic face…’ She half stammered, wandering among the confused memories of it.
‘You fell unconscious in front of your cell phone camera. We thought you had died. Everyone thought so actually. You don’t know how famous you have become, girl. We had lost hope of finding you until two days ago we located you in one of the field hospitals. You were unconscious and in very bad condition,’ Ana Fernández confessed, unable to suppress a grimace when she noticed María’s reddened bandage.
‘But where am I now?’
‘In a private hospital, we took you out of there and brought you here. You underwent emergency surgery and until now you have been unconscious. Don’t worry, the doctors have said that you are out of danger and that you will recover soon.’
‘And my…?’ Maria began to ask.
‘I’m afraid they couldn’t do anything, but don’t despair, we’ll find a way to solve it. You will return to being who you were,’ said Ana Fernández, trying to comfort her.
‘And what about Carlos?’
‘We still haven’t managed to find his body.’
‘Have there been many victims?’
‘Unfortunately yes, there is still no final official figure, but estimates speak of thousands of dead, as well as tens of thousands of injured. It has been a tragedy without comparison in our history Maria. But you should know that you became the main protagonist, your live chronicle was followed by all the television channels and the Internet in the world. In fact, you have been on the cover of all the digital editions as soon as we announced that you were still alive.’
‘Really?’ María couldn’t believe it.
‘Even the president of the corporation has called me about you, we have big plans for you María. As soon as you are recovered, we want you to have a permanent position as a reporter and improve your contract. Think about it, it is the opportunity you have always wanted.’ Ana Fernández assured with a satisfied smile on her face.

Maria felt like her head was going to explode. Too much information at once. With everything she had been through she was unable to digest everything, much less make decisions about her professional future.

‘Ana, I thank you very much, but I don’t feel well. I need time to think.’
‘Sure honey, don’t worry. Take your time to recover, we will wait for you and we will prepare your return. This room is entirely for you, believe me when I tell you that nowadays this is a luxury, but we have gone all out. I have left a new phone on the table for you and I have memorized my number so you can call me for whatever you need.’
‘Thank you, I will, although the first thing I want to do is see my parents. Have you been able to talk to them?’
‘Yes, you don’t know how worried they were. They have been taking care of you these two days, I took turns while they went home to rest. Call them, they will go crazy to talk to you.’
‘I will do it, see you later Ana.’
‘Take care Maria, we have some incredible months ahead of us.’

She watched her leave her room without being able to help but feel a sensation of frivolity that completely repulsed her. She picked up the phone and dialed her parents’ number…

THREE DAYS LATER

She hated being stuck in the hospital, but the doctors had told her that she should continue to be observed until the wound in her eye closed completely. Many people had tried to contact her, journalists from all over the world, but Ana Fernández and the people at the channel had prohibited any access from her. They had even hired private security so that no one would get close to her. She increasingly felt more like a prisoner than a victim of a tragedy.

She had convinced security and the nurse to let her go for a walk in the small indoor park in the hospital complex. This was located in the Aljarafe of Seville and the truth is that it featured good facilities.

She was sitting on a bench trying to clear her mind when she felt someone sit down to the left of her.

‘Good morning, Miss Luces,’ she heard a voice with a strong British accent.

She turned to see him better with her right eye. He was a dark-skinned man, with dark hair sprinkled with gray. Although his forehead was furrowed by several wrinkles, he had a very fine complexion for his age; he must have been around sixty years old. His gaze was very alert and he had something that hypnotized her from the first moment. She Maria she couldn’t stop looking at him without saying a word.

‘Are you okay, Miss Luces? I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a few days.’
‘Who are you? No one is supposed to talk to me.’
‘Excuse my manners, sometimes one forgets the most essential thing. My name is Albert, Albert Dougherty.’
‘What do you want from me?’
‘Simple, talk about your future, our future together.’
‘I do not understand what you’re referring to?’
‘I have been informed that your channel has offered you a permanent position as a reporter. I imagine that by now you have already imagined that you have become a celebrity, right?’
‘They told me something, but how do you know about my offer?’
‘Miss Luces, a person in my position must always be informed of everything relevant. What you may not be aware of is that more than a celebrity, you have become an icon. In an image with incredible strenght in society. And someone with your potential, with your strength, deserves much more than being a simple reporter.’

Maria looked Albert Dougherty up and down again, studying him carefully. She had realized that she had entered into a game that she had not been prepared for but she was very curious about him and what he was telling her.

‘Go ahead, keep going, what do you want from me?’
‘Very simple, continue being yourself, the one who rose from the ashes of the battle of Seville, and that you can do so having all the tools and resources you need. Let’s say that I represent a very important communication group and we want to make you our champion, our flag with which to inform everyone. I’m not talking to you about being a reporter, I’m opening the doors to much more. To have your own news show and team with complete freedom to carry out your work.’
‘I don’t know what to say…’
‘Just accept. Unlike others, my goal is to be able to ensure the best information, not just economic benefit. And unlike others, I am not going to spare any expenses. That is why if you accept, I have a helicopter right here waiting to take you to a private plane and fly you to the United States to our private hospital. There I assure you that they will treat your wounds and make you feel what you were before, including being able to recover the vision in your lost eye.’
‘My eye? How?’
‘I am not an expert on the subject, but there are new techniques to achieve this. If not complete, at least some vision could be restored. Accept and tonight you can fly towards your new future.’
‘I have to think about it.’ María answered, overwhelmed.
‘Have this card, call me but don’t think too much. If you demonstrated anything during the disaster in Seville, it is that you are a woman of action. I know you will accept the challenge. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must let you know that I don’t want anyone to have any knowledge of our meeting. Don’t forget, real opportunities must be caught on the fly. Take care.’
‘Thank you Mr. Dougherty. I need to meditate on it.’

Just as he had appeared, Dougherty disappeared, leaving Maria alone and with her mind racing. Immediately one of the channel’s security men appeared to ask her to return to her room. After returning there, she stood with hier arms crossed and endless mixed feelings running through her entire mind.

On the one hand she felt indignant to see that everyone wanted to get something from her, to take advantage of her. But on the other hand, she had to admit that her chest had swelled when she heard Dogherty’s offer. In her veins ran, more than ever, that appetite to be a reference in information. She was aware that what happened in Seville was much more complex and profound than what they had been told. The world was going to need, more than ever, a person like her, capable of going further and sharing the truth with everyone. And for this she was going to need means, influence and a lot of freedom.

María Luces must make a decision about her future, which is not easy

She lay on the bed as her decision began to take shape. A decision that would change everything, but that would honor all those who lost their lives. She closed her right eye and began to glimpse her destiny…