Archive of Our Own

Ruan Mei had been hesitant to read the letter on her desk for days.

For one, a letter from the Genius Society to someone like Ruan Mei could only mean one thing— An invitation. To Ruan Mei, the letter on her desk mattered little, but the implications were far too alluring. The resources and support of the Genius Society, the connections with other Geniuses, and not to mention the increase in budget… Of course, it did come with its caveats. Ruan Mei had little interest in giving her identity out to the world; it carried no importance to her to be known while she was alive. Being known makes you dangerous. Being known makes you a target.

Ruan Mei took the letter in her hand, opening it as she read the contents, “ To whom it may concern, Ruan Mei of Planet ██████’s presence has been requested at Herta Space Station. Please write back if you require a spacecraft to transport you to the space station.”

How cryptic. A letter with no identifying remarks aside from the sender’s address in the Herta Space Station, Ruan Mei’s address, and a small stamp on the top right with a caricature of some… young woman. Ruan Mei put down the letter, packing up her little belongings as she left for her planet’s spaceship. The feeble instruments of her planet were too limiting for her true goal of becoming an Aeon. There was no telling what the Genius Society would have in store, but Ruan Mei couldn’t help but think about what could be.

The trip to the station was short. It was only Ruan Mei’s 3rd time travelling through space, never really finding a reason to, especially after her parents’ death. Ruan Mei sat in her cabin, by herself, as she looked out at the stars and the ever-so-close space station she was invited to just days before.

“We have been expecting you,” A small puppet-like machine greeted her the moment she left the train. It looked almost as if it was the same design as the stamp on the invitation letter. Maybe this was a mascot? “Please follow us, Madam Ruan Mei.”

Her surroundings were sterile. A blinding white on the walls with papers scattered around almost manically as she walked through the halls, following the small puppet through the twists and turns of the space station she had been invited to. The lobby Ruan Mei had stumbled into was massive, dozens of researchers spread around talking to one another almost like they were on break. Ruan Mei had taken her ID from the desk before returning back to the puppet, eventually leading her to her premises.

“Madam Ruan Mei,” The small puppet said, looking up at her as she opened the door to the room she was given, “As you might assume, you have been requested to be #81 of the Genius Society. This is your housing. Once you leave your belongings, please follow me to your laboratory.”

“Is there no option for me to decline the invitation?” Ruan Mei asked, already walking into her room. It was small, almost humble. Befitting for a genius, considering the amount of time they spend working.

“That would not be wise. Are you done unpacking your things?”

“Yes, I am.”

The puppet nodded before going along her way. It–or, she, showed Ruan Mei over to her laboratory. It was clear that the Genius Society did their research. Ruan Mei’s laboratory was already filled with biological instruments, Curio’s and all. There were even life forms already put inside of petri dishes, from pieces of bacteria, to miscellaneous creatures that even Ruan Mei wasn’t familiar with.

“Your tour has concluded. If you are in need of sustenance, the cafeteria is opposite of the lobby. Please consult any Herta puppets along the station if you are in need of assistance.”

Herta puppets, huh? I suppose that is what they are named.

…

Ruan Mei found her footing quite fast along the station. Her arrival was completely unexpected by the other researchers around the office; some gawking at the sight of a newly inducted Genius, others indifferent due to her inexperience. None of that mattered to the woman, most of her time spent either in her laboratory or waiting for the 15th bottle of pure caffeine to fall out of the vending machine.

Until the dreaded day came when she desperately needed sustenance. It had been days since she had last eaten, instead preferring to be engrossed in her work than to concern herself with the mortal chains of hunger. Why waste hours of your time in a day when those same hours could lead to a breakthrough in your research? Why concern yourself with the limitations of human life when you are striving to rise above those barriers into Aeonhood?

Regardless of how much Ruan Mei avoided the topic, she truly did need something in her stomach. If not for the pain, the annoying grumbling in her stomach would be enough for her to eat anything. Most researchers are delighted once it's their break, but for Ruan Mei? It was the first break she had taken in days.

Ruan Mei stared down at her phone the whole time while walking to the cafeteria. People didn’t dare venture through the Geniuses’ part of the ship, so there was no possible way for her to bump into anyone at this moment—

“Excuse me!” A voice across her yelled out, almost impudent as Ruan Mei stumbled on her feet. Her eyes instantly averted from her phone to what was in front of her—a person. About her height, fallen over on the floor, and holding her hand to her head as she sat there.

“A puppet?” One of the puppets around the station? No, she looks far too tall to be one. But she looks quite similar to one? Maybe this was a new prototype? The expression on Ruan Mei’s face was as unreadable as it was blank.

The scoff that the woman had let out upon hearing Ruan Mei’s words was loud. The gall of this girl…! “No! No no no! Not a puppet!” The woman with the ash-brown hair quickly rebutted, shaking her head as she stood up. “Do you know who I am…?!”

“No.”

Well that stumped her. “I–... You don’t?” Ruan Mei nodded almost instantly, her mind not even concerned on what the implications were with the events that had occurred just now.

“ I,” The mysterious woman that Ruan Mei didn’t recognize said with far too much arrogance, “Am Herta. The Herta. Not a puppet, the inimitable and original Herta herself!” Herta said with a grin as she looked up at the sky with her eyes closed. Her hands laid on her hips, the egotistical words spewing through her mouth with more confidence than even some research papers made by fellow Geniuses.

“Are you sure you’re not a puppet, Miss Herta?” Ruan Mei said with skepticism in her gaze. There was no possible way that the elusive, ever-so-fabled Herta was this arrogant young lady that looked a little too similar to the tiny mascots around the station. For one, it did make sense for the face of the station to be the owner herself, but to make its caricature a small, feeble version of said owner that looked far too childish for its own good surely wasn’t good for her reputation, isn’t it?

“Very sure, Miss… Ruan Mei.” Herta’s gaze left her face and moved down to the ID she wore around her neck, right before noticing the Genius Society insignia on the bottom right corner. “Genius… So you’re #81?”

“I would have expected you to know about your colleagues.” Ruan Mei said, walking past Herta, much to Herta’s dismay. “I will be taking my leave now.”

Ruan Mei’s presence in Herta’s life was short. Matter of fact, her interactions with her fanbase around the station amounted to much more than that short, embarrassing conversation with her fellow Genius, but Herta knew one thing.

She wanted more.

“Wait!” Herta had yelled out far more desperately than she would’ve liked, turning around to face Ruan Mei. “Ahem! As your senior, we should be familiar with one another. Accompany me for lunch.”

“What?” The offer laid in the air for a painful amount of time. Seconds in the real world, but hours for Herta’s mind. Was she too desperate? She was simply requesting her presence to keep up appearances as two Geniuses, nothing more than that! Nothing… more.

“Well?” Herta’s face waited in anticipation, her expression as arrogant as always, but even Ruan Mei could tell the tiny changes in her demeanor was because she was nervous. The tapping of her finger on her side, the slight upcurve of her eyebrows, or the slight pinkish hue on her cheeks… It looked like she was almost worried about her answer. Ruan Mei couldn’t help but let the two ends of her mouth curve, her eyes looking up at Herta before she made her response.

“Very well.” Ruan Mei’s tight hold on the books she carried loosened, turning back around as she continued walking to the cafeteria. Herta quickly followed—a slight sigh of relief coming out of her mouth. The woman was pathetic; almost desperately chasing Ruan Mei through the halls as they made their way to the cafeteria. Just why exactly did this woman pique her interest so much?

“I don’t particularly see you at the cafeteria often, Ruan Mei.” Herta said, her hand scarily close to the other woman as they walked through the canteen. Ruan Mei’s eyes bounced through the unfamiliar room, first at the food stalls, then at the seating, and then at the dozens of scientists gawking once again at the sight of Herta outside of her office—not to mention the fact that Ruan Mei was right beside her. Two geniuses, walking side by side through the bustling station. A once in a lifetime event.

Ruan Mei never replied to Herta’s statement. A hit to Herta’s ego, for sure, but she was far too arrogant to stop her advances here. The two found their seats at the back of the canteen, the noise from the hundreds of scientists dying down. Awkward silence filled the air. To Herta, it was unbearable. To Ruan Mei? It was almost calming.

“...would you like me to get your food for you?” Herta asked, another one of the many examples of what Herta would do for the woman who made her knees weak—not like she would ever admit that, of course. A small nod and a smile later, Herta had arrived with both trays of food. A humbling experience, for sure, having to walk through the massive cafeteria holding up two trays of food while trying not to look back at the restless scientists wondering what was up with Herta, but Ruan Mei was worth it for her. As a friend, of course.

“It would have been simpler for me to accompany you to get our food.” Ruan Mei looked back at Herta, fiddling with the tiny badge that Asta from the other table had given her. A peace offering, for Ruan Mei, but a declaration of war for the woman across from her.

Herta’s eyes left the tray of food and staring over at the badge that Ruan Mei had been playing with. “What is that?” Her gaze was piercing—scary, for some, and humorous for others. Her eyes met Ruan Mei’s, no explainable reason for her anger other than that one word that no one dared utter on the station.

“A badge,” Ruan Mei replied casually, her eyes dropping down to the food in front of her. Asta was the first person aside from Herta to know of Ruan Mei’s arrival before she came, the girl particularly excited to see a new genius walking through the halls, not to mention what would come out of her research. “Asta gave it to me. She came up to me after you left.”

“Why?” Herta’s annoyance could be heard through her words. “She couldn’t have came up to you while I was here?”

“Does that bother you?”

“Maybe a little.”