"Th-the 3-R nanobombs?" My lips trembled. I felt my blood pressure drop, my vision darken, and my throat dry. A bitter taste filled my mouth. I went deaf.
It was as though I stood in a dark corridor, following unfamiliar paths with no idea what I would find ahead. Where was Maia taking me? I waited to hear her answer. None would come. She wasn't there.
An explosion of events accompanied every new discovery about Maia. I barely had time to reflect on my own feelings. Infinite cords wound around one another, forming countless knots. Now this? I stared at Kiara. Where could I even begin to reason? "Wh-why?"
She crouched before me and rested her hand over mine. Her warmth passed through my skin, bringing familiar comfort. "Think you can feel the answer, right?"
I shook my head. A sensation somewhere between anxiety and excitement made my heart pound.
Kiara stood and held out her hand. "Let's leave them with Saymon."
I accepted her help, rose, and stretched the stiff muscles in my back.
Her eyes smiled. "Got another hour to reach where I think they are. Shall we?"
I nodded.
We returned to the lower floor.
In the elevator, Anne nudged Kiara. "Saymon asked me to give you this." She handed her the Page of Swords.
The card he had given Cron? What did it mean? My curiosity about those cards grew stronger.
Kiara slipped the Page into her pocket and let out an enigmatic little laugh.
We stepped out.
I frowned. "What does that card mean?" But my curiosity would have to be satisfied another time.
During that hour, the revolt had intensified. The A.T.F. was launching tear-gas minibombs at the protesters.
TCHK! PFFFSSHHH! Small explosions spread through the streets, trying to disperse the crowd.
BRZZZTT! A.T.F. androids attacked hundreds of people in Centrália.
VRMMM! TCHK-TCHK! Zenithians shouted, encouraging the repression. An android police officer struck a young woman's forehead. Blood sprang from her head and ran to the ground. She wasn't the only one.
My heart pumped adrenaline through my veins.
"Let's get outta here." Kiara took my hand and began weaving nimbly through the chaos.
We crossed groups of protesters fighting back against police violence. Some tried to reach the upper levels to confront the Zenithians.
FWHOOF! Smoke bombs were thrown at the androids' feet. The substance corroded their exteriors, an effect that seemed to work only against them.
We reached a door between two buildings.
It took me a few moments to absorb the place. I recognized it. The bar Maia had taken me to. Gearhead. More memories came. There was no time to process them. Immense pain struck my heart.
Kiara waved at the camera mounted high on the side.
CHAK! The door clicked open.
We entered a shop filled with nanotechnologies. Blue light fell over us, enveloping everything in a hue I recognized immediately.
The memories awakened. Flooded me. Weighed on all of me.
Mind, body, and spirit. The corridor Maia and I had passed through… No. I needed to contain that overflow. Later. We continued to the counter.
A man smoked a pipe. He had a full purple beard, dark eyes, heavy shadows beneath them, and dry, cracked lips. He blew pinkish smoke that spread through the room.
I held back a cough.
"What d'you want?" His voice rumbled, carrying an accent I couldn't identify.
Kiara took out the broken compass and placed it on the counter.
The man examined the object and released more smoke, filling the space around us. "Was expecting a white-haired girl. Whatever. I hand it over to whoever has the key."
He walked to a smooth wall and traced circles over its surface with his fingers. A wire emerged from his wrist and connected to a rectangle concealed in the nanometal. His eyes glowed. A confirmation indicated that he had sent Kiara the holopass. "Safe 17. Corridor on the left. Got the key to the safe? Suppose you do." He raised an unkempt eyebrow. Then he went back to ignoring us, occupied with his pipe.
We followed the corridor and turned left.
Safes of every size and shape extended horizontally and vertically. They moved along the walls, reaching distances my eyes could barely follow.
"This way." Kiara used the holopass as a guide.
We stopped before a medium-sized safe, identical in color and material to the others.
"Wanna do the honors?" She held out the golden watch.
I nodded.
I touched the object, and my stomach churned. It had been those items… The watch, the compass, the phone, and Maia's letter. They had pushed me this far, leading me to explore her universe and surrender entirely to that search. I found a rounded opening on the safe's right side and fitted the watch into it.
Click A blue hologram appeared, displaying four numerical fields.
"Password?" I bit my lips. Damn it. We'd made it this…
"The time on the watch," Kiara suggested.
I studied the hands. They read 1:4:18. I filled in the fields accordingly. The projection disappeared. Had it worked?
Silence.
TCHK! The mechanism sounded.
Fsssshhh… mist escaped through the gaps. The safe opened. Cold air invaded my nostrils, and I coughed as the chill entered my throat.
I moved the latch aside. There was a case inside. I had never imagined holding that in my hands. The pinnacle of military power among nations. The authority to destroy everything. Annihilating control. Possessing those weapons could put someone on top of the world. The power to reduce everything to dust. To weave something from the ashes.
And that control lay before me.
An irresistible urge to open the case took over my thoughts. I picked it up and ran my fingers over the lock. Gathered the courage to release it. Icy mist escaped through the gaps, freezing my fingers.
There they were. Three medium-sized spheres crossed by beams of light dancing horizontally over their surfaces. How could something so small cause such enormous destruction?
"What is this?" I resisted the urge to touch them, aware of the danger.
Kiara crouched beside me. "They're made with quantum-nanocryptography. That means they're unique. The scientists in Kemetia's command only made ten nanoprototypes." She raised her fingers, keeping count. "They used two. The Aether Network used three. The sixth was used to bomb Egypt. One was destroyed." Kiara pointed at the case. "These three are what's left. The creators died. The technique was lost. The scientists in Ilhabela were trying to recreate it, but QN-Cryptography is unbreakable. Impossible to replicate."
I handed her the case, afraid to keep carrying something so dangerous.
Kiara raised two fingers. "Except for two people. They—" She froze. Her eyes took on a purplish hue. Moments later, her irises returned to silver. Kiara clenched her teeth. "We need to get outta here. Fast!" She grabbed my hand and hurried toward the exit.
I frowned. "What happened?"
"The Aether Network's gonna attack Centrália."
Attack? Like Netheria? Like Nobody's Land? My eyes widened.
When we reached the street, thousands of nanodrones filled the sky. Their formations obscured the few rays of sunlight escaping the rain clouds. The protesters, now armed with heavy equipment, had almost reached Zenith. They faced A.T.F. forces on equal terms, neutralizing numerous androids with corrosive bombs. How had they obtained those weapons?
I admired the skill with which they fought back. Their will to fight seemed to overcome their own limitations. They were willing to pay an enormous price to keep demanding freedom. Others fled the military brutality. Desperation marked their faces as they tried to get away. They clung to their lives.
A tightness caught my heart. Fury scorched my core. Those people were fighting for their rights. The Aether Network didn't care about its own people. Never had. No. I had no time to think about that. Cloakify's effect was wearing off. If the A.T.F.'s attack didn't hit us, the officers could recognize Kiara and begin pursuing us.
We ran toward the car.
Kiara gripped my hand, forcing me beyond my limits.
My legs burned. My injured ankle gasped in pain, and my terrible physical endurance began charging me for every step. I really needed to exercise. My breathing grew heavy. Sweat ran down my forehead, mingling with the rain.
We had almost reached the car when a greenish mist began covering the air.
Behind me, hundreds of people clutched their own necks. Fell to their knees. Searched for oxygen.
No, no, no. My pulse raced. The same thing had happened to me lunations earlier, in Cairo. And what came afterward… The mist reached me.
Kiara pulled me.
But my legs gave way. I fell. Smoke invaded my lungs, my throat closed, and my eyes began to water.
"C'mon. Just a little more. Shit." Kiara's arms enveloped me, supporting my back and legs.
I wanted to scream. Beg her to protect me. Please, I want to stay alive. The words remained trapped. No… I don't want to go back. Desperate tears poured from my eyes. And I fell into darkness.