I stop and spin around, my heart thudding in my ears like a drum. “What did you say?”
“I lost someone important to me, too, because of her. I know how horrible Mother is. I don’t think anyone but you and I know exactly how much of a monster she is, Gavin. But you have to understand how important this is. Going back is Evie’s only chance. Eli is Evie’s only chance. He made those nanos what they are; he’ll be able to fix them to get her back to normal.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t blame you,” she says with a sad smile. “I wouldn’t believe me either.” It’s said so matter-of-factly, I’m suddenly sure it’s the truth. I blink dumbly at her. “Do you even know what nanos really are?”
I shake my head.
“Sit. Please. You make me nervous when you hulk over me like that.” She laughs softly, but I don’t. I don’t find anything funny about any of this. She sighs and gestures to the chair again. I lean against it instead, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Nanos are short for nanorobotics. Robots so small you can’t see them unless you have a microscope. They’re built on a nanoscale, which is why they’re called nanobots. A nanometer is something like one billionth of a meter.”
“Okay, so they’re really small. I got that already.”
Her entire face pinches, and I think she’s finally going to lose her temper, but she takes a deep breath and continues. “Yes. They’re really small. They were originally invented long before the War for medical purposes. At first simple things like site-specific medication delivery, microsurgery, and diagnosis. Then certain electronic companies started experimenting to make them smarter by adding propulsion systems and the ability to control them remotely.”
“I don’t get what this has to do with Evie.…”
“I’m getting there. Mostly, nanites were used for peaceful purposes. And while they were important, most funding went to less … out-there … programs. So, as you can imagine, progress was slow. But then the War started and the old governments realized that nanotechnology wasn’t just for science fiction. They started an arms race with each other. To find the most cost efficient, yet effective weapon possible to turn the tide and win. They spent billions on technology and scientists and engineers. I was one of those engineers. Hired straight out of engineering school. I’d invented the nanites that were used in the warheads that took down almost every major city in the world by the time I was twenty-five.”
I plop back into the chair, because my wobbly legs can’t hold my weight anymore. “Holy shit.”
She cracks a smile. “Indeed.”
“How … how did that happen?”
She shrugs. “Vanity.” She waves her hand at me. “But that’s not important. What is important is that technology is the same technology I took to Elysium when Mother hired me.”
“She hired you?”
“Yes. She wanted me to develop permanent sentient nanites that would protect her people from disease. I did it, too. With the help of Eli, my partner. But Mother turned it against us. She didn’t want to prevent diseases, or not totally. She wanted control. Complete control, and she got it. All because of me.”
I’m more confused than anything. “I don’t get it.”
“The nanites do whatever they’re programmed to do. Prevent disease. Repair body tissues. Destroy them. Rewrite neuropathways.” She gives me a meaningful look. “But the program only works if it’s functional. Something broke Evie’s. She needs it fixed, and I’m fairly certain Eli’s the only one who can do it. Before something worse happens.”
I stare at her. I can barely wrap my mind around what she’s saying. This is insane. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that Mother is insane.
Then another thought hits me. I remember this story. And I remember exactly where I heard it. Elysium. In the journals Evie found in the secret room in the abandoned sector. Except the story came from a different person.
Eli.
Who was killed. By Mother.
He’s not even there. They’re going back to Elysium to get help from a guy who’s been dead before Evie was even born.
I shove to my feet, the chair falling over with a clatter.
“When did they leave?”
She frowns at me. “An hour or so, I think. I don’t know. They snuck out.”
I curse under my breath and rush to the front door.
“Where are you going?”
“To stop them.”
“Didn’t you hear what I said about the nanos?”
I don’t even turn around. My mind is swirling with ideas of how to stop them. “Yeah. I heard you. And I also know that Eli is dead.”
“Wait. What?” Her breath catches. “How do you know?”
Grimacing, I turn to look at her. “We found his journals. And then we found Mother’s. He tried to start an uprising.” I swallow and lick my lips. “Mother put a stop to it.”
Her shoulders shake and her lips tremble; then her eyes grow wide. “You have stop them. Mother will kill them, and with Eli gone…” She shakes her head.
I yank open the door.
“You’ll never catch them on foot,” she calls out to me.
“I don’t plan on running all the way there.”
“Then how?”
“I’ll figure something out.” I push out the door.
“Good luck.”
Whether or not luck is on my side, I will do whatever it takes to get to Evie before she leaves for Elysium.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When traveling the Outlands, it is highly recommended to travel in groups of no less than three people. Should you need to travel in smaller groups, make sure to pack appropriately in case of emergency situations, keeping in mind the severe climate changes that take place in the Outlands. Travelers would also not go amiss carrying firearms to protect themselves from the wildlife.
—EXCERPT FROM SAFETY GUIDE TO TRAVELING THE OUTLANDS
Evie
The thud of the horses’ hooves and the jingling of their reins and saddles are the only sound as we rush back to the village. We’ve been riding all night and I’m exhausted and sore and my skin is completely numb from the cold.
Asher is riding next to me and he looks just as tired. “How long?”
He sighs, and looks at the rising sun. “A few more hours until we stop to eat and rest the horses.”
My stomach growls at the mention of food and he laughs. “Maybe only another hour.”
The entire time we’re riding, I try not to think about what’s waiting for me under the ocean. There are too many unknowns. So instead, I let my mind drift.
It’s so different from the trip to Rushlake. It’s freezing for one. Plus the two guards with their guns and whatever else they have in those large packs. And we’re moving much faster than a walk. Not as fast as when we were running to get away from the coyotes, but fast enough. Also, the air is so much drier. Even though our packs have water and food in them, my mouth and nose feel caked with sand.
Despite my discomfort, it doesn’t take long for me to be dragged down into another dream. But this one is different. It starts as so many of them do, with me covered in blood and terrified, my mind filled with pain and misery. Something horrible has obviously happened, but I can’t remember what as I sit on the floor of a shower stall and let the freezing water sluice over me.