The following days flowed easily as Lilijoy moved upstream through the river of her past. They traversed the gently waving grasses of the cultivated fields where Anda had first recovered from his injury, then proceeded to the endless stink of the dead Amazon swamp. They cultivated, conversed and shared increasingly outlandish theories about Guardian and the Inside.

Anda’s version of Rule Four was still pretty standard, so Lilijoy didn’t say too much about that, since she didn’t want to mess with his future comprehension. She wasn’t sure that was really a thing, but she decided safe was better than sorry.

It’s no wonder all the old masters in stories are so enigmatic. They’re probably terrified that anything they say is going to do more harm than good. First I can’t talk about Stage Two, now it’s Rule Four. The more I know, the less I can speak.

At least Anda had no such inhibitions in advising her about the Rank Five skin bugs. She had run into several bottlenecks with her development in that area, mostly related to issues of flexibility. She also knew she could use them to manufacture a variety of substances, such as oils and adhesives, but hadn’t figured out much about the process.

“The skin bugs that you got from me are my former clan’s pride and joy.” Anda told her. “Protecting ourselves from the hardened grasses of our native land was absolutely vital if we wanted to maintain our way of life. I’m quite sure that the initial Rank One systems were only adopted because they provided the interface to implement the Rank Five bugs. Over the decades, Rank Five became our niche. Other clans make them too, but the Maasai skin bugs are coveted by all.”

He helped her understand how to arrange the subdermal structures into overlapping units, from large bands for her ribs to tiny scales for the areas that need the greatest range of motion.

“If you strip off the top layers of skin, we actually look something like lizards, though the effect is very subtle. It’s extremely effective protection, but keep in mind there are plenty of countermeasures out there. I’m sure you remember my leg wound.”

She was unlikely to ever forget that little episode.

He continued, “And of course, blunt force will ultimately win out. It’s the trade-off for being able to move freely. That’s why developing Rank Six will be our next priority. It’s a pity I was exiled before I reached that stage.”

“Tougher bones would have helped, that’s for sure,” she agreed. “What about manufacturing secretions from the skin bugs? I know they have capabilities built in, but I haven’t been able to find an interface.”

Anda looked embarrassed. “Yes… I forgot about that. Mostly because it doesn’t work, or at least my clan could never get it to work. I never had much aptitude for Alchemy skills, so I don’t know any more than what I heard, which is that the capability is there, but there were problems interfacing with Rank One which resulted in inadvertent toxicity, and additional problems reliably transporting the substances through the natural skin layers. The whole problem got so complex that they gave up. I have no idea why they left it in.”

That was a little disappointing. Although the Maasai didn’t have Stage Two, or anything like the vines, which were specialized to transport substances.

I can work with this.

Still, the project wouldn’t have that high a priority. She still needed to rework the distribution of her skin bugs and continue the work on her biggest priority, developing system satellite units that could survive and move outside of her body. Of course, for those to be effective she needed reliable inter-system communications that could work over distances greater than a foot, and to do that she needed to better understand how to create and manage entangled particles.

Sigh. So much to do, so much to learn.

Now they were headed to New Manaus. Originally, Lilijoy had wanted to skip the city altogether, as she saw no need to be so literal in the recapitulation of her travels. However, Anda had convinced her that it was the best place for a final refueling, and that travel by river-course would be far more efficient than attempting a straight line back to the Piles.

She had to admit that her residual curiosity about the great glowing domes of the city on the lake made it easy to go along with the plan. She had been worried that it was dangerous for her to return to a place where she might be recognized, but Anda had talked her around.

“This might sound crazy,” he said. “But stay with me. All you ever were was a rumor. Nobody has any concrete facts about you, or anything more than a vague description. Say someone like Jim Boggs hears that you have appeared in New Manaus. You’re with me, so he’s pretty sure you must be the same girl who may or may not have had a legacy system. Now you are walking around bold as brass. What’s he going to do?”

“Probably try to grab me again.”

“Maybe if we were foolish enough to go into Old Manaus. He has a lot more power in the old city, mostly because Lone Star doesn’t care much what happens there. He wouldn’t dare cause a scene in New Manaus.”

“So he tells Lone Star about me.”

“First of all, I’m pretty sure that ship already sailed. But let’s say he reminds them, tells them you are sitting at a cafe right in the center of town. What do you think will happen?”

“They’ll come and grab me?” It was such an indisputable fact of her existence, she could hardly imagine otherwise.

“I don’t think so. What evidence does he have that could move them to act? He’s a lowlife… they aren’t going to do anything based on his word alone.”

“Are you trying to tell me that we could have just gone to New Manaus and avoided everything that happened in the last month? Seriously?”

“That was a completely different situation though. You were injured and weak, and frankly helpless, and Boggs was in hot pursuit. He got burned, and probably hurt his credibility with whatever clan contacts he has. He’s an exceedingly pragmatic individual, there’s almost no chance he will cause trouble for you.”

“I don’t know Anda. What if Lone Star does try to take me?”

“You’ve read about them, right? What’s at the core of Lone Star’s identity?”

“They think they’re the good guys. They like to ‘kick ass and take names’, but only if it’s for what they see as a good cause. Of course, anything that serves their interest is a good cause by definition, so I don’t see how that makes us any safer.” Another thought struck her. “And what about their skirmish with Sinaloa? Surely they know that Sinaloa was trying to catch me.”

“I think you are greatly overestimating the collective intelligence of organizations. I can tell you that you aren’t even a blip on their radar as far as Renaissance knows.”

Lilijoy took a moment to run a dispassionate cost/benefit analysis of the situation. She was only in real danger if Lone Star came at her and Anda with overwhelming force. The benefits…

I could stop feeling hunted. I could actually live in the world. Be something beyond a reaction.

When she examined the totality without fear, the choice seemed clear. There were real dangers, but she had real power of her own now. Trump cards.

She thought of what she had done to Mo. It had been foolish, though perhaps the best word for it was immature. She was so caught up in the moment of triumph that she lost sight of the many possible consequences. Perhaps the biggest consequence was that he might be out there, might have told others what she could do. He even had proof, in a way. Systems didn’t just vanish from someone’s brain.

If she was ever attacked by men wearing hazmat suits, she would know she brought it on herself, through a single moment of cruel mercy.

Give me a few more weeks and it won’t matter what they’re wearing.

She had already built a containment system for Tao System satellite units in her prosthetic arm, just under the palm. It wouldn’t take more than a moment of contact to deliver enough of her system to shut down anyone who got too close. If she could get her flowers to float or fly, and most importantly communicate with them at a distance, then she should be unstoppable. Other than heavy ranged weapons, she would have nothing at all to fear.

Rosemallow’s words came to her. Strength attracts strength. The stronger you get, the more difficulty will come your way.

She wondered what kind of difficulty she might attract once her plans were complete.

***

Approaching New Manaus in daylight was depressing. Given the choice, Lilijoy would have retained the nighttime image of enchanted glowing bubbles rising out of light cast upon the still waters of the lake. The light of day removed the glow and revealed the blackened wound of burned and abandoned buildings surrounding the domes, casting them as pus-filled blisters on the blighted land.

Lone Star clan could really stand to work on their landscaping.

Manaus had been under the control of a secondary branch of Lone Star for over a century. As Lilijoy understood it, elements of the Texas Army had been part of the rush to grab territory in equatorial regions when the climate irrevocably shifted to rapid cooling. They initially invaded Guyana, and over the decades their area of control had drifted south to an informal boundary marked by the remains of the Amazon river. Perched at the edge of their territory, New Manaus was a trading center and projection of clan prestige to the many smaller territories below.

The docks were the primary port of entry to the city. Lilijoy was reminded of the bustle of the market in Academy Town, with boats and hovercraft in innumerable sizes and configurations instead of people. They made their way through the vehicular tumult to an unoccupied space at a small vehicle holding and refueling center. Anda went off to make arrangements with the attendant, while Lilijoy stared in wonder at the people all around.

The docks and ramps swarmed with men, women and children dressed in a multitude of incompatible styles. She saw a group of men who looked as if they had just teleported from the Inside, clad in metal and leather armor covered by green hooded cloaks. They wore swords at their sides or on their backs, though she noticed at least one of them had a rifle slung over his shoulder. One of the men held the hand of a small boy, who was dressed in a button-down shirt and jeans.

Near them was a group of people with shaved heads and saffron colored robes carrying staffs and musical instruments, followed by a young couple in studded black leather and white baseball hats. They both had handguns holstered on their hips. There were dozens more, many in tunics or robes, nearly all carrying weapons, coming and going from their vehicles.

“Most of them are clan associates, those who are highly favored,” Anda said from behind her. “They can afford weapons and nicer outfits. A lot of them choose to wear the same outfits they have Inside.”

Soon they plunged into the crowd. Lilijoy actively adjusted her mental composure several times to accommodate the shock of being around so much activity after weeks at the monastery and over two days with no company other than Anda. Neither her time Inside, nor her internet memory had prepared her for the assault of noise, smells, and the sheer unfamiliarity of the environs.

Perhaps Anda noticed, or assumed her first visit to a real city would be overwhelming, because he engaged her in conversation as soon as they left their craft secured at a refueling center.

“So, there’s something I haven’t mentioned yet about my new Inside situation,” he said as they made their way along the broad boardwalk leading to the official entrance to the domes.

Lilijoy was engrossed by a large group of children, perhaps a few years younger than her, who were walking ahead of them, backs bowed under their heavy loads of sacks and boxes. It took her a moment to register that Anda had spoken.

“Do you think they get paid to do that?”

“Possibly. It depends on their contracts, or more likely their parents’ contracts. Anyway, I just didn’t want you to be too surprised when you see me.”

Now he had her full attention.

“Why? What happened?”

“Well, you know I can’t say much. But I had to earn my way back by taking on a quest of sorts. Anyway-”

At this point a group of a dozen women wearing yellow jumpsuits pushed between them, talking loudly in what Lilijoy recognized as Thai. She had to fight her way back to Anda’s side.

“Hmm, maybe it’s a sign you should find out when you see me Inside,” he teased.

Lilijoy took his hand and pulled him out of the way of an oncoming bicycle and to the edge of the boardwalk. They stopped and looked out over the burnt foundations of ancient homes. Hardened plants of various kinds had made tentative attempts at colonization, but Lilijoy imagined that the sight hadn’t evolved much over the decades.

“Spit it out, Anda. Don’t make me climb up there!”

He laughed. “Fine. I’m an orc.”

Lilijoy narrowed her eyes. “Ha ha. Now what really happened?”

“I’m serious. Technically I’m a half-orc, of the Urglah tribe.”

A voice interrupted their conversation. “Move along folks! Plenty of time to chat in the city.”

A man wearing an orange duster and a wide-brimmed hat was gesturing with his rifle. Lilijoy saw the Lone Star symbol, two swords crossed over a star, on his armband and badge.

“Apologies, good sir,” said Anda. They turned and resumed the long walk to the city entrance.

“Don’t tell me the whole clan dresses like cowboys,” said Lilijoy.

“Oh god no,” Anda replied. “That’s just the public enforcer’s uniform. That reminds me, you should really try the local channel.”

“Are you trying to change the subject? And what local channel?”

“A little, and it’s a shared augsight overlay called Lone Star View, aptly enough. It’s on the local network.”

“Lucky for you, I’m very good at multitasking...” An understatement if there ever was one. “...so you can tell me all about being an Urglah, if you weren’t just clearing your throat when you made that sound.”

She pulled up the local networks and found Lone Star View. Instantly, all the burned out foundations were replaced by an expanse of fluff-bearing plants.

“Is that… cotton?”

“Yeah, I think they have the West Texas theme running right now. Big sky country I think it was called.”

“You know, I was just thinking that the only way to improve a flat wasteland would be to make it even flatter.”

Looking around, many of the people on the walkway with them were now wearing hats and boots. Lilijoy didn’t know if that was their choice, or just something the overlay put on some percentage of the bodies moving around her. It was amusing to see one of the women in the yellow jumpsuits hurrying past with her spurs jangling.

“So the Urglah are the cat totem tribe. I don’t look that different, other than the tusks, and the...” he sighed. “… ears.”

Lilijoy laughed. “So you’re an Orc furry now!” She could almost imagine Anda pulling it off, with his innate dignity and regal bearing.

Almost.

They had just about reached the main entrance to the domes, which in her augsight was some kind of huge ranch field-gate with the star and crossed swords featured prominently. As they approached, a message asking the purpose of her visit appeared, as well as some reminders of the law of the land.

Go ahead and bring your guns – ours are bigger anyway.

No fighting unless we say so.

Disturb the peace if you like prison.

Just keep your damn pants on.

Enjoy your Stay!

“Huh.” She craned her head to look up at Anda. “I wondered why you hauled that thing along.”

Anda had a short barreled shotgun slung over his back, as well as several large knives placed around his person.

“It helps if you want to be taken seriously here. Actually…” he handed her a small sheathed blade. “… you should hold on to this.”

I miss my inventory. I guess that’s what clothes are good for.

Clothing was not something Lilijoy thought about much. Back at the monastery, one of the exiles had whipped her up some pants and shirts that fit pretty well, and that was what she had been wearing ever since. It seemed like the synthetic cloth material only came in dark gray, so her wardrobe was… uncomplicated. She found a conveniently placed loop on one hip and attached the sheath.

“It’s still asking me the purpose of my visit. What should I say?” she asked

“I usually just say enlightenment. No one’s ever hassled me about it.” Anda replied. “This place has a live and let live attitude, right up to the point that your living causes problems for the clan. Just realize that Lone Star is pretty unique compared to the rest. You couldn’t get within a mile of a Walden controlled area without registering, filling out a long list of questions, and waiting for hours or days to be vetted. Don’t even get me started on leaving one of those places.”

“Strip searches?”

“Even worse. Satisfaction surveys.”

“I hope you’re joking.”

Anda winked.

I’m really glad I decided to come in to the city. What was I even afraid of?

They stepped through the entrance and began to make their way down the street.

A group of public enforcers surrounded them before they had gone twenty feet.

“Sir, Ma’am. Please come with us.”

Oh, right.