“You were right, Enoa.” Orson maneuvered the Aesir down the river, only nudging the wheel, keeping the tarped ship obedient to the river’s current. “Nothing’s on fire anymore.”

The lab was gone. Even in the predawn blackness, Orson could see this with certainty. The limited radar and thermal imaging made it clear that no building stood beside the river. No power generation system reached down into the current. Nothing was there. He couldn’t see the details of the crushed mess spread out where the complex once stood, not without risking their exposure by using the higher-grade sensors.

But he recognized the uneven, alien terrain of debris and rubble. He’d seen enough of it in the wake of Thunderworks and the fall of the IHSA, broken buildings, reduced to incoherent chunks of concrete and metal and wood – modern architecture turned into tomorrow’s ruins.

Everything was destroyed. It had all fallen, wiping away the aerospace modeling lab, the astronomical telemetry lab, the biological anomalies lab, the oceanic telemetry lab, everything.

The blast had also burned the trees around the complex. Thermal imagining showed the trees without leaves, smaller branches burned away. Only skeletal silhouettes remained.

Dr. Stanislakova’s breath caught in her throat. She sat directly behind Orson. He’d hoped the limited view would keep her from observing the devastation. He had not drawn attention to their location. He’d done nothing to mark their place beside the demolition site.

But Dr. Stan knew. Either, she knew the river or she’d spent the journey peering around Orson’s own chair. He didn’t know. Navigating the river at night by such limited faculties required constant focus on the wheel.

“Why?” Enoa sat in the passenger seat, her eyes closed. The tri-cannon gunnery display was currently powerless but she watched their progress all the same, through Shaping. “Why would they take the time to do this? Is it another trap?”

“I don’t think so.” Orson had detected no sign of Liberty Corps personnel or craft in almost eight hours, but they’d already gone to great lengths to capture the Aesir, so Orson didn’t do anything to make a noticeable energy signature.

“This is revenge,” Dr. Stan said. “I destroyed all of our data, so they destroyed everything else.”

“Maybe,” Orson said. “But that depends. Was this the Baron’s handiwork or a temper tantrum from one of those knights? I still think they were mostly hiding their tracks.”

He switched the windshield’s main view to sonar. He saw no large breaks in the water, nothing to suggest sizable debris that might pose a threat to them. With any luck, the pieces had either drifted to the bottom of the river or had been carried away from them.

“Are we sure this was really a demolition and not a battle?” Jaleel sat in the back seat on the passenger’s side, staring at his own terminal. “Just because we only felt the big boom, there might’ve been more than that.”

“If there was a battle here,” Dr. Stan said. “I do not believe the victor would have fled.”

“What if there are Alliance forces near here and they assume we’re Liberty Corps and shoot at us?” Jaleel asked.

“I doubt that would happen,” Orson said. “One, I don’t think anyone can see us. Two, it’d be so stupid to open fire on something that could be lab debris. I’m guessing at least some of the stuff in that lab would be inclined to go bang.”

“You’re not incorrect,” Dr. Stan said. “I am surprised how contained it all appears, as if the lab imploded. They must have understood our facilities.”

“Whatever records the IHSA had about this place,” Orson said. “We have to assume the Liberty Corps has them now.” Beside them, the sonar detected an object hanging down into the river, partially submerged.

It was what remained of the catwalk he’d used to enter the lab, to save the scientists, and where he’d battled the knights. Now it was just more debris, broken, burned, destroyed.

“If they know this place that well,” Jaleel said. “Could they be hiding and ready to get a shot at us?”

“I don’t think so. I think they were just covering their tracks from the Alliance, like I said. The Liberty Corps does not want an open competition for the Dreamside Road. But…” He shrugged. “Honestly, there is always a chance we get shot at.”

“Wow, Orson! If you ever retire,” Enoa said. “You could make motivational posters. ‘There’s always a chance you get shot at.’ Everyone would feel so inspired.”

“Hey,” Orson said. “If I live long enough to retire, people would love my words of wisdom. Jaleel, are you seeing anything yet? Did the tracking mites respond?”

“Nothing yet,” Jaleel said. “I’m just looking at the blank screen. Hey, could it have gone to sleep? Would it let me know first?

“It won’t go to sleep.” Orson directed the Aesir’s cameras to again examine the lab’s remains, looking for anything living, any energy signatures, anything. “You know what, Jaleel. Trigger a restart. See if that helps. Hit the toggle under the monitor and then switch it back on.”

“Oh,” Jaleel said. “Great. The ‘turn it off and on again’ method.”

“You kids are grouchy tonight,” Orson said. “Once we’re away from the river, I can do all the driving and you two can get some sleep.” He laughed, but his humor died when he saw the small flash of red amid the lab’s debris. Heat. Orson expanded his view.

There, on the far side of the old lab complex waited a blob, oblong, hotter in the center and along its underside.

“There’s some kinda vehicle over there,” Orson said. “I obviously can’t tell whether it’s Liberty Corps or Pacific Alliance, but I’m thinking Alliance. Are you sure about coming with us, Doc? Once I get to a safe distance, I could try to get ahold of them and see what happens.”

“Keep going,” Dr. Stan said. “There was a reason we held out on joining the Alliances. It will be a long time before they’ll be properly stress-tested. Governments often die in their infancy.”

“Uh,” Orson said. “I mean, you’re not wrong.”

“Do you think if those people you see over there,” Enoa began. “If they’re from the Alliance, would they know if Dr. Schultes and Dr. Ikaro and the others are okay?”

“Perhaps,” Dr. Stan said, “But that depends on whether the Antler Clan escorted them to safety and what the conditions are in their care.”

“We might be able to get some information from Eloise.” Orson watched the sonar. Their path down the river was clear. He let the current take them and whisk them away from the remains of the lab. “Once we know what’s up with the mites, we can finalize our plans. Even if we’re trying for the heist, we need to get in touch with Eloise again and let her know what happened. She’s gonna be so pissed I waited this long, but I had no idea what to tell her.”

“Do you think…” Jaleel stopped talking when his terminal began to beep. “We have a signal!”

A dark shape screamed and soared from the back of the ship. Dr. Stan yelled. Orson reflexively shrunk away from the shape, but then he noticed the small chattering sound and remembered his fourth passenger.

Wesley came to a landing between their four seats, still vocalizing.

“My God!” Dr. Stan said. “It’s an aeropine!”

“Jaleel,” Orson said. “Why did you let him out? If something happens, you’ll have a hard time getting him penned again.”

“I’m sorry!” Jaleel said. “He was so comfortable on my bed I just didn’t have the heart to move him.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward the aeropine.

Wesley flew again. He flapped out of Jaleel’s reach and glided up onto Enoa’s lap. She jumped, but then went very still. Wesley began his chattering again and looked up into Enoa’s face.

“I can’t believe you bonded with an aeropine,” Dr. Stan said.

“He’s never done this before,” Enoa whispered. “We’re still learning about him.”

“Just after I was brought to Crystal Dune…” Dr. Stan trailed off, her mind trapped in realization and memories of the dead, of the life that had been taken from her. “There was a young intern who tried to bring in an escaped aeropine, but he never persuaded that animal. Never. He’d come in every day with his hands and clothing cut.”

“Wesley and I saved each other.” Enoa looked down at him. “What’s wrong?” The aeropine released a small whine.

“He’s filing a complaint,” Orson said. “Jaleel, what readings do you have?”

“We’ve got a message from the mites,” he responded. “It looks like they’re north… North, yeah. I can’t read topographical maps very well, but it looks like they’re in like the Idaho area, definitely in the mountains. One hundred percent.”

“They aren’t still moving?” Orson asked.

“No.”

“Well, if we’re definitely on board to do this,” Orson continued. “Jaleel, please grab the typewriter. You can shoot a message to my buddy Teddy. I’ll walk you through it. If he’s onboard with us staying, then I’ll get out of the river and take some back roads north to his place. It’s a long trip, and it might be a few days of night driving to get there.”

“You aren’t worried about the Liberty Corps finding us again on the way there?” Jaleel stood. He walked back to the locker where they’d secured the typewriter. “What would we do if they attack us while we’re in low-power mode?”

“It’s no different doing this than going back to Littlefield,” Orson said. “Except I think they’ll expect that. We’re going way out of our way. Unless we get an Alliance escort, we’re going to be low on power and not in the best shape, no matter which direction we’re headed.”

“I’m glad we’re going somewhere secret.” Enoa sighed. “So many people are getting hurt by our hunt for the Dreamside Road. I just don’t want that.”

“Okay.” Jaleel returned and sat again, the typewriter in his arms. “Do I need to press a new button to write to your other friend?”

“You’re sending your friend… a letter?” Dr. Stan asked. “What’s happening here?”

“It’s kind of a letter,” Jaleel said. “But not the slow way. I don’t totally get it either, but it’s like magic email.”

“It’s a direct communication device?” Dr. Stan asked.

“Sure is!” Jaleel said.

“For an individual, Captain Gregory,” Dr. Stan said. “Your own collection rivals that of the Liberty Corps.”

“I’m getting there,” Orson said. “Alright, Jaleel, you’re going to start by picking a different trigger on the back. Pick ‘T’ hyphen ‘P’ hyphen eight, but before we do this, we’re all one hundred percent agreed on hiding out in the middle of nowhere and planning to rob the Liberty Corps? My friend Teddy saved my life once. That’s how we met. He’s a unique character, but we’ll be safe out at his place. He lives right on the edge of Western Shoshone land.”

“Captain,” Dr. Stan said. “If I disagree with a course of action, I won’t keep my opinion to myself.”

“Noted.” Orson nodded. “What about you two? I never planned on bringing you into danger. It always just happened. This is different.”

“Orson,” Enoa said. “I’m Sucora Cloud’s heir. They’re going to come after me no matter what I do.”

“And I don’t want to have to work in corporate security,” Jaleel said.

“You three are among the strangest groups of people I have ever met,” Dr. Stan said.

“Among?” Orson laughed. “I guess we’re agreed. Jaleel, here’s what we say.” He spoke in a slow, even voice.

“‘Hey, Teddy, it’s Orson. How are you, buddy?’” Jaleel began to type. “‘I’m looking to crash for a couple days. I have a new crew that needs to lay low. Are you up for a group of four taste-testers for your newest recipes? We also have a flying porcupine. I have to warn you, though. We’re really hot right now. Major players are after us. Have you heard of the Liberty Corps? They’ve got Garchon and Thunderworks tech and some Learned Enigmas, so we need to be extra cautions and you’ll need to be really careful too. If you’re okay with the usual deal, I’ll send you all the details. I hope you’re safe and everything’s good out in the cave.’ Okay, Jaleel, hit the return.”

Jaleel did. “Done.”

“Great,” Orson said. “Now I have to figure out what to say to Eloise.”

“How far are we going tonight?” Enoa asked.

“That depends,” Orson said. “We’ll let the river carry us until just before sunrise or until my friend writes back.”