A nanobot projected the footage on the wall. The injected liquid glowed a bright green throughout the bloodstream, but turned a dark red where the foreign body was located.

“I can’t believe that rumrag bugged me!”

Kaine was furious—and rightfully so. Val felt bad for him.

“Why would he do such a thing?” he went on. “It’s not like I have a reputation for not keeping my word! What would I do with a Kinzuki Cage, anyway? He can have the damn thing for all I care!”

Aj’uhl straightened, his eyes going wide.

“A Kinzuki Cage?”

Val nodded. “That was the main business I wanted to discuss with you. But we need to get that bug out first. Wouldn’t want those goons to get a drop on us while we’re discussing important matters.”

“Wiser words have never been spoken,” said Aj’uhl as he stepped back toward the machine.

Kaine balked. “Wait. Is it going to hurt?”

The other man snorted. “If you didn’t feel it going in, you shouldn’t feel it coming out.”

“Shouldn’t? That doesn’t sound definitive enough for my taste.”

Val shook her head. “You really need to man up already. It needs to come out either way, so just stop whining and let Aj’uhl do his thing.”

Kaine grumbled as he lay back down on the table. Though he stopped complaining, his eyes followed the needle as it came closer to his skin, then went in. He grimaced and closed his eyes.

“As I drain the fluid,” Aj’uhl explained, “it will carry the bug away with it.”

The room went silent for a couple of minutes.

And then it was over.

Aj’uhl pulled the needle out and lifted it toward the light. He peered inside and nodded.

“Gotcha!”

“What are you going to do with it?” asked Kaine as he rubbed his arm.

Aj’uhl grinned. “Oh, a most beautiful thing. You just watch.”

He moved to one of the walls. It slid open when he pressed two fingers against the surface. He pulled a small metallic cylinder from within. The top came off and he placed the needle inside. After closing the lid, he tapped on the item’s surface a few times, then headed to a window and opened it. With one last tap, the item suddenly rocketed up toward the clouds.

“That,” he said, pointing to the sky, “is a codrier. An ancient, forgotten technology. Scavengers found a bunch of these some years ago and we’ve been able to duplicate them. We now use them to send private messages between us. It can’t be hacked or tracked. And if you don’t know the code to open it, it self-destructs.” He chuckled.

Kaine walked to the window and peered outside, but the cylinder had already disappeared.

“Where is it going?” There was curiosity in his voice.

“Oh. I programmed it to go to Ixanith.”

Val laughed.

Kaine turned a puzzled look toward her.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s an abandoned mining colony... on the other side of the Imperium. Whoever’s after you is about to go on a wild goose chase.”

“Oh.” He glanced at the sky again. “What if they catch it?”

Aj’uhl shrugged. “Not likely. Because they’re so small, those things move much faster than any ship. But even if they do catch it, they wouldn’t be able to open it without destroying its contents.”

“They wouldn’t need to open it to figure out I’m not inside.”

“True. But they’d have no way to locate you.”

“Which is all that matters,” Val pointed out.

Aj’uhl let out another bark of laughter as he slapped Kaine on the back.

“Come on, let’s go eat something. You are my guests. And you can tell me everything about your Kinzuki Cage.”

“It’s not his,” said Val. “He stole it.”

Kaine frowned. “Shout it from the rooftops, why don’t you?”

Aj’uhl grinned. “Don’t worry, friend. I deal all the time with thieves and smugglers.”

“I am not a thief!”

Val pointed at the new bag Kaine had on his back.

“Tell that to the owner of that thing.”

“Now, now,” chided Aj’uhl, “because of its nature, a Kinzuki Cage can never really have a legitimate owner.”

“Unless it’s empty,” said Kaine hopefully.

The other man snorted as he guided his guests through a hall.

“Even then. They never remain empty for very long. That would, after all, defeat its purpose, would it not?”

“Don’t you own a bunch of them yourself?”

Val glanced at Kaine, annoyed to hear the accusing tone in the young man’s voice. But it did not seem to bother Aj’uhl, who shrugged.

“I do not own them, per se. I take them out of circulation. There is a difference. Ah, here we are! I am famished.”

They arrived in a large room with two tables and a dozen chairs. Aj’uhl motioned for them to sit, and Val picked the closest seat. The two men joined her and her friend tapped on the surface in front of him to bring up a floating menu.

“I will choose for you, if you would allow me this honor.”

“Of course,” said Val before Kaine could respond. He blinked and looked at her, then back at Aj’uhl.

The big man was busy tapping in the air. He finally let out a satisfied shout as the images blurred and vanished.

“You will love this!”

Even as he spoke, new shapes appeared, floating before each of them. They slowly materialized into rectangular plates with smoking food. Green baked vegetables Val couldn’t name, with what looked like potatoes and a thick brown sauce.

A scent of parsley and thyme tickled her nostrils. She guessed there was a touch of lemon as well.

“Smells delicious,” she commented before taking a bite. A firework of tastes exploded in her mouth. She beamed. “And it is!”

Aj’uhl looked delighted. He turned to watch Kaine as the latter took a bite. The man’s eyes widened as he chewed.

“Wow,” he finally let out. “What is this?”

“A local dish called tiffinghah.”

He went on to describe all of the ingredients and what properties they each had.

By the time they were done eating, the sun had set outside.

Aj’uhl rose and stretched.

“With all this talk, you have still told me nothing of your Cage. Come, let us walk a bit. It will be a splendid night.”

Nor was he wrong.

Colors swirled in the sky as it darkened, reds melting into oranges melting into yellows. Stars shone bright, with a cool breeze blowing from the north.

Val told their story as they walked. Aj’uhl nodded quietly as he listened, never interrupting her.

Finally, when she was done, he sighed.

“Unless you know the pattern, opening a Kinzuki Cage is no simple feat. Perhaps not as risky as opening a codrier, but still a challenge.”

Kaine frowned. “The pattern?”

“You’ve noticed its surfaces have different colors, yes?”

“Some are red, others blue...”

“The colors vary from one cube to another. Even the same cube may display different ones, depending on how it is set. Either way, these colors are the key to unlocking the Cage. You must find the right sequence and tap the surfaces in the right order to open it.”

“There can’t be that many permutations...”

“More than you might think. The way you press each surface also matters.”

“Then how the heck are we going to open this thing?” asked Val.

Aj’uhl stared into the distance as they walked, his hands behind his back.

“Well,” he finally said, “there is one thing that can only work. But you will not like it.”

“What is it?” asked Kaine apprehensively.

“One of you will need to go inside the cube.”