The guardian crafts moved in swiftly and silently as they assembled on the street below. About a dozen or so guardians remained on the street to stake out the perimeter while another group made their way up the staircase to Mara's old apartment.
Inside the apartment, Alex could not believe her eyes. She stared at her screen for a moment to make sure the object she was seeing was real. There's only one way to find out, she thought.
"Flashlight," she commanded. A dense beam of light shone from the end of her access pod as she knelt down on the floorboard and began searching for a loose screw or an edge to pry up. After an anxious analysis, she discovered a small notch in the wood that large enough to wedge her finger in. She lifted up the plank and set it aside.
Extending her arm out, she aimed the light downward, illuminating the tiny alcove in the floor. To her surprise, the strong beam of light caressed a small wooden box. Without wasting any time, Alex reached in with both arms and hauled the lost treasure to the surface.
The box was covered with a thick layer of dust, but was otherwise in good shape. She blew off the top layer of dust and then wiped the residual bits with her arm. She laid the box down on the floor in front of her and examined it carefully. There was nothing particularly unusual about it â there were no markings or labels to indicate who it belonged to or what it was for. Whatever was inside though, had to be important enough for it to be hidden in the floor.
Alex slowly opened the lid and saw what had been hiding all those years. She perused the contents briefly, but before she fully comprehended what she had uncovered, there was a loud crash from the other room that startled her. Following that, a stampede of footsteps echoed throughout the apartment, striking fear into her heart. Alex panicked and quickly sealed the contents in the box and placed everything back into the floor. She slid the plank over to cover it up just as the bedroom door was kicked off its hinges.
By the time she rose to her feet, the guardians were already funneling in through the bedroom door. Alex ran toward the window, pried it open, and slipped through onto the platform. The irony of the escape crossed her mind, but only for a second. She was now descending down the same emergency staircase as her mother had done nearly twenty years prior, but that's where the similarities ended. Once Alex made it to the street, she was surrounded by dozens of guardians. She had no choice but to surrender. A swarm of guardians surrounded her and bound her arms behind her back. She was placed in the back of one of the guardian transport vehicles and was taken to prison.
***
About an hour after Milo had written the note, Aris received a knock on his door. For a split second, he thought it might be Alex, looking to stay the night with him.
He approached the door and looked at the video monitor, but did not recognize the person standing on the other side. It was a young man who did not look too threatening so Aris opened the door.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Is your name Aris?"
"Who wants to know?" Aris asked.
The young messenger didn't say another word. He simply extended his hand to deliver Aris a message. Aris looked down at a piece of cloth that was being handed to him. As soon as he accepted it, the messenger walked off.
Aris continued to watch the man until he disappeared down a hallway. Confused, Aris closed the door and walked slowly back to his living room. He unraveled the cloth and read the message. 'Big brother is watching me, make sure our friend is safe.'
A concerning thought entered Aris' mind. If Milo went to the trouble to write this note and have some kid deliver it, Alex must be in danger.
Not wanting to waste any precious time, Aris gathered a few items before leaving his apartment. He rushed to the tram and boarded it just before it took off. Ordinarily, he thought the tram was fast, but not that night. "Come on, come on, come on," he mumbled to himself impatiently.
When the tram finally reached the ground floor, he sprinted out before the doors had a chance to fully open. Now darting across the main lobby, he found a dormant taxi and jumped inside. The automated driver greeted him politely and asked for his desired destination.
"Ferndale and Willow!" he shouted as he panted for breath.
"I'm sorry, please repeat the name of your destination," the robotic voice said.
Aris' frustration mounted. He gave the command again, this time slowly and clearly, "Ferndale... and... Willow." The automated driver understood the request and the vehicle started to move.
The neighbourhood where Alex was staying was on the other side of town, which was at least an hour away. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and then reclined his seat to get comfortable for the long ride. The chair slowly tilted back, allowing Aris to fully stretch out. The bright lights of the city lit up the night sky and poured into the cab. Aris adjusted a switch that limited the amount of light that penetrated the glass dome of the taxi, causing it to become dark. He took another deep breath, closed his eyes, and dozed off.
When the taxi arrived at the destination, the interior lights gradually became brighter, waking Aris up. He adjusted the seat and tried to shake the cobwebs from his brain. It was only 10:30 p.m., but already he was feeling fatigued. Stepping out of the vehicle under the dim glow of a streetlight, Aris looked down the barren streets and did not see a single person or parked car in sight. There was something unsettling about being in a neighbourhood that was completely abandoned, especially in a city with a population of over ten million. Rows of deteriorating buildings that were once the homes of thousands of people now stood vacant. It was the ugly secret that nearly everyone tried to ignore. These neighbourhoods were scars left over from the third world war that had not fully healed. They were a reminder to anyone adventurous enough to travel to them that the world was not always so perfect.
Amidst the burnt-down confectionaries, crumbling streets, and buildings with boarded up windows was the place where Alex was staying. Aris made his way into the back alley and up the fire escape ladder. When he reached the second level apartment, he called out for Alex, but there was no response.
"Flashlight," he said, as he pointed his arm into the room. Overwhelmed with trepidation, he discovered he was too late. The first thing he noticed was the bedroom door broken off its hinges and lying a few feet from the doorframe. .
The bedroom window was already open so he squeezed through. He aimed his light at the ground and saw the dirty tread marks of size twelve boots, decorating the floor. He followed the footprints outside the bedroom all the way to the entrance of the apartment. Much like the bedroom, the front door had also been dislodged from its frame and was now lying on the floor near the kitchen. Studying the doorframe, he observed black burn marks and the distinct odour of C4 explosives â evidence of a recent blast. Aris deduced the guardians had come for Alex, but it was unclear if they were successful.
Aris retraced the footprints back into the bedroom. He could see Alex's little footprints in the dust on the floor. Piecing together a story of what might have happened, he concluded that she had managed to escape through the window. However, what happened after that was still a mystery. Aris walked over to the window and looked out, foolishly hoping to see her below.
When he turned around, something peculiar happened to catch his eye. There was an intriguing pattern left in the dust around one specific area of the floor. It was apparent that the centre part of the floor had seen a lot of action recently. He could even identify one of Alex's handprints. She was definitely doing something down there, he thought.
Aris squatted down to get a closer look. Shining his light around the area, he examined the floorboards and discovered that one of the boards had a small notch in it. Running his finger over the groove, he realized it was just wide enough to wedge a small object in it. Using his pinky finger, he squeezed the tip in and began to pry up the floorboard. With a little effort, he managed to lift the board and set it aside. Much to his surprise, he discovered a small wooden box. The dust on the lid had been recently disturbed, indicating Alex had discovered it earlier. Completely captivated with his discovery, Aris removed the box from the hole, slowly peeled it open, and peered inside. With a furrowed brow, he studied the contents carefully. After a brief analysis, it was clear he had discovered a secret he was not supposed to know.
He looked around nervously as he now possessed something of great value and importance. Remaining wary of any lurking marauders, he gathered up everything that was in the box and put it in his satchel. He placed the empty box back in the hole and covered it up with the plank.
With the bounty now in his possession, Aris snuck away undetected like a thief in the night.