Page 23 of Last Chance to Save the World

“Nothing. But. Just...”

“What?”

“There’s going to be a record. I’ll have to check you in as a guest. When we get into the nanobot programming room, the only way that works is if I use all my credentials to open the door. Fetor is going to know it’s us. Why even bother with a disguise like that?”

Once I reprogram the nanobots, there’s no hiding Rian’s involvement. But there’s also nothing Fetor will be able to do about it—the nanobots themselves will be given the exact programming that they were always supposed to have, the programming that was approved.Fetorviolated those terms by reprogramming them to fail in a system that would benefit him.

Once again, nothing I’m doing istechnicallyillegal. Except for the parts that are, but Fetor won’t be able to prosecute me, because then it would expose what he did to everyone in the galaxy, and he won’t risk that.

“It’s not a perfect disguise, but it’s another layer of protection once I’m inside,” I say. “No one will blink twice at a sun shield. But the security drones won’t get a read on me, and any cams recording will get corrupted.”

The drones might trigger a higher level of security if they can’t get a facial scan, of course, but probably not. Or, hopefully, at least not within the hour I need to be inside the building. Our plan hinges on timing and calculated risks, and this certainly can’t hurt. Rian seems to agree; he doesn’t question it further.

I glance at the feather that dropped on the floor when I opened the box.

By the time we should depart, I’m jittery from caffeine and sick to my stomach from nerves, even if I don’t show them. Also, biology is being a bitch, but other than that and the concept that what we’re doing in the next few hours may doom or save Earth, to say nothing of my own personal prospects, everything’s fine.

Just fine.

We go by boat. Friend-of-a-friend network leaves no records; it’s Bruna’s cousin who picks us up and takes us around the south end of Gozo to the massive bridge that connects the two big islands together, forming the city of New Venice.

We’re dropped off at a platform that connects to the lifts that rise up from the sea level all the way to the bridge city atop us. It’s early, but locals crowd the area, and it’ll be a while before we can go up. Rian frowns—nerves, I think, or he’s still mad we didn’t get a nearer hotel.

Luzzu boats huddle under the bridge, waiting for tourists to summon them for a scenic waterway ride through sanitized routes. It’s early enough that the workers and their families are sleeping in the boats, under dark cloths that afford them a little privacy.

I glance at Rian.

I don’t think he sees that there are people under the blankets. His eyes glide over the scene, barely taking in the colorfully painted boats, much less what’s in their shadows. His gaze lingers on the underside of the massive city-bridge, illuminated with sparkling lights for the tourists. I wonder if he’s looking for rust. If he sees that an entire city resting atop a massive manmade structure connecting two islands isn’t exactly the safest design in the world. I wonder if he’s thinking it’ll fall one day, and if he’s concerned first with the people who live in the huge buildings atop the bridge or the ones who live in the boats beneath it.

We’re both looking for problems, but we’re looking in the opposite direction.

Rian turns and catches me staring at him. “What?”

I pat his cheek. “You have keen eyes, but there’s a lot you don’t see.”

He catches my hand, holds it next to his skin, warm and flush. “I see more than you think I do.”

Clear hazel, sharp as broken glass and honed blades.

He’s going to betray you.

My mother’s voice, shattering the moment.

But I don’t take a step back.

And neither does he.

And when I tip up on my toes on the shaky platform, he meets me halfway.

He’s going to betray you.

I know.

I always knew.

When his arms go to my waist, I know he’s feeling for more than my skin—he’s looking for weapons or for devices I can use against him. My hand presses against his hard chest, and I note the way his heart beats but also the hard edges of a data recorder in his pocket, something that may be able to connect to a communication network.

When we kiss, we both keep our eyes open.

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