Page 29 of Last Chance to Save the World

I can’t override the system while you’re inside,Rian says.How much time do you have left?

Maybe ten minutes,I say, moments before the computer voice confirms.

Can you get it done and get out by then? I can shut it down once you’re back outside.

Fuck me, this is going to cut everything super close.

I told you before,I say subvocally.I need an hour, minimum.

Get out as soon as you can, and we can re-assess. There has to be something we can do.

Rian’s going to break my heart with all the hope he crams into those words. All the impossible, foolish hope.

The back wall of this room is a massive supercomputer, but I see the system Rian told me about, the nanobot programmer. I see the input port. Theoretically, all I have to do is put my earring post into the port.

“Eight minutes to system lockdown,” the computer voice announces.

Rian, we have a big fucking problem,I say.

Just get out. I can shut down the lockdown system when you’re out. We’ll figure it out.

No,I say, fiddling with my earring.Something far, far worse.

What can be worse than getting caught and locked in?

I take a deep breath, looking over the wall, the shelves, everything stored here. There are so many toys I could play with. So much chaos I could cause.

So much profit to be had.

I turn on my heel and sprint back.

The computer tells me I still have four minutes before lockdown by the time I slam my fist into the control to open the door.

Rian reaches through the doorway, grabbing my arm and yanking me back into the corridor. The door zips shut once I’m through, and Rian punches a series of codes into the PIN pad, scans his face again, and then taps out another code.

From here, I cannot hear the computerized voice counting down, but one look on Rian’s relieved face informs me that he got that part shut down. No alarm is going to go off. Human security isn’t coming.

“Can you tell me what to do? I can go in, get all scanned, and set up the code thing to reprogram the bots...” Rian’s voice trails off as he takes in my defeated expression. “The problem’s bigger than that.”

“Yup.”

His whole body deflates. “What is it?”

I bite my lip.

“Tell me I can go in for you and reprogram the bots,” Rian pleads.

“I would tell you that,” I say, “if the nanobots had been in the room.”

11

The color drains from Rian’s face. “They moved the bots?” When I don’t answer, he curses. “They moved the fucking bots.”

Makes sense. We are cutting it this close to launch so that the climate cleaners are released before anyone notices we reverted the code to the originally approved design. But this close to launch means that they can be moved earlier than scheduled, and there’s not a single fucking thing we can do about it without tipping our hand.

“Where would they be moved to?” I demand, gripping Rian’s arms, noting the tight muscles under his sleeves. I have to get him to refocus, and fast.

Rian shakes his head. “I went over every plan. They were not supposed to be moved yet.”

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