“Are you feeling any better?” Kano asked, walking beside Thirty-Six. She’d barely said a word since the simulation ended. Thirty-Six shook her head and kept walking. Seeing her like this was painful. Kano wished there was something she could do to fix it. There wasn’t anything she could do about the root cause, but she might be able to distract her from what happened.

She put her arm around Thirty-Six and pulled her close. The little ghoul didn’t resist, simply allowed it to happen. “What do you think Bornon will say when we tell him that Yon isn’t actually trying to take over this place?” Kano asked. When Thirty-Six didn’t reply, she added, “I’m sure he’ll feel pretty silly when he realizes the mistake he’s made.” Desperation welling up within her, she kept going. “He’s not that unreasonable, though, I’m sure he’ll listen to what we have to say. Don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” Thirty-Six mumbled. It was just one word, but it made a world of difference to Kano. Maybe it would work better if she avoided anything related to the center.

“What do you think Nove and the other children are up to?”

Thirty-Six kept her eyes downcast. “I don’t know.”

“Do you think they’re having fun in their new home?” She paused. “I bet you can’t wait to get back. We’ll have to buy something special to eat when we get back to celebrate our safe return.” The false cheer in Kano’s voice was making her sick, but she pressed on. “What do you think we should eat?”

“I don’t know,” Thirty-Six repeated.

“How about some shaved ice? Do you know what that is?”

“No.”

“It’s frozen water with different flavorings added. It’s cold and delicious. I’m sure you’d like it.”

“What kind of flavors?” Thirty-Six asked, looking up at Kano, interested despite herself.

Kano felt like she was surprisingly good at this, though she wasn’t sure why that would be. She’d never met anyone like Thirty-Six before. “There’s cherry, grape, watermelon, lots of different flavors.”

“What are any of those things?”

“Err,” Kano said, scratching her head, “I’m not really sure what they’re supposed to be. All the flavors have weird names like that. We’ll have to ask why they’re called that when we buy some.”

“Yeah.”

“But before we do any of that, we have to finish up here first. Is that all right?” Kano kneeled down, meeting Thirty-Six’s eyes.

Hands clutching the bottom of her shirt, at first Thirty-Six wouldn’t meet her eyes. Then, with a slight smile, she looked up and said, “Okay.” Even if Kano had wanted to, she wasn’t sure she could have resisted smiling back. The despair she’d felt before lifted, and Kano made her way back to where she’d found Bornon earlier.

She made a few wrong turns, and it took a while, but she got there in the end. She left Thirty-Six out in the corridor, just in case, and proceeded into the little room where Bornon was holed up. The steel door he was sheltered behind was still closed.

“Hello?” she called, keeping her distance from the turrets.

Nothing happened. Kano was wondering if he’d gone somewhere else when his voice issued forth from the speaker. “You’re back? I thought I told you to go away.”

“Look,” Kano said, “I’ve spoken with Yon, and this is all just a misunderstanding. She’s not trying to take over this facility.”

“Is that right? Do you have any proof?”

Kano scratched her head. “Well, no. Not really. Can’t you just take my word for it? I’ve been honest with you up to this point, haven’t I?”

“So what?” Bornon demanded. “I’m meant take you at your word? You’re one of the necromancer’s minions. I’d be a damned fool to trust you. I’ve done more than enough of that already.”

“I am no one’s minion,” Kano spat, any good cheer she’d felt earlier fading away in the face of her rising anger. “Come out here and I’ll show you what I’m saying about Yon is true. Otherwise I’ll come in there and drag you out.” She gestured toward the turrets. “Do you seriously think those stupid things can stop me?”

“No…” Bornon said, and after a long pause, “You’re right. I don’t have much of a choice.” The last door slid open, and Bornon walked out, hanging his head. “I can’t let her steal this place away. It’s our last hope.”

“You don’t need to worry. You and the other humans will still be able to live here.”

Bornon grunted. “I’ll believe that when I see it. If the necromancer isn’t planning on taking over, then what the hell is she doing?”

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“I’m… not sure I can explain it very well,” Kano said, frowning, “but basically there’s a big network of souls here that someone built. She found that, and she’s trying to figure out how that works so she can build one herself. Once that’s done, she’ll be out of here, and you guys can have the place to yourselves.”

Bornon didn’t look too happy, but he relaxed. “Fine. If that’s the price we have to pay to get this place back, then I can accept that. We don’t need whatever thing you’re talking about, and I doubt a necromancer with a new toy will change anything. It’s not like things could get much worse out there.”

Kano nodded, satisfied. He’d proven to be more reasonable than she’d assumed. “Good. Now we need to get Rovon on board. Do you know where he is?”

“Yeah.”

“All right. Take me to him, and we’ll sort this whole thing out.”

As they left the room where Bornon had been, Thirty-Six joined them. Walking beside Kano, she looked up at Bornon. “I’m glad Kano didn’t have to kill you.”

“Yeah,” Bornon said, clearing his throat, “me too.”

Following Bornon, they made their way down several flights of stairs until Kano was sure they were below ground level. She hadn’t even realized the complex continued so far down; it was even larger than she’d thought.

“What is he doing down here, anyway?” she asked.

“Err, I’m not too sure, really,” Bornon said. “He said he was going to find some way to stop the necromancer. Beyond that, I have no idea.” He licked his lips. “We should probably hurry. Just in case.” They picked up the pace, though not too much, out of consideration for Thirty-Six.

Kano wasn’t sure how much stock to put in Bornon’s fears. She could imagine all manner of dangerous things stored in the building based on what she’d seen so far. But Bornon also seemed to worry overmuch, especially where the facility was concerned. Balancing the two against each other, Kano decided it was better to be on the safe side. They could figure out how much of a threat Rovon posed after they’d put a stop to whatever he was planning.

So long as she had a chance to talk with him, she didn’t think he’d be that difficult to convince. Not when she had reason on her side. The facility changed as they entered the portion of it below ground. Gone were the familiar walls of polished steel; in their place was dull, gray concrete. Kano wasn’t sure if the area had been built before or after the rest of the facility, but she figured it had to have been one or the other.

It didn’t fit with the rest of the building at all. She could believe it was built by the same people, though—the complete lack of taste was apparent in both sections. Though being underground didn’t bother her, it occurred to her that Thirty-Six might not like it.

“Are you okay with being down here?” Kano asked.

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Well… you spent almost your whole life living underground in that terrible place. I thought it might bring back some bad memories.”

Thirty-Six shook her head. “It’s okay. I don’t think about that place anymore. You’re here anyway, so it’s nothing like where I used to live.”

Kano was relieved. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about that. All that was left was whatever this other human was planning. She wasn’t sure what would warrant storing all the way underground like this, but it couldn’t be anything good. The worst-case scenario she could come up with was that it contained a powerful explosive, sufficient enough to destroy the whole place. She clenched her hands into fists. That was something she couldn’t allow. Not if she wanted any kind of future. “How much farther is it?”

“Not sure,” Bornon said. “But it can’t be that much farther. We’ve been walking for ages.”

The stairs gave away to a wide concrete tunnel. It sloped downward, leading deep beneath the earth. There was nothing to mark how far they’d come or what was ahead. Had Rovon traveled all this way on his own? It seemed hard to believe for a man who’d had trouble walking unassisted. Was it possible that Bornon was lying and this was all a trap?

She glanced over at him—he looked relaxed. But was that because his fears were assuaged or because things were going according to plan? She regretted bringing Thirty-Six along; she didn’t want the little ghoul around if things got dangerous. Then again, what choice did she have? She could bring her down here or leave her with Yon. Neither choice seemed conducive to Thirty-Six’s safety. Well, there was nothing for it now. If Bornon was planning something, she’d deal with it when it happened.

She followed him, keeping him within reach. The tunnel terminated in a large circular room. Monitor screens were embedded in the wall, alongside a great many gauges and displays. Rovon stood inside, hunched over a control panel with his back to them.

“What’s he doing?” Kano asked.

Bornon shrugged. “No idea.” He called out to his fellow human, and Rovon turned around.

“What are you all doing down here?” he asked, closing the distance between them.

Kano was surprised by how calm he seemed, like there was nothing wrong at all. Strange as it was, there was nothing threatening about him as he walked over. Though she couldn’t imagine him posing much of a threat while empty-handed.

“He told me you were trying to stop Yon taking over the center,” Kano said, gesturing toward Bornon. The human had the grace to look embarrassed.

“That’s right,” Rovon said. “I’d decided it was prudent to take a few precautions in case something happened.”

Much as Kano liked the sound of what he was saying, his actions didn’t match his words. Whatever he was doing down here with that machine seemed more substantial than mere precautions. “And what exactly is it you’re doing?”

The human smiled, looking at peace with the world. It put Kano even more on edge.

“I was trying to set up safeguards,” he said, “to prevent the necromancer from taking control of anything important. But I discovered something far more important than that petty squabble: The true purpose of this facility.”

Kano’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Didn’t you already know what this place was for?”

“It’s likely that I did when I was still functioning as the Overmind. But being disconnected stripped me of any such knowledge. It seems that whoever made this facility was quite paranoid. Rightfully so, given that it was part of humanity’s last true hope for the future.”

“Last hope?” Kano asked. “What do you mean?”

“The dire straits of humanity are no great secret; I’m sure you’re aware of that much. This facility, and the system contained within it, was intended to create a new home for humanity. One where they could be safe from the horrors that plague this world and threaten their very existence.” His tranquil façade broke down, and he laughed. “But they failed. All they accomplished was to trap the souls of themselves and every one of their test subjects.”

He was having trouble getting the words out as his laughter became increasingly unhinged, tears streaming down his face. “They set out to create a paradise, but all they accomplished was to trap themselves in a hell of their own design.”