Chapter Forty

September 20X6, Stanford

We fall, seemingly in slow motion. My dress billows out like a parachute and I’m aware of everything at once—the pressure of Garrett’s fingers around mine, the laughter on his face, the twinkling stars strewn like glitter across the inky sky, the delight that bubbles from my stomach to my chest—until we land in the water with a subtle splash. The salty waves are luxuriously warm, and we instantly bob to the surface like we’re riding a current of balloons. The water level never dips below our shoulders and we roll onto our backs, floating, letting the tide take us wherever we’re supposed to be going while staring up at the impossible moon, our fingers still entwined.

A couple minutes later—too soon for my liking—an old-fashioned speedboat with a shiny mahogany-paneled exterior appears on the horizon. It looks like something out of a 1960s Italian movie.

“That must be our ride,” Garrett guesses, guiding us toward the silver ladder on the back of the boat.

I climb up first and crawl over the mint-green leather rear seat into the front seat. My clothes and hair again dry instantly, like they did on the plank after the storm.

Garrett follows me, but the moment he steps into the back seat a clear wall goes up between us and he freezes. Kneeling in the driver’s seat with my back to the steering wheel, I reach out to touch him, but the wall buzzes, vibrating with some invisible force.

He cocks his head to the side, his eyes flitting like he’s reading something.

“What do you see?” I ask, clinging to the seat to center myself against the undulating boat.

He sucks in his cheeks, his focus still on the wall that separates us, instead of looking through it to me. “It’s a maze. Can you see it?”

“No. All I can see is you.” Which isn’t unlike a maze. But I’m relieved I can hear him.

“It’s drawn here.” He traces an invisible line around the force field. “And there’s a keypad next to it with letters. I’m guessing the way through the maze is the map to where we’re going. Maybe we’ll find what letters we need to enter along the way. I think you’re going to have to drive and I’ll give you directions. Do you know how to hot-wire a boat?”

I glance over my shoulder at all the dials and knobs inlaid on the dashboard behind the ivory steering wheel. “No. But there’s a key in the ignition.” I bat my eyelashes at him.

He purses his lips. “Use that then.”

Grinning, I turn around and plop into the driver’s seat. The boat rumbles to life with a twist of the key.

“Go straight,” he yells over the purring engine.

I tug the throttle down and we jerk forward. My head snaps against the seat and he falls backward. “Easy.” He laughs, scrambling to his feet. “Maybe it’s time for that driving lesson.”

“Nah.” I giggle. Shifting to a lower speed, I get a feel for the power beneath my fingertips before I stand up to urge the boat faster. “I’ve got it now.” We cut cleanly through the water, skipping over waves and speeding toward the horizon. The wind pelts my cheeks, blowing my hair straight back, and a thrill dips in my belly. I can’t contain my smile.

“Left!” he yells.

Up ahead a red buoy floats in the water and I turn the wheel hard, swerving around it, splashing out a fan of water in our wake.

“That pilon had a letter G!” I call over my shoulder, hoping he can hear me.

“Great. Go left again.” I can barely make out his words above the whir of the engine and the wind battering my eardrums.

I turn left around another buoy.

“U!” I yell.

“Got it. Right, right, left!”

His directions are faint, but I follow them precisely and cleanly cut around another buoy.

“A!” I announce.

“Awesome. Keep going straight.”

I hold the boat steady, speeding ahead into the endless abyss, until a few minutes later, lights flickering along the coastline appear in the distance.

“Now what?” I shout.

“Keep going.” His voice is steady on the breeze.

“For how long?” The shore rapidly approaches, but I’m not worried. Even if we crash into it, we’ll be okay. I know it. Nothing can hurt us here. I hold the course, going full speed ahead.

“Almost there.” He pauses and I’m one with the wind until he yells, “Turn right. Now!”

Slamming the steering wheel to the right, I turn, hard, and water splays out to our left. “D!” I call, spying the red buoy.

“Guadalupe!” As soon as he declares it, the boat loses power and fizzles to a stop. “I remember the Guadalupe River on the map. I’m typing it in.”

I watch over my shoulder as he punches a keypad visible only to him. When he finishes, the invisible wall vanishes and Garrett climbs into the front seat with me.

“I guess we don’t need that driving date,” he says, settling close to me on the bench. He drapes his arm over the seatback so it hovers over my shoulders as a sail covered in tiny white fairy lights rises over our heads, casting us in soft light.

“Told you.” I shrug. Tilting my head back so it rests on his arm, I swing my gaze up to his. “But let me know if you want me to show you a thing or two.” I smile.

“I’d love that.” He smirks, his eyes holding mine and sending my heart straight to my toes.

The boat starts forward, slowly sailing of its own volition. A tropical breeze infused with earthy fire and decomposed leaves, hinting at fall, drifts over us and ruffles our hair.

Garrett tucks me into his side and rests his chin on my head as we sail up the Guadalupe River under an umbrella of towering trees, their twisted roots gripping the sides of the bank like fingers. Deep in the black woods on either side of us, crickets chirp out a sweet symphony. Fireflies burn, yellow beacons sparkling like magic in my periphery, but nothing can distract me from Garrett’s smoldering presence next to me that has my nerve endings tingling. He absorbs all my attention and I bask in the warmth of his arms.

“This would be a great place for a safehouse.” He breaks the quiet, his fingers tracing the shape of a key on my arm. “It would be easy to get lost out here.” There’s an invitation in his eyes.

Remembering the last time we were alone together in a forest safehouse, my breath hitches. “Are safehouses always in trees?” I squirm out from under his arm, needing space before I act on the feverish ache the memory brings and straddle his lap.

“Only the best ones.” He drags me back to his side, back under his spell, and brushes his fingertips tenderly across my cheek before tipping my chin up. “Hopefully, I can show you one again sometime.”

A spark ignites deep in my gut. “Again?” I bite my lip, unable to resist testing the waters. “I thought we agreed not to talk about that night.”

A slow smile plays on his lips as he takes me in. “Since when do we stick to agreements?” His hand slides to the back of my neck, sending a hot shiver through me.

“Great question.” I exhale and let myself be sucked into his vortex, if only for a minute.

He presses his forehead to mine and my brain short-circuits, my synapses firing at light speed and sending me into a whirl. His breath is hot as his lips lightly brush mine, and I open for him, chest heaving, desperate for the pressure of his kiss.

But it doesn’t come.

The boat bumps against the riverbank, jarring us apart. Enough space is wedged between us for me to gather my wits, to remind me I’m not invincible when it comes to Garrett. Even if I trust him, I don’t know if I trust whoever he’s working for. I’m still missing something, I’m sure of it. It’s best to keep my guard up, no matter how much I want to surrender to him.

Straightening the bodice on my dress, I compose myself. “We agreed. That night never happened,” I say through clenched teeth.

“As you wish.” Pressing his lips together, he runs his fingers through his hair, taking a minute to pull himself together, too, but he doesn’t argue any further. Instead, he scrambles out of the boat then turns and offers me his hand.

Scoffing at his help, I clamber out the boat on my own, landing with wobbly legs on the shore.

Not far away, three carriages wait on the edge of the woods. One is made entirely of cut glass—fit for Cinderella. The second is covered in black roses, and the third is bedazzled with precious jewels—rubies, emeralds, amethyst. A moving treasure chest.

“Which one do we choose?” Garrett gives me a wide berth, his hands shoved into his pockets—something tells me to keep them to himself.

My insides get all fluttery at the notion and I immediately shut the thought down.

“The gems are the obvious choice since they match the key.” I force my focus back to the game. “But my instinct says roses—there were black roses on the dinner table—even though they’re a little morbid.”

“I trust your instincts.” He heads toward the rose-covered carriage without waiting for me and mounts three short steps before disappearing inside.

By the time I catch up with him and sink onto the velvety black seat across from him, he’s sitting casually with his ankle resting on his opposite knee, munching on chocolates. Whatever heat transpired between us earlier is safely tucked away and his usual nonchalant glitter has returned to his eyes.

“Want one?” He thrusts a silver tray holding fancy chocolate roses decorated with pastel sugar petals and gold-leaf glitter toward me.

“Do you think it’s okay?” I wrinkle my nose. “I’m afraid I’ll tumble into some Alice in Wonderland simulation if I eat one.” The carriage lurches so that I’m riding backward, and we roll into the woods toward wherever our destination is.

He shrugs. “That hasn’t happened to me.”

“Yet.”

He arches an eyebrow and makes a show of sampling another chocolate. “We don’t have time for fairy tales, Ellie. Besides. They’re really good. I think they’re a gift from Dr. Nasif. Try one.”

I wait expectantly for him to turn into a toad, my stomach growling. When he doesn’t turn green, I sigh and give in. After choosing a milk chocolate rose with a white chocolate swirl, I take a bite. The fudgy shell gives way to a molten caramel-rose center. The luscious, salty-sweet creaminess melts in my mouth and it’s so good I almost melt right along with it.

“Told you.” His mouth curls up at the corner. “Simulation food is the best food. A simple trick of the mind.”

“It’s pretty good,” I say, refusing to give him the satisfaction of being right. Besides, the truth is, it’s not the most delicious thing that’s been on my lips today—not that I’d ever tell him that—but then a shadow crosses his face and I get the impression he already knows.

He’s thinking it, too.

My heart thumps hard, but blessedly the carriage comes to a stop before I act on my desires and curl up on the seat next to him to pick up where we left off in the boat.

The carriage door automatically opens. Garrett jumps out first, seeming way too composed.

Frowning, I swallow a last bite of chocolate and exit the carriage.

We’re standing in front of a huge rock formation at the mouth of a cave.

“I guess we go in?” I squint into the black hole. “How much time do we have left?” My stomach twists, not wanting the simulation to end. Will he go back to being Beau after this?

Garrett checks his watch. “Maybe fifteen minutes. We should hurry.”

He takes my arm and we rush inside.

To my relief, as we enter, the ceiling opens high above us. White light peeks in from an unseen source overhead, illuminating glittering rock formations dripping with water and covered with sleeping bats.

“Let’s not wake them,” Garrett whispers, his fingers tightening around my bicep.

We tiptoe along a paved path carved between tall stalagmites jutting up from the floor and lit from below with white lights, casting ominous shadows on the stone walls. The only sound beyond our footsteps is water dripping from the icicle-like stalactites dangling over our heads as the trail descends sharply, winding around rock formations, deeper and deeper into the belly of the cave. I expect it to get cold this far underground, but the air stays surprisingly humid and warm.

The paved path turns to rock and we come to a crossroads. Two tunnels jut in opposite directions. One path’s rocks are lit with purple light, the other with red.

“What are your instincts?” Garrett whispers. “Red or purple.”

“Wait,” I say, remembering the key from the Captain’s room. “The key.”

He pulls it out of his pocket and studies the jewels on the handle. “It’s a map. We should take the red path.” He points to the first jewel in the handle, a blood-red ruby.

We follow the key’s trail, choosing the paths lit with colors that correspond to the gems, until we enter in a cavernous room where the humid air is laced with chlorine. Stalactites lit in rainbow colors drip from the ceiling, the shimmering reflection of a bottomless turquoise pool rippling over them.

“Do you think the treasure is in there?” I peer past mossy stones into the water’s murky depths, to see if I can make out what I imagine would be a large wooden chest.

“Do you want to dive in and find out?”

A giant crab climbs out of the water, scuttling over a rock, and I shake my head. “No thanks.”

“What’s that over there?” He points over the pool to three rocks that come together, forming the shape of a keystone where they meet.

“Is it a keyhole?” I lower my brow, unsure what the significance of the keystone is, if any. It could be a coincidence, but I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing inside this simulation and my ribs contract.

We hike over the jutting rocks surrounding the pool until we reach the keyhole. Having no time to waste, Garrett inserts the key. The moment he turns the handle, the water in the basin drains away, revealing a black plastic box, no larger than a shoe box, sitting on the muddy floor.

“That can’t be the treasure.” My voice echoes across the hardscape without the water to soften the sound. “Can it? It’s not very fancy.”

“Only one way to find out.” He offers me his hand. “Are you with me?”

“But how do we get down there?” Hoping he’s not suggesting what I think he’s suggesting, I scan the rock formations for a trail but come up empty. “It’s too high to jump.”

“Definitely.” He grins. “We slide.”

My jaw drops but before I can protest, he yanks me down into the muddy pit.

I scream, my stomach bottoming out as we skid down the slimy wall, and I punch the air, hoping to connect with his face, but he falls faster than me and quickly loses his grip on my hand.

We land with a splat.

He laughs as I wipe the mud from my face, probably making a bigger mess of myself.

“Not funny.” I throw a mud patty at him, which he easily dodges. Unfortunately.

The rainbow lights illuminating the stalactites overhead go momentarily dark and a voice announces, “Five minutes remaining.”

I tense and he jumps to his feet.

Sobered by the time crunch, I clamber to mine as well.

We hurry to the black box and I pick it up, weighing it in my hands. It’s surprisingly light.

“This can’t be the treasure.” I frown. “And where is the Captain? Something’s wrong.” My insides heave and the first inkling of doubt since we entered the Simulation enters my mind. “Did we take the wrong carriage?”

“Open it.” Garrett tips his chin up, motioning his suggestion. “Maybe it’s another clue.”

I shake my head. “It seems too easy. There’s no lock.” Twisting my lips, I unclasp the lid and lift it off the box with trembling fingers. Nestled inside, on a bed of black rose petals, is a black cylinder with a red button on one end, lying next to a revolver.

The cave sways around me and avoiding the gun, I pick up the black cylinder. The initials JFK are etched in the side. “What is this?” Fearing I already know the answer, my heart thuds.

Garrett cocks his head. “It looks like a detonator. Do you think it’s the one from the Warhol tape? That would be a treasure.”

I drop the detonator, like it scalded me. “What?” My breath freezes in my lungs as worlds converge. “What’s going on? What is this doing here? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Ellie.” Garrett cups my cheek and tips my face up so our eyes can meet. His bore into mine. “You’ve been brought here for a reason. We can end it all right now. The Mind Uploads. The brainwashing. The Networks. We can reset everything. Start over. Build a world that’s right. Without technology, the possibilities are endless.”

No. My skin goes cold and my sinuses burn.

The rainbow rocks brighten with color at the same time the voice from before announces, “One minute remaining. Counting down. Sixty, fifty-nine…”

I ignore the countdown. “But you said the EMPs could take out half the world’s population,” I whisper, searching his face for the Garrett I know. The Garrett I miss. The Garrett I love. In this moment I know with striking clarity that I love him.

“Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good. For the good of humanity.” He picks up the detonator and presents it to me. “Should we press it together?”

“For the good of humanity? Killing half the world isn’t saving humanity.” My vision blurs as tears overflow down my cheeks.

“But this will stop the Super Brain. Isn’t that what you want?” His eyes are dead serious. They’re missing Garrett’s spark but they’re familiar.

It hits me who they remind me of.

Nash’s eyes.

Something is wrong. If the person isn’t acting like themselves, the Sim isn’t working, it isn’t them.

“Thirty, twenty-nine…” the countdown continues.

My thumb cramps as an unseen force compels me to press the button.

It would be so satisfying. The world would finally understand that technology is evil. They’d see it our way. We’d live like kings.

The thirst for power is real, the messaging alive in my mind.

Do it and nothing can keep us apart. We can be together on our own terms.

It’s all I can do to keep my hand from going to the trigger. The button is a magnet for my thumb, begging to be pressed.

No.

My instincts take over and I don’t think, I act.

Picking up the revolver, I look Garrett straight in the eye as I aim and pull the trigger. The bullet blasts out of the chamber, the recoil propelling me backward, but not before I see it connect with its target, exploding Garrett’s chest.

Then everything goes black.