BANG.
I jerked back in shock as Tack fell. Landed with a thud. Never moved.
Min’s scream tore across the square. I stood, blinking, unable to process as she threw herself on his body, crying hysterically.
No shimmer. No movement. The crazy bastard must’ve known he was on the line. He’d stolen my gift right from my fingers and given his own.
Hands reached for Min, but she swatted them away, blubbering, beyond consolation. I stood over her, frozen like a statue.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I was about to redeem myself. I was going to make good on my mistakes. Part of me was furious with Tack—always the hero, always the grand gestures—while another part of me sagged with relief.
“Min,” I started, but got no further. I didn’t know what to say. There were no words. Tack was really gone this time. He wasn’t coming back.
As if in response to my thought, Tack’s body vanished. Min was left gripping air. She shot to her feet in surprise, an impossible hope blooming on her face. “Did he . . . did he reset?”
Derrick ran to the crater where we’d laid the others to rest. “Toby’s gone, too. They’re all gone!” He spun, eyes narrowing. “What the hell’s happening now?”
Suddenly, the sky blinked. A flash of white, then everything went black. A moment later the sun returned, beaming down on a completely different valley.
Every building in town was back, standing in perfect condition.
The statue by the fountain was restored. Clean air, with no trace of smoke. I looked down at the lake and its lapping blue waters. Realized I was hot, suffocating in my winter jacket. I shed the garment to the verdant grass beneath my feet—no snow, no blood-drenched slush—and let a gentle mountain breeze ruffle my scruffy hair.
Jessica Cale pointed across the lake. “Look! The fire’s gone!”
It was true. Near the edge of sight, my neighborhood rose in tiers from the opposite shore, familiar bay windows gleaming at its highest point. I had to squint, realized my senses had dulled to normal.
Fire Lake was restored, everything back to the way it had been when we’d first awakened in this very square, months ago. It seemed like this time, the Program had reset.
“Phase Two,” Derrick breathed. “It’s over.”
Min was on her feet, eyes wet, the only one not gaping in wonder at the restored valley. I understood. Tack was truly gone, left behind in the nightmare. Twenty of us remained, but he wasn’t one of them.
“He gave me everything,” Min whispered. “Over and over.” She looked at me, all the hurt in the world filling her eyes. “I killed him, Noah. It’s my fault. If it weren’t for me, he’d be here.”
I crushed her in a hug. “Don’t even try to think that. Tack made a choice. He saved us.”
Min buried her head in my shirt, shuddering as her fingers clawed my chest. I wanted to say something perfect, to fix the pain inside her, but I knew that was impossible. Min had lost her best friend and felt responsible for it. There’s no pushing that kind of guilt aside.
“Holy crap, look!” Ethan had stripped down to a T-shirt, was pointing at Main Street.
The door to Town Hall stood open.
The Guardian was striding onto the square.
Min pushed away from me, glaring hatred at her father. I was afraid she’d charge him—gnash her teeth and beat him with her fists—but then the energy seemed to drain out of her all at once. She simply watched Black Suit approach the fountain and turn to face us.
I felt an instinctive panic, gazing upon my longtime tormenter, yet I gathered around him with the others and waited. Maybe we really were the sheep Toby named us.
“Phase Two is complete.” The Guardian clasped his hands before him as if concluding a sacred ritual. “Congratulations. You’ve survived the refinement process and been selected for regeneration. You’ll live again.”
Even after the slaughter of the last few days, people couldn’t suppress their smiles. Something budded inside me that I hadn’t felt in months: hope. Suddenly, there was a light in the darkness. This terrible, brutal, despicable man was offering it to me. I wanted it more badly than I could possibly describe.
“My best friend is dead,” Min said bitterly, staring at her father. “Thomas Russo. Went by Tack. You never knew him because you abandoned me for my entire life, but he was a good person. He shot himself in the head to finish your game. I hate you forever, Dad.”
Black Suit removed his sunglasses, revealing crestfallen gray-green eyes. I took an involuntary step back. Seeing something human in this man—the beast that had stalked and killed me as a child—made my stomach churn.
“Last night I created a subroutine,” the Guardian said. “The eliminated codes have been placed in a loop. They will continue to exist inside the MegaCom for as long as it runs, in virtual Fire Lake, under the conditions you see now. The day will repeat itself endlessly. So you see, they won’t even know they’ve failed. It’s the best I could do for them. I did this for you.”
Min stared at her father, a fierce intensity sharpening her gaze. But whatever she wanted to say at that moment, she kept it bottled inside.
“Can you stop Sarah?” Ethan demanded. “I want her to pay for what she’s done.”
The Guardian turned his cold regard on him. “Recriminations serve no further purpose. Sarah Harden has no control in Phase Three. None of you can harm each other from this point forward. Note that your weapons are gone.”
My hands darted to my pockets. He was right—the snub-nosed .22 I always carried was missing. Empty searches by others confirmed that the Guardian was telling the truth.
“Sarah played the game better than the rest of you,” the Guardian said, “and without the malice many of you held. There’s no point in grudges now. You all did what you thought was best. The Program made demands, and you responded. From this moment forward, you are one team. You are the future of life on Earth. Put away your petty grievances. They won’t serve you where you’re going.”
“Where is that?” I blurted, unable to keep the words from escaping.
The wisp of a smile curled his lips. “You’re going home, Noah. Out of my grasp forever, and well wished. It’s time for you to return to life.”
“Now?” I didn’t understand. I glanced at Min, but she was somewhere else entirely. What the Guardian was saying made no sense. “You showed us the real Earth once before. It was all lava flows and choked skies. Nothing could survive there. How long will we have to wait?”
This time the Guardian smiled with genuine contentment. “Your minds adapted so well to the programming. This really has been a triumph for me, if I may toot my own horn. Surely you understand that time here is a variable like everything else.”
My mouth opened. Closed. I had no idea what he was talking about.
“How long?” Akio asked, his smooth cheeks scrunched in thought. “It’s been close to three months by my count, but what’s the real number?”
The Guardian spoke matter-of-factly. “This Program has been running for one million, three hundred and thirty-four thousand, seven hundred and forty-six years. And eight days.”
People cried out in shock. Ethan blinked rapidly, like a confused toddler. Rachel was shaking her head, one hand covering her mouth. I stumbled sideways, unmoored, unable to process the enormity of what he’d just said.
“Earth has healed, as it always does in the wake of Nemesis.” The smug bastard seemed to be enjoying himself. “It became inhabitable several thousand years ago, but Phase Two had to run its course.”
I felt light-headed. Staggered. We’d been squabbling for control over this tiny patch of existence for . . . eons. The thought made me seasick. Others were just as floored. Jessica Cale had wilted into Colleen Plummer’s arms. Sam sat down on the grass, hands on his head.
Min weaved between the others to stand before the Guardian. She met his eyes and stared into them. A tense moment passed, then her hand snaked out to slap him across the face. Except it stopped short, arrested by some invisible force mere inches from his cheek. Black Suit never flinched.
Min lowered her hand. Her head dropped to her chest. “What happens now?”
He spoke formally. “Project Nemesis is nearly complete.” A ripple flitted across the Guardian’s face, quickly covered. “The goals have been achieved. Are you ready to be reborn, daughter?”
Min nodded without looking up.
“Then lead your classmates to the silo. It’s time to reenter the world.”
The walk was surreal. We moved east down Main, headed for the government land. At the edge of town we reached the grocery store, restored to its former glory. Even stocked—Ethan actually had to unlock the door before we poured inside and started gorging ourselves. Weirdly, it felt like a celebration. Laughter sounded among the shell-shocked survivors.
The Guardian said nothing, smiling faintly. His indulgence killed my appetite. I dropped the Klondike bar I was eating and walked past him, found Min waiting outside.
I put my arms around her and we stood together silently, drinking in each other’s presence. She was as stiff as a toy robot, but when I asked what was wrong—what else was wrong, I guess—she only kissed my cheek and stepped away. Eventually the others came out and we continued down the road.
The silo’s outer door was unlocked, as was the blast door at the end of the corridor. We reached the missile shaft and circled the catwalk. “Noah, Ethan, and Min will come down in the first cage with me,” the Guardian ordered. “The rest of you can descend afterward in groups of four. Derrick, come down in the second group and gather everyone in the command center, then lead them to the lab complex. We’ll be waiting.”
Derrick nodded stiffly. Ethan stepped into the cage first, strangely quiet. I led Min to the opposite side. The Guardian stood between us and we started down. No one said a word at first, but as we passed the alcoves, Ethan finally spoke out.
“Survival supplies,” he muttered, waving a hand at the stacks of dusty crates. “This stuff wasn’t meant for us here—it’s for back in the real world.”
The Guardian nodded. “Everything you’ll need to rebuild society, assuming you don’t waste your energies fighting amongst yourselves, or take foolish risks.”
Awestruck, I scanned the cavern with fresh eyes. “How long did you plan this operation? Not the project, but you, personally. How many years did you work down here?”
The Guardian glanced at Min, who didn’t seem to notice. For a moment I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then, “All my life, Noah.”
We slid into the chute, dropping to the command level beneath the shaft’s concrete floor. The cage jerked to a halt and I opened the gate. Elevator doors parted, and the Guardian led us to the command center. There he paused a moment to regard the MegaCom, visible through the center panel, its blast curtain rolled back once more. The Guardian breathed deeply, then turned away, crossing to the bookcase and triggering the hidden release. The blast door at the far end stood open and we entered the lab complex.
Sarah was waiting in the conference room. She stood at the opposite side of the long table, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her eyes seemed red, but her posture was steady. Ethan sneered at her, a look of pure loathing contorting his features. Sarah met his glare squarely, then shrugged, turning her attention to Min.
“I did what I had to, Wilder. No hard feelings.”
Min shook her head softly. “Does it even matter now?”
Sarah pursed her lips, nodded. “No. But you should know this was never personal for me. I wanted to survive.”
“Oh, yes!” Ethan spat, his shoulders quivering. “You certainly did what you had to do.”
Sarah’s gaze flicked to mine, a flush coloring her cheeks. Then she regarded Ethan coolly. “I kept you alive, and now you’re here. Be grateful.”
Ethan’s finger shot out, angry words ready to explode, but the Guardian cut him off.
“Fighting now is pointless,” he scolded. “You each demonstrated your ability to survive and adapt, or you wouldn’t be here. Be content with your success.”
Ethan spun, stalked from the room. Sarah relaxed slightly, sitting down in a chair and licking her lips, her blue eyes narrowing as she appraised the Guardian. “I assume my access has been revoked?”
He nodded, taking a seat as well. “That’s over.”
I pulled out a chair for Min, and she slumped into it, but it was like she wasn’t really there. I began to worry. Min had been totally disconnected since we left town square. I knew Tack’s loss was eating at her, but for some reason I didn’t think that was all. Min didn’t look devastated, she looked . . . edgy. Distracted.
It took twenty minutes for Derrick to arrive with the others. The Guardian rose immediately and led everyone down the corridor to the clone chamber. It was cloaked in semidarkness, harsh lights shining over less than a third of the pedestals. Those who’d never seen the room before huddled together, apprehensive, staring at the grid of metal tubes. Everyone knew the rumor of what lay inside.
The Guardian clasped his hands behind his back. “Phase Two is complete. In a moment, I will accelerate the Program to the third and final phase: regeneration. System prep will take a few hours, but I wanted you to see this room. These tubes are empty now, but back on Earth, new bodies will be generated inside them to match your exact genetic blueprints. Then your unique electromagnetic signatures—the digital sequences you are now—will be inserted. You’ll live again.”
His gaze drifted to where Noah and I stood. “The cloning process has been tested. It works. You won’t notice a thing. This morning I ran diagnostics on the MegaCom, waking these functions for the first time in more than a million years. Everything responded perfectly.” The Guardian’s voice rose. “This is the most important scientific event in the history of mankind. An incredible achievement of ingenuity, mechanics, and durability that will culminate in a new genesis for the human race. Be proud you’re a part of it. Now, go and relax. The blast door leading out has been sealed for your protection, but the lab complex has diversions. The hour of your rebirth is almost at hand.”
We were dismissed.
We went.
I followed Min to the living quarters, trying to think of something to say. She’d remained silent during the Guardian’s speech. Tack would know just the right joke to snap her out of this funk, but I was hopeless in these situations. I began to worry that something was very wrong, or that she’d given up completely.
“You lived alone down here for two months?” I ventured.
Min’s head whipped to me, her gaze darting over my shoulder. The Guardian walked past us, heading toward the office suite. He hesitated a tick, breaking stride as if to stop and speak with us, but at the last second he continued on. When the doors closed behind him, Min grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into one of the sleeping pods.
“Looking for some alone time?” I joked lamely.
Min shut the door and spun, eyes gleaming. “Did you hear him?”
I pulled a face. “He said a lot of things, Min.”
“About the other codes,” she said impatiently, as if I should’ve been thinking about it, too. “They’re not erased! He put them in some kind of Groundhog Day feedback loop.”
My heart sank. I reached for her. “It’s better than nothing, Min. At least—”
She slapped my hands away, speaking excitedly. “If the eliminated codes aren’t erased, that means they’re still inside the MegaCom somewhere. In this system, with us. They’re not gone, Noah! Tack isn’t dead.”
I blinked. Hadn’t thought about it that way. “Well, I guess—”
Min was too amped to let me speak. She slammed a fist into her open palm. “If Tack can be inserted into a loop, he can be inserted into a clone. We just have to hack the system. Make the Program bring everyone back.”
I was shaking my head without meaning to. Improvisation had never been my strong suit. “But the Guardian said the carrying capacity is twenty. That’s what all the murder madness was about.”
“I don’t believe him!” Min’s fingers dug into her sides. “Do you really think a computer of this magnitude can’t manage a few redundancies? The MegaCom has been running for a million years, Noah. I’m sure it can handle more than ‘best practices.’ That prick just doesn’t want to risk it!”
I rubbed my temple, flustered by what she was suggesting. Unsure I wanted to risk it, either, but I’d made a promise. “So what do we do?”
“Find out how to hijack the system.” Her hands shot forward and grabbed the sides of my head. “We don’t get into those tubes until everyone is with us. I won’t leave Tack behind. I won’t, Noah.”
“Okay, okay!” Trying to wriggle from her grip. Min planted a rabbit kiss on my lips and let me go. “We’ll find a way. Somehow.” Then my shoulders fell. “You know what that means though, right?”
Min nodded. We spoke at the same time.
“Sarah.”