Quanta Reset

by Lola Dodge

  Chapter Sixteen

  ALTAIR

  The journey tested my instincts. And my willpower.

  I trusted Eva’s arrangements. Cipher had provided us with new digital identities, we had tech to scramble facial recognition scanners, and Eva’s network of spies helped us get from transpo to transpo on our way to Penghu.

  Everything was neat and handled.

  But Quanta and I were wanted. We could be exposed at any moment, and every league we traveled took us that much farther from the lab and Eva’s help.

  Each time we switched cars or took a pod, I resisted the urge to turn back, but Quanta kept moving determinedly ahead. I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her.

  No matter how wrong this felt.

  I looked her over yet again while we stood waiting for the ferry to Penghu. She vibrated with tension as she stared out at the waves. “Are you seeing something?”

  “Nothing specific. Yet.” She rubbed her temples. A headache?

  “Hold on a little longer.” The serum had seemed to be helping her, but it had been a long and mostly sleepless trip. I needed to get my mobile lab going and contact Eva as soon as we found a place to stay. We could keep tweaking the formula.

  “I can make it.” Quanta brought her focus back to me. “It’s cake now that we’re out of the crowds.”

  “Cake?”

  She shrugged. “It’s easier, anyway.”

  Her words did nothing to ease my mind.

  When the ferry finally docked, a few passengers hurried off without looking our way. Their shoulders were hunched, and all of them carried what I suspected were their entire life’s possessions in duffels and sacks.

  We were heading in while everyone else fled.

  “One more reset?” Quanta asked.

  “Yes.” We settled onto a bench on the deck and Quanta gripped my hand.

  For a split second, my vision doubled and two desolate seascapes blurred in front of me. A shiver rolled down my spine, but the sensation passed sooner than expected. “That was the fastest yet.”

  “I’ve got this part down.” Quanta kept hold of my hand, but wouldn’t meet my gaze. “The rest…”

  “You can relax. We’re almost there, and if anything happens, we have this point to return to.” I kept my voice firm, but I wondered if I was lying. She looked well enough right now, but I was worried about the accumulated strain. After weeks of poor sleep and being haunted by her timeghosts, winding back time might be more than she could handle.

  We couldn’t put ourselves in any unnecessarily risky situations. Beyond being here.

  Just breathing was a risk in this hostile territory.

  Her tone dripped accusation. “You’re not relaxing.”

  “Not anytime soon.” We had the coordinates for the skate park, but it obviously wasn’t a place the clone regularly visited. At best, we’d find another lead that we’d have to hunt down. It seemed like the setup for a wild goose chase, but at least it would keep Quanta focused on a problem she could solve.

  Part of me hoped we found nothing.

  She grumbled. “I’ll find something.”

  I stiffened. Did you read that in my thoughts?

  “I don’t think so…” She leaned into my shoulder. “I have too much of a headache.”

  I smoothed her hair. “Rest a little. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

  “Mm.” She closed her eyes.

  As the ferry chopped across the waves, I tried to focus on our mission, but the truth rang clear in my thoughts. I cared more about keeping Quanta safe than I did about finding the clone.

  Chapter Seventeen

  QUANTA

  Penghu. Pengwho. Pengwhere.

  I kept repeating the name of the island and changing it as the ferry wobbled closer to the pier. My nerves jangled, striking a deadly harmony with the headache that hadn’t left my skull in hours. I squinted at the late afternoon light and tried to get my bearings before they got shattered by timeghosts, because this place wasn’t the sleepy little fishing island I’d been imagining.

  We weren’t docked yet, but we were close enough to get the gist of the mad bustle on shore. Hawkers screamed, but they weren’t advertising the catch of the day.

  Most of the yelling was in Chinese, but I heard enough English to get the idea.

  “Processors here!”

  “Smart serums! Fresh from Theta!”

  “Trading credits!”

  I didn’t dare let go of Tair’s hand. The black market shoppers wore hoods and dark clothes, and going by the general vibe of seediness… I had a feeling I wouldn’t want anything to do with the ghosts attached to this crowd.

  My dark sweater and leggings would kind of blend in, and Tair’s jeans and hooded shirt were nothing special, but Tair…

  He’d obviously noticed the black market vibe before me, because he was slouching a little and trying to hide his ultra-straight posture. It was a good effort, but his features were too smooth, and you couldn’t tell what race he was supposed to be, but it looked way too perfect to be natural. He might as well roll up his sleeve and flash the Green Helix.

  I hadn’t come from a catalog the same way he had, but I was definitely from a test tube, and the difference stuck out when everyone around us was pure Void. The people thronging had zero sense of sameness or order. They sported elaborate tattoos and crazy hair colors, and represented every size and shape and skin tone I could imagine.

  Our boat driver tied off and went straight to the line of people waiting to board. Tair’s expression darkened. It was a bad sign that we were the only ones who wanted on to the island.

  “Let’s get into the city.” He shouldered his pack and kept a tight grip on my hand as we entered the crowd.

  I still didn’t see any fish for sale, but I smelled them along with a hint of spices and the reek of the sludgy harbor water. People pressed against us until sweat dripped down my back. Without Tair, I’d be lost in more timeghosts than I could fathom.

  Eventually we crossed from the wooden pier to a stretch of worn asphalt. A food market spread out next to the harbor, but we headed away from the water and toward the cluster of buildings that formed the “city.”

  If that was what we were calling it.

  Apartment buildings leaned together and laundry hung from every barred window. There was nothing green or growing. Signs sprouted out from the buildings, and every message was written in at least four languages.

  My heart pumped faster. I’d been ready to leave my comfort zone, but this…

  We were a world away from Eva’s help, and I hadn’t expected there to be so many people. Whenever I let go of Tair, I was going to have a crazy number of timeghosts knocking at my brain.

  Tair led us down an alley, and we stopped in front of a lopsided apartment tower with a flickering vacancy sign. A few minutes later, we had our very own closet room. We tossed our duffels on the bed and stood in the little aisle of space between it and the wall. There was a pull-down table, a claustrophobic bathroom, and a teeny window high in the wall.

  I braced for the inevitable. I was going to have to let go of him. “How many people do you think have died in this room?” Going by the stains on the bed sheets, I was guessing at least three—some more recently than others.

  “Zero. Let’s keep it that way.”

  I pushed the bags away with my foot, making room on the bed. That should leave him enough space to maneuver around and bulk up our security. “Don’t get worried if I trance out for a while.” I’d been hanging onto Tair for so long, timeghosts were going to be a major shock to my system.

  “I’ll be right here.”

  “Thanks.” Gathering my willpower, I let go of his hand.

  The breath whooshed out of me.

  A baby wails from its blanket on the floor; a couple screams, trading insults back and forth; a junkie rocks in the corner, rubbing her arms covered in serum patches; two men kiss deeply; a girl hums to herself as she hangs damp laundry on a r
ack; dogs circle and bark on the street, growling and howling; a mother spoons rice into her children’s bowls; Tair pulls me close, whispering in my ear; a girl screams my name over and over again from the other side of the door, but I don’t recognize her voice; I fall to my knees in the courtyard, and as soon as I hit the ground, people start clapping their hands to their ears. Their screams choke off, and the oppressive silence spreads—

  I sucked in a breath, forcing myself back to the present.

  “Okay?” Tair asked.

  “So far.” I tucked my shaking hands under my legs, hoping he wouldn’t notice how worried I really was. The worst future was still really disturbingly possible, but it wasn’t solid yet.

  More a reminder than a promise. I hoped.

  Either way, that was all the more reason to keep pushing myself. I needed to get past all the fluff ghosts and find the goal. Where’s the clone?

  Figures fuzzed into view, but I dug until I was gasping and couldn’t get a glimpse of her. I only paused when pain stabbed so hard I couldn’t see straight.

  Tair had finished setting up the room. He’d put out some gadgets to muffle anyone who tried listening in and added security cams and alarm things.

  “Home sweet home.” I leaned back against my duffel bag.

  “Hopefully we won’t be here long.” Tair finally sat on the bed and pulled down the table to start digging out his science gear.

  “How close is the skate park?” I didn’t feel up for much hiking. Just the hours of travel would’ve been draining without the constant threat of getting caught and the ghost army popping in every time I let go of Tair’s hand. All I wanted to do was shower and find out what kind of terrible sleep I could get on this concrete slab of a bed, but we weren’t here to get comfortable.

  “In walking distance, although I’m not sure we should head straight there.” He fiddled with his kit of tools. “Eva sent a list of other locations that could be promising.”

  “That sounds right.” We’d seen a capture—not a social visit. But the Reds had been at the park when they got taken, and there had to be a reason. Fugitives wanted by the Seligo didn’t usually hang around practicing their kickflips.

  “For you.” Tair handed me a fresh serum patch.

  I peeled the old one off my upper arm and stuck the new one in its place. Whatever was in the formula was making me feel a bunch less raw and woozy, and that gave me hope.

  I could do this. “Let’s try to hit as many spots as we can tonight.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. We don’t have time to wait around.” Although… I plucked at my sweater. “We need to work on blending.”

  “I noticed.” Tair unzipped his duffel and started pulling out piles of clothes. “Sam sent us with plenty of outfits. We can make better choices now that we’ve seen what it’s like.”

  I eyed the options. A lot of them looked holey and skimpy. None looked comfortable. “What kinds of places are on our list?”

  “It’s a mix. A few markets, some other parks, a handful of clubs…”

  The timeghosts shifted, flashing me a sketchy future Quanta who wore a spangly, back-baring top and a miniskirt so tiny it may as well have been a belt. I groaned.

  “What are you seeing?” Tair asked.

  “It’s not fit to share.” I squinted at the ghost as future Tair appeared at her shoulder. His glasses were gone and his hair was gelled to one side. He wore fingerless gloves that went up to his elbows, covering his Helix…

  But no shirt whatsoever. It seemed fair. I’d wear my costume as long as I got to see him in his.

  “Now what?”

  “Nothing.” I tried to keep down a grin, but didn’t totally manage. While Tair stared at me all suspicious, I took the liberty of digging the key pieces out of his pack and handing them over. “The future says you should wear this.”

  He eyed the tiny pile. “The future didn’t give me a shirt?”

  I shrugged. “I’m just the vessel.”

  He shook his head and dug out a clean tee before heading to change in the bathroom. So much for my fun.

  Digging through my own pack, I found the spangly blue shirt of doom and the miniskirt of my nightmares. I didn’t mind showing skin, but I wanted to blend on the street more than I wanted to blend at any dance clubs we might or might not end up at. I tugged a pair of leggings on under the skirt, and found an ultrathin zip-up jacket that would cover the worst of the spangles.

  A steady stream of timeghosts layered over the present, but they mostly had to do with our tiny room or the building. I had to get out if I was going to find any promising leads.

  I had to find something. Just one glimpse of the clone was all I needed. Then we’d have somewhere to start.

  When Tair came back out, his hair was gelled up just like I’d foreseen, and I grinned even though he’d put on the shirt after all. I liked all versions of him so far, but Void Tair was particularly tasty.

  I squinted at him. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, but something else was different…

  Tair cracked a smile. “Eyeliner.”

  “Oh.” The way he’d smudged it did make him look a little messier than usual.

  “We should’ve added some tattoos before we left.” He sat on the bed and pulled a tiny plastic pouch out of my bag. “Makeup is the best we can do for now.”

  “I have plenty tattoos.” Between the shimmery raven on my hand and the Helix on my hip, I had enough trouble.

  “Temporaries.” Tair unzipped the makeup pouch. “It’s too late, anyway.”

  I eyed the sticks and pots of colors. “You’re going to have to help me with this.” I could draw on paper, but putting stuff on my face on purpose seemed weird.

  He chose a stick. “Close your eyes?”

  My chest tingled as he worked. His fingers were soft and gentle as he lined my eyes, then brushed powders onto my face. “Where did you learn this? Cassie?”

  “Never.” His chuckle washed over me. “She’d rather die than let me do her makeup.”

  “So where?” I always glimpsed stray bits of his past, but it was more fun when he told me himself.

  “Theater was part of my training for upward mobility. In retrospect, I doubt my parents would’ve let me study acting.” Old bitterness snuck into his voice.

  “At least you learned things.” I didn’t think of myself as incapable, but Tair was this crazy Swiss Army knife of a human being. He could probably do anything.

  I was more a melon baller—really great for one thing and just weird the rest of the time.

  Maybe that was why we worked.

  “All done.” Tair rezipped the pouch and I opened my eyes.

  He gazed down at me with a complicated expression. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking, but it looked like sadness was pinching his eyes. I rose onto my knees to kiss his forehead. “I’m glad we don’t live in the past.”

  He blinked, then smiled, finally softening out. “So am I.”

  All that was left was to arm up. Tair hid a couple of guns and knives in his pants somehow. He also offered me a gun, but I had to pass. I hadn’t gotten to practice with live weapons yet, and I doubted my VR gaming skills would carry into real life right away. There was definitely a future where I accidentally shot my foot. I’d survive the pain but not the embarrassment.

  Plus, I was basically a human weapon at this point.

  “Ready?” Tair asked.

  “Reset first.” I wasn’t taking any chances. Gripping Tair’s arm, I froze this moment in my mind.

  The narrow, musty room. Gear spread on every surface. Us in our costumes, ready to tackle this mission for better or worse.

  My vision doubled, and my head spun for a quick second. Then it was done. “We’re good.” A headache still drilled between my ears, but that was my new normal, so I did my best to ignore it. “Where to?”

  “The markets. Then we can try the skate park. We’ll do clubs after sunset, assuming you’re still up to
it and we don’t find anything before that.”

  We’d better find something.

  Then again, I wouldn’t be crushed if we ended up dancing all night. I’d never been, and it would be nice to do something purely for fun.

  Just once.

  I sighed. I wasn’t picking up too many specific timeghosts, but nothing in the horde of possible futures said fun was on the menu tonight.

  We had way too much work to do.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ALTAIR

  After the outfit adjustment, we blended in more naturally. The illusion wouldn’t hold long if we were examined, but no one in the crowd was inclined to stare. People kept their eyes on their own business and moved quickly through the trash-lined alleys.

  I concentrated on our surroundings, trying to catalog the groups of people, establish landmarks, and stay wary of any tails or security. Quanta kept hold of my hand, letting go every few minutes to check for leads in the ether.

  By the time we made it to the first market her posture sagged, and she was hunching into herself. She tended not to complain when things were serious, so I assumed she felt worse than she was admitting.

  I pushed down the inevitable spike of panic.

  I’d drag Quanta back to our room if she started looking any worse, but in the meantime…

  We were already here. Neither of us would feel good staying cooped up in that closet when we could be searching for intel.

  A quick sweep of the market revealed nothing out of the ordinary, so I tugged Quanta to a stop in front of a food stall. The woman was cutting luóbo gāo into rectangles and then frying them to a golden brown. The recipe usually included sausage and shrimp—at least the version Mother had always ordered our chefs to prepare did—but the characters on the woman’s sign said everything was vegetarian.

  Perfect for Quanta. I paid local coin for two and handed the crispier one to her. “Radish cake?”

  She eyed it with deep suspicion. “Radish and cake are not things that belong together.”

  “It’s not sweet.” I grinned at the expression on her face. “Try it. Vegetables only.” I took a bite of mine to encourage her. It tasted better than I remembered, with a perfect just-crispy outside and soft interior.