The bunker was quiet. The only sound was the drip of water from a leaky pipe and the low hum of Marco’s computers. Evan sat on the edge of a stained mattress. He looked at his hands. They were steady for now, but the skin was still a pale, ghostly color. His hair, once dark and full of life, was a mess of gray and silver. He felt like a book with half its pages ripped out.Mara was in the corner. She was working on a small mechanical device. Her face was hidden by her hair, but Evan could see her shoulders shaking. The reveal of the Architect had broken something inside her.Marco stood at a table. He was eating a can of cold beans with a plastic spoon. He looked perfectly calm, as if being chased by a time-god was just a normal Tuesday."You saved me," Evan said. His voice was a dry rasp.Marco didn't look up. He took another bite of beans. "I did. You’re welcome, by the way. I usually charge a fee for life-saving, but I’ll put it on your tab.""Why?" Evan asked. "You’re a grifter. Y

Evan won again. And again. He didn't use the Spark—not yet. He was just using the basic calculations of the System. He was being careful. He was being a "careful man," as Silas the Veteran had once called him.But the pot was growing. He had ten thousand credits now. Five months of medicine."Let’s make it interesting," the old man said. He pushed a stack of gold chips into the center. "Five thousand. One hand."Evan looked at the man. The man was smiling. He looked like a grandfather. But Evan saw the shadow in the man’s eyes.[ANALYSIS: PLAYER IS A CASINO PLANT.][THREAT: SCANNING IS ACTIVE UNDER THE TABLE.]"They’re onto us," Evan whispered."One more hand," Marco whispered back. "We need the essence. Vinnie keeps it in the case behind the dealer."Evan looked at the small, silver case on the shelf. Inside were three vials of glowing blue liquid. Crystalline Essence."Accept," Evan said to the old man.The dealer began to shuffle. The robotic arms moved so fast they were a blur.Ev

"We go together," Marco said. He reached into a crate and pulled out a heavy belt lined with small, silver cylinders. "I’ve got six more Spark-Crackers. And I’ve got a disruption field generator. It won't stop the Architect, but it might keep the Hollows from freezing us."Evan looked at Marco. "You don't have to do this, Marco. You’re a grifter. There’s no profit in this. You’re going to die."Marco stopped. He looked at his dirty hands. He looked at the small, cracked photo he kept in his pocket—a photo of a woman Evan had never seen."You're right," Marco said. "It's a bad deal. The worst deal I’ve ever made. But I’ve spent my whole life taking things, Evan. I’ve stolen from the poor, I’ve cheated the rich, and I’ve never done a single thing that mattered."Marco looked up. His eyes were hard. "I don't want to die a thief. If the world is going to end, I want to be the guy who tried to stop it. Besides... who else is going to keep you from running into a wall?"Evan felt a strange

The basement was behind them now. Evan and Marco walked up the narrow stairs. They came out through the back of the laundry shop. The air outside was cold. It was the kind of cold that bit into your skin. The rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet. The neon lights of the Mid-Zone reflected in the puddles. Everything looked blue, pink, and oily.Evan felt strange. His head did not hurt as much as before, but it felt full. It felt like his brain was a cup that was too small for the water inside it. He followed Marco into a busy street. This was the "Market of Seconds." It was a place where people sold old parts, synthetic food, and stolen clothes.It was crowded. People were everywhere. They were pushing, shouting, and trying to find a deal. Usually, Evan hated crowds. He felt small and lost in them. But today, the crowd was different.Evan stopped walking. He stood in the middle of the sidewalk. A woman brushed past him. She was carrying a heavy bag of metal pipes.Suddenly, Ev

Evan looked at Vane. Vane was a hunter. He was a killer. But he was a man. He had a life. He had forty-two years of memories, of breakfasts, of walks in the rain.Evan pulled his hand back. He forced the purple light to dim."Go," Evan said to Vane. His voice was a deep, ancient rasp.Vane didn't wait. He scrambled away, leaving his broken sword in the mud. He ran like his soul was on fire.Evan stumbled. The world snapped back to normal. The gold numbers vanished. The colors went from bright to dull gray.He felt like he had been hollowed out. He fell against the wall of the shop. He coughed, and purple-tinted blood splattered on his boots.Marco ran over and grabbed him. "We have to go. More guards are coming. That tracker is still active.""I... I almost took it," Evan whispered. "I almost ate his time, Marco.""But you didn't," Marco said. He hauled Evan up. "You're still Evan. For now. Come on."They moved through the back alleys of the market. They didn't stop until they reached