NXY-0

CHAPTER 5

I slept for twelve hours.

When I woke up, my ribs still ached but the sharp pain had dulled to a deep throb. My mechanical arm was gone. In its place, a temporary brace held my shoulder together.

Dr. REN-9 was sitting nearby, working on something at her table.

"Your arm is being repaired," she said without looking up. "It'll take a few hours. You have to wait."

I sat up slowly. "Where's Nyx-0?"

"Outside. Watching. It doesn't trust anyone here."

"Smart."

"It said the same thing about you."

I almost smiled.

I looked around the chamber. Crates stacked against the walls. Maps pinned to a board. A few people moving quietly, carrying supplies and devices.

"Where's Voss?" I asked.

"He left. Something came up. He'll be back."

I stood up. My legs were shaky, but they held.

"Tell me more about the Resistance," I said. "About the First Humans."

Dr. REN-9 set down her tool and looked at me. "You sure you want to hear it?"

"I need to know."

She nodded slowly. "The First Humans were fully human. Flesh and blood. Born, not built. They created the Celestial Forge to solve their problems. To create energy, resources, life itself."

"And the District?"

"They tried to take it. The Forge was too powerful to control. A war broke out. The Forge exploded and poisoned the world."

I sat down across from her. "So the District caused the war."

"Yes. They started it, they lost control, and they blamed the Beasts."

"But why? Why lie about all of it?"

"Because the truth would destroy them. The people would revolt. The District would fall. So they erased history. They made everyone forget."

I looked at my mechanical arm. "And the machines? The timers?"

"All part of the lie. The timers keep everyone in line. Without them, people would have time to think. To remember. To fight."

I felt something cold settle in my chest. "So Nexus found out the truth."

"Yes. He was close to proving it when they took him."

"And they recycled him. Erased him completely."

Dr. REN-9 was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "That's what they do to anyone who gets too close to the truth."

I looked at the watch on my wrist. Nexus's watch. I couldn't remember his face, but I could remember his voice.

The memory fragment from last night was still there. Fresh. He had promised he would come back.

He never did.

I looked at Dr. REN-9. "What happened to him? The truth?"

"His body was recycled. His parts were used to build someone else. That's what the District does."

I felt something tighten in my chest. "Then I'll find that person. I'll find whatever's left of him."

"That's not how it works."

"I don't care."

She studied me for a long moment. "You're determined. I'll give you that."

"I have nothing else."

The entrance to the chamber opened, and Voss walked in. He looked tired, but his eyes were sharp.

"We have a problem," he said. "The District knows about the safe house. They're sending soldiers."

I stood up. "How long?"

"Two hours. Maybe less."

Dr. REN-9 grabbed her bag. "We need to move."

"Where?"

"There's another safe house. Deeper in the Bone Yard. But we need to get there before they find us."

I looked at my mechanical arm. The brace was holding it together, but it wasn't a real repair.

"How do I fight with this?" I asked.

Voss looked at me. "You don't. You run."

"Running is all I'm good at."

"Then run."

Nyx-0 appeared at the entrance. Its wolf form was sleek and solid.

"Nova," it said. "We have company."

I looked at Voss. "What do I do?"

"Follow Dr. REN-9. She'll get you to the next safe house. I'll hold them off."

"With what?"

Voss smiled. It was a thin, tired smile. "I've been doing this longer than you've been alive. Trust me."

I didn't argue.

Dr. REN-9 grabbed my good arm. "Come on."

We ran.

---

The Bone Yard stretched ahead, endless and gray. Rusted metal crunched beneath my boots. My ribs ached. My legs burned.

But I kept running.

Nyx-0 ran beside me, faster than before. Its wolf form was powerful and steady.

"We're almost there," Dr. REN-9 said.

I didn't see anything. Just more rust and metal.

Then I saw it.

A massive structure rose from the ground. Half-buried in rust and dust. It looked like a broken dome, covered in faded carvings.

"Another safe house?" I asked.

"Something better," Dr. REN-9 said. "The Resistance's main base. The place where we hold the truth."

She pressed a panel on the wall, and a door slid open.

"Welcome," she said, "to the truth."

I stepped inside.

The chamber was massive. Hundreds of people moved through it, carrying supplies, working on devices, and speaking in hushed voices.

Maps covered the walls. Ancient artifacts sat on tables. Screens displayed data I couldn't read.

"What is this place?" I whispered.

"The beginning," Dr. REN-9 said. "The place where we build the future."

I stared at everything. At the people. The maps. The artifacts.

This was real. The Resistance was real.

And I was part of it now.

Nyx-0's voice was quiet. "You're going to change the world, Nova. I can feel it."

I looked at my wrist, at the tattered watch.

"I just want to remember Nexus," I said.

Nyx-0 was silent for a moment.

"You will," it said. "I promise."