Activated, p.22
Activated, page 22
His frequency is not within a mile, or I’d be able to pick up on it.
Noble is gone.
Chapter 45
I ALMOST DON'T want to touch the white note under the stony coral because all I hear in my mind is I’m sure you know I’m hiding something…but he’s given me no other choice.
I open the letter under the lamp and read it.
Digits,
I’m sorry. I asked you not to find me because of what I have to do. Please forgive me. I’m not sure what the outcome will be, but I see no other way. You asked how they got my designs…the audio recordings on the screen will help you understand. Please don’t come follow me this time. Tell Cesare I’ll help Rafael.
After this is over, we’ll figure out everything else. I’ll make one promise I know I can keep—I’ll never ask you to crack another code to find me.
Yours, Mandel
Fingers shaking, I set the note down. On the desk are two black flat screens with four windows open, all set up for the audio voice messages to be played. A set of earbuds is laid out. I’m hyper aware that the photo of me in Tunisia sitting on sand dunes is missing from the background.
A feeling of dread and curiosity stirs in my chest as I sit in the desk chair, then push play.
The first audio recording hits me like a shock wave to the chest. It’s my voice—and Kai’s.
Me: Well, you’re on brand sacrificing yourself for others…
Kai: For you…
It’s a recording of our conversation in the Tozeur Safe House in Tunisia after he almost died. I’ve pushed this memory away long enough, but now that it’s here, it consumes me like a flood.
…
Kai: Trouble, what’d you do? The room is spinning.
Me: Of course it is, I kissed you…
Kai: Laughs. That would do it…
…
Me: Can I ask you a question?
Listening to our dialogue feels like I’m back in that room again. My throat goes completely dry.
Kai: Jo, maybe you don’t see it but you’re the one who has to make a choice…
…if you don’t love me now, I’ll wait…
I swallow hard…Here it comes…I slump against the desk.
Me: Truth is, Kai, I love you…so much…I love you.
Kai: That’s all I’ve ever wanted to hear…
The recording ends but I’m drowning in the sound of his voice. Noble’s question at the fire pit. “Are you over Kai?” He was letting me know he heard my confession. My eyes close tight. What is Noble thinking?
My finger hovers over the keyboard before hitting play on the second recording because now I’m almost afraid of what I’ll find. But there’s no time to spare, so after two seconds, I press play, and a man’s voice—deep, stern, and emotional—starts speaking.
Audio 2: Son? Are you out there? Are you okay?
Shaky, a crack of emotion. A long pause. Regaining composure.
It’s been too long. Your mom and I want you to come home… I know you’re alive. The NASA Tipper can only be you. I know my son… Long pause. I haven’t been the best father… I regret many things.
Trembling breath. Large inhale and exhale. I hope you’ll give me another chance. Please contact us.
I choke up even before the recording ends, rushing to press play on the third message. This time, it’s a woman’s voice, strained like she’s been crying.
Audio 3: Noble, honey? It’s your mom...we miss you so much…
Tears. Sniffling. Choking back sobs.
“Please come home, son. I’m so sorry for everything. Your dad and I both love you… I miss my boy.” More sobbing.
End recording.
Hot tears trickle down my cheeks, blurring my vision. I don’t know if I can bear to hear anymore. But Noble asked me to listen to all four audio recordings, so I will. It wasn’t easy for Noble to share his parents’ messages with me. But he did because he knew I would understand. My heart is dashed to pieces. I can only imagine what Noble felt—anger, pain, hate—but if I know anything about him, he probably also felt a spark of forgiveness, and even love for his family. I’ve been there. After Madame stole me away, I knew what it felt like to be unloved, unwanted—even if it was a lie. I also knew what hope felt like, and that new beginnings were possible. A lump bottles up in my throat.
The fourth audio message pulls at me. My finger presses play. It’s Noble’s father again. But this time, the message is ten times worse, each word like a knife.
Audio 4: “Noble…”
The same regret is in his voice—but this time, there’s something else—fear, dread. “Son, something terrible has happened. Your mom and I are in danger. Awhile back, I sold some of your old unfinished designs. The buyer contacted us, offering my colleagues and me a lot of money to finish it. Turns out, we can’t finish it by ourselves…my colleagues are already de—” He chokes up. Voice trembles.
“I don’t know what will happen to me if I can’t finish it. Your mom and I have been threatened. I’m sorry, Noble. If I could do it all over again, I’d choose you instead…”
End recording.
Numbers rip open my mind, flipping through files and memories and news articles. “How did they get your designs?” “Through a person who saw them long ago…”
No. My head drops to my chest as everything becomes clear. I know where Noble is and what he’s doing. It makes sense now why he didn’t contact me, why his kiss was distant and sad. He was thinking of his parents who need his help; calculating the choices he has to make, even through all the pain he’s already endured.
K2 alerts me of messages from PSS. “Call us now. News about the NASA Tipper is in. FYI—it’s disturbing.”
I command K2 to call immediately. Harrison picks up on the first ring. “Jo?”
“Tell me everything,” I say, although I already know what he’s going to say.
“Ms. T’s contact at NASA gave us classified information on the three scientists who went missing. One of them is a man named Dr. James Adams, former NSA, then later NASA. Seventy-five days ago, he went missing with his three colleagues…” Harrison continues, his voice shaky now. “Jo—you’re not going to believe this—we’re 99% sure he’s Noble’s father.”
Noble Adams. My eye shut tight as I force the lump in my throat down. When Noble was thirteen his father forced him to finish a formula for the NSA. He locked him in his room until it was finished, manipulated his gift over and over… I grit my teeth.
In the silence, numbers explode around me, calculating. The last remaining scientist who Palermo is holding captive is Noble’s father—and the stakes are now clear. Cesare said it himself: if the last scientist can’t get the weapon to work, both he and Rafael will be disposed of.
The thudding in my chest is so loud I can barely think. Even if Noble’s parents treated him horribly, of course he would save them—that’s just who he is. Predictions unfold before me. It’s clear why Noble held back his plan, why he kept the Infinity Dome details to himself, why he pushed me away. You may not think the same thing tomorrow… His plan is clear, and darker than the night. I gasp out loud. He’s going to finish what his father couldn’t.
If he fails, he won’t make it out of there alive, and if he succeeds...my throat closes at the chaos he plans to inflict on the world. The conclusions are drawn, the odds clear.
Noble isn’t breaking into Scale Tech to stop a blackout. He’s going there to cause one.
Chapter 46
CRISIS. DANGER. OPPORTUNITY.
My numbers led me to a land of darkness. An operation of darkness. But I don’t believe they led me here to fail. Even now, I strain to find that small path lit up before me—anything to fix this.
“Jo? Jo!” Harrison is yelling at me.
I forgot I was on the phone. I snap back, mind clear. “I’m here,” I say. I explain what I know—that Noble is going to Scale Tech to finish the blackout weapon and save his dad. If he succeeds, the world will suffer, if he fails, his dad will die. There’s no good answer.
“What do you need from us?” Harrison asks.
My hands and feet tap frantically against the floor and desk, as a thousand possibilities spin through my head—I’ve got to get to Scale Tech to stop Noble. The dome has to be opened for Cesare’s men. We’ve got to prevent this blackout and ensure that the ISC launch succeeds and Super Satellite is safe to use.
My mind crashes against the biggest obstacle in my way: The Infinity Dome. Noble knows the only way in. No safe or easy way…too much power…
Second obstacle: the area is heavily patrolled. With Noble’s maps in mind, I count and refigure, count and recalibrate.
“The Finns,” I say to Harrison. “If anyone will know a way past the Infinity Dome, it’s them. Get the Helsinki University STEM team on the phone. Find a weakness in the Infinity Dome. And, Harrison, keep your eyes on me tonight.”
I hang up and go back to my room. I check on my suit. It’s still hovering at 50%. It hasn’t charged at all. My eyes grow wide when I see why: it’s unplugged. My palm slaps the floor. Noble really was tricky. He unplugged it so I wouldn’t have enough battery to follow him. I plug it back in and begin packing everything I’ll need.
After thirty minutes, K2 alerts me to a call from Eddie. “Answer.”
“Jo, we found the weakness, but Noble is right. There’s no safe and easy way to do this—especially with a limited amount of time.” His voice is faux-calm as he explains. “It’s going to take a lot of firepower. We can’t get it to you fast enough.”
I finger my necklace, thankful for the backup. “Eddie, you’re forgetting a piece of tech hanging around my neck.”
“You brought The Squirrel’s Chestnut?” he asks, surprised.
“Emergencies, remember?” My numbers calculate every ounce of energy in my weapon and the schematics of the Infinity Dome until a path emerges. It’s a dangerous plan, but in the slim inches between every factor I’ve considered, there is an opportunity.
As far as plans go however, my dad’s going to hate it.
Chapter 47
IT'S 1:00 A.M. WHEN I wake my father and Cesare and tell them to meet in the kitchen in five minutes. I race back to my room to pop the bio-lens in my eyes, remove my earrings and place them in a pocket, then hurry back.
In the kitchen, Cesare’s sipping chamomile tea in fuzzy slippers. His eyes are bloodshot, and his hair is messy. The view jars me. He doesn’t look like a crime boss any more than Harrison looks like a genius. Cesare looks like my dad. A man who gets tired, who needs his sleep, a man who will do anything for his son. Red told me once that he often reminded himself that every criminal in the Pratt was once a little kid who needed hugs and someone to believe in them. He said it helped him remember they were still people with needs who could change. Here’s one more example. I hope.
“Buon giorno,” I say, greeting him with the few Italian words I know from Rafael.
Cesare rubs his bloodshot eyes and turns to me with a sour look. “It is not giorno, Mila. It is notte. Why did you wake us?”
My dad skitters into the kitchen fully dressed and ready to go. “Yeah, what happened?”
“Plans have changed.” Noble’s letter is like ice in my hands. I stuff it into my pocket and glance out at the dark sky, where snow is falling softly now. “Noble is gone. He left roughly an hour ago.”
Cesare sets his tea down. “Lo sapevo. I knew something was wrong. He was too nervous.”
My dad wrinkles his brow. “Where and why?”
“He’s helping Palermo and Scale Tech.” My stomach binds up into a knot, remembering the way he hid his numbers so I couldn’t come to this conclusion earlier. “The third scientist who Palermo took captive is Noble’s father. Palermo also threatened his mother, as he did with Dr. Salonen’s wife. Scale Tech has been using Noble’s research this whole time. Noble’s father sold the original designs to Palermo but now his life is being threatened if he doesn’t get the weapon to work, so Noble’s going there to finish the job...”
My dad’s shoulders droop. “That’s terrible,” he says, his face full of concern. “And it certainly changes things.”
Cesare slams his hands down on the table. “What about my son?” Cesare says, an angry line on his lips.
“He has a plan to help Rafael,” I say. It doesn’t comfort Cesare, but he softens a bit.
“How can I blame him? Double-crossing us to save his parents? It’s a mafia move.” Cesare sighs. “But now, there’s no way for us to get past the dome. Our plan is ruined…” Cesare rubs the creases on his forehead.
“No,” I say, my resolve hardening. “The plan is still on. You and your men will arrive at the southern gates at first daylight. They’ll be open.”
“How?” My dad asks, his eyes widening. “Noble said it was nearly impossible.”
“I just got some new intel. I’m going to dismantle the dome myself. Alone.” An apologetic smile spreads on my face, hoping he won’t ask any more details. What Eddie told me about the Infinity Dome would only worry him more. “I need to leave right now.”
“What?” my father gasps. “No! I don’t think so.”
Even Cesare puts his hands together as if in prayer, shaking them at me. “Mila, fa un freddo cane—it’s freezing, extremely dark, and Palermo’s men are everywhere.”
“That’s why you two can’t come. I’m the only one with night vision and numbers to guide me past the threats, which at this hour, will be fewer. They won’t expect me. Three people tromping in the woods will cause too much commotion. I’ve already calculated it all out.” I show them the map. “See? I’ve already memorized this whole area. I have a plan. The Infinity Dome has a weakness. Right here. I’m going to disable it. Then, there’s a laavu—over here. I’ll hide out there until daylight, then meet you. I have nine hours. It’s plenty of time.”
My dad is shaking his head. “I’m supposed to let my daughter go out into extreme weather alone while mafia brutes roam the land and wish her good luck? No, thank you.”
“Dad, we have our suits. I have all the right gear. And weapons. If I get into any trouble at all, I’ll turn back. I promise.”
“You? Back away?” He scoffs. He sounds like Kai…You don’t back down from a fight…and maybe they’re right.
“I’m sorry to put you in this position, Dad,” I say. “But I’ve got to stop Noble before it’s too late. The Super Satellite launch is tomorrow morning, and we can’t let it go into orbit weaponized.” I rub my forehead. Noble must have another trick up his sleeve. The boy I know wouldn’t help Palermo and risk lives without a backup. Even to save his dad. But there’s no twist to his plan that I can predict.
I turn to Cesare, handing him a slip of paper. “Take the snowmobiles and ditch them at these coordinates—a mile south of Scale Tech’s Arctic labs. Dad, do you have the watch Ms. T gave you?” He shows me his wrist. “Okay. I’ll be in touch. I’ll meet you at the southern gates at first light.”
His face wavers between support and worry. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay, out there by yourself?” I nod. My dad leans in. “Are you sure I’ll be okay, with him? No offense—” he looks over to Cesare—“you seem like a good guy, but…how do I know you won’t betray us if Palermo gives you a choice between us and your son.”
Cesare’s chest puffs up like a rooster about to fight. “My men and I are going as one family, and you’re under our protection now. I won’t betray your trust. Certainly not with my son’s life on the line. We’ll work together to the end, even to the l’ultimo petalo.”
“L’ultimo petalo?” My father asks.
“The last petal? ’Til roses run white? You’ve never heard these expressions before?” Cesare stares at him. My dad shakes his head. Cesare sighs. “In my family, it means to the last drop of blood.”
My dad wrinkles his brow at me. “Nice. Last drop of blood. Great.”
“If it helps, my numbers reveal that he’s extra dramatic. But he’s telling the truth,” I say. “Noble and I have both assessed him. He won’t betray us. You’ll be fine.”
“Alright, fine,” my dad says. “There’s no reason not to trust you, even if it’s hard to do.” They walk me to the door.
“Mila,” Cesare stops me. “With Palermo and Terra Liberata involved, nothing is going to be safe. The lies have to be exposed but be sure of this—there will be repercussions. Be very careful.”
The warning is clear. But the story in his eyes tells a similar tale to my own—we know all about repercussions, but we also know that there’s a time to act in spite of them.
“I understand,” I say, inhaling a deep breath. “Cesare, it will be up to you and your men to stop Palermo. I’m trusting you.”
He gives me a curt nod, then wishes me good luck. “In bocca al lupo.”
I pull on my facemask and step outside into the viciously cold air, wondering when it was I started to trust men in the mafia.
My internal GPS sets my course. I have no clear view of what’s ahead. But it’s a path I have to take—even till the roses run white.
Chapter 48
THE NIGHT IS silent as I head out to retrieve the snowmobile. The falling snow works in my favor—it swallows up all sound as I navigate through the trees, and with visibility obscured, I’ll be harder to spot.
With the cloud cover above me, it should be dark, but after I activate the bio-lens, the world comes alive. The bio-lenses’ light sensitivity is so high that even the smallest traces of light are enhanced, making it easy for me to move at a steady pace in the dark, maneuvering between the spruce and pine trees, while taking note of their height, width, and motion.
I reach the snowmobile, and ride as far as my numbers show I’m safe—five miles. After that, I ditch it. Scale Tech property is too close. There are thermal motion sensors planted in the trees—I can sense elevated electrical activity nearby. For the rest of the journey, I have to go on foot.
