Theresa's voice shakes. "It's good to hear from you."

  I smile. "I should have called sooner."

  She watches Greene and Micheal paint the crib. "When are you coming home? I miss you."

  I look down at Nathaniel. His brown eyes claw at me. My stomach... "Give me a few more weeks. I miss you too."

  Theresa gulps and walks over to the window. "It's raining here. How's the weather there?"

  I glance out my window. Clouds roll under the mountain. "Sunny."

  She steps into the bathroom and locks the door. "How's Nathaniel?"

  I sigh. "He's...a baby."

  She laughs. "Is he eating well? Are you changing him regularly? If he gets a rash, then you can... What am I saying? You could heal it."

  I chuckle. "He's good. Awake more. Stronger."

  Theresa sits on the toilet, rubbing her necklace. "And Melody? Is she coming back with you?"

  I gulp. "I don't know."

  She huffs. "Well, don't be gone too long. Your plants need watering. Although, you could heal them, too!"

  I smile. "I'll see you soon."

  Theresa squeezes the phone. "Zachariah?" She's silent.

  I cradle Nathaniel. "Yes?" He babbles.

  Theresa whispers. "Take care of yourself."

  I laugh. "I will."

  I set my phone down and make a bottle for Nathaniel.

  Theresa moves to the sink. Her fingers twitch. The chain runs against her neck. She grinds her teeth, then turns on the water and splashes her face.

  I put Nathaniel down for a nap. Barthelemy is still asleep. Nothing plays inside his head. He's like an empty shell. All his memories are mine now. He loved his father.

  This idea of a man he didn't really know. So kind and caring. Strategic and decisive. Never backing down from a fight.

  He made a good general 120 years ago...

  Book of Q'an (Part 2): Investment

  Q'an flips through records. Her eyes moving faster than her hands. She holds her breath.

  Noro steps into the room. "Ma'am?"

  She jolts and looks up.

  He swipes his tablet, then a file pops up on hers. "The man with silver eyes."

  Q'an holds up her hand and reads. She grunts. "Zuna Yako?" She raises a brow. "Says here he's human."

  Noro gulps. "But that can't be right! His eyes..."

  Q'an purses her lips. "Interesting." She looks past him. "Pàlo?"

  Pàlo rushes into the room. "Ma'am?"

  Q'an leans back. "Tell me about the tribes in Karthwitherspire."

  Pàlo bounces. "The people from the KTP are fascinating! They have Calzarian sequences in their DNA which gives them abilities like Nobles."

  Q'an nods to Noro. "Do you know the difference between Calzarian sequencing and the ACC gene?"

  Noro shakes his head. Pàlo touches her chin.

  Q'an grins. "Calzarian sequencing comes from genetic modification. One of my case studies explored the effects of sequencing human DNA, finding that Calzarian sequencing can only be replicated in a laboratory environment, making it possible to create a generation of humans with Noble-like abilities."

  Noro glances to Pàlo. She shrugs. He clears his throat. "If Calzarian sequencing comes from lab testing, then where does the ACC gene come from?"

  Q'an chuckles. "I theorize that the ACC gene is the byproduct of radiation."

  Pàlo shudders. "You mean... Radiation like in Zone 3?"

  Q'an nods. "The origins of Noblekind can be traced back to Zone 3, but I haven't had the chance to research and prove my theory."

  Noro gulps. "With a case like this you could..."

  Q'an snickers. "Go to Zone 3?" She leans against the desk and locks her fingers. "Perhaps... I'd need a trail of evidence to lead me there."

  Pàlo and Noro stare at one another. Pàlo hums. "You've been investigating all sorts of crimes, then you come here and your theory seems plausible."

  Q'an looks at a record, picks it up, then smiles. "Oh, it's more than plausible. It's likely I'll be on my way to Zone 3 soon."

  Pàlo sways and jumps towards the desk. "Can I come with you?"

  Noro steps forward. "Me too!"

  Q'an stares at them. "I'll see about taking you. If you can tell me where the Zella engines were being shipped." She hands them the record.

  A couple hours pass. Q'an stands outside the warehouse, puffing on a cigarette. She checks her surroundings, then pulls out her phone. It rings.

  Nebula lays back in a bathtub with flower petals covering her eyes and bubbles spilling over the sides. A woman whispers. "You have a call. Q'an Ijou."

  Nebula huffs and waves her hand. "Put it on speaker and get out!"

  The woman does as she says. Nebula cackles. "What kind of expression did he make when you killed him?"

  Q'an gulps. "It looks like he fled."

  Nebula frowns. "Where?"

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Q'an shifts. "Based on the evidence, he was building a secret lab and must've killed the humans to make it look like a hate crime. He's still at large."

  Nebula growls and sits up. She snatches the phone off the table. "Call me when you find out where this lab of his is."

  Q'an pockets her phone and flicks the cigarette on the ground.

  The interns approach her. She eyes them. "Find anything?" They nod.

  Pàlo gives her a form. "To be shipped to Dezryn this morning."

  Q'an hums. "Dezryn?"

  Noro shoves Pàlo over. "It's a quiet town near the beach. To the North sits Plokwen and..."

  Pàlo shoves him back. "To the South is Baelderas, Green Feet, Tio Fort, and Acezterine."

  Q'an raises a brow. "If you wanted to build a secret hideout that is hard to locate and easy to use, where would you choose?"

  Noro crosses his arms. "Green Feet would be too isolated from main roads, making vehicular travel difficult. Acezterine is a domestic spot. Baelderas?"

  Pàlo taps her cheek. "If I wanted to build a hideout, then I'd do it somewhere with higher levels of security. Constant patrols. Somewhere the Wyre cannot reach."

  Q'an smirks. "Tio Fort." They exchange glances. Q'an sighs. "Finish collecting samples... I'll check out Tio Fort and send a car for you. Send me anything you find."

  They part ways. Q'an climbs into the black limousine. Her hands shake. A finger swipes through file after file. She groans and shuts her eyes. "Why now? Why here? C:1 isn't sophisticated enough for something this elaborate. Whoever's behind this is playing a long game."

  The vehicle idles, waiting for her command.

  She ponders. "Tio Fort has many vehicles. Zella engines..." She tilts her head. "The parts they took could be used to produce a solar energy supply. Small enough to power a secret lab. Strong enough to keep it running even in the dark."

  Q'an looks out the window. "Why the secret? What're they hiding in Tio Fort?" She sifts through the records. "These parts could be used to make a machine. To do what? Who knows!"

  She rests her head and shuts her eyes. "Take me to Tio Fort."

  The car propels itself forward. Q'an watches the warehouse fade and sighs. "Silver eyes... A supervisor... Murdering his coworkers... Stealing parts... Someone that methodical wouldn't be working alone." She looks at the other two suspects who were missing.

  Pink eyes... Lauretta Bling... Lead product inspector.

  Blue eyes... Quar Mohan... Head of packaging.

  Q'an raises a brow. "Wouldn't be too hard to set parts aside or ship them some place off the books." She stares at their pictures. "Why help Zuna Yako? What's in it for you?"

  She purses her lips and cracks the window. Her fingers dance in her pocket for a cigarette and lighter. She pulls them out, lights her cigarette, and puffs. "Everything else makes sense. The crime. The motive. The suspects. But the parts..." She stares at the burning cigarette, watching the smoke filter through the air. "What kind of machine could someone build that uses medical equipment?"

  Another puff. "Is it a surgical procedure?" Puff. "Some kind of rejuvenation device?" Puff. "Could be used to contain chemical reactions." Puff. "The space wouldn't need to be very big. Somewhere small enough to..." Puff. "...keep it hidden, but large enough to..." Puff. "...conduct research."

  She drops the bud of her cigarette out the window. "Chemical reactions..." She leans back. "What kind of chemicals would they use?" She shuts her eyes. "Fuel cells... Sreirenox... A crystal... Zella engines run on them... Infinite energy..." She hums. "Solar energy... Brighton engines... The prototype of Zella engines..."

  She groans. "What's in the lab?" Legs cross. Fingers interlock. "Laboratory... Medical equipment... Solar energy... Engines... Cell..." She freezes. "Cell?" She shivers. "DNA..." She gulps. "Sequencing... What if they're building a machine that can resequence DNA?"

  She pulls out her phone. Nebula's contact sits beneath her thumb. Q'an shakes. "I could be wrong." Her heart pounds. "There's only one person I know of who runs genetic experiments..." She calls Nebula.

  "What?"

  Q'an breathes into the phone.

  "Spit it out!"

  She clears her throat. "Did I pass your test?"

  Nebula cackles. "I knew you'd catch on eventually."

  Present Day...

  Melody sits in her office. Screens hum. She stares at her keyboard.

  Garza knocks on the doorframe. Eyes simmering beneath the pink glow of data. "How you holding up, kid?"

  Melody sniffles and sets her hands on the desk. Her fingers twitch. Reaching for buttons. Never lifting off the wood.

  Garza leans against the chair and scans the screens. "You find anything useful? Say a laboratory..."

  Melody nods. "One was attacked a week ago."

  Garza smirks. "Really? Would it happen to have been in..." She rest her elbow on the armrest and brushes Melody's hair behind her ear. "Sector T?"

  Melody flinches. "How did you...?"

  Garza snickers and presses a few buttons. Melody's eyes flick between Garza's face and her fingers. "You can read this?"

  Garza eyes her. "Most of it." She changes four screens, then steps back to read them. "Ever heard of Den Motto?"

  Melody shakes her head.

  Garza taps a button. Screens change. "They used to manufacture medical equipment. Standard stuff. If you know what to look for..." She presses another button and a logo appears. "You might stumble across something strange." She winks at Melody.

  Melody grunts and stares at the logo. "An abstract triangle?" She reads the company name below it. "Den Motto..."

  Garza groans. "About 200 years ago, a company by the name Be!Fantastic! took over Den Motto. Another 80 years and Be!Fantastic! became the biggest supplier of medical equipment, engines, vehicles... You name it!"

  Melody tilts her head. "The point?"

  Garza rubs Melody's shoulders and whispers. "The point is that someone backed Be!Fantastic! and made it impossible for Den Motto to survive on its own. Figure out who that was and... You won't need to make another video."

  Melody growls. "Why don't you just—"

  Garza hushes her. "It's meant to be a secret. One Zachariah wished to keep buried." She smiles. "I know you two are going through a rough patch, but this might help you understand who he is."

  Melody grumbles. "What's in it for you?"

  Garza shrugs. "He's my oldest friend. Literally! We go way back." She struts off. "Direct all your questions to him!" She's gone.

  Melody's fingers hover at the keyboard. She swallows, then looks around. Tap. A report request from... She gasps. "The KWCR headquarters?"

  She opens a blank document and writes down a question... "What is the connection between Z3 and Den Motto?"

  She opens the request. "Initiated by Zachariah... Reporter Ariazol... Date..."

  "What was Zachariah doing in Z3 180 years ago?"

  She reads... Zachariah requested information on Z3 and Be!Fantastic!'s relationship. Den Motto had the largest share in Be!Fantastic! and cut ties with them around the same time a deal was being made with Grruda, a Z3 faction, 206 years ago...

  "Why did Den Motto cut ties with a company it had the largest stake in?"

  Be!Fantastic! was big 210 years ago for their production of Brighton engines. Solar powered and used for communal travel. Den Motto was in the process of supplying 1.3 billion fractions worth of medical equipment to the KWCR located in Z3.

  The Sompe, a Karthwitherspire (KTP) tribe, threatened to stop trading with Be!Fantastic! if they supplied Grruda with Zonyte engines, which were used to power vehicles for long distance travel. Grruda offered Be!Fantastic! minerals and samples from Z3's soil.

  Melody hums. "They'd need Zonyte engines to traverse Z3's irradiated wasteland."

  "Who are the Sompe? Why the fuss over a deal with Grruda?"

  "Grruda supplied the Sompe with deposits in exchange for food and water." Melody leans in. "A deal with Be!Fantastic! would mean the Sompe wouldn't receive deposits...but for what? What research? What does this have to do with Zachariah?"

  Melody huffs. "Who is Den Motto's CEO? Who is Be!Fantastics!'s CEO?"

  Den Motto's CEO... No name. No picture. No background information.

  Be!Fantastic!'s CEO... Felipe Poal... Dark hair. Dark eyes. Dark everything. Grew up in Pelaris. Co-Owned by...

  Melody shudders. "SAAF?" Her hands shake. "Why was Zachariah looking into this? What did he learn in Z3? Why is it buried?" She falls back in her chair. "What does this mean?"

  She checks over her shoulder, then presses a button and the records print.

  Nebula stands at the top of a control room. Drones sit at their computers. She stares at three large screens. A drone turns. "The Mole Rat is accessing the WIC archives. She's looking into Den Motto and Be!Fantastic!."

  Nebula chuckles. "Clever girl! She's on the trail. Keep monitoring."

  Neptune kneels behind Nebula. "Your majesty!"

  She purses her lips. "Come to warn me again, Neppie?"

  He bows his head. "The rabbit isn't hopping."

  Nebula rolls her eyes and growls. "Did you threaten her?"

  Neptune grunts. "Twice."

  Nebula hums. "Perhaps she needs a reason to come back to work for me. Did you mention Zachariah?"

  Neptune shifts. "Yes, but—"

  Nebula hisses. "Then why isn't she following suit?"

  Neptune swallows. "It's the timing. She's recovering from her little spat with Scythe. Give her time."

  Nebula nods. "Very well. I've got business in Zone 3 to attend to. Where's Veronica?"

  Neptune shrugs. "Out."

  Nebula hums. "And the others?"

  Neptune tilts his head. "They've decided to pay a visit to Moonlight."

  Nebula paces. "Neptune, how are you feeling about my plan?"

  He freezes. "It's a plan."

  She leans in. "I mean, I want your input on what's about to go down."

  Neptune looks into her eyes. "He'll flee. If you take her. He won't stay."

  She smirks. "And where would he go?"

  Neptune gulps. "Somewhere we can't reach."

  She straights up. "KTP... Damn!"

  Neptune clenches his fists. "Have you consulted Sylvan?"

  Nebula scoffs. "She's unhelpful."