I rubbed my nose, holding back a laugh at the thought of Lewis's capture. I imagined how disgusting witnessing that scene must have been. Shook my head, banishing the image before it fully formed. At least I hadn't been there.
I wanted to reassure Kiara and ease her guilt, but felt it would be useless. Her determination to fulfill her promises to Maia was relentless. Nothing I said could lessen that weight. Still, I was grateful to have her beside me.
"Think that's everything." Kiara glanced through the window.
We remained silent.
I turned a few ideas over, biting my lips. She seemed more willing to talk. I decided to take the opportunity to satisfy another curiosity. "I thought hacking a biochip was impossible. How did you do it?"
Kiara hesitated, as though weighing whether to answer. "Maia cowove the nanomalware using her ability."
That ability again. Almost everything seemed to revolve around it. "What—"
Kiara's eyes shifted toward the door.
Saymon stood there, leaning against the frame, arms crossed. "Done. The nanites will take some time to replicate inside him. C'mere. Wanna talk to you." He tilted his head and left.
Argh. That arrogant way of giving orders.
"Go on," Kiara encouraged me.
Though suspicious, I followed Saymon to the entrance.
He leaned against the wall and contemplated the horizon.
A blue-silver veil unfurled across the sky, mingling with the yellowed, aged ground. Sad. Beautiful.
I stopped beside him beneath an uncomfortable quiet.
A cool wind danced around us, stirring our hair.
"How did you do it?"
"What?"
"Alícia."
Ah. Right. I rubbed my hands, a little shy. How could I explain, in a measured way, that I had connected a nanoprototype without official validation to his grandmother? Even though it had worked, I had responsibilities as a doctor.
I cleared my throat. "I-I cowove a nanoprototype, CogniSynth, to access and reproduce living people's memories. In Alícia's case, I connected the device to stimulate new neuron formation in the hippocampus and recover some of her memories, reversing the progression of her Alzheimer's. I still need to examine it, but I believe the medication will be enough to cure her completely."
Saymon continued contemplating the landscape. "Can you connect it to other people? Is it possible to access those memories through audiovisual media?"
Perhaps this interrogation wasn't only about Alícia. It definitely wasn't. I nodded, drawing my brows together. "The GMC and ARGOS haven't approved CogniSynth yet, but it's in the final stage. I can use it for that purpose. Why?"
Saymon cast a look at me that seemed to pass through my body. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he leaned toward me.
Shit.
"Thought you were just a distraction…" His face was so close to mine that I held my breath. Saymon ran his fingers over his lips. A flicker of amusement appeared in his golden eyes. "You're coming with me. Actually, you already were… But now I want your help."
My jaw tightened. "M-my help?"
He returned to admiring the plains beneath the silver curtain announcing rain over the grimy desolation. Clouds moved at the wind's whim, concealing a rare patch of blue sky. "We're going to Tokyo."
My brain took a while to process it. What had he said? We were going… Tokyo? I shook my head in disbelief. "T-Tokyo?"
"Yes. Know what I'm after, don't you?" He glanced sideways at me. "That should be enough to understand I'm going there to hunt. I have a name. Actually, the name she's known by." Saymon gave a predatory smirk. "Shiro Hebi."
"Wh-White Serpent?" I murmured, trembling. "Why would I go?" I lowered my head. Why on earth would I go?
Saymon hadn't even bothered to explain what he expected of me.
No. Pretending I didn't understand what he wanted would be naïve.
He clicked his tongue. "Oh, you're definitely coming…" The last word came in a singsong.
The door opened abruptly.
I startled.
Kiara appeared, eyes wide, staring at Saymon. "Saymon…"
I swallowed. Had something happened to Takashi? I had never seen Kiara so apprehensive. I feared the worst. Began biting my nails again.
"I saw, Kikky…" Saymon answered in a singsong. His gaze slowly abandoned the landscape and turned toward her.
Saw what? Why wasn't anyone saying anything? "Wh-what happened?" The words escaped before I could contain them. I squeezed my fingers. "Did something happen to…"
"Someone put out a contract on Saymon."