Downtown Cacitrus spread before us in all its alien majesty, a study of improbable architecture and wondrous sights bordering the massive station plaza. Flying transports zipped by overhead while all manner of beings crowded the avenue.

  My senses struggled to absorb the barrage of strange shapes and sizes, sounds and smells. Overwhelmed, I forced myself to focus. “Hey bud, where to?” I asked.

  The Aleal crawled out of my pocket, tendrils wavering in the air as if it was getting its bearings. It stiffened momentarily before launching itself to the rim of an ornate fountain carved from glossy green stone. Water cascaded pleasantly from the tentacles of an open-mouthed kraken.

  “Dad, ya think?” Tyler laughed, joking about the similarity between the Aleal and the statue. That one got a reserved grin out of me.

  "I could explore this place for days," Alyssa breathed, wide eyes trying unsuccessfully to look everywhere at once.

  "No joke," Tyler agreed. “Look at that! Is that guy seriously riding a giant chicken?" He pointed toward a squat figure astride a massive avian browsing an adjacent plaza. Bluish feathers glittered with iridescence in the bright sunlight.

  “We should probably keep moving,” Matt urged. “We’re too exposed out here.”

  I hated to leave so soon, but Matt had a point. Extending a palm, I offered the Aleal a perch. “Okay little guy, show us the way.”

  It returned to my hand, more confident in its position within the city as it gestured us forward. We set out across the avenue, dodging and weaving through the colorful crowds. The Aleal shifted periodically, directing me through archways fronting a dizzying variety of alien businesses. I didn't bother trying to decipher the strange scripts adorning their facades. We were merely passers-by, insignificant amoeba adrift on Cacitrus’ cultural sea. Still, I drank in the sights like I was dying of thirst. A trio of furry rodents the size of ponies munched shrubs outside a restaurant entrance, citrus scents wafting from within. Delicate server bots flitted gracefully between nearby tables.

  Our diminutive guide pointed me toward a towering archway framing a gleaming concourse. Slick storefronts and boutiques lined either side, interspersed with bubbling fountains and topiary. Sunlight fell between the slender towers leaving me grateful for my silly hat. Strange trees with purple leaves and drooping red fruit perfumed the air with a subtle sweetness. Delicate blossoms tumbled from their branches like pink and violet snowflakes. A population composed mostly of Hemid in fancy attire lounged beneath their curved limbs. Clearly, this district catered to Cacitrus’ wealthy elite. I hoped our presence wouldn't bring trouble.

  Halfway down the concourse, I glimpsed taller towers looming ahead, colorful spires climbing so high their tapered tops seemed to pierce the sky. "The Aleal is leading us toward those big skyscrapers. I bet that's where we'll find what it wants to show us."

  My guess proved accurate. We covered another dozen blocks, leaving the exclusive concourse behind in favor of the city heights. Sharp-edged monoliths of glass and silver soon towered hundreds of stories around us, the Aleal guiding our steps toward the most impressive buildings of all. The slender corkscrew, faced with mirrored glass, reflected the sky, making the alien spire nearly disappear into the background.

  We crossed a raised sky bridge spanning a busy avenue, closing on the tower's grand entryway. Fronted by elegant statuary and burbling fountains, well-dressed beings moved constantly in and out of the wide revolving doors. Outside low retaining walls, liveried bots stood among raised flower beds of vibrant alien blossoms, ready to hail rides or summon private transports. None of the noise from the chaotic traffic visible from the bridge penetrated this peaceful enclave.

  “Swanky hangout,” Tyler observed. “I feel out of place.”

  “Now you feel out of place?” Ally replied.

  We slipped unnoticed inside a lobby floored in polished stone that was shot through with glittering mineral veins. Warm light spilled across the glossy surface from the scattered orbs suspended overhead. The Aleal gestured toward a bank of elevators where an ornate portal stood separate from the others.

  We were almost there.

  My heart started pounding. The elegant entrance was obviously a private elevator, likely leading to the penthouse. Approaching it, I noticed there were no door controls.

  “How do we open the doors?” I asked the Aleal.

  It thrust a tendril, pointing out a dark bump-like projection hidden amongst the scrollwork over the doors. I flinched as it unexpectedly scrambled up my arm and stretched across my face. Memories of the creature’s assault on Jaffie tested my trust and resolve as it plastered itself over my left eye. It took everything in me to remain still rather than try to tear the alien from my face. Within seconds, it bulged out, rounding over my eye. The Aleal’s clear gel quickly turned opaque, obscuring my vision in that eye. With my right eye, I watched a light beneath the dark device flash green.

  The elevator doors opened.

  “Oh man,” Tyler said. “That’s a killer party trick.”

  The Aleal turned transparent once more, releasing my face and jumping back down to land in my hand. “What just happened?” I asked.

  “It turned itself into a replica of Jaffie’s eyeball,” Matt explained, “which triggered the elevator’s biometric security to let us in.”

  “Nice job, little bud,” I said, reaching with a finger of my other hand to stroke its body. It shivered in response.

  We stepped inside the cab. The instant the doors sealed behind us, the elevator hummed smoothly into motion, climbing so rapidly that my stomach lurched.

  "I can't believe that worked!" Alyssa said, flashing a smile.

  “Little booger’s coming in pretty handy,” Tyler agreed, glancing at Matt. “If you hadn’t already apologized, I’d have no choice but to give you crap about how wrong you were.”

  “I’m happy to admit it. You’re doing great, little guy,” Matt said.

  The elevator came to a stop sooner than I expected, and the portal whisked open.

  CHAPTER 13

  Immediately, as we stepped out of the elevator, a pair of crimson robots standing on either side of the doors shifted around to face us. "Intruders, halt!” one of them barked as they brought their rifles to bear.

  “Rocket fist!” Tyler intoned, reacting faster than any of us. He didn’t launch his metal fist this time; instead, he swung it like a rocket-powered punch into the closest bot’s torso. It flew backward with a shriek of tortured metal, crashing heavily and sliding across the floor, its entire chest caved in, critical systems destroyed. Before the second guard could get a shot off. Matt lunged at it with a vicious upward swipe of his newly acquired plasma knife, splitting the bot down the middle. It collapsed in a shower of sparks and fluids.

  “Nice move, Boss!” Tyler approved, holding up his fist.

  “How did you do that?” Ally asked him.

  “Do what?”

  “You moved so fast.”

  He shrugged. “I just figured if this place belonged to Levain, he would have guard-bots inside, and they would be flanking the elevator.”

  “You could have mentioned that to the rest of us,” I said.

  He shrugged again. “I thought it was obvious.”

  We found ourselves in a wide, sterile space with heavy doors branching off on three sides, all of them closed. The walls were appointed in cool grays and utilitarian furnishings. The cold decor reminded me uncomfortably of a hospital room, threatening to send my mind to where it didn’t want to go. The only thing that softened the harsh edges was an assortment of artwork, both paintings and sculptures positioned throughout the main living space.

  The paintings seemed three-dimensional, the colors appearing to shift as we stepped further out of the elevator. I figured they had probably been done by the same artist or maybe the same generative AI. Landscapes mostly. Harsh and unwelcoming but strangely soothing.

  "Not exactly what I would call homey," Tyler observed.

  "No taste at all," Alyssa agreed. She edged closer to a tall sculpture carved from glossy black stone. "Well, this one is kind of pretty.”

  "We can discuss the merits of alien interior design later. Let's see what we came here for.” Matt shot the art a dismissive glance before glancing at the Aleal. “Little buddy, care to give us a tour?"

  I looked at Matt with a questioning grin. “Little buddy?”

  “What can I say? He’s growing on me.”

  The Aleal crawled down my sleeve and sprang across Levain’s living space, making a beeline for one of the doors. It slipped under the narrow gap and disappeared. I heard the lock disengage an instant before the portal whispered open, seemingly of its own volition.

  “It opens doors from the inside now, too,” Tyler commented, pointing to a sofa so minimalist it didn’t have cushions. “Maybe we should just wait here while it does all the work.”

  “Because that looks comfortable,” Ally replied. “I don’t mind the assist.”

  “Me either,” I said. “It has Jaffie’s memories. Right now, it knows more about all of this than any of us, even if it can’t speak.”

  “Which is unbelievable to me,” Matt commented.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The other Aleal Ben and I knew, they didn’t retain the memories of the entities they absorbed the essence from. Only rote skills and appearance. I have no idea how or why it would be, but that one’s different.”

  “Maybe it didn’t have enough data to fill up its storage yet,” Tyler suggested. “So it grabbed some extra.”

  “You’re comparing it to a hard drive?” I replied.

  “No. Hard drives aren’t alive. Although, maybe they are on this planet.”

  “It’s as reasonable a guess as any,” Matt agreed.

  We slipped inside what appeared to be Levain’s private office. Shelves laden with antique books lined three walls all the way to the ceiling. Across from us, floor-to-ceiling windows fronted the skyline. We were so far up that we had risen above the clouds. Only a few other spires towered as high, and none of them offered a view of Cacitrus toward Portus and the coast.

  The Aleal waited atop Levain’s broad desk, which like the desk at his headquarters, appeared barren.

  "I figured a guy like Levain would have hard copy records,” Tyler mused aloud. “You know, like in old mobster movies. Something we could thumb through for clues."

  Matt eyed the orderly library. "Doesn't look like he spent much time here.”

  I joined the Aleal by Levain’s desk. It leaned over the side, one of its tendrils reaching beneath the top. A panel slid away from the ceiling, activating a projector that cast a keyboard onto the desk and a user interface hovering just over it, requesting a password.

  The Aleal’s tendrils snapped out, hitting projected keys in rapid succession. The dangling interface shifted, accepting the entry.

  "Yesss!" Tyler pumped a fist, mirroring my own fierce grin. “Squiddie for the win!”

  "Let's hope Jaffie’s password holds high enough clearances,” Matt said. “Noah, why don’t you drive?”

  We all circled the desk. I settled in Levain’s chair, which made me feel as though I had scaled down with Head Case before sitting. Grabbing the edge of the desk to pull myself closer, I raised my hands to work the system while the others gathered behind me to observe. Even the Aleal climbed onto my shoulder for a better view.

  The gesture-based interface bore surprising similarity to that of Head Case, though I supposed there were only so many ways to control something by moving body parts. Either way, I figured out the controls in no time. I browsed quickly through the file hierarchy, dismayed by permission restrictions on anything that looked remotely useful. Most folders generated access denied errors or demanded additional credentials we didn't possess. After several frustrating attempts, I sagged back in Levain's chair.

  "There’s not much we can open, and I don’t think Levain’s dry cleaning schedule is very useful. I'm starting to think this was a dead end." Dejection swamped my earlier excitement. We’d come so far chasing possibilities only to hit another wall.

  “Yeah, it’s like the guy played a mob boss but didn’t actually do anything himself,” Tyler said. “I would have at least expected a signed contract for a hit or two.”

  “Or pay stubs and accounting files, at least,” Matt said. “Not that I want to look at those.”

  “Ditto,” Tyler agreed.

  “Did we really come all this way for nothing?” Ally asked.

  The Aleal, perhaps sensing my distress, abruptly abandoned its perch, moving to the corner of the desk to gesture insistently toward the rear corner of the office. I glanced where it pointed but saw only more books.

  “Oh, man,” Tyler said excitedly. “Please tell me Levain has a secret room!”

  Matt crossed to the corner, examining the books. “Maybe it’s like those old movies where you have to move a book to open the secret passage.” He started pulling them out one at a time, but they all appeared to be regular volumes. After multiple failed attempts, he paused to examine the bookshelf more closely. He dragged his fingers along the edges, feeling for a seam. After a moment he nodded crisply, extracting his knife and slipping it deep into a crack.

  "Yep. Definitely a hidden door, but it feels like metal behind the shelf. I doubt we’ll be able to just force it open. We need to find the hidden trigger.”

  “Point the way, little bud,” I said. The Aleal stopped, tendrils shifting into what I took as a disgruntled shrug. It knew the hidden room existed. It didn’t know how to open it.

  “I’m surprised Jaffie knew about the secret room,” Ally said.

  “He probably saw Levain come out of it,” I guessed. “But Levain never went in with him present.”

  Matt lifted Head Case from his pocket, setting the ship on the desk and activating comms. “Hey Meg, can you pick up any clues on the ship’s sensors?”

  “Standby, Boss,” she replied.

  “Ben, how are you feeling?” Matt asked while Head Case drifted off the desk and accelerated toward the corner.

  “Getting better all the time,” he answered. I sensed a slight hesitancy in the response, though, and looked at Matt, wondering if he had heard it, too. I knew from his reaction that he had.

  Leo brought the ship to a floating stop ahead of the rows of titles, vectoring thrusters sending the craft into a lateral flight path that allowed it to efficiently scan the area.

  “How long before we can get off this rock?” Tyler asked.

  “Another day, maybe less if I push it,” Ben replied.

  “I’d prefer you didn’t push it,” Matt said. “We can probably hole up here until tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know,” I countered. “What if Zariv has Levain’s eyeball and knows where and how to use it?”

  “Ewww,” Ally said, disgusted by the thought.

  “Good point,” Matt agreed. “Let’s make this as quick as we can. Meg, keep scanning. The rest of us will pull out books.”

  We set about the task, all of us taking a section of shelves and tugging on books, removing each one and placing it back when it didn’t open the hidden door. We also took to searching behind the volumes for a hidden button or another trigger. Meanwhile, Head Case circled the room, hunting for heat or power signatures that might connect a specific book to wiring that controlled the door’s operation.

  Ten minutes later, Head Case had finished scanning the room, and we were no closer to finding the way in.

  “Now what?” Tyler asked.

  “I can use chaos energy to try to pull it open,” Ben said. “But it’ll drain me again.”

  “No,” Matt replied. “Getting off Cacitrum is more important. We can still go speak to the Gemmen in search of another lead.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Tee said. “We’re so close.”

  “There’s no guarantee what we’re looking for is behind that bookshelf.”

  “No, but if it’s going to be anywhere, that’s where it would be,” I said.

  “Maybe the switch isn’t in this room,” Ally suggested. “If Levain only activated it when no one was around, he could put it anywhere in the place.”

  “Maybe there isn’t any switch at all,” I expanded. “For all we know, he had an implant inside his head that could open the door with a thought.”

  “Well, that’s boring,” Tyler said.

  “I think there would have to be a backup,” Ben said. “What if the implant malfunctioned or something? He wouldn’t want to be locked out.”

  “We need to keep looking,” Tyler said. “We can’t give up until we’ve searched the whole place.”

  Matt didn’t look pleased about the idea, but he nodded. “Keep at it then.”

  We moved from the office to the rest of the apartment, turning over everything that could have had a secret switch hidden under or within it, or might be the switch itself. An hour later, we had yet to find a way into the room. Knowing that every minute we wasted made it that much more likely that Zariv’s bots might arrive with Levain’s eye to gain entry only increased our overall tension and desperation.

  “We need to think about this more logically,” I said, rejoining the others in the main living area after searching the bathroom. Tyler had of course chosen to examine the kitchen, coming away with what looked like a slice of chocolate cake that left icing on his chin. “What do we know about Levain?”

  “Hardly anything,” Tee replied. “He had a temper and was built like a refrigerator.”

  “A big refrigerator,” I agreed.

  “Speaking of which, Tee, you have chocolate on your face,” Ally pointed out.

  “Huh? Oh.” He wiped at his chin with his sleeve. “I don’t think it was chocolate. It had a weird flavor like someone had made a cake from congealed wine.”

  “And you ate it anyway?”

  “No one can say I’m afraid to try new foods.”