“So… What do you want first? The good news or the bad news?” Layla asked sheepishly after I finished giving her a tour of the Strato Carrier.

  “Go on, give me the bad news first,” I sighed.

  “Alright, well… You know that project I told you about? The one you came all the way here to take a look at?” she said. “You can’t see it.”

  “What? I thought you already got permission for me to visit,” I exclaimed.

  “I did! Tectonic was thrilled to find out you were interested in the Safe Arbour project, and he talked to a couple of his partners, and they agreed to let you see the facility,” Layla explained.

  “Then… what happened?” I asked.

  “Well, the project is a collaboration between dozens of samurai from all over Cascadia, and while the locals are eager to share their findings, many of the others are vehemently against it. They nearly lost the facility during the incursion, and now they’re not willing to risk allowing outsiders to visit,” Layla said. “Once this second faction got wind of your visit, they not only tried to shut it down but also stationed a couple members at the facility to prevent it.”

  “All this to protect a couple trees?” I grumbled.

  “Trees that they believe are the key to our future, trees that are antithesis resistant and can send out warning signals if they ever take significant damage. Trees that they didn’t even design themselves,” Layla raged. “I understand why they’re being protective of the tech, but I never expected them to be this insular and paranoid when dealing with other samurai.”

  “Okay, okay, relax. It’s disappointing that they pulled their permission last minute, but I’m not going to start a fight over a bunch of trees,” I sighed. “What’s the good news?”

  “Tectonic contacted the tree’s original creator, Groundwire, and got her to agree to give you a tour of both her labs and her newest projects. Based upon what I’ve heard, she was actually pretty excited to have someone interested in her work,” Layla explained.

  “Groundwire wouldn’t happen to be based half the way across the country, in Indianapolis, would she?” I groaned.

  Layla frowned. “She is… I didn’t want to start with that because it’s quite the trip, but… how did you know?”

  “Because Charlotte, who you may know as Stalking Shadow, tapped all her Family contacts trying to find a better way to locate Antithesis stealth hives around the city. Our surveillance experts all went to Mars, and we desperately need a stopgap measure to help identify new hives before they have a chance to develop into a serious threat,” I explained. “We determined that out of all the projects out there, our best options would either be Safe Arbour or a secret project run by one of Charlotte's friends, Shadow Tag, in Indianapolis. I never expected them to be the same project.”

  “Well… I’m glad you still have another option, but I still feel bad for bringing you all the way out here for nothing,” Layla said.

  “It’s not your fault. You thought it was a done deal and only found out about the factional conflict after the fact. I’m sure if you had any suspicion that this would happen, you wouldn’t have invited me out here,” I said. “Besides, it wasn’t a total loss; the family had fun with all the different attractions.”

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  Layla nodded awkwardly. “So… what do you plan to do next? Stick around for a couple more days?”

  “I don’t think so. My family already visited all the attractions we wanted to, and the plan was just to stick around long enough for me to visit the Safe Arbour project. Since that’s no longer an option, we’ll probably move on,” I said.

  “Straight to Indianapolis?” Layla asked.

  “Not right away. Since we were already going to be out on the West Coast I thought I’d swing by Seattle and say hello to a couple friends. I haven’t been back there since the Siege, and I kind of want to see how well it’s recovered,” I explained.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry I missed that fight, but someone had to stay behind and keep Vancouver safe, and we needed to send nearly every aquatic-based samurai on the west coast down there to stem the tide of Antithesis pouring out of the ocean,” Layla said. “I heard the city bounced back fairly quickly after the siege, and because the core group of samurai refused to go to Mars, they weathered the global pretty well.”

  “So I’ve heard,” I muttered. “I’ll see the truth soon enough.”

  Layla nodded awkwardly, and we stood in silence for a moment before she cleared her throat. “I guess that means this is where we part. I wish we’d had a little more time to catch up, but I’m just so busy these days.”

  “That’s the burden of leadership, and one of the reasons I refuse to either join the Family or take up a position of power in Calgary,” I proclaimed.

  “Yeah, well, I can’t just leave all the new samurai running around to fend for themselves,” Layla replied. “Someone needs to look out for the next generation.”

  “Hey, I look out for the next generation too!” I exclaimed. “I just do it in a less official capacity. More action, less paperwork.”

  “Ugh… please don’t mention the paperwork,” Layla groaned. “I’ve seen enough forms in the last few months to last me a lifetime. I really hope things settle down soon so I can take a break.”

  “I’m sure they will,” I said, patting her on the back, “and when they do, you should take a trip over to Calgary. I’ll show you around and introduce you to everyone.”

  “Maybe I will,” she laughed. “I could use a break.”

  Layla held out her hand. “Take care of yourself, Evelyn, and don’t be a stranger.”

  “You too,” I replied, shaking her hand.

  I escorted her back to the hangar, where her top-of-the-line hovercar was waiting. A sleek, futuristic-looking hypercar that either cost her several million credits or quite a few points. I waved lightly as she climbed into the vehicle and smoothly pulled away, disappearing into the night.

  Once she was gone, I swiftly moved up the stairs and headed towards the bridge. Since my access to Safe Arbour had been revoked, there was no reason for us to stick around Vancouver any longer.

  “Spooky, start calling back the collection crews; we’re done here!” I declared as I bounced up the stairs.

  The grey bear in the captain's hat and long coat turned and stared at me for a minute. “Already? Weren’t you going to visit a research lab or something?”

  “The tour was cancelled. It turned out that several local samurai didn’t want to risk showing the facility to an outsider,” I explained. “It’s a pain in the ass, but I’m not going to pick a fight with a bunch of other samurai over it. How long will it take to make the proper preparations?”

  “I’d say just a little over an hour. The crews didn’t have to go out that far to find abandoned towns to pick through,” he reported. “The trucks are faster than the carrier, so we could start moving early and have them catch up if you’re in a hurry.”

  “Nah, we’re not in a rush. We just don’t have a reason to stick around any longer,” I replied.

  “We’re still heading to the same place?”

  “Straight to Seattle,” I confirmed. “You think you can handle that?”

  “Please don’t insult me,” Spooky sniffed. “I could maneuver this ship between two buildings with less than an inch of clearance; traveling to another city is child’s play.”

  “Alright, sorry, I was just asking,” I exclaimed, holding up my hands in surrender. “How long will the trip take?”

  “Now that we’ve finished the shakedown cruise and stress-tested the new engines? It’ll only take a couple hours. The Carrier might not be the swiftest vehicle, but it’s no slouch either,” Spooky replied proudly.

  “In that case, feel free to cast off as soon as you’re ready. I’m going to head down to the residential area and spend the evening with the kids. Feel free to contact me if something goes wrong. Otherwise I’ll check in tomorrow, after we arrive,” I said, turning back towards the stairs.

  “Have a good night,” the bear called after me. “Sleep well.”

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