After placating her captor, Sarah noticed he didn't seem inclined to give further instructions. She descended back to the basement, returning moments later with a sleek, waist-high nanobot swarm controller. With a few taps on its surface, the swarm activated, spreading out across the floor in a shimmering wave, methodically consuming the debris.
As the nanobots worked, Sarah opened a hidden panel in the wall, revealing the power source for her defense grid. She swapped out the depleted quantum cell for a fresh one from her pocket.
The intruder, who had introduced himself as "Jake," watched her actions with interest. He ran his hand along the wall, searching for the hidden mechanisms Sarah had so easily activated earlier.
"Did you program all this yourself?" Jake asked, a hint of admiration creeping into his voice.
"Just some DIY nanotech security," Sarah replied, resetting all the traps she had triggered. She recalled the cleaning swarm, watching as they coalesced into a compact cube, then pulled out a stack of iridescent nanochips from her pocket. She selected one and placed it on top of the cube.
Jake's eyes narrowed at the sight of the chips. It was the first time he had seen them up close, and in such quantity.
"Give me one of those chips," he demanded, curiosity evident in his tone.
Sarah, embracing her role as a cooperative captive, held out the entire stack for him to choose from.
Thrown off by her eagerness, Jake hesitated before selecting a chip at random. Before he could ask, Sarah volunteered an explanation: "The chip I put on the cube? It's payment. The swarm will deliver itself for recycling and upgrades."
Jake examined the intricate nanostructures on the iridescent chip he had chosen. "What does this one do?"
Sarah glanced at it. "That's a climate control chip. Integrate it with any system, and you can regulate the environment for about ten days." There was a hint of pride in her voice.
Jake seemed unimpressed, returning the chip to the stack.
"Two weeks," he said abruptly. "We need to leave the Reclamation Zone."
Sarah understood this wasn't a statement of his plans, but a demand. It was clear now why he had infiltrated her home and taken her captive.
Instead of responding directly, Sarah said, "I programmed all these nanochips. Built all the nanoswarm defenses in this house. Even synthesized that nanotoxin you encountered earlier." She paused, letting the implications sink in. "As the only nanotech weapons developer in D-sector, I'm... let's say, strongly discouraged from leaving the Zone."
Jake's eyes narrowed. Without a word, Sarah felt a sharp pain in her neck as nanites from her collar activated, drawing a thin line of blood.
"A simple yes or no will suffice," Jake said coldly.
The pain focused Sarah's mind. Her playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a calm intensity. "Yes, it can be done," she said simply.
Jake wasn't satisfied. "You're coming with me."
"That's not possible," Sarah replied, her voice steady. "Even if you disassemble me molecule by molecule, it wouldn't change that fact."
Jake didn't act on her words. Sarah's earlier display had clearly marked her as both intelligent and ruthless. Any escape plan she devised would undoubtedly be riddled with deadly nanotech traps.
She had to come with him. It was the only way.
"What do you need?" Jake asked, his tone neutral.
Sarah's eyes remained lowered, but a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. "A legal, legitimate citizen nanoprint."
Jake studied her for a few seconds, then pulled what looked like a high-tech wristband from his belt and tossed it to her. "Input your biosignature to bind it."
Sarah caught the device, momentarily stunned. The thing she had dreamed of for years, suddenly in her hands. She had made the request thinking it impossible, intending to chip away at Jake's confidence before making a more reasonable demand.
Yet here it was, easily granted.
Sarah couldn't entirely hide the complex emotions that flashed across her face. Sometimes, fate had a twisted sense of humor.
Without a word, she pressed her thumb against the device's scanner. The screen lit up, displaying her new identity:
Name: Alex Hill Gender: Male Date of Birth: August 3766 (Galactic Standard)
Sarah raised an eyebrow at the 'Male' designation but said nothing. It made sense; Jake was male, and this nanoprint was likely one of his backup identities.
As Sarah contemplated whether she should use nanites to alter her appearance to match the male ID, Jake spoke up, misinterpreting her hesitation. "Your physical appearance doesn't matter. Modern scanners read your nanoprint, not your looks."
Sarah nodded, not bothering to explain her actual thoughts. She closed the ID information and turned to Jake, her attitude noticeably warmer now that she had her coveted legal status.
"With a legit nanoprint, we can leave through the simplest, safest route," she said. "What name should I use for you?"
"Jake will do," he replied simply.
Sarah nodded, unsurprised that it was likely another alias. In the Reclamation Zone, real identities were a luxury few could afford.
"The Nova Scrapyard Reclamation Company is always hiring," Sarah explained. "We can apply there. They rotate staff weekly, and the outgoing crew leaves the Zone on waste reclamation ships bound for other planets. What skills can you offer?"
"Elimination," Jake replied flatly.
Sarah didn't bat an eye at his response. "Hmm. Sharp eye, quick reflexes, ability to identify targets rapidly. Patient, steady under pressure. I'll put you down for nanoswarm coordinator."
Jake's expression remained impassive, but there was a hint of confusion in his voice. "Doesn't the company use AI for that?"
"You mean artificial incompetence?" Sarah smirked. "They do, but with an accuracy rate below 60%, human oversight is needed for fine-tuning the swarms."
Jake nodded, seemingly satisfied with Sarah's knowledge of the company.
Before they could continue, a rhythmic knock sounded at the door. Sarah's eyes flickered with recognition, and she turned to Jake with an apologetic look. "I'm afraid you'll need to make yourself scarce."
Jake activated his cloaking nanites without a word, vanishing from sight.
Sarah peered through the door's nanoscreen feed, then opened it with a bright smile. "Eli! What a surprise!"
The newcomer, Eli, was a young man barely out of his teens. He started to return Sarah's smile, but his expression darkened as he noticed the bloodstained cloth around her neck.
"Chen, what happened?" Eli asked, his hand reaching out to touch the makeshift bandage. His eyes scanned the seemingly empty living room. "There wasn't any biological waste in the nanoswarm you sent out..."
Sarah waved off his concern with a sheepish grin. "Just a little accident during an experiment. Nothing to worry about." Her expression quickly shifted to excitement as she pulled an azure nanochip from her pocket. "Hey, remember that weapons targeting system you wanted? I finally cracked it!"
She took a few steps back into the house, gesturing for Eli to follow. "Come in, I'll show you how it integrates."
Eli remained rooted at the threshold, an uneasy smile on his face. "That's okay, Chen. Just hand me the chip. I was only checking to make sure you were safe. Got a lot on my plate right now, can't stay to play."
Sarah pouted playfully but complied, walking back to the door and handing Eli the azure chip. As he took it, his brow furrowed, realizing there were two chips in his hand.
The second was a familiar emerald chip with 'Absorb' etched in nanoscript at the bottom. Eli's eyes widened in recognition.
This was Sarah's prized absorption chip, capable of neutralizing energy-based attacks -- a rare and invaluable defense in their nanotech-heavy society. Sarah had always kept it close, citing the unpredictable nature of her experiments as the reason.
But now she had given it to him.
"Chen..." Eli's voice was thick with emotion.
Sarah beamed at him, her voice light. "My research is wrapping up. Once your boss integrates my chip, he's bound to start some trouble. You'll need it more than me then."
Her expression softened slightly. "Ty died protecting you. Your life isn't just your own anymore, Eli. Keep it safe, and don't let your boss know about it."
Eli took a deep breath, carefully securing the chips in his nanofiber pocket. "Don't worry. I'll be careful."
Sarah nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good."
As Eli walked away, Sarah closed the door. Jake reappeared, his voice tinged with suspicion. "Were you trying to get me to eliminate him?"
"Yep," Sarah replied cheerfully, not bothering to question how he'd figured it out.
Jake's eyes narrowed. "Handle your own problems."
"Oh, I already have," Sarah said, her tone light but her eyes cold. "That weapons targeting chip? It's keyed to the absorption chip."
Jake fell silent, reassessing the seemingly harmless woman before him. The unspoken rule -- never cross a nanoprogrammer -- etched itself deeper in his mind.
"Don't call me Chen," Sarah added, removing the bloodied cloth from her neck. Her voice was suddenly devoid of its earlier warmth. "It's not my name. Makes me sick to hear it."
Chen had been the name of a traitor among the children who grew up in the Reclamation Zone. As the last survivor of that group, Sarah had no desire to relive the memory of Eli bringing back Ty's body, his face contorted with grief as he called her 'Chen', saying Ty had entrusted her to his care.
To the outside world, Sarah had never had a name. Eli's use of 'Chen' could only have come from Ty's dying words.
Whatever had happened then, Eli's refusal to step foot in her house for all these years spoke volumes.
But now, it was all over.
"If you need to call me something," Sarah said, her tone casual once more, "how about 'Hill'? It's part of the name on my new nanoprint, after all."
As Sarah turned to face Jake, her eyes gleamed with a mix of determination and calculation. She had set her plan in motion, and now it was time to see how it would unfold. The game was getting more complex, but Sarah was ready for the challenge. This was her chance to not just survive.