There were hovercars piled up in the intersection as if they had all tried to cross at once. Another clump had invaded the sidewalk and a third lay in the middle of the stairs that led to the recreational area. Arms of dim, gray light beat down from the dome, dappling on the asphalt, over the terraces, and on the walls of the surrounding buildings. Dotty realised the full extent of the deterioration that permeated the area. She feared that every dome across the moon might be in the same state. A shiver ran down her spine.
Long shadows crossed the avenues creating corners of impenetrable darkness and Dotty had the feeling that someone was watching them.
"We need to find some clothes," said T1N, pointing to the girl's feet. "You can't be walking around barefoot, the floor is covered in broken glass."
They pushed forward between the hovercars and the girders which, having fallen from a collapsed skyscraper, now rose from the side of the road like the skeletal ribs of a metallic giant. In that silence, even their softest footsteps echoed through the ruins of the city. Especially those of the android.
"Do you think if you wear shoes you'll make less of a racket when you walk?" Dotty asked him with a half-smile.
"Get down!" whispered T1N, and they both took cover behind a car.
"What's going on? Did you see something?" she said, not mentioning that sensation from before.
"I feel something. A slight vibration in the air."
"Are you joking?" Dotty stuck her head out and looked from side to side. There was absolutely no one around. "Did you see someone out shopping?"
"I thought I saw a reflection over there. In the windows of the guard outpost."
Dotty followed his gaze up the stairs to the squat building.
"Don't you wonder why a 'paradise city' would even need security?" she muttered.
"You tell me. Even with access to everything you could ever want, you don't feel fulfilled. Is that not so? It's the condition of your species."
"That's true. When we get bored enough we create our own disasters."
"Exactly." The android stood up. "I'm not detecting anything anymore. Let's carry on."
The building was about six metres tall and its entire structure was formed of curves. There wasn't even one right angle. The roof, just as white as the rest of it, was shaped like a turtle shell. There was an unassuming sign by the entrance that read: "Guard Station — Commercial District R12."
Compared to all the skyscrapers, this building seemed like a dwarf among giants. Dotty and T1N slowly climbed the stairs that were as wide as the street itself. A hovercar had crashed through the railings and now hung over the edge.
When they reached the top, they stopped for a moment. All the doors and windows had been smashed in their frames and now the floor was carpeted in broken glass. Dotty stretched out her hand to touch a nearby pillar. It was covered in horizontal slashes and smaller marks that might have been burns.
"I thought we were meant to be the first ones to come here?" said Dotty. Her stomach gave a fierce growl and she had to press down on it with her hands.
"What was that rumbling?" T1N turned his head to the stairs they had come from.
"It's my stomach. I'm starting to die of hunger," she moaned.
T1N raised his finger and pointed to a small square object flying over them a short distance away.
"They know we noticed them and now they're running away!" shouted Dotty as she watched the object turn in the air and begin to recede into the distance.
T1N ran after it, easily jumping over a hovercar and landing in a crouch. He swung his arm and a swift blur sliced through the air towards the object. It plummeted towards the ground.
"What the hell did you do?" Dotty stared in disbelief at the space where that object had been moments before.
"I'll go and retrieve it. I don't know how much damage I caused."
When he showed it to Dotty, it was still sparking. It was a little bigger than a baby and much heavier. It was an eight-faced diamond cut through with something that resembled a knife without a handle.
"Could I have that back?" asked T1N, pointing to the blade.
It was then she noticed that he only had one hand.
T1N smiled and Dotty placed the object on the ground. She used both hands to dislodge the knife from the drone's mechanical entrails. As she did, fresh sparks sprayed all around her. Dotty brought the blade over to the android and he raised his right forearm. The end of his wrist was blunt, as if it had been cut away.
Bringing the blade close to his stump, it started to vibrate. The shaking became so violent that Dotty couldn't keep hold of it. She felt a growing heat in her palms and she saw how the metal began to shift and mold, reaching out towards his arm.
When the two ends met, the blade melted onto the rest of his forearm. Then it changed, swishing like liquid shaken in a bottle, and slowly returned to its original shape. The android's hand was intact and in place.
"Oh my God! That's crazy!"
"I'm as surprised as you are," said the android, composing himself. "I didn't know I was capable of these things until we arrived on Eidolon."
T1N bent down to examine the smashed diamond.
"It's a surveillance drone," he said. "Look, this is a camera lens. Someone's been watching us."
"Who is it? Why are they hiding? We need all the help we can get!"
"Whoever it is…" T1N looked over his shoulder, as if he had sensed someone nearby. "They don't want to reveal themselves. Not yet, at least. I wonder if it has something to do with my visions."
T1N lifted one of the sides of the drone and found a circular opening. He pushed his index finger into it and waited a few seconds.
*CONNECTING TO REMOTE SURVEILLANCE UNIT*
>COMMAND: RECOVER LOCALISATION LIST
"What are you doing? I wouldn't touch that…" said Dotty.
"I'm trying to discover who is watching us, and from where."
*ALERT! ALERT! SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED*
5, 4, 3…
"Shit!" shouted Dotty, running backwards.
T1N picked up the drone with only one hand and threw it with all of his strength. It traced a high arc and, before it reached the peak of its trajectory, burst in a cloud of orange light that lit up their surroundings.
"Son of a bitch!" cried Dotty. She protected her eyes from the light. "It tried to fry us!"
"It would be best if we search quickly and then get out of here as fast as we can. If there's anyone left in this city, they now know exactly where we are."