The world beyond Neoterra did not recognize straight lines.
The path along which Zoe led Alex seemed like a living creature—it curved, branched, sometimes almost disappeared, only to reappear again after a few steps. Occasionally it glowed with a faint bluish light, as if information arteries ran beneath the soil, feeding the surrounding ecosystem.
They had been walking for half a day, venturing deeper into the periphery territory—a zone where the transformations of the Resonance had manifested most radically. Here, familiar forms of vegetation had given way to creations for which names did not even exist. Antenna-trees with crystalline crowns, capturing and transforming information flows. Fields of glowing filamentous structures, oscillating in rhythm with invisible currents of data. Strange mushroom-like formations that retreated into the soil as they approached, leaving behind pulsating points of light.
"The periphery feels us," Zoe remarked, as a particularly large biocybernetic plant bent its branches toward them, as if studying the passing travelers. "Especially you. Your node... interests the local ecosystem."
Alex nervously looked at the approaching branch. It was covered with the tiniest sensors, resembling a combination of electronic detectors and plant stomata. The tip of the branch paused a few centimeters from his face.
"Is it dangerous?" he asked, trying not to move.
"Not hostile," Zoe clarified. "Curious. The plant has never encountered such a signature before. A Nexus node, integrated at the cellular level... that's rare."
She made a slight gesture with her hand, and the patterns on her skin glowed brighter. The plant slowly withdrew its branch and returned to its original position.
"I asked it to respect your space," she explained with a slight smile. "The local ecosystem understands... certain signals."
"You can talk to them?" Alex asked in surprise as they continued on their way.
"Not exactly talking," Zoe shook her head. "More like... exchanging intentions. Basic communication protocols. Technomancers study the language of the biocybernetic ecosystem for years. It's not words, but... patterns. Rhythms. Resonances."
Alex carefully observed the environment, trying to catch these patterns himself. Since Zoe had given him the information perception stabilizer, his condition had improved. The attack of information sickness had receded but left behind an increased sensitivity to data flows. Now he could see the finest network of information currents permeating everything around him, like a transparent superstructure over physical reality.
"There's something there," he suddenly said, pointing to a dense cluster of glowing data filaments hovering over the valley ahead. "Something... artificial?"
Zoe stopped, peering in the indicated direction. Her golden eyes narrowed, and the patterns on her skin formed a new configuration pattern.
"You're right," she nodded with slight surprise. "A transport node. Mobile. A caravan."
"Caravan?" Alex repeated. "Like pre-resonance trading caravans?"
"Similar, but different," Zoe pointed to the strange cluster of objects slowly moving along the valley floor. "Nomads. Gatherers of information and resources. They travel between enclaves and living cities. They trade. Exchange. Connect."
Alex squinted, trying to make out the caravan. From this distance, he could only discern the vague outlines of large biomechanical constructs, resembling gigantic arthropod creatures carrying structures that looked like intertwined plant and technological elements. Human figures moved around these vehicles.
"I thought after the Resonance almost everyone lived in enclaves or transformed cities," Alex said. "Isn't it dangerous to constantly travel through territories like these?"
"Dangerous," Zoe agreed. "But necessary. Enclaves cannot exist in complete isolation. Exchange is needed. Resources. Information. Genetic material. The nomads have adapted. Developed survival skills. Created symbiotic relationships with the biocybernetic environment."
She pointed to a path leading down into the valley.
"We can... join them? Temporarily. Caravans are usually open to fellow travelers. Especially technomancers. Their skills are valued on the road."
Alex hesitated. On one hand, meeting new people meant potential risk. After the incident at the Ark's Archive, he might be being searched for. On the other hand, traveling with a caravan could be safer than continuing the journey as a pair through increasingly wild territories of the periphery.
"Do you know these nomads? Can we trust them?" he asked Zoe.
She studied the caravan, her eyes with golden particles slowly scanning the information currents surrounding the group.
"Familiar pattern," she finally said. "This is the Rains caravan. Layla Rains is their leader. Fair. Respected among nomads and in enclaves. I... trust her reputation."
Alex sighed. Perhaps they could indeed use the caravan's support for at least part of the journey.
"Alright," he agreed. "Let's go down and meet this Layla Rains."
They began descending the winding path leading into the valley. As they approached the caravan, Alex could better see its composition. The core consisted of five massive transport creatures—hybrids of mechanical and biological components. They resembled giant multi-legged beetles with translucent carapaces, under which biological organs pulsed, intertwined with mechanical components. On their backs were living modules, storage compartments, and strange biocybernetic towers, resembling antennas or beacons.
Around the transporters bustled people—about twenty individuals of various ages. Many had noticeable body modifications, adapted for life in conditions of constant movement through the changed environment. Some wore protective suits integrated with their skin. Others had implanted devices whose purpose Alex could only guess at.
When they approached the edge of the camp, they were noticed. Two nomads with biocybernetic eye modifications, allowing them to see in an expanded spectrum, came toward them. They didn't look hostile, but were clearly on alert.
"A technomancer," one of them said, examining the glowing patterns on Zoe's skin. "And..." his gaze shifted to Alex, and something like surprise flashed in his eyes, "an interesting companion."
"Greetings to the Rains caravan," Zoe formally replied, making a gesture with her hand that, as Alex understood, was some kind of accepted sign of peaceful intentions among the nomads. "We are travelers heading to the mountains. We would like to join your caravan. Temporarily. I can offer technomancer services in exchange for safe passage."
The guards exchanged glances, then one of them nodded.
"Layla will decide," he said. "Follow me."
They entered the caravan camp, attracting curious glances from the nomads. Alex felt uncomfortable under these gazes—some were too attentive, studying, as if people saw something unusual in him. His hand involuntarily rose to the back of his neck, where the implant scar was hidden.
They were led to the central transporter—the largest of the five. Unlike the others, its carapace was not just translucent but decorated with complex biocybernetic ornaments, glowing with rhythmic pulsations. On its back rose a complex structure resembling both a command center and a living module.
At the foot of this construction, a woman awaited them. Tall, with a muscular body hardened by years of life on the road. Her dark skin was covered with a thin network of silvery lines—not tattoos, but some kind of subcutaneous implants forming geometric patterns. Her hair, gathered in dozens of thin braids, was interwoven with metal threads and biosensors. But most remarkable were her eyes—completely black, without visible whites or pupils, like small pockets of cosmic emptiness.
"Layla Rains," the guard introduced her. "Our Guide."
The woman carefully studied the newcomers. Her gaze lingered on Zoe, evaluating the technomancer's patterns, and then moved to Alex. And at that moment, something unexpected happened—her face changed, the expression of calm alertness was replaced by shock, her wide-open eyes stared at Alex as if she had seen a ghost.
"It can't be," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "Alex? Alex Kovich?"
Alex froze, shocked that this stranger knew his name. He carefully examined her face, trying to find at least some familiar features, but in vain.
"Do we... know each other?" he cautiously asked.
Layla let out a short, bitter laugh.
"You don't remember," it was not a question, but a statement. "Of course, you don't remember. Twenty-six years have passed. And your mind..." she made an indefinite gesture with her hand, "protected itself through oblivion."
She came closer, and now Alex could see the wrinkles around her strange eyes, traces of trials endured on her harsh face.
"I found you on the third day after the Resonance," she said quietly. "In the mountains. Wounded. Disoriented. With a bleeding scar on the back of your head and without a single memory of who you were."
Alex felt a chill run down his spine. This was the missing piece of the puzzle—what happened to him immediately after the Resonance, the interval between memories of node activation and waking up in a rescue camp not far from Neoterra.
"You... took care of me?" he asked, trying to comprehend this new information.
Layla nodded, her black eyes not leaving his face.
"Six months," she confirmed. "Until I brought you to the rescue camp near Neoterra. You were... broken. Not physically, though that too. Your mind was fragmented. You didn't remember yourself. Didn't remember anything before the moment I found you."
She paused, as if deciding how much information to reveal.
"At times you said strange things. About twins. About a protocol. That 'the bridge is destroyed, and now there is no way back.' I thought it was delirium from trauma. But then..." she looked at Zoe, then back at Alex, "then I began to notice how strangely you interacted with information flows. As if part of you existed within them. And I realized you weren't just a refugee."
Alex stood, stunned by these revelations. The woman before him was a living connection to his lost past, to a period that had completely erased from his memory.
"Why did you leave me at the rescue camp?" he asked, trying to understand the logic of her actions. "If you cared for me for so long..."
"Not by my own will," her voice hardened. "You were being hunted, Alex. People in gray jumpsuits. With military-grade implants. They tracked you through the information traces you left when interacting with the flows. I tried to hide you, but they were closing in. The rescue camp was the only safe place—too many people, too many witnesses for those who prefer to operate in the shadows."
Drones, thought Alex. The same automated security systems that pursued him after the incident at the Ark's Archive. Had they been looking for him all these years?
"And then?" he asked. "You just... left?"
Pain flashed in Layla's eyes.
"I watched from a distance. Made sure you were accepted, healed. That you were cared for. And then..." she spread her hands, "I had to leave. A caravan cannot stay in one place for long. It's against our nature. Against our survival."
"And now," Alex said slowly, "you've found me again. Or I've found you. After so many years."
Layla thoughtfully tilted her head.
"Coincidence?" her black eyes moved to Zoe. "Or pattern?"
Zoe, who had been silent all this time, observing the conversation, smiled slightly.
"Patterns are rarely random," she said in her rhythmic voice. "Especially when they manifest at key nodes of the information network."
Layla nodded, as if that was exactly the answer she expected.
"You've changed, Alex," she said, returning to studying his face. "Not just externally. Your... aura in the flow. It's stronger. More defined. Have you found your memory?"
"Parts," Alex answered honestly. "Fragments. I know I was part of the 'Binary Twins' project. That I have a sister, Sarah. That our implants—Nexus nodes—were somehow connected to the initiation of the Resonance."
He paused, watching Layla's reaction. Her face remained inscrutable, but the silvery lines on her skin pulsed faster.
"I'm looking for answers," Alex continued. "And my sister. And now I'm heading to the technomancer enclave to learn to control my... node."
Layla was silent for a long time, as if making an important decision. Finally, she nodded to some of her thoughts.
"My caravan is heading northeast," she said. "We can accompany you part of the way. To Cascade Pass. From there, it's a two-day journey to the technomancer enclave."
She turned to Zoe.
"A technomancer is always a welcome companion in the wild lands. And you," her gaze returned to Alex, and something like tenderness flashed in it, "you strangely bring luck, Alex Kovich. At least, that's how it used to be."
Alex didn't know what to answer. This woman knew more about him than he did himself, at least about the critical period of his life immediately after the Resonance. She could help fill some gaps in his memory, understand what happened to him after the activation of the nodes and separation from Sarah.
"Thank you," he said sincerely. "For the offer. And for saving me back then, after the Resonance. I would like to... learn more about that time. About what you saw. What I said."
Layla nodded, but her face became serious.
"Some memories are better returned gradually," she warned. "Your mind protected itself through oblivion for a reason, Alex. The trauma of the Resonance, the severing of the connection with your sister—this would have been hard enough for an ordinary person. But for you, carriers of Nexus nodes, connected at a level deeper than physical..." she shook her head, "it was almost fatal."
She turned to the guards waiting at a distance.
"Prepare the guest module on the Matriarch," she ordered, pointing to the central transporter. "We leave in an hour. And double the lookouts until the end of the passage."
The guards nodded and left to carry out the order. Layla turned back to Alex and Zoe.
"Rest, prepare for the journey. In the wild lands between here and the pass, there are many dangers. We move quickly, and often at night. Information predators are more active in darkness, but our transporters are better protected than individuals on foot."
With these words, she turned to leave, but Alex stopped her.
"Layla," he called. "Have you ever met... someone like me? A woman, my age, possibly with the same implant?"
Layla froze, her back tensed. When she turned around, her face was impassive, but Alex noticed how the pulsation of silvery lines on her skin became irregular.
"No," she answered shortly. "Never."
And with these words, she walked to the command module, leaving Alex with the feeling that this wasn't the whole truth.
Zoe gently touched his arm.
"She's concealing," the technomancer said quietly. "But not necessarily lying. Information... is a complex thing. Sometimes protection means concealment until the right moment."
Alex nodded, understanding that pressing Layla now would be a mistake. If she really had information about Sarah, he would have to earn her trust before she would share it.
They were escorted to the "guest module"—a small organic compartment on the back of the central transporter that Layla had called the "Matriarch." Inside, it resembled a combination of a living cocoon and a research station, with biocybernetic interfaces built directly into the walls, and soft surfaces that adapted to the body for rest.
"An unusual woman," Zoe remarked when they were alone in the module. "Strong connection to information flows for a non-technomancer. Her implants... have an interesting configuration."
"Do you trust her?" Alex asked, lowering himself onto the soft surface, which instantly adapted to the shape of his body.
Zoe pondered, the golden particles in her eyes rearranging into new patterns.
"I trust her intention to help," she finally said. "The rest... is more complex. She knows more than she says. About you. About the Resonance. Possibly about your sister. But also... fears. Not us. Something else."
Alex nodded. He too had noticed the fear that flashed in Layla's eyes when he asked about Sarah. Not fear of him, but of something that this question had awakened in her memory.
"What could frighten a woman who has led a caravan through the most dangerous territories of the periphery for twenty-six years?" he mused.
"What she has seen before," Zoe answered simply. "What left scars deeper than skin."
Their conversation was interrupted by a vibration that passed through the entire transporter. The Matriarch was awakening, preparing for movement. The walls of the module became more transparent, allowing them to see outside as the caravan began to move. Other transporters were already lining up in a characteristic formation, surrounding the central one.
"We're moving," Zoe noted, approaching the transparent wall of the module. "The path through the wild lands... is long. Dangerous. But with the caravan... safer."
Alex joined her, watching as the valley slowly fell behind, and the transporters headed toward a narrow passage between hills, beyond which began the real wild lands of the periphery.
"Layla said information predators are more active at night," he recalled. "What kind of creatures are they?"
Zoe's face became serious.
"Evolved fragments of defense systems," she explained. "Autonomous. Aggressive. They feed on information, energy, sometimes... the consciousness of careless travelers. Some were created to protect secret facilities before the Resonance. Others... emerged after. Mutated. Adapted."
She pointed to the strange tower-antennas located on the backs of all the transporters.
"Caravan beacons," she explained. "They create a protective information perimeter. Predators cannot penetrate it. Usually."
"Usually?" Alex repeated, not missing this clarification.
Zoe smiled slightly, but her eyes remained serious.
"The periphery... is unpredictable," she said. "Constantly evolving. What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. Survival requires... adaptation. Constant."
Alex nodded, understanding why the nomads looked so adapted to their way of life. They didn't just travel through the periphery—they were part of its complex, ever-changing ecology, an element of the biocybernetic food chain that had to constantly evolve to survive.
The Matriarch moved with surprising grace for its size, its numerous limbs moving in a complex but smooth sequence. The movement was rhythmic, almost hypnotic, and Alex found it had a calming effect on him.
"We should rest," Zoe suggested, moving away from the wall. "The journey to Cascade Pass will take at least two days. The night will be... restless."
Alex agreed. The events of recent days—discovering the truth about the "Binary Twins" project, the episode of information sickness, meeting Layla—all of this had exhausted him physically and emotionally. He lay down on the adaptive surface and closed his eyes, allowing the rhythmic movement of the transporter to lull him to sleep.
His last thought before sinking into sleep was of Sarah. She was somewhere out there, in this strange, transformed world. And with each step, he was getting closer to solving the mystery of her whereabouts.
His implant pulsed gently, as if in time with an invisible, distant heartbeat.