Nora parked, still a good distance away from the board, resting her hands on the steering wheel. “They are planning the atmosphere sweep though, so it might be a bit before they send something.”
Simon didn’t say anything more, instead reaching out with his sensors to scan the area.It is a live connection. Hope lit up inside of him. Where could he plug in? Could he connect remotely? His eyes roved over the board, hungry for information. “Is this panel broadcasting from here?”
Nora’s brow puckered. “I don’t know?”
He squinted his eyes, looking over the entire feed. “I need to get closer.”
“They don’t let us drive up to it. But we can walk.”
There are guards here though.Simon pointed in the direction of them. “Will they stop us?”
Nora shook her head. “No. A lot of people come up. Here, I’ll pretend like I’m checking the drop. Stay right here, Tilly.”
Simon followed as they got out of the hover, attempting hard to connect wirelessly as they walked up. His processors grew hot trying.The connection is encrypted.Frustration coated his senses.I can’t get in. Simon scattered his gaze all around. The courtyard-like area was heavily guarded and a stone path was underfoot, unlike the dirt that was everywhere else.
The bulletin board soon loomed in front of them, showing an idyllic meadow scene that flooded him with longing.My world. A bitter feeling followed.I’ll take being free over that, though.
He set about downloading the encrypted code, determined to look for any patterns in it that might help in getting him access. This he could puzzle out on his own later.Why have a code like this at all if there’s no technology left on Earth?He needed more data. Or any data, really.
“Simon.” A sharp tug on his arm made him turn away from the monitor. Nora’s eyes darted around. “We can’t really stay here; they don’t let people linger at the drop.”
Reluctantly, Simon followed her pull and began walking back to the hover. “Who’s they?”
Nora motioned to the side with her head. “Hired guards. The rich area has actual armed guards.”
Those guards were eyeing them now as they got ready to leave. They appeared more equipped and dangerous than the men they’d passed on the outskirts of town. And more imposing with rifles across their chests.
Nora walked back and Simon followed, climbing into the hover behind her.I have the feel of the connection, and the encryption. That alone filled him with hope.
They exited the same way they went in, through the small, scattered slums. Nora drove slowly, reminding Simon of his time when there were speed limits and laws. For Nora though, it wasn’t any rules that made her cautious, but more a desire to not draw attention to herself by doing anything out of place.
That same drone that hovered high above the city while they were inside came down closer, as if it was following them as they exited. Simon watched it for a minute and attempted again to connect.It has the same encryption that the bulletin board does.
The desert was large and indifferent on both sides of the hover. Nora turned in a different direction from what Simon was expecting.Where is she going?He kept the drone in his sight as he turned to Nora. “Where are we going? This is a different direction.”
Nora gave a sly smile. “We got a bit of extra gas. I want to show you something real fast before we go home.”
“The schoolhouse?” Tilly asked hopefully from the backseat.
“Nuh uh. Maybe after next visit.” Nora grinned at Simon, then said to Tilly in the backseat, “Besides, we got Simon now to help you learn some!”
Nora put her hand over his, patting a few times before putting it back on the steering wheel. “Imma take him to see the overlook, Tilly.”
“Ohh!” An excited sound came from Tilly. “Yeah! He’ll like that.”
The overlook?“What?” Simon started to ask.
But Nora just shook her head and didn’t answer any other questions as she drove. It took an extra thirty minutes of travel, but it was fast travel, and the drone overhead still followed at the same distance.
Nora glanced at it nervously as she said, under her breath, “Wish that wasn’t following. Don’t know what to do other than act normal though. Been following us more lately it seems like.”
Simon frowned up at it as well. “It is from Mars. The connection is the same as on the board. It was following me in the town as well.”
“Oh really? Is that what you were doing back there at the board?”
“Yes, I was trying to gather more data.”
“Well, Mars don’t need to get so interested in me,” Nora mumbled.
