The airplane flew through the night sky.
Alex sat beside the window, his posture relaxed, but his eyes were sharp.
Looking down, he could barely recognize his own planet.
Before, when he first came out, he was running from the Mechalyte.
He never had time to really look at the world.
Most of what he saw was wasteland.
Only a few patches of green survived.
High towers filled the horizon in rigid lines.
Between them, ruined cities scattered covered with plants.
Aira sat beside him.
Her hands were folded on her lap.
Darius sat across them with two attendants behind him.
He looked calm, but his eyes kept flicking toward Alex.
"Not everything is like this," Darius said at last.
"Despite what the map says, some dark zones and red zones are still out of Mechalyte control."
Alex turned his head slowly.
His gaze landed on Darius.
"Are you enemy or friend?"
Darius blinked once.
"I should be the one asking you that, young man," Darius said.
