That morning the bread was warm and the coffee smelled too comforting.
On the small television, the news showed aerial images of the new Impossible City. The helicopter hovered at the same distance, as if the neighborhood refused to let itself be seen.
His aunt came in with the groceries.
—Another city —she said.
—They keep appearing closer —Thomas replied.
When he stepped into the store, Robert caught him in a hug that nearly crushed his ribs.
—Toto! You're alive!
Then he pointed to the man by the window.
—This is Dylan Clarck. The Impossible.
Dylan was too still. His skin looked cold as metal. Five gleaming plates were fixed to his jacket.
—Want to go for a walk? —he asked.
They walked. In the plaza, Dylan rolled up his sleeve. Blue patches glowed beneath his skin, moving slowly.
—This metal went straight through my chest —he said—. It was supposed to kill me. Instead it made me useful.
Then he looked straight at Thomas.
—I came to offer you a scholarship at the Academy of Explorers.
Thomas felt his heart slamming against his ribs.
—I'm not interested. I hate everything to do with the Impossible Cities. My old man got obsessed… and they took him.
Dylan stood up and gazed at his own statue.
—Do you know how you really survived?
Thomas tensed.
—When I got there, the beasts were already tearing you apart. I started pulling back… and then they exploded. One after another. You made the last one explode with a single punch.
The wind moved the leaves with a slight delay.
—You were standing. Unharmed. Your eyes were glowing.
Dylan looked at him.
—Your father discovered something enormous. And then he disappeared. I need you, Thomas. I need to know what he found… and why you were able to do that.