CODES

T H I R T Y - T H R E E

Matthews had spent an hour searching Provincial Hall's garage for vehicles with malfunctioning auto-gear.

I had my faith in Matthews. And he was all for our plan. He said he'd been the kid who would hot-wire cars when he was growing up, so he volunteered to do the same for the defective cars. Couldn't turn them on without passcodes. He'd be our key.

With that small peace of mind, Xerses and I went on to our next dilemma—Clara. We'd be leaving for New York within a few hours. We couldn't jus5 leave her here.

The elevator doors opened for us but we didn't step out. It was as if we listened to the same silence—the empty, lonely silence. And I only thought this because we both turned our heads and looked at each other with regretful sighs.

"I don't know, Rog," Xerses said, rubbing his chin. "Should we really bring her?"

"We can't leave her." I was the first to step out. "If we leave her and Polk finds her, then what? It isn't like we'd be next door. We'd be steps and chaos away."

He sighed again. "I know." Xerses looked down at his hands. Nestled between his fingers was a small black box with numbers on the same; the same box that'd brought me to life over a year ago. His thumb traced over the zero near the top.

"How did you tweak that again?" I asked, eyeing the little device curiously.

His gaze slid over to mine. "It'll disable her. Or, at least, I think it will," he said. "She'll be asleep our entire trip."

Nodding, I looked back at the hall. At Clara's locked door. "She won't wake up, huh?"

Xerses touched the buttons again. "Yeah," he said.

I sighed. I took one step forward before shifting to the side to look back at Xerses' hands, at the little machine. To think I was once grateful for that machine; thankful to see it in its full effect. If it hadn't been for Clara and her innocent, rebellious nature, I wouldn't exist and who knew what would have happened with that little box. Would the original Hosts have found it? Would they have triggered the big blast for the last war?

With a growl, I passed my hand over my forehead. "You know the waves would probably get me too, right?"

Xerses' eyes widened. "It shouldn't, I mean," he looked down at the box before tucking it into his pocket, "the waves aren't really strong anymore. But Clara isn't a Code, so she should get the full effect and just... sleep."

"Hm." I pressed my lips together before looking at the door. "Right, sure. Sleep."

"What?" Xerses stepped forward and touched my shoulder. "You don't believe me?"

I shrugged, approaching the door. I felt the static energy on the other end of it and prayed with all my heart Clara was there and not Zara.

"I believe that you believe it," I told him as I glanced at him. "But I also know you've never had Nanos go berserk in your body. It isn't like falling asleep."

Xerses didn't say anything. How could he? He may have had experiences with data, the void, and the occurrence of Codes in his body, but he was as human as could be; no metal or machinery in him at all. Now, me, on the other hand...

I bit my lip as I wrapped my hand around the handle of Clara's door. Glancing at Xerses, I waited for him to give me the okay. He nodded. I pulled.

The dim light of Clara's room gently broke the shadows of the night in the hallway. I scanned the room for a moment—noting the lamp on a desk, the tablet she'd had earlier placed beside it—before looking at her. Clara lay on the bed. But when we'd opened the door, she half sat up slowly. Her brown waves fell over the side of her face. When she didn't say a word, I worried. Until a glow filled her eyes—her natural light—and I smiled.

"Hey, Doll," I said as I stepped into the room.

She snapped up quickly and her face changed. She frowned. She covered her bottom lip as her cheeks reddened. "Roger, I—" She pushed up from the bed and, cautiously, stepped toward me. "Earlier, I didn't—"

"Doll, don't apologize." I closed the gap between us and cupped her face. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Her frown deepened. "But Zara—"

I passed my thumb over her bottom lip. "Zara did what we always knew she'd do. Manipulate and control."

Tears welled up in Clara's eyes. The red eye was brighter than the blue when she blinked. And when she sighed, she fell into me, her face passed against my chest until I held her. This was fine. This was where I wanted her to be.

As I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pressed her against me, I passed gently kisses over the top of her head. When her breathing calmed and she hummed, I closed my eyes, clutching the folds of her sleeves. "It's going to be okay, Doll," I whispered. "I promise."

The sound of slow footsteps made both Clara and me turn our heads. Xerses stepped into the room with a soft smile on his face. Both of his hands pressed into the pockets of his pants. I knew he touched buttons on that little box; Clara wouldn't worry if she didn't see it.

She lifted her head slightly. "Oh, X," she sighed, "I'm sorry if I said or did anything to you. I never see you enough to apologize and—"

"No, no, no." Xerses waved one hand. "I know, it wasn't you, baby girl. Don't apologize."

"Okay," she whispered before putting her head back against my chest.

I held her for another moment. The way she moved her head, still close to me, but focusing on Xerses, I knew. She knew. I wondered if she felt the device in his pocket. Maybe the waves weren't as weak as he believed they were. But Clara was smart, who was I to think I could keep this from her?

"Just hold onto me," I whispered to her as Xerses hands moved in his pocket. "Wherever you go, I'll be there."

"Mhm." She sighed. "I'm assuming you have a plan?"

"I do."

Clara lifted her head and looked into my eyes. "You always do," she said.

Even though parts of her were different, I still saw the same hope in her eyes. The very same I saw every day, and still see every morning when we wake up. The different shades couldn't change that. The doom outside the Province Hall couldn't either.

Cupping my hand behind her head, I brought her head close and kissed her. Her warmth slipped into me. For that moment, I heard her heartbeat echo in my ears. Her temperature spiked and my computers detected it immediately. She loved me, missed me, just like I did her.

We were going to make it. Everything was going to be okay.

Xerses pressed the button. The tiny click echoed. I pulled away from the kiss thinking I could look into Clara's eyes one more time before she went under. But I did. And the world faded to black.