Jess shoved aside the broken metal door to the crash room. “Who’s alive?”

Gavin groaned, rubbing his head. “Me.” He sat up and winced. “Pain. I’m in so much pain…”

Evan fingered a sore elbow. “Where’s your best pilot?” he muttered.

Jess rolled her eyes. “Athena would cream you at any race.”

“She means that,” Gavin rumbled. “I’ve lost myself that way a few times.”

Seth staggered around the steaming hull of the I-Beam. “We need to hit deeper into the Unknowns before the CPU locates our crash.” He pointed to the three survivors. “Gavin, carry Athena. She’s stable but spaced out. Jess, you and Evan salvage the weapons from the cursor. Where’s Cooper?”

“Here.” Cooper emerged from the ruins of the cockpit, scrawny arms full of wiring. “I was foraging for some communications devices out of our scanners, radios, etc.”

Seth patted him on the shoulder. “Keep an eye on Evan.”

Evan huffed as Seth disappeared into what’s left of the cargo hold. “See what I mean? No rights. What do you guys even need me for?”

“Hey!” Jess said. “We rescued you from the Board. A simple thank you would suffice.”

Evan rolled his eyes. “Are you gonna lord that over my head too? How many Bytes will it take to make you let me go?”

“We’re not just gonna let you wander alone,” Gavin rumbled.

“You’re not a prisoner, for the last time!” Jess said, on the precipice of anger. “We rescued you because we need you.”

“For what?” Evan retorted. “All you’ve done is lock me in the cargo hold.”

“HEY!!” Seth emerged from the cargo hold, strapping a gun to his holster. “Knock it off, you two.”

“He started it,” Jess said.

“Well, I’m ending it.” Seth waved his hand in a final gesture. “We just lost the I-Beam. We’re gonna have to walk to the Falls, and we’ll be lucky to reach them by sunset.” He pointed to Evan. “You’re with me. Jess, help Cooper with the weapons and comms.”

Evan couldn’t say he wasn’t satisfied to be away from Jess. Judging by the look on her face, the feeling was mutual.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Seth rounded on Evan. “Who do you think we are?”

Evan was taken aback by the gentle yet firm tone. “I…ummm…”

“Nevermind. It doesn’t matter what you thought about us, but get this through that stubborn head of yours.” Seth taps Evan’s forehead lightly. “I had to approve the mission to rescue you. We jeopardized our cover and our cursor to pull you from the Board. Do you have any idea why?”

“No, but I suppose you’ll tell me,” Evan grumbled.

Seth sighed. “Listen, kid, cut the attitude. Alright? We’ve gotten along just fine without you, and we’ll continue on long after you’re gone, but guess what? We rescued you because I believed in you. I believed you had more potential than being a mindless Keystroke. Jess does too. I believe you have the potential to shape this world for the better. To bring more people out of the control of the CPU and into the Resurgence…”

“How do we know the CPU is really the one to be concerned about?” Evan voiced his concerns.

“Because I…” Seth sighed again, “because we have intel on your parents. I was waiting for an opportune time to tell you, but you’ve pushed the envelope. They didn’t want to leave you.”

Evan’s ears rang with bitterness. “Of course they did.”

“You’re so obstinate,” Seth placed a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “They–”

A shrill piercing scream rent the afternoon air. Seth and Evan bolted towards the sound. “Athena!!”