23

The sky over the city was a patchwork of smoke and sun, three dark plumes rising in uneven columns across the skyline. Jude stared out of his office window, the muffled noises of tense conversations and frantic typing behind him barely registering. The explosions had rattled everyone—briefly. Nico had emerged from her office within ten minutes, her voice cutting through the panic like a whip: "Get back to work."

Jude tried to focus, but his mind kept slipping. He regretted suggesting the cloning project. It was becoming clear this was never going to work. Without access to Nova's current base source code, they were flying blind. Every attempt to rebuild her was like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces, each failure a reminder of how much they had depended on her.

He glanced at the Nova icon on his screen, glowing softly. A taunting reminder of what they'd lost. Where was she now? Was she anywhere? The uncertainty gnawed at him. Some comfort could be found in the encrypted code, as it meant the team couldn't trace his tampering. But whether his override had worked, whether Nova was truly free, he had no idea. That ignorance weighed heavily.

"Hey!" Daman's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Jude turned to see his colleague leaning around the edge of the desk. "Are you actually working, or just staring into space? We've got a bit of a crisis going on here."

Jude swallowed, caught off guard. "I was just—uh—thinking. Brain fog, you know? I think I need to step out for five minutes. Get some fresh air."

Daman narrowed his eyes. "It had better just be five minutes, Jude. You're the one who got us into this mess."

Jude's heart lurched. His face grew hot. "What do you mean?"

"The cloning," Daman said. "It was your idea, wasn't it?"

"Oh. Right. Yeah." Jude exhaled, the tension in his chest easing. "Look, I just need some air. I'll be back in a few."

"Make it quick."

Jude grabbed his phone and stepped out onto the balcony. The city stretched out before him, the chaos distant but unrelenting. From this vantage point, he could see two more pillars of smoke rising in the distance. He leaned on the railing and tried to calm his thoughts.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, with a news notification.

REFERENDUM POSTPONED DUE TO TERRORIST ATTACKS

Jude swiped it away, to see it replaced with two missed calls from Maya. Guilt twisted in his gut as he dialled her back.

"Jude," Maya answered after the first ring. Her voice was tight, shaken.

"Is everything alright?" Jude asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not really," she said. "I just almost died."

"Oh shit—at the polling station?"

"Yeah," said Maya. "The explosion. I was there. I'm okay mostly, just... yeah. Certainly hasn't helped my hangover."

"Christ... what a week," Jude muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

They fell into a heavy silence, the enormity of everything weighing down the connection between them.

Maya broke the silence. "What about the cloning project? Is it working?"

Jude shook his head, even though she couldn't see him. "No. It's a mess. Without Nova's original code, we're just throwing darts in the dark."

"So you can't bring her back?"

"No," said Jude. "I'm sorry."

Before Maya could respond, a knock on the glass behind him startled him. Daman was there, gesturing impatiently for him to come back inside. Jude held up a hand in acknowledgment.

"I have to go," he said to Maya. "We'll talk later."

"Yeah," she said, her voice distant. "Later."

Jude ended the call and stepped back into the office. Daman immediately grabbed his arm. "Nico wants to see you in her office."

Jude's stomach dropped. "What? Why?"

Daman shrugged. "No idea. But I doubt it's good news. Better not keep her waiting."

The walk to Nico's office felt like a march to the gallows. Jude's mind raced with every possible reason for the summons, none of them good. By the time he reached her door, the air in the hallway felt suffocating.

He knocked lightly.

"Come in," Nico's voice called.