'You heard Fausto,' Hiro said. 'The equator's the easiest place to launch from.'
Aya nodded, feeling a wave of guilty relief. Her story was true, except she'd been too optimistic.
Nukes, nanos, bugs?whatever these missiles were carrying had to be a hundred times worse than falling metal.
'But it only took a single Rusty missile to kill a whole city,' Frizz said. 'Why are they building so many?'
'Humanity survived the oil plague,' Aya said, shivering. 'Maybe they want to make sure they kill everyone this time.'
'We have to warn Tally,' Hiro said.
'How?' Aya asked. 'She's probably more than a kilometer away. And the freaks will catch us if we even try to ping her.'
'Then we have to go back to the ruin, use that transmitter to kick this place to the whole world.'
'But Tally said to wait!'
'She thought the freaks might be on her side,' Hiro said. 'But it looks like they're not on anyone's side.'
Frizz shook his head. 'But what if we're wrong? Do you want to make the same mistake twice, Aya?'
He was staring at her, Hiro too, like she was responsible for the whole world's safety. But it was still her story, she supposed. Right or wrong, history would remember Aya Fuse as the one who'd kicked it.
She sighed. 'Okay. Before we do anything, let's make absolutely sure. We have to take a closer look.'
Down in the pit, three lifting drones had gathered around the newly constructed missile.
Stretching out their metal fingers, they gently tipped it over onto its side, carrying it out of the factory and into the night.
Aya scanned the darkness, but saw nothing except for the crooked shapes of girders thrusting from the ground. 'No one's around.'
'Those drones must be automatic,' Hiro said. His night-black hand stretched out a finger. 'Look where they're headed.'
In the distance was a taller building. A lot more solid than the tents, it was shrouded in darkness.
Hiro glided ahead, and Aya and Frizz took hold of Moggle. The hovercam towed them through the girders, staying low to the ground.
'It's kind of weird how few people we've seen,' Frizz said.
'Mosquitoes, I guess,' Aya said. 'If we weren't in these suits, we'd have been eaten right now.'
'Maybe so. But you'd think anyone planning to nuke the world wouldn't mind using a little bug spray.'
Aya remembered what she'd seen from the hovercar? lots of inhumans braving the wind and rain, pushing their way through the girders. But on this still night no one was outside. Were they all busy making weapons?
As they neared the darkened building, the lifting drones slowly angled the missile upright again.
Two huge doors swung open, revealing a vast space within. Orange worklights spilled out across the hard- packed dirt.
The drones carried the missile inside.
The three of them floated to the edge of the huge doorway and peered in.
'Nothing but a bunch of parts,' Hiro said softly. 'No people, as far as I can see.'
The doors began to swing closed.
'What do we do?' Frizz asked.
'We have to get a closer look at that thing,' Aya said. She crept along behind one slowly closing door, Frizz and Hiro following. They slipped inside just before the doors met, the boom echoing through the building.
'Great,' Frizz whispered. 'We're stuck in here now.'
The missile stood before them, the three lifting drones still attached to it.
Dozens of tiny platforms hovered in the air, like serving drones at a party, but motionless. They carried instruments and tools, electronic parts, and objects that Aya found completely mysterious.
'Shoot those,' she told Moggle.
'This must be the next step in the assembly line,' Hiro said. 'Where they do all the detailed work by hand.'
'So where are they?' Frizz asked. 'We haven't seen anyone since that last tent.'
'I guess that's a little nervous-making,' Hiro said.
A hissing noise filled the room.
Frizz nodded. 'Definitely nervous-making.'
Aya looked up?flakes were falling from the sky, like snow, but softly glowing. Near the ceiling a swarm of tiny drones hovered, spraying out gleaming white clouds.
She caught a snowflake, watching it melt into a softly glowing white spot on her palm. Through the sneak- suit glove, she couldn't tell if it was warm or cold.
'Maybe it's some kind of fire-fighting foam,' Hiro said.
Aya frowned. 'But nothing's on fire.'
'Maybe they're really safety conscious,' Hiro muttered.
'I don't think it's about safety,' Frizz said. 'Look at us!'
Aya turned to Frizz, and her eyes widened. Glowing spots had appeared all over his sneak suit.
She watched another flake hit his shoulder, melting into a soft white mark. Luminous flecks covered her own arms.
'You're both totally visible.' Hiro looked down at himself. 'Me too!'
Frizz shook his head. 'They knew we were wearing sneak suits!'
'That means they know where we are?' Aya's voice faded. The three lifting drones had drifted away from the missile. They turned as one, floating closer through the air.
Their huge fingers were opening wide
'Moggle,' Aya cried. 'I need you!'
Hiro was already zooming toward the ceiling. One of the drones swerved to follow him, the other two coming straight for Aya and Frizz.
'Jump!' Frizz grabbed her hand and pushed off hard from the ground.
They shot into the air, spinning wildly around each other, like a pair of hoverballs tied together.
The snow swirled around them in a glowing blizzard.
'Let go ? now!' Frizz shouted.
His hand slipped from her grasp, and they shot away in opposite directions?the two drones flew between them, both missing by centimeters.
Tumbling head over heels, Aya saw an expanse of wall coming toward her. She bent her knees, kicking with both feet as hard as she could. The metal boomed and shivered with the impact as she bounced away.
'Moggle, here!' Aya screamed again.
The hovercam twisted through the air below her, its black camo paint speckled with white dots.
It wheeled and turned uncertainly, as if the glowing flakes had affected its vision.
'This way!' she shouted. 'Follow my voice!'
A lifting drone was headed toward her, its fingers opening, reaching for her Moggle barreled into Aya like a punch in the stomach, shoving her out of its grasp.
She doubled over with a grunt, arms wrapping around the hovercam, fingers scrambling for purchase on its smooth sides. The giant hand veered to follow, but its bulk was slow-turning, designed for carrying heavy weights, not chasing people.
'Climb! Quick!' Aya cried.
The hovercam obeyed, jerking her up toward the ceiling. The pursuing drones fingers crushed the air beneath her dangling feet.
Hiro passed her on the way down, diving with both hands pressed together. His sneak suit was coated with white now, a Hiro-shaped constellation of sparkles. Another of the drones followed close behind him, leaving whirlwinds of glowing snow in its wake.
'Frizz?' she called, looking around. He was somersaulting through the air, a giant hand only meters behind
