Children of the Void: Book One of the Aionian Saga by Jack Halls Read Free Book Online

figure out what it is.”
    Takomi looked sideways at Gideon but didn’t say anything as they went back into the hall. The third room had a hardwood floor and built-in shelving surrounding a wood-burning fireplace. Shafts of sunlight revealed specks of dust suspended in the air. A quick inspection of the shelves turned up nothing, and they were about to leave when Gideon paused.
    “What’s that there?” he asked, pointing at the ash in the fireplace.
    Takomi stooped down and picked up a small corner of paper. It was mostly burned, but a few lines of handwriting were still visible.
    “What’s it say?” asked Gideon.
    Takomi turned it over and held it close to her face. “There’s only a piece of it, but it says ‘Byron,’ then the first line says, ‘The code’s definitely malicious...’ and then it cuts off. This next line says ‘...writing something like this.’ The next line is too badly burned to read.”
    “I wonder what it’s talking about,” said Gideon. “And why write a handwritten note? Who does that anymore?”
    “I don’t know why they wrote it, but I can definitely tell you who wrote it.”
    Gideon blinked. “Who?”
    “That’s my mom’s handwriting, for sure.”
    “Your mom? Seems like a weird note for your mom to write.”
    “Do you think it has something to do with the saboteur?”
    He frowned. “I don’t know. I guess it could.”
    “We should go ask my mom about it.”
    Gideon smiled. “I thought you didn’t want to get involved.”
    She sighed. “Too late for that. I want to know what’s going on.”
    ☥
    After another short autopod ride, Takomi and Gideon stopped at the laboratory where Diana Tsukamoto did her research. The utilitarian building was two stories tall with long, thin windows that stretched from top to bottom like a set of ribs. They made their way to the entrance and stepped inside.
    When they came to a security gate, Takomi pressed a button next to the door. A few seconds later, a man’s voice came over the intercom. “Yes? Who is it?”
    “Hi, this is Takomi Tsukamoto. I was wondering if my mom is here?”
    “Let me see.”
    There was silence from the other end for a while, then Diana’s voice came over the intercom. “What’s up, Takomi?”
    “Hey, mom, sorry to bug you. Gideon and I have something we wanted to show you. Is this a bad time?”
    “No, no. Come on in. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria.”
    The intercom buzzed, and the door next to it clicked. Gideon followed Takomi through.
    Gideon had never been in this particular building, but it was identical to a dozen other research facilities dotting the biosphere. He knew that Diana was a material engineer, but nobody ever knew what project she was working on until after it was completed. She had been a major part of developing everything from the touchscreen windows on the observation deck to the Sentinel Armor.
    The lights of the spartan cafeteria came on automatically as they entered. They hadn’t even made it to the middle of the room when Diana came through another door. “How’s it going, you two?”
    “Good,” said Takomi. “We wanted to ask you about something.”
    “Sure. What is it?”
    Takomi pulled the scrap of paper from her pocket.
    “We found this in Doctor Marcus’s house. It’s your handwriting, isn’t it?”
    Diana scowled and snatched the paper out of Takomi’s hand. “What were you doing in Byron’s house?”
    “It was my idea, Mrs. Tsukamoto,” said Gideon. “I made Takomi come with me.”
    “Do you make a habit of breaking into other people’s houses?”
    “No. I mean, it’s just an empty house now.” He stole a quick glance at Takomi. “Doctor Marcus and my mom were working on something before they died. I wanted to know what it was. We found this note, and thought you might know.”
    Diana looked down at the scrap of paper in her hand. It trembled slightly as she pursed her lips in concentration. “I don’t know what this is,” she said as she