Maxine Sharpe's lab was like an ER for the world. On her clean workbench sat all the stuff: a warm, beating ball of mushroom harmony in its fungal container, a cold, swirly Tuning Bone, and the rough, quiet silence-stone Benny found, which gave off this bubble of quiet.
The Lobe's plan was in the air, like some crazy mix of shapes and biology coming together. Maxine was super focused, almost in a trance. Her hands were rock steady, all thanks to the graft that fine-tuned her hand-eye coordination. She used tools made of living bone and special crystal rather than fancy steel.
She wasn't just building a machine, she was growing an idea.
First, she put the silence-stone in the middle. Then, with a laser using special light, she carved the plan's main symbols right onto the stone. The stone just took it in, like the patterns were always meant to be there.
Next, she twisted the Tuning Bone around it, using threads of her own nerve tissue to connect them. It was like a bridge made of what she meant to do. The bone, which hadn't been doing anything before, started to hum so low you could feel it in your teeth. It was the sound of "before."
And finally, the key. She opened the mushroom container and the harmony ball floated out, giving off soft light. This was the tricky part. The harmony had to be mixed in, not just stuck on. She put the ball against the quiet, tuned center. Then, with a tiny needle, she put a drop of her own blood, mixed with Echo-blocker, into where they met.
The ball's light got brighter. It didn't blow up, it opened up. It was like a glowing flower, with soft light petals going through the bone and into the symbols on the stone. Everything came together, not in a physical way, but in a deeper way. The bone's hum, the stone's silence, and the mushroom's living harmony made one sound of "stopping."
The switch on the bench hummed quietly. It looked like a weird, small rock covered in old bone and light. It was the most amazing and scary thing Maxine had ever made.
Suddenly, the lab door slid open. Lucien Gray was there, his dark eyes locked on the switch. He didn't look happy, he looked like someone had stabbed in the back.
You built it, he said, his voice rough. You really built the off switch. You picked the gardener over the scientist.
It makes sense, Maxine said, not turning around. It's better to keep the system going than to destroy it.
Destruction is data, too! Lucien snapped, stepping in. The Final Digestion is the coolest experiment ever! It's like going from having rules to having no rules! To watch it, to write it down… that's knowledge! That thing you have there is just… a fake. A hope that things will stay the same, but less painful. It's boring.
He moved to the bench, his fingers twitching. The Lobe let you see this, didn't it? It showed you its fear, and you thought it was wise. Give it to me, Maxine. Let me learn from it. Then you can use it if you have to.
He reached for the switch.
Maxine grabbed his wrist. Her grip, made stronger by the graft and the Rig's helpers, was like a steel trap. It's not for learning. It's for using. In three days.
Lucien's eyes were blazing with anger. You idiot! You've been messed with by the data-stream! You think you feel for it! It's just a pattern!
A chime rang—it was the safe line from the Citadel. Wilder's face was on the screen, looking worried. Chief Carver, my techs are seeing something weird. The frequency you sent from the Vault… it's not matching the Heartforge's beat. It's causing problems. Explain.
Maxine let go of Lucien and turned to the screen. Her brain was working fast. The Lobe's frequency changes, Your Eminence. It's always moving. The data I sent was just a quick look. It needs to be tuned live from inside the Vault. Another look up close.
It was a risk. A lie that played on his need to get it perfect.
Wilder's eyes got smaller. Another look? The Wardens will be on alert. The risk…
Is needed for a perfect harmony, Maxine said, sounding calm. I am the only one who can deal with them now. I will go in, fix the reading, and send the right frequency. Then the Syzygy will be perfect.
She could tell he was thinking about it. His worry against his need for things to be just right.
Okay, he said finally. Get ready. You go into the Vault at the next dim-break. But, Maxine… He looked serious. No more weird stuff. The party is ready. We will not let anything mess it up.
The screen went black.
Lucien chuckled, sounding dry and angry. Another look. You're going back for the Lobe. For me.
No, Maxine said, picking up the humming switch and putting it in a shielded box. I am going back to plant a seed.
A seed?
The Lobe showed me the countdown. It showed me the plan. It's a point of being aware. If the switch works, and the Final Digestion is stopped… that awareness might need somewhere to grow. Somewhere safe from Carvers and Cardinals. She looked at him. The Vault, once it's not armed, would be the safest place in the world.
You want to… save it? Lucien was shocked. Not learn from it? Just… let it be?
Let it get better, Maxine said. We can watch it later, if it lets us.
She wasn't just a surgeon anymore. The graft, the Lobe's knowing her, the act of being nice—it had changed her. She was becoming a gardener, keeping the last bit of a fire that had warmed the world.
Lucien looked at her like she was some new disease. You've gone native, he whispered, sounding horrified and also impressed. The god's pain has changed you. You're part of the dream now.
Maxine locked the box. Maybe, she said. Or maybe I am finally awake.
She left him in the lab, with all his tools, facing a future where he might never get to study the ultimate thing.
Four days.