Cipher Code {complete}

Chapter Fifteen: Bubblebee Bumble •EDITED•

A few seconds later
October, Year 483
Auro, Capital City
North

"Braek. That was something!"

Rhea Lee jumped out of the Auto when it reappeared in an empty street and spun around in a rubber burning drift, the end of her lab coat fluttering as she twirled and landed on the pavement of bitumen, cement and GL-aze.

She laughed and brought her hands to her hair, running her fingers through the wild strands in an attempt to make it look somewhat decent. She couldn't imagine what speed they had been moving at and at the same time she couldn't imagine that they had moved at all.

"Dawn, you have to build one these for me."

"We just stopped being enemies." The professor climbed out of her car and stretched, smoothing down her rumbled shirt. She walked to her sister while playing with the car key in her hand. "Don't push your luck."

Rhea Lee let out a dry laugh, deciding to change the subject. She looked around appreciatively. The air was clean without a hint of milky white.

"I'm surprised you managed to keep the fog out of the capital too."

"Well, the capital is as important as Mount Roya." Dawn pointed at the shimmering blue sky, the glittering atmosphere having more to do with technology than the warm weather. "I got my best people on it. . . But the tech isn't perfect, there are leaks in the shield sometimes and those are rarely accounted for."

As she spoke she held up two gas masks. They were transparent and paper thin, meant to fit only over the nose and mouth.

"Better safe than sorry." Dawn put one on and took in a deep breath. It flushed with her skin perfectly and would have been unnoticeable if it didn't dome her mouth when she spoke.

"I'll pass on that." Rhea Lee waived the offer and tapped on her own jaw. "I've got one of my own, and it's much better than anything you could ever make."

Dawn snorted but tossed the extra mask into the car. "Just because you are a Nobil, doesn't mean you're special."

"I am special." The doctor grinned and spread out her arms proudly. "I have telekinesis, electrokinesis and teleportation, among other abilities."

"Oh yes." Her sister rolled her eyes and let out a light cough. "You just love moving things around—including yourself and your enormous ego."

"You are just jealous." Rhea Lee sniggered, then turned her gaze to the circle of abandoned buildings around them.

"Jealous of the predecessor of a shelved typewriter?" Dawn asked sarcastically, very much in the mood to argue. "Yeah, right."

"At least I'm not a rotting meat bag." Rhea Lee shot back with a cold glare.

They glared at each other for a full minute, unmoving until Dawn frowned and suddenly turned her head in the direction of the Auto. The panels on the car's frame visibly shook, vibrating to an unknown frequency as it's headlights flickered rapidly in a silent warning. She shifted her gaze to the trembling pebbles on the ground. Her lips parted slightly as she looked up at the rapidly blinking shields.

"Damn it." Only an idiot wouldn't know what that meant.

"We're blasted," her hands shook and she felt her soul leave her then return to throw her a slap. "We are so blasted."

"Is that what I think it is?" Rhea Lee stumbled back, fear present in her eyes. The sound of grinding metal and the soft but familiar purr of a revving FCM engine flitted past her ears. "No way."