‘Why is it called Lake Washington if everyone has a cottage here? What makes your family so special?’ asks Kai.
‘My mom found this place. It was just a bunch of rundown old shacks around the lake before. She designed all the buildings and turned them into luxury cottages.’
‘Holy cow – your dad is a top companioneer at Moncha and your mom is an elite level architect?’ says Zora. ‘Impressive.’
‘Thanks,’ he says. He looks awkward at all the attention on his family, so I reach out and touch his arm.
‘Where’s Lake Baku?’ I ask.
‘Here.’ Tobias zooms in on the map, flashing me a grateful smile. Just to the west of Lake Washington is a much smaller body of water. It does appear to say ‘Lake Baku’, in very teeny tiny writing. Tobias must have really studied this map closely – and thank goodness for his prodigious memory. ‘It’s about two kilometres from here, if we cut through the woods.’
‘The woods?’ asks Zora, her voice sounding sceptical. ‘Are there like . . . wild animals and stuff in there?’
‘Well, it’s winter, so there won’t be many wild animals. But there will be a lot of snow. Thankfully I think we’ve got enough winter gear in the basement for all of us. Ever been cross-country skiing before?’
Zora and I exchange a look. We might both be Canadians, but we’ve never really had much experience of life outside of the city – and apart from a few large parks, there’s not a lot of green space. Zora’s family has never taken her skiing, and although I went to the Blue Mountains last year with Mom, it was kind of a disaster. The best thing about that trip was warming up at the lodge at the end and having a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream.
She’s a coder and I’m an engineer. Neither of us are exactly the typical ‘outdoorsy’ type. But I grit my teeth. I know I will do whatever it takes.
Zora shakes her head vigorously at Tobias. ‘I’ve never even been on a pair of skis before.’
‘Cross-country skiing isn’t too difficult to get started . . . But I do think we’ll need a team based here, in the cottage, to help guide us and keep things on track in case something goes wrong at Lake Baku. We don’t exactly know what we’ll find there.’
Zora raises her hand. ‘I’ll volunteer for that.’
River does as well. ‘Me too, man. I’m not really one for the old Nordic style, if you catch my drift.’ He gives us all an exaggerated wink and Ashley tuts and rolls her eyes. Zora raises her eyebrows in alarm.
‘He’s being a jerk,’ says Ashley. ‘Nordic style is just another name for cross-country skiing.’
‘Oooh, okay,’ says Zora, looking relieved.
‘So that’s sorted. You two will be running point from here, inside the media room. We’ll all stream directly from our bakus to the big screen here.’ Aero squawks, and there’s movement from the far end of the room. The wall opens out to reveal a floor-to-ceiling television screen. ‘Then Lacey, Ashley, Kai and I will head to where we think Lake Baku is.’
‘Awesome. I can start work coding up some trackers so that we can all make sure we know where we are – in case you need to split up.’ Zora’s in her element now. She moves to the table in the middle of the room. Linus plugs into the huge screen, bringing up Zora’s preferred coding platform. Then, Linus projects a keyboard on to the surface in front of Zora, and her fingers soon send code flying across the screen. River comes and sits next to her. Within seconds, they have recent satellite imagery of the region up on the big screen. Zora zooms over to where Lake Baku is indicated on Aero’s map. ‘Huh, this is strange,’ Zora says.
‘What is it?’
‘Look – the area where Lake Baku is on your old map . . . it’s completely blurred out on this map.’ She types a string of code. ‘Sometimes this can work to layer old images on top of the blurred one to try and get it to be unblurred . . . nope, no luck. We’re not going to get anything new out of the satellite imagery.’
‘Well, Paul did say it was top secret.’ I exhale deeply. ‘Okay, so the convention is scheduled for two days away. When can we get going to Lake Baku?’
A smile tugs at the corner of Tobias’s mouth. ‘Are you ready to go now?’
DOWN IN THE BASEMENT OF the cottage, there’s so much sporting equipment it looks like a branch of a mountain equipment store. There are pairs of skis in all sorts of shapes and sizes but I head towards the shape of skis that look familiar to me from my brief time on a mountain.
‘Uhh, those are downhill skis,’ says Tobias, gently guiding me away. He points instead to some skis that are tall, long and skinny. ‘These are for cross-country.’
I grimace. They look intimidatingly long. How on earth are you supposed to turn in those?
‘Don’t worry, if you can’t get used to it then Oka can help to pull you,’ Kai says. I check his face for sarcasm or mockery, but it seems to be a genuine offer. His baku is a husky, after all. Maybe additional horsepower is one of the additional benefits of having a level 3 baku.
‘Thanks,’ I say.
‘Come on, let’s find a pair of boots that fit you,’ says Tobias, dragging out a box of slim boots, much less cumbersome than downhill ski boots, from beneath the bench.
‘Holy cow, that’s a lot of spare equipment,’ I say, when Tobias happens upon boots that are a perfect size for me.
He grins. ‘We have a lot of guests who come up here; we like to have a range of equipment so no one is left out.’
‘Benefits of the super-rich,’ mutters Kai. But he does up his boots with expert flair, as if this is far from his first time.
Ashley seems comfortable too, selecting her skis with an expert eye.
‘Have you done this before?’ I ask Ashley.
‘Yeah, my family have a cottage in the Gatineau, near Ottawa, where we go skiing sometimes too. Nowhere near as nice as this place, of course.’ She winks at me.
‘Are you going back there for Christmas Day?’
‘If I’m no longer needed here,’ she says, with a firm nod.
Her determination warms me. We’re all in this together.
Tobias speaks up. ‘We’ll use Aero as a drone, to help guide us. He’s got the map and coordinates set on his internal guidance system. I’m not a hundred per cent convinced that we’re going to find anything – I’ve been out that way before, and I’ve never seen anything that could remotely be considered a test centre – but we’ll see what we find.’
Hearing Tobias’s scepticism makes me cringe inside, and long for Jinx. I need a supportive ear right now. Presuming he was able to find a way through the security, he should be back in touch again soon – but I have no way of knowing whether he’ll be successful. I just have to trust him.
‘Oh, Tobias, are you taking your friends out for a little jaunt? Don’t forget to be back for the party later.’ We look up to see Tobias’s mother standing at the top of the basement stairs, dressed in a chic white sweater and long cream trousers, contrasting beautifully against her dark skin. She looks like a supermodel rather than someone’s mom.
‘No problem, Mom. We’ll be back to help set up.’
‘Thank you, sweetheart.’
Tobias gestures at me to follow him. My breath immediately hitches in my chest. In all the frantic worry about the convention and finding Lake Baku, I’d forgotten I would be meeting Tobias’s parents. It’s especially awkward because I’m still not sure what we are – boyfriend and girlfriend? Just friends with potential for something more if life goes back to normal?
One thing’s for sure: he won’t want to date me if I end up updated.
All these thoughts race through my head even as my feet carry me towards Tobias and up the stairs to meet his mom. Thankfully, she gives me a warm smile that makes me feel a lot more at ease. We step out into the gorgeous atrium, and Tobias puts his hand on the small of my back.
‘Mom, this is Lacey.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ I say, extending my hand. ‘Thank you so much for inviting us up to your cottage. It
’s absolutely beautiful.’
She clasps it in both her neatly manicured hands. ‘My pleasure. And so pleased to meet you, Lacey! We’ve heard a lot about you from Tobias here.’
Immediately I blush. I can’t believe that Tobias has told his mom about me. She doesn’t let go of my hand, even as she continues talking. ‘And I take it you’ve recovered completely? Tobias told me about your hospital stay. So brave going back out into the cold now. You take care of her.’ She directs that last part at Tobias, while patting my hand gently.
‘I will, Mom,’ he says. ‘But we want to get out while the snow is still fresh . . .’
‘All right, I get the hint.’ Before unclasping my hand, she pulls me in a bit closer. She smiles at me with her perfect, sparkling white teeth. ‘And don’t worry, Lacey, I’ll make sure you have a front-row seat to the action for the convention.’
I stifle the wave of fear that comes over me and manage to stutter out my thanks.
‘Well done,’ whispers Tobias to me as we head back downstairs to the basement. ‘My mom can be kind of . . . intense.’
I shake my head. ‘She’s amazing,’ I say, and I mean it. I think about all the buildings she’s designed, all the impressive homes she’s built. Has she ever had her ambition curbed, or was she allowed to pursue her dreams? I doubt that she would allow it. It makes me sad for my mom. She let go of her dreams, and now she’s paid the ultimate price for it by being updated out of her ambitions.
Tobias helps me do up the fastenings on the ski boots. They have a thick sole with hard pieces of plastic against the toe, which I assume will click into the bindings. He measures a couple of skis against my height, handing me a lightweight pair. ‘These should work.’
‘Great,’ I say, with far more confidence than I feel.
When we’re all geared up and ready to go, Tobias addresses us as a group. ‘This is the scouting mission,’ Tobias says. ‘We have a rough idea of where Lake Baku should be, but we don’t know what we’re going to find. Set your bakus to record the whole time.’
I nod and move Slick up to a special baku pouch in the hood of my jacket, so that he can record things more easily. We throw our skis over our shoulders and march outside.
>>The temperature is -8°C, Slick chirrups in my ear as we step outside.
I zip my jacket right up to my chin, then pull a bright red knitted hat with a bobble at the top over my ears. We step into the skis and almost straight away I wobble on the narrow surface. Tobias grabs my arm to steady me and hands me a couple of poles. ‘This will make it easier.’
And it does. We arrange ourselves in single file to leave the cottage, Tobias, Ashley and Kai all carrying large backpacks filled with supplies, drinks and extra layers in case we get cold. I’ve been relieved of needing a backpack this time, concentrating instead on my cross-country skiing technique. Once I get the hang of it, pushing out one leg and sliding the other to meet it, it becomes much easier – almost fun. I follow in the tracks laid for me by Tobias, and my skis run smoothly in his path. It’s not long until my body warms up enough that I drag the hat from my head and stuff it into my pocket. My cheeks feel rosy with warmth, and I find myself smiling despite myself.
The beauty of having a cottage – even a fancy one – is that within a few paces we are almost completely engulfed in the Canadian wilderness. Snow balances precariously on branches making snow ghosts of the trees, the ground all around us sparkling and shimmering, carpeted in unbroken white. There are tracks in the ground from deer and birds braving the winter, but mostly it’s a serene and unspoiled place. The only sound comes from the heavy breathing of my companions and the crackle of ice breaking as the temperature warms up ever so slightly.
That is, until the snow beneath my feet appears to vibrate. Alarmed, I ask Slick to connect me to Zora. ‘Are you seeing this? What’s happening? Do they get earthquakes in this part of Canada?’
‘See, this is why I didn’t want to go outside!’ I hear her voice in my ear, and it’s immediately comforting. ‘You okay? You sound like you’re panting. And don’t worry – no earthquake activity in your area.’
‘Of course I’m panting, this cross-country skiing thing is hard work!’ The snow vibrates even more fiercely now, and it’s accompanied by the sound of a loud engine. ‘Oh, not an earthquake after all,’ I say.
‘Turn your video so I can see,’ says Zora in my ear.
We all come to a stop as the roar draws closer. I turn around, adjusting my hood so that Slick – and therefore Zora – gets a better view.
There, on the fanciest snowmobile I’ve ever seen, is Nathan. Sitting behind him is a girl in a faux-fur hooded jacket and big sunglasses, gripping tightly to his waist. There’s a compartment for both their bakus underneath their legs, and the machine appears to glide across the snow with effortless grace – almost like it’s hovering over the snow rather than sliding. He skids up beside us, sending a shower of snow over our heads.
‘How quaint – enjoying your cross-country outing?’
‘Leave us alone, Nathan,’ says Tobias, through gritted teeth.
I have a sudden fear that Nathan is going to follow us through the woods. There’s no way we’ll be able to find Lake Baku if that is the case.
To my relief, the girl behind him has other plans. ‘Come on, Nate, I thought we were going somewhere we could be alone?’
‘Don’t worry; we’re not staying long. Just wanted to say hi to my little bro. Don’t get into any trouble, now.’ With that, he revs his engine, spraying us with snow again, and then he disappears in the opposite direction.
I breathe a sigh of relief. ‘Who was that girl and how do I kill her?’ says Zora in my ear, making me giggle. I feel bad for Tobias, though, having to deal with such a show-off older brother.
‘Was that one of the new hovercraft-snowmobiles? So cool,’ I hear Kai whisper to Ashley.
I turn to Tobias, trying to catch his eye, but he studiously avoids my gaze, his jaw set in a firm line.
We get moving again, at first travelling along what looks like well-used paths, following close to the shoreline of Lake Washington. But on Aero’s signal, we deviate deeper into the forest, Tobias forging ahead to cut the track.
Aero stops after we’ve been skimming through the forest for about half an hour. ‘We’d better be getting a hot chocolate after this,’ grumbles Kai, from behind me.
I’m glad that we get to stop, my breath coming heavier now, leaving my throat in streams of steamy air. We’ve had a couple of fun downhill slides and tiresome uphill slogs, where I’ve had to turn my skis into a V-shape and make my way up in a cumbersome manner. I haven’t got the hang of it, and it takes me twice as long as everyone else. I feel drained, and I’m grateful when Ashley passes me over some hot tea in a flask.
Tobias calls Aero down from the branch, and he lands on his arm. I take a moment to marvel at the incredible engineering of the eagle baku. I’m amazed at how well he is able to function in the extreme cold. It’s as if Moncha Corp have thought of everything. Even the precipitation doesn’t bother him. They would need so much testing to make it work.
Lake Baku.
They’d need that kind of extensive practice ground. It makes total sense, even though I wouldn’t have thought about it in a million years.
‘That’s weird,’ says Tobias. ‘According to the map, we should be able to see Lake Baku right now.’ We take a moment to look around but the scenery hasn’t changed from the thick line of forest spreading off into the distance. There’s certainly no sign of a lake or of any buildings that could be the secret home of Moncha Corp’s experimentation.
‘This is ridiculous – there’s nothing here!’ Kai rips his hat off his head in frustration.
Tobias frowns, his brow furrowing in frustration. ‘But this is exactly where the map says . . .’
‘You mean the map that no longer exists, that you have dragged up from your baku’s memory files? Maybe that was just a decoy . . . or a plan that never m
ade it into existence? Like old blueprints for something that was never actually made. I mean, Lacey is the only one who saw the street beneath Moncha HQ. When you showed us the live stream, it was totally empty.’
‘It existed,’ I say, through gritted teeth.
‘I believe you,’ says Ashley, scowling at Kai.
>>It’s okay. Let me handle this.
A slinky black figure leaps out from the underbrush and bounds over until he’s sitting on my skis. ‘Jinx!’ I say.
The sight of him lifts all of our spirits, and I can feel that the group’s mood vastly improves. Even Kai has a big grin on his face. Now that Jinx is here, it feels like the impossible has a chance at being made possible.
And that’s exactly what he does for us.
>>It took me some time to bypass the security to the area. But I got the idea from Paul’s baku George. I disconnected from the Moncha cloud completely. But you have to see this – come with me.
He flicks his tail and moves towards the thick line of trees. But there doesn’t look like there’s a way through for us – not with our skis. I unclick myself from my bindings and try to follow Jinx. But the trees are so tightly packed, I can’t find a way through. I hesitate.
>>What are you waiting for?
I can’t even see him any more, the trees are so thick, it seems impassable. ‘Hang on, let me see if I can get around . . .’
But the snow here is so deep, I sink down almost to my knees as I try to take a step forward. I hear a snort of laughter from Kai, and I hate to think how comical I look trying to plough my way through the snow. He reaches out a strong arm to me, and I gratefully use it to lift myself back on to the path. Jinx is frustratingly out of reach.
>>You can make it through.
‘I can’t! There’s no way.’
>>Send Oka and Aero through the trees – and tell them to keep their cameras on. Watch on Jupiter.
When I relay this command from Jinx, Kai and Tobias both look at me with scepticism. ‘Slick is the baku who should go through there – Oka is huge, he’s not going to fit through the trees.’
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