FLARE

Lyre could see backwards.

Not a whole lot though. Lyre could see back to waking up yesterday but not behind that at all. Which wasn’t very far at all and from where she was now it didn’t really make a difference. But she was happy with this, very very happy, because maybe tomorrow she would see back to the same place and the day after and the day after until she could see very far backwards, and then it wouldn’t really matter that she couldn’t see behind that.

She would do the same thing as yesterday because that was the best way she could think of. The phone had some people talking, Kiki Gaunt Spike, and this time Kiki said a bunch of things about her plan for where she was. Of course Lyre knew it wasn’t really a plan like how she made plans because everyone except her couldn’t see forward and then it would be really really hard to make a plan. But also the others, Kiki Gaunt Spike, would have to do something so they would try to make plans anyway like how Lyre tried to handle invisible things anyway.

She still couldn’t see all the way in front of her so basically her plan was the same as yesterday because she was still supposed to see Spike and avoid danger and nothing had changed. Finding the way to Spike was exactly the same because he was still invisible so her plan would be exactly the same that way. Also one food one water was not hard. The detour was much bigger than yesterday which would mean she would not travel as quickly to Spike but that was okay because Spike would be okay for a few days and so would she.

Some danger was also basically the same too but instead of being a shortcut she just had to go through it no matter what. This didn’t really make a difference to Lyre because anyway she knew her plan would make things okay so she would have gone even if she didn’t have to as long as it was faster. She would also have to make a detour but it would be faster than yesterday.

But also there was more danger which was Kiki. Lyre wasn’t expecting to know about Kiki but it also made sense because Kiki Gaunt Spike were all important so of course some of them dying is danger. Lyre couldn’t see Kiki’s danger the same way though because it was Kiki dying that was the danger to her and that was all she asked about. What is a good plan for Kiki?

Lyre didn’t really know what to do to get rid of Kiki’s danger because Kiki didn’t know how to make a plan so even if Lyre gave her a plan she would become invisible and maybe it wouldn’t work. Sometimes things would not go completely invisible but this was only when she knew all about them and she could think of everywhere they could go so she never lost track. Right now there were too many places for Kiki to go and Lyre couldn’t follow all of them so basically no matter what she did she would be invisible.

Lyre never knew what to do when things were invisible but she trusted her plan because her plans were good so maybe if she gave Kiki the plan it would be okay anyway even if she was invisible. It was a very easy plan too so Kiki wouldn’t have a whole lot of trouble. Don’t go too far. If Kiki didn’t go too far then probably the big storm would not go through the building and she would be okay because the plan said she had to stay indoors. It was a little bit scary because it was invisible but Kiki would probably be okay.

Then it was time for Lyre to go so she started walking. Everything around her was sandy and empty and dry and very very quiet. It would stay like that for a little bit of time except then the tricky part of her plan would happen and so it was very important that she went fast enough to follow the plan. Which was okay because her plans were not that hard. But she would have to get water food first this time not like yesterday because the tricky part of the plan would make it really really hard to get water food.

She made it to water food and nothing happened which was good. Lyre brushed aside the big green holey tarp that was flapping in the wind and got one food which was right there. The water was more difficult because it wasn’t in a container just in a big pot on the coals and Lyre wasn’t really sure how to take it. But she could make a plan and then in only a few minutes she knew she could put it in one of the bottles lying around and close the lid and it would be okay.

Then that was everything and she had to prepare. Already when she left the post holding the tarp up was trembling and the tarp was about to come loose and then it did, billowing off across the ground. Other than that Lyre could also feel it a little bit too and maybe she would have fallen over but it was fine because she could make herself walk a little bit slower because the plan said to.

Then right in front of her was the drone with the minecart lugging it off north-west. The cart was filled completely with bits of scrap and ore so it was almost but not quite overflowing and the drone was having a whole lot of trouble pushing it. There probably should have been three or maybe four drones pushing it but there wasn’t and because of all the tremors and the mechanical stress the drone was very much too busy to see Lyre at all. Even though she had trouble with the shaking Lyre still got within 10 metres of the drone before it saw her and started charging something up.

But she already knew that it would miss if she fell down hard and fast to the left which was easy to do because the ground was shaking already. A big zapping sound went off just above her right ear and even though she couldn’t see she knew it was putting the gun away and taking out its laser cutter. Lyre had only one point six seconds but that was enough time to get what she was looking for as she plunged her hands into the minecart.

When she pulled them back out they were red and dripping all over the ground but also holding a long thin rod that broke off at the end and she put the point right into the head part of the drone. Of course it was still moving but it couldn’t see her anymore so it didn’t hit her with the laser cutter and then Lyre hit the joint on its arm just right so the cutter fell right off. Then the cutter was still on for a few minutes so she grabbed it and cut the gun away too and then there wasn’t a whole lot the drone could do about her.

Her plan made sure the middle part of the drone was together so Lyre took the cutter and started carving out the module she wanted from the middle-right of the cavity. Even though all of the wires and everything were very very small and she had to put her face right close to everything she still did it before the laser cutter died. Then she dropped everything except the module and picked up the food and water she put down twenty metres behind her before the detour and left everything else sitting there.

The tricky part was not far ahead but now the ground was shaking really hard. Lyre’s knees buckled and she had to drop the food to catch herself. It nearly rolled away but she heaved herself back up and ran after it a little and scooped it back up. When she got her bearings there were more minecarts and each of them were full and there were a lot of drones this time that were all clustered around. None of them were pushing the carts anymore and instead some of them were running away past them and some were just standing there. All of the standing ones fixed their cameras right on Lyre as she ran towards the closest cart.

A bunch raised their guns but before they could shoot she was behind the cart and then they wanted to go around to get her. First she dropped all her stuff right on top of the cart. Then once she had both hands Lyre started fiddling around with the module the way her plan told her to and one of the drones came around the cart but instead of shooting her it toggled a setting on the gun and stood with its back to her.

Then nothing moved except when the ground made it move and Lyre tried her very best to stay still too. For a tiny tiny bit of time everything went completely quiet and then with a great big roar a massive geyser of liquid alloy surged into the air tens of metres out. All the drones snapped to attention and then all around it, and around all the minecarts, little geysers erupted too, not nearly as much but it was really close and made Lyre feel hot.

Right away all the drones started shooting freezing vapours at the geysers and they stuck like that in the air and it was less hot. Lyre didn’t do anything except keep toggling wires on the module. Some of the drones were starting to melt from the heat and they started moving sluggishly and erratically, like they were being electrocuted in a tub of molasses. But only the ones furthest from the carts. One geyser went off sort of close to Lyre and the droplets got frozen in the air but went flying toward her anyway and hit her right in the shoulder and breast and it wasn’t hot but it started bleeding anyway.

After that though the ground was rumbling less and there weren't a whole lot of geysers anymore and soon enough there was nothing but the great metal spires and the drones were all putting their freeze guns away. Then they all turned to Lyre like they wanted her to push the carts but she was fiddling with the module again and then they all ignored her and went back to business. She put the capsule into her other pocket not the one with the phone and then took her food her water and walked away.

She kept going and going until she got to the last bit of her plan because it said it was bad to stop walking out in the open. Eventually she got to the cave and it was a big overhang with a haphazard wall out front made of splintering plywood. She slipped in through a crevice and sat down on the cold ground and opened the food to eat. When she brought it to her mouth everything tasted a little bit like metal.

Then she drank some of the water which also tasted like metal and red dripped onto her lap from her arms. Lyre tried washing all the food off her hands which sort of worked but it mixed pink and the blood didn’t really go away so eventually she drank the rest of the water and stopped. Finally she took the phone out of her pocket and the capsule too and the capsule she threw onto the floor and left there but the phone she turned on.

There wasn’t any danger but also Lyre knew there was no plan anymore so something might have happened that was invisible and if that did happen then she would need a new plan. Lots of people were saying lots of things already which was good because they were all there, including Kiki, so she must have listened to the plan and then things were okay. Lyre was happy that Kiki was okay.

Behind her a day ago Lyre sat and watched mostly because no one talked to her but this time people were talking to her and she liked that very much as well. Even though it was nice to see what they were like when they talked because it was very hard to see some things because they were invisible it was even more nice to know they also wanted to see what she was like. Even if Spike was still cold and he was the one she would see first. That was okay because she still liked him.

Then when she was done talking Lyre curled up on the hard stone floor and shut her eyes. Tomorrow she would maybe be able to see today and that made her happier than anything else.