Chapter 10
“Come on, Shortcut,” X said as they walked the streets of the commercial district.
“What did you have in mind?” Shortcut asked. “We’ve been walking around for the last two hours.”
“We keep our eyes open,” X said, scanning the area. He stopped in front of a coffee shop. He looked next door to a bakery, decided there was nothing there worth investigating, and kept moving.
The streets, which were normally bustling and full of people and flying cars, were empty and quiet. Digital screens were blank. The tall, glass buildings that surrounded them, normally lit up on every floor, were dark and ominous. The watery exhaust from recent traffic still hung in the air, so thick they could taste it. The sound of their footsteps echoed on the asphalt as they explored avenues, street by st
