Unknown 9 by Layton Green (each kindness read aloud txt) 📕

She squeezed his muscular wrist. “I am,” she whispered. “But first I’m dedicated to you, and I don’t want them to send you away again.”

He revved the bike as he turned to meet her eyes, both warmth and understanding in his gaze. Yes, they would probably send him away. Yes, he would miss her too.

She tied her hair back and slipped on her face mask to mitigate the pollution. As the motorbike roared out of the factory district and onto the superhighways of Shanghai, Daiyu clutched her brother’s waist, closed her eyes, and rested her head against his broad back.

Half an hour later, with the city asleep around them, the twins entered the library through a rear entrance in the shadow of a multistory megamall. The door of the library was unlocked, the security cameras disabled.

No one was inside to greet them. Strange. Normally the Archon traveled with a security contingent. They navigated a short hall and pushed through a set of doors into the main reading room. Daiyu had not visited in some time, and she caught her breath at the sight.

Designed to evoke an M. C. Escher woodcut, the four-story room was an open square stacked floor-to-ceiling with mahogany bookshelves. There were no tables or chairs in the room. Stairways zigged and zagged along the perimeter and up and down the walls, leading to short walkways that gave access to the shelves. The steps were arranged in patterns that repeated throughout the room. A mirrored floor and ceiling added to the effect, giving the illusion of stepping into an infinite maze of books.

“Welcome.”

Daiyu turned, startled. Though the lights were on, they had seen no one when they entered the room—yet now the Archon and a pale thin woman with curly red hair were standing in the middle of the mirrored floor. How could that be?

As always, the Archon’s golden mask and white robe hid all flesh from view. Daiyu knew the woman by reputation: Chelsea Rose Lancaster, a Brit who often accompanied the Archon to assist with affairs. Chelsea was wearing designer glasses and a dark-gray pantsuit, and carried a sleek aluminum briefcase. Daiyu knew more Ascendants were deployed in and around the building.

“Black jade, if I’m not mistaken?” the Archon asked, noticing the key nestled in Daiyu’s bosom.

Her hand moved to grasp the talisman.

“Your namesake, of course,” the Archon continued. “The meaning of Daiyu.”

“Yes.”

“According to lore, black jade creates a barrier to intrusion from psychic attack. I’ve heard you believe in such things, child. Is this true?”

Surprised by the Archon’s knowledge of this esoteric fact, Daiyu gave a hard swallow and hesitated to answer.

Her brother interjected. “She believes there are unexplained powers of the mind. Science, not magic.”

“I see,” the Archon said, turning to Daiyu. “Is this so?”

“Yes,” Daiyu whispered.

The Archon’s gloved hands unfurled in front of the robe. “A wise position. What about you, Jianyu? In what do you believe?”

Though her brother looked tense and off-balance, he answered without hesitation. “In the advancement of humankind through the acquisition of higher knowledge.”

The Archon began to pace, the gloved hands now clasped behind the robes. “I’ve heard many optimistic reports about you and your sister. That she is our most accomplished computer expert, and you are perhaps our most formidable asset in the field.”

Jianyu bowed. “Thank you.”

“I have a task for you together, if you choose to accept.”

When Jianyu looked at Daiyu, she gave a barely perceptible nod. “We accept,” Jianyu said. “Whatever it is.”

“Loyalty is a commendable trait. Unquestioned allegiance, however, bears the stamp of tyrants. It is also the mark of an unhealthy organization. One that does not look inward to flourish and evolve.”

“I apologize if I was rash. I only meant—”

The Archon raised a hand. “I do not wish to lead by fear. I wish to lead by respect.”

“Understood.”

After a long moment that made Daiyu even more uncomfortable than she already was, the Archon said, “Before I have Ms. Lancaster impart the necessary information, there is something we need to discuss. A lack of faith that concerns me.”

The leader of the Ascendants looked right at Daiyu, causing her throat to feel dry, making her wonder if the stories about the Archon were true.

The Archon continued to stare at her as if conveying a silent message. Daiyu wanted to clutch the jade talisman and flee the room, get as far away as she could, but she corralled her emotions and said nothing.

“She believes,” Jianyu said quietly. “The Ascendants mean everything to her. She’s just not as vocal as I am.”

The Archon turned to face him. “It is not your sister’s lack of faith that concerns me.”

Jianyu’s stoic expression faded.

“I do not doubt your belief in our mission,” the Archon said. “But I do not think you are fully aware of the scope. Though possessed of her own doubts, your sister understands the possibilities of human potential far better than do you. You are young, Jianyu, for an Ascendant. There is much to which you have not been introduced. But for this particular mission, and for the war in general, I need mature believers. The winds of change are blowing. There are events and adversaries for which you need to be prepared. It is why I have come myself to recruit you.”

“How can I convince you?”

“You can observe.”

The Archon’s hands flashed in front of the white robe, releasing twin sprays of blinding colored lights. When Daiyu’s vision cleared, she saw movement around the perimeter of the room. With a gasp, she spun and realized that hundreds of people were walking up and down the steps of the reading room like automatons, back and forth, up and down, reaching for books and carrying them elsewhere and placing them on different parts of the shelves. She whirled and saw the same scenario playing out all across the room. It was as if someone had recorded all the activity in the library over a week and was playing it back with live