***SPOILER ALERT*** This chapter reveals a few things that happen in the end of the last book, so a fair warning this chapter as well as the last are spoilers.

Noah ignored most speed limits as he drove as fast as he could home. A sweat had appeared on his forehead. He glanced at his car mirror. There was a sheen of sweat on his face that caused a bit of his hair to stick to his forehead. his eyes were still rimmed with red and bloodshot from sleepless nights.

Please let Sadie be okay, he silently begged, please let this be some kind of sick joke. But Noah knew better. Lear had done something. He felt nauseous. His clammy hands were sliding precariously on the steering wheel, and his breath had become quick and ragged.

He heard an ear splitting screech as he slammed the brakes. He ripped the key out of the ignition and jumped out of the car. There was a loud bang as he slammed the door and bolted towards his front door.

He threw the door open. Celina stood in the hall. Her eyes mirrored his. Ringed red, and full of pain. They flicked to Noah and rage replaced the pain.

"Sadie..." He gasped not sure where he was going with this.

Celina's jaw clenched. "Knew about this too, did you?" She spat. Tears welled up in her eyes and she sprinted away.

That was the sign. Lear had done something to Sadie. A lump formed in his throat. Noah started in the direction of the kitchen and heard crying.

"I... Boom... Me..." Noah recognized his Aunt Sadie's voice. It sounded broken, and she spoke between sobs.

"Sadie..." his mother's voice was strained.

He came in. Sadie was sitting on the tile floor. She was wearing dark jeans and a blue blouse. Her knees were pulled to her chest. Her chestnut brown hair was disheveled. The cause was obvious, she had her hands in her hair clutching at it like she was going to wrench it out. Her face was streaked with running mascara. Her eyes were like Noah's, red and blood shot, but there was something else in them. Insanity.

Wilkes looked tired. She glanced up as Noah walked in.

"Noah," she said. Then she put her hand to her mouth regretting saying his name.

"Noah!" Sadie wailed pulling violently at her hair. "Died... New York... Boom."

It was only then Noah realized what Lear had done. His mind flashed back to a conversation he'd had with his mom barely two years ago.

********************

Noah walked into his kitchen. He set his backpack down scowling as he thought of all his homework. His mom, Wilkes, walked into the kitchen just as he took a bite out of an apple.

"How was your day?" she asked.

He tried to speak, but still had apple in his mouth.

"Chew!" His mother complained with a look of disgust.

He chewed and swallowed. "Well," he started. "It's the thirteen year anniversary of when New York was nuked, so-"

"Really?" Wilkes interrupted without meaning to. "It's been thirteen years... Wow."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Mom..." he wasn't sure what she meant.

Wilkes stared off into space for a long time. Then she sighed, "Noah, it's time I tell you something."

"What?" he asked hesitantly.

She took a shaky breath, "Your Aunt Sadie... Is the one who bombed New York."

Noah's jaw dropped, "What?!"

"Don't make assumptions. Do you remember our talk about biots and nanobots?"

Noah nodded. Only last year his parents had told him what their lives were like as teens and young adults.

"Well... There was a scientist who worked for the same people your father worked for," she began to explain. "His name was Karl Burnofsky. We... BZRK changed him. We tried to make him... Different. It kind of worked, but it kind of didn't. He developed something he called the Gray Goo. The question was what if biots or nanobots could reproduce on their own? That wasn't the danger though... What if they were also capable of killing?"

Noah's eyes widened.

"That's what he created. Murderous, unstoppable, reproducing, microscopic machines," Wilkes scowled. "When we defeated Lear we knew that the Grey Goo was still a threat, and we needed to destroy it..." Noah's mom took a deep breath. "She made the call, but we knew she would never be able to deal with what she'd done. So... I used my biots to make her forget. So your Aunt could live with a little peace in her life."

Noah's mom's eyes went far away and distant. He knew the conversation was over. So he rose grabbed his backpack, and went off to do his homework.

********************

Now as Noah stared at his shaken broken Aunt, and realized what Lear had done. Lear had undone the careful work his mom had done to make Sadie forget. Lear had showed Sadie Mclure what she was.

"Boom..." Sadie whispered again. "I made New York go boom..." Then she started gasping. Her gasps turned to deep aching sobs.

Wilkes look at her soon with hollow, pain racked eyes, "No- Honey... I don't want you to see your Aunt like this. Go to your room, please..."

Noah nodded stiffly. His eyes began to sting with tears. He kicked off his shoes and wrapped himself in his covers without bothering to change.

He closed his eyes knowing he was about to cry when his phone buzzed. Anger flared in him. He ripped phone out of his phone. Hot, angry tears splashed on the screen. He wiped his eyes harshly. He had cried enough today. Just as he thought, one new email.

From: fhskxksdjrdlxa>
To: Noah Elder
Subject: Just Some Gloating

September 2, 2055, at 1:40 pm

Hi Noah!

I'm in a super mood! How about you? Oh... I guess you're not so hot seeing as you lost your friends, your dignity, and the stability of your family in this short amount of time. I'm quite impressed with myself, you know. I worked awfully hard to pull this all off. Especially with poor Sadie Mclure. Though I personally think it was well deserved. Anywho, you only have one strike left, and believe me I throw the best curveball.

Batter up!
-Lear

Noah set his phone down on his beside table. His head throbbed. He wasn't sure whether it was from the crying, or from the... Everything else. Whatever the case Noah wished everything would go away. He closed his eyes. Not sleeping just blocking out the world... Blocking out everything.