The access road through the outdoor crops was well worn. Pebbles and leaves flew up behind us as the hov-board zipped silently through the trees—rows of neatly arranged bamboo crops passing by in a flicker.

Like most citizens of the Ark, I'd never seen the plantations in person before. They had always been a restricted zone, cut-off from the rest of the Ark by a giant security wall. Access should have been restricted to employees only, which is why I was surprised that we had managed to come ashore without meeting any kind of security precautions—it was like AgriCo had never anticipated anyone coming in from the sea.

Zaphron swerved left, abruptly turning us down a row of bamboo. I tightened my arms around his waist, cursing into his back as I struggled to stay on the board. My anger flared when I felt a spasm of laughter ripple through him.

I swear if he did that on purpose—

We came to a sudden halt. The board dropping to the leaf littered ground. I bumped my nose on Zaphron's shoulder, letting go of him the second I realised we were on the ground.

"What now?" I asked, glancing around. Dark trees walled us in, their leaves cutting dappled silhouettes against the grey of the lightening sky.

"Vehicle change," Zaphron said casually. He scooped the board up under one arm and disappeared into a nearby thicket.

I followed, picking my way through spikey new bamboo shoots until I found him stopped beside a beat-up looking hov-car.

"Did this crash land here?" I asked, watching as Zaphron swept a mess of fallen leaves and broken shoots from the bonnet.

"I was in a hurry," Zaphron said, stopping to give me a pointed look. "Besides, it's a plantation vehicle, they're used to a bit of rough driving."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You stashed this here? Did you steal it from AgriCo?"

"I borrowed it," he replied, prying open the driver's side door and motioning for me to get in. "You'll have to climb across, the passenger side is inaccessible."

I glanced over to where a particularly large bamboo culm was wedged up against the other door. "Uh-huh. Nice parking."

He rolled his eyes, grinning despite himself. "Just get in."

I obliged, wrinkling my nose at the damp smell of the car's interior. "I can see why you didn't want to keep it."

Zaphron chuckled as he climbed in beside me, leaning over to stow his board behind my seat. His laughter stopped when he noticed me pressed against the passenger door in an attempt to put some distance between us.

"Sorry," he said, letting go of the board and straightening quickly to give me some space.

I glanced out the windscreen, suddenly intent on staring at the crushed foliage all around the car—anything to keep myself from looking at him. "It's fine."

I could feel his gaze on my cheek and the anticipation of him working up to saying something. He drew a breath, then blew it out slowly, thinking better of it.

We both stared out the windscreen as he started the car. The engine roared to life, settling into a rough idle as it rose to hover. Culms of bamboo groaned and cracked against the chassis.

"Here," Zaphron tossed me a cap from the dash, putting one on himself. It was faded blue, with the AgriCo logo emblazoned in bright red stitching across the front.

"You borrow these too?" I asked, pulling the cap low so it hid my eyes. At least it didn't smell as bad as the car.

"No," Zaphron said, backing us out of the thicket. I could practically hear the grin in his voice. "I stole them."

The car's rough engine spluttered jerkily as we continued down the access road. Bamboo plantations morphed into rows of fruit trees the further we drove—many of which looked broken and wind stripped.

"Looks like the super-cell came through here pretty hard," I said, clutching at my harness as the car rose and dipped violently over a fallen mango tree.

"I don't think it ended up being as bad as they expected," Zaphron said, shifting in his seat.

A loaded silence fell over us and I wondered if the storm brought back memories that made him just as uncomfortable as they now made me.

The greyish purple of the desolate morning sky filled the sunroof. I rested my head back against the seat and stared up at it. In my peripheral I could see Zaphron glance over at me.

"It feels emptier now that you know what you're missing."

I cast a sidelong look in his direction. "What?"

He hesitated, clearing his throat. "The sky I mean."

I hummed in agreement, casting my eyes back to the vast emptiness above us, imagining the pinpricks of light hidden beyond the Ark's polluted veil. "I just don't want to forget what they look like."

"You won't."

I fixed Zaphron in a scrutinizing stare. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Experience," he said, shrugging as he jerked the car around another fallen tree. The motion swung us dangerously close to touching shoulders. "I've never forgotten them."

"You've seen them before?" I frowned. "How?"

He glanced at me, then back to the thinning trees lining the road—his jaw tensing in sync with his knuckles on the wheel. "I was born under them."

I stared at him for a moment, too stunned to speak. "We are talking about the stars, right?" I asked. "How is that even possible?"

He ran a hand through his hair, his blue gaze darting across to meet mine again. "Astrid, I was born in the Old World."

I opened my mouth then closed it again—too many half-formed sentences jostling for position on my tongue.

Zaphron was from the Old World?

"Shit." Zaphron slammed on the brakes, jerking us both forward in our harnesses. Another beaten up hov-car was suddenly in front of us. In fact, several cars were now in front of us. We'd nearly crashed our way into the back of a queue of AgriCo vehicles.

My attention was torn between trying to process Zaphron's words and what was happening outside. Despite needing answers, I decided to focus on our surroundings and the possible dangers they contained. I tore my gaze away from Zaphron, forcing myself to look out the windscreen.

We were in a giant lot, a concrete plane surrounded by crops on three sides. The last side was bordered by a giant cinder block wall—far taller than was needed for surrounding crops. It felt like a prison.

Floodlamps lit the open space, blasting harsh light down on the queues of plantation cars waiting at each of the five exits.

"What's the plan here?" I asked, pulling my cap lower.

Zaphron tapped his fingers against the steering wheel with an air of nonchalance—he was so convincing I nearly bought it. "We blend in and drive out. Simple."

"Won't we need, like, IDs or something?" I asked, pressing my cheek against the window in an attempt to see around the car in front of us. The gates were looming up quickly as vehicles flooded through. They had actual security guards manning the exit booths. Combined with the geriatric cars, it felt like AgriCo was stuck in the past. "Surely we have to show those guards something at the gate?"

"Of course. I have—" Zaphron glanced around, his eyebrows drawing together. "I had some fakes." He flipped open the middle console and felt around the junk inside. "Where'd I put them?" He leaned over and opened the dash compartment by my knees, his elbow grazing my leg. "Shit. Where are they?"

"Seriously?" I asked, my voice rising an octave higher than was natural. My eyes flitted between his panicked rummaging and the back of the car in front of us.

We were next in the queue.

I tapped Zaphron's shoulder urgently as the car in front pulled through the gate. "We're up Zaph. Do something."

He snapped the compartment closed and sat up straight in one fluid movement, easing the car forward so it was in line with the booth.

"IDs?" asked a bored, middle-aged man from the window. His gaze was distant, too focused on his MR to even look at us. Not that I could blame the guy—a simple ID scanner could have done his job.

"Misplaced them in the field," Zaphron answered without hesitation. He sounded like a soldier reporting to his superior—it made my gut clench.

Was that how he acted at ZenSecure?

The guard let out an exhale and blinked hard, shifting all his focus onto Zaphron. "Employee number?"

"13072307"

I jolted at the numbers, my gaze lifting just in time to see the corner of Zaphron's mouth turn up.

My birthday.

The guard let out another exhale, clearly pissed to have his easy routine broken. "You're not in the system. Step out the vehicle please."

Zaphron's eyes met mine briefly, sending a silent request to stay put. I bit my lip and nodded, watching him get out and approach the booth. I wasn't entirely sure what he planned to do, but I expected it wasn't going to end well for the guard.

Unless he just told them he was with ZenSecure—that could work.

Was he with ZenSecure?

The thought brought back all the bitter confusion from the barge. He was so convincing at playing every part he stepped into, I had no idea what was real.

Could I trust someone like that?

The car juddered as it idled in a low hover, the engine stuttering before kicking back in. I glanced at the unoccupied driver's seat then at the boom gate blocking my path. It was flimsy, the skinny metal pole no match for the bonnet of a heavy plantation vehicle.

Before I could overthink it, I wiggled across into the driver's seat, my heart stuttering like the car's engine. I gripped the steering wheel in my sweaty fingers and released the brake, planting my foot down on the accelerator. The engine gave a rough roar, lurching forward and tearing through the gate with a horrible metallic squeal. I flinched as the windscreen cracked. The boom pole bounced off it, rolling over the roof and off the trunk with a thud. I floored it, swerving around another car unfortunate enough to have exited their gate at the same time. There was only one road ahead—one road back to town—and I couldn't have anyone slowing me down.

A strange mix of guilt and exhilaration burned my insides as I checked my mirrors and caught sight of a lone figure running pointlessly after me—his silhouette shrinking as I sped further away.

Maybe now Zaphron would understand how much betrayal could hurt.