ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-EIGHT: Know Thyself
188
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A large cargo delivery drone shaped like a helicopter headed toward the eastern tip of the Apex crescent, following the flight path it had been assigned over a landscape marked with evidence of both ruin and recovery. As it approached Sānjiǎo Beach, most signs of human habitation below it disappeared. Land was being readied for new construction, but for now, the one neighborhood that had been untouched by the disaster stood by itself. From the drone’s altitude, the town square at the center of it was a vibrant green postage stamp, surrounded by dollhouses. The manufacturing facilities, the workshops, and the community center around the perimeter were all whole as well. “Γνῶθι σαυτόν” was written on the roof of the largest building, irrelevant to the drone but a source of curiosity for human viewers. The letters stood out like a legible, three-dimensional marble sculpture from every angle.
The drone began its descent, and at the sound of its approach, the only person currently enjoying the square looked up.
She was a gaunt young woman, kneeling beside a chubby golden retriever so that she could rub his belly. Droplets from the pithos fountain near her splattered her heavy coat and crocheted hat. Her eyes followed the drone as it set down at the edge of the square. The dog showed no interest, but he whined a little when her hand stopped rubbing. She went back to it, ignoring the delivery, and a couple of minutes later, the door of one of the picturesque townhouses opened.
The Informant, with a jovial expression on his bearded face, came down the stairs and crossed the street at a stroll. He was wearing slacks and a light, red sweater. He took the time to remove his shoes and socks so that he could walk across the grass barefoot. Then, he spoke to the woman for almost fifteen minutes, not glancing even once at the drone, though her own eyes turned to it curiously a few times.
Finally, he nodded, complimented her on her hat, and headed to fetch the package that had arrived.
When the cargo drone’s door slid aside for him, a single wooden crate was revealed. The Informant pulled it out and shook it—something the average non-Avowed wouldn’t have been able to do given its size. The muffled thump of something heavy moving around within it could be heard. His smile widened, and he shook it a few more times.
“HANDLE WITH CARE” was stamped in white letters on the side.