There were a surprising number of secret ways to enter a sub-city. None of them could ever truly be sealed off from the tunnels, no matter how hard local governments tried. Tess followed a path of memories that veered off from the tracks once she was closer to Heart Central. They led her through narrow, half-hidden stone corridors devoid of all light. There weren't any bioluminescent fungi here. There was no way for her eyes to interpret anything. She had to feel her way along the walls until she finally found herself standing in the dim light that filtered down through a false sewage grate from above her.

Tess looked up through the metal bars, getting her first vague glimpse of Heart Central. She couldn't see much apart from the outlines of stone buildings that rose up on either side of the grate. This did lead out into a narrow alley, after all. Tess wanted a better look. She hooked her hands around the bars and pulled herself up until her nose poked through them and her feet dangled in the air. No luck. She was at a bad angle to see what else – or who else – was in the alley.

Heart Central had been the only sub-city to exist on Par-12 when Rourke had first become Fenrir's host, and Fenrir had infected small teams of engineers and construction workers to install hidden access points so that even if a sub-city was on lockdown, his spores could still enter. Of course, he'd also made these teams throw themselves into the tunnels before their infection could be noticed. Flores Greens was the same way – as were all other modern sub-cities. It was why random disappearances were simply a part of life in Heart. These access points had kept Heart firmly under his control. If a sub-city was to be free of bloodrot, it was solely because that was what Fenrir had desired. Every single person who lived and breathed in the city of Heart only did so because Fenrir had allowed it.

Who would have thought that parasites could go on power trips?

Tess released the grate and dropped back to the ground. The speela tank in her backpack bounced around a bit, but Bastet didn't make a single complaint. The cat had been giving Tess the silent treatment for a while now. Or maybe Tess had misjudged how much air Bastet actually needed. She elbowed her backpack, jostling the speela tank again, and a low growl emanated from it. Bastet was still fine – just irritated.

Satisfied, Tess looked up again and pressed her palms flat against the grate above her, wondering how hard it would be to push it open. And wondering how likely it'd be for someone to see her.

If her memories were still correct, there should just be the backside of a few restaurants above her. These ones weren't too popular – this was a fairly sleepy part of town. Maybe no one would notice her crawling out of a sewer grate. She hadn't seen anyone up there. And she couldn't hear anyone either. So, she shoved against the grate, expecting some resistance. It flew up like a sheet of paper, toppled out of her hands, and landed to the side with a loud clang. Tess flinched and hoisted herself up into the streets of Heart Central before anyone could notice.

It was indeed a very narrow alley – only wide enough for two people to walk abreast. The air was thick with the scent of hot cooking oil, spices, and the sickly-sweet decay of food scraps. There was a garbage bin to the side of the back door nearest to Tess, and in spite of the slightly rancid smell, her stomach still grumbled. She and Connor had been living off the protein bars he'd had in his bag for the past few days. It had been too long since Tess last had a real meal.

No one was out here, and no one had reacted to the racket she'd made with the grate – which she quickly replaced – but Tess didn't want to get caught snooping through trash bins. That would be just her luck too, to make it all the way to Heart Central only to be thwarted by a rumbly tummy. She wrinkled her nose, squinting in the dim light pooling out of windows that dotted the alley buildings all the way up to the cavern ceiling.

Tess fit her new welding goggles over her eyes and tugged her jacket hood over her head too. Her eyes worked great in the tunnels, but too much light hurt now. It hadn't been too bad back on the transport, but it'd still been noticeable. Tess hoped that wouldn't last forever. It'd make everyday life frustrating once this was all over and she was back in the Greens. The tinted goggles should help with that for the moment. They served a second purpose too, since she still couldn't risk anyone seeing her eyes right now. Tess hadn't looked in a mirror lately, but she figured that it was a safe bet to assume that she still looked a heck of a lot like a victim of active bloodrot.

That wouldn't go over too well here.

Reluctantly, Tess ignored the garbage bins and took a left turn down the alley, heading towards the University Library.

It didn't take long for her to arrive, even with her unconventional path of shadows and scarcely trodden streets. Eventually, the narrow alleys that Tess kept to gave way to a wide plaza. A sunburst of black and white tile decorated the ground just beyond her alley, but Tess could barely make out the pattern through all the people milling about. She hugged the alley wall, trying to keep out of sight. No one seemed to take notice of her though, so after a moment, she relaxed and gazed across the plaza to the University Library.

It was a massive structure that took up an entire face of the cavern that housed Heart Central. Eight broad pillars, fashioned from white marble, guarded the entrance. Each one dwarfed the throngs of people passing between them or loitering at their feet. Marina had always said that you would need a chain of at least ten people to link hands all the way around one. Balanced atop the pillars was yet another piece of marble stonework: a massive slab with each of Heart's twelve Founders carved in relief. Tess found herself frowning at Rourke's image.

Behind the pillars, the library's façade was an intricate dance of stone in various shades that were carved to represent Heart's history. The doors – big, bronze things – were always open. Five wide, well-worn steps led up to meet them.

There were a lot of people going in and out. Far too many people, and that wasn't even considering the crowd on the plaza in front of the Library. Tess wrinkled her nose. There was a sewer entrance that she could use – a real one, this time. She decided to do that instead.

~~~

Tess came up through a grate in the floor of the basement bathrooms. Luckily, no one was in there. In fact, few people ever used the lowest level of the University Library.

The structure was split into eleven levels, seven of which were bright and airy. The topmost level tended to be best for studying. It was quiet and cozy. Too much chatter was frowned upon all the way up there, but levels closer to the ground floor were fine for socializing. The three basement levels were for archived materials. Most tended to stay away from them unless they had a reason to be there and permission from Library staff. They were dark and musty, and the bottommost level was a maze of discarded relics. That was where Tess now stood, shaking herself free of dirty water next cracked porcelain sinks and grimy toilet stalls.

It was down here that Nelda had hidden everything.

Tess crept out of the bathroom, following Nelda's steps that skittered around the bottom floor. She had been anxious, very anxious, when she had first come here to hide Dr. Rocha's research. Tess followed her memories from one wall to the next. It seemed as if Nelda had considered and discarded every possible shelf, nook, and cranny. She needed it to be hidden and safe from prying eyes. Keeping it in her home had been a mistake. She had messed up. She needed somewhere better. Somewhere nobody could find it again. No one knew that she was here. The basement of the University Library should be the best place to put it. Artefacts and old texts disappeared down here all the time. No one would know. No one would find it. But where to put it, just to be sure?

There. A couple of dusty old desks sat shunted against a corner. Maybe a drawer would be a good spot. She tugged one open with difficulty. It stuck to its tracks. Then, she reconsidered. No, a drawer would be too obvious. There was a thin crack in the wall behind one of the desks though. She frowned, thinking, and then crouched down to look below the desk. The crack extended down to the floor, where bits of plaster had crumbled away, leaving behind a small hole. Perfect.

She reached inside...but something was wrong. Nelda's memories fell away, leaving just Tess behind. The datacard was gone. Matteo Rocha's research was gone. She pulled out an old paper notebook – not Matteo's – and stuck her hand back in the wall, brushing her fingers across jagged bits of plaster. It was definitely gone.

Tess sat back on her haunches, letting the notebook balance on her knees. It was Nelda's personal journal. Someone had taken the datacard but left Nelda's journal. Who would have known where to look? And how long had it been gone?

Her chest constricted with cold panic. This wasn't supposed to happen. What was she supposed to do now? She tightened her fingers around Nelda's journal, and her nails bit into its covers. She looked down at it, chewing at her lip, just like Marina sometimes did. Slowly, she opened the front cover, just for a quick peek. There was a short note on the first page. It was a neatly written bit of script, and the ink had faded from black to brown.

Congratulations on your new job, honey! Dad and I are so proud of you!

Love,

Mom

Tess quickly closed the notebook. She really, really did not want to go through Nelda's memories in depth. But she was already here, and she didn't know what else to do. Reluctantly, she unshouldered her backpack and set it down by the desks.

"What arrre you doing now, human-named-Tess?" came Bastet's muffled voice from within. "What is happening?"

"Hush up," said Tess. She sat down with her back to a rusting metal bookshelf and made herself as comfortable as she could. "I just need to think for a bit, ok?"

Bastet didn't have an answer to that, so Tess let Nelda's notebook fall open on her lap again. The lighting down here flickered occasionally, but that didn't bother her. Tess still read. And she remembered.