The square hung in front of Colt's face.

  He tried to lean left and look around it, but it slid with his eyes like it was stuck to him.

  "What the fuck?" Colt said. He looked at F.A.U. "What is this?"

  "This is your UI," F.A.U. said.

  "UI?"

  More words filled the box.

  PROJECT: LAST STAND v1.0

  Stats

  Status

  Map

  Armory: LOCKED

  Module Bay: LOCKED

  Skills: LOCKED

  Help

  ?????

  ?????

  ?????

  Armory locked? Okay.

  Colt stared at it, then his eyes went straight to Map. When he looked at the letters, they thickened and lit up like they were waiting on him.

  "What does map mean," Colt said.

  "A map is a depiction of—"

  "I know what the hell a map is, dummy." Colt swallowed. "What does this mean?”

  "Do you wish to see the map?”

  "Yes."

  The box flashed.

  A picture snapped into place, showing the room he was standing in like somebody drew it from above. A bed. The table. Three doors. The big black screen on the wall. Even F.A.U.'s spot by the bed showed as a mark. Then a dot flashing where Colt stood.

  Colt frowned and looked around, then back at the map.

  "Wait. This is the room I'm in?" he said out loud.

  "Affirmative." F.A.U. said.

  A line sat above the map of the room.

  EARTH 145

  Everything beyond the room was black. No trail. No land. Just black, except for one corner where a small square sat like a patch of cleared ground.

  He shifted his gaze down and saw an arrow at the bottom pointing right. He looked at the arrow and it thickened and started to glow.

  "Yes.” Colt said, half to himself.

  The map swiped to a new screen.

  EARTH 146

  All black. The arrow sat there again, and Colt looked at it.

  "Yes."

  The map swiped again.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  EARTH 147

  Black.

  "Yes."

  F.A.U.'s voice cut in. "Verbal commands are not required.”

  Colt muttered. "Like I'm supposed to know any of this."

  He stared at the black map until it made his skin itch.

  "Why are the maps black."

  "You have not explored these locations."

  Colt opened his mouth, then stopped. The question that came up felt stupid even in his head.

  "What earth... am I from."

  "Earth two-six-five."

  "Two-six-five," Colt repeated. He rubbed his jaw with his thumb. "How many earths are there, for God's sake."

  "So far, one thousand eight hundred thirty-four have been identified before time ran out."

  Colt stared at F.A.U. "Time ran out."

  "Affirmative."

  Colt didn't like how that sounded. Time ran out. Like somebody had been counting down to something, and now it was too late. He wanted to ask what it meant, but he didn't have room for it right now. Clay was bleeding. Pa was waiting. Everything else could wait.

  "I only care about two-six-five," he said.

  He looked at the arrow and kept it moving. The numbers at the top changed fast.

  148...

  149...

  150...

  151...

  "Stop," F.A.U. said.

  Colt frowned. "What."

  "Look at the top," FAU said. "Where it says Earth one-five-one. Change it to Earth two-six-five."

  Colt stared at the words at the top like F.A.U. was messing with him. "How?"

  "Focus on the designation and ‘want’ it changed," F.A.U. said.

  Colt muttered. "Yeah. Sure."

  He fixed his eyes on the top line and tried anyway.

  The map flashed.

  EARTH 265

  This time the black didn't cover everything.

  A larger patch was clear, drawn out in rough shapes Colt recognized. A river line that bent the way it should. A spread of land.

  One spot showed a star.

  Colt's breath caught. He stared at it and the star grew.

  His home.

  For a second he forgot the humming room and the metal hole in his wrist. He saw his porch, the boards he'd helped Pa replace last summer. He saw the fence line, the posts they'd dug in together when Colt was barely tall enough to hold the shovel. He saw the stretch of ground he knew by heart, every dip and rise of it, every tree he'd climbed as a kid.

  He moved his eyes and the map moved with it, sliding under his gaze like it was on rails. He could see around his place, past the creek where he'd learned to swim, down toward the big river. A line on the map that had to be the Mississippi.

  After that, black.

  He pushed his eyes the other way until the map ran into a long jagged line. Mountains. He'd never been past them. The map was black beyond that too.

  "Why are those parts black." Colt said. He waved a hand like it might clear the darkness. "But I can see all this."

  "Those areas remain unexplored." F.A.U. said.

  Colt frowned harder. "Isn't that what a map is for. Places you ain't been yet."

  "Your memory package was purged during emergency transfer." F.A.U. said. "You are operating at base model."

  Colt stared at it. "Base model."

  "All nonessential software was terminated."

  Colt didn't like that word either. He didn't know what it meant, but he didn't like it.

  "How do I get this off my face," Colt said.

  "Do you want it off of your face."

  "Yes."

  The map folded in on itself and vanished. The big box disappeared too. All that stayed was the small line in the corner of his vision.

  PROJECT: LAST STAND v1.0

  Colt blinked. It stayed put.

  "Okay," Colt said, and he looked at F.A.U. "Look, I—"

  He stopped and shook his head once, slow.

  "Do I have to call you F.A.U.?” He said. "You got a name?"

  "My name is Field Assistant Unit," F.A.U. said.

  Colt stared. "Well that's stupid."

  He pointed at it, thought hard for a second. "I'm gonna call you... Kevin."

  F.A.U. held still.

  A small line popped in the corner under Project: Last Stand.

  F.A.U. DESIGNATION UPDATED: KEVIN

  Colt's eyebrows lifted. "Huh."

  He shifted his weight and tried to get his head straight again.

  "Listen, Kevin." Colt said. "I don't know what software is. Or base models. Or any of that."

  He jabbed a finger at the ground. "All I know is there were men in black that came out of purple lightning holes. They killed Earl and Jeff."

  "Ninjas." Kevin said, flat.

  Colt ignored him.

  His throat tightened when he said Clay's name.

  "They shot Clay." Colt said. "He went down. He needs me."

  Kevin's head tilted.

  Colt kept going because if he stopped he might think too hard.

  "I don't care about ratios." Colt said. "I don't care about mole—cules."

  "Molecules." Kevin said.

  "I just said I don't care." Colt snapped.

  His eyes went to the door the map had labeled. Teleportation Room.

  "That's gotta be how I get back." Colt said.

  He stepped off the bed and crossed the room, his boots sounding too loud on the floor. He grabbed the handle and a small green light lit up beside it.

  Colt yanked the door open.

  The room beyond was small, with smooth white walls and cold air. In the middle was a square platform set into the floor with a post sticking up out of the center of it, and a red button on top.

  Colt stood at the doorway a second, breathing through his nose.

  Then he stepped onto the square.

  He shut his eyes and hit the button.

  Nothing happened.

  Colt opened one eye, then the other. He looked down at the button and pressed it again.

  "Yes." Colt said out loud, because that had worked before.

  Nothing.

  He turned his head.

  Kevin stood in the doorway, watching him.

  "You require a software update to use the teleporting module.” Kevin said.

  Colt's hands curled into fists.

  "What?”