Chapter Three: Gatekeepers in the City

groundwater station, an old New York observatory, a geothermal well in Reykjavík. Projected onto the hummingbird city, the coordinates matched its thirteen tail feathers. "Were cities built over the ruins," Lin asked, "or did the ruins choose cities?" "Perhaps cities are instruments. Population, electrical grids, communications—every metropolis is constantly producing observation." A clicking sound came from the laptop. It had no battery and no network connection, yet its screen turned on. Lin's father's satellite code appeared against black, followed by a sentence: CHEN DU IS NOT THE ENEMY. NOT YET. Lin faced the screen. "Who are you?" Letters emerged one by one. A NAVIGATION PROGRAM LEFT BY YOUR FATHER. DESIGNATION: SWIFT. "Prove it."