CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: WARRIOR IN A GARDENER

The sun was out, Jace was at the new safe house.

Alone, he had left Serai with Eva, a decision he questioned a bit. But he needed to focus here.

The building was big, full of potential, and he planned on turning it into the base of his tech-science empire.

Walking through the dusty halls, he pulled old tarps off broken furniture, kicked aside scattered debris, and cracked open a few windows for fresh air.

Even then, the place still reeked of mold and rust. It needed more than just a clean-up.

[If you want this place ready for proper operations, a full renovation would cost around $250,000.

That covers structural reinforcement, professional cleaning, lab-grade ventilation systems, new flooring, wiring, and basic furniture.]

Jace nodded, setting a chair upright and dropping into it. "And equipment?"

[For a functional baseline, computers, servers, testing tools, fabrication machines, and safety gear, you’re looking at another $400,000 minimum. Higher-end tech could push it closer to $800,000. It depends on how advanced you want to go.]

Jace leaned back, staring at the cracked ceiling. That was more than he expected, but not impossible. "And timeframe?"

[With money in hand, three months to be operational. Six for full optimization. Faster is possible, but only with the right contractors and a lot more money.]

Jace smirked faintly. "So basically, a fortune and time I don’t have."

[Not a fortune. An investment. If you pull it off, this building becomes more than a safe house.]

Jace sat in silence, tapping his finger on the chair’s armrest, already thinking of ways to get what he needed.

His eyes narrowing as he thought it through. "Is there a way to pull more money from that illegal scheme, or maybe run multiple things at once? I don’t want to rely on just one stream if I can push for more."

[Sure, but that levels up the risk. You’re moving bigger amounts, spending more to keep it clean, and juggling several operations at once. While they won’t trace me, you need to understand, you’ll be burning through a lot of cash just to keep the flow stable.

And the more plates you spin, the easier it is for one to fall.]

Jace nodded slowly, already picturing the expansion in his mind. "That’s fine. We can deal with higher stakes if it gets us ahead. Once this is running smoothly, I’ll finally have enough leverage to start the tech company. That’s the real endgame."

[Ambitious. Just remember, every step forward in this game makes the ground under you thinner. You want the payout, you gotta accept the cracks forming beneath your feet.]

Jace met his gaze without flinching. "Then I’ll learn how to walk without falling."

Jace was about to walk when Zin’s voice cut in.

[Jace, I think we might have a problem.]

He turned slightly. "What is it? Another alien?"

[No. Do you remember Serai’s story? About the Nova Prisonship, how something caused one of the vessels to separate?]

"She didn’t say it was hit," Jace replied.

[Right, she didn’t. But that’s what I suspect. What if your pod struck the ship? That could’ve triggered the separation, and it would explain the accident that damaged my systems, why I lost so much of my data.]

Jace froze, the thought grinding his steps to a halt. "You’re telling me... we might’ve been in a space accident with a prison ship?"

[Yes.]

"This..."

[I don’t have a memory of the incident, so I can’t be certain. But this is the most likely explanation. The best move would be to find your pod and confirm it.]

"I don’t even know where my pod is. Until recently, I didn’t even know I was an alien. I think the best place to start is with my first foster family."

[Understood. I’ll handle that. In the meantime, I’ll look for new sources of money. I’ll take care of the hiring and the renovations too. You can come back once everything is set.]

Jace paused. He leaned back, the new discovery pulling his thoughts in another direction.

[What’s on your mind?]

"You already know."

[Yes, but it’s better if you say it yourself.]

He went silent.

Seeing Jace fall quiet, Zin broke the silence.

[You think it’s your fault.]

"Is it not?" Jace muttered. "If my pod hadn’t crashed into that ship, we wouldn’t have all these aliens loose on Earth. I might’ve doomed the entire human race before I was even old enough to walk."

[You were an infant when it happened. You had no control, no decision in that. I understand your guilt, but it’s misplaced.]

"But still—"

[We haven’t even confirmed it yet. But if it is you, then you still have a way to fix it.]

Jace’s eyes narrowed. "How?"

[By not running from your potential. By growing stronger. By taking down any hostile alien that shows up.]

Jace snorted. "So what, you want me to become a superhero? What’s with you and Eva pushing this idea? I can understand her, but you? You’re an AI, not some dreamer."

[The real question is why you don’t want to become one.]

"And do what?" Jace asked, his voice sharper. "Save people who’ll turn around and be ungrateful? Let them use me until I’m dry?"

[Or... you use them.] Zin’s tone was steady, almost cold. [Being a hero can work to your advantage. Look at Ironfield. He owns the largest tech company in the world, works with militaries across the globe, and he’s a celebrated superhero. He isn’t exactly known for kindness either, he sleeps around, throws his weight where he wants, but people still praise him. No one’s using him. He’s using the role.]

Jace was quiet. Zin pressed further.

[Your destiny is larger than this planet. You’ll travel worlds, maybe entire galaxies. I don’t have all my data, but I know this: someone with your ability, someone who can permanently take powers, would be feared, envied, and hunted. That leaves only two options: grow strong, or stay weak and get crushed. Better to be the warrior in the garden, than the gardener in the war.]

Jace muttered under his breath, almost to himself. "Be a warrior in a garden... not a gardener in a war."