Chapter 18 #4
Yumi shook her head. “That wouldn’t work for you for long. How could you keep doing that job, knowing you are literally stealing
happiness from people?”
Aida hated that Yumi was right. How could she visit all the beautiful places in Italy, knowing she would never be able to visit again and that others would be deprived of the beauty and wonder she’d constantly experienced when she first began her work as a Collector?
And what would happen to the world as all the happiness disappeared? She thought of the terrible headlines that were already
making their way through the papers and internet: yet another American mass shooting, this time at the Naval Air Station in
Pensacola, Florida; the former Pakistani president being sentenced to death for treason; ongoing protests in Hong Kong; the
way climate change was wreaking angry havoc on the earth; and in London, the impending Brexit. Things were never so turbulent
when she was growing up, were they? Knowing what she did now about MODA, it made all too much sense. How much of a hand had
she had in making those events happen?
Aida sighed. “Then I need your help.” She explained the problem of the MODA phone tracking her and eavesdropping on her conversations,
then handed the god her phone.
Vulcan took it without hesitation, waving a hand over the screen as a faint shimmer passed across it. “That should block their
surveillance—calls, messages, even location tracking. They’ll see only what you want them to see.” He handed it back, then
held out a hand expectantly. “Your personal phone too.”
Aida hesitated for a fraction of a second before handing it over. Vulcan repeated the process, then did the same with Yumi’s
device.
“Now, whenever you need to obscure your communications, just tap the screen three times in quick succession and say the word
Hephaestus. This will encrypt your phone calls and any ambient noise the phone picks up. Anyone listening in will hear only mundane
chatter—discussions about the weather, idle routines—or neutral background noise like distant traffic or a quiet room. To
deactivate, repeat the same action and say Hephaestus again. It’s seamless and undetectable. It will also help you bypass any Wi-Fi restrictions they may have put on your device. Use it wisely and discreetly.”
“But can I make it seem like I’m in a specific location when I’m not?”
Vulcan nodded. “Simply say Hephaestus, location, followed by the name of the place you want to appear to be. The spell will create a false location signal, making it seem
as if you are physically present in the desired area. To deactivate this feature, simply say Hephaestus, clear location. Just remember that using this feature too often or in suspicious circumstances—especially with powerful ears nearby—could
draw unwanted attention, so use it wisely.” With the point of a finger, he adjusted the enchantment on their cell phones.
“Can you do the same for Felix’s and Luciano’s phones?”
The god nodded. He had Aida open their contact information on her phone, then touched a finger to each in turn. “When you
connect with them again, they will have the same protection.”
Another thought occurred to Aida.
“What about cameras? In hotels, or in my own room at the palazzo. Should I worry about that?”
Aggie laughed. “No, that’s one thing the gods can’t be distracted by—television, movies, videos, live cameras. Our ‘Achilles’
heel,’ so to say. We find such moving fakery disorienting.”
Vulcan grunted, displeasure evident in his eyes.
“Now, now, Heph, if this information will help them later, you’ll fault me not.”
“But couldn’t they have mortals watching us?”
“Unlikely. The more mortals they have involved in their affairs, the more their plans are at risk. Humans are too unpredictable.
They’ll settle for listening to you, but even then, that’s most likely only when they have reason to suspect you. And if they
suspect you, they will probably just interrogate you instead.”
“Wait, you said that the storeroom had hundreds of other automatons. What if they are using them to watch us?”
“Yes. I would assume they are using them to do that. And you would have no idea either.”
The idea that anyone around her could be watching her at any given time sent a chill up Aida’s spine. She had been lucky then,
when she had talked about MODA in public, even with the precautions they had taken with the MODA phones.
“What about Effie? Don’t we need to find her too?” Yumi asked.
Vulcan grunted. “Worry about Pandora. We’ll look for Euphrosyne.”
Aida sighed. “Well, it seems I need to make up a good excuse for why I want to go to London, of all places, for my vacation,
particularly when I was just there.”
Yumi raised her hand. “I’m your excuse. Let’s go.”
Aggie walked Aida and Yumi to the entrance of the forge, her expression both concerned and hopeful. As they prepared to leave,
she looked into their eyes and offered a sincere smile. “In bocca al lupo,” she said, invoking the Italian phrase that means “into the mouth of the wolf” and serves as a good-luck wish.
“Crepi il lupo.” Aida gave the traditional response. May the wolf die.
They stepped through the doorway of the Umbilicus Urbis Romae, and back into the Roman Forum, leaving Aida hoping that she
wouldn’t turn out to be the wolf.