Memories flooded her mind: the library, the book, and the coordinates, but more than that. Memories of learning about a betrayal, leaving herself the warning note, the ‘accident’ – her car, run o the road by a truck in the dark – waking up in a hospital bed with a chunk of time missing from her memory. But that memory was back with a vengeance. She knew what she’d nd at the warehouse and she knew who she’d nd there. Pushing up o her hands, Magdalena got up fast, shoving away whoever was shutting out her light. She was shaking uncontrollably, but this wasn’t from the shock of falling over, it was from the shock of remembering it all. She threw herself into the parked taxi. ‘Drive!’ she yelled, ‘Get me to the business park on 426th Street. As fast as you can.’ A painful ten minutes later, the taxi pulled up in the car park of an old warehouse. Magdalena ran straight through the entrance way, worried she’d be too late, but as she neared the main warehouse floor, she changed her pace to an unhurried but con dent one. There in front of her were four men and women in business attire, her aunt Rachel included, all sitting round a table with papers spread out in front of them. At the sound of her footsteps, they turned. The aunt’s face dropped for a fraction of a second before returning to the steely look Magdalena was more familiar with. ‘Magda’ she said, ‘we weren’t expecting you.’ ‘I bet you weren’t,’ Magdalena replied tartly. ‘Let me guess, you’re selling o our patent.’ ‘Well, with you incapacitated after your accident, the board was nally able to make a decision.’ Magdalena sucked in air between her teeth, seething. She and the board knew Magdalena didn’t want to sell. By taking Magdalena out of the equation, there was no longer a stalemate. Magdalena knew what she had to do. She took out her phone, scrolled through her contacts and started the call. As soon as it connected, she said ‘Do it’ and then ended the call. She looked at the people in front of her. ‘Right now, my design is being sent to hundreds of tech companies around the world with their permission to use it as they wish. For free.’ she said. ‘No!’ the aunt cried as if in pain. ‘Do you realise how much money you’ve just given up?’ ‘I do,’ Magdalena said ‘but it was never about that.’ The man at the head of the table stood and gathered his things. ‘I think we’re done here,’ he said to the aunt and took his leave, his lawyers trailing behind him. Magdalena turned back and stared her aunt straight in the eye. ‘I think we’re done, too,’ she said, and walked out.
