Sorrel sat in front of the PlAK in Caroni’s hut. It had been a long while since she sat in front of a screen and her fingers were slow on the keyboard. She logged into Level 4 first, into her old message boards and chatrooms. Her old life. There was a new evacuation order out and revised maps of the Immersion Zone in Bana. The SATMAP showed an irregular coastline with deep inlets reaching into valleys with no towns and cities anymore, as if they had never existed. A map of Bana showed the sea running right through the centre of the city, swallowing what used to be the Ama River. The Barbican Prison, where her father had been held, was gone.

The chatrooms and message boards had hundreds of posts from people trying to find members of their family. The messages had sad headings – Looking for Periwinkle Darliston, last seen at the corner of Azalea and Lily on August 9. My son, Alfred Campbell, drowned in the Ama River July 4. Has anyone seen his body? Then she saw a heading with a single word: One.

She opened the thread, her heart pounding. Hope was too much like fear. The message said: “One. I hope you see this and you’re well and happy. I survived the river. Was captured by the Toplanders. They have everything up here – food, water, houses, solar panels. They blindfolded me, so I don’t know how they got me up here. There are many Lowlander captives, slaves, all women. We work on their farms. We’re guarded by men with guns. The leader is a vile man called Drax. He made it clear that when I’m no longer useful, they’ll throw me off one of the cliffs. They break your legs first. I’ve seen four Lowlanders thrown off since I’ve been here so I’m working hard and I’m much stronger. Don’t try to find me. I’m risking –” The message ended abruptly. It had been posted almost eight months ago.

“What’s wrong?” Caroni said from behind her. Sorrel gestured at the screen; her cheeks wet. “A message from my mother.”

Caroni read the post quickly and patted Sorrel’s shoulder. “Well, she survived.”

“Maybe. She could have died in the last eight months or been killed.”

“Let’s think about your mother later. You find out what’s going on in the rest of the world. Find out if what Lichen heard is true.”