“Hello, <>. Please be advised that the next evacuation leaves in <> minutes. If you have missed your scheduled evacuation, you may board a later one on a first-come, first-served basis only.”

A shape was barely visible to Nerissa through the salt and grime. It might have been a person, like the ones on the little screen Steamy had kept working for her.

“Please,” said Nerissa. “Please. I need to know where the red flowers came from.”

“Query: <>. Hello, <>. You may be looking for the <> Botanical Gardens. They have an exquisite strain of <> on display right now.”

Nerissa looked to her left. Through rusted and broken doors, a tangle of wild red flowers that had long since overgrown their planters was visible.

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