What are you doing here? I thought you were in Israel.

I stare at Dana. She’s dressed in civilian garb—a skirt and a low-cut summer blouse. She’s wearing eyeliner and mascara, with her hair free and flowing. She looks feminine and sensual.

When she sees me, her expression turns stricken, even shamefaced.

Then I realize she is here with a lover.

The man is standing next to her, holding her hand. I haven’t noticed him, being too startled and surprised by seeing Dana.

INSTANCER

Hello, Dewey.

I can’t breathe. The earth seems to collapse beneath my feet. I stare. It’s him. Untouched, unscathed, unaltered.

INSTANCER

Have you had time to bring your notes up to date? Collated? Uploaded to the cloud?

He knows I have.

I know what’s coming.

INSTANCER

You’re my chronicler, Dewey. Thank you. What we have accomplished shall endure forever.

His right arm shoots toward my throat, swift as a striking snake.

I feel my voice box being crushed.

The organ-failure alarm chirps on my indicator. My last thought is to picture my status line as it updates in the cloud.

END DEWEY TRANSMISSION

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually . . . And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

GENESIS 6:5–7

SPECIAL THANKS

TO COLONEL ROBERT GOUGH and to Bill Bagshaw, whose encouragement kept me going when I was inches away from pulling the plug. To Shawn Coyne, who “put the Story Grid on” the narrative when it crashed in midstream and provided the direction to put it back together. To Kate Snow for contributions above and beyond the call of duty. To Officers Gina and Freddie Pineda of the NYPD for their counsel on police procedure; to Amanda Tunnell for matters of tech and media; to Rabbi Mordecai Finley for his wisdom on all things Judaic. To Star Lawrence for his belief in this material and his rigor in pushing it to its most highly realized level. And to Sterling Lord, who put everything together and made this whole damn thing happen.

ALSO BY STEVEN PRESSFIELD

FICTION

The Legend of Bagger Vance

Gates of Fire

Tides of War

Last of the Amazons

The Virtues of War

The Afghan Campaign

Killing Rommel

The Profession

The Knowledge

NONFICTION

The War of Art

Do the Work

The Warrior Ethos

Turning Pro

The Authentic Swing

The Lion’s Gate

An American Jew

Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t

The Artist’s Journey