As McAuley droned on through his delivery, Jed turned his thoughts to the crux of the problem. He couldn’t advise military force. That simply wasn’t an option. Down that road was the ruin of both Seattle and Texas. But Mad Jack Blackstone had to go, one way, or another.

He snuck a peek at his President. A decent man, who would almost certainly demure when faced with the necessity for hard and questionable action. Culver made a note to himself that he would have to talk to Sarah Humboldt after the meeting.

7

NORTH KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Maive and Miguel settled into their seats on the crowded city bus. They had strolled down Armour Road, past the store-fronts, some still abandoned, some recently reopened, in an effort to see if there was anything worthwhile. As they walked, they passed a single-screen movie theatre showing the latest Aussie blockbuster, On the Other Side, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.

Some people thought that, just like in the movie, the Disappeared were still alive somewhere, perhaps in some alternate universe. Young Adam Coupland could probably have explained it, but to Miguel Pieraro, it all seemed to be wishful thinking. He pushed the idea out of his mind as the bus coughed and stuttered down Swift towards the Missouri River. The warmth of the heaters allowed him to drop away from reality for a few precious moments into his own thoughts.

Miguel still wore the jacket in which he had set out from home a lifetime ago. He could have replaced it easily enough. They had passed through any number of small towns on the way north, and even skated around the edges of a couple of larger cities. At any point along the trail he could’ve ditched this filthy, often sodden lamb’s-wool-lined coat for something new, something that didn’t remind him of loss and grief. But he found it impossible to let go.

He still had the Winchester rifle with which he’d killed three of the men who had murdered his family, and with which he had killed more as he rode north, taking Sofia to safety. These days, the Winchester was secured within the gun cabinet he had erected back at the apartment he shared with his daughter. Kansas City might have been a frontier settlement now, but it was not the frontier. You couldn’t walk the streets here bearing arms; there were police officers to stop you if you tried. They drove ‘cruisers’, wore blue uniforms and made every effort to act as though the Wave had never happened. If they didn’t stop you, the local militia would, one way or the other.