He had to do it now. Now in the few minutes before the Indians had him. Now before anyone else could try to take this from him, could try to stop him.

The doubt struck him again, a memory of failure. Flames erupting through a church in Houston. Just hours ago, the Post Human Liberation Front – more specifically, a PLF terrorist cell led by a man called Breece – had killed nearly a thousand people in Houston, at a prayer breakfast for Daniel Chandler, author of the Chandler Act, and front-runner in the race for Governor of Texas.

They’d used Nexus to do it, to take control of an innocent woman’s mind and plant the bomb. Just like they’d used Nexus to set off a bomb in Chicago. Like they’d used Nexus to try to assassinate President John Stockton in DC three months ago.

Kade had gotten there too late, every time.

It was all going to go up in flames. Every one of the PLF’s bombings and murders was going to fuel the cycle of intolerance and hatred and crackdowns and abuses and terrorist actions to stop the crackdowns until it was a full blown war. If Kade closed the back door in Nexus, he’d lose the weapon he’d been using to try to find Breece, to try to stop the PLF, to stop them from igniting the war.

Kade opened his eyes, saw Sarai looking down at Aroon, felt their contact as she soothed the infant, and his mind was clear. These children were the future. Generations would be born with Nexus 5 in their brains. Thousands of them, tens of thousands of them, maybe millions of them. He wouldn’t let these wonderful children be born with that sort of vulnerability. Wouldn’t let their beauty be corrupted.

They’d have to stop the war a different way. A better way.

Kade closed his eyes, let his breath deepen, let it consume him, let it become the all of his attention, until there was nothing else, until he was his breath, until his breath was him, his mind radiating it with all his being, all his heart. And then the children were with him, first Sarai, then Kit, then one by one the rest, letting go of their fear, sinking into this whole, so easily, so readily, and he was all of them, and they were all him; together they were vast: all breath, all consciousness, all pure intelligence, all light apprehending itself, a new pinnacle of awareness, and together they transcended mere flesh and bone and doubt and pain.

Then Kade clicked the icon before him and the virus raced up to the satellites above and out to the world to close his back doors forever.

3
Sleight of Mind

Saturday 2040.11.03