Memories were swirling in his head: swimming in Azure seas, playing with the enhanced children, testing them through the games his team had devised, watching the software they were architecting come together, the satellites launch, dreaming of the future he’d build, the future when he’d unite a billion minds together under his direction.

“Rakesh!” Lakshmi Dabir’s voice was sharp.

Kade’s eyes flew open. His heart was pounding.

Shiva’s memories. Not mine.

I’m not Shiva.

I’m not.

Aggarwal slowly pulled himself back upright, sneering down at Kade now.

Breathe, Kade told himself. Breathe.

I’m not Shiva.

I’m not dead.

And I didn’t kill him.

Aggarwal was still staring at him, contempt written all over his face.

Kade swallowed.

There was a script. Back on the script.

He forced himself to speak, to push for what he knew was right.

“Finally,” he said. His voice croaked.

“…You’ll introduce a…” he had to swallow again, “…a similar anti-discrimination motion to the United Nations General Assembly, acknowledging that the enhanced and augmented have the same rights as any normal human.”

Aggarwal shook his head in disdain. “In direct contravention of Copenhagen. It will never pass. The Americans or Chinese would veto it anyway.”

Aggarwal’s contempt was like a splash of cold water. It brought Kade back to the present.

He raised his head, looked the man in the eye. What did it take to get through, here?

“It doesn’t have to pass,” he said.“But I’m asking India to introduce it and bring it to a vote.If you want me to help you uplift millions of Indian children, I need you to commit to treating them like human beings. That’s what all of my conditions come down to.”

Kade spread his arms wide, near-crippled right hand and still functional left, a gesture of openness. “Show me that you’re going to treat those uplifted children well, and I’m with you. But if you’re not committed to treating people like people…” He brought his arms back together in front of him on the table. “Then fuck off.”

Kade saw Lakshmi Dabir shake her head at that, a frown on her face. He’d crossed a line. Well, so be it. This was serious. Deadly serious.

Aggarwal sneered at Kade. “You’re in no position to make any of these demands. My government simply will not agree to them.”

Kade laughed bitterly then. The room was probably threaded through with stress monitors – lasers taking his pulse and cameras measuring his skin temperature and perspiration level and pupillary dilation and the rate and depth of his respiration. He didn’t care. He forced himself to speak, to mean it.

Whoever cares less in a negotiation has the upper hand, Sam had said. Show confidence. Convince them they want what you have more than you want anything of theirs.