The knowledge flowed into her, horrifying her, transfixing her. She searched for every detail, every bit she’d need to know to get them back…

The gun went off in her hand. She felt it, heard it, and only then saw the soldier’s fingers around her own. He’d pulled the trigger.

He was still alive, but dying. The bullet had blown out the back of his throat, shattered his spine, sent bone shards through his brainstem. He was dying, all but decapitated by the blast. There was horror in his eyes, in his thoughts. He hadn’t planned to…

But something had. Something planted in his mind. Planted by his master. By the man who would soon have Sarai and Kit and Mali and Aroon and the other children she loved. The man who’d killed Jake.

Shiva Prasad.

She felt the soldier die below her. But she’d seen enough. She knew where to go.

And no one was going to stop her.

Chapter 36: Gods and Monsters

36

GODS AND MONSTERS

Saturday October 27th

Kade fell fast asleep after they returned from the club. It felt so good to be doing something, to be making some progress. He’d find those bastards. He’d stop them.

He came fully awake in the early hours, as Feng rose to do his daily exercise.

Kade set himself to reviewing data, looking through the pings his new agent had sent back from around the world as it searched for the monsters behind Code Sample Alpha.

At midday Feng went off to retrieve the jeep and move it to a parking garage they’d found at the end of the block in case they needed to make a quick exit.

The data lulled Kade back to sleep. He dreamt of the NJ, of the conjoined minds of the dancers, of a million minds dancing together, a shared rhythm rising from their thoughts…

He woke abruptly, something flashing in his mind.

[Match: Rangan Shankari - confidence 96%]

[Match: Ilya Alexander - confidence 98%]

What? Was he dreaming?

[Match: Rangan Shankari - confidence 96%]

[Match: Ilya Alexander - confidence 98%]

One mind. Those alerts were from one mind.

Kade blinked, forced himself fully awake. Rangan. Ilya. Jesus.

He clicked on the alert, opened the encrypted connection, invoked the back door, sent the passcode.

And then he was in.

Martin Holtzmann felt the panic rising up around him, constricting around his throat, cutting off his air. The President had the most to gain. The words kept running through his head, driving all other thought out. Of course the President had the most to gain. And he who had the most to gain did it. The President had staged that assassination attempt. The President had killed dozens of Americans to ensure his own re-election.

Dear God.

Dear God.