Eyes closed, Ben let out a slow breath and found Corbin in the ether. He wasn’t a Watcher, but God had seen fit to gift him with complimentary skills. Like the ability to read another mind’s emotional state and, through the power of suggestion, influence a target’s thoughts and will. This was what he was going to attempt to do with the pilot.

But first . . . he needed visual confirmation of the weapon.

Okay, do you want to try to see it? Corbin asked.

Yes, Ben answered.

She towed him toward a dark thread. This man is accessible. He’s the one I stole a glance out the window from on takeoff. I never got a name . . . but he is on the plane.

Great work, Corbin. He drifted toward the target and prepared himself to penetrate the dark servant’s mind. He didn’t know what it felt like for the kids when they popped into a target mind, but for him a good analogy was surfacing when swimming underwater. The ether was like the deep—sloshy, muted, and dark. The second he slipped through the bubble, his senses were flooded with the target mind’s experience. In this case, the main cabin of the cargo jet materialized around him. The target was seated and looking at his phone.

Concentrating, Ben summoned the desire in himself to see the weapon and pushed that want into the target mind. He felt the idea take hold, and the target looked away from his phone and stared aft at the weapon, which was mounted on the port side, midsection. The design and appearance matched the description that Dr. Zhao had shared during the debrief sessions at Trinity Loop.

Well, that answers that question.

If he could compel complex behavior in this fellow, he might be able to sabotage the device and disable it. That would be mission accomplished without having to take down the plane. But the odds of that were extremely low, which was why he’d not even discussed it with Jed and Eli. For something like that to work, the target needed to already be disposed to the desired behavior and open to the power of suggestion. Very few dark servants were.

He pushed the compulsion into the target, but the man refused to get up from his seat.

With the clock ticking, every second wasted counted. It was time to abort. He slipped back into the ether and found Corbin.

Can you lead me to the pilot? Ben asked her.

Sure, follow me, she said, gliding along to another thread, this one bright and warm.

This man is no servant of the dark, he said.

No, he’s not, she said. I hope he’s cooperative.

He felt her hope and her smile. Me too. You’ve been a great help, Corbin.

Do you need me to wait here for you?

No, you can head back to the Bullpen. I’ll be fine.

Good luck.