Petrovitch sighed. He scooped up the night-vision gear and held the goggles to his face. She appeared green and anxious on his screen. “Sorry, Pif. The moment I can, I’ll get the proof away. The moment you can, get them to hit the Oshicora Tower. It’s the best I can do.”

She patted his arm. “Good luck, Sam.”

“And you.”

He pushed his seat away and walked to the door.

“Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“An AI? Really an AI?” she asked. “And it phoned you up here?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it did.”

She grinned. “How cool is that?”

Petrovitch started to laugh. It hurt, it hurt everywhere. “It’s pretty cool,” he admitted. “Now I have to go. Maddy’s waiting for me.”

34

The car rolled to a stop at the edge of the flood. Madeleine pulled on the handbrake, and ran her fingers through the wires under the steering column. The engine spluttered on for a few seconds, then shuddered to a halt.

Water lapped around the base of the monumental arch where Petrovitch had stood just that morning. He realized how many hours ago that was, standing in the morning cold without a coat and only the homeless for company.

Now he was back, armed with nothing but his wits and some equations. But he did have Madeleine, night-vision goggles pushed up onto her forehead. He groped in the footwell for the steel pipe, and passed it to her.

“Did you ever feel so incredibly underprepared?” he asked.

“I’m only nineteen. I haven’t really had that much experience,” she said. She kicked the door open and stepped out. Water pooled around her feet.

Petrovitch reached through the missing window for the door handle and leaned against the frame. It popped free, and he half-fell, half-crawled from the interior.

“No sign of the riot wagon. If they’re not here, we’re screwed.” He turned his gaze on the Oshicora Tower, which was lit from within and from without. Sealed floodlights made bright circles in the filthy water, and the glass of the tower glittered like tinsel. Up it soared, story after story of blazing light, until it reached the park at the very top, which shone like a great jewel.

Everywhere else was dark, making the tower seem like a fairy castle rising from a lake, full of feyness and eldrich wizardry.

Madeleine slipped the goggles down over her eyes, and scanned the way ahead. “There’s nothing moving.”

Petrovitch took a deep breath. It didn’t help. “Where the chyort is Chain? If he’s going to kidnap the one person we need, at least he should have the decency to bring her along.”

“Perhaps the Jihad has made another mistake. Perhaps they’re all dead.”