William jumped up and rushed forward. His sprained ankle protested, but he closed the distance between him and Yuri. His hands were still bound behind his back, but he threw his head forward, connecting with his captor’s. He had to stop the man—to give Peyton and Charlotte a chance of escape.

Yuri slammed into the wall, William the floor. Yuri was out cold. William got to his feet just as the office door flew open and two guards rushed in, assault rifles raised. They fired as William desperately tried to lunge behind the desk.

In the situation room at the White House, the recently sworn-in president of the United States watched Chinook helicopters lifting off from air bases across the country. Drone footage showed BioShield reserve troops raiding the locations Rubicon had provided. Every single one of them had held doses of the cure so far. Those doses would be distributed within minutes.

The UK, Germany, Australia, China, Russia, and Canada had also confirmed dozens of Citium sites. They had done it. The United States would survive, but the president couldn’t help wondering what the nation he loved so much would look like in the aftermath of the pandemic.

The lab complex shook when the first blasts went off. Ceiling tiles dropped to the floor. Glass cabinets rattled. Vials fell and broke.

“We need to get out of here,” Lin said.

Peyton shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”

Charlotte matched her tone. “Neither am I.”

Peyton faced her brother. “Tell me what the cure is.”

He studied her but said nothing.

“Are you willing to risk our lives to keep your secrets?” She paused. “Explain it, and then we’ll leave.” It was a bluff, but she needed to know what the cure was.

Andrew swallowed, then spoke quietly. “It’s something new. A nanotech device.”

Peyton knew very little about nanomedicine. It was a growing field with incredible potential. Doctors were experimenting with nanorobots to do a number of things: treating cancer, delivering drugs to hard-to-reach parts of the body, and identifying pathogens. It was conceivable that it could be used to neutralize a virus or bacteria.

Her brother confirmed her theory with his next words. “The nanorobots find and inactivate the virus. They’re also programmed to do limited tissue repair in critical areas, reducing mortality.” His tone changed, grew bitter. “If more of the world’s governments had complied, the death rate would be a fraction of what it is.”

Peyton studied him. “What else does it do?”

Andrew said nothing.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? The pandemic was for this moment. The nanorobots you’re distributing within the cure—that’s the Looking Glass.”

He shook his head. “No. Only a part.”

“One of three,” Peyton whispered, almost to herself.

“Yes. The cure is Rapture.”

“How does it work?”

Another explosion rocked the building, this one stronger.