“We could have stopped him first,” said Kira. “We could have isolated him, and explained what we needed, and—”

“You’ve met the boy,” said Mkele. “I trust him to go where I tell him, and to shoot where I aim him, but I do not trust him to keep this secret. Not after what’s happened.”

“Then what about me?” Kira demanded. “Obviously I can’t keep a secret either, so why not kill me too?”

“Shaylon was a liability. You are an asset.”

Kira felt a chill run down her spine.

“It won’t be long now,” said Dr. Skousen, dropping the implements back into his pocket and glancing a final time at Shaylon. He looked at Kira, said nothing, and turned away.

“As for the Partial,” said Mkele, “we’re meeting as soon as we can to decide how best to dispose of him.”

Kira’s heart stopped in her chest. “But I have two more days.”

“You have no lab, and you can’t even sit up. East Meadow is turning into a war zone, and we do not have time for anything that will jeopardize our ability to win that war. Harboring a live Partial is too great of a risk, but a dead one…” Mkele sighed and rubbed his eyes. When he spoke again his voice was soft, almost sad. “I had hoped you could do it, Kira, truly I did. Perhaps someday we can try again.”

“We don’t have to give up.”

“You’re no closer to a cure now than when you started three days ago—you’re further, in fact; your records were destroyed in the explosion, along with all of the equipment you were using, most of it irreplaceable. If not for the Voice, we might have been able to salvage something—anything—but there’s simply no time left. We had to act.” He straightened, and the old, cold demeanor crept back into his face and stance. “It’s time for us to step in and put this society back together, one way or another. Good night, Kira.”

They opened the door and walked away.