“I am more than a little familiar with Lancaster Hill’s manifesto,” Kazimi replied, startled by the vehemence in his own tone. Control your emotions, he warned himself. Your freedom depends on clear thinking. He took a moment to compose himself and then added, “Published by Sawyer River Books in 1939, and immediately decried as subversive. Hill, a congressman from Virginia, resigned from office soon after its publication. He made it his mission to undermine the national rebirth brought about by President Franklin Roosevelt. But soon, the impact of 100 Neighbors faded from the public eye, forgotten like the madman, himself.”

“Not forgotten,” Bacon corrected. “Hidden in plain sight. And as you now well know, Hill was more than a little successful in his endeavors. He assembled his society of patriots in secret. As he divined, the organization consisted of people from every walk of life, people who look perfectly unremarkable on the outside, and often hold positions of influence in one of the six essential disciplines.”

“Military, scientific, policy, finance, communications, and intelligence,” Kazimi recited, his tone mocking. Now it was his turn to show off.

Bacon ignored him.

“Our vision of America is the purest reflection of the Constitution by which we must all abide, even immigrants, such as yourself.”

The way Bacon spit out the word “immigrants” lifted a cloak on his deep-seated racism. Kazimi heard in his tone a xenophobic fear, bordering on paranoia. And for that, his dislike for the man and his cause approached hatred.

“I really don’t need to hear any more of this,” Kazimi said.

Bacon continued without pausing.

“Our accomplishments are more impressive than those of almost any organization dedicated to social change. We have blocked congressional appointments and forced politicians to resign. The list of legislation passed into law through our influence would be a lobbyist’s dream, as would those bills we have blocked. We began as one hundred, and we have kept the society to that exact number because, as Lancaster Hill predicted, it works.”

“One man can dream, a handful can plan, thousands can strike, but a hundred can reshape the world,” Kazimi said in a singsong voice.

“So you are intimately familiar with Lancaster Hill’s work. I’m impressed.”

“I’m not. My parents brought me up to have only loathing for extremists, madmen, and murderers.”

Bacon’s expression darkened, in concert it seemed with a bank of storm clouds gathering in the east.

“You will help us, Ahmed, Nazar, or whatever you wish to be called. You will see to it that we reestablish an antibacterial treatment for the Janus strain.”

“So you can continue to use it for leverage?”