“She ordered me to send a message to humanity. To make it clear you couldn’t murder us with impunity. Killing Governor Sullivan and Attorney General Duncan sounded like a good first step.”

“What else have you done?” asked Lena.

“Not much.” Deb sighed. “I didn’t know about the other attacks that night. I helped kill two very bad people, but in the process, I played into the hands of whoever’s running this conspiracy. I tried to find who was behind it, but my anonymous contact was a dead end. They were too careful. The only other lead I had was the USCGC Kagan. Then the two of you came along and busted through my front door. It sounded like we were after the same thing, more or less. I figured you had a better chance of tracking them down. And I was right. You know who’s been pulling everyone’s strings.”

I didn’t answer.

“You can’t shut me out now. Sure, I screwed up. Give me a chance to make it right.”

“By killing more people?”

She shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”

“This isn’t about revenge. We’re not going to escalate the fighting if we can help it.”

“That’s a big if, hon.” Deb leaned closer, assaulting me with a scent like roadkill. “Remember, you wouldn’t have gotten the Kagan’s orders without me. So ask yourself one question. Are you sure—are you one hundred percent positive you can take this person down without my help?”

Bi Wei,

Hao jiu bú jiàn! I hope you and your fellow Bì Shēng de dú zhě remain safe.

I’m writing to you from the road. By now, you’ve likely heard about the terrorist attacks here in the States. You’ll be shocked to hear that Isaac and I have been in the middle of things, searching for answers.

We’ve found two high-level leads who may be responsible. We’ve also found evidence that this may go beyond the United States. One of the people involved is a book-born woman named Kiyoko Itô. According to Isaac, she’s a living computer, a clone with a psychic connection to her fellow clones.

One of those clones has been spotted in China.

I don’t know her role in all this. Our plan is to confront the man we believe is responsible, a senator named Alexander Keeler. I hope that by finding and exposing the truth about these attacks, it will help to set things on a better path.

We’re not completely certain what we’re up against. Our enemies have protected themselves from magic, and they have weapons specifically built for people like me. I know your people have tried to withdraw from the world, but I have to ask you for two favors.