“They’ll go back there,” said Vinci calmly. “They’ll try to find as many survivors on the mainland as possible.”

“Even if they don’t leave, they’ll die a few months later,” said Marcus. “Any research they’ve done on a cure for expiration will be destroyed in the explosion, along with anyone skilled enough to continue it.”

“It has to happen,” said Delarosa, “and it has to happen now. We upset the balance of nature when we created the Partials, and now we have to put it right.”

“You can’t trigger that warhead remotely,” said Woolf. “Which of these brainwashed saps have you tricked into setting it off for you?”

“I’m not a monster,” Delarosa said again. “This is my plan, and my responsibility.”

“You’re going to do it yourself?” asked Marcus.

“I came to say good-bye,” said Delarosa. “I don’t want to kill you, but we can’t transport you effectively without attracting too much attention. I’m leaving tonight, and I’m leaving Yoon Bak in charge of this outpost, with explicit orders that you not be harmed.”

“Tell this guy, too,” said Marcus, nodding at the guard. “You heard her, right? No harm.”

Vinci studied her. “Why are you leaving me alive if you’re just going to murder my entire species?”

“Because it’s not about murder,” said Delarosa, “it’s about necessity.”

“That doesn’t make it not murder,” said Marcus.

“Why, Marcus,” said Delarosa coldly. “I thought all you did was tell jokes.”

She turned and left, and Yoon stared fiercely at the guard with the rifle until he grudgingly sat down.

“You’re alive,” said Yoon, “but you’re still considered enemy combatants. We’ll keep you in here, under guard.”

“Until we die of old age?” asked Woolf.

“Until you’re not a threat,” said Yoon. “Or until it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“You can’t agree with this insane plan,” said Marcus. “You don’t want this nuke to go off any more than we do.”

“There’s a lot of things I don’t want,” said Yoon. “Sometimes we have to accept them to get the things we do.”

Marcus pleaded with her. “If getting what you want means killing a ton of people, is that really worth it?”

“I don’t know,” said Yoon. She glanced at Vinci. “Is it?”

“I’m not ashamed of what we did,” said Vinci. “But eradicating your species was never part of our plan.”

“You Partials keep saying that,” said Yoon, turning to look right at him. “Considering where we are now, do you think maybe it should have been?”

Vinci was silent. Yoon stood and left the room.

Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ariel planted herself in front of Nandita, refusing to budge an inch. “Tell us what that was.”

“I told you,” said Nandita, “I don’t know.”

“It knew you.”