Besides, Bean, I think that what I’m saying is true. Alai means well but he clearly is not in control of his fanatical supporters. They really are murdering people and calling it “executions.” They really are trying to rule over India. They really are agitating and rioting and committing the odd atrocity in Europe right now, pushing to have European nations declare for the Caliph and cease trading with China, which really is supplying Virlomi.

And now this essay will end because the stomach aches I’ve been having are clearly not stomach aches. This baby thinks it’s coming, two months prematurely. Please get back here right away.

Peter waited outside the delivery room with Anton and Ferreira.

“Does this premature birth mean anything?” he asked Anton.

“They wouldn’t let the doctors amnio the baby,” said Anton, “so I didn’t have any reliable genetic material to work with. But we know that in the early stages, maturity is highly accelerated. It seems possible to me that premature birth is consistent with the key being turned.”

“My thought,” said Peter, “is that this might be the break we need to find the other babies and unravel Volescu’s network.”

“Because the others might be premature too?” asked Ferreira.

“I think Volescu had a deadman switch and sometime after he was arrested, a warning went out and all the surrogate mothers bolted. That wouldn’t help us before, because we didn’t know when the signal went out, and pregnant women may be one of the more stable demographic groups, but they do move around by the hundreds of thousands.”

Ferreira nodded. “But now we can try to correlate premature births with abrupt moves at the same time as other women with similarly premature births.”

“And then check funding. They’ll have the best possible hospital care, and somebody’s paying for it.”

“Unless,” said Anton, “this baby is premature because Petra herself has some kind of problem.”

“There’s no history of premature births in her family,” said Peter. “And the baby has been developing quickly. Not in size, mind you—but the parts were all in place before schedule. I think this baby is like Bean. I think the key is turned. So let’s use it as a key to finding where Volescu went and where those viruses might be waiting to be released.”

“Not to mention finding Bean’s and Petra’s babies,” said Anton.

“Of course,” said Peter. “That’s the main purpose.” He turned to the managing nurse. “Have someone call me when we know anything about the condition of the mother and baby.”

Bean sat down beside Petra’s bed. “How do you feel?”

“Not as bad as I expected,” she said.

“That’s one good thing about premature delivery,” he said. “Smaller baby, easier birth. He’s doing fine. They’re only keeping him in neonate intensive care because of his size. All his other organs are working.”

“He’s got…he’s like you.”

“Anton is supervising the analysis right now. But that’s my guess.” He held her hand. “The thing we wanted to avoid.”