Michael grabbed the Tangent by the shirt, yanked him toward the black rectangle, kicked a KillSim who dove at them at the last second. They slid through together. The instant Michael felt they were free of the woods, he collapsed the Portal behind them.

They landed on a soft, rubbery surface surrounded by a pale purple light and absolutely nothing else as far as the eye could see.

Kaine lay next to him, looking up at the empty sky, breathing heavily. Michael rolled onto his back and did the same. Emptiness above. No color except that dull, faded purple. In his rush to get them out, Michael had brought them to the most basic level of VirtNet programming.

A few minutes passed in silence, and Michael wondered what he’d just done. Bryson, Helga, Gabby—they’d all been there. Why had he left them?

Then he thought of what he’d decided back in the streets of D.C. He needed to be alone with Kaine. And he needed his friends to get back to the Hallowed Ravine and find the source of the Mortality Doctrine.

He had a plan, and he couldn’t waste any more time doubting himself. Too much was at stake.

“Get up,” he told Kaine. Michael pushed himself to his knees, then his feet. “Come on. We’ve got a lot to do.”

Kaine, looked startled, confused, and he didn’t move. Instead he whispered, “I can’t believe the Tangents have turned against me like this. All that time I worked. All the effort. And now that they’ve tasted the sweetness, they’ve gone off on their own.”

Michael raised his eyebrows in surprise. That certainly wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. “Those KillSims. Who programmed them?”

Kaine glanced up, as if shocked to see that he wasn’t alone. “What game are you playing, boy? Do you have any idea the kinds of things you’re messing with?”

“I think I do. Now answer my question.”

“So you’re giving the orders now?”

“I’m sure done taking them.” And Michael meant it, too. He was fed up with the entire world—both worlds.

Kaine let out a grunt and sat up, rubbing his face. Then he stood to join Michael, his smartly cut hair and his polished suit not so smart or polished anymore.

“Does this mean you’re joining me?” the Tangent asked. “I’ve convinced you?”

Michael shook his head. “Doesn’t mean a thing, brother. Tell me. Who made those KillSims?”