Kaine seemed almost pleased to get some things off his chest. “You know exactly who. The same people—and I use the word people loosely—who came at you in the forest, where Helga and her other hoodlums had camped out. I programmed some of them, improved the code on the lot of them. Raised them. Gave them a chance at a real life. And now they’ve spit in my face and gone off on their own.”

“So we have two enemies,” Michael said, thinking aloud.

Kaine barked a laugh. “More like one very big one.”

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Michael said, satisfied at the conviction he heard in his own voice. “You and me are now a team. We’re going to take down these rogue Tangent buddies of yours. And then we’re going to take down the VNS. Deal?”

Kaine actually took a step back in surprise. “I…uh, yes. Absolutely. I’ve said it all along. I need your help.”

Michael shook his head once again. “No, that’s where you’re wrong, Kaine. I’m the one who needs help. And you’re going to do it. The Tangents. Then the VNS. And I’m in charge.”

Kaine was so obviously shocked that he barely managed a nod.

Michael had to hold back a smile. If only the Tangent knew the third part of his hastily conceived plan, he’d never be standing there, agreeing to go along.

“All right, then,” Michael finally said. “First things first. Let’s go kill us some Tangents.”

CHAPTER 16

HUNTING GROUND

1

Michael hadn’t really meant it—he didn’t want any part in meting out the “true death.” He knew there had to be some way to reverse the Mortality Doctrine.

Kaine walked next to Michael, silently crossing the raw expanse of the VirtNet.

“You’re right,” the Tangent said, looking down as he walked. “We need to kill all the Tangents who broke away from me. They’re just an annoyance now and are merely causing trouble.”

Michael glanced at Kaine, happy for the reminder of how soulless he was. “Dude, I wasn’t really serious. We can’t just go around killing everyone. There has to be another way to stop them besides this…true death thing.”

It appeared that, without having come out and said it, they’d agreed on the first order of business: they had to stop the people behind those new black-cloaked KillSims. At least Weber and the VNS weren’t actively trying to eliminate them. But these rogue Tangents, though—Michael shuddered when he thought of those creepy kids and the toughtalking Trae at the barracks. They had to be dealt with, or Michael and Kaine would never get to the bigger issue—the VNS.

Kaine stopped walking. “Where exactly are we going?”

“Nowhere. I’m thinking.”