Kaine’s eyes narrowed. “No. We can’t. I saw what you did to Weber. I heard the things you said here. Your intentions are clear, and they’re not acceptable. There’s no room for negotiation, Michael. I’ve given you chance after chance to join me in a noble cause. And it always comes back to this. You, standing before me, thinking you have the right of it. Thinking that you can…win this game of yours. Well, as they say in your gaming halls, game over.”

“Man, I hate this guy,” Bryson said loud enough for Kaine to hear.

Kaine ignored him. “I had such a plan. For the benefit of everyone. And all I’ve been met with is betrayal. Weber, the VNS, now you. You’re tied to all this, Michael. You’re a part of it. You should be able to recognize its potential more than anyone. And yet you came here to destroy it? Do you have any idea how much that hurts me?”

Michael didn’t want to fight. He didn’t know how to fight Kaine even if he wanted to. It had been an uneven match from the start. His only hope was to reason with him.

“It’s not an answer,” Michael said. “You’re right—I totally get the Mortality Doctrine now—better than most. I’ve seen what it does to people. To the world. And I’m telling you—nobody can be trusted with this much power. Nobody. It has to end, Kaine. It has to.”

Kaine stood there, taking one deep breath after another, as if he were about to dive underwater for a long swim. “If that’s what you think, then you don’t understand, son.” He looked at Gabby, then at Bryson, then back at Michael. “I’ll give you one last chance. Help me make this dream a reality. Immortality, Michael. No more physical death for humans, and no more Decay for Tangents. We’ll all live forever. If you don’t see how…glorious that is, then something’s wrong with you.”

Gabby started to say something, but a sharp glare from Kaine made her stop.

“Just give me an answer,” Kaine snapped. “Yes or no. With me or against me. Those are your options. I can tell you right now, you’ve caused me enough trouble that I can’t afford to…Let’s just say that choosing to go against me wouldn’t be the wisest thing right now. Choose eternal life or misery. What’ll it be?”

Gabby squeezed Michael’s arm. “Let’s finish what we came here to do,” she said, not a trace of fear in her voice. And Michael knew why. The Mortality Doctrine had stolen her best friend from her.

“Yeah,” Bryson added. “There’s one of him, three of us. He already knows our answer.”

Michael looked gravely at Kaine. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”