Crying out, he lost control and plummeted; he hit the rubbery ground hard and bounced twice. The winged beast landed next to him, its enormous claws piercing the purple substance. Michael looked up at its hideous face—its black eyes, its sharp teeth. The creature screamed again, and Michael threw up his hands to cover his ears.

He stood. Fear trickled down his back, and he shuddered. He’d never been so terrified. Never. But he brought his hands up, curled them into fists, and searched his mind for the right weapon to pull from his files. And then he froze. Everything was blocked. He’d hoped the whole time that in the weakened state of the Sleep, they’d have more power to manipulate and swing in code from other sources.

He’d been wrong.

He had nothing. His fists. That was it. Well, his fists and Bryson and Gabby. And now they were all about to be pummeled.

Kaine’s beast lashed out with a wing, hitting Michael hard in the face. It knocked him off his feet and sent him flying. He landed ten yards away, on his back, pain consuming his whole body. The creature leaped into the air, flapped its wings twice, then dove at Michael, landing with a terrible thump on his chest. Every molecule of breath left his lungs. He choked out a muffled cry.

Kaine jumped down from the monster’s back, and after another piercing scream, the creature flapped its wings and rose into the air, leaving Michael for his true nemesis.

“You could’ve had it all,” the Tangent said. Then he kicked Michael in the ribs. “Immortality.” Another kick, even more vicious. Blinding pain filled Michael’s world. “A place by my side.” Another kick.

Kaine leaned over him. “You should’ve known.” This time, a punch to the face. An eruption of more pain. “You should’ve known from the beginning that I couldn’t be defeated. Not by someone lesser than me.

“I will have my way.” Kaine’s voice was suddenly calm, almost soothing. He spoke slowly. “And you will die. I don’t need your connection anymore. It’s been—how did they used to say it?—corrected with troubleshooting. That’s the beauty of the code, Michael. In time, anything can be programmed. Anything.”

He reached down and touched Michael’s temple with his finger, and a sharp claw suddenly snapped out of its tip, aimed at the very spot where Michael’s Core resided. Michael pulled his head away, but the pain from his beating was unbearable. He leaned over, threw up. He had no strength left to fight.

“Sarah,” he whispered. “Sarah.” He’d sworn to die with her in his mind.

Kaine brought up his newly clawed finger, making sure Michael saw it.

“I do this for the future of intelligence,” he pronounced. “For the next step in evolution.” He reached for Michael, who had no power to resist.