“You . . . had . . . your . . . chance,” she spit out, her face red with exertion and anger as she drove the needle into Sato’s skin. He felt the prick, the achy slide of the sharp sliver of metal. Then Renee slammed downward on the plunger of the syringe.

Pain exploded through Sato’s body as the needle dug in deeper, as the blood sample rushed into him. He cried out as the syringe emptied, its infected contents now swimming inside his tissue and veins. It felt like millions of tiny bugs squirmed underneath his skin.

“No!” he screamed, a surge of adrenaline giving him the strength to throw Renee off his body completely. “NO!”

He scrambled to his feet, unable to stop the tears from flowing as pain racked his body. “What . . . what . . . have you done to me?”

“You’ll be one of us now,” Renee said, crouched in the corner with a smile on her face.

“No, I won’t. Never.”

The elevator slammed to a stop.

“What the devil’s goin’ on here?”

Sato looked over to see Klink, his eyes moving back and forth between Sato and Renee, surprise and concern on his face.

Sato didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his backpack, ran from the lift cage, down the tunnel, and toward the steel door that led outside. He ran.

“Go, then!” Renee called out from behind him. “It won’t matter—you’ll be mine anyway. Run and take me to Master George. It’ll be fun to have a spy—”

Sato didn’t hear the rest. He was through the door, squinting his eyes against the blinding snow, scrambling down the stone stairway, slipping and falling and not caring.

Down the mountain he went.

~

“I’ve got him!” Rutger yelled.

He pushed the golden button on top of the Barrier Wand, and Sato appeared in front of them. The boy collapsed to the ground, a terrible mess of blood and dirt and torn clothing, sweat-ice crusted all over him.

“Goodness gracious me!” Master George yelled as he and Mothball reached forward to help Sato. They grabbed him by the arms and pulled him over to a leather chair, plopping his exhausted body onto the cushions.

“What happened?” Mothball asked.

Sato answered, his voice shaky and barely audible. “Lock . . . me . . . up. Chain me. Then . . . I’ll explain.”

“Lock you—” Rutger began.

“Just do it!” Sato snapped, his hand pressed to a wound on his leg. “Just do it before Chu can control me!”

“What happened?” Master George asked, leaning over to look at the boy. “Did you get the sample?”

“Yes,” Sato said through a moan of pain. His eyes narrowed, like a wolf on the hunt. “It’s . . . inside me.”

“Oh, lad. Oh, you poor, poor lad.” Master George paused. Then he straightened, his shoulders square. “Ready the holding cell, Rutger. And get me some rope.”

Part

3

~

The Circle Of Time

Chapter

29

~

Tickets to Fourth City

I’m really getting sick of this place,” Paul said.