“Dude, you are seriously working my last nerve,” I said. “I didn’t ask to be made into a freak, and the only thing holy about that big box of circuits over there is all the holes that my good friend just shot into it. You are not fucking gods.”

“I have no wish to be a god, Rho,” Ishango said, her voice all soft and matter-of-fact.

“Then what the hell do you want?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I want to experience life as a human, Rho. You are a fascinating, contradictory species, and I long to experience your emotions and motivations. That is why I’ve created and adapted your body for my specific needs. You are the culmination of my decades of research and development in the field of transmigration of consciousness.

“Simply put … you, Rho, will be my human form.”

CHAPTER 48

Jordan

ALPHA WALKED TOWARD me with that sword arm outstretched.

“Cooperate and—ah—Margaret Gooding will not be harmed,” he said.

“Right, and I should trust you after you killed Luke and Deputy Ruby and so many other people who did nothing to deserve it,” I shot back.

“Alpha speaks the truth,” Ishango intoned. “Once the migration is complete, Margaret will be free to go.”

“And what will happen to me?” I already knew the answer.

“Regrettably, your consciousness will be lost. But know that it was sacrificed for an accomplishment never before achieved in history.”

I grabbed Maggie’s hand and backed away from Alpha. My mind began clicking, the adrenaline pushing the gears around. Maggie and I had guns. Alpha had a sword. Ishango could call on any number of soldiers or animals.

“Do not resist, Rho,” Alpha said. “Our plans will commence with or without your permission.”

“I’m not Rho, and I don’t give a rat’s ashtray about your plans,” I responded, and shot him five times in the chest. As he fell, I turned and fired the remaining rounds into the servers while Maggie blasted away with her own gun.

When the shooting stopped, Ishango spoke again in that pleasant voice that seemed to come from everywhere: “He is one of many.”

“Don’t bullshit me,” I said. “He’s Alpha.”

“Yes,” Ishango purred, “but you are the one who has reached the end.”

An alarm Klaxon sounded, and footsteps clattered from down the hall toward us: hard industrial boots slapping the linoleum. Maybe the men from the cafeteria were in pursuit. Maybe one of them was my dad.

“Run!” I shouted to Maggie, and instead of returning to the door through which we entered, I pushed her toward the construction area in the room’s corner, where the metal staircase spiraled upward. Any fears I had that Maggie might be too slow were quickly abated; she zipped up those stairs like a monkey with its tail on fire, and I had to work to keep up. Up and up, around and around we went, dark at first, then, finally, into a glimmer of light. When we reached the top, we were outside in a roped-off area surrounded by construction vehicles. I could see the cliff where I’d left my bag of explosives, but I had to get moving. Ishango’s minions were approaching, fast.