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Back Truth of the Divine Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Also By Lindsay Ellis and Available From Titan Books
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Author’s Note
  7. Part 1: It’s A Fool Who Plays It Cool
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. Part 2: Love Has A Nasty Habit Of Disappearing Overnight
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. Part 3: A Crowd Of People Stood And Stared
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. Part 4: Happiness Is A Warm Gun
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. A Fiction Agreed Upon
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. About the Author

Ampersand had been conscious but nonresponsive for hours, unlike “Nikola,” who had only recently come to. Surprisingly, everyone took to the name immediately. Dr. Sev told her that he wasn’t even getting an Esperanto code name. AG-ETI-051—“Nikola Celaeno.”

Ampersand was curled up in the back corner of an empty, sterile room that looked like a bigger, emptier version of the room Sol had interrogated Cora in. Alternately white and metal, complete with one wall that was obviously a two-way mirror. She asked them to do something about the bright lights, about the cold temperature, to at least give him something to lie on instead of the cold floor. He was awake and conscious, but he didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge her, sitting up in a roost, not quite touching the wall, his eyes half-hooded.

“Hey,” she said. “It’s me.”

She put her fingers on his back, feeling his shield up and in full force, so full it was as though the air surrounding him had turned to rubber.

“Ampersand?”

Nothing.

She spent about an hour trying to get him to talk to her, but the only response she got was that after a point, he closed his eyes.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Los Angeles Times

Five Killed During

Third Party Rally

By Joy Aokihara

LOS ANGELES—Five people have died and 21 others were injured when the appearance of an apparent ETI caused a riot during a rally in Los Angeles, police say.

A far-right group called the Gadsden Line is claiming responsibility for an explosive charge causing an electromagnetic pulse detonated by a van at the rally, shorting out all electrical equipment within a three-city-block radius. The pulse caused a nearby helicopter to crash, killing the pilot and two bystanders.

Gadsden members are alleged to have begun a shoot-out following the pulse, prompting LAPD officers to fire on gunman Tony Cascio, who was pronounced dead on the scene. Stray bullet fire was responsible for the shooting death of at least one other person, and three more are in critical condition. Witnesses report the presence of two distinct ETIs at the rally, both of whom were reported injured or killed, but their status is unknown.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, said he was “heartbroken” at the deaths. President Dick Cheney has condemned the violence, and local officials have declared a state of emergency.

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Kaveh was brought first into LAPD custody, then into FBI custody, probably got tossed into FDA and CDC custody in there somewhere too because why not, until finally he was passed into the worst of custodies—CIA custody.