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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

“I UNDERSTAND, DEAR CLEVER CREATURE. IF I HAD A CHOICE, I WOULD CHOOSE YOURS.”

The thought had crossed his mind as well, considering how arbitrarily he’d picked the name “Nikola,” and that had stuck without so much as a debate or an alternative like Chad or John or Bill being put forth. If it weren’t for the relatively uncommon nature of his surname, he might have humored the idea. But for the first ETI ever seen by the public, during an event that had gone so, so wrong, to have his name meant he would have his family’s name, too. And what would that do but draw negative attention to them as well?

“I know it may sound silly to you, but my surname is Iranian, and right now, there aren’t many countries with a worse relationship to the United States than Iran.”

“ARE YOU AN IRANIAN CITIZEN?”

Kaveh sighed. “No, I’m an American citizen.”

“THEN IT IS AN AMERICAN SURNAME.”

Kaveh cracked a smile. “God, these political divisions must seem so silly to you.” Nikola probably hadn’t meant to say something, well, reassuring, but he had. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to have a name so directly associated with me. But I have an idea. ‘Sassanian.’”

“IT IS AN IRANIAN NAME?”

“It was my grandfather’s name. Darius Sassanian. He died almost thirty years ago.”

“WHAT KILLED YOUR GRANDFATHER?”

Kaveh took a moment, feeling the hum of the engine underneath him, before answering. “His own government.”

Nikola took a moment to consider, then said, “THEN I HAVE MY LEGAL NAME, AND YOU HAVE GIVEN IT TO ME.”

38

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38

Cora didn’t watch the news, but she had a good idea as to what was on it because she had to pick up the phone when her mother called eventually, lest she end up a missing person on the side of a milk carton.

“Why don’t you come back home?” Demi begged her.

“I’m not allowed,” Cora lied. “It was always top secret, but right now they’re freaking out and telling me I’ll get in trouble if I slip anything. I can probably see you in a week or two, but right now I’m not supposed to leave or talk to anyone.”

She had some variation of this conversation with her mother several times those first few days, while not telling her about Kaveh, or the loss of her job, or the Coke bottle “incident.” She could only pray Demi wouldn’t show up at her apartment in Riverside and find it abandoned. Now all she had was the charity of a man she hardly knew, and she’d worked herself into a position that if he got bored of her—when he got bored of her—she would really and truly have nothing.