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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 call it the pill bug, for obvious reasons.” They were indeed obvious. The thing looked like a squat, obese millipede dipped in silver. “It helps restart their systems if they’ve been taken out. So it’s kind of like Alice in Wonderland. Drink this to grow smaller.” She nodded to the pulse emitter. “And drink this to get bigger.” She nodded to the strangely hideous magical pill bug.

He glanced around the airplane staircase, honestly impressed by this surveillance system Nikola had set up, no matter how obviously stolen the entire thing was. It gave a dispiritingly accurate snapshot of what was going on in the world.

Third Option going forward.

. . . strict definition of personhood.

The bill is being debated in Congress.

The vote is to be held on Monday.

“WHAT DOES SHE REQUIRE TO ENABLE MY SEARCH?” asked Nikola, ever sensitive.

“Being in a more familiar space would help.” He looked toward Nikola, his massive frame silhouetted by the bright light of the screens. “What time is it?”

“9:10 P.M., PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME.”

Kaveh bit his lip, thinking about that hard copy he’d shoved into Paris’s hands, thinking about his editors downtown who were waiting for him. He knew it would be a bomb when it dropped, but if it was going to affect the vote that was about to take place in Congress, it needed to drop fast.

* * *

Kaveh stood looking out his bay window, debating whether he should take a dip in the pool considering he might never get to do it again. It wouldn’t be a good dip, he knew; it was still April, and the pool was not heated. It would be, putting it charitably, brisk, but it could also be his last. It wasn’t that he was particularly attached to this house or this property, but it was of California, same as he was. He was going to leave without telling his family. There was a possibility he might never see them again.

“IS NOW AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO INQUIRE?”

Kaveh turned to his guest, this creature who was always so wildly out of place inside his living room. Giger’s xenomorph parked on a Macy’s Black Friday Sale rug.