“Ah, but it does.” Yuri raised a finger. “In fact, Thomas, she grows very concerned with how weird it is, and she is no longer thinking of whether she has a horseface.” He spread his hands, like he’d performed a magic trick. “Do you see? The problem is solved.”

Tom was in awe of him. “You’re like some genius diplomat.”

Yuri smiled. “This I am.”

Suddenly, something occurred to Tom. He rested his elbows on the bar and dropped his voice. “Listen, man, you can’t tell anyone I asked you about this girl. Not anyone. Especially not Joseph Vengerov.”

For a moment, Yuri’s eyes flashed up to his, like he hadn’t really been listening and something Tom said had caught his attention.

“Who is this online girl?” Yuri asked. His voice grew very soft, his eyes intent on Tom’s. “Is this the online girl you were meeting with before, Tom? Is it Medusa?”

“I’m not full-blown meeting with her again. I’ve only talked to her a couple times,” Tom said. “Vengerov asked me about her, and I can’t really tell you more than that, but he wants me to do something to her that I can’t do. So as far as he’s concerned, as far as anyone is concerned, I haven’t spoken to her since I got charged with treason. Okay?” He raised his eyebrows significantly. I am going to officially inform him that she refuses to see me again.”

Yuri’s eyes dropped, and all the sharpness disappeared from his face, replaced by a mild sort of confusion.

“Yuri, you can’t tell,” Tom said, disturbed by the way he hadn’t responded.

Yuri blinked. “On my life, Thomas,” he said, “I will never tell anyone.” He frowned. “I hope you are being wise.”

“Come on. It’s me, man.”

“I know this,” Yuri said dubiously, sprawling back on the bench again to resume his bench presses. “And this is what concerns me.”

THE DARKENED VACTUBE was slightly ominous when Tom was alone, especially the long ride to Antarctica. Tom was glad to enter the elevator and rise into Obsidian Corp. There, he met the other exhausted Middles who’d been doing meet and greets all day.

It came as a profound shock to Tom when he found Lieutenant Blackburn there, radiating tension.

“All of you will remain in my sight at all times, am I understood?” Blackburn said. His gray eyes roved over them, bitter lines etched on his face in the facility’s artificial lights. “Your wireless functions should be nonoperational while you’re here. I’m wearing a jamming device.” He pulled back his sleeve to expose something that resembled a wristwatch. “If for some reason your wireless comes back online, you’re to assume someone is hacking you, and you’ll notify me immediately. Now let’s go.”