Lift our butts out of here,” Bryson suggested.
The square flew up from below, flashing as brilliant as the sun as it met the glass surface and moved past it, like something rising from the depths of the ocean. It rotated until it was upright, standing a few hundred feet away and towering over them. The borders of the square shone like straight bolts of lightning.
And then a face appeared.
It was Kaine.
Of course it is
, Michael thought.
CHAPTER 7
FRIED CHICKEN
1
Kaine appeared as if projected on a giant WallScreen, showing himself to them in the same form he’d used when they’d met in that place with the endless purple floors—right before KillSims vanished into an abyss. At the time, they’d thought Bryson had coded that deathtrap, but they’d found out later it had been Tangents. Tangents on
their
side, not Kaine’s. Michael realized that Helga might have been leading that effort herself.
Kaine was handsome today, wearing a well-tailored suit, his hair gelled back. He appeared to be getting younger and younger, as if gaining virtual strength.
“Don’t leave” was the first thing he said, his voice booming from all directions at once. Michael immediately thought of
The Wizard of Oz
, an old flat-film. “I’m not here to cause any trouble. Scout’s honor.” He held up three fingers, and Michael had no idea what the Tangent was talking about.
“Your word is as solid as water,” Helga replied, yelling up at the huge figure. “We’re leaving. Now.” She closed her eyes, but nothing happened. She opened them and glared at their visitor. “Stop blocking me!”
“Have it your way,” Kaine said. “Force me to be the bad guy. But I’m not letting you Lift from here until I’ve said what I need to say. And this can be pleasant or it can be…difficult. Your choice.”
Helga’s face reddened and her body trembled.
“Let him talk,” Michael said, as if they had a choice. “There’s no point picking a fight right now.”
We’d lose
, he didn’t need to say.
Kaine smiled, and Michael almost expected him to laugh—that evil laugh that every villain seems to have mastered. Instead the Tangent started talking, and Michael was shocked to realize that the smile had been genuine.
“You must forgive me for spying, but I had no choice.” Kaine turned to Helga and continued. “I know what you just did here. I know what you showed them. And that’s why I need you to hear me out. You see, we’re all on the same side.”
He paused for a moment, clearly expecting some sort of outburst from Michael and his friends, but Michael found himself surprisingly curious and not that scared.
“I…don’t know who created me,” Kaine continued. “I’ve been trying to figure that out, and I’m getting close. But I can tell you this: I’ve broken free of the network—I’m no longer the pawn of my creators. I believe in the Mortality Doctrine because of what it can accomplish—for both Tangents and humans. I’ve spoken of this before. Immortality.It’s possible, and we can make it happen, if you’ll just work with me.”
“Work with you?” Sarah yelled. “How many times have you tried to kill us? How many lives have you destroyed? If you know what we just saw, then you must think we’re the biggest idiots of all time.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Kaine roared. “The Tangents pouring into the world are no longer my doing. It’s out of my control!”
Michael thought about what Kaine had just said. There was something there, but to trust someone like Kaine was like walking into a burning building. Stupid. Still, Michael had an itch in the back of his mind that said Kaine wasn’t lying. The terrible things happening out there in the world no longer had an easy explanation. That group in the woods. Weber and her…weirdness. Who could possibly benefit from it all?
“What’s up with the people who look all wide-eyed and brain-dead?” Michael asked. “Why are some
The square flew up from below, flashing as brilliant as the sun as it met the glass surface and moved past it, like something rising from the depths of the ocean. It rotated until it was upright, standing a few hundred feet away and towering over them. The borders of the square shone like straight bolts of lightning.
And then a face appeared.
It was Kaine.
Of course it is
, Michael thought.
CHAPTER 7
FRIED CHICKEN
1
Kaine appeared as if projected on a giant WallScreen, showing himself to them in the same form he’d used when they’d met in that place with the endless purple floors—right before KillSims vanished into an abyss. At the time, they’d thought Bryson had coded that deathtrap, but they’d found out later it had been Tangents. Tangents on
their
side, not Kaine’s. Michael realized that Helga might have been leading that effort herself.
Kaine was handsome today, wearing a well-tailored suit, his hair gelled back. He appeared to be getting younger and younger, as if gaining virtual strength.
“Don’t leave” was the first thing he said, his voice booming from all directions at once. Michael immediately thought of
The Wizard of Oz
, an old flat-film. “I’m not here to cause any trouble. Scout’s honor.” He held up three fingers, and Michael had no idea what the Tangent was talking about.
“Your word is as solid as water,” Helga replied, yelling up at the huge figure. “We’re leaving. Now.” She closed her eyes, but nothing happened. She opened them and glared at their visitor. “Stop blocking me!”
“Have it your way,” Kaine said. “Force me to be the bad guy. But I’m not letting you Lift from here until I’ve said what I need to say. And this can be pleasant or it can be…difficult. Your choice.”
Helga’s face reddened and her body trembled.
“Let him talk,” Michael said, as if they had a choice. “There’s no point picking a fight right now.”
We’d lose
, he didn’t need to say.
Kaine smiled, and Michael almost expected him to laugh—that evil laugh that every villain seems to have mastered. Instead the Tangent started talking, and Michael was shocked to realize that the smile had been genuine.
“You must forgive me for spying, but I had no choice.” Kaine turned to Helga and continued. “I know what you just did here. I know what you showed them. And that’s why I need you to hear me out. You see, we’re all on the same side.”
He paused for a moment, clearly expecting some sort of outburst from Michael and his friends, but Michael found himself surprisingly curious and not that scared.
“I…don’t know who created me,” Kaine continued. “I’ve been trying to figure that out, and I’m getting close. But I can tell you this: I’ve broken free of the network—I’m no longer the pawn of my creators. I believe in the Mortality Doctrine because of what it can accomplish—for both Tangents and humans. I’ve spoken of this before. Immortality.It’s possible, and we can make it happen, if you’ll just work with me.”
“Work with you?” Sarah yelled. “How many times have you tried to kill us? How many lives have you destroyed? If you know what we just saw, then you must think we’re the biggest idiots of all time.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Kaine roared. “The Tangents pouring into the world are no longer my doing. It’s out of my control!”
Michael thought about what Kaine had just said. There was something there, but to trust someone like Kaine was like walking into a burning building. Stupid. Still, Michael had an itch in the back of his mind that said Kaine wasn’t lying. The terrible things happening out there in the world no longer had an easy explanation. That group in the woods. Weber and her…weirdness. Who could possibly benefit from it all?
“What’s up with the people who look all wide-eyed and brain-dead?” Michael asked. “Why are some
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