“We can’t stay here, we have to move. Wander, come on!”

Laura’s warning was in vain. I wasn’t moving from this sidewalk. My racing mind was weighing me down.

A massive crowd swarmed the sidewalk and the streets. It was pretty diverse, featuring people in business suits and space suits, a handful in shorts and T-shirts. The commotion was deafening. All they did was shuffle around in confusion. The three of us were the only ones who knew why the building had been evacuated. No one would listen if we told them the truth. Besides, I was busy struggling with my own truth.

Sirens blared in the distance: no doubt, the police coming to contain this mess.

“Looks like Surge’s hostile takeover won’t last long,” Laura said. “Maybe we’ll win here after all.”

“Not likely, Ms. Genki,” Manning said. “The law enforcement will need to make it past Mr. Antant’s ruabrum companions. Even if they do, where will that leave the shield generator? In the hands of the authorities? They’ll have no idea what to do with it.”

Laura shrugged. “Well, Frost is the president. She could just demand them to hand it over. If they even know to confiscate it in the first place. Never mind, this isn’t easier, it’s complicated.” She sat beside me and rested her head on my shoulder. The warmth was soothing, but it wasn’t enough. “You okay? What are you thinking about?”

“Is that what I do? ‘Think’?” I asked. “Now that my brain is a computer, you should ask if I’m ‘processing.’”

I didn’t mean to sound so irritated, but how else was I supposed to sound? I had to view my whole life from a different perspective. Not to mention we’d lost our chance to get hold of the shield…again. Surge had barely given me the time of day, and he definitely didn’t consider us threats. Now he was about to go to war with the city.

I didn’t even know what “Hybrid” meant, but, apparently, it was who I was. How did that work? How could I not know who I was?! He could have been lying, but he also didn’t care enough to invent a lie on that scale.

“This ‘Hybrid’ thing is stupid,” Laura said. “Wouldn’t we have known if you could mess with electronics or shock people? I would have remembered you shooting lightning.”

I let out the slightest hint of a chuckle. “Would have made high school more bearable.”

“If I may interrupt, I believe I can help.” Manning stood next to us, apparently refusing to sit. This guy knew more than he had let on. “There is somewhere I wish to take you two. I think it will clear things up.”

“So now you want to make things clear?” I rose to face him, but he was still a giant to me. “You know why it’s so easy to believe Surge? Because you tried to silence him! You knew about the Hybrid stuff. Heck, you even seemed to know him! You had secrets before we embarked, and now?” I lowered my head as I willed the tears to stay back. “I’m so sick of secrets, Manning.”

“I know. That’s why it’s time for transparency. I am loyal to Madam President, but I am loyal to you as well. My former students. I’m going to give you the answers you need to get through this. All I require is my cruiser key back.”

For once, I had no problem with someone else driving. I didn’t trust myself behind the wheel with my collapsing brain. I thought back to other Hybrid instances I might have had. I remembered the toaster refusing to work after I first hit puberty.

We pulled over a few times so that police cruisers could speed by. I got used to the sirens. Surge had created a nightmare, and we were trapped in it. Beth had better have one of the galaxy’s best omelets waiting when I find her.

The cruiser rocked as we pulled in at Manning’s destination. Time to see what the fuss was all about—it was just another red building! It loomed over us like the Sun. I could tell just by looking at it that it was a hospital. I shuddered and leaned away from the window. I had had bad experiences with hospitals. From the first time Beth bust open her chin to when my parents…

A sign much smaller than the building itself read “Red City Hospital for AI Victims.” I felt like Manning was trying to send me a message.

“Why did you bring us to the unfriendliest place in the galaxy?” I asked. “I’m trying to work stuff out, not give up.”

“I have to agree with Wander here,” Laura said. “Why this place? Who would even paint a hospital red? Nice color, but wrong message, people.”

“You’ll see.” Manning slid the cruiser into a parking space and killed the engine. I could have done a smoother job. “I promise you, we’re not here for a pleasant reason. Steel yourselves for what lies ahead.”

“And here come the second thoughts.” I shoved my jittery hand through my hair. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing good can come from a hospital. I’ll try not to fry all the life support machines with my Hybrid science.”

Laura and Manning frowned at that. I was trying to focus on Manning’s thing, but I couldn’t shrug the Hybrid crud off.

A murky scent screamed, “Hospital!” up my nose as we walked in. The room was huge, white, and empty. No one but us and a lady behind the counter. A dim wallscreen whispered the news to us. Even though the screen was barely readable, I could make out the Crimson Tower and all the police cruisers surrounding it. We had to get back there as soon as we could.

The receptionist lady peered at us with glazed-over eyes. I had had no idea they employed zombies in this city. Good on them for seeing the best in everyone. Actually, I shouldn’t have joked about that. If I had powers, then zombies could be real too.

“Welcome back, Theodore Manning.” Her voice was quiet enough to be mistaken for a muffled air conditioner. She didn’t seem shy, just bored out of her mind. “Are you here for your usual appointment?”

“I am, and I’ve brought two young guests with me.” He motioned to us like we were trophies. “I hope that’s quite all right.”

She sighed deeply. “As long as they don’t upset him. You know where to go.”

“That I do. Come along, children.”

Manning led us down a long hallway. That horror movie sensation was creeping in again. All the doors reminded me of the cabin area in the Stardust Eachtra or whatever we were calling it. Each door spoke to us as we passed, but I could never make out the words. They were too muffled. We had just arrived, but I already wanted out.

My tainted view of hospitals didn’t help my paranoia. It felt like each step took me past a veil of ghostly hands. I knew I was just being ridiculous because this was supposed to be a safe place, a place where people damaged by the AI could come to heal. It was easy to believe there were enough of them to build an entire hospital.

A single door awaited us at the end of the hall. It was locked by a red scanner. Manning raised his hand as the suit retracted around his palm. He placed it on the scanner and stepped back as it glowed green.

“Your hand can unlock this door?” I asked. “What exactly is behind this door?”

He sighed. “So much and yet so little. A single man, but a story that unravels my whole life.”

“So, someone you know is in there?” Laura backed up, her eyes glued to the door. “Who? A friend? An old war buddy?”

“Yes.” He tapped the scanner. The door pushed itself aside. “My closest friend.”

The room was barren: a bed in the corner and a toilet across from it. A window barely allowed light in. A man sat against the wall in the very back. He was coated in darkness. The outside rays only touched our side of the room. The door closed behind us, alerting him.

He raised his head. Glowing, silver eyes. They cut straight through the dark, like flashlights, and illuminated bits of his face. He looked like a demon.

“AI?” he mumbled. He rose slowly. There was nothing keeping us from him, but my feet were glued to the floor. “AI!”

He roared and charged at us like a speeding cruiser. I jumped back from fear, but that wouldn’t save me. He was faster than I could ever hope to be. He ran until he bonked into nothing, groaned, and stumbled back. A red rash spread in midair, where he had hit nothing. Another solidios wall! That was the second time in one day that they had tricked me.

Now that he was standing in the light, I could see his features. His torso was wrapped in a straitjacket. His hair was matted and streaked with gray, much like Manning’s. Actually, his face was nearly identical to Manning’s. It was just angrier and not as wrinkled. Manning slowly walked toward the man and rested a hand on the solidios wall. The silver-eyed man stared at the red trails that came off it. Laura’s jaw fell. “Whoa! Why are his eyes like that?”

Why did Manning and this guy look so much alike? The same ridiculously curly hair, the same dark skin. But their facial expressions were polar opposites. Manning frowned while this guy snarled. They were either clones or related.

“He’s your brother.” I lowered my head. “He’s the one you ‘lost’ in the war. What happened?”

Laura’s gaping mouth somehow grew wider as the truth sunk in. We had only learned about Manning’s brother this morning. Now we were meeting him. I had imagined him to be more…dead. I also hadn’t pictured him with silver eyes. I had never pictured anyone with silver eyes. Since he was shouting about AI, I assumed they had done this to him. Whatever this was.

“Intelligent as ever, Mr. Locke.” Manning turned to me, a grim expression on his face. “Not as intelligent as I am, however.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is this the time to be gloating?”

“No, of course not. It’s not a boast, it’s a fact. I know I’m more intelligent because I was modified to be so. I am one of the most intelligent minds in the galaxy. That’s why I was so efficient at being an instructor. I knew everything about every subject. Madam President surely appreciated that. She was the one who gave me the position. The perfect cover. None of that is the information you seek.” He furrowed his brow. His smoky eyes…glowed like his brother’s. They were…golden. My heart skipped a beat as I backed away. Laura stood frozen in place. “I…am a Hybrid. Just like my brother, Upton Manning.”

A tornado of conflicting emotions swept me up. My forehead was so hot that it could melt ice. Manning and his brother were Hybrids. Hybrids were real. They were like me. Three Hybrids stood in this room. Manning knew every detail I needed to know about being a Hybrid. That was great, but something still felt wrong here. Manning and his brother weren’t just similar, they were familiar. It was like I’d seen them in a picture together before. An important one.

“You’re…a Hybrid too?” Laura held her face. Her eyes were filled with confusion. “Okay…that’s, okay. I’m, happy that you can help Wander with his Hybrid crud now. Could you…explain what a Hybrid is, exactly?”

Whatever they were, they had to be rare. No one knew they existed. That explained why Manning was close to Frost. She wanted a secret like that to stay close. Her and Manning had the same policy on secrets. Like the one he’d been keeping from me this whole time. I had seen these two in a photograph. My photograph. The one of Humanity’s Oath, featuring the two identical young men.

“I suppose it is time to explain all this,” Manning said as he lowered his head. “Hybrids—”

“Did you serve with my grandfather?” I stomped up to Manning. “Were you a member of Humanity’s Oath?!”

“Wander!” Laura pulled me away. I felt a twinge of guilt for her. I hadn’t given her time to understand any of this. “What the heck are you talking about? Instructor Manning served, but we would know if—”

“Yes.” Manning’s shoulders drooped. “I was part of Humanity’s Oath. I was there when we began, and I suffered as we met our end. It was after that terrible event that my brother and I became Hybrids.”

“Became?” Laura repeated.

“No, back up. How dare you not tell me you knew him! Was that why you didn’t fail me even when I was clearly a slacker in your class?” I had my answer when he offered none in response. Disappointment shot through my heart. “I stayed in that classroom not only for Laura but also because it was the one place with zero expectations. No one but the history books knew who my grandfather was in there, or so I thought!”

Laura gasped, but she wasn’t looking at Manning or Upton. Her horrified gaze was directed at me. “Wander, your…your eyes. They’re just like theirs, but blue!”

I couldn’t see my eyes, but I looked at my arm for its reflective surface. Just as Laura had said, a blue sheen coated my arm. My eyes were glowing. I couldn’t feel it, but I felt the heat surging through me. I thought back to every time I had felt that same heat, and it all clicked. My legs went slack. I stumbled into a wall; my hand landed on a control panel. I yelped and backed away, but its screen was already dark. Odd, it didn’t feel like I had pressed any buttons.

SWOSH!

Red spread over the entire solidios wall instead of just one section. It crackled like popcorn as the red veins splintered and unfurled. The red covered Upton, which made Manning gasp. It couldn’t have brought back good memories. Then all the red just vanished. The control panel was still dark. I didn’t know what had just happened, but I could predict what would happen next.

“AI.” Upton pointed his silvery glare my way. Chills ran up my spine. “AI!”

He charged again. I hoped that the wall would stop him, but I wasn’t too surprised when it didn’t.

Upton pushed past where the wall used to be. His stomps pounded in my ears as he got closer, and I was powerless to stop him. He slammed against me, pinning us both to the ground. He was much heavier than anyone trapped in a hospital should have been. Even though he couldn’t punch me, his weight was crushing me.

“AI! AI!” He thrashed around, his jacket bulging as he tried to hit me with restrained arms. “All of you! I—I’ll rip you apart!”

I shielded my face as best I could. My pounding heart was out of control. All I saw was the ferocity of Upton’s silver expression. Despite his assault, I couldn’t possibly counterattack. Upton wasn’t in a stable state of mind. I felt no anger or frustration, only sympathy.

“Upton!” Manning grabbed his shoulder and pried him off me. “Stop! Look at me. Just, look at me!”

Upton roared in Manning’s face but stopped almost immediately. The glow in his eyes died down, but they remained silver. Manning’s eyes were always brimming with intelligence, but Upton’s were filled with wonder. They looked like they belonged to a lover of adventure. They reminded me of mine.

“Theo?” Upton’s voice was devoid of the rage it had possessed only seconds before. Manning had calmed him down! He was probably the only one who could. “Theo…is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me.” Manning’s voice quivered with emotion. I felt like I was back in the kitchen. Except this was going way better. “I’m here, big brother. I’ll always be here. Even if you can’t see me, or it’s too dark to see anything, I’ll be right here. Don’t forget that. Don’t forget me…please.”

Upton’s face twisted as he bared his teeth. So much was going on in his head. No one would believe me if I told them that this was what remained of Humanity’s Oath: an old instructor and a man robbed of his mind. How could Michelangelo have let it get so bad? I thought heroes got happy endings.

“Hey, are you okay?” Laura whispered as she knelt beside me. She must have gotten tired of constantly helping me up.

“My ribs are crying, but so are my eyes,” I whispered back.

“Theo— I, I.” Upton lowered his head. I felt it before I saw it: the heat, the energy, the power. Upton’s eyes were gleaming silver yet again. It was a never-ending cycle. “AI! AI!”

Manning whipped around, grabbed my pistol, switched it to “stun,” and unloaded a shot into Upton’s head. All in one fluid motion. Upton’s eyes flickered as he staggered around. Was one stun shot not enough for this guy? He finally succumbed to the shot and collapsed onto the floor. Manning’s chest heaved as he handed me the pistol back. I took it then nearly dropped it because of how badly I was shaking.

“You shot your own brother.” I couldn’t keep my voice from cracking. “That’s—I can’t believe you did that.”

“I stunned him.” He shook his head as if trying to convince himself. “It was for his own good and yours. There’s no other way to contain him since you deleted the solidios wall with your Hybrid ability.”

I had disabled technology that advanced? I had theorized as much, but I hadn’t wanted to believe it. It obviously happened when I fell on the panel. If I could harness these “powers” it would give us a huge advantage over the Oppressed and the AI! If I could disable the AI with just a thought, I could singlehandedly win the war! I needed to master these abilities immediately.

“Instructor, I still have questions.” Laura looked right at Upton.

“I foresaw this but hoped that events wouldn’t unfold in such a fashion,” he said. “Nevertheless, I can explain the rest from the cruiser. It’s best that we leave before someone arrives.”

“If you don’t explain what happened, they might assume you attacked him,” I said. “They might never let you see him again.”

He sighed. “I wouldn’t worry. Madam President placed him here. So long as she ‘calls the shots,’ I’ll be allowed here.”

Why was Frost so connected to everything? She was like a spider and the galaxy was her web.

The hallway of voices was quieter than before. It was like they knew what had happened. The receptionist was as zombified as ever, so we were in the clear. At least one mission had been a success. I took a glance at the wallscreen and ended up staring at it: MARTIANS INVADE CRIMSON TOWER, AREA ON LOCKDOWN

“Guys, get a load of this.” I pointed to the screen, which showed the tower surrounded by police cruisers.

Laura’s eyes grew as she looked. “Just Martians? Why didn’t they mention the Oppressed?”

“Two reasons: either they’re focusing exclusively on the ruabrum, or the Oppressed are no longer in the area,” Manning said. He shut his eyes and went quiet for a second. When he opened them, they had a faint golden glow that faded quickly. “I believe it’s the second scenario. The tower is likely a diversion from their true objective.”

“Which is?” I asked.

“Thank you for visiting. Please come again,” said the receptionist in a droning voice that caused us all to jump.

She didn’t look like she had just witnessed someone’s eyes glow, but we needed to leave just in case.

It felt good to be back behind the wheel. Seeing as Manning was rubbing his temples in the back seat, I think he agreed. It was his turn to think over some things. Shooting (stunning) your own brother was an impossible task. Meanwhile, I drove us back toward the tower to see if we could sneak in. I was sure they were exaggerating when they said “lockdown.”

“Upton is the reason I enlisted.” Manning closed his eyes. He must have been envisioning the events. “He was determined to join the war, just as I was determined to follow him. He was—is my older sibling, after all.”

A weight dropped in my stomach. I’d always thought I’d been a good older sibling. Nowadays, I felt like I didn’t know the first thing about being a brother. Beth would argue and say that I was perfect. Then again, she wasn’t around to confirm that. Let’s not forget that that was my fault…

“Since you ended up on Humanity’s Oath, you guys must have been the perfect soldiers,” Laura said. She was sitting beside me as usual, but her whole body was twisted so she could talk to Manning. Why not just sit in the back then? “It sounded like an exclusive club since there were only six members.”

“Perhaps, but I wasn’t fighting for my division, only Upton. I just wanted to keep up with him; I did not want to be left behind.” He paused to smile. I hoped he’d stumbled upon a happy memory. “After proving ourselves, we were recruited into a new elite unit originally known as the ‘AI Task Force.’ It comprised soldiers who had been involved in close combat with AI and had lived to tell the tale. However, as my teammates and I bonded, a name change was proposed. Mikey—ahem, Michelangelo wanted a less violent and more inviting name. So he began referring to us as ‘Humanity’s Oath.’”

I knew he had been behind that dopey name.

“I guess everything worked out up until—” I stopped myself. I had always spoken so flippantly about Humanity Oath’s last stand. That had been before I had one of the members in my cruiser. His cruiser, actually. “What happened on that day? You know which one.”

“I do. It was right after Madam—Margaret Frost was elected president. She wasted no time and sent us on a mission she deemed more important than anything else. We headed to Pluto in search of an old AI base. We hoped we might discover the location of their planet there. Unfortunately, we weren’t careful enough, and, after a grueling battle, we were captured. ” Manning opened his eyes, but he looked a thousand miles away. “We were experimented on, changed, Implanted with technology far beyond our understanding. They called us ‘Hybrids.’ Half human, half…technology.”

I gulped as I clenched the wheel. There was AI technology inside my body. I wanted to throw up. How had I never noticed before? All this time I had hated everything about them, but half of them had been in me. Between this and being responsible for my family’s death, it would have been better if I hadn’t existed.

“So, Hybrids have to be created,” Laura said, “and to become one, you have to be experimented on by AI? That’s awful! Why even make Hybrids? What do they want with you guys? Is Upton like that because of his…Implants?”

Manning sighed. “No. Michelangelo was able to send Madam President a message stating that the mission had failed. Sometime after, she sent a rescue team to Pluto to retrieve us. The battle that took place claimed many lives, including the lives of my team.” He shuddered. Laura patted his shoulder, which he acknowledged with a nod. “Michelangelo wanted to fight, but we were weaponless. None of us knew how to use these abilities yet. I believe he did, but it was too bright and chaotic for me to understand what his ability was. He then thought the only way to ensure that my brother and I made it out alive was…to sacrifice himself. Right in front of us. The trauma of that didn’t settle well with Upton’s freshly implanted mind.”

He didn’t go on. He didn’t need to. I had always assumed that the team had died in their last stand. The truth was much worse. Death might have been a kinder fate for Upton.

“So, he’ll be like that…forever?” Laura asked. Her eyes begged him not to confirm her fears.

He glanced at me. “Not necessarily. I told you two that I joined this mission to end the war. That’s not true. Not at all. I don’t even believe this war will end in my lifetime. You should know that by now. I joined because Madam President assured me that she could help Upton if we succeeded. Mr. Locke isn’t the only person here for their sibling.”

“I…don’t know what to say to that.” If I wasn’t driving, I’d be freaking out in response to all this information. “I knew you were hiding something, but how could I expect it to be that? It’s fine if you’re here for something ‘selfish,’ but it’s weird that Frost would only help if we completed the mission. Why not do it to be nice? Maybe to reward you for your service?”

“Apparently it’s a matter of resources. It would be an extensive process that she couldn’t proceed with for free. I did not argue. I would walk barefoot on Venus if it meant saving my brother.”

“I understand that better than anything you’ve said over the past hour.” I slowed before a stoplight. I glanced back at Manning and faced Laura at the same time. “No matter what, we’re getting that shield thing back. My explorer status, Laura’s gratification, and now Manning’s brother all depend on it.”

Manning’s eyes widened. Seeing him surprised was such a rarity. I’d be sure to savor this moment. Especially when he followed it with a smile just as genuine.

“For our families, ” he said.

“And for this family,” Laura said with a hopeful smile. “Right?”

“Yeah.” I felt my smile grow against my will. Even though none of us were related, I understood Laura’s reasoning. It wasn’t a fact, it was a feeling. “I guess so.”

A few blocks later, we were near the tower again. I could feel the unease in the air. The tower’s takeover had disrupted everything. I wasn’t surprised to hear shouting before I saw what had caused it.

A ruabrum landed on the cruiser’s hood, eliciting screams of panic from all of us. He glared through the windshield as he raised a javelin. I wasn’t going through this again. I willed my helmet to form and slammed on the brakes. My head smacked against the wheel as we were forced to a halt. I didn’t even feel it thanks to my helmet. I pushed the door open and hopped outside to confront this latest obstacle.

“You got something against cruisers, buddy? What? Did our make and model offend you?”

He snarled. “Turn back. This is ruabrum territory now.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “No, this is First Division territory. The rest of this planet is your territory, isn’t it? Why don’t you stop helping scumbags like Surge and go somewhere that belongs to you if you’re sick of us?”

“Such a naive human. There is no place left. Our peace was a lie; you spread your reach beyond what was agreed upon. It is time for consequences. Turn back!”

He jumped off and landed on a passing cruiser. It swerved out of control and rammed into a building.

“Wander? Get over here and look at this!” Laura said.

My phone was vibrating within my suit. My phone wasn’t even set to vibrate. I took it out and examined the screen. My breath caught in my throat. Surge stared up at me, from my own phone.

“Oh, so this is working now? About time.” His voice was layered. I glanced at the cruiser, where Laura and Manning were crowded around her phone. I put mine away and joined them. “Red City citizens, I’m Surge N. Antant. There, we’re introduced. Now it’s time to open some eyes. I’m the one who took back the Crimson Tower. Yes, ‘took back.’ Because when you command hundreds of ruabrum to construct it as punishment for the Red City Peace March, it’s not your tower, is it?”

“What is this lunatic talking about?” Laura said. “There was never a peace march here, right Instructor?”

As if reading Laura’s mind, Surge chuckled. “I can tell you’re all trying to look it up. You’ll find nothing, but I assure you I didn’t make it up. President Margaret Frost covered it up. She wiped every mention of it from the Internet, and all witnesses were sworn to secrecy. Every ruabrum who marched on that day was beaten, enslaved, or killed just for walking in the name of peace. Frost abuses her power, and no one lifts a finger because it benefits us, for now. What about everyone who isn’t us? If we’re the ‘greatest division,’ then we should help and support those who need it. That’s why I’m here. I am the leader of the Oppressed, and, starting now, you’re all members.”

The red-tinted light flickered blue. Static filled my ears, like the kind a TV gave off when it turned on. I looked up to see the filth field blink between blue and transparent before staying blue.

“See that?” He pointed above his head. “I call it the Blue Barricade. It keeps us in and them out. Now we have time to get to know each other. The recruitment process will take place once the chaos subsides. It may be a while because change is difficult to accept in the First Division. What a stupid name.”

His image faded from our phones. The barrier remained. The screaming increased by one hundred percent. There was a mob of cruisers behind us. They must have stopped to listen to him. I wondered what they’d be doing now. If Surge was right about one thing, it was the chaos.

“This was their plan all along!” I sunk into my seat. “All those downed ships in the desert, the ruabrum waiting until it was ‘time,’ it was all for the sake of amassing more recruits!”

“I have an idea,” Laura said. “If we ram into the barrier—”

“No! Depending on how solid it is, that would just do more harm to us.” I groaned and looked at my hands. “My powers are a curse, but, if I had control over them, I could shut this thing down.”

“Then let’s go,” Manning said. “Let’s go to where Mr. Antant is projecting this barrier from and have you shut it down.”

I shook my head. “I’m saying that I can’t do anything because I can’t control these powers. Bringing me to Surge won’t change that.”

“I see, then”—Manning placed a hand on his chest—“I’ll shut it down. I should be able to, assuming he didn’t make any modifications since I last saw the prototype.”

Laura grabbed handfuls of her hair and groaned. “But can we even get into the Crimson Tower? That ruabrum warned us against going near it.”

“Perhaps we don’t have to.” Manning’s eyes darted around before they adopted that golden Hybrid glow. “The tower is a diversion. By the time we finished climbing it, he’d send reinforcements to capture us. No, he’s using the shield generator to overwrite the filth field rather than using it separately, so his true location must be where the filth field is maintained. That’s our destination!”

He gasped and fell back as his eyes stopped glowing. It was my third time seeing it, but I still couldn’t believe it.

“How does your power work again?” Laura asked. “It’s like you literally know everything.”

“No, no, nothing of the sort.” Manning wiped the sweat from his forehead as his chest heaved. That had taken a lot out of him. “I merely used my intelligence to construct a plan that I would use. There’s no guarantee that it’s actually the course of action he took.”

I turned the key, starting the cruiser back up. “If you say it’s what he did, then it’s what he did. Next stop: the filth field maintenance…place. Where is that, exactly?”