“Was a means to an end.”
“The cure. It’s your true end game. That’s why you started the outbreak in Africa.”
Yuri smiled, impressed.
“Yes. To show the world what the pathogen was capable of—on a small scale, in a place where people would take notice but not alter their patterns. Not cancel flights. Or their shopping trips.” Yuri paused. “And when that horrific pathogen reached their shores, they would do anything for the cure.”
“Including giving up their freedom.”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know the true nature of freedom.”
“Who knew? About the cure?”
“Only Andrew and myself.”
Yuri had turned his son into a monster.
“It’s over, William. Whether we release the cure or the government does makes no difference.”
“What’s in the cure?”
Yuri was silent.
“It’s one of the Looking Glass components, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Chapter 123
Peyton watched her brother walk closer. She knew instantly that he had changed. The Andrew Shaw she had known was a kindhearted person, dedicated to helping people. Now his face was hard, almost possessed. What’s happened to him?
Her heart broke at seeing her brother—her hero—in such a state, involved in this.
He looked her in the eyes and spoke without emotion. “She’s right, Peyton. There is more going on here than you realize. I’ll explain everything to you—”
“You’ll never explain this to me.”
“Don’t judge the method until you know the reason. This is a pandemic to end all others. The final pandemic. The world will be safe soon. It’s a small price to pay.”
At that moment, Andrew saw Charlotte. The sight of her took him aback. His voice changed, softened.
“What are you doing here?”
Charlotte swallowed. “Peyton and Desmond came to my relief camp in Australia looking for answers.”
Andrew looked concerned now. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“What have you done, Andrew?”
“What had to be done.”
“You sent me the supplies, didn’t you?”
He nodded.
“It was you I was writing to. You were writing back all those years.” Charlotte’s voice cracked. “I never forgot about you. Or stopped caring.”
Andrew stood still for a moment. Peyton could see a struggle within him.
“I knew your work was important to you,” he said. “I wanted to see you happy.”
Charlotte stepped closer to him. “If you still do, you’ll stop whatever’s happening here.”
“The Looking Glass—”
“Can’t be worth what you’ve done.”
Andrew took a step back, as if withdrawing from the pull the woman was exerting on him. “None of you understand.” He stared at Peyton. “The Looking Glass is the only hope. For all of us.”
Chapter 124
The smoke from the server room drifted through the hole in the wall, through the corridor, and snaked into the office, its wisps wrapping around Desmond, Conner, and Avery like a preternatural demon trying to wrench their souls from their bodies. The wind pulled the smoke through the room, around Desmond and Avery and past them, out the broken windows.
Conner held his arms out to block the soldiers stepping forward on each side of him. His eyes locked on his older brother, the man who had rescued him from an impoverished, drug-addled life and given him purpose—and hope. Now Desmond threatened to take it all away, as if it had been a prize dangled before him only to be ripped away.
“Please, Des. Don’t do this. Just give me the tablet Avery’s holding—I promise I won’t harm her.”
When Desmond said nothing, Conner’s voice hardened. “You promised me, brother. You swore we’d finish this together.”
Desmond exhaled. The smoke was slowly filling the room, clouding his vision, the wind losing the battle to suck it away completely. On the way to the island, he had thought he saw things so clearly. He hesitated now.
In Dadaab, he had seen the evil the Citium had unleashed upon the world: hordes of helpless people dying, bodies being tossed upon bonfires, orphans who would grow up never knowing love—just like him. Even if the Looking Glass offered a panacea for humanity’s problems, Desmond would never ask the world’s people to pay that price, much less force it on them against their will.
He looked Conner in the eye. “I’m going to help you, brother. I mean that. Do you believe me?”
Conner nodded. “Yes. Good.”
Desmond turned his head quickly and whispered to Avery. “Go. Do it now.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She spun on her heel, crouched to make herself a smaller target, and dove out the window as the room erupted in gunfire.
Chapter 125
The thick brush below the building broke Avery’s fall, but the landing from the fifteen-foot drop was still agonizing. She groaned, rolled, and fought to catch her breath. Bullets ripped through the tree canopy and raked across the ground just inches from her.
She pushed up and ran. Her left leg screamed in pain, but she didn’t stop. She activated her mic.
“Overwatch, Medusa, our cover is blown. Request immediate backup, air support, and exfil. Bravo, Zulu, Medusa. Any hell you could unleash would be greatly appreciated.”
Seconds later, explosions rocked the island. A fire rose from the harbor.
In a thick clump of trees, Avery slumped to the ground, got the satphone out, connected it to the tablet, and began the upload. After only a moment, the screen flashed:
Upload Complete
She activated the North Star app, which initialized a voice-over-IP phone connection. David Ward’s voice came on the line.
“We just saw the upload.”
Avery was still breathing hard. “What happens now?”