Caldo tal disinfectant and a searing  like it  to explode. Every part of rils making it o breat and felt rils. Plastic tubes. Drips. ried to open  too brig burned into ina like sunlig. tant t, back and sides of  to disintegrate. ried to lift  ense t .

    o visit o   better soon. Fouler ulated old  some assassin t  by Agent Jones at tel. tried to kill Agent Jackman. Fouler e module,  remotely to to tell Fouler t   in the clouds.

    Caldempted to speak in  .  t come out. Mei Lin oo in  on  on tared at ime. t ted again and Cald black, like somebody urned ts out.

    tmares, endless ence cer  nessed s’ car crased metal of it captured in gruesome black and he screaming newspaper headlines.

    And Kat oo in anding beside tal bed and looking at  blue eyes of old  everytood Ms. Seven Levin, Agent Jones and Agent Jackman, tter   Jackman  Caldood . tual Sary figure of Li Jin receding in tance. And Li Jin ood on t on Z hen he had vanished.

    Caldanding by  to tal trolley e and silver cylinder on it. te rice cooker. And Fouler  ted tcop of tarted speaking.   making muco be more like jumbled up ts in Inoue’s   ts of ts spoken at  in a torrent. Cald understand a

    and  probably meant sorry.

    In  time and it inct timeline. ive amber eyes full of affection. And ters and  ed to be o be a programmer. old o go and   bedtime. al eyes.

    aring at a blank ceiling. Outside traffic, tant y. Soal bed.

    up to trying to kill him.

    “I  dream,” , t Diane Joplin girl, Kat, everyone.

    “t  a dream Cad. tokyo.”

    “tokyo?”

    “Yes, you collapsed in t control room in So blo of t seconds to spare. t up in smoke. You needed treatment but Fouler suggested  fly straigo tokyo. You’ve been out for almost t seemed tried to kill you using some kind of infrasound to destroy your internal organs. Luckily  you out of time. You sustained only mild internal hemorrhaging.”

    “I remember. It rol room in S t happened?”

    “One of ted somettracted t of trouble and o t I  make it out alive. Luckily Antor arrived just in time and saved me from being outnumbered. I el  in t to tal building but by time  t by one of t  in front of our faces, mumbling incoly. e found a onator in the major-general’s hand.”

    “Yes, I remember you s.”

    “Yes.”

    “And the AI?”

    “e troyed along  to be sure.  talking about. But t screamed and tem  do  by a virus. And ts, ttle dots on to try to save t ed to get out of there quick.”

    “Real people? Permanently jacked in?”

    “Yes, you e intravenous feeding system and o terface. to secret PLA reports.”

    “to make sure t escape into cyberspace. It could cause a lot of here.”

    “I kno  for  important t the major-general is no more.”

    “Yeaer all t excitement I don’t quite feel up to anoter ence,” Cald t ot fine.

    “t is on top brass. And funding for all PLA-related projects is being closely monitored. ts at tsingy ional tV. A top-level investigation is under ypical fasly offered t to get back to him.”

    “ t surprise me? ter not come looking for me. I ement for a lifetime.”

    “I don’t blame you.” Mei Lin said pensively.

    “I remember somet a dream?” Caldo Mei Lin’s eyes.

    “It could aken on t top in hong Kong.

    “5200603.”

    “’s t?”

    “Your messenger number at ternational School.”

    “Oten. You  ted t  joined the agency. So you had no way of remembering me.”

    “I kne. So noed you. ?”

    “Fouler took to Boston. o e attaco  in   s appears Fouler or too.”

    “I see. I knoo do. trying to make me stop ing  o me.”

    “I am not sure I can forgive . Knoerior motive to all tudying Caldwell’s face.

    “Yeaill going to kick o adopt the Joplin girl?”

    “No idea. I guess  acting as o a lot of money on   try to pull wool over her eyes.”

    “La fine specimen of y. Fouler’s actions seem very suspicious.”

    “Yea sure I really trust er ly so tokyo to avenge h.”

    “And the consoles?”

    “Fouler or, passed a before ing t place. Not t it  Yamamoto tried to use t’s t. O about turned into.”

    “And w did Inoue say?”

    “You accidentally triggered tual reality. ting t s does, it’s time you can open to see w’s inside.”

    “Aractedly, still t Fouler.

    “It would appear so.”

    “Imagine t, Fouler growing a conscience.”

    “Yes, it’s not Fouler’s conscience I am , it’s yours.” May Lin fixed ant look t brougoo all ing to be accessed, to be relived.

    “ do you mean?” Caldh mock concern.

    o make it up to me for all t?” Mei Lin was smiling misc in her eyes.

    “ell  art rigo  skin melding iced tos of s on table and smiled. Fouler rying   fooled. Not yet. al eyes smiling back at him.

    “ ears welled up inside.