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She brushed her hair back behind her ear. “I don’t like it.”

“I know.”

“Let me shift through the building, make sure there are no surprises. I can do it.”

“I know,” Cooper said. “I know how good you are. That’s why I need you to play your part. No one else can.”

“But—”

“Will you trust me?” He met her eyes. “Please?”

She looked up at him, sucked the corner of her lip between her teeth, and nodded. He had a sudden urge to lean over and mash her against him, lock her in a kiss that lasted until neither could breathe.

“What about me?” Ethan looked ridiculous in tactical gear, his shoulders and arms swimming in the uniform, a helmet strapped comically to his head.

“Once we’ve cleared the building, you’re the man. Smith may already have modified his flu to include the serum. Securing that is second priority only to taking him down.” Cooper paused, scanned the ranks of commandos. “Any questions?”

None of the soldiers said anything, but he could read the tension in each of them, the way they wanted to check ammunition loads or the fit of their armor, and the way they were not doing either. Skilled professionals, nerved up—only cowboys wouldn’t be—but ready to go.

“I’ve got a question,” Ethan said.

“What is it, Doc?”

“Why is this such a bad thing?”

Looks bounced around the inside of the truck. Ethan saw them, but while he might not be a warrior, he wasn’t a coward, either. “I don’t mean taking down Smith. I mean a virus that turns people brilliant.”

Cooper said, “That’s like suggesting a rape victim should be grateful she got laid.”

“Whoa.” Ethan held up his hands. “I agree that it should be a personal choice. I didn’t make a weapon.”

“No,” Shannon said. “You just developed the technology for someone else to do it.”

“I’m a scientist. Figuring things out is my job. And before your horse gets too high, think about how the rest of us feel.”

Cooper raised an eyebrow.

“I get that it’s not always easy to be gifted,” Ethan said. “But try being normal. I mean, seriously, boo-hoo, you’re a superhero. Waa-waa, you can do things the rest of us only dream of.” He shook his head. “The way society treats abnorms, especially recently, it’s hideous. But don’t you get how much we all want what you have?”

“Neanderthals and Homo sapiens,” Shannon said quietly.

“Well . . .” Ethan shrugged. “Kind of, yeah. Abnorms are objectively better than norms. Which was true of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, too.”

“So, what,” Cooper said, “we should just wipe out norms like Homo sapiens wiped out the Neanderthals?”

“Actually,” Ethan replied, “it wasn’t like that. The two species had conflict, no doubt, but they also did some crossbreeding. The latest research shows they coexisted for something like five thousand years. In the end, Homo sapiens won out because we were better. We had longer nascency periods, bigger brains, better symbolic capabilities. In a world of finite space and resources, we got more, so we lived and they didn’t.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“It’s not about being okay. It’s not a moral issue. It’s an evolutionary one. Evolution is an ugly, bloody process. But it’s also the reason we’re sitting here. And you might want to remember that in this example, I’m a Neanderthal, and so are my wife and my daughter.” Ethan shrugged. “If Neanderthals had a choice to become Homo sapiens, you think they wouldn’t have taken it? Wouldn’t have wanted it?”

“Two problems with that, Doc.” The truck turned a corner, and Cooper found himself leaning into the soldier beside him. “First, you just said ‘choice,’ which is exactly what Smith is not giving anyone.”

“Okay, but—”

“And second, this isn’t evolution. It’s not happening over thousands of years in a natural setting. This is your science project. It subverts the system.”

Ethan opened his mouth, but he was cut off by a loud buzz. Fingers tightened on assault weapons. Cooper’s heart kicked up, and his palms went wet. The truck didn’t slow—they were hitting hard and fast—but the sound signaled that they were a block away.

“Listen up,” Cooper said to the commandos. “I know you’ve gone up against terrorists before. This is different.” He looked down the line, meeting the eyes of each. “This is John Smith. Do. Not. Hesitate.”

The tires squealed as the driver slammed on the brakes, the truck sliding and skewing. It hadn’t quite stopped when the two soldiers nearest the back kicked the doors open in an explosion of pale sunlight, and then they were moving.

This is it. Your last chance. Win now, or lose everything.

I’m coming for you, John.

CHAPTER 26

“Will it hurt?”

They were in Hawk’s room again. He’d cleaned it up. It just sort of felt right, like something he would do before leaving on a long trip, even though he wasn’t going anywhere. He sat on the bed, John in the chair. His friend looked tired, but comfortable, too, as if he was okay to let down his guard in here, a notion that Hawk treasured.