Ruins

“Why is she doing this?” asked Vinci. “A bomb big enough to destroy the invading Partial army would kill almost every human on the island in the same instant. Ninety percent of both groups are in East Meadow—she can’t possibly consider that an acceptable loss.”

“She won’t set it off on Long Island,” said Woolf. “She’ll take it north to White Plains, or as close as she can get it, and detonate it there. Even out the numbers, like she said.”

“It’s genocide,” said Vinci.

“You mean like RM?” asked the guard. “You mean like exactly what you did to us thirteen years ago?”

“The Partials had nothing to do with RM,” said Vinci, his voice calm and matter-of-fact. He wasn’t arguing, Marcus realized, simply explaining. A quick glance at the seething guard showed just how unlikely he was to listen to reason.

“You’re talking to a man ready to set off a nuclear device fifty miles from the last human survivors,” said Marcus. “Let’s just assume he doesn’t believe you and move on.”

“The Partials need to be destroyed,” said the guard, lifting his rifle. “Every one of them. I can’t believe she hasn’t let us execute you yet.” He stood up, his face hard as stone, and Marcus pressed as far back against the wall as he could.

“See?” said Marcus, trying to keep his voice from cracking with fear. “I told you this would be more fun.” The guard’s eyes were red with fury, and Marcus half expected him to shoot all four of them in one long burst of bullets.

The door to their back room opened, revealing Delarosa flanked by Yoon and another guerrilla. Marcus breathed an audible sigh of relief. “You have awesome timing.”

“Unless she wants us dead as well,” said Vinci.

“Still good timing,” said Marcus. “It’d be a bummer if this guy shot us and she didn’t get to see it.”

“No one’s going to shoot you,” said Delarosa. She stepped forward into the room and looked down at them, not arrogant or angry, but businesslike. “We’re not monsters.”

“And we’re more valuable to you alive,” said Marcus.

Delarosa cocked her head to the side. “How?”

“Because, um . . .” Marcus grimaced. “I don’t actually know, I just assumed because that’s what people typically say at this point.”

“You’ve seen too many movies,” said Delarosa.

“I’ve never seen any,” said Marcus, shrugging. “Plague baby. But I’ve read a lot of spy novels: They don’t need batteries.”

“Either way,” said Delarosa. “We have no reason to keep you alive but our own human decency, and nothing to gain from killing you but convenience.”

“Is that a phrase?” asked Vinci. “‘Human decency’?”

“You find it insulting?” asked Delarosa.

“I find it confusing,” said Vinci. “Especially considering your plan.”

“I’m not happy about it,” said Delarosa. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep trying to think of an alternative. The Partials are all dying—can I just wait a year and let them die, and free ourselves without lifting a finger?”

“I vote we try it,” said Marcus. “Are we voting? Hands up, everybody, don’t leave me hanging here.” He moved his hands to raise them, and winced at the sudden stab of pain in his wrists.

“That plan won’t work,” said Delarosa. “The occupying army in East Meadow is killing too many humans, and now they might not die at all because they’ve found Kira—”

“Holy crap,” said Marcus, “they found Kira?”

“They stopped the broadcasts,” said Delarosa. “The hostage scenario is over. The most likely explanation is that they got what they wanted.”

“We need to go get her,” said Marcus.

“The Partials think they can use Kira to cure their expiration date,” said Delarosa. “I don’t know how she’ll help them do that, but there it is. The longer we wait, the less likely it becomes that this situation will ever end—if we want to get rid of the Partials, we have to strike now, and with overwhelming force. We don’t have the army for it, so a nuclear weapon is our only choice; it can be delivered by a single person, under their radar, and finish them off in a single blow.”

“The invading army will still be here,” said Galen. “A bomb on the mainland won’t end the occupation here.”

“Vinci,” said Delarosa, “what will the Partial army do when White Plains goes up in a fireball?”

“They’ll go back there,” said Vinci calmly. “They’ll try to find as many survivors on the mainland as possible.”

“Even if they don’t leave, they’ll die a few months later,” said Marcus. “Any research they’ve done on a cure for expiration will be destroyed in the explosion, along with anyone skilled enough to continue it.”

“It has to happen,” said Delarosa, “and it has to happen now. We upset the balance of nature when we created the Partials, and now we have to put it right.”

“You can’t trigger that warhead remotely,” said Woolf. “Which of these brainwashed saps have you tricked into setting it off for you?”

“I’m not a monster,” Delarosa said again. “This is my plan, and my responsibility.”

“You’re going to do it yourself?” asked Marcus.