"Now you're behaving like a cheerleader for your precious humanity. You know as well as I do that when people learn we're immortal, they will have only one goal-immortality for themselves."

"I'm glad you brought that up. It's key to what I'm proposing. Living short lives has made most people complacent. Why should I bother about the environment? I'm going to be dead in a few years. Yet that will all change if they see that they can live forever. Share your gift of long life with them and they'll do everything in their power to preserve the earth."

"So says the vampire who refused to share her blood with another soul for five thousand years."

"You know why I fought to keep my blood to myself."

"Because Krishna told you to."

"Yes."

"That's pretty weak, Sita."

"It's the truth. You keep saying you want the truth."

"What I really want is for you to join us. You're right, you could be a help in our battle against Brutran and the IIC, especially if you've discovered a weakness in the Array."

"You can hear the truth. You know I have found a hole in it."

"But you refuse to share it. How can I trust you enough to release you when you won't answer a few basic questions?"

"You don't trust me and I don't trust you. I fear that whatever I tell you will just expose my friends to greater danger."

Haru nods. "It is a paradox."

"I didn't intend to kill Numbria. I was going to let her go."

"Because you knew she was insignificant."

"I felt sorry for her. I had no desire to kill her."

"Useless human emotions. After all these centuries, I'm surprised you haven't outgrown them."

"If I didn't still have feelings, I wouldn't be bothered to get out of my coffin every night."

"You don't sleep in a coffin."

"I was trying to lighten the mood with a joke."

"This is no time for jokes. Unless you can convince me of your value, I'm going to kill you. Here, in this room, tonight."

"Go ahead."

"It won't be that easy, Sita. A moment ago I turned the dial to five. If I decide to kill you, I'll turn it to ten and leave you here, and you'll die in an agony so terrible, you'll leave this world cursing Krishna. You understand?"

"Sure. You're a sadist."

"I told you, it gives me no pleasure to see you suffer. But I need you to understand the penalty of disobedience."

"You've zapped me twice. I screamed my head off. I'm covered in vomit and piss. I think I have a pretty good idea what the penalty is like."

"Then you're ready to answer my next question."

"Ask."

"How does the Array work?"

"I don't know."

"Tell me what you do know."

"They use children to make it work. And teenagers."

"How do they use them?"

"They ask them questions over the phone."

"What kind of questions?"

"Yes or no questions."

"About stocks?"

"I think so."

"Do you know any of these children?"

"One. The girl who came with me to Arosa."

"What's her name?"

"Shanti Garuda."

"Why did you befriend her?"

"She's very sweet, kind, and compassionate. She's suffered in her life, but she doesn't complain. I admire her."

"Why did you bring her to Arosa? You must have known it could be dangerous."

"I brought her with me for protection."

"Who are you protecting her from? Us?"

"The IIC. And she protects me from them."

"I don't understand. Clarify."

"She can block the Array from attacking me."

"That's ridiculous. How does she do that?"

"I don't know."

"You're going to have to do better than that."

"All I can say is the instant she touched my head in that motel room in London, where Numbria died, the Array's compulsion stopped."

"Is she psychic?"

"I don't think so. She's kind."

"You said that already."

"Yes. But I just realized something. Maybe that's the answer."

"I don't understand."

"Is it possible the Array doesn't work in the presence of kindness?"

Haru acts impatient. No, actually, he looks a little . . . spooked.

"That's ridiculous," he says.

"I'd say it's a reasonable theory. At least until you come up with a better one."

"She's a kid. Do you know how many psychically trained Telar we sent against Brutran and the Array? Hundreds. You were right, most did not come back. But those we were able to recover had to be killed. Their minds had been ruined."

"How so?"

"They were like zombies. They ran around trying to eat the brains of whoever they saw."

"Gross."

"I'm not satisfied with your answers when it comes to Shanti."

"I've told you what I know."

"Shanti took a copy of Yaksha's book when she left here."

"Yes."

"Where did she take it to?"

"Seymour Dorsten."

"Where is he? Give me his address."

"I can't. I only have his cell number. I arranged it that way so that I wouldn't know where they were in case I got in a situation like this. But I suppose there's no harm in telling you that Shanti has instructions to call Seymour as soon as she lands in New York. He's supposed to pick her up and take her somewhere secret."

"In the city?"

"Seymour's too smart to stay in New York."

"But you know his number. If you call now and ask where he is, he'll tell you his location."

"He has instructions not to tell me where he is."

"Then how will you find him?"

"He'll find me. A part of him always knows what I'm doing."

"How?"

"We have a telepathic bond."

"So that part of his books was true?"

"Yes."

"I've never met a human who was a true telepath."

"You've never met Seymour."

"But everything you say means you know where he is."

"It's not like that. He can block me when he wants. I can do likewise. He has orders to block me now."

"We'll come back to him later. Right now I want to talk about Paula Ramirez and her son, John. Are you ready to divulge their location?"

I feel pain and he hasn't turned on the Pulse.

It's like he has burned it into my brain. I'm scared.

I sigh. "I don't know."

"Do you need more pain?"

"No!"

"Do you believe John was born of a virgin?"

"No."

"But Paula said she didn't have sex before John was born."

"Paula never said she was a virgin. And as far as when she last had sex, before John was conceived, I had trouble with that part of Seymour's story."

"Why?"