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Michael sat at the table, gaze fixed on the , thinking

"Pretty sure," he answered "Especially the voice You gotta remember, the first time I met her was in Lifeblood Deep, but then she caht after I woke up there, and she looked basically the saned her Aura to look the same as in the Wake since she didn’t want uess So what does itquestion"

Michael shook his head in frustration So at their secret location raised way too many concerns "I have no idea What’s weirder is why she’d be all secretive and spy on us Why would she have co to hide from Kaine, too"

"Well, we needed to find her eventually anyway Once we’re with Bryson again, we have toabout that crazy lady on the train What if … what if Kaine hasn’t just put other Tangents into hu them soraents to do what he wants before he … does the Mortality Doctrine thing to them"

Michael’she’d been given Three days Three days had already passed and they’d still eluded captured The next time Kaine found them … Well, Michael didn’t want to think about it

"What are you pondering over there?" Sarah asked

Michael sighed, trying to breathe out all the tur about your parents again They could be anywhere--hoe find theo back into Lifeblood Deep and look for thera Bryson into this Second-guessing everything"

Sarah stood up and came over to him "Bryson’s in it whether he wants to be or not We need to find him before Kaine does As for our parents … look, we know Kaine’s behind it all Going forward is the best thing we can do for the to talk herself into believing that, too

Michael looked up at her "Then let’s get Bryson"

Sarah nodded "That’s what I wanted to hear"

Sarah sat down across from Michael at the table and they both closed their eyes as if they were initiating some ancient ritual And then they dove into the code

There were hundreds of ways they could’ve conducted their search for Bryson, and it felt like they had considered the They’d discussed everything fro thehim out in the Wake, like Michael had done with Sarah, had even been tossed in as a possibility But based on everything they knew and the dangers they’d encountered so far--and knowing that Kaine could be watching every nook and cranny of the VirtNet--they decided to go about it a different way: by doing what they did best

Hacking