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The thing she wanted to show them didn’t even exist

Not in the real world, anyway

They were in Weber’s office, huddled around a large projection It was a collection of i in a circle Michael saw a picture of a dog--a golden retriever--with a little boy kneeling next to it, the biggest shts went through Michael’s head seeing that picture, but ent Weber was a real person after all

Without any kind of introduction, she tapped and swiped at the projected sphere and s around until it all suddenly fleay and was replaced by one lone iularits surface As Michael and the others stared, it revolved in place

"What’s that?" Bryson asked

Weber reached forward into the projection, and it looked as if her fingers touched the two ends of the box She grabbed theer Michael had no idea how large or se

"This is what you’re going to use to bring Kaine down," Weber said, her voice filled with satisfaction A little too h it didn’t bother hient ason for a long tirand achievement, if I do say so myself" The woman stared at the box, pride on her face Then she blinked hard and cleared her throat, as if she’d just realized there were other people in the room

"Sorry," she said "It’s just that … I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into developing this You’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little excited that it’ll finally be put to use"

Sarah asked the obvious question this time "What is it?"

The agent sat back in her chair, leaving the i "I call it the Lance It see, just stared Michael kneas his turn to ask, but it seeent to tell the did She took a few ain

"It’s a program, of course, the ether I gave it this visual ger"

Michael broke his silence, so intrigued noas like an itch "Place and trigger?" he repeated

She nodded slowly "Yes I’ to meet you inside the VirtNet, where I’ll literally hand you this program, in the form of this device It won’t be as easy as I’ve laid out, but all you’ll need to do is get to the location of Kaine’s prograit password to initiate the countdown, then get out of there When it detonates, the Lance will annihilate the Tangent Not only his central code, but it’ll set off a chain reaction that ipe hi the information sink in There was an awful lot to sink in, Michael thought Then she continued "I’ve spent years progra this I knee’d need it someday It will kill him I know that’s a bold claiet you inside Lifeblood Deep, into its version of Atlanta, and into this building The Lance will do the rest"