I slam the parking break and I’m spinning out of control—I miss her by inches and the jalopy spins into a metal street pole and crumples; wheels pop and it sparks go up as it spins, hits something and WHAM I’m in the air and SMASH the roof hits the ground.

Glass sprinkles my hair and I’m dangling from my seatbelt and my heart’s beating spikes up my arteries.

I topple out of the jalopy, stumble to my feet, gun in hand.

“What the hell was that?” I scream.

She comes running towards me with that impossible even grace.

“You’re not safe here, Fenix. Come on.” She grabs my arm, and damn is she strong. It’s all I can do to keep my feet as she drags me off the road and into an alley. Some kind of mutated critter scatters away, and she drops me off to catch my breath.

She walks to the other wall of the alley, cranes her head to check the street in either direction, then turns.

“Jack Fenix, I am afraid I bring you bad news.”

“No shit? And I thought you wanted to be roadkill for giggles. Christ.” I stand up slowly, rubbing a bruise on my back the size of Manhattan. I glare up at her. “Well, what is it.”

“You aren’t going to be able to penetrate CyberCorp after all,” she says.

“Who says I—” I narrow my eyes. “Explain.”

In answer, her fingers sprout inch-long gleaming blades and she steps forward. “Unfortunately, you are a threat to the company and must be eliminated. I apologize for any inconvenience.” Her smile is as sardonic as it is cold.

I smile right back.

“Apologize to this.” And I whip the EMP cannon from my coat, and my thumb closes down on the button. Her eyebrows rise up behind her sunglasses, and she stares dumb for a moment. Then the blades retract.

“Now, start talking. I know CyberCorp is up to something, some kind of doomsday plot. What’s happening and how do you factor in.” I wait, but she doesn’t move. “No sense of self preservation, eh? All right then.” I start to depress the button, real slow.

“Wait!” she shrieks. So there’s a human in there after all. “I… it’s the TRUchip. That’s how they’re doing it.”

“Keep talking.”

“It… they can trap people inside, see? In the Verse. And when they release TRUScape, it’s going to activate an override on everyone’s chip and suck them all in.”

“Sons of bitches,” I mutter.

“No, you don’t understand! It’s going to be wonderful—perfect. Look at you—you’re dying where you stand. In a day the plague will have you—it’s getting worse now, and in a few hours, anyone not protected by the chip is going to be dead.”

“And why might you think that?”

“You don’t see? We designed that plague, Jack. We control it. But only those who resist the great Awakening will have to die—for everyone else, paradise for their eternal soul.”

“And you? Are you getting sucked into this paradise?”

“My duty will be to ensure the continued safety of all those enraptured ones by quelling any resistance after the Awakening. When my duties are complete, I shall join those I have served.” She starts towards me. “Come with me, Jack. Come with me, and I’ll show you Heaven…”

“I’d rather see you in Hell.” I jam the button.

“Sure I’ll come. Straight to the top of CyberCorp. Start walking.”