Genius--The Revolution by Leopoldo Gout

Author:Leopoldo Gout
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

PART TWO

INTO THE FUTURE

14. Rex

4 DAYS UNTIL SHIVA

We left Cai’s apartment around four in the morning.

Her parents were awake and sad to be seeing her go so soon.

But they seemed to understand; this thing wasn’t over.

Mr. Zhang knew Kiran needed to be stopped and we were the only ones who could do it. We’d freed him. We’d taken down Terminal. Kiran was next.

Meeting Cai’s parents was wonderful.

Truth is: I was more anxious when that apartment door opened than I was when I’d hacked into the Game. Running from the police has nothing on the heart-pounding anxiety of meeting your girlfriend’s folks. I fully expected her dad to give me the third degree, but they were sweet and, above all, understanding.

The way they reacted, the way they listened, Cai couldn’t have had better parents—even though they were protective, they saw her for who she truly is and encouraged her to embrace that inner rebelliousness.

Of course, it only reminded me that I needed to see my parents.

They knew Teo was okay, that I’d found him.

But now they were going to actually see him again.

Mental note: Prepare for some emotional fireworks.

After a last round of good-byes to Cai’s parents, we snagged a cab to Beijing Capital International Airport. I wasn’t the only one jazzed. Tunde was a talkative ball of nerves. Teo bounced his left knee the entire drive.

“What’s first?” I asked the team as we pulled up to our departure gate.

“Reconnaissance,” Cai said. “We need eyes on that black box.”

“Do we have any idea where Kiran is?” Tunde asked.

“From what I can tell,” Teo said, swiping through screens on his cell, “he’s gone underground. No social media, no messaging. I saw something from an OndScan account where the company praised the takedown of Terminal and mentioned that Kiran was taking a brief vacation. But that’s it.”

“Do you think he is in Mexico City?” Tunde asked.

“We’ll find out…,” I said.

ULTRA met us at the ticketing counter. Javiera, Ivan, and Stella looked exhausted—big bags under their eyes.

Before I could even ask, Javiera said, “We made our safe house, but it was crashed at two a.m. by the cops. We’ve been up since then, cabs, trains, on foot. I think we’re all going to be passed out before the plane even takes off.”

“Terminal’s down and out,” Teo said. “Who do you think got to you?”

“Kiran,” Ivan said. “He even sent us a lovely message.”

Stella produced a tablet computer from her bag and opened a video message she’d received via an anonymous chat app. She pressed play, and there was our old friend again, wearing only designer clothes and smiling with too-perfect teeth. Even though Kiran looked just as together as always, just as much the guru, there was a heaviness that had sunk into his eyes. A strain. I was happy to think that maybe the LODGE and I had put it there.

“Hey, ULTRA,” Kiran said. “I’ve been hearing rumors that you’re running around now with the LODGE. I’m impressed. It’s like a superhero team

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