Everyone looked around the room. Who wasn’t here? “There was an unidentified substance in the remains of the bodies of the Network agents,” Thirteen continued, unaffected. “Something that our Network staff recognized only after the initial reports were released. It was so minute in mass that the coroner dismissed the substance as drug residue from the weapons that were used to torture the victims. I had a Network agent analyze a sample of the substance to determine its origin.” The monitor beeped again. The front door opened wide. Everyone in the room, myself included, turned in unison. My jaw dropped. A man, twice the size of the largest guard at the estate—maybe even bigger than Thirteen—appeared in the doorway. He was dark, hooded. Dressed in all black, he kept his shades on and let his shoulder-length dark hair hang forward. I adjusted in my seat. Unfolded my legs for better maneuverability. Theo shifted behind me. Jon made sure his gun hand was free. The man was all business.
