“They tortured me in prison, Bert! You know that, right?”

Alcot frowned. “What?”

“I was in Hibernity for years! Don’t pretend you didn’t know that.”

Alexa intervened, pushing him back. “Professor Alcot, we need immediate access to the Kratos q-link array.”

He ignored her. “What do you mean they tortured you? I was told Hibernity was a humane—”

Alexa snapped at him. “It’s not! Hedrick lied to you—and to me. To everyone.”

Alcot looked pained. “But I—”

Grady pointed at Alcot. “Is that why you did this? Because they could make you young again?”

Alcot faltered. He said weakly, “You don’t understand, Jon. You’re young.”

“They took my life from me. They took away everything I cared about.”

“You don’t understand what it’s like to . . . to reach the end of your life and realize . . .” Alcot’s voice trailed off.

Alexa stepped between them again. “There is no time for this. Professor Alcot, get me access to that q-link panel.”

Alcot and Grady stared at each other. Alcot responded to Alexa without looking at her. “Why would you need access to the q-link panel?”

“Because we need to insert a relay.”

“For what reason?”

She shouted, “So Kratos can be controlled from elsewhere, that’s why!”

Grady grabbed Alcot by the lapels. “Listen to me. Hedrick is out of control. The BTC is out of control. I conceived of this technology, and I’m not about to let people like him control it. It would ruin whatever future humanity has.”

Alcot looked pained. “I never wanted to hurt you, Jon. Please believe that.”

“I don’t give a damn what you did. I need you now.”

Alcot had no immediate answer.

Alexa pulled the one-inch cubic diamond from a pouch in her tactical harness and slammed it down on the control console. “Our EDSP relay is in here. It needs to be inserted in the q-link array. How do we do that?”

Alcot’s assistant said nervously, “Don’t tell them, Bert.”

Alcot barked at his assistant, “Be quiet, Sameer.”

Grady looked up and finally recognized the man. “Professor Kulkarni . . .” Grady returned his gaze to Alcot. “How could you have betrayed me like this? How long had you known about the BTC?”

Kulkarni, who also looked much younger, answered. “Bert learned about the BTC when you did, Mr. Grady.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Alexa grabbed Kulkarni by the arm. “Where is the q-link array?”

He spoke with a distinct Indian accent. “I will not tell you.”

Her hand shot out to grab him by the collar. She lifted him off the ground. “Tell me!”

Kulkarni’s resistance folded almost immediately as he pointed frantically at a series of floor panels. A hand scanner was set next to them.

She carried him over to the panels and forced one of his hands onto the scanner. “Open them.”

Alcot watched with obvious displeasure. “What are you doing? And how did you both get in here?”

Alexa watched as the center panel opened, revealing six identical cubic diamonds in metallic ceramic casings behind clear diamond windows etched with serial numbers. They were sealed in with no obvious way to open them.

At a glare from Alexa, Kulkarni said, “Only the lead scientist and the director have the authority to open the q-link array.”

Varuna’s voice spoke above them. “You have only seconds more, Alexa. Human security agents are arriving in force outside.”

Alcot looked above him. “Varuna, you’re helping them?”

“You focus too much on your work, Professor Alcot. You fail to see the big picture.”

Alcot frowned, but the words seemed to have a sobering impact on him. He turned toward Alexa. “What you’re doing is pointless in any event. Unless you can retain control of the lab, they’d just overpower you and replace it again. Your plan wasn’t clearly thought out.”

Alexa pulled out her positron pistol and aimed it at the q-link array.

Alcot shouted, “There are more q-links for the satellite in their vault! Destroying those would accomplish nothing!”

Varuna’s voice again. “Alexa and Mr. Grady, I am afraid we have run out of time.”

Behind them, in the gallery overlooking the lab, the diamond doors slid aside as dozens of armored soldiers in black diamondoid armor, aiming gravity projectors and weapons, rushed in. More poured in from side entrances.

Suddenly Grady and Alexa were both caught in a gravity field and they fell upward several meters off the ground—then floated in the air, helpless.

Alexa tried to twist around and aim the positron pistol back behind her, but dozens of laser dots appeared on her body.

Grady shouted, “Don’t shoot her! If you don’t shoot, I’ll cooperate. Don’t shoot her!” He turned to Alexa. “Drop the pistol, Alexa. Drop it, please. There’s no point.”

She looked at him and then at the armored soldiers filling the lab. Alexa tossed the gun aside, and a soldier caught it before it hit the floor.

“We have her weapon, sir.”

There were now nearly fifty soldiers in the Gravitics Research Lab, their black oval faces looking up at their prey, hovering helpless above them. One of them pushed through to the front, and his visor hissed open.

Alexa saw Morrison’s weathered face scowling back at her.

“I’m amazed you made it this far, but don’t worry, we’ll find the traitors who helped you.” He gestured to the exit. “Disarm them, collar them, and take them to the director. And I want Alexa guarded by a dozen men at all times—she’s extremely dangerous in close quarters.”

Alcot watched the guards aiming their gravity projectors as they took Grady and Alexa away.

Morrison picked up the q-link relay that was still sitting on the console.

“You lied to me about Hibernity, Mr. Morrison.”

Morrison looked up at Alcot with disdain. “I don’t know who you think you’re kidding, Professor. You believed what you wanted to believe.” Morrison started walking away.

“Mr. Morrison.”

Morrison turned.

“You’ve got the real crystal in your hand. Their relay is in the array.”

Morrison frowned. “Bullshit.”

“They told me to switch them . . . and I switched them. They gave me no choice.”

Kulkarni stepped back away from Alcot.

Morrison glared. “You mean, someone off-site can currently take control of Kratos?” Morrison looked to the ceiling. “Varuna, is Professor Alcot telling the truth?”

There was a pause. “Yes, Mr. Morrison, Professor Alcot appears genuine.”

Alcot looked up at the ceiling and nodded appreciatively—and then looked toward Grady and Alexa being moved through the security doors.

Morrison shoved Alcot toward the q-link array. “Goddamnit, you should have told us that immediately.” He gestured to the panel. “Pull it now! Go! Go!”

Alcot leaned down to the open access panel and pressed his hand onto a scanner. The nearest q-link casing opened, and he removed the crystal that was already there.

Morrison motioned for Alcot to step away.

Alcot did so, looking at the replacement crystal in Morrison’s gauntleted hand. Morrison inserted the new crystal then resealed the q-link array. He then aimed an armored finger at Alcot. The tip began to glow with an intense white light.

“You know, Doctor Alcot, now that we have Mr. Grady in custody, your lapses of judgment and lack of progress have become quite intolerable.”

Alcot nodded as he turned to face Grady, who was disappearing down the corridor amid heavy guard. “Yes. I would agree.”

There was a tearing sound and a flash of light as a wave of fire started to consume Alcot. But he didn’t scream. Instead, he just nodded toward Grady as he disappeared in a cloud of ash.

CHAPTER 32

Crisis Control