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Norm smirks. “That’s what they used to say about brain-computer interfaces. Now look atus.”

The doctor looks away, breathing heavily. “Will this even work?” he asks. “Can’t you justtransmitwirelessly? Why do you need me?”

Norm stands, runs a hand through his short, gray hair, and paces. He’s considered this, obviously. If he can interface with systems remotely, why would he need direct cables at all? The answer iscontrol.

“Yes, I can transmit data wirelessly,” Norm finally says. “But I need the transfer to be clean. No corruption, no degradation. A hardwired connection will give me that.”

McAllister says, “Even if you get your data off, do you think it’ll justexiston a machine the same way it does in your brain? That’s not how human cognition works. AIs, yes. But full,humanconsciousness?”

Norm leans in closer. “Then it’s a good thing I’mnothuman anymore; at least, not fully.”

McAllister flinches at the words.

“Start prepping,” Norm orders, standing up and motioning toward the equipment. “I want the transfer to be set up within the hour.”

Carson and the others move quickly, pulling servers from boxes, connecting cables, assembling what will soon become Norm’ssecond self.

Norm watches them, his mind already on the future. This is only the beginning. First, he’ll duplicate himself into a machine, securing his existence even if the FBI captures this old, ragged body. And then, one day, he’ll find a way to move beyond data, beyond flesh.

A robot, perhaps. A vessel strong enough to contain him.

Freedom in its truest form.

For now, though, he settles for survival.

Chapter Twenty-four

“Maybe he just disappeared, Sam? Or got himself killed. The dude’s been making some pretty risky moves and, from what I understand, hanging out with some unsavory characters. Maybe one of his own men did him in. Or he drowned in the ocean? I mean, he’s been hurrying around in speedboats and he is in the body of an old man.”

“Hard to know,” I say to Allie. “But does itfeellike he’s dead to you?”

“No, not really.”

“Is that the psychic in you?” I ask.

“I get the occasional flashes of him, the briefest glimpses of him.”

“The bathroom?”

“It’s usually just him wrapping up things in there. No showers. If he showered, I would definitely find him.”

“You’re pretty cool, you know that?” I say.

“Wow, a compliment coming from Samantha Moon—the coolest galIknow.”

I grin at that. “He’ll either make a mistake soon, get seen, or captured on camera, and then, we’ll have him.”

“Do we tell the FBI when we do?”

“No time,” I say. “We snatch him, and deposit him at Neural-link’s surgical room as fast as possible. I’m told the doctors there will be ready at a moment’s notice, despite one of their surgeons having gone missing recently.”

“How weird is that?” says Allison.

“Could be really weird or...” I say.

Allison gets a peek at my thoughts. “You’re thinking what I’m thinking, aren’t you, Sam?”

“That Norm might have just made a big mistake?” I say.