Page 34 of Mastermind

I point at the Void on the screen, which has devoured almost all of the highway in front of us. “This isn’t just some fireworks display. And to your point, Jessica, I’m not sure I’d call it a distraction or diversion. Whatever it is that they’re trying to hide is happening now, right inside here. Our clever squid is swimming around this area, doing something important. Fortunately, like squid, they share the same weakness.”

“What’s that?” asks Lilith.

For the first time, Dr. Gap-Kyum speaks up. “They’re blind, too.”

“Exactly,” I say. “However, they have the benefit of knowing where they’re going and what they’re doing.” I think for a moment. “Is anyone here a marksman?”

Ray lifts his hand and says in accented English, “Sniper training. Highest score.” He opens his jacket and shows a holstered pistol.

“Perfect. We may need to see if you still have the skill.”

“Are you expecting to run into them?” asks Lilith.

“Maybe not them, but possibly one of the flying demons from the reports. If so, I’d love to have one to examine.”

“You think it’s some kind of unmanned aerial vehicle?” asks Jessica.

“It makes sense.”

“To observe?”

“Possibly. But it could also be what took out your helicopter. They might even have smaller EMPs on board designed to take out observers and cover their tracks.”

“And when they don’t need them, they blow them up and destroy the evidence,” she says.

“We’re entering the Void,” says Lilith as the mist gets progressively thicker around the camera feeding our internal monitor.

“Aside from ideal weather conditions, how does it stay in one place so long?” asks Jessica. “It’s eerie.”

“Static,” says Dr. Gap-Kyum. “Like a cloud. This is a highly charged body.” He pushes his fists together. “The discharges we see keep adding energy, which helps bind the cloud. When they stop”—he lets his hands spread apart and open—“it all goes away.”

The vehicle drives through empty streets, its searchlight cutting through the mist and illuminating shuttered buildings and closed windows. I only see one or two faces peering out from behind windows; other than that, it looks like Seoul has been abandoned.

“Do you have a thermal scope I can use?” I ask.

Ray gets up from his seat and digs around until he finds a small plastic case. He hands it to me. Inside is a handheld viewer that shows hot spots.

I squeeze over to a porthole in the carrier and view the streets and buildings through thermal imaging. I can see more bodies behind windows and what parts of the buildings radiate warmth. Interesting, but not useful at the moment. I put the scope in my pocket.

The driver calls out in Korean and points to something through his window. Lilith adjusts the camera connected to our screen, and we can see a bright glow in the distance.

I check the iPad and the address. The location’s still sending internet data . . . until it suddenly stops. The location no longer responds to my pings. I don’t even have to look up to see what happened.

The vehicle comes to a stop half a block from where we saw the glowing lights. “It’s gone,” says Jessica.

“Yes,” I say, “and I think that means they’re in there.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DATA

Lilith lifts up a seat and starts handing out bulletproof vests from a compartment. She says something to Dr. Gap-Kyum in Korean, then turns to me. “I need you two to wait here.”

I shake my head. “You need me in there.”

“I can’t arm you,” she tells me.

“I’m not asking you to.”