Chapter One - Before the Lights Went Out

Her name was Mara Sloane. Elliot had seen her in the cafeteria, always with a cup of coffee that looked cold enough to fog glass. Today she had no coffee, only a nearly empty saline bottle and a battered first-aid pouch. "If you want to save them, don't rush into the hottest choke point," Elliot said. "Use the north stairwell. It's shaded. Two degrees cooler at least." "Two degrees saves people?" "Today, yes." They had just turned into the north corridor when the glass curtain wall outside began cracking in a chain of sharp pops. A whole strip of windows spidered, then failed, one pane after another. Superheated air flooded in with dust, broken glass, and loose paper. The crowd surged backward.