Chapter Three: The First Person to Wake

White Noise compressed her fear into one clean thought: Trust him. The sprinklers roared. The panel gave a brief electric chirp. Old Ma convulsed, and the axe fell. He dropped to his knees in the water, gasping. The schoolboy faded in the spray, leaving behind a smile that was almost relieved. The lobby lights returned. The countdown still beat on every phone. Su picked up her recorder and stared at Lu. “This isn't an accident. Someone is giving orders to every Second Self.” Lu looked at the empty space beside Old Ma. For the first time he understood that Zero's word every did not mean some distant species of monster. It meant beings that were afraid, that were asking for help, and that might still be waiting to replace their human hosts.