Chapter Three: The Second Person Who Doesn't Exist

“You selected the replacement?” Wen stared. “I can now.” His skull throbbed, but he grinned. “My partnership fee just became fifty thousand.” Guards filled the garage. Their cameras replaced the fugitives with two penguins crossing ice, but human eyes still aimed shock batons accurately. Wen vaulted from a hood, spun her umbrella, and fired three ribs into the ceiling lights. Lu reached the control console and pressed both palms against the monitors. “Seven seconds!” He imagined an empty garage and raised barriers. Ringing drilled through his head. People vanished from the monitors, leaving vacant spaces. Then the real license system began approving everything, and every exit arm lifted.