Chapter 3
The Council was waiting for X when he arrived. The briefing room hadn’t been repaired yet; it smelled like smoke and its brown walls had bullet holes in them. A wall-length screen displayed details and photographs of X’s previous mission—Aruba, the shopping district, the red light district, and in the center of it all, a photo of Jeanette Crenshaw smiling evilly.
Just a few hours ago, this room had been full of androids, engineers, and vibrant digital screens—now it was filled with death, blocks of concrete and broken glass. The windows were blown open, exposing the sprawling metropolis outside. The wind blew harshly against X’s face and dense smoke hung in the air.
The Council was gathered around a table that could barely accommodate all of them. A Japanese android stood in t
