NOWHERE MAN

THE 26TH CENTURY.

SiXTEEN MiNUTES EARLiER.
Name’s
not coming
up.
I know,
and I’m telling you
he’s not in it.
What do
you mean it’s not
coming up? We’re hacked
into the Orions’
database.
Must be
a glitch.
Or maybe
you’re an Orion
piss-dog. Maybe this
is a sting.
What
would be the
point?
‘Scuse?
I thought
there was no
crime here.
Where?
Here.
Er...in the
world.
Listen
to this guy.
Sounds like he’s
from another
planet.

There might not
be much--if any--crime left,
and that’s a fact.
I’m here
‘cause I’d heard you
Roven could help me
with what I need.
Doesn’t
mean there ain’t
no corruption,
though.
That’s a whole
different thing, ‘stand?
it’s why you’re here,
ain’t it?
But you haven’t
said what you need it
for, have you?
That’s my
business.
But you’re looking
to do business.
Which makes it my
business.
Anything--or
anyone--you’re planning
to do...the Omnimind’ll
read it.
Doesn’t matter
how far away you are
when circumstances
go down.
Thanks.
‘Preciate the
concern.
Watch
the lip.
But
your cash is
good.
“Which means
you get to see
Tobin.”
Vog here says your
cash is good. As good
as your protection,
I’d hope.
Vog here
just told me the
Omnimind’s blind and
deaf to corruption,
so it shouldn’t
matter.
it matters to me. Tell
you what else does: You didn’t
answer my question.
My protection’s
good. Good enough,
at least, to get me
here. Good enough
to keep me.

So far.
I don’t work
business with people
‘less they got good
protection. I don’t
need the Feedback,
‘stand?
I do.
if it helps,
I trained under
Langenhahn.
Well, seeing
as how it’s been a good
fifteen years since Langenhahn
got himself killed by Feedback,
I’d say that I’m pretty
unimpressed.
Try
one of these
instead.
NNNG--
Candy?
Pain-Pill.
Thoughts still
get through to the Omnimind,
but with a little static--that agony
you’re feeling--so the Omnimind
has trouble reading who’s
thinking what.
Not the most
fun, but necessary.
and you get used
to it.

Now...why,
pray, are you in
the market for
a bomb?
Mason...
my son...
What
do you think,
Samara?
Well?
So it
worked.
He’s clean.
No trace of
the virus.
Hard to
know for sure
until we take him off
of Montag and out
of the Omnimind’s
blind spot.
it
worked. He has
immunity.
I expect you
to cling to that, Gavin,
and I don’t fault
you for it.
Lord knows,
particularly given
what Tara went
through...
She’s not the
only one of us who
made sacrifices to bring
a clean child into
this world.

We don’t
know if we’ve done
that. Not yet.
And we
won’t know for
some years.
Until
he leaves the
island.
And he’s
tested.
I’ll be
the one to
do that.
When
the time
comes.
Are you
sure?
Yes. With his
mother, Tara,
dead...
I only have
one thing left to
live for.

is he
always like
that?
Like what?
Kids have
a hard-wired aversion
to anything or anyone
who’s different.
Playing
by himself like
that.
Have you tried
applying the fake
pattern--?
it smears
too easy. Mason’s
always fussing
with it.
Hm?
There’s
time to fix
that.
Before
the mission,
I mean.
Daddy!
Mason-the-ace-son.
Come with me...
I suppose.
“I have something
to show you.
“Something
from the world.
“it’s called
a cartoon.”

Wow, Twist!
Those are neat-o
lines around
your eye.
Thanks, Wist!
it’s called “the
Color.” Yours is
neat-o, too!
How’d we
get ‘em?
That’s a great
question!
it’s
from a
virus!
You mean
like when I get the
sniffles? Eww.
Viruses can
be good?
No, not
like that! This is a
good virus.
This one is. it makes
every person a living antenna,
sending their thoughts to
the Omnimind.
The Omnimind is
super-neat-o!
So’s the
vision-rockers who
invented it.
They
saved the
world!
They saved us!
They
saved the world
from us!
Without the
Omnimind, people
would still be doing
all kinds of
bad things.
But the
Omnimind and the
Orions stop them
as quick as they
think it.

So this “Color,” it’s
kind of like a policeman’s
badge, huh?
but Soon there
won’t be any policemen
because soon there won’t
be any bad guys.
So?
What do you
think?
is this
really from the
world?
Yes. This is what
boys and girls your
age watch.
They all
have the color,
too.
Except me.
I wanna be a
policeman, too!
Like Twist and
Wist!
Yes.
No you don’t,
Mason. You were born
special. Your mother...she
wanted what you thought
to stay up here.
is
that why I’m
different?
Not different,
Mason...
Special.

“I trained under
Langenhahn?”
He’s a psychiatrist
who was growing to
prominence when we left
the world for
Montag.
He claimed
to have figured
out a way to shield
thoughts from
the Omnimind.
I thought
I was the only
one who could
do that.
True, but
the reputation
of Langenhahn’s
work--
At least what
it was when we all
moved here to Montag
and cut ties with
the rest of the
world
--should be
sufficient explanation if
anyone questions why your
thoughts are unreadable
to the Omnimind.
You didn’t,
Mason.
But
what’s the real
reason?
Excuse me?
How
did I end up
different?
I’ve told
you, always
told you...You
ended up
special.
You’re
your mother’s
miracle. And
mine.
Mason.
The ace son.
And hope
to everyone who
still values what it
means to be an
individual.
“His training has
come along well.”

it’s time
then.
There’s no
other way to
confirm his immunity.
We discussed
this.
You don’t
have to do
this.
We didn’t
agree--
He’s
my son,
Samara.
...
I’m not putting
him in harm’s way
without knowing
it’s worth it.
And if it is
worth it, I’ll never
see him again
anyway.
When?
Two days.
The tide’s changing.
We’ll take the raft
out then.

...
is this--
is this because
of Tara?
I think every
decision I’ve made
since Mason was
born is because
of Tara.
Now...why,
pray, are you in
the market for
a bomb?
What I want
with a bomb is my
business.
Only question
is, are we going to
work something
out or not?

...
Not.
No offense,
but you smell like
an Orion dog
to me.
Why would the
Orions need to sting you
when they have the Omnimind
policing everybody?
I don’t know.
Gossip has it that the
Orions have a secret. That
there’s something to the
Omnimind nobody Maybe it’s not
KNOWS. all-perfect. Maybe it’s
not UNBEATABLE. Maybe the
Emperor’s as naked as the
day he was born.
Point being, I got
this far ‘cause I trust my
gut and my gut doesn’t
trust you.
That’s
unfortunate.
Looks like
I’ll take my pardon
of you and go.
Looks
like.
You blocking
my path like that’s
not exactly making
it EASY for me
to take my
pardon.
PTEW--
So that’s
how this is
going to
be?
Screw
off.
Thank
you for
that.
ZZZDDD…ZZZDDD…ZZZDDD…

ZZZDDD…ZZZDDD…ZZZDDD…
Boss...?
it’s the
Orions. Have
to be.
ZZZDDD…ZZZDDD…ZZZDDD…
I really
wish you hadn’t
done that...
I knew it...
HOSTILE INTENT REGISTERED
• THREAT OF BODILY HARM •
2 SUBJECTS
HOSTILE INTENT
REGISTERED
• POSSIBLE 314
AGENT ALEXIS SHAVRA
• PREPARE FOR DISPATCH

SHUCK.
HOSTILE ACTION TAKEN
• ATTEMPTED BATTERY •
PENAL CODE VIOLATION IN PROGRESS
FEEDBACK INITIATED•••
50% OF MAXIMUM
GNGH--
That’s
called “Feedback,”
right?
interesting.
I’ve heard
tell of it, but never
seen it.
Looks
painful.

How
would you say
it compares
to this?
...
No
Feedback.
Boss...
you see
that?
I thought
Orion agents
still took the
Feedback.
I can’t
go to Lockdown.
I can’t do it...
Screw that.
You won’t have
to, Boss.
HOSTILE INTENT REGISTERED
• HOMICIDE • 1 SUBJECT
779 IN PROGRESS
• FEEDBACK INITIATED •
100% OF MAXIMUM

RRRAAAAAAARRRRGH!
FNG--
GGRGH--
INFRACTION
LOCATION CONFIRMED
• SPIRE GRID 557
Central, Agent
Shavra. inbound on
779 in progress.
Central?
Don’t worry,
Alexis. There hasn’t been
a 779 in nearly twelve years.
I’m sure it’s just a glitch
in the system.

“The Subject’ll probably
be dead from the Feedback
by the time you get there.”
WEAPON PRESENT--
HOMICIDAL INTENT
83% INCREASE
“I know that,
Commander. But
nothing’s coming up
for the intended vic.”
“Which means he’s either
already dead, or not even
bothering to defend himself.”
“Those’re the only
two explanations.”

FUGH--
NGF--
FiVE MiNUTES LATER.
Central...
...we have
a problem.

“I think every decision
I’ve made since Mason was
born is because of Tara.”
This
should be far
enough.
For what?
it’s time,
Mason.
Your
mission. it’s
time.
All
that’s left
is to make
absolutely
certain the
Omnimind
can’t read
you.
How do
we--?
So many people in
the world, so many private
thoughts...the Omnimind can’t
read them all. The ones of
crime, of treason, they
get through.
The worse
the crime, the more the
thought registers with
the Omnimind.
There’s no
crime worse than
murder.
That can’t
be--
it’s the only
way. The only way
to be certain.
And I’m not
sending you out
into a foreign world
without being
certain.
I need to
make sure you
can kill. Which means...
someone has
to die.
I’m not going
to kill my own
father.

You’re always
asking me why you’re
special? The answer
is your mother.
We changed her DNA.
I changed it. So that she’d
produce a child who the Omnimind
couldn’t read.
And it killed her, Mason. She
died bringing you into the world. From
experiments I performed on her.
We both knew what we
were doing. We knew sacrifices
had to be made. Because life under the
thumb of the Omnimind, life without private
thought isn’t life. And we, your mother
and I, were prepared to give ours
to restore it to others.
Your mother
did her part and
I’ve waited your
entire life to
do mine.
if it helps...
you’d be doing me
a mercy. You’d be
reuniting me with
your mother.
Please.
Do it.
I’ve waited so long.
So long...
I do. it’s
exactly what
I expect.
You can’t...
you can’t expect
me to...
Your life, Mason,
has been about this
moment. So it can be about
other moments. Ones that
the world is depending Depending
on.
on you.
You
have the
training.
Let what
needs to happen...
happen. Let it be
automatic.
Let it
be fast.
For
both our
sakes.
...
...
Good--ack--
good boy...Mason...
the ace...

No...
no Feedback...
it worked...
worked...
...
Your mother...
didn’t die for nothing...
I love...love you...
I love
you, too.
And I’m
sorry.
“Murder.”
Not that I’d ever be
the one to say “I told you so,”
Central, but this isn’t a “glitch.” it’s
an actual murder. The first
in a generation.
The Omnimind didn’t
read any other homicidal intent.
is it possible the Roven
stabbed himself?
And jumped out
of the Spires? Why didn’t
he set himself on fire
while he was at it?
‘Sides, suicide’s
illegal, so the Omnimind
would have read any
intent to commit it.
What it did
read was homicidal
intent.
No, I think we’ve
got a different
kinda problem
here, Sir.

Could you
send a forensics
team?
I doubt
I could even find a
forensics team. We
haven’t needed one
in decades.
I’d
recommend
you find some
old-timer,
then.
‘Cause I’ll bet
all the money in my
pockets ‘gainst all the money
in yours...somebody else’s
hand was holding this
dagger.
“Without the
Omnimind reading
their thoughts.”
“Which means we could
be on the verge of a
brave new world here.”
END OF CHAPTER ONE

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