Sophia stepped out of the elevator and into the secret lobby. It was only hours ago that Blue Berets had brought her through here with a hood over her face. Damien and Jay emerged behind her, silent except for their boots on the marble floor. Sophia had her pistol and Jay had Cecilia’s. The Elohim didn’t seem happy parting with their PEP rifles, so Damien went without. Sophia held her pistol in both hands and used her elbow to slowly open the door and step into the public lobby. Damien and Jay followed.

Outside the building’s main entrance, the plaza was unnervingly quiet. Six UN soldiers were stationed beside a Land Cruiser and what looked like an M1117 ASV, a favored choice for US Marines in Iraq. Unlike Humvees and armored Land Cruisers, the ASV was impervious to small-arms fire and weathered improvised explosives pretty well too. It had four fat, ribbed wheels and was shaped like a cut emerald. This one was painted white, with UN emblazoned on its side in pale blue. It seemed overkill for the UN headquarters.

Beyond the UN soldiers and vehicles, the front of the plaza was a sight to behold. On the right, a Speedhawk had toppled into a temporary chain-link fence mounted in concrete. Behind the makeshift barrier, a gate stood open. Yet another Speedhawk helicopter—presumably the one Denton had ferried Damien and Jay in—appeared to have crash-landed into the building’s front gates. On the left of the plaza, a ramp curved below ground.

‘Basement parking lot,’ she said.

The parking lot looked to be directly underneath the plaza. They had to get to it.

‘Six UN soldiers,’ Jay said. ‘We could take them.’

‘Or bluff our way through,’ Damien said.

‘Look at their weapons,’ Sophia said.

It was hard to identify them because the soldiers were facing the other way. But she could tell from the ends of the barrels that they weren’t ordinary assault rifles.

‘Elohim,’ Damien said. ‘How many does Cecilia have?’

‘Enough. If we can get into the parking lot, we can take a vehicle up the ramp hard, through the hole in the concrete barrier and out the open gate.’

Just as she spoke, a Land Cruiser pulled out through the open gate and onto First Avenue. The gate closed behind it.

‘So much for that idea,’ Jay said.

‘Before our helicopter was shot down, I saw another gate further along. At the northwest end,’ Damien said. ‘Like I said, we could bluff our way through.’

‘Or shoot our way through, if we have to,’ Jay said.

‘There must be another ramp,’ Damien said. ‘This one’s too close to the Elohim.’

‘It’s a two-way ramp,’ Sophia said. ‘So there’s only the one. For this building, anyway.’

‘If we drive out of there, they’ll wanna stop us,’ Jay said. ‘We need some serious speed on that corner. And then we’ll have to stop for another gate. I don’t like it. It’d be easier taking them head-on.’

‘We need a distraction,’ Sophia said, moving for the fire escape stairs behind the elevators.

‘Out of what?’ Jay said, one step behind her. ‘We don’t have anything.’

Sophia reached the basement and opened the door. Inside, the parking lot was mostly empty.

‘We have two cars,’ she said, eying a silver Toyota Prius and green Hyundai Getz. ‘Think you can make something that blows out the lobby windows?’

Jay walked up to the nearest car: the Prius. He looked inside and nodded. ‘Get me that can of Coke and that pair of shoes.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Damien said.

Sophia stood guard with her pistol while Damien popped the hood, disconnected the battery and searched for the ignition cable. Once he had disabled the car alarm and unlocked the car, he handed Jay the can of Coke. Jay opened it and took a swig. He grimaced and spat. Sophia figured the Coke was warm.

Jay emptied out more of the drink, then put the can on the car roof while he rummaged in the back seat.

‘What are you looking for?’ Sophia said.

‘This.’ Jay emerged with a shiny red platform boot.

He took it and the half-empty can of Coke over to the Hyundai Getz, and spent a minute hammering away under the car with what sounded like the platform shoe and a knife. He returned with the can, a gasoline-soaked shoelace, and a big grin on his face. He’d managed to crack the plastic gas tank under the Getz so he could steal some gasoline.

‘What’s in the can?’ Sophia said.

‘Our distraction. Get ready, I’ll prime it now. And by prime, I mean light this shoelace.’

Sophia nodded, and watched him disappear upstairs. She jumped in the driver’s seat of the Prius and, with Damien keeping a lookout, moved the car into position. She gave herself a good 150 feet from the bottom of the ramp. She only had to wait a few minutes before Jay came sprinting through the parking lot.

Damien opened a door for him and jumped in the front seat himself. Sophia kept the engine running as Jay launched himself into the back. He shut the door. And then silence.

‘How long?’ Sophia said.

Jay held a finger to his lips. He listened intently.

‘Damien, use your enhanced hearing,’ Sophia said.

‘Trust me,’ Jay said, ‘you—’

The explosion echoed through the parking lot, and probably along half of First Avenue. She could hear glass shattering. It sounded like Jay had blown up half the UN headquarters’ lobby.

‘That was all from one can of Coke?’ Damien said.

In the rear-vision mirror, she saw Jay lick a finger and touch his chest with a hissing sound.

She hit the gas, throwing Jay back into his seat. She accelerated up the ramp and around the bend, then eased off. She wanted to keep the Prius at a casual pace for now.

As they emerged above ground, she saw the UN-dressed Elohim congregating around the lobby entrance, PEP rifles pointed towards the roaring fire. Jay’s sticky mixture had splattered across the marble floor and walls, turning the lobby into the mouth of a volcano. With her good arm, Sophia steered the Prius towards the gap in the concrete barriers.

‘Any attention?’ she asked.

‘Nah,’ Jay said from the back seat. ‘All good in the hood.’

Sophia moved through the concrete barriers, past the now-closed gate. She didn’t want to try their luck at this gate with so many Elohim nearby.

Further ahead, past the General Assembly building, was another gate on their left. It was likely to be closed too, and manned by a pair of Elohim. They couldn’t just screech out of the place at high speed.

‘Those Elohim in the booth back there didn’t seem too interested,’ Damien said.

‘Don’t speak too soon.’ Sophia pulled up at the northwest gate, pistol on her lap.

Damien fidgeted beside her, unarmed. ‘What’s the plan?’

‘Take them by surprise.’ Sophia pulled on the handbrake.

‘That’s not . . . reeeeeally a plan, Soph,’ Jay said.

‘And don’t get killed,’ she said.

One of the Elohim approached her side. She had no ID to show.

Damien was rummaging through the glove box. He handed over a laminated parking permit. ‘It’s all I could find.’

It would have to do.

Sophia wound down her window and shoved the pistol under her thigh. Before the Elohim had a chance to say anything, she offered him the parking permit. She only had a second before the Elohim realized it wasn’t her UN identification.

As the Elohim took the permit, Sophia opened the car door, slamming it into the Elohim, drew her pistol and shot him. The first shot split the parking permit and struck him in the chest. He was likely wearing a bullet-resistant vest but it still knocked the wind out of him. The second round went straight through the man’s chinstrap. From inside the Prius, it sounded like a harmless cap gun.

Sophia didn’t need to give any commands. Everyone knew exactly what to do.

Jay shoved his pistol in his waistband and jumped out of the car. As soon as the Elohim dropped, he scooped up the PEP rifle and fired straight into the gate booth, shattering the glass and paralyzing the second Elohim. The sound was far from covert; it reverberated across First Avenue.

‘Sometimes I think you’re just trying to make as much noise as possible,’ Sophia said.

Jay offered his pistol to Damien, but instead Damien slid across the Prius’s hood and ran for the second Elohim’s PEP rifle. He disappeared inside the booth. A second later, the gate was opening.

Sophia released the handbrake.

The gate opened one-eighth of its full span, then stopped.

‘Shit,’ Jay said, facing east. ‘We have a fuck-off number of Elohim coming our way.’

He took cover behind the Prius.

Sophia checked her rear-vision mirror and confirmed Jay’s announcement: twelve UN-helmeted Elohim. All carrying PEP rifles.

Damien was still inside the booth. Through the broken glass, he said, ‘The gate’s stuck!’

‘How the fuck?’ Jay said.

‘They’ve cut the power,’ Sophia said. She got out of the car and crouched beside Jay.

‘Through the gate, Soph,’ he said. ‘We’ll cover you.’

Before Sophia could reply, an infrared pulse smashed into the Prius, shattering the windows with a glittering blue-green ball of plasma. The windshield was the only thing left intact.

She checked herself. No cuts, no paralysis. The first thing most people did when they experienced shock was to stop breathing, but she was trained to do the opposite—to take in even more oxygen. Since escaping the building, her shot lung had been gradually healing. It still burned to breathe, but it was keeping up with her so far. And her injured arm had more range of movement now. Good, she thought. If she was going to get out of this mess, she’d need two working arms and lungs.

She checked Jay beside her. He wasn’t hurt or paralyzed either. He returned a shot in the Elohim’s direction, forcing them to split into two teams of six. But they weren’t slowing down.

She ran for the gate. It was open just enough for her to squeeze through. On the other side of First Avenue, she spotted a small NYPD barricade blocking off a one-way street. It might’ve been small, but it was overcrowded with police officers. She counted at least ten.

Moving left, she put a hedge and abandoned bus between her and the Elohim, who were no longer in her line of sight. That aside, there was a good half a mile stretch between the major barricades. And she was right in the middle. It was eerily empty, except for litter, discarded banners and bits of glass.

Four NYPD officers approached her from the small barricade. Three were carrying riot shotguns and one had a taser. While the bus separated her from the Elohim, there was nothing between her and the officers. They approached her in a wide arc, cutting her off from the major barricade uptown. She had no choice but to run. Downtown.

They were pushing her towards the major barricade 200 yards away. But on her right was a monstrous glass skyscraper—the United Nations University Office. The front entry had revolving doors. Depending on the floor plan, she’d have up to three possible exits, north, south and west, with four elevator cores, and two fire escape stairwells in case the underground parking lot was her only escape.

As she ran towards the building, she heard the roar of a diesel engine behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see a white Land Cruiser behind the police officers. The officers split up, letting the Cruiser through. As the Cruiser moved past them, a small cylindrical object dropped out of its window and bounced along the concrete. Flashbang.

The Cruiser accelerated hard.

Sophia turned away from it, covered her face and ears with her good arm. A loud bang reverberated across First Avenue. When she opened her eyes, the Cruiser was driving right for her. In its wake, riot police staggered and sprawled.

She recognized the driver: Benito. And the passenger, Nasira.

What the hell were they doing here?

She didn’t care. She sprinted for the Cruiser. Shockwaves of superheated air blossomed on the concrete behind her. At her four o’clock, Elohim emerged in front of the crashed Speedhawk, their PEP rifles aimed in her direction.

She sprinted faster. Her healing lung burned to keep up. Riot police closed in behind her, side by side with Elohim. She heard tear-gas canisters clatter just a few paces behind her. She had to get to the Cruiser.

Another shockwave exploded on her right, blowing out the back windows of the abandoned bus. Beyond it, she saw Damien inside the booth and Jay behind it, trying to keep the Elohim pinned down. Given there were only two of them, she knew the Elohim would outmaneuver them in no time.

The stunned riot police behind the Cruiser were getting back to their feet. It occurred to her that Benito and Nasira wouldn’t be able to slow the Cruiser down for her to climb inside. There were too many riot police officers and Elohim in the mix, and they were closing fast. That left only one option.

As if reading her mind, Benito pointed to the roof of the Cruiser.

You crazy son of a bitch, she thought.

He accelerated.

Sophia sprinted head-on towards the Cruiser. She had to time this well. A moment before the Cruiser hit her, she jumped. Over the hood.

As she leaped, she saw a flash from the corner of her vision. Something hit the Cruiser’s front, followed by a viscous shockwave. Benito ducked below the dashboard. The windshield shattered. The shockwave struck her. It felt like she’d hit concrete, but she was still flying. Her feet never touched the hood. In desperation, she reached out for the sunroof. Her fingers brushed the edges but refused to grip. It was then she realized that the shockwave had paralyzed her mid-jump.

Nasira’s hands shot out from the sunroof and clamped down on Sophia’s arm. In one quick movement, she pulled her arm inside and held tight. Sophia found herself pinned chest-down atop the Cruiser, unable to do anything except hope for the best.

Ahead, the riot police and the Elohim were taking aim at the Cruiser.

Benito hit the gas and the Cruiser punched through. The Elohim dived off to the side. No shockwaves this time.

Sophia felt the Cruiser decelerate. Benito was slowing on purpose, the momentum sliding Sophia’s paralyzed body in through the sunroof. Nasira guided her into the back seat as best she could. Sophia wanted to tell them about Damien and Jay, but her lips wouldn’t work.

Nasira lobbed another flashbang out the window. While both Nasira and Benito covered their eyes and ears, the only thing Sophia could do was blink. She shut her eyes tight. The flashbang detonated right behind the Cruiser. Her eyes and ears ached. When she opened her eyes, Nasira had turned in her seat to buckle her in. One side of Nasira’s face was decorated with tiny cuts from the obliterated windshield.

Through the window beside her, Sophia watched the riot police close in. They were almost in range. Benito hit the brakes and slipped to neutral, then punched straight into reverse and hit the gas. The nearer Elohim scattered to get clear as he reversed uptown. He was heading straight for the Elohim who were only now getting to their feet. Sophia saw them reach for their PEP rifles. This was going to be close. She hoped Benito would be quick enough.

One of the Elohim was faster than the others. He had his rifle in both hands and was already aiming towards the Cruiser. He fired.

With elbows bent and thumbs outside the steering wheel, Benito whipped the Cruiser around. It lurched to one side. The Elohim scattered to avoid it. Sophia saw the infrared pulse hit the concrete beside her. It exploded into a ball of brilliant turquoise plasma, the loud boom almost deafening her.

Nasira took another flashbang from the glove compartment. What did she have in there—a party pack? With Benito still reversing at high speed, Nasira dropped the flashbang onto the hood. It rolled off, bounced over concrete.

The Elohim regrouped. There was nothing to protect the Cruiser from the PEP rifles. A direct hit now and it would all be over. The Elohim brought their rifles to eye-level, only to lower them again when they saw the flashbang bouncing towards them. They dispersed, running from the flashbang and from the Cruiser. It was mostly open ground. There was no cover.

Sophia closed her eyes before the flash, then opened them a moment later. Benito whipped the steering wheel clockwise. The front of the Cruiser swung around. Clutch in, he shifted to neutral, then declutched. While straightening the wheel, he grabbed first gear and punched the Cruiser straight through the NYPD barricade. Riot shields bounced over the hood as the police officers scattered.

Sophia blinked. Only moments ago he’d scooped her through the sunroof and then pulled a perfect J-turn through the intersection of First and East Forty-Seventh without even slowing down.

‘Your rally car skills just paid off,’ she said.

Nasira looked over her shoulder, realizing Sophia could speak. ‘Welcome back,’ she said.

Sophia tested her arms. She could move too.

‘We have to go back,’ she said. ‘Damien and Jay are pinned down.’