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THE GENESIS FLAME

Regret warred with Malcolm’s sense of betrayal. The part
of him that loved Callie hated being this way with her. But he
couldn’t a¤ord to ignore another part of him, one that had been
betrayed by friends and had watched other friends die.
“No armor,” Valentine stated. “Find another way.”
Callie pursed her lips. “I suppose I could activate its passive
mode. That’s how I took those ‡rst hits from the Destroyer. Even
deactivated, it gives some protection.”
“How can it counteract your people’s surveillance?” Asha
asked.
Callie hesitated. “My armor isn’t exactly standard issue. It’s
designed more for stealth and speed than heavy combat, which
means lots of digital countermeasures. Believe me, I’m good at
this. They used to call me—”
She cut o¤, showing instant regret.
“Call you what?” John prodded.
With a sigh, Callie closed her eyes. “They used to call me
Oblivion’s Kiss.”
Malcolm fell back in his seat. He had seen enough movies
to know what a name like that meant. “You’re an assassin.”
“I was an assassin.”
Another bombshell. Yet, the biggest thing Malcolm felt was
regret, knowing what his dad’s face would look like on hearing
the truth. Right now, though, they had a friend to save.
“Do you have to wear the bracelet for it to work?”
“No.”
The twins exchanged a look, and Valentine handed the
device to Callie. With a few taps on seemingly random spots,
she ‡nished by pressing the second red gem and handed it back.

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