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First published in Great Britain in 2018
by Electric Monkey, an imprint of Egmont UK Limited
The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN
Published by arrangement with HarperCollins Children’s Books,
a division of HarperCollins Publishers, New York, New York, USA
Text copyright © 2018 Michael Grant
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
First e-book edition 2018
ISBN 978 1 4052 8484 4
Ebook ISBN 978 1 7803 1767 0
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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To my daughter, Clara
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
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And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
—Revelations 13:1–2
California’s governor and legislature are rushing to replace the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, which was destroyed in a battle between police and a superpowered mutant calling himself Knightmare. . . .
—The New York Times
The Port of Los Angeles is still conducting damage assessments following the battle involving several mutant creatures, but early estimates run to the billions of dollars. . . .
—Press Office, Port of Los Angeles
The president has issued a tweet criticizing late-night comedy shows for portraying him as paralyzed in the face of this novel threat. . . .
—Associated Press
Ministry of State Security (MSS)
People’s Republic of China
Electronic Communications Intercept (ECI) #42-8909
The following conversation took place between Deputy Undersecretary of US Homeland Security Peter Stroudwell (PS) and Angela Britten (AB), a senior advisor to the Homeland Security General Counsel, at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
PS: The president has suggested asking the population to take direct action. His words. Direct action.
AB: What action? Does he want the whole country hiding in shelters indefinitely?
PS: Not that kind of action. He’s calling for a Second Amendment solution.
AB: You’re kidding. He’s suggesting every gun nut in the country go on a mutant-killing spree? Come on, Peter, you must know—
PS: Of course I know! Jesus, Angela, why do you think I’m talking to you? You’re in the counsel’s office, you’re a lawyer, you need to do something to head this off.
AB: Right, because I can somehow stop POTUS. I need a drink.
END OF ECI
Madam Chairman, to be honest, we haven’t got the first goddamned clue how to stop these monsters.
—Secret testimony of FBI director
CONTENTS
2: FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS SCREAM ALONE
3: VETERANS OF PAST AND FUTURE WARS
4: AND COMING IN AT NUMBER ONE . . .
6: DO YOU FEEL MY PAIN? HOW ABOUT NOW?
7: THERE’S MORE THAN ONE KIND OF PREDATOR
8: THE SYMBIOSIS OF GOOD AND EVIL
9: TAKE OVER THE WHAT?
Interstitial
ASO-6
10: IT TAKES SIX SECONDS TO FALL FIVE HUNDRED FEET
11: IT’S ONLY PAIN
12: SEMPER FI
13: LETTING THE ANIMALS OUT OF THE ZOO
14: MISSED HIM BY THAT MUCH
15: THE BACTERIUM SCREAMS
16: EVERYTHING’S COMING UP DEKKA
ASO-6
17: THE CHEERIOS OF WAR
18: TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
19: RUTHLESSNESS: NOT JUST FOR SHARKS ANYMORE
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