The Prisoner - Carlos J. Cortes [0]
Perfect Circle
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To Shawna
acknowledgments
Most books, I have discovered, are collaborative efforts, drawing on the wisdom of a host of clever people, and this novel is no exception. I would like to thank:
S. J. Thomas for reading the arcane of my early draft and straightening it with her editorial guidance, comments, and endless revisions that only a talented writer can suggest. That her belief and insight never flagged is beyond me. Thank you for being there.
Everyone at Spectra. Anne Groell, besides being a gran bruja, proved herself an editor worthy of her towering reputation. Kathy Lord, my copy editor, has the patience of a saint and the eyes of an eagle. Stacks of their notes that I pile on my desk silently remind me what a lucky writer I am.
Kristin Lindstrom for her support and frequent scolds. She’s simply the best agent a writer can hope for.
Perry Lindstrom for guiding me through the maze of the American government and sharing Rioja, cheese, friendship, and dirty jokes.
Luis Cano for his computer savvy and his encyclopedic knowledge of hacking.
Jim Giammatteo, scientist-head hunter extraordinaire and fellow writer, for his advice.
Luis José Jacobo for his hospitality and priceless gossip on issues relating to the Dominican Republic.
I’m especially indebted to the fearless fraternity of urban explorers on three continents, and those who read the sewer chapters to offer priceless insights, in particular:
Max Action, from Actionsquad, in Minneapolis. I not only picked his brain for countless details about sewer networks but also shamelessly stole a word he coined: “snotsicles.” Thank you, Max.
Steve Duncan from Undercity for his precious knowledge of rats, roaches, and the atmosphere of deep sewers.
Greg Luzteka from Silentuk for sharing the finer aspects of brickwork.
Erik Norris, aka Umbra, from The Vanishing Point for pointing out the right terminology and countless other details.
My guides to the Barcelona, Rome, and Paris sewers: Jordi Salas, Enric Bonet, and Carlos Parra.
My everlasting gratitude to the Lord of the Moscow sewers and the rest of the Russian gang who need to remain anonymous.
author’s note
The Prisoner is a work of fiction, but the science underlying human hibernation exists.
Teams of scientists, both in the United States and in Europe, are at present actively engaged in human hibernation research.
Just like the discovery of fireworks led inevitably to the cannon, human hibernation, if conquered, will most likely change the world as we know it.
day one
Inferno, Canto III: 7–9
Before me nothing but eternal things were made,
and I endure eternally.
Abandon every hope, who enter here.
The Divine Comedy, DANTE ALIGHIERI
chapter 1
17:02
“Remain calm and follow the instructions.”
Laurel Cole sniffed. Calm? How can anyone about to die remain calm?
The truck’s enclosure had a subtle smell ingrained in its polished steel surfaces and expanded metal grilles—a smell no amount of steam and disinfectant could remove. It was the odor of fear, of sweat tinged with a whiff of feces and vomit.
There was a shudder, a hollow thud, and the hiss of hydraulic bolts locking; the rear of the truck had coupled against the building. Overhead, the speaker continued its monotonous mantra. “Remain calm.”
Laurel blinked. Although it was outside her field of vision, she knew every step to dock the vehicle against the admissions entrance of the prison complex. Shepherd had explained the procedure more than once and with the matter-of-fact tone of firsthand experience.
Do people scream? In retrospect, it had been a foolish question, but Laurel had asked her trainer—the man she knew only as “Shepherd”—anyway. He didn’t know but offered a warning instead: Whoever opens his or her mouth