But she would have plenty of time to ponder all of this later. For now, she needed to bask in what she had accomplished, and the new purpose her life would soon take on. And finally let romance into her life.

“Three hundred thousand dollars and a presidential pardon,” repeated Kyle Hansen as he sat facing her on the bed. “Sounds tempting. Will the pardon include the theft of a book bag, two T-shirts, and two hats from the University of Arizona bookstore?”

“Of course,” replied Erin. “I insisted. It also covers buying a car that’s a crime against eyesight.”

Hansen laughed. “In that case, I’ll take the job,” he said happily. “But I did have one more question. When we were alone in the garage, I thought I heard you say you could see yourself falling in love with me someday. Did I hear that right?”

“What?” said Erin, feigning confusion. “Must be your imagination. I mean, that’s crazy. I’ve only known you like, what, twenty seconds? I guess anything is possible in five or ten years. But me, thinking I might be capable of falling in love with a geeky computer physicist who couldn’t best a wheelchair-bound ninety-year-old woman in hand-to-hand combat? Doesn’t seem likely.” Erin grinned. “But since you brought it up,” she added, “I thought I heard you say something similar.”

Hansen rose from the bed and faced her with a dazzling smile. “I guess we were both under a lot of pressure,” he said in amusement. “Imagine that, both of us letting our imaginations run away with us.” He paused and raised his eyebrows. “But I have an idea. Just to see if our relationship can lead to a … higher level. How about if I agree to change my relationship status to committed?”

“Wow. You make an interesting offer. And I know how important your relationship status is to you.” Erin made a show of rubbing her chin as if this were a tough decision she was mulling over carefully, fighting to stop herself from breaking into laughter.

At that moment she realized she felt more exhilarated than she ever had in her adult life. And it occurred to her that as formidable as the Hive was, the one thing it could never experience was the joy of caring for someone outside of itself. Of being cared for in return. Of sacrificing for others. Of becoming infatuated. Of falling in love.

And while these things could be a source of weakness in humankind, they could be an even greater source of inspiration and strength.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Kyle Hansen,” she said finally, melting into his arms and kissing him warmly.

And the last thought she had, before she was swept up in the passion of the moment and the rational centers of her mind gave way entirely to the sensory experience of the kiss, was that she felt very sorry for the Hive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DOUGLAS E. RICHARDS has been widely praised for his ability to weave action, suspense, and well-researched science into riveting novels that brilliantly straddle the thriller and science fiction genres. He is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Wired, its sequel Amped, and six critically acclaimed adventures for young readers.

A former biotech executive, Richards earned a bachelor of science in microbiology from the Ohio State University and a master’s degree in genetic engineering from the University of Wisconsin (where he engineered mutant viruses that are now named after him). The author currently lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, two children, and two dogs.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

THE CURE

Copyright © 2013 by Douglas E. Richards

All rights reserved.

ExcerptherefromThe Bad Seedby William March. Copyright © 1954 by William March. By permission of Harold Ober Associates Incorporated.

Cover design by Drive Communications, New York

A Forge Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

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New York, NY 10010

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Forge^® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-0-7653-7409-7 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7653-3996-0 (e-book)

e-ISBN 9781466839960

First Edition: September 2013

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Begin Reading

About the Author

Copyright