Название: Villain
Автор: Майкл Грант
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Учебная литература
Серия: The Monster Series
isbn: 9781780317670
isbn:
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
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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