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But at that moment； Nicholas became aware of a movement in the periphery of his vision。 The young boy behind the bo de tree hadn't finished his sweet after all because he was tossing it toward them。
There was an instant when； with the help of his tanjian eye； Nicholas became aware of it all： the black square sailing toward them； Delacroix； stopped in the quiet street； legs planted apart as in a marksman's stance。
In among the sensations of intense peril were the mundane sounds and smells of the early city morning： the incense burning more heavily； the monks chanting their right…minded sutras； the clattering cough of a cyclo starting up； the rumble underfoot of a convoy of trucks on the nearby avenue； the shouts of children； the calls of merchants as they opened their shops； the harsh screech of a bird； alarmed。
Then the object … not the boy's half…eaten sweet at all； but a square of shiny black plastic … hit the pavement near them。 Delacroix's right hand appeared from within his jacket。 In it was a small oblong device with a short rubber antenna； not unlike a mobile phone。 Nicholas leaped at Seiko； away from the black square； which lay shining on the pavement like a rune。
His shoulder hit her； and they both went down。
Delacroix's finger depressed a button on his device。
The world exploded into ten thousand shards； the blast wave hit them and everything went white。
DEMONOLOGY
The god is absent；
His dead leaves are piling；
And all is deserted。
… Basho
110° E。 by 12° N； South China Sea
Winter 1991/Spring 1992
Abramanov was ready to die。 The Tupolev…10 shuddered like a beast that had been shot； and the green sky canted over； making Abramanov's stomach heave。 Dirty gray clouds blew past the Perspex canopy； and rain； hard as buckshot； slammed against the plane's fuselage。
〃Prepare yourself；〃 said Fedorov； the pilot； from just behind him。 〃I have lost partial control。 If I can't regain it； we'll be going down hard。〃
Into the high； curling swells of the storm…battered South China Sea。 A long way down。 Too long。 Abramanov squeezed his eyes shut； the sight of the thin； red finger of land … Vietnam； Fedorov had told him … far closer in his mind than it was out the right side of the aircraft。
He began to pray。
Abramanov had been ready to die for more than a decade； the amount of time he had worked in utter secrecy and isolation in Arzamas…16； a city of atomic merce found on no map in the world。
Less than two hundred miles east of Moscow； Arzamas…16 was； although the nation's collapse appeared near； still the site of the central nuclear…weapons laboratories for what was left of the Soviet Union。 Abramanov； despite being a Jew； had held a top post in Moscow's Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy； where he was viewed by his fellow theorists with equal amounts of awe and suspicion； mainly because he was a genius not only in atomic theory but in theoretical…language design。 His contention was that it wasn't enough to develop new forms of atomic energy if one didn't have the means to harness and deliver them。 puter technology； he had argued； was the only viable method of doing this with such forms of energy that were potentially lethal to human beings。
〃The Jew is brilliant；〃 it was often said of him by his colleagues。 〃Too brilliant for his own good；〃 said V。 I。 Pavlov； who had been dispatched to head Kurchatov by the Central mittee during the spring of 1981 after a particularly nasty purge。 It is my opinion that the State is in jeopardy from such Jews； he wrote in his report of his subsequent shake…up。
Apparently the Central mittee did not disagree with him； because in the summer of 1981； Abramanov had been demoted to Arzamas…16 by this vindictive superior； a notorious anti…Semite； purportedly as a means of quashing Abramanov's budding love affair with a beautiful assistant at Kurchatov。 No official mention was made of nipping his career in the bud。
While V。 I。 Pavlov chuckled at the Jew's exile； Abramanov； until that time a brilliant but servile apparatchik of the Soviet regime； arrived at Arzanias…16 with a plan of his own。 He was not only a genius in his own field of advanced nuclear theory and cybernetics； but was also the kind of visionary on a macro scale rarely seen among humankind。
Almost a decade before it would happen； he had already envisioned the death throes of Soviet munism； the rabid divisiveness of ethnic strife； and the economic collapse of a world superpower whose leader； only some years before； had promised the West； 〃We will bury you。〃
But it was the Soviet Union； Abramanov was convinced； that was to be buried； and he was determined to be one of the first to place a wreath on its grave。 All he had wanted was to be a scion of the State； but the State； grown dense and wanton with corruption； had at last beaten him down。
Also； it had changed him； and it was only now； at the point of death； that Abramanov could look at the past objectively and be grateful。
On his arrival at Arzamas…16 he began to de…emphasize the arms development and evaluation programs at the labs。 In addition； he menced a sub…rosa munication with Douglas Sermana； a brother…in…arms working at the DARPA laboratory for experimental nucleonics in the American； state of Virginia。 DARPA was an acronym for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency； which meant nothing at all to Abramanov； except that his American counterpart had as much money as he needed for his project while Abramanov increasingly had less and less。
Abramanov had met Serman； an American nuclear theorist； at one of the few international conferences he had been allowed to attend when he had been at Kurchatov。 He had been able to strike up a friendship with Serman only because his KGB watchdogs had been intent on keeping him from being 〃contaminated〃 by the Israeli contingent。
Continuing this covert dialogue with his DARPA pal was astonishingly easy for a man of Abramanov's talents。 Day and night the Arzamas…16 plex was emitting bursts of telemetry and carrier…wave transmissions； and Abramanov found it a relatively simple task to hide his private coded munications within these transmissions。
By and large； the subject of Abramanov's clandestine munication with Serman had been the creation of transuranic isotopes heretofore believed to be only theoretical。 And this growing passion had led him to develop the premier high…flux neutron facility in what had then been the Soviet Union。 It was within this facility that 114m had been born。
The Tupolev gave another shudder and began a long； sweeping arc downward through the buffeting grit of the gathering storm。 The sky； black and lethal looking； swung away； from Abramanov； who wished now to peer beyond the clouds at the face of God。 Instead； he twisted in his seat； stared back down the long empty length of the aircraft to where he knew were stowed on either side of the cabin the two cases made of DU； depleted U…238。 He could not keep his thoughts from their abruptly malevolent contents。
The transuranic isotope 114m had been born in the hot cell Abramanov had had built at Arzamas…16。 This was a windowless cubicle with five…foot…thick concrete walls