Book Three: Double Feature — 15.

Donna spends two days in isolation, denied information and tormented over Van’s fate. A chirpy operator reveals Van is “resting comfortably,” then threatens further torture, deepening Donna’s fury. On the third day, Nurse Lansing and Salem escort Donna from the underground levels to the surface, revealing a fortified compound at the Cherokee Island Federal Virology Research and Response Center.

Outside, Donna sees helicopters, armed guards, and Joe Valentine with Van—vacant and unresponsive. Dr. Patrick fits Donna with a microphone, claiming they seek cooperation. When Donna notes it’s March 3, she warns they all have six weeks to live, rattling Patrick. Valentine lays down strict rules before allowing Donna and Van a supervised beach walk under Salem and Little Rock’s guns.

On the beach, Van describes the waterboarding and predicts their captors will abandon restraint despite Mr. Francis’s current protocol. He shares what he’s confessed: that they summoned King Sorrow for killings including Jayne Nighswander and Ronnie Volpe, and that the Greenland missile barely harmed Sorrow. Donna infers he has not revealed Colin. They speak in their oblique twin shorthand, preserving crucial secrets.

Van reflects on his exploitative book about BA238, his manipulations, and his failures with Allie, burdened by shame and convinced he might trade truth for brief mercy. Donna counters, naming their captors as the true villains, insisting on his worth, and refusing surrender. Van finds a sand dollar, discards it, and wonders if Allie might be safer without him.

Donna rejects his defeatism, recounts how he has always been her anchor, and demands he not quit. Their exchange rekindles solidarity. Facing the sea under armed watch, they choose unity and resistance, sealing it with a shared vow: “All hail the King.”