'Yeah, it's possible. But until it is, you've got to stay away from there. Count on them watching the place twenty-four/seven.'
'Yes, Eddie,' Weezy said, stepping closer to him. 'If-'
He leaned back. 'Don't get too close. I need a shower something awful.'
'You've got a stall shower here and I bought you a change of clothes.'
Jack said, 'Listen, Eddie. If the virus works, or even only partially works, there's going to be one pissed-off world out there, and the Order doesn't want anyone-especially one of its own members-pointing a finger at it. They'll do anything to silence you.'
Eddie nodded. 'Okay, okay. I'm not stupid.' Then he raised his hands. 'All right, maybe I am for mentioning the virus to the wrong person. But I've learned my lesson about underestimating the Order.'
'You've got to put distance between you and your money too,' Weezy added.
'But the rent-'
'I've got that covered.'
'I've got cash-'
'Which will set off all sorts of alarms if you try to use it to pay rent. We can straighten all that out later. Meanwhile I'll show you how to use ATMs without being tracked.'
'Where'd you learn that?' He raised a hand as he glanced at Jack. 'Never mind.'
Jack's phone rang then. He checked the ID in the window.
'Hey, Gia. How'd you do?'
'I got us on the 3:45 out of Des Moines.'
'Great.'
At least he hoped it was great. And hoped Veilleur was right about Rasalom waiting until the botnet was maxed.
'That's the good news.'
'Uh-oh. What's the bad?'
'A long layover in Chicago. We won't get in till eleven.'
Jack did the math: Subtracting an hour for the time-zone change, that meant more than six hours in transit. Lots of time for things to go wrong.
'Not sure I like that. Nothing earlier?'
'Not a thing. Believe me, I tried. Something wrong?'
'Maybe you should stay.'
'No, Jack. I already switched the flights and we're coming back. It's in my head now-both of our heads: We want to be home.'
'And I want you home, but-'
'We're coming. Flight three-forty-six, American. You'll pick us up?'
He could see he wasn't going to talk her out of it. 'Of course.'
They chatted a bit longer, then ended the call. He snapped the phone closed with a gnawing foreboding.
Veilleur, he thought, you'd damn well better delay that virus. At least until tomorrow.
After that, his ladies would be home where he could watch over them.
7
'Looks like they might pull it off,' Jack said.
Abe swallowed a bite of the hot pastrami on rye Jack had brought him. Jack wasn't eating. Not hungry.
'Pull? Who? What?'
'The Order. Looks like they may be bringing down the Net. Munir thinks they can do it.'
'When?'
'Maybe this weekend.'
'Oy. So soon? What can I expect?'
'According to Munir, a real mess. Business-'
'Business, schmizzness. What about social order and such?'
Jack and he had had long discussions about civilization. Abe thought it was a veneer, easily stripped away. Jack disagreed, believing there were lots of civilized people about. Trouble was, those folks had no clue how to handle the wolves among them.
'Depends on how badly communications are hit, I suppose. I think things will hold together.'
'But not your friend, the Lady.'
Jack felt a wave of sadness. 'No, I'm afraid not. She'll be dead.'
'Well, she's not really alive, is she?'
True, but…
'She is to me. I first knew her as Mrs. Clevenger, and Mrs. Clevenger was a real person as far as I was concerned. And now that she's been stuck in this grandmotherly mode instead of switching her looks, she's more of a person than ever.'
'I'm sorry for your coming loss.'
Silence settled between them. Finally Abe broke it.
'So… we should maybe head for the hills?'
'We? I've got Gia and Vicky coming back from the middle of nowhere tonight.'
'After you gather them to your bosom, then-the hills?'
The hills… Abe's code name for his hideaway in the wilds of Pennsylvania. He'd been predicting an economic holocaust and subsequent social and civic meltdown for as long as Jack had known him. The economy had crashed, though inflation hadn't achieved the Weimar levels Abe had envisioned. Civilization, such as it was, had managed to remain intact.
'I don't think that will be necessary… yet.'
' 'Yet'? What's this 'yet' already?'
'Well, there's the Change.'
'Ah… the Change. This is where you lose me. This is where you start to sound a little farblondjet in the head.'
'You accept the Lady but not the rest?'
'The Lady, well, I can buy the noosphere-that's rational and makes a certain amount of sense-but this Otherness-Ally business… maybe you're buying into some narishkeit.'
Jack frowned. He'd listened to Abe talk for so many years that he understood most of his expressions. This was a new one.
'You got me on that one.'
'It means nonsense, foolishness.'
'Yeah, well, a couple of years ago, I'd have said the same. But I've seen too much. I mean even the rakoshi could have a rational explanation-like mutants, or something. But even if I'd had any doubts left, the Fhinntmanchca blew them away.'
'Let me keep my doubts, already. I'll sleep better.' He looked around. 'Speaking of sleeping, maybe I'll sleep here tonight.'
'Downstairs?'
'Where else?'
Jack had seen the bunk Abe kept in the armory downstairs. It looked a little small for him, but he didn't mention that.
'Yeah, well, short of a fire, I guess you'll be safe down there.'
'Even with a fire, I'll be safe. You want some ammo while you're here? You may need it if things fall apart for a while.'
Jack hesitated, then, 'What the hell. Might as well stock up.'
'They say you can have too much of a good thing. They're wrong. Ammo is a good thing and there's no such
