He stepped into Drexler's office without knocking because he knew it drove the uptight prick crazy.
'Well?' he said. 'When does it start?'
Drexler sat behind his desk, hands steepled, tips of his index fingers against his lips. His tie was loose, and he looked uncharacteristically disheveled, as if he hadn't slept all night. Hank had slept like the proverbial baby.
As Drexler, seemingly lost in thought, looked up, his eyes focused. 'What?'
He didn't even seem annoyed at Hank's intrusion. What was on his mind?
'The Change.' Hank stepped to the window and gazed at the jammed traffic below. 'Look at it out there. Chaos! We've brought the whole damn city to a halt. We did our part, now your pal's got to do his.'
Drexler gave him a long look. ' 'Got to'? You're going to tell the One what he's 'got' to do?'
'Well, not to his face. But the Net is down, and that means he's got a clear field to bring the Others back.'
'Not unless the Lady is down as well.'
'The Lady? Who's the Lady?'
Drexler looked like a kid who'd blurted something he shouldn't have.
'Nothing. Just a figure of speech.'
'Yeah? Why don't I believe you?'
'What you believe is not my concern.'
'You said all that was standing between the One and the Change was the Internet. Now you're talking about some lady. I think I got a right to know what gives.'
'A figure of speech. Like the expression, 'It's not over until the fat lady sings.' There is no fat lady. It's just an expression.'
'Like hell.'
'Mister Thompson, I find you especially vexing today. Please leave. Now.'
Hank was tempted to tell him to shove it, but he reminded himself, once again, that this building he and the Kickers occupied belonged to the Order, and Drexler was the Order's guy. Yeah, he'd leave, but not without a parting shot.
'Sure. I was leaving anyway. But you know what, I don't particularly care whether your fat lady sings or not. We killed the Internet. If that's all that happens, if it doesn't lead to the Change, fine. That's enough for me and Kickerdom.' He'd come up with that word recently and loved it. 'Because it pushes people one step closer to dissimilation. It forces them to realize that too much interconnectedness is a trap.'
'Leave,' Drexler said.
Hank left. He had things to do. Hadn't made any plans for cashing in on the Internet crash. The Change was supposed to follow close on its heels, but maybe it wouldn't. If not, he had to mobilize Kickerdom to get out and about and start securing converts.
Change or no Change, both presented opportunities, and Hank wasn't going to let them pass him by.
5
We killed the Internet.
What an idiot, Ernst thought as he watched the door swing closed behind Thompson.
Even though everything had gone according to plan, the Internet was not dead. He knew better than to think they could ever kill it. That would mean damaging it beyond repair, and that was not possible. It would be up and running in some limited form within a week or two, and soon after that would be back to near-normal activity.
Damaged and knocked unconscious, but not dead.
Questions swirled through his brain as he swiveled his chair to face the window. He put his feet up on the sill and leaned back. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept at all last night and he wasn't getting any younger.
How long must the Internet stay down to have the desired effect? How much time did the One require to begin the Change? How long would it take to restore the Lady after an inevitably revived Internet began pumping life again into the noosphere? And would it matter then? Would it be too late?
Only the One knew. Or did he? This was all terra incognita to him as well. Never before had the Change been so imminent. Perhaps he was as much in the dark as Ernst.
The Change…
Uncertainty, a novel emotion in his life, had plagued him since giving the word to unleash the virus. His life had been focused toward this moment. And now that it was here, he felt no triumph, only unease. He had to admit that he liked this life. He had power, position, privilege. He was privy to the forces that shaped history. And he was going to trade all that for… what?
The Change? Supposedly he would become one of the forces that would change the course of history-end history, in fact.
But what did that mean? Did anyone-even the One-know? The suspense was killing him. If only 'You have failed me.'
Ernst vaulted from his chair with a yelp of shock. He whirled to find the One standing on the far side of his desk, his expression grim, his eyes ebon eternities of fury. Fear deeper than Ernst had ever known glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth.
When he finally tore it free he managed a weak, 'Failed?'
'She persists,' he said, finishing with a prolonged hiss as he leaned over the desk.
Ernst repressed an urge to step back. 'But the Internet is down. We succeeded-'
The One's voice remained low; Ernst almost wished he would shout.
'Was the end of the Internet the goal? No. It was elimination of the Lady. And the Lady persists. Therefore you have failed.'
Ernst's heart began to pound.
'I did my part. We agreed that strangling the Internet's input was supposed to finish what the Fhinntmanchca began. I delivered on what I promised.'
'And yet she endures. I have wasted months waiting for this scheme of yours to bear fruit. It has not. It has proved worthless. Just as you have proved worthless.'
For a heartbeat, he feared the One was going to attack him-strangle him, snap his spine, hurl him through the window… a parade of agonizing possibilities marched through his mind.
But he did not. He simply trained his depthless black gaze on Ernst for what seemed like an eternity.
Suddenly, to Ernst's shock, he smiled.
'Fortunate for you, this meeting might have ended differently had not something wonderful happened yesterday.'
Ernst found his voice. 'Wonderful?'
'Yes!' The One became animated, almost giddy. 'Something I should have suspected, but never dreamed possible!'
And then… he laughed. Ernst had never heard him laugh, never imagined he could.
'What-?'
'You wouldn't-couldn't understand, but it almost makes up for your failure. Yesterday I learned something that changes evvvvvverything.'
And just as suddenly, his mood darkened. In a blindingly fast move, he reached across the desk and grabbed Ernst by the throat, lifting him off the ground as his fingers squeezed.
'But that does not mitigate your abject failure. You still might prove useful, otherwise…'
The last word hung in the air between them.
Ernst forced his words past the choking fingers.
'I've… dedicated… my life-'
The One's grip tightened, cutting him off.
'At last I can take direct action. I may call on you and your Order for minor logistical support, but now that I am free to act, I will take matters into my own hands. I will finish this myself.'
With that he hurled Ernst across the office. The back of his head struck the wall with brain-jarring force,
