Page 77 of Anarchy Missing

“What did they do?”

“They rewrote the code and gave the power company a new set of operating instructions. Everything still works, but it won’t come online and if we try to force it, some people think it might self-destruct. Corrupt all the code and take it offline for… well, months, maybe. We can’t risk it. Months without power? Can you imagine what that city would degenerate into?”

“Who would be able to do something like that?” And then it hits me. Her boyfriend. Lincoln Wade is supposed to be some kind of genius hacker, right?

She reads my mind and turns away. “It’s not us, Lulu. None of what’s been happening down in Cathedral City is because of us. And I’m not saying we don’t have plans for that city.” She sends me a sidelong glance over her shoulder. “And if you report that to your boss, I’ll deny it. We do have plans. But not these plans. It’s not us.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - CASE

It’s so beautiful. It’s never looked more beautiful. The mountains around Cathedral City stand tall like a wall made by the gods. And I guess the first thing people ask themselves about a wall is… who are they trying to keep out?

But I’ve known for a long, long time that’s not the right question.

Who are they trying to keep in?

“Case?” It’s Sheila’s voice. Is it strange that a machine—or maybe even just the essence of a machine, when you really think about it—has a voice?

Focus, Case.

“Case?” she asks again. “I think you should open your eyes.”

I don’t think I have eyes anymore. And if I do, they’re about as far open as they get.

The looming mountains with the thunderhead clouds that seem to be perpetually billowing over them. The tall, brightly-lit buildings dominating the center of the valley. The ebb and flow of traffic across the side streets, and main streets, and freeways—all moving towards a destination like pre-programmed ground drones.

And the people?

Who cares about the people? The people are the problem.

“Open your eyes, Case.” Sheila’s urging is more insistent now.

I can see everything.

“Hey, buddy?” Linc’s voice with a strategic hand on my shoulder. “You’re OK now. Wake up, man. This is getting old. I’d like to go upstairs and get a beer and fuck my soon-to-be wife.”

That halts the imagery floating through my subconscious. “Wife?” I croak out.

A trio of soft exhaled breaths laced with relief fills the quiet space around me.

“We were gonna keep it a secret just a little longer, but yeah, man. It’s gonna be a big party and you need to be there, you know? I couldn’t possibly get married without you.”

Who cares about the people?

I shake my head and immediately regret it when a wave of nausea hits my stomach, making me roll over and grasp at my gut.

“Whoa,” Thomas says, blocking my attempt to roll off the hard, operating room chair. “Just take it easy. Try the eyeballs first, Case. Then we can discuss what comes next.”

“We’re going to sedate you again, Case.” Sheila is back. “That was phase one. We had to make sure you were still in there before we turn the nanites on.”

Fucking nanites. I forgot about that.

“Open your eyes, Case.” Lincoln’s good-natured joking about marrying Molly is gone now. He’s back to business.

I do. I open them and the Cathedral City dreamworld fades away. “How the fuck did I get here?”

“Lulu called me in a panic,” Thomas says. “She found you naked, up on the roof, lying in a pool of blood. What the hell were you doing?”

Ah, fuck. I take a few seconds to wonder how much I should say, and in that time my mind starts to go fuzzy again.

“Later,” Sheila says. “I need to get the nanites started. We need to know what the hell is happening to him. Then maybe we can talk about why it’s happening.”

“Sounds good to me,” I say. In my head, at least. It comes out so garbled, the words so mutilated, I doubt they even understand me.

Who cares about the people, Case?

Right. Who cares? The people are the problem.