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"Like energy it can neither be destroyed nor created, only transformed."
I turned away to watch the stage. The podiums and cameras were in place, and
the crew had left the stage. A hush permeated the concert hall, which was
filled to capacity. Nearly everyone had taken a seat.
"Do you know what time it is?" I asked Raphael.
"Six on the dot," he said.
The lights dimmed, and a young man stepped out onto the stage. Clearing his
throat nervously, he said, "Reverend Letourneau's plane has been delayed."
The crowd rippled with disapproval.
"It should only be a matter of minutes," the nervous aide assured the
audience. "Rabbi-Senator Grey has nobly offered to begin with his opening
remarks."
From where we stood, I could see the senator standing behind a heavy velvet
traveler curtain. Like his name, his hair and beard were a steely gray. Though
his body was trim and athletic, he looked at least sixty, perhaps older. Even
from a distance, I could see the sharp glitter of his eyes; he looked
meaningfully at the four of us, as though he understood the significance of
our presence.
The crowd rumbled again. Like a roll of thunder, the noise started in the far
end of the hall, growing louder and angrier as it moved up the rows.
"It's starting," I murmured, watching as the back row staggered to their feet.
The maliciousness of
Letour-neau's plan made me laugh. "That bastard. LINK-Michael will cause a
riot, and then some stand-in for Letourneau will show up just in time to
pretend to calm the beast, making it look like
Letourneau saved the day. Clever. Evil, but clever."
"What should we do?" Raphael asked.
"Keep the rabbi from physical harm," I said, pointing at Grey. "I'm going to
see if I can distract the
LINK-angel before any damage gets done."
The angels leapt up onto the stage as one. They made a strange sight: Muslim
in turban and tux; Israeli
Jew in full military uniform; and Asian New Age drag queen striding
purposefully toward where Grey waited in the wings. To his credit, Grey seemed
unafraid.
Security met the angels halfway across the stage, but was quickly distracted
by the possessed audience swelling toward the podiums.
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I settled into a crouch in the corner where the stage met the wall. Attaching
the filament to my receiver, I
entered the uniform.
Page?
I scanned the uniform's contents for the AI.
Here, the page said, popping into view. Still the small mouse, his avatar
looked rested. His whiskers quivered, testing the air.
What's going on out there?
Michael has
... I choked at the mention of his name, my mouth drying like a desert plain.
I swallowed my grief, and started over.
The LINK-angel has been released. I'm going to try to stop it.
The mouse shook his head, and this tail quivered in fear.
What are you going to do, Dee?
I sighed, but squared my shoulders. /
don't really know. I'm hoping it will come to me.
The mouse icon blinked. A shake of its furry head transformed the mouse into a
human image, with a face full of bewilderment.
That's your grand plan? It'll come to me'? Great. We're screwed.
You have a better idea?
The page's face scrunched up in thought. He was silent for mere seconds, and I
wondered how many scenarios the page was able to run in that time.
How about a blackout?
Can you do that?
^«-
/
have access to Mouse's power connections, but I can't affect anything in the
physical world.
An idea sparked, and hope surged briefly in my heart.
So, what you're saying is that we need some terrorists. Someone who could,
say, physically smash the black boxes in the subway system.
I was thinking of Rebeckah or even the Gorgons.
The page frowned. //
LINK-Michael has been unleashed, it might be difficult for me to get a message
to anyone.
I'll worry about that. You do what you can to screw up Mouse's system.
The page beamed with pleasure.
Okay. Sounds like now you've got a plan.
I nodded, even though the page couldn't really see the expression. We opened
the connection to the
LINK. Darkness subdued the usual glitter of the space. The angel's presence
oozed around us, dampening the normal vibrancy of the space.
Shit, the page whispered beside me.
This is worse than I imagined.
Go, I said.
I'll get the message to Rebeckah.
With a cascade of light, the page disappeared into the ether. I stepped out
into the LINK. The
LINK-Michael had infected the crowd through the entertainment and news
channel. My avatar interpreted the sensation by showing thick, slimy tentacles
undulating through the ceiling of a tunnel and disappearing into the floor.
The air held a charred smell, like wet burned toast. I grabbed the nearest
feeler and yanked hard. Moist flesh slithered through my fingers.
You're not going to make this easy for me, are you, Mouse?
I said. This time I punched at the waving palp. Continuing to pull and punch,
I danced through the narrow band, calling him out.
Are you afraid to fight me? Are you scared I'm going to kick your ass just
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like I did PhanueVs?
That got a reaction. Rearing out of the floor, two tentacles reached out.
Their slippery wetness enveloped me. Curling around the body of my avatar, the
feelers hugged me tightly. At first the feeling was welcoming and warm dark,
but not threatening, like snuggling under a feather comforter at night.
Suffocating heaviness descended next. Panic rose in my throat, but the
pressure in my skull squeezed tightly, pushing my consciousness deeper and
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