Page 153
I wonder where Eva and Barron are right now. Does the Golden Vigil have them, or Abbot and his people? It’s nice to know they’re fucked no matter what.
I look over at Howard. His face smears like the city lights and I’m afraid for a second that I’m going to black out. But I pull it together and push myself back into a better sitting position where I can feel the wind.
I say, “Howard.”
“What?”
“What are you going to do with immortality? I always wanted to know how you plan out something like that. What are you going to do with yourself? Learn to play the piano? Then what? Learn to paint? Then what? Learn to sail? Go skydiving? Wrestle gators in Florida for tourists? How do you spend forever?”
He smiles, delighted by the question.
“All of those things and more,” he says. “You see, you and your friends are bound by time. You’re linear thinkers. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. I’m not bound by time. I can let my imagination roam freely. The first thing I’ll do is put Wormwood back together again, bigger and better than before. I’ll pursue my study of magic. Can you imagine what that will be like? A magician with all the time in the world and all the resources of Wormwood at his disposal. In a hundred years, I’ll be running this whole bloody planet. After that? Who knows?”
I watch the stars streak by.
“At least you’ve kept your modesty,” I say. “It’s your best quality.”
“That’s just the thing. I don’t need to think in ordinary ways anymore. Modesty. Ego. Benevolence. Malevolence. All the old definitions and mores fall away when your future is infinite. I’ll have to invent a whole new way of being.”
“It’s going to get lonely, don’t you think?”
He considers that for a minute.
“I’ll allow for a few more of my type. Just a few carefully selected individuals who can grasp the enormity of this gift.”
My eyes are getting better. I can focus again. The wind is really helping me feel alive again. I look around at the buildings and the nearby cars.
“Hey, Superman,” I say. “Have you checked the traffic lately?”
“It’s not too heavy. We’re making good time.”
“That’s not what I mean, shithead. I mean have you looked at what’s around us?”
He checks the mirrors and looks side to side.
“Cars. Trucks. Vans. What are you getting at?”
I look around again. Twist around so I can see the rearview.
“There are two unmarked vans on either side of us and at least one behind us.”
He glances at me.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the faction found us.”
He looks around again.
“How?”
“How the fuck do I know? Spy satellites? Facial recognition pigeons on the freeway signs? Ballerinas with Uzis? What does it matter? Just hit the fucking accelerator.”
“But I don’t drive. Not often. I have a chauffeur.”
“Of course you do,” I sigh. “If you can’t drive, then get off the freeway. Maybe we can lose them in the streets.”
“Will they let me?” he says. There’s real fear in his voice.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153 (Reading here)
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182