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If the authorities outside of Moonlight Cove tu there, or if it turned out that virtually every one of the New People was a regressive--or worse--and the Moonhawk Project was a disaster, the remedy would not be poisoned koolaid this time, like Reverend Jim Jones used down there in Jonestown, but lethal commands broadcast in bursts of microwaves, received by microsphere computers inside the New People, instantly translated into the language of the governing program, and acted upon Thousands of hearts would stop as one, The New People would fall, as one, and Moonlight Cove would in an instant becoh the first parking lot, into the second, and headed toward the row of spaces reserved for the top executives

If I wait for Shaddack to see that Moonhawk’s gone bad and to take us with hi it because he cares about cleaning up the messes he makes, not that damn albino-spider-of-a-man He’ll take us with hio out with a big bang, so the world will stand in awe of his power, a man of such incredible power that he could command thousands to die simultaneously with him

More than a few sickos would see hiht want to emulate him That was no doubt what Shaddack had in mind At best, if Moonhawk succeeded and all of mankind was eventually converted, Shaddack literally would be master of his world At worst, if it all went bad and he had to kill hi into the hands of the authorities, he would becon legend would encourage legions of the e

Loreasy face His hand was shaking

He was filled with a longing to abandon this responsibility and seek the Pressure-free existence of the regressive

But he resisted

If Loman killed Shaddack first, before Shaddack had a chance to kill hiend would be finished Loman would die a few seconds after Shaddack died, as would all the New People, but at least the legend would have to incorporate the fact that this high-tech Jim Jones had perished at the hands of one of the creatures he’d created His poould be shown to be finite; he would be seen as clever but not clever enough, a flawed god, sharing both the hubris and the fate of Wells’s Moreau, and his work ht, drove to the row of executive parking spaces, and was disappointed to see that neither Shaddack’s Mercedes nor his charcoal-gray van was in his reserved slot He ht still be there He could have been driven to the office by so his cruiser into Shaddack’s reserved space He cut the engine

He was carrying his revolver in a hip holster He had checked twice before to be sure it was fully loaded He checked again

Between Shaddack’s house and New Wave, Lo the road to write a note, which he would leave on Shaddack’s body, clearly explaining that he had killed his ht Cove from the unconverted world beyond, they would find the note and know

He would execute Shaddack not because he was h- he could no longer achieve He would murder Shaddack strictly because he was terrified that Shaddack would learn about Denny, or would discover that others had become what Denny had become, and would find a way to make all of them enter into an unholy union with apingfroinal heat of the coes, and others, played through, Loman’s mind on an endless loop offorced to become what Denny had becoend would just be a beneficial side-effect

He holstered his gun and got out of the car He hurried through the rain to the lass doors into the ht, away from the elavators, and approached the main reception desk In corporate luxury, the place rivaled the h-tech companies in the more fas, polished brass trim, fine crystal sconces, and modernistic crystal chandeliers were testament to New Wave’s success

The woman on duty was Dora Hankins He had known her all of his life She was a year older than he In high school he had dated her sister a couple of ti

"Shaddack?" he said

"Not in"

"You sure?"

"Yes"

"When’s he due?"

"His secretary will know"

"I’ll go up"

"Fine"

As he boarded an elevator and pushed the 3 on the control board, Loman reflected on the sed in the days before they had been put through the Change They would have bantered with each other, exchanged news about their families, and commented on the weather Not now Small talk was a pleasure of their forh he recalled that small talk had once been a part of civilized life, Loer quite remember why he ever had found it hile or what kind of pleasure it had given him

Shaddack’s office suite was on the northwest corner of the third floor The first rooe, Plushly carpeted in beige Edward Fields originals, impressively furnished in plump Roche-Bobois leather couches and brass tables with inch-thick glass tops The single piece of art was a Painting by Jasper Johns--an original, not a print

What happens to artists in the neord co? Loman wondered

But he knew the answer There would be none Art was ee, music in a symphony hall There would be no art in the neorld And if there was, it would be the art of fear The writer’s most frequently used words would all be synonyes of one forment would be black

Vicky Lanardo, Shaddack’s executive secretary, was at her desk She said, "He’s not in"

Behind her the door to Shaddack’s enorhts were on in there It was illuht of the storray bands

"When will he be in?" Loman asked