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Michael had never seen hiot yourself into a lot of trouble, Michael," the man said He didn’t say it kindly, but he wasn’t hostile, either Just matter-of-fact
"Who are you?" Michael asked
"The name’s not important"
Michael expected more, but the aze
"So …" Michael searched for words "Just how bad was it? The police won’t tell us anything We thought ere in the Sleep Did … did we kill any people?" He’d been avoiding that thought, holding on to hope that everyone had gotten out okay But they were certainly being treated like they’d at least tried to kill
"People?" the man scoffed "You did a lot worse than kill people You killed the VNS"
"Wha … what’re you talking about?" Michael’s chest hitched and he struggled to ave a sad s word Crippled istime Whatever that device you planted was … it was a beast, hout all of their syste as it traveled frorid How you knehere their mainframe was hidden, I’ll never know And honestly, I don’t care That’s not why I’m here"
Michael stayed as still and silent as granite As s
The man stepped closer to the bars and leaned in close "Listen toChanging under everyone’s noses And you’re a part of it, whether you want to be or not There’s no telling how long you’ll be in here, but I suspect the time will come, sooner or later, when … circumstances may set you free And I want you to remember my face Remember it well"
"I …" Michael tried desperately to think of soent Weber? Does this have anything to do with the Mortality Doctrine? Who are you?"
"Friend?" the stranger said in a contemplative tone "Or foe? That will be determined in the weeks ahead"
Michael had no response to that
Theto leave you now You’ll have plenty of tis come to a head I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson fro About the nature of the VirtNet About the nature of reality"
"What do you mean?"
"When mankind can create a world that is so like our own," the stranger said, "then how can we possibly ever knohat’s real and what’s not real again? I could Lift you right now, pull you out of a NerveBox, and then you’d say, ‘Ah! I’ain, and you’d be surprised, but feel for certain that this time you’re in the … what do you kids call it?… the Wake" The ripped the bars until his knuckles turned white "I could Lift you a hundred tiain that you are truly, truly in the real world? For that matter, who’s to say there even is a real world?"