Chapter 29

“Mikel?” Forte sounded in his head. “All internet communication has ceased using the local towers. Axes of alignment were still incomplete according to the last received message. Loss of signal may indicate that NEXUS is proceeding to the End stage.”

“Have you ever lost all communication before?”

“No, there was at least bounce back confirmation from broadcasting towers. Silence indicates broadcasting has ceased.”

“Hey, Hyun, have you gotten any email updates this morning?” Mikel asked quietly as he escorted Remy up the steps onto the porch.

“The pictures do not do this house justice,” Remy said. “Step back and let me walk in alone. I want to take it all in and imprint it on my memory.”

Mikel watched Remy step over the threshold before turning to Hyun. Her eyes were wide as she shook her head in denial. Whispering something in Megan’s ear, Megan pulled out her mobile and started poking at keys.

“Yes, Hell yes, yes,” Remy declared loud enough for anyone on the block to hear. “Get in here, folks and let me give you all a big hug. I cannot believe what you have accomplished. This is heaven and I’m standing in the middle of it.”

Mikel gave Remy the full tour and a walk around the closer part of the backyard. Inside, the tea had steeped. They sat down to tea and sawdust-like crackers, making polite conversation. The sun was shining brightly with hardly a cloud in the sky.

“I’m not up to much today,” Remy began, “but I want to know what’s on the agenda.”

Megan shrugged. “Maybe not much. No one can get a signal on their phone this morning.”

Nicola whipped out her mobile, tapping keys furiously. “Yeah, mine’s charged but I have no bars.”

All eyes turned to Mikel. He held up with a contrite smile. “All these women in my life: they continually pull my attention away from where it should be.” None of them were smiling. “Forte told me that communications collapsed a few moments ago.”

“Forte?” Hyun and Megan shared a look.

“The A.I. in his head,” Nicola said. “They wired him up in the hospital. When you see him talking to himself, he’s talking to Forte.”

“You have a fucking A.I. in your head?” Hyun said, almost yelling. “All these times you’ve been feeding me information from around the world, you had instant access? Are you, like, this major asshole pulling the wool over our eyes and manipulating us?”

Remy chuckled. “No, Hyun. He is not playing games with you or any of us. He is the pawn in a terribly critical game of order versus chaos. We’re here because the world that we know is ending. You did your own research and ran all the arguments through your lover until you each confirmed the conclusion – that’s why you’re here. Now that the world is careening to its end, you’re surprised and full of regrets?”

Remy shifted in the chair, grimacing as she tried to get comfortable. “I am in awe of the powers of the A.I. I expected all out nuclear warfare when China went dark. The world continued to contain its impulses. When Central Banks began announcing sovereign failure, one after the other, most armies remained in their barracks. International flights might not be flying regularly but planes aren’t crashing either. It seems to me that the A.I.’s are working furiously to keep us afloat while the entire world structure is continuing to collapse. Do you understand my argument?”

Everyone nodded.

“Whatever they implanted in Mikel’s brain is the final fallback before total collapse,” Remy said. “Right, Mikel?”

“Aria said Forte was to be their presence when NEXUS made all other communication impossible,” he said. “Because I am the NEXUS, whatever that means, I had to carry the A.I. with me. I didn’t ask to have an A.I. in my head; they stuck her in there and told me afterwards.”

A car horn outside the front windows sounded. Two honks had everyone jump in their seats. Hyun ran to the window and peered out. “Oh Winnie the Pooh, Ned is out there in a land yacht with his wife and brats, dragging a trailer full of crap.”

“Winnie the Pooh?” Nicola mouthed.

“The pejorative name for China’s premier,” Mikel said. “He gets really pissed when he hears it. He tried to ban the image on Chinese social media and the picture of Pooh bear keeps popping up like a bad virus everywhere in China. Well, at least it did.”

“Do we have to invite them in?” Hyun said, her face scrunched up.

Mikel stood up and stretched. “No, this is my house and Remy is still weak and recovering. You can invite him into your house, or you can simply direct him to one of the houses on our lists that we didn’t choose. Besides, he likes you. I’m just the showpiece that pays the bills.”

“If the internet is down, the county offices won’t be able to do any paperwork,” Nicola said. “Let him take what he wants and if the phones come back online, he can register a purchase then. If not, he saved himself a few thousand dollars. Woo.”

“Fuck Winnie the Pooh!” Hyun spat, straining to look down the street. “He brought a train of vehicles with him. What was he thinking?”

“He’s thinking that the world is fucked, darlin’,” Megan said. “Come on, let’s get these suburban yokels sorted out in some fashion.” She turned to Remy, “I’ll give the three of you fifteen minutes and then it’s ‘all-hands on deck’. Agreed?”

“Fine,” Mikel said, running his right hand through his hair.

When the door shut, Remy asked, “Nicola, did we get you all hot and bothered? I’ve been dying to ask about your sodden panties.”

“Did my jilling off turn you on?” Nicola asked.

“I’m still sore down there, but your announcement did make my heart go pitter-patter,” Remy said with a salacious grin. “Even more, we got Mikel hard again. The man just can’t help himself, can he?”

“The world is going to end, and I have an erection,” Mikel said, shaking his head. “Surely, the universe has a sense of humor, or at least the A.I.”

“I like the feel of your erection,” Forte said. “Your last orgasm exceeded the predictions based on the observations of the release of dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, and vasopressin in the brain. The error rate was .357.”

Remy asked, “Why did your face suddenly turn red, Mikel?”

“Forte enjoys our sex play,” Mikel said. “The A.I. underestimated the power of the orgasm.”

“Psst!” Nicola exclaimed. “The male orgasm is not the female orgasm. We are stronger, longer, and repetitive. Bow low before the power of the vagina.”

“I’m getting there,” Remy said, and everyone burst out laughing. “I guess we will have yet another guest partner in our bed. Mikel, you are incorrigible. I like it.” She turned to Nicola. “Where is that enfeebled, recovering drug addict, trust fund baby I met last month? What happened to her?”

Nicola put her hands on her hips. “This world is ending. There is no time for farting around, digging out our deep-seated feelings and making peace with our mistakes and failures with all due drama. I say, build the next world or die with the last one. Since we’re asking personal questions, when does your pussy come online for nookie business?”