‘And you can well imagine what it did for Icarus. From being a little bigger than the other companies, it grew till it was much bigger, and still it grew, until it was no longer a company but the Company—the only one there was. Every product was a Company product, everything that was made came from its factories. When competitors tried to set up, it bought them. When administrators objected to its growing influence, it bought them too. And though there were protesting voices, even within the Company, one way or another, they were persuaded to be silent, or at least quiet down. And Zacharias Bosquanet’s web spread further.’

‘Look, Father,’ said Albert. ‘This is all very interesting, but what does any of it have to do with Theo? Or the Code for that matter?’

‘Patience, Albert. If you wish to ask questions, then you must have the resolve to listen to the answers in their entirety, or you will have defeated the purpose of asking.’

Albert nodded, feeling oddly chastised, although the voice had been kindly.

‘Of course, the key to the success of Project Tomorrow, the man behind it all, was Robert Donnelly. It was Robert who created the basic framework on which the project was built, it was he who devised the programming protocols that made it a reality and above all, it was he who wrote the many strings of computer encryption that made AI possible in the first place.’

Albert looked at him blankly. ‘Could you repeat that bit?’

‘What bit?’

‘The bit after “Robert Donnelly”.’

‘He did lots of smart things that made stuff happen and AI was born. Let us leave it at that.’

‘Oh, all right.’

‘The project proved to be a success beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. And in the wake of the AI wave, it was Robert who was hailed as the man who made it all happen, the Prometheus of the new age who had changed the way man would live henceforth. And not just Robert. In fact, if there was one star that burnt even brighter than his, it was Bernadine’s, at least within the Company. Old man Zacharias was overjoyed—if there was one thing he liked more than being right, it was being wrong and still winning. The sky seemed the limit for both of them.