“That is the most grown-up thing anyone has said Rex and that is alarming.”

“Yes sir.”

“Seriously Rex I got to respect this approach it is real Demony.”

“Thank you sir.”

“I am not sure that it meets our present needs Rex but I think next time we will start with you.”

“Thank you sir.”

“…Carry on Rex.”

“Yes sir.”

Lucille:

LUCILLE!

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Yeah who knows actually that might do it.”

“…”

“…”

“What about you Price?”

“Naw Doc I am still collating our many options.”

“Well get it done. In the meantime I have a thing.”

“Yum yum—”

“Silence!”

She does not look jokey so I silence.

—

We sit in the long room and Doc says to everyone: “Do not be like Jack.”

That seems harsh to me but Doc is speechifying and I do not want to be rude.

Doc says: “We already have Jack we do not need everyone to be Jack. But we are the Demons now and not anything else. That is the only thing that matters in this moment. Where we are? Who we were? These things are not relevant anymore. This job needs to be everything and I’m telling you how you get there. You do not choose to be like Jack. You choose to be like you as if you were hopped-up on appalling Jackness like fucked-up on a toxic testosterone psychotropic methamphetamine Jack serum.”

Rex puts up his hand. “Um I do not know how to do that.”

Doc nods.

“Open your eyes and look at the ceiling fan I will administer it now.”

“What—”

“I cultured this out of Jack’s blood this morning. That means it also contains Volodya. Look upward Rex you will feel a slight pressure as the needle goes in.”

“Uh-oh gosh well uuhhhhhttttt oh gosh I feel sick.”

“Rex it is only a needle. There. Now. Who’s next?”

“There. And there. And here—”

Doc. Injects. Her own. Eyeball.

That’s my girlfriend right there.

“…You are populated with Jack’s microflora. With Volodya’s. You are a little bit them and so am I.”

Charlie wants to know if that will actually do anything.

“I have no idea. Perhaps. There is an element of magical thinking. But you will feel different and you are different. The degree of difference is unknown. You are all, biotically speaking, Jack. Except you, Price. There is obviously no point giving you a serum of yourself so I have made this one for you.”

“What is that?”

“It’s us.”

“…It’s a big one ain’t it?”

“Don’t be a baby.”

“I am just saying Doc everyone else got a little tiny poke and that is like something you would use to make a cow pregnant and we all know how I feel about cows.”

“Jack?”

“Doc?”

“Jack.”

“Doc?”