And right on the balcony by the wind chimes there’s a sniper’s nest with a vintage anemometer and I can see him lifting his rifle and—

I dream about the Demons and the whole thing of being their boss is a giant monster that loves me and it picks me up and puts me in a hole so I will grow and the rain comes down and water comes up over my head and I still cannot get up because this huge Demon hand is holding me under and I start to drown and I wake up choking because there is Swiss goose-feather-pillow funk in my throat.

Doc turns very precisely on the bed and puts out one hand until it touches my shoulder and that is all.

But it is enough.

Always remember that Evil Hansel and Agent Hannah are a sideshow.

It’s all about Volodya.

Do the job.

And submit the bill to the client.

…

…

The Client.

—

“CHARLIE! WAKE UP!”

“I am awake why are you shouting—”

“WAKE FROM HOGGISH SLUMBER MINION AND GREET THE DAY—”

“O shit you are perky. It is the middle of the night—”

“This is not PERKY. That is surrender talk. I am JACK and I am filled with joy to all mankind I bring horrors—”

“I do not think that—”

“SILENCE I require your measly intelligence because I cannot do this thing.”

“What thing can you not do that is so fucking—”

“Find Mr. Client.”

“What?”

“Find Mr. Client Charlie do it now.”

“Mr. Client was Eiger you said.”

“I said Eiger was the client. He was not MISTER CLIENT obviously because I met him and when we looked at the nice pictures of Mr. Eiger I would have said: O SHIT THAT IS OUR CLIENT. Do you see how I did not say that and please do not say maybe he was wearing a cunning disguise that is not a thing that can really happen.”

“You wear disguises all the time you wore one this evening—”

“My disguises are TERRIBLE they only work because people are not paying attention. Did you notice an ACTUAL CHILD saw through my disguise today and tried to kill me? That is how well disguises work in the real world Charlie. I am a master of not being a fucking idiot. I would have noticed that Eiger was Mr. Client so who was Mr. Client? WHO?”

“I do not know.”

“You are a digital wizard find out.”

“Find out?”

“Find out.”

“Just like that?”

“What I said.”

“Like go into the marina restaurant computer system, which is likely not even online and then find an image on their shitty horrible CCTV, which they do not clean and somehow feed that into a giant sky computer and get a name from it and say Oh Boss lookee I have magicked you this?”

“Yes like that.”

“It does not work like that at all anyway anyway most likely Eiger just hired some guy.”