I stare back at them, uncertain of what to do next. And then, from the back of the park, I hear an electronic beep. A single note, echoing through the park. It comes again a few seconds later, and I see, near the back of the crowd, a young man turn to face the sound. The beep comes again, and three more people turn away from me. Another beep; six or seven turn to face it, both Missing and Alt soldiers.

“What’s going on?” I whisper.

“You’re supposed to talk,” a voice says.

I recognize the voice immediately and turn to face Maddox. He stands just offstage, next to one burning curtain.

“They won’t be able to hear me,” I say, looking at the destroyed microphone and speakers.

“They’ll hear you,” Maddox says, and smiles.

The beep comes again; a dozen people turn to face it.

“I don’t know what to say,” I think aloud, looking out at the silent gathering.

“Yes, you do,” Maddox replies.

And from far away, the electronic beep comes again.

“Maddox,” I say, turning to my friend, “I miss you, man.”

“I miss you too, Luke,” he says, and I laugh. Maddox had been the only person I ever let call me Luke.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you … I’m sorry.”

“We knew there would have to be sacrifices if we were going to win this war,” Maddox tells me.

“It’s all so … so fucking wrong,” I say, feeling tears flowing to my eyes.

“It’s okay to fear what comes next, to ask yourself, Am I going to be alone again? But remember what you’re dying for: life; evolution; dreams; love. And whether you succeed or not, they will thank you for trying.”

There’s something about Maddox’s words, the strange way he is speaking, that sparks something in the back of my mind.

The beep comes again and more turn.

“I think it’s time,” Maddox says, and then points to the back of the park, where the beeping sound is coming from. “You have to make it stop. No one else can.”

I look to where he is pointing. When I look back, he’s gone.

Now almost half the crowd has turned away.

I step forward, raise both hands in the air, and open my mouth to speak.

Day 2

I wake suddenly from the dream.

Elements of it begin to fall away, but I remember Maddox; I remember the beep.

Outside the large window, sunlight is beginning to spill across the city.

I get out of bed and put on the black Alt uniform.

Ten minutes later, my door opens and Tyco—eyes still glowing—escorts me to the elevator.

I step in and he follows. We begin to descend. I turn to him.

“Do you regret it now, Tyco?” I ask. “Do you regret selling us out in favor of the machines?”