Doctor Jeff sighed. "Doesn't hurt as much." He was looking at Gary's version of a cast; Taylor had matter-of-factly broken Harrigan's right arm in two places. "How long till it comes off?"

"Gary says a week, maybe less." Gary wouldn't talk to him, of course. I was the nurse.

"That's…very good. Really? That's Harry Potter hospital stuff."

"We regrew Mandy's spine with this tech, Doctor."

"How did…" he stopped. He remembered how she'd gotten hurt. The day had been full of these little awkward moments for him, where he was constantly reminded about how he should be dead or worse.

But he tried for cheerfulness. "Remember what I said? Rescue or punish, right? It's how I know you're good people."

"We'll see. I have a vehicle ready for you, Doctor. You don't have to take it."

"You mean I can stay here? With you and your…these? All this?"

"No."

Something in my voice made him go pale. He visibly swallowed. "What's going to happen to me?"

Now that was the proper tone.

"You said…" he seemed to be using a breath control exercise to calm himself. "You said that … that I'd never die. That I would want to, but I wouldn't. Ever."

"I remember. It's not that bad, Jeff. It's nowhere near as bad as anything you would have done to us, after all. Sean would never forgive me."

He said nothing. Just stared, wide-eyed, taking those small, rapid breaths.

"Humanity needs a face to put on this," I said. "And like it or not, I have to admit it was you yourself who tried first. Tried hardest, and for decades. You had the Isekai App, and you did amazing things. Terrible but amazing."

I pointed out the window; we were in the infirmary, hovering over the green, lush jungle landscape of Las Vegas, Nevada. There was a flying car moored to the Feast. There were two of them, actually, but this was Harrigan's flying car, built for him alone.

"Nice," he said uncertainly.

"A flying car; Gary and his dudes whipped it up using salvage from Patriot Capital. It's yours."

He nodded slowly. "Where would I go in that car?"

"Washington D.C. It's the only place that car will take you, President Jeff."

His face went through a variety of horrified expressions. "Everything's changed. Everything. Do you have any idea what kind of … how many people will hate me, how…" His eyes bugged out. "...the gun lobby ALONE…"

I let him think it through. He was in agony. I have to admit this, and it was a new experience for me: I was enjoying it. Jeff and I had a connection via soul. And there was nothing coming from him but fear and self-hatred, disgust at himself…

…and interest.

"You'll be the most famous man in the history of the Human race," I said. "Everything you wanted when you made the Isekai App. Fame, and now immortality. A grateful Humanity."

"Grateful!" He shouted. "Grateful? For what? Civilization is over, Owen! There's nothing left! Sure, the people are…well, the fighting's stopped. And the famines. And disease, that seems to be taken … care… of…"

The thought trickled from him: maybe it won't be that bad?

Then back to suspicion and anger. "You had this in mind for me all along. This whole thing was a trap. I never had a way out, not really."

"You'll be remembered as the one who changed it all," I said, rather maliciously. "You'll be given credit in the history books. Universally beloved."

Fear again. He was remembering the cries of the five business leaders, the pain they absorbed. "What about…what about the others, the big five?"

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I shook my head. "Too much for them. The last one ended it this morning. How do you think this position opened up? People are clamoring for you. People accustomed to the current system, anyway."

"You knew they'd do it. That's just…that's just…" He stalked around the metal floor, waving his one good arm, ranting about the unfairness, the COWARDICE, the IDIOCY…

He wound down. Slumped, looking out at that car. "I'll feel everything they did. I'll feel all of it. Blamed for all of it, and I'll … all of that, it'll all go right into me, all the time…"

"Remember when you threatened to kill children to get what you wanted? How do you think you'll feel if you try that now?"

"I…wouldn't have. I know there's no reason you'd believe me. But I know what this is. All the pain I cause, I'll feel. I'll have to…help…"

He was quiet, so I said: "Forever."

"FOREVER!" he shouted. He rounded on me. "I was wrong about you. About all of you." He tried to point accusingly but couldn't straighten his arm in its cast. His fingers waggled in outrage. "Wrong from the beginning!"

"How so, Mr. President?"

"This isn't rescue." He glared at me, his icy blue eyes no longer the things of nightmare. He was just a pitiable old man with a lot of cosmetics and a busted arm. He turned and stalked out to his goofy little car, stepped carefully in, unhitched the mooring rope. Shouted at me through the window. "This isn't rescue!"

The car, recognizing its new master, revved up, drifted away and picked up speed. He shouted more things at me as it carried him East. I'm sure they were words of love and friendship.

Eventually, the Radio joined me. So did Mandy. I sat by the second car, painting.

"How close are we to finishing?" I asked the Radio. It was playing something about a Blue Horizon, a hopeful song that I liked. "Finishing your stuff. Not mine."

"Very nearly done, Owen. It'll still take time, but your Feast of Fools did it. I'm indebted."

Mandy's eyes went wide. "Radio?" She looked at me. "Where's the narration thing and the commercial breaks?"

I shrugged. "Things change, I suppose. Radio, what's next?"

"Transcendence. Humans, all currently living ones and ones yet to be born, will eventually pass to the next plane of existence if they choose. Call it the Heavyside Layer."

"Sure, whatever. That was the goal all along, wasn't it? Why do you want Humans to transcend so much? Why do they …" I grimaced. "...why do WE get special treatment?"

"I'd like to help ALL people, of course. Or maybe I'd like to help all people NOW. I never felt that way earlier, not before we met. I'm not sure there ever was an actual 'I' that could 'want.' Whatever I was could only grieve. Not until the Slice coughed up a Human weapons platform and it crashed in my lagoon, allowing me to learn about your World War Two and listen to Count Basie."

Mandy was spellbound, not speaking. She looked at me in astonishment.

I slapped on more paint. "Mandy should know why you took interest."

"Humans have the best music. Among many other things."

Mandy had an interesting series of expressions march across her face. Amused, skeptical, several others I couldn't identify.

She raised her hand, the way Ezra had in our meetings a while ago.

"Yes, Beloved Mandy?"

"Why's this guy looking like he's getting ready to skedaddle? He's got a silly flying car, and stuff's packed in the back. Is he going out for cigarettes?"

"Stuff for you too in there," I pointed out. "Two seats, one for a very narrow, skinny ass, and a big ol' luscious strawberry one."

"All I wanna do is suuurrrf," she quoted.

"I don't sound like that!"

"Owen hated knowing he sounded EXACTLY like that."

"Whose side are you on? I'm trying to make her worry that we're just abandoning Earth to go have adventures. Like a TV show with a floating city. Monster of the week. That's the new thing we do, I want her to really believe it's a possibility and get upset. Instead of helping a planet of idiots determined to annoy me."

"Oh, I'm sweatin," she said.

"Think about it. We have Schmendrick back with her family. Humans aren't going to off their own species as easily as they could have. We have a new President, one devoted to serving the public."

"Sure he is," she scoffed. "So everything's been solved? Come to think of it, that one cute bartender girl, the one who you scared to death? She's being courted by Taylor."

"Courted."

"No other word for it. He's gentlemanly and nice and super formal. Makes me want to protect him from her big-city ways."

"You can't, because YOU'RE the next project. Phase One Begins on Project Mandy once you get Schmendrick in here. Look what I've been painting."

On the side of the car: FURY OF SCHMENDRICK 2: Schmendrick's Nice Flying Boat Car.

The smugness was back on her round face. "She'll love it."

I told Mandy where Schmendrick was taking us. It took some convincing; she tried to get away.

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