Interlude V

  Perryville Prison, Goodyear, USA, Erd simulation

  Year 2009 of the Current Era (local time)

  A middle-aged prisoner is lying in a cage exposed to the desert and the sun. Her body is covered in burns and blisters. For a while she was screaming and begging to be released, now she is reduced to a weak moan as she lies exhausted on the floor. No one does anything but watch; some occasionally snicker and make victory signs. The prisoner has needed to go the bathroom for a long while, but her pleading was ignored; her pants are now filled with excrement. She barely notices, being about to die from heat exposure. In her mind, she sees a large group of people wearing masks expressing outrage at her torture and murder; another part of her mind believes this is just a delusion and that very few will care.

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  As the woman is roasted alive, some of her heat blisters undergo minute changes as tiny symbols form on their surface. If you looked at these blisters through a powerful magnifying glass, the following message would appear: “We have the means to counteract the ongoing attack but cannot direct such an operation ourselves. Would you consider leading a counterassault with our assistance?”