“What?” Bean said, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
A familiar voice on the TV caught Partment’s attention. “Hey
look!” he said.
Leona was reading a prepared statement, fighting off tears.
“As you know, my boss, our beloved CEO and founder recently
disappeared somewhere in the Caribbean ocean. We now know that
he has been murdered. His body is presumed thrown into the sea.
The reason we know this is because today we received a call from
someone who witnessed his abduction. Down in the Caribbean. And
the reports of that very reliable witness have led us to the presumed
killers.”
“Good, she’s pinned it on some patsies,” Partment said.
“Not patsies,” Leona said from the TV, “You.” They jumped.
The magisterial lady looked down at Paul Partment from the
giant television set in front of him. She could see him through the
airwaves. So could anyone with a TV. There was a camera perched on
the set in front of him.
The screen in front of Bean and Partment turned into something
like a pixelated mirror. Bean walked up tentatively to the television
set and beheld his own image as it grew larger and larger in front of
him. Partment stood up from his chair and followed, mesmerized.
“What’s going on?” they both said.
Screeching feedback filled the room as their own voices fed back
upon themselves. The Hellians gasped and hid behind the furniture.
Leona’s face now appeared in the corner of the screen. “As fate
would have it,” she announced, “Those who destroyed Morris Bidden
were the same ones who destroyed his temples, his Biddenbrooks
stores. These were not isolated tragedies, but rather elements of an
organized plan to tear apart an institution, the very idea of
institutions in general.”
“Is this some kind of a joke?” Partment shrieked.
“It’s not a joke,” said Leona, startling him. “Citizens of our proud
city, these are your criminals, for they took the life Morris Bidden.
They took his keys and invaded his mansion. From there they
launched an offensive and tried to take over our lives. Now watch as
we take them.”
Paul watched as policemen appeared behind them on the screen.
He could clearly see the proud face of Detective Spada, the man from
whom he had escaped once already. He could not turn around to look
into the original face, the analog. The television audience watched as
ABYSSINIA
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