"Victory's ours. Prepare to take power." He nudges the vial across the table toward you.
"With that?" you ask.
He finishes the cheesecake, leans back in his chair, and grins. "I've done it," he says. He picks up the vial and shakes it. "Something new. We can return to human beings control of their own destiny. Isn't it great?"
Gustav gives you a tired smile. "Right," you say. "And for this I gave up my cheesecake."
He giggles. "You don't believe me. Listen. I've really done it this time." He displays the vial. "Tailored microviruses." He raises a clenched fist. "Death to the oppressors!"
"Let me guess," you say. "You want me to help you disperse them where I work."
"Of course," he says. "How else will the plan work?"
"Better start thinking of how else, Lewis."
Lewis is crestfallen. "You mean you won't help me?"
Gustav lights a cigar. "Of course he won't," he says. "Mr. Neutrality never helps anybody. Even when somebody sensible, like me, comes up with a scheme that might work."
"Oh. Right." Lewis is undeterred. "You don't think it'll work. Let me explain it to you." He blinks up at you. "You know anything about phage viruses?"
"Oh for chrissake..." You signal for more cheesecake. You're going to have to raise your blood sugar before you can tolerate much more of this.
"Viruses, see, are shaped just like little hypodermic syringes. They have a tough protein coat that protects the nucleic acid in the middle, and when they infect a bacterium they inject the nucleic acid through the cell wall. They totally lose their identity as individuals. They're undetectable except as genetic material, and that genetic material can subvert the genetic programming of the host cell."
"Now you're going to tell me that you've got an invincible viral weapon," you say, "and that all I have to do is put some of it into the coolant at work, and that it will destroy all the artificial intelligences in the world."
Lewis blinks at you. "Right," he says. "I knew you'd do it." Your cheesecake arrives. Lewis takes it from the waitress and begins to eat.
)
