“What is this, man? What the hell are you doing to us?”

“That flesh you’re wearing answers to me. Isn’t that something? I originally developed the technology to control prosthetic implants. Every Maenad morphocyte is an independent nanotransceiver, tuned to an electrode array in my cerebral cortex. It triggers a cellular rather than a neuromuscular response, which allows a rather extraordinary degree of control. It’s just a matter of mastering the complexity-learning to ride a bike. Or a million bikes. The cells themselves amplify and relay the signal, promulgating in iron-rich hemoglobin and even the Earth itself to form a vast, wireless data array-a true cellular network. What I call my Billion-Fingered Fist.”

Mind reeling, Todd asked, “Are you saying you can control the Xombies?”

“Yes.”

“You fuck! You made them kill our friends and families, you motherfucker! You killed everybody!”

“I know, it sounds pretty bad when you put it that way. I suppose that explains why folks are so mad at me.”

“Fuck you! You might as well kill us, too, you asshole!”

“Who said anything about killing anyone? I never killed anyone. How do these things get started? No one has been killed. Do you understand? Literally, no one who has been inoculated with Agent X has died.”

“No, they’ve just become Xombies, which is worse!”

“Worse than death? I think you would have to consult them about that. They are quite content, believe me.”

“But they’re not even human! They’re monsters!”

“Monsters? Human beings are monsters. Did you ever watch MTV? Unlike Will Rogers, I never met a man I liked very much, which is why it is so ironic that I should be the one to save the human race from annihilation when the end comes.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh yes-haven’t you heard? The end is coming. From up there. The end of life on Earth: every bird and bee and monarch butterfly blown to smithereens, not with a whimper but with a bang. The only survivors will be deep-sea tube worms and some hardy bacteria… and perhaps my Xombies.”