Mark Tiedemann: Mirage

One by one the attendees winked out. The chairman went to the transparency and gazed out at the simulation. The ocean, the waterfall, the trees, the beauty. He wondered if where he was going would have anything to compare.

Well, if it did not, then he would simply have to build it. What else was money and power for?

"Flesh, not steel?"

The chairman turned to find a ghostly form standing behind him. He was only mildly surprised.

"I didn't expect you to chance coming back here," he said.

"The meeting's over? I missed it?"

"It's allover."

"No, I don't think so. You'll resume in some other medium. I just wanted to say good-bye. I couldn't have done this without your help."

"No, you couldn't. But then we've been dependent on each other, haven't we?"

"I wondered if you noticed. "

"I never get overconfident. "

"Good."

"Will you be all right? Will you win?"

"I think so. The fight will do me good, but…"

"Well, then. Good luck to you."

"And to you. See you around."

The ghost faded. The chairman scowled. That should not have been possible. It was just as well he was closing this place down. Holes must have developed.

"Recording complete?" he asked.

"Recording complete. Decoding routines in place, descrambler active."

The chairman sighed, gave the place a last look.

"Transfer all relevant data to hard copy and disassemble construct."

Bit by bit, Maui disappeared. The chairman did not stay for the end of the destruction.