“The Ingot. The reading,” Billy says.
“Correct,” Laurent says. He taps his nose once, mirthfully. Something begins to curdle within Billy.
“So The Ingot doesn’t exist?”
Laurent shrugs. “It exists as much as any literary magazine that hasn’t brought an issue to press can be said to exist. You could approach it as a philosophical question, very philosophical.”
“So the reading? You set that up to—lure me in?”
“To observe you,” Laurent says. “We didn’t realize, though, that the supernatural attention around you was approaching a major spike. A Category Six Adversarial Manifestation? That’s just … that’s just off the charts, really.”
“So you didn’t invite me because you thought I was a good writer? Because you were … a believer? In my work?”
“Billy,” Laurent says. “I’m sure your work is fine. But clearly there are more important things operating at the moment than your respective level of talent or lack thereof.”
“So, wait,” Billy says. He clenches his eyes shut and presses on them with his fingers. “You’re telling me you didn’t even read my work?”
“Not read as such,” Laurent says. “No.”
Billy can feel the little badge of honor, the one he affixed over his heart last night, being pried away. It hurts. Even on top of everything else, that still manages to hurt.
“Well,” he says, “at least you’re honest.” Only not really very honest, he thinks to himself, and at that moment he makes up his mind to go. He has a life that needs fixing.
“I want my stuff,” he says.
“I can’t do that,” Laurent says.
“You can.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“We threw it away.”
“You threw it—? Where? Here?”
“Not here,” Laurent says. “You have to understand that it would be foolish to retain those materials here, on-site. Their presence would—”
“Shut up,” Billy says. “Just tell me where.”
“Our team probably put them right in the Dumpster. Behind Barometer.”
“I have to get over there.”
“By now,” Laurent says, “I’m sure they’re—”
“Shut up,” says Billy, staggering to his feet. “How do I get out of here?”
“You said you’d hear me out,” Laurent says.
“I’ve heard enough,” Billy says. “Thanks, but I really do believe that I have.”
He looks around for an exit. He spots a glowing red sign; he spots a door set into a cinder-block wall, and he sets off toward it.
“We won’t keep you here against your will,” Laurent calls after him.
“Because it would be wrong,” Billy says.
“We won’t keep you here against your will,” Laurent continues, “but I want to be clear that it’s not safe for you out there. The Adversary has an interest in you and we don’t know why. He’ll come after you again. He won’t stop until he’s gotten what he wants. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can bargain with him. The only thing you can do is hide, and the only place you can hide is with us. We have a secure room. We could make you comfortable in there until we get your new identity set up—”
“I don’t want a new identity,” Billy says, turning to look Laurent in the face. “I like my life. Or at least I did, before you clowns started to mess with it.”
He is a little bit surprised to realize that he means this.
Laurent regards him with a look of inconsolable disappointment. Billy turns to go. He has his hand on the door when one final question occurs to him.
“Actually,” Billy says.
“Yes?” Laurent says, eagerly.
“What about God?” Billy asks. “If the Devil exists, that implies the existence of God, right? And you guys know about the Devil, you have fancy names for when he appears and all that, so: What about God? Do you know about God?”
“I’m glad you asked that, Billy,” Laurent says. “We have some of our best people working on that problem, the Absent Benefactor problem. We have a machine. It’s got these meters on it, lights, it’s fantastic, just fantastic.”
“A God machine?” Billy says.
“A God detector,” Laurent says. “Banks of lights. I think there’s, I don’t know, 777 LEDs. Magnificent to behold. It’s on constantly. Staffed round the clock. It’s designed so that if we detect Benefactor activity the thing will go off like a Christmas tree, if you’ll pardon the joke. I can take you up there, if you want, it’s on three, in our secure room. You could have a look.”