Summary

Part 2 of the novel begins with Martin’s speculative musings about the new nature of the war that is being waged against them. He lists the ways that technology can be used covertly and maliciously and follows this by listing various weapons used in biological warfare. He wonders what terrible effects these tactics of war will have on people: “Starvation, plague and what else?” (76)

After mentioning the collapse of the power grid and our subjective experiences “sinking into quantum dominance,” he leaps to the topic of climate change (76). He wonders about the slight imperceptible changes taking place as the ocean rises and the atmosphere warms.

Martin asks whether “people experience the memories of earlier conflicts” and recalls a video of a suicide bomber walking toward an embassy (76). He suggests that there may be “a shred of nostalgia” in the recollections of these prior...