"It's not total paranoia. They've been busted before -- it's always bullshit. I raised bail for a couple of them once." Andrew realized that Kurt thought he was offended at being mistaken for a cop, but he got that. He was weird -- visibly weird. Out of place wherever he was. "So they owe me. Let me talk to them some more." "Thanks, Kurt. I appreciate it." "Well, you're doing all the heavy lifting these days. It's the least I can do." Alan clapped a hand on his shoulder. "None of this would exist without you, you know." He waved his hand to take in the room, the Korean kids, the whole Market. "I saw a bunch of people at the Greek's with laptops, showing them around to each other and drinking beers. In the park, with PDAs. I see people sitting on their porches, typing in the twilight. Crouched in doorways. Eating a bagel in the morning on a bench. People are finding it, and it's thanks to you." Kurt smiled a shy smile. "You're just trying to cheer me up," he said. "Course I am," Andy said. "You deserve to be full of cheer." # "Don't bother," Andy said. "Seriously, it's not worth it. We'll just find somewhere else to locate the repeater. It's not worth all the bullshit you're getting." "Screw that. They told me that they'd take one. They're the only ones *I* talked into it. My contribution to the effort. And they're fucking *anarchists* -- they've *got* to be into this. It's totally irrational!" He was almost crying. "I don't want you to screw up your friendships, Kurt. They'll come around on their own. You're turning yourself inside out over this, and it's just not worth it. Come on, it's cool." He turned around his laptop and showed the picture to Kurt. "Check it out, people with tails. An entire gallery of them!" There were lots of pictures like that on the net. None of people without belly buttons, though. Kurt took a pull off his beer. "Disgusting," he said and clicked through the gallery. The Greek looked over their shoulder. "It's real?" "It's real, Larry," Alan said. "Freaky, huh?" "That's terrible," the Greek said. "Pah." There were five or six other network users out on the Greek's, and it was early yet. By five-thirty, there'd be fifty of them. Some of them brought their own power strips so that they could share juice with their coreligionists. "You really want me to give up?" Kurt asked, once the Greek had given him a new beer and a scowling look over the litter of picked-at beer label on the table before him. "I really think you should," Alan said. "It's a poor use of time." Kurt looked ready to cry again. Adam had no idea what to say. "Okay," Kurt said. "Fine." He finished his beer in silence and slunk away. # But it wasn't fine, and Kurt wouldn't give it up. He kept on beating his head against the blank wall, and every time Alan saw him, he was grimmer than the last.