The Peripheral

Flynne describes her abduction to Janice. Macon makes her a new phone because she was unable to retrieve hers from the Faraday bag after she was rescued. When she finally returns to her room, she discovers a box with a Wheelie Boy inside. A Wheelie Boy is described as something like a Segway with a boom attached so a camera can be mounted to it. Flynne removes it from the box and sets it up. As soon as she does, she hears Netherton call her name.

Flynne speaks with Netherton, who is in the Wheelie Boy. Netherton reveals that the entire Coldiron enterprise is not real; instead, it is just a hobby for Lev. Flynne takes the Wheelie Boy outside. Netherton unintentionally mentions the jackpot, which prompts Flynne to ask him about it.

Netherton describes the jackpot. Essentially, it is an apocalyptic event that takes place over a long period of time and involves gradual, catastrophic environmental damage. Because of climate change, the weather destroys much of life on the planet, and by the time anything is done to reverse course, it is too late. Around 80% of humanity is killed off, and many of those who remain are among the wealthy. These survivors try to artificially reconstruct the past.

A new character is introduced, Clovis Fearing, a very old friend of Lowbeer’s. Netherton learns that he has been invited to Daedra’s party. As Lowbeer and Clovis talk, both reveal that they had at one time been British spies. Netherton confesses to Lowbeer that he described the jackpot to Flynne. Lowbeer also says that they had Macon design a special phone for Flynne, which allows Lowbeer to track her even more precisely.

Flynne learns from Janice that Burton installed a satellite and disguised it as a cow. The satellite comes from Griff, a mysterious figure nobody seems to know much about. Macon tells Flynne that Connor is “up the line” (330), his new code term for using the peripheral. In this case, Connor is not up the line in the same peripheral as before. Instead, he is training on a new one. Macon indicates to Flynne that Sheriff Jackman was killed in the blast at Pickett’s and that Tommy, as the new acting sheriff, has deputized Burton. He then introduces Flynne to Clovis Raeburn, who is lying in one of the beds used for sending Flynne up the line. Connor returns as well, suggesting a lot of back and forth between the different worlds.

Netherton is dreaming of Flynne as the chapter begins. He is awakened by Lowbeer, who gives him directions to take Flynne’s peripheral to Soho and wait for her to enter it.

Flynne has been spending considerable time signing paperwork for the army of lawyers that has descended. Macon tells Flynne that they are increasingly in peril, especially now that their operation is disrupting the economy on a large scale. Flynne and Macon get some privacy, and she tells him about the jackpot. Macon then tells Flynne that Luke 4:5 has been starting to sneak around. The title of the chapter comes from the Bible verse after which this group is named.

Lowbeer and Netherton discuss how to prepare Flynne for Daedra’s party. Flynne arrives in her peripheral, and Netherton takes her on a stroll through a constructed forest and park. She asks him how everything here was made, and their walk continues toward Hyde Park.

Netherton answers Flynne’s question from the previous chapter and says that it all was created by “assemblers.” Flynne makes the connection that these are the things that she saw kill Aelita. Flynne asks Netherton about Daedra and refers to her as his ex, which Netherton does not like. He then explains to her how Daedra tattoos herself as a way of chronicling her life, then has her skin removed and replaced so she can repeat the process. The skins then are sold, and people can buy one and use it for themselves.

Netherton then tells Flynne that her role at the party is to act as a neoprimitivist curator, someone who has remained apart from the global system that runs the world in the future. Netherton appears to be taking a liking to Flynne and even holds her hand during their walk. Toward the end of the chapter, Macon calls Flynne and tells her she is needed back home. Luke 4:5 is picketing outside the Coldiron USA headquarters, and Burton is not there.

Netherton is where Flynne left him. He is watching the reproduction in miniature of a historical naval battle. Ash arrives and informs him that Lowbeer wants to see him at Lev’s. When Netherton asks Ash if Flynne is in danger in her time, Ash indicates that she is indeed, and the danger is posed by entities in their time period. Ash then shows a soft side toward Netherton and tells him that she does not like the idea of Netherton attending Daedra’s party because there could be danger lurking there. Netherton responds by suggesting that he owes it to Flynne to attend the party as a way of sacrificing on her behalf.

When Flynne returns, Clovis Raeburn is there to meet her. She sticks something pink onto Flynne’s belly and tells her it is an “antidote for party time” (356) but provides no further information about it. Burton returns to the compound, and Flynne tells him that Luke 4:5 has been purposely planted there to protest by their enemies in the continua, likely as a way of making Burton lose focus.

Netherton visits Ash in her teepee. Ash grabs his hand, and one of her virtual spiders crawls over to Netherton’s hand. This allows him to understand Ash’s code talking. In a conversation that moves from European languages to birdsong, Ash reveals that Lowbeer is not to be trusted. They use the code talk because it is the best way to assure that Lowbeer is not able to collect intelligence from the conversation. Lowbeer was working alongside a sadistic continua enthusiast and weapons dealer named Vespasian until he suddenly died of natural causes in Holland. Vespasian had been arming factions in the continua to fight and kill each other, just for his own pleasure. The spider retreats from Netherton’s hand, and the coded conversation comes to a close.

As Flynne and others head to Tommy’s car to pay her mother a visit, they are ambushed by invisible figures in squidsuits. Burton is able to recognize some telltale signs and kills one of them with his tomahawk. An all-out gunfight ensues. Clovis and Carlos kill more figures in squidsuits. Flynne is unharmed, but Burton is injured when a sliver of his body armor nicks his femoral artery.

Netherton is showering when Rainey’s sigil appears to him. She tells him that she is leaving her government sector employment for something in the private sector. She also expresses concern for him and mentions that whatever it is he is involved with, he should find a way out of it.