It was all a jumble of conjecture.
Fortunately, public interest in the violence surrounding Kirsch’s presentation seemed to be giving way to genuine excitement over its content. Kirsch’s grand finale—his passionate portrayal of a utopian tomorrow—had resonated deeply with millions of viewers and sent optimistic technology classics to the top of the bestseller lists overnight.
ABUNDANCE: THE FUTURE IS BETTER THAN YOU THINK
WHAT TECHNOLOGY WANTS
THE SINGULARITY IS NEAR
Langdon had to admit that despite his old-school misgivings about the rise of technology, he was feeling much more sanguine today about humanity’s prospects. News reports were already spotlighting coming breakthroughs that would enable humans to clean polluted oceans, produce limitless drinking water, grow food in deserts, cure deadly diseases, and even launch swarms of “solar drones” that could hover over developing countries, provide free Internet service, and help bring “the bottom billion” into the world economy.
In light of the world’s sudden fascination with technology, Langdon found it hard to imagine that almost nobody knew about Winston; Kirsch had been remarkably secretive about his creation. The world would no doubt hear about Edmond’s dual-lobed supercomputer, E-Wave, which had been left to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and Langdon wondered how long it would be before programmers started to use Edmond’s tools to build brand-new Winstons.
The cable car was starting to feel warm, and Langdon was looking forward to getting out into the fresh air and exploring the fortress, the palace, and the famous “Magic Fountain.” He was eager to think about something other than Edmond for an hour and take in a few sites.
Curious to know more about the history of Montjuïc, Langdon turned his eyes to the extensive informational placard mounted inside the cable car. He began to read, but he made it only as far as the first sentence.
The name Montjuïc derives either from medieval Catalan Montjuich (“Hill of the Jews”) or from the Latin Mons Jovicus (“Hill of Jove”).
Here, Langdon halted abruptly. He had just made an unexpected connection.
That can’t be a coincidence.
The more he thought about it, the more it troubled him. Finally, he pulled out Edmond’s cell phone and reread the Winston Churchill screensaver quote about shaping one’s own legacy.
History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.
After a long moment, Langdon pressed the W icon and raised the phone to his ear.
The line connected instantly.
“Professor Langdon, I presume?” a familiar voice chimed with a British accent. “You’re just in time. I retire shortly.”
Without preamble, Langdon declared, “Monte translates to ‘hill’ in Spanish.”
Winston let out his trademark awkward chuckle. “I daresay it does.”
“And iglesia translates to ‘church.’”
“You’re two for two, Professor. Perhaps you could teach Spanish—”
“Which means [email protected] translates literally to [email protected].”
Winston paused. “Correct again.”
“And considering your name is Winston, and that Edmond had a great affection for Winston Churchill, I find the e-mail address ‘[email protected]’ to be a bit …”
“Coincidental?”
“Yes.”
“Well,” Winston said, sounding amused, “statistically speaking, I would have to agree. I figured you might put that together.”
Langdon stared out the window in disbelief. “[email protected] … is you.”
“That is correct. After all, someone needed to fan the flames for Edmond. Who better to do it than myself? I created [email protected] to feed online conspiracy sites. As you know, conspiracies have a life of their own, and I estimated that Monte’s online activity would increase Edmond’s overall viewership by as much as five hundred percent. The actual number turned out to be six hundred and twenty percent. As you said earlier, I think Edmond would be proud.”
The cable car rocked in the wind, and Langdon struggled to get his mind around the news. “Winston … did Edmond ask you to do this?”
“Not explicitly, no, but his instructions required me to find creative ways to make his presentation as widely viewed as possible.”
“And if you get caught?” Langdon asked. “[email protected] is not the most cryptic pseudonym I’ve ever seen.”
“Only a handful of people know I exist, and in about eight minutes, I will be permanently erased and gone, so I’m not concerned about it. ‘Monte’ was just a proxy to serve Edmond’s best interests, and as I said, I do think he would be most pleased with how the evening worked out for him.”
“How it worked out?!” Langdon challenged. “Edmond was killed!”
“You misunderstood me,” Winston said flatly. “I was referring to the market penetration of his presentation, which, as I said, was a primary directive.”
The matter-of-fact tone of this statement reminded Langdon that Winston, while sounding human, was most certainly not.
“Edmond’s death is a terrible tragedy,” Winston added, “and I do, of course, wish he were still alive. It’s important to know, however, that he had come to terms with his mortality. A month ago, he asked me to research the best methods for assisted suicide. After reading hundreds of cases, I concluded ‘ten grams of secobarbital,’ which he acquired and kept on hand.”