Outside, the streetlight flickered. Then the house down the block. Then, far on the horizon, the dark silhouette of the city began to prickle with tiny, hesitant points of light.
A pause.
The blue screen flickered once, then died to black. For a moment, Marcus felt a peace so profound it almost hurt. Then the machine beeped back to life, cycling through its boot sequence with the weary patience of a beaten dog. usb drivers install