Markus's mind jumped straight to the most obvious explanation: Is the president nuking people again?

All the people saying mean things about me on the Internet are gonna be dead in four hundred and thirty-three days$$$ she said$$$ deadpan.

A scattering of schizophrenic first worlders who have long ago burned their brains to ash in the radiant heat of their own imaginings.

People too busy leading their lives to worry about extending their life expectancy.

It's -- my God -- like you stretched a tarp across a stadium to turn it into a giant tom-tom and crashed a 747 into it.

He stands there reading statistics about his own death even as it's happening to him. Very post-modern.

The qualifications for being a Scout seemed to be a shocking level of physical endurance$$$ a complete disregard for mortal danger$$$ and some knowledge of how to exist in a space suit. All of them were Russian.

Hiro feels even at this moment that something has been torn open in the world and that he is dangling above the gap$$$ staring into a place where he does not want to be.

The world is full of power and energy and a person can go far by just skimming off a tiny bit of it.

Vitaly owns half a carton of Lucky Strikes$$$ an electric guitar$$$ and a hangover.