The Anomaly

Part III of The Anomaly covers the events that take place after June 26, 2001. On June 27, Blake March wakes up bound and gagged in his own apartment. Blake June has injected him with a sedative and covered the apartment in transparent plastic. (Blake March thinks about the television program Dexter.) Now Blake June tells his duplicate that neither of them knows what is going on, but “there can’t be two of us” (255). First, he interrogates Blake March for the new bank account numbers and other access codes. Then he kills his double as painlessly as possible and gets rid of the body.

The next day, the French president learns about the duplicated Chinese airplane. Minutes later, he goes on live television to make a joint announcement—simultaneously with leaders in the United States, Germany, and Russia—informing the public about Air France 006. A scientist introduces the simulation hypothesis, and Blake’s wife, Flora, turns to him and says, “That’s nuts” (262). To conclude his announcement, the president quotes Albert Camus’s comments after the Hiroshima bombing, including the sentiment that “Humanity is perhaps being offered its last chance” (262).