Baccano! - Volume 12 - Chapter Pr5

Introduction—The Mastermind Copies Fate

My name is Copycat.

Nothing but a mimic.

Just a humble criminal.

Come, let’s repeat it, repeat it.

Let’s do it all over again.

First, we’ll get all the pawns together.

Then we’ll throw them in a pot and put on the lid.

Let’s stew them with water, not fire.

Burning and drowning, tumbling and drifting.

Once more, with feeling.

Let me see what I so wanted to see.

My name is Copycat.

I’m nothing but a mimic.

Just a humble criminal.

But what to copy? No, not the individuals.

No, not actions, either.

What I should mimic are malice and coincidence.

When I’ve copied coincidence, will I become a copy of God?

If so, then let’s create a world.

Let’s reproduce it, recreate it.

Let’s reenact a world.

Let’s reproduce that luxury train.

Let’s reproduce that utterly isolated world.

If it goes well, I’ll clap quietly.

It’s for me, all for me.

LALALA LALALA LALALAALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFDAIJDJAIOSIJAIOJFIAIHDSFAUGYAWGYUAJINJFDJKLHF0QWAIJSDA9–WQAI@ASKDKAOJDJIOPGADOP3Q9–0–9KO@ADAYGWYGAUHAJIOJIODSAIJIDJA SIJOSAJIOADSK@

Oh, what fun. I’m getting all psyched up.

Let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go

Just putting it in writing might be enough to take me to the heights— How embarrassing. I’ll erase it now.

One month before “the incident”

The figure at the keyboard smiled quietly.

Smiling, they hit the backspace key.

Hit it. Hit it again. Smashed it.

Holding the key down would erase everything, of course, but they cheerfully tapped at it.

Takka-takka-takka-takka takka-takka-takka-takka

Rhythmically, in perfect time, they hit the backspace key over and over until the screen was pure white—and then they kept going, grinning in utter delight.

As if that delight was born from the deepest depths of their soul.

Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak takka takka click