This novel continues the war between the main two oppositional factions in the series thus far: the Electroclan and the Elgen. It is becoming clearer, however, that Dr. Hatch is the main antagonist, not the Elgen corporation; the latter is motivated by profits and impotent next to Hatch's students, while Hatch continues to grow more powerful and more vocal in his claims to immortality. Michael and the Electroclan, and now the Resistance, represent a holding fast to traditional morality, a distinction between right and wrong, and the last true defense of goodness. Hatch, on the other hand, represents an ascension of a post-morality power that defines right in terms of strength. He is a half-Nietzschean, half-Machiavellian dictator who aspires to ultimate power by whatever means necessary.
In this particular installment, Hatch continues to define himself as the harbinger of Zarathustra (the superman of Nietzsche's philosophy); moving on from the "beast and dragon" metaphor, he brings another biblical image to describe himself and his allies: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He plans his four-step program to take over and transform the world, after the ascent of the electric humans based on these Horsemen:
1. War
Hatch plans to use his influence to turn countries against each other, fueling a world war of massive proportions to kill off hundreds of millions.
2. Famine
"War has always produced scarcity, but we will add to it" (Ch. 11). He will shut down power and starve the citizens, thus decreasing the world population even more.
3. Plagues
Their labs will create deadly viruses that don't affect the electric species, only normal humans, and infect the GPs (human guinea pigs) with them, sending them out into the world to cause contagion and hysteria – "The death toll will dwarf the black plague of the fourteenth century" (Ch. 11).
4. Death
Finally, he will release the electric rats to destroy and feed on the remainder of the humans, bringing Death upon the entire world except for the electric humans.
Hatch is more and more clearly distinguishing himself as the Anti-Christ (interestingly, a name for Zarathustra in Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra). This battle between good and evil is increasing in clarity and in stakes; the entire world will be destroyed if Hatch gets his way. The Electroclan is on a mission to save the world, and, perhaps more importantly, to save morality.
