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positioned pocket, quite far down on the right side-seam. A stainless steel clip held some large folding knife firmly there. Milgrim did as he was told, noting the chrome and the turquoise leatherette of the row of floor-mounted stools in front of the counter, which was topped with worn turquoise Formica. He partially unfurled the paper. “I’ll need to make tracings,” he explained. “It’s the best way to capture the detail. I’ll take photographs first.” “Who’s in the car?” “My friend.” “Why can’t you drive?” “DUI,” said Milgrim, and it was true, at least in some philosophical sense. Silently, the young man rounded an empty glass display-case that would once have contained cigarettes and candy. When he was opposite Milgrim, he reached beneath the counter and drew out something in a crumpled white plastic bag. He dropped this on the counter and swept the plastic envelope toward the far end, giving the impression that his body, highly trained, was doing these things of its own accord, while he himself continued to survey from some interior distance. Milgrim opened the bag and took out a pair of folded, unpressed trousers. They were the coppery beige shade he knew as coyote brown. Unfolding them, he lay them out flat along the Formica, took the camera from his jacket pocket, and began to photograph them, using the flash. He took six shots of the front, then turned them over and took six of the back. He took one photograph each of the four cargo pockets. He put the camera down, turned the pants inside out, and photographed them again. Pocketing the camera, he arranged them, still inside out, more neatly on the counter, spread the first of the four sheets of paper over them, and began, with one of the graphite sticks, to make his rubbing. He liked doing this. There was something inherently satisfying about it. He’d been sent to Hackney, to a tailor who did alterations, to spend an afternoon learning how to do it properly, and it pleased him, somehow, that this was a time-honored means of stealing information. It was like making a rubbing of a tombstone, or a bronze in a cathedral. The medium-hard graphite, if correctly applied, captured every detail of seam and stitching, all a sample-maker would need to reproduce the garment, as well as providing for reconstruction of the pattern. While he worked, the young man opened the envelope, unpacked the bundled hundreds, and silently counted them. “Needs a gusset,” he said as he finished. “Pardon?” Milgrim paused, the fingers of his right hand covered with graphite dust. “Gusset,” the young man said, reloading the blue envelope. “Inner thighs. They bind, if you’re rappelling.” “Thanks,” Milgrim said, showing graphite-smudged fingers. “Would you mind turning them over for me? I don’t want to get this on them.”
“Delta to Atlanta,” Sleight said, handing Milgrim a ticket envelope. He was back in the very annoying suit he’d forgone for Myrtle Beach, the one with the freakishly short trousers. “Business?” “Coach,” said Sleight, his satisfaction entirely evident. He passed Milgrim a second envelope. “British Midland to Heathrow.” “Coach?” Sleight frowned. “Business.” Milgrim smiled. “He’ll want you in a meeting, straight off the plane.” Milgrim nodded. “Bye,” he said. He tucked the red tube beneath his arm and headed for check-in, his bag in his other hand, walking directly beneath a very large South Carolina state flag, oddly Islamic with its palm tree and crescent moon.
Page 2 and 3: TITLES BY WILLIAM GIBSON Neuromance
Page 4 and 5: VIKING an imprint of PENGUIN BOOKS
Page 6 and 7: 1. CABINET 2. EDGE CITY 3. SLUT’S
Page 8 and 9: 45. SHRAPNEL, SUPERSONIC 46. TORTOI
Page 10 and 11: To Susan Allison, my editor
Page 12 and 13: accommodations. A peculiarly narrow
Page 14 and 15: They’d run with that tallness, em
Page 16 and 17: 2. EDGE CITY Milgrim considered the
Page 18 and 19: lot. They always made that squealin
Page 22 and 23: 3. SLUT’S WOOL She woke to gray l
Page 24 and 25: The Italian girl brought her a pot
Page 26 and 27: “Fully.” He forked baked beans
Page 28 and 29: small army of people who understand
Page 30 and 31: Milgrim preferred to regard that by
Page 32 and 33: public toilets as remarkably semico
Page 34 and 35: No exterior signage. The label, ins
Page 36 and 37: advanced, but the promise of it had
Page 38 and 39: 6. AFTER THE GYRATORY The Neo’s p
Page 40 and 41: Milgrim nodded, looking around at t
Page 42 and 43: 7. A HERF GUN IN FRITH STREET Bigen
Page 44 and 45: “Aldous will take you back to the
Page 46 and 47: 8. CURETTAGE Milgrim, cleaning his
Page 48 and 49: 9. FUCKSTICK When she opened Cabine
Page 50 and 51: of darts in her life, but didn’t
Page 52 and 53: interesting, required volunteers, t
Page 54 and 55: system. Then back, without exiting,
Page 56 and 57: squirrel suit. He was okay. Hot, to
Page 58 and 59: and splashed it into the sink. She
Page 60 and 61: “How so?” “Are they serious a
Page 62 and 63: to the hotel. We’ll phone you.”
Page 64 and 65: “Hollis?” She looked up. “Mil
Page 66 and 67: something he pointed out to me, in
Page 68 and 69: 15. THE DROP Fitzroy,” Clammy sai
Page 70 and 71:
“What were the other people like,
Page 72 and 73:
16. HONOR BAR She was waiting for M
Page 74 and 75:
founder and CEO.” “CEO,” he r
Page 76 and 77:
“No,” Milgrim agreed, and took
Page 78 and 79:
“But it was your rule, remember?
Page 80 and 81:
18. 140 The Neo rang while he was s
Page 82 and 83:
19. PRESENCES Tossing makeup and to
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20. AUGMENTED Milgrim glanced up fr
Page 86 and 87:
“I know another Bollard, plus the
Page 88 and 89:
pale Scandinavian wood, emerging in
Page 90 and 91:
She’d actually seen suits like th
Page 92 and 93:
She stepped back into the elevator,
Page 94 and 95:
His therapist had suspected that hi
Page 96 and 97:
his camera. Now it was Foley’s tu
Page 98 and 99:
And two more black-suited minders.
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“Were you ever a model?” “No,
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sense of what she didn’t like tha
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The Neo rang, from a different pock
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he put his phone in his jacket pock
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“Depends how much it matters to h
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26. MOTHER RUSSIA Kleenex?” Milgr
Page 112 and 113:
strap of his bag was securely over
Page 114 and 115:
When the elevator stopped again, an
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“Found a gym. Hacky.” “Hackne
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28. WHITE PEAR TEA The cost of wifi
Page 120 and 121:
“Borrowed laptop. Lost phone.”
Page 122 and 123:
29. SHIVER Sleight,” Bigend said,
Page 124 and 125:
30. SIGHTING Milgrim left the white
Page 126 and 127:
In Basel, they had questioned him c
Page 128 and 129:
lobby. Outside, the air had been sc
Page 130 and 131:
seen him. He smiled ruefully, white
Page 132 and 133:
32. POST-ACUTE The waitress was dep
Page 134 and 135:
Hounds haven’t often done things
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haven’t been sold off, otherwise
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“Blue Ant didn’t send anybody.
Page 140 and 141:
33. BURJ She got the iPhone out of
Page 142 and 143:
“Bye, Heidi.” The pale gold bul
Page 144 and 145:
Imagining explaining that to Winnie
Page 146 and 147:
“Would he have to know?” “Did
Page 148 and 149:
35. DONGLE As the train pulled out
Page 150 and 151:
was heavier than he would have expe
Page 152 and 153:
“A roll-in. Vinegar and brown pap
Page 154 and 155:
“That’s less dangerous?” “N
Page 156 and 157:
37. AJAY Inchmale’s spirit-beast,
Page 158 and 159:
“ ‘Engrish,’ ” said Heidi,
Page 160 and 161:
38. GETTING HOTTER Bigend was havin
Page 162 and 163:
“I don’t know what he thinks,
Page 164 and 165:
“Give it a speed-dial code,” sa
Page 166 and 167:
40. ENIGMA ROTORS His room here ove
Page 168 and 169:
unfamiliar. Voytek wore a wool card
Page 170 and 171:
“Toilet. Loo.” “In back. With
Page 172 and 173:
He held the door for her. “Welcom
Page 174 and 175:
“Because of who and what they see
Page 176 and 177:
hurt would constitute a dropped bal
Page 178 and 179:
“That’s bad for you?” She loo
Page 180 and 181:
“Not quite. He becomes a hookup a
Page 182 and 183:
43. ICHINOMIYA Thanks for meeting o
Page 184 and 185:
any more. I’ll understand.” Mer
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“Good,” said Milgrim, before Bi
Page 188 and 189:
“I don’t think he did either, m
Page 190 and 191:
“I don’t think he’d like that
Page 192 and 193:
The tall woman’s large, startling
Page 194 and 195:
military contracts, at least it is
Page 196 and 197:
ut the manta, merely a black, devil
Page 198 and 199:
Something moved, three feet above B
Page 200 and 201:
And Milgrim fell, amazed and unthin
Page 202 and 203:
49. GREAT MARLBOROUGH All was forwa
Page 204 and 205:
50. BANK-MONUMENT Milgrim had never
Page 206 and 207:
51. SOMEONE Hollis lay fully dresse
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ear lobby, do some work on my lapto
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yours. Total fanboy.” “That wou
Page 212 and 213:
cushioned. “Archaic expression,
Page 214 and 215:
“You told her that?” “And she
Page 216 and 217:
“The food?” “What they manage
Page 218 and 219:
53. CRICKET The phone’s cricket-n
Page 220 and 221:
54. AIR GLOW Ferguson,” said Winn
Page 222 and 223:
55. MR. WILSON There were few guest
Page 224 and 225:
“Milgrim.” “How much does he
Page 226 and 227:
56. ALWAYS IS GENIUS Milgrim, on hi
Page 228 and 229:
“You refer,” Bigend said, “to
Page 230 and 231:
58. DOUCHE BAGGAGE Voytek was very
Page 232 and 233:
toward one wall, raising the racket
Page 234 and 235:
under her majorette jacket. “Look
Page 236 and 237:
60. RAY Milgrim, in his stocking fe
Page 238 and 239:
“You and that Heidi,” said Fion
Page 240 and 241:
“A sigil?” “The sigil of forg
Page 242 and 243:
62. WAKING Milgrim woke with a leg
Page 244 and 245:
63. CURLY STAYS, SLOW FOOD With Gar
Page 246 and 247:
filigreed instrument Inchmale had u
Page 248 and 249:
64. THREAT MANAGEMENT The toilet in
Page 250 and 251:
“Did you have story time first?
Page 252 and 253:
65. LEOPARD SKIN IN MINIATURE She s
Page 254 and 255:
There was something on the bedside
Page 256 and 257:
66. ZIP Benny’s civilian bike, Mi
Page 258 and 259:
“We saw him,” Fiona said. “He
Page 260 and 261:
67. A CRUSHED MOUSE Ajay, looking p
Page 262 and 263:
translucently ancient waxed cotton
Page 264 and 265:
68. HAND-EYE Now it was Milgrim’s
Page 266 and 267:
69. THE GIFTING SUITE Here?” She
Page 268 and 269:
keeping this on. I’m doing someth
Page 270 and 271:
70. DAZZLE The penguin smelled of K
Page 272 and 273:
couldn’t identify at all. “I’
Page 274 and 275:
“That’s for you to work out. A
Page 276 and 277:
and Heidi, and you and the others,
Page 278 and 279:
he’s sleeping with Hollis. I mean
Page 280 and 281:
Milgrim lowered the helmet to his s
Page 282 and 283:
“I’m sorry,” he said. “What
Page 284 and 285:
73. THE PATCHWORK BOYFRIEND In the
Page 286 and 287:
74. MAP, TERRITORY The heels of Mil
Page 288 and 289:
“I’m not going anywhere without
Page 290 and 291:
76. GONE-AWAY GIRL Milgrim stood, f
Page 292 and 293:
77. GREEN SCREEN The broken wheel o
Page 294 and 295:
“Did you finish your Breast Chase
Page 296 and 297:
78. EL LISSITZKY Care for mineral w
Page 298 and 299:
unless you’re right up on somethi
Page 300 and 301:
Pep, following instructions, hadn
Page 302 and 303:
And then he found Chombo, and Foley
Page 304 and 305:
82. LONDON EYE Thumbing the wings t
Page 306 and 307:
83. PLEASE GO What was that?” she
Page 308 and 309:
84. NEW ONE Fiona’s drone’s bat
Page 310 and 311:
okay?” she’d asked, giving his
Page 312 and 313:
getting him wherever he’s now got
Page 314 and 315:
painfully with the orange leather u
Page 316 and 317:
now.” “At Blue Ant?” Aldous n
Page 318 and 319:
THANKS: My wife Deborah and daughte
Page 320:
45. SHRAPNEL, SUPERSONIC 46. TORTOI
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