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62. WAKING Milgrim woke with a leg over both of his, bent sharply at the knee, Fiona’s inner thigh and calf across the front of both his thighs. She’d turned on her side, facing him, and was no longer snoring, though he could feel, he discovered, her breath on his shoulder. She was still asleep. How long, he wondered, if he remained perfectly still, might she remain in this extraordinary position? He only knew that he was prepared to find out. A spidery, simultaneously sinuous and scratchy guitar chord filled the high-ceilinged twilight of Bigend’s Vegas cube, afloat on rainlike finger-drums. Milgrim winced. It died away. Came again. Fiona moaned, threw her arm across his chest, snuggled closer. The chord returned, like surf, relentless. “Bugger,” said Fiona, but didn’t move until the scratching, writhing chord returned again. She rolled away from Milgrim, reaching for something. “Hullo?” Milgrim imagined that the foam was a raft. Made the walls recede, horizon-deep. But it was a raft on which Fiona was taking calls. “Wilson? Okay. Yes? Understood. Put him on.” She sat cross-legged now, at the very edge of the slab. “Hullo. Yes.” Silence. “I’d need to dress for it, the chartreuse vest, reflective stripes.” Silence. “Kawasaki. GT550. Bit tatty for the job, but if the box is new, should do. Benny can bolt anything on. Have the manufacturer’s URL? I could measure it for you, otherwise. I’ve already put it together. Haven’t tested it.” A longer silence. “Organ transplants, plasma? Autopsy bits?” Silence. “Send over enough of that precut foam from a camera shop, the throw-away-the-bits kind. I doubt vibration would do it much good at all, but Benny and I can sort that. Yes. I will. Thank you. Could you put Hubertus back on, please? Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “Well,” she said, “we do seem very busy, suddenly. Benny can bodge your box on, but I’ll need new dampers. This drone won’t travel as nicely, I don’t think. Different sort of moving parts. Yes. He did. He was very clear. Bye, then.” “Hubertus?” “And someone called Wilson. Something’s up.” “What?” “Wilson wants my bike outfitted like a medical courier, professional-looking box over the pillion, extra reflectors, safety gear. Our new drone goes in there.” “Who’s Wilson?” “No idea. Hubertus says do what he says, to the letter. When Hubertus delegates, he delegates.” He felt her shrug. “Good kip, though.” She yawned, stretched. “You?” “Yes,” said Milgrim, keeping it at that. She stood, went to where she’d left her armored pants. He heard her pull them on. The
zip going up. He restrained a sigh. “Coffee,” she said. “I’ll have Benny get some in. White?” “White,” said Milgrim, “sugar.” He groped under the foam for his socks. “What was that music, on your phone?” “I’ve forgotten his name. Brilliant. Saharan.” She was pulling on her boots. “He heard Jimi and James Brown on the shortwave, when he was little. Carved extra frets into a guitar.” She went out without turning the Italian umbrella back up. Grayish sunlight. Then she closed the door behind her.
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TITLES BY WILLIAM GIBSON Neuromance
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VIKING an imprint of PENGUIN BOOKS
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1. CABINET 2. EDGE CITY 3. SLUT’S
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45. SHRAPNEL, SUPERSONIC 46. TORTOI
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To Susan Allison, my editor
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accommodations. A peculiarly narrow
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They’d run with that tallness, em
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2. EDGE CITY Milgrim considered the
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lot. They always made that squealin
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positioned pocket, quite far down o
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3. SLUT’S WOOL She woke to gray l
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The Italian girl brought her a pot
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“Fully.” He forked baked beans
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small army of people who understand
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Milgrim preferred to regard that by
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public toilets as remarkably semico
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No exterior signage. The label, ins
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advanced, but the promise of it had
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6. AFTER THE GYRATORY The Neo’s p
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Milgrim nodded, looking around at t
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7. A HERF GUN IN FRITH STREET Bigen
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“Aldous will take you back to the
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8. CURETTAGE Milgrim, cleaning his
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9. FUCKSTICK When she opened Cabine
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of darts in her life, but didn’t
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interesting, required volunteers, t
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system. Then back, without exiting,
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squirrel suit. He was okay. Hot, to
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and splashed it into the sink. She
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“How so?” “Are they serious a
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to the hotel. We’ll phone you.”
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“Hollis?” She looked up. “Mil
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something he pointed out to me, in
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15. THE DROP Fitzroy,” Clammy sai
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“What were the other people like,
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16. HONOR BAR She was waiting for M
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founder and CEO.” “CEO,” he r
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“No,” Milgrim agreed, and took
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“But it was your rule, remember?
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18. 140 The Neo rang while he was s
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19. PRESENCES Tossing makeup and to
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20. AUGMENTED Milgrim glanced up fr
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“I know another Bollard, plus the
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pale Scandinavian wood, emerging in
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She’d actually seen suits like th
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She stepped back into the elevator,
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His therapist had suspected that hi
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his camera. Now it was Foley’s tu
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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
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strap of his bag was securely over
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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
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“Borrowed laptop. Lost phone.”
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29. SHIVER Sleight,” Bigend said,
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30. SIGHTING Milgrim left the white
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In Basel, they had questioned him c
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lobby. Outside, the air had been sc
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seen him. He smiled ruefully, white
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32. POST-ACUTE The waitress was dep
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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.
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33. BURJ She got the iPhone out of
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“Bye, Heidi.” The pale gold bul
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Imagining explaining that to Winnie
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“Would he have to know?” “Did
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35. DONGLE As the train pulled out
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was heavier than he would have expe
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“A roll-in. Vinegar and brown pap
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“That’s less dangerous?” “N
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37. AJAY Inchmale’s spirit-beast,
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“ ‘Engrish,’ ” said Heidi,
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38. GETTING HOTTER Bigend was havin
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“I don’t know what he thinks,
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“Give it a speed-dial code,” sa
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40. ENIGMA ROTORS His room here ove
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unfamiliar. Voytek wore a wool card
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“Toilet. Loo.” “In back. With
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He held the door for her. “Welcom
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“Because of who and what they see
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hurt would constitute a dropped bal
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“That’s bad for you?” She loo
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“Not quite. He becomes a hookup a
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43. ICHINOMIYA Thanks for meeting o
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any more. I’ll understand.” Mer
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“Good,” said Milgrim, before Bi
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“I don’t think he did either, m
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“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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Page 210 and 211: 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 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
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77. GREEN SCREEN The broken wheel o
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“Did you finish your Breast Chase
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78. EL LISSITZKY Care for mineral w
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unless you’re right up on somethi
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Pep, following instructions, hadn
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And then he found Chombo, and Foley
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82. LONDON EYE Thumbing the wings t
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83. PLEASE GO What was that?” she
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84. NEW ONE Fiona’s drone’s bat
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okay?” she’d asked, giving his
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getting him wherever he’s now got
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painfully with the orange leather u
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now.” “At Blue Ant?” Aldous n
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THANKS: My wife Deborah and daughte
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45. SHRAPNEL, SUPERSONIC 46. TORTOI
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