Zero History

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THANKS: My wife Deborah and daughter Claire were on-site first readers and sensitive critics, as ever. Susan Allison, to whom this book is dedicated, and who has been my editor in one sense or another since the start of my career, of course was excellent with this one. As indeed was Martha Millard, my literary agent since I first required one. Jack Womack and Paul McAuley read pages almost daily, with Paul keeping very particular track of London. Louis Lapprend was enlisted as Milgrim arrived in Paris, to similar ends. Cory Doctorow provided Sleight with Milgrim’s problematic Neo. Johan Kugelberg very kindly put me up in the club on which Cabinet is loosely based, and which is very nearly as peculiar. Sean Crawford kept Winnie honest. Larry Lunn gave me the order flow, when asked for a macguffin of ultimate scale. I don’t know anyone else who could have. Clive Wilson very kindly offered boots-on-the-ground Melbourne geography and vegan bacon. Douglas Coupland introduced me to the concept of the Vegas cube by showing me, years ago, the one he’d built to write in. Bruce Sterling, having been emailed exactly the wrong question about CCTV, graciously extruded the concept of the ugly T-shirt in one of his characteristic, demonically focused bursts of seemingly effortless imagination. Michaela Sachenbacher and Errolson Hugh introduced me to the architecture of a “secret” brand, and the passion behind it. Everything I know about being a fashion model in the 21st Century I learned from Jenna Sauers’ wonderful Jezebel memoir, “I Am The Anonymous Model.” Meredith’s modeling career is based on it. Available with a quick Google. Likewise available is Mark Gardiner’s very informative “Artful Dodgers,” from the February 2009 issue of Motorcyclist, where I learned everything I know about London motorcycle couriers. Meredith’s line of shoes was modeled after the brand Callous, launched by Thomas Fenning and Tomoaki Kobayashi in 2003, and which I gather met a somewhat similar fate. Thank you all. —Vancouver, June 2010
1. CABINET 2. EDGE CITY 3. SLUT’S WOOL 4. PARADOXICAL ANTAGONIST 5. THIN ON THE GROUND 6. AFTER THE GYRATORY 7. A HERF GUN IN FRITH STREET 8. CURETTAGE 9. FUCKSTICK 10. EIGENBLICH 11. UNPACKING 12. COMPLIANCE TOOL 13. MUSKRAT 14. YELLOW HELMET 15. THE DROP 16. HONOR BAR 17. HOMUNCULI 18. 140 19. PRESENCES 20. AUGMENTED 21. MINUS ONE 22. FOLEY 23. MEREDITH 24. HUNCH 25. TINFOIL 26. MOTHER RUSSIA 27. JAPANESE BASEBALL 28. WHITE PEAR TEA 29. SHIVER 30. SIGHTING 31. SECRET MACHINERIES 32. POST-ACUTE 33. BURJ 34. THE ORDER FLOW 35. DONGLE 36. VINEGAR AND BROWN PAPER 37. AJAY 38. GETTING HOTTER 39. THE NUMBER 40. ENIGMA ROTORS 41. GEAR-QUEER 42. ELVIS, GRACELAND 43. ICHINOMIYA 44. THE VERBALS Table of Contents
Page 2 and 3:
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
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The tall woman’s large, startling
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military contracts, at least it is
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ut the manta, merely a black, devil
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Something moved, three feet above B
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And Milgrim fell, amazed and unthin
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49. GREAT MARLBOROUGH All was forwa
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50. BANK-MONUMENT Milgrim had never
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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
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cushioned. “Archaic expression,
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“You told her that?” “And she
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“The food?” “What they manage
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53. CRICKET The phone’s cricket-n
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54. AIR GLOW Ferguson,” said Winn
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55. MR. WILSON There were few guest
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“Milgrim.” “How much does he
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56. ALWAYS IS GENIUS Milgrim, on hi
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“You refer,” Bigend said, “to
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58. DOUCHE BAGGAGE Voytek was very
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toward one wall, raising the racket
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under her majorette jacket. “Look
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60. RAY Milgrim, in his stocking fe
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“You and that Heidi,” said Fion
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“A sigil?” “The sigil of forg
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62. WAKING Milgrim woke with a leg
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63. CURLY STAYS, SLOW FOOD With Gar
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filigreed instrument Inchmale had u
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64. THREAT MANAGEMENT The toilet in
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“Did you have story time first?
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65. LEOPARD SKIN IN MINIATURE She s
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There was something on the bedside
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66. ZIP Benny’s civilian bike, Mi
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“We saw him,” Fiona said. “He
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67. A CRUSHED MOUSE Ajay, looking p
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translucently ancient waxed cotton
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68. HAND-EYE Now it was Milgrim’s
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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 320: 45. SHRAPNEL, SUPERSONIC 46. TORTOI
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