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“But it was your rule, remember? Not mine. After the boxers, you stuck with musicians.” “Homunculuses,” Heidi said, nodding, “douche bags.” “I could’ve told you that,” Hollis said. “You did.” The bar’s level of early-evening drinking-crowd noise tilted, suddenly. Hollis looked up and saw the Icelandic twins, their identical frosty pelts aglitter. Behind them, somehow worryingly avuncular, loomed Bigend. “Shit,” said Hollis. “I’m out of here,” said Heidi, putting down her water and standing, giving her shoulders an irritated shrug within her new jacket. Hollis rose too, half-pint in hand. “I’ll have to speak with him,” she said. “About Paris.” “You’re the one with the job.” “Hollis,” said Bigend. “And Heidi. Delighted.” “Mr. Bellend,” said Heidi. “Allow me to introduce Eydis and Fridrika Brandsdottir. Hollis Henry and Heidi Hyde.” Eydis and Fridrika smiled identically, in eerie unison. “A pleasure,” said one. “Yes,” said the other. “I’m leaving,” said Heidi, and did, men turning to follow her with their eyes as she strode off through the bar. “She isn’t feeling well,” said Hollis. “The flight’s affected her throat.” “She is a singer?” asked either Eydis or Fridrika. “A drummer,” said the other. “May I speak with you for a moment, Hubertus?” Hollis turned to the twins. “Please excuse me. Take these seats.” As they settled in the armchairs that Hollis and Heidi had vacated, Hollis stepped closer to Bigend. He’d forgone the blue suit this evening, and wore one in some peculiarly lightabsorbing black fabric that somehow looked as though it didn’t have a surface. More like an absence, an opening into something else, antimatter paired with mohair. “I hadn’t known Heidi was here,” he said. “We’re all surprised. But I wanted to tell you that I’m going to Paris tomorrow, to try to speak with someone who may know something about Hounds. I thought I’d take Milgrim.” “You got along?” “Well enough, considering.” “I’ll have Pamela e-mail you in a few minutes. She can handle any reservations.” “Don’t bother. I’ll keep track of expenses. But I don’t want to give up my room here, so I’ll keep it and you can cover that.” “I already am,” Bigend said, “plus incidentals. Can you tell me anything about Paris?” “I may have found someone who was involved with whatever the beginning of Hounds
was. ‘May.’ That’s all I know. And it may not be true. I’ll call you from there. Anyway, you’ve got company.” Smiling in the direction of Eydis and Fridrika, now coiled like slender silvery arctic mammals in their matching armchairs. “Good night.”
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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
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 80 and 81: 18. 140 The Neo rang while he was s
Page 82 and 83: 19. PRESENCES Tossing makeup and to
Page 84 and 85: 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.
Page 100 and 101: “Were you ever a model?” “No,
Page 102 and 103: sense of what she didn’t like tha
Page 104 and 105: The Neo rang, from a different pock
Page 106 and 107: he put his phone in his jacket pock
Page 108 and 109: “Depends how much it matters to h
Page 110 and 111: 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
Page 116 and 117: “Found a gym. Hacky.” “Hackne
Page 118 and 119: 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
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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
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keeping this on. I’m doing someth
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70. DAZZLE The penguin smelled of K
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couldn’t identify at all. “I’
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“That’s for you to work out. A
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and Heidi, and you and the others,
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he’s sleeping with Hollis. I mean
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Milgrim lowered the helmet to his s
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“I’m sorry,” he said. “What
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73. THE PATCHWORK BOYFRIEND In the
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74. MAP, TERRITORY The heels of Mil
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“I’m not going anywhere without
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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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