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his camera. Now it was Foley’s turn to step sideways, behind a neon-clad mannequin. Milgrim turned, toward a nearby display of costume jewelry, conveniently finding Foley reflected, distantly, in the seller’s mirror. A red-haired girl offered to help him, in French. “No,” said Milgrim, “thank you,” seeing Foley, in the mirror, step from behind his mannequin. He turned, pressing the button that extruded the camera’s optics, raised it, and snapped two pictures of Foley’s receding back. The red-haired girl was looking at him. He smiled and walked on, pocketing the camera.
23. MEREDITH Maybe Milgrim was the one who was hallucinating here, she thought, as she climbed the Scandinavian stairway again, a tall paper cup of quadruple-shot Americain held gingerly in either hand. The coffee was steaming hot; if Milgrim’s possibly imaginary stalker suddenly manifested, she thought, she could hurl the contents of both cups. Whatever that had been, down in the deserted blue-lit disco, if it had been anything at all, it now seemed like some random frame-splice from someone else’s movie: Milgrim’s, Bigend’s, anyone but hers. But she’d avoid that elevator, just in case, and she were still on the lookout for vaguely Nazi caps. Milgrim had issues, clearly. Was in fact deeply peculiar. She scarcely knew him. He might well be seeing things. He looked, pretty much constantly, as though he were seeing things. She carefully kept the blow-up of the Corbijn portrait out of her field of vision as she reached the second floor and the Salon du Vintage. Keeping her mind off the basement as well, she wondered exactly when coffee had gone walkabout in France. When she’d first been here, drinking coffee hadn’t been a pedestrian activity. One either sat to do it, in cafés or restaurants, or stood, at bars or on railway platforms, and drank from sturdy vessels, china or glass, themselves made in France. Had Starbucks brought the takeaway cup? she wondered. She doubted it. They hadn’t really had the time. More likely McDonald’s. Her antique denim dealer, intense and ponytailed, was busy with a customer, laying out a pair of ancient dungarees that seemed to have more holes than fabric. He looked as though he should have supplemental lenses hinged to the edges of his rimless rectangular spectacles. He didn’t see her pass. And here, past the inflatable orange furniture, came a funeral, and Olduvai George marching jauntily along beside it, smiling. Four Japanese men in dark suits, unsmiling, a black coffin or body bag slung between them. They passed her, but not George. Delighted, he took one of the coffees. “Thank you very much.” “Sugar?” “No, thank you.” He sipped hungrily. “Who were they?” Looking over her shoulder as the four bore their somber burden out of sight, down the stairs. He lowered the cup, wiped his mouth with the back of his startlingly furred hand. “Mere’s buyer’s minders. The Chanel’s in that bag, all of it, packed with archival tissue. And there’s Mere,” he added, “with the buyer.”
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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
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
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 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
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
Page 136 and 137: haven’t been sold off, otherwise
Page 138 and 139: “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
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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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