“Blackwell loves Rez in his own way,” she said. “It is concern that he feels. But he does not understand that our union has already taken place. Our ‘marriage’ will be gradual, ongoing. We wish simply to grow together. When Blackwell and the others can see that our union is best for both of us, all will be well. And you can do that for us, Mr. Laney.”
0 2 237 “I can?”
‘Yamazaki has explained what you are attempting with the data from the Lo/Rez fan archives,” Kuwayama said. “But that data says nothing, or very little, about Rei. We propose the addition of a third level of information: we will add Rei to the mix, and the pattern that emerges will be a portrait of their union.”
But you’re just information yourself, Laney thought, looking at her. Lots of it, running through God knows how many machines. But the dark eyes looked back at him, filled with something for all the world like hope. “Will you do it, Mr. Laney? Will you help us?”
“Look,” Laney said, “I only work here. I’ll do it if Yamazaki tells me to. If he takes the responsibility. But I want you to tell me something, okay?”
“What is it that you wish to know?” asked Kuwayama.
“What is all this about?” The question surprised Laney, who hadn’t quite known what it was he was about to ask.
Kuwayama’s mild eyes regarded him through the rimless lenses. “It is about fliturity, Mr. Lane>’.”
“Futurity?”
“Do you know that our word for ‘nature’ is of quite recent coinage? It is scarcely a hundred years old. We have never developed a sinister view of technology, Mr. Laney. It is an aspect of the natural, of oneness. Through our efforts, oneness perfects itself” Kuwayama smiled. “And popular culture,” he said, “is the testbed of our futurity.”
Arleigh made a better espresso than Shannon. Laney, squatting in the back of the green van, on popping shreds of bubble-pack, watched Yamazaki over the rim of a foam cup with a fresh double shot. “What do you think you’re doing, Yamazaki? You want us both to wind up wearing smaller shoes, or what? Blackwell likes to nail people’s hands to tables, and you’re making deals with the idoru and her 238 William Gibson boss?” Laney had insisted that they climb in back here for privacy. Yamazaki squatted opposite him, blinking. “I am not the one making deals,” Yamazaki said. “Rez and Rei Toei are in almost constant contact now, and recent improvements allow her new degrees of freedom. Rez let her into the data, all that you first tried to access. He did this without informing Blackwell.” He shrugged. “Now she accesses the fan data as well. And what they propose may well allow us to bring this to a conclusion. Blackwell is more than ever convinced there is some conspiracy. The attack in the nightclub.
“Which was about?”
“1 do not know. An attempted kidnapping? They wished to harm Rez? To abduct the idoru’s peripheral? It was handled with amazing clumsiness, but Blackwell says that is the earmark of the Kombinat. . . . Is that the word, ‘earmark’?”
“I don’t know,” Laney said. “Hallmark’?”
“You don’t think Blackwell’s going to cut our toes off, if we do this?”
“No. We are employed by a Lo/Rez shell corporation-” “Paragon-Asia?”
“–but Blackwell is employed by the Lo/Rez Partnership. If Rez tells us to do something, we must do it,”
“Even if Blackwell thinks it endangers Rez’s security?”
Yamazaki shrugged. Past his shoulder, through the van’s rear window, Lane>’ could see Shannon trundling the gray module they’d unloaded from the rear of Kuwayama’s Land-Rover. It was twice the size of the black ones that Arleigh used.
He watched Shannon push it past the orange barricades. . 239 36. Maryalice “Not yelling, please,” said the one who held her, and then he took his hand away from her mouth.
“Where is it?” Eddie’s pale eyes.
“There,” Chia said, pointing. She could see the ragged edge of blue and yellow plastic sticking up out of her open bag. Then she saw that Maryalice was asleep on the pink bed, cLirled up with her high-heeled shoes still on, clutching a pillow to her face. The top of the little fridge was covered with empty, miniature bottles.