Michelle could think of no particular reason why somebody in Vanessa’s position should object to such a deal. But if her experience of human nature had taught her anything, it was never to take anything for granted.
Vanessa was waiting in a large, airy arboretum of a room, riotous with potted ferns and climbing plants hanging from hooks. Two armchairs and a couch finished in a soft, dark brown velveteen faced a brick fireplace, and a baby grand stood at the far end. The far wall consisted almost entirely of glass, looking out over the rear garden and the water through a screened-in porch. Although they were still on the same level as that on which they had entered, there were stairs on the far side leading down. Evidently, the slope of the ground toward the water created another level below in the rear part of the house.
Vanessa was what Michelle would have imagined a few hours previously, before meeting Eric. But the impressions of him that had been coming together in her mind since then had been steadily altering her expectations, with the result that now she found herself surprised.
Vanessa would have looked in place on the cover of Vogue or at a film-festival party in Cannes; her face was made for the title role in Cleopatra movies. She was tall and poised, with hair falling to her shoulders in a black wave edged with a hint of red where it caught the daylight from behind. Her dress was sheer and dark, woven with silver and blue metallic thread, sleeveless, high-collared, and figure-hugging. Her eyes had a peculiar iridescent quality, not taking on any readily definable color but reflecting the light in a way that seemed to alter the tint as they moved, like moiré silk. They regarded Michelle with interest and curiosity, but betrayed nothing.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Lang,” she said after Eric had introduced them. “I take it you’ve had the tour of the firm. This is our off-duty side. Sometimes it’s not all that easy to tell the difference.”
“Oh, I think there’s a world of difference,” Michelle answered. “What’s work there becomes a hobby here. And this location by the water is charming. Did you know exactly what you wanted and have to search for ages, or were you just lucky?”
“Eric had made his mind up to move out of the city when we left Microbotics—I assume they’ve told you that story?”
“Yes.”
“It was Kevin who wanted to come out this way, to be nearer to Taki—Taki has family scattered all over the Olympia area. In fact, it was through one of Hiro’s friends that we learned this place was on the market.”
“Hiroyuki—that’s Taki’s father,” Eric put in. Michelle already knew of him through Ohira.
“It’s nice to hear of families being that close,” she said. “Especially these days, when everybody you talk to seems to be lost among strangers. How did you all get to know each other? Was it professionally—when you and Eric were with Microbotics?” It seemed likely. The Japanese were also active in microtechnology.
But Vanessa shook her head. “Through Kevin and Taki. They discovered via the Internet that they were kindred spirits, and it developed from there.” Michelle glanced at them. They were looking on and waiting patiently while the adults played through their formalities. She was warming to these two, she decided. “Anyway,” Vanessa went on, “I gather that Ohira has brought you here because of this idea that he wants to popularize. Were you aware of the technology before you saw it at the labs today?”
“I thought I was. I did some reading when I knew we’d be coming here. But actually experiencing direct neural connection was something else.” Michelle shook her head. “It’s just . . . well, it seems practically real.”
“DNC, you see. It makes all the difference,” Ohira said.
“Wait till you’ve tried the Park,” Vanessa told Michelle.
“Are you joining us?” Michelle wasn’t sure what made her ask. Maybe it was that Vanessa’s dress wasn’t appropriate to showing casual visitors the back yard.
“No, I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me,” Vanessa replied. “I’m meeting some people in town this evening. In fact, I ought to be leaving now. But I’m sure you’ll be suitably impressed.” She looked at Eric as he stood aside to let the two boys and Ohira cross the room to the stairwell. “Is the Jaguar okay?”