“America’s President Estevez comes to blows in a White House press conference with a reporter, after allegations of financial irregularity turn ugly.”
“A diplomatic storm erupts as the Nippon Space Agency steps in to rescue a crew of Chinese taikonauts after an accident in orbit.”
“Residents in the city of Cologne report the apparent spontaneous formation of an insect group mind.”
“And the Neo-Aum Shinrikyo group officially announce their dissolution and absorption into the growing international faith known as the Church of Joseph.”
“But first, breaking news from the city-state of Hong Kong (please touch the blue dot on your d-screen for direct neural input of the raw info-feed. Infra-red and Greentooth settings are supported).”
“Today, this vibrant metropolis stands traumatized and silent after what General Jet Li of the Army of the People’s Republic of China called ‘an unprovoked and ruthless attack on this peaceful city’. At a press conference in Shenzhen, General Li, commander-in-chief of Hong Kong’s Domestic Security Directorate and Police Battalion, described how an anti-corporate faction launched a multi-pronged assault via internet denial-of-service attacks, the detonation of several timed bombs and the release of powerful hallucinogenic compounds into Hong Kong’s municipal water supply. Victims of this psychological onslaught suffered traumatic visions and mass hysteria, although the effects appear to be temporary. Mobile APRC medical squads have been deployed throughout the area to deal with the catastrophe, and crisis-management units from several major corporations are en route, although Beijing has flatly refused to allow United Nations MediForce teams to enter Hong Kong airspace. Among the key targets for the terrorists was the headquarters of Yuk Lung Heavy Industries, which was wiped off the map by a massive explosion. Yuk Lung’s reclusive CEO is among the dead at this hour. While the perpetrators of this terrible act have yet to be identified, some intelligence analysts suggest that the America Alone Alliance Army may have had a hand in the incident, after their failed attack on the Cantonese idol singer Juno Qwan earlier this month. Qwan, along with several thousand of her fans, perished at the Wyldsky free concert, which was taking place on Victoria Peak at the time-yet more victims of this terrible event. Other theories lay the blame upon anti-corporate factions who may have used the concert as a cover for the attack. Reports coming out of the city are sketchy; eyewitness blogs suggest that the destruction of the Yuk Lung skyscraper occurred several hours after the terrorist strike, some even claiming that the tower was obliterated not by an internal detonation as the APRC statement suggests, but by a missile fired from an unknown location. There are also unconfirmed rumours that elements within the Yuk Lung Corporation may have been fully aware of the attack and yet did nothing to prevent it. We will bring you more on this story as it unfolds. Over to you, Dot.”
“Troubling times, indeed, Web. Now, with more on that swarm of superintelligent wasps in Cologne, here’s our German correspondent, Sieben AufNeun.” bip bippa bip bip bip scree beeep bippa hip zzzzt
“We’re sorry, but Sieben appears to be experiencing technical difficulties. Back to you, Ray.”
17. A Better Tomorrow
They buried Juno at a hillside cemetery, not far from the place where she had died. Sifu Bruce arranged a headstone, even in the traumatic aftermath of things finding a way to get this small but important matter arranged for the dead girl. The piece of granite was simple and without scrollwork or detail. It bore only her name, no date of birth, no date of passing. Lam, the wageslave-well, ex-wageslave now-had explained, in a quiet and unsteady voice, just what she really was, where she had come from. He had her files, memory cores full of DNA patterns and zygote fabrication specs. Despite all that, the man didn’t seem to care any less about her.
Ko looked on and listened to Fixx as he made signs over the fresh grave and spoke about worlds beyond this one. The young man studied the turned earth over Juno’s coffin and wondered about all the other Junos that had come and gone before her, or the ones that had died still trapped inside tanks of amniotic fluid as the YLHI building collapsed. They would never be set to rest. In a way, this was a funeral for all of them as well.
Fixx looked under the weather, but he hid it well, insisting that he was already on the mend. The operative spoke vaguely about somebody called Lucy living over Kowloon side, who knew about medical stuff and the business of healing. The dark-skinned man had a new companion, a cat; the animal had the feral look of a stray about it, but one of its eyes was a mechanical augmentation and it watched the proceedings with more than just feline interest.
Ko said nothing as Fixx bent down and placed a single tarot card against Juno’s tombstone. He didn’t need to look to know there was a priestess with a beatific face upon it, head turned to the sky and smiling.
“Ko.” Lam approached him. He looked different out of the spidersilk suit, in casual clothes. Ko saw the hollowness in his eyes, the sadness and the loss, and felt a pang of sympathy for the man.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted. “If I had got there quicker-”
Lam shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You dealt with that bastard Tze. You have nothing to apologise about.” He nodded up to where the road snaked through the graveyard. There were a string of vehicles up there, among them Fixx’s black Korvette with Nikita dozing in the back seat, her head resting against the window.
They were almost alone in the cemetery. The other cars belonged to a group of shaven-headed Durdenists, chanting their death rites over a lost member of their number a few plots down the hillside. Ko let his gaze wander over the cityscape.
All across Hong Kong the streets were sparsely populated. The population stayed at home and held close to those they loved, finding solace in simple human company. There would be nightmares for a long time to come. Church congregations of all kinds would swell, as would the lines at psych clinics and Doktor-Shrink™ franchises across the city; in a few years, someone would estimate that a full eighth of Hong Kong’s citizens suffered permanent psychotic breaks in the wake of the catastrophic “Wyldsky Incident”.
Lam indicated the Korvette. “How is Nikita?”
“No better,” admitted Ko, “but no worse either. I guess when the whole thing fell apart, the pain stopped.” He tapped his head. “Up here. But she’s gotta long way to go before she’s better.”
The other man nodded. “This might help her some.” Lam produced a thick folder from a pocket in his jacket and opened it. It was a wad of share certificates from minor league multinats like Buell Tool, Inverse Smile and Titancorp. “Take these,” he said. “They’re as good as cash. You never did get paid for bringing me the truth about my brother.”
Ko accepted the bundle. “This has gotta be, what, worth twice as much as we agreed?”
Lam shrugged. “Something like that. When I bailed out from Yuk Lung, I set some contingency plans in motion, which involved wide-banding certain corporate secrets my brother had been gathering together. Before I did that, though, I made sure I channelled a big chunk of yuan from Tze’s discretionary funds into a sealed Swiss account.”
Ko chuckled. “That’s a fair enough revenge. Yuk Lung Heavy Industries will be history before the end of the week.” He pocketed the folder and produced something from his coat. “Got something for you too. Your phone.” Ko handed it back and paused, thinking. “Remember what you said, when we were on the expressway? That you used to be like me?”
“I remember.”
“I think I believe you now. Only someone Street would do what you did. You might have lost your octane for a while, but you got it back, neh? It’s in your blood, man, the need for speed.”