Chapter 4

           Casesatintheloftwiththedermatrodesstrappedacrosshisforehead,watchingmotesdanceinthedilutedsunlightthatfilteredthroughthegridoverhead.Acountdownwasinprogressinonecornerofthemonitorscreen.

           Cowboysdidn’tgetintosimstim,hethought,becauseitwasbasicallyameattoy.Heknewthatthetrodesheusedandthelittleplastictiaradanglingfromasimstimdeckwerebasicallythesame,andthatthecyberspacematrixwasactuallyadrasticsimplificationofthehumansensorium,atleastintermsofpresentation,butsimstimitselfstruckhimasagratuitousmultiplicationoffleshinput.Thecommercialstuffwasedited,ofcourse,sothatifTallyIshamgotaheadacheinthecourseofasegment,youdidn’tfeelit.

           Thescreenbleepedatwo-secondwarning.

           ThenewswitchwaspatchedintohisSendaiwithathinribbonoffiberoptics.

           Andoneandtwoand--

           Cyberspaceslidintoexistencefromthecardinalpoints.Smooth,hethought,butnotsmoothenough.Havetoworkonit...

           Thenhekeyedthenewswitch.

           Theabruptjoltintootherflesh.Matrixgone,awaveofsoundandcolor...Shewasmovingthroughacrowdedstreet,paststallsvendingdiscountsoftware,pricesfeltpennedonsheetsofplastic,fragmentsofmusicfromcountlessspeakers.Smellsofurine,freemonomers,perfume,pattiesoffryingkrill.Forafewfrightenedsecondshefoughthelplesslytocontrolherbody.