Нейромант
Chapter 1
Byday,thebarsdownNinseiwereshutteredandfeatureless,theneondead,thehologramsinert,waiting,underthepoisonedsilversky.
TwoblockswestoftheChat,inateashopcalledtheJarredeTh,Casewasheddownthenight’sfirstpillwithadoubleespresso.Itwasaflatpinkoctagon,apotentspeciesofBraziliandexheboughtfromoneofZone’sgirls.
TheJarrewaswalledwithmirrors,eachpanelframedinredneon.
Atfirst,findinghimselfaloneinChiba,withlittlemoneyandlesshopeoffindingacure,he’dgoneintoakindofterminaloverdrive,hustlingfreshcapitalwithacoldintensitythathadseemedtobelongtosomeoneelse.Inthefirstmonth,he’dkilledtwomenandawomanoversumsthatayearbeforewouldhaveseemedludicrous.Ninseiworehimdownuntilthestreetitselfcametoseemtheexternalizationofsomedeathwish,somesecretpoisonhehadn’tknownhecarried.
NightCitywaslikeaderangedexperimentinsocialDarwinism,designedbyaboredresearcherwhokeptonethumbpermanentlyonthefast-forwardbutton.Stophustlingandyousankwithoutatrace,butmovealittletooswiftlyandyou’dbreakthefragilesurfacetensionoftheblackmarket;eitherway,youweregone,withnothingleftofyoubutsomevaguememoryinthemindofafixturelikeRatz,thoughheartorlungsorkidneysmightsurviveintheserviceofsomestrangerwithNewYenfortheclinictanks.
