trying to kill each other."
She closed her eyes and nodded. "I told them I was leaving, but didn't want to say why. Alain and Gerard blamed each other, or something. They were wired."
"Dreamchips?"
She looked up at him. "What?"
"Dreamchips? BTLs? Better Than Life?"
She looked confused.
"Illegal simsense chips," he said.
She nodded. "Yes… I forgot what they're called over here."
"Go on."
"I… she was in a meeting or something, so I left a message with one of her people. I left my hotel room number. They told me to wait for her call.
"About an hour later I had visitors—a man and a woman. They had guns and forced me outside, but I got lucky. There were some London police rousting a bunch of punks on the corner, so I started to make a scene. They got really nervous and let me get away."
"So you came here. How?"
"With the help of a friend," she sighed, "but under my own passport codes. I used the last of my money to grab a transorbital from Heathrow to here. I hoped that if I moved fast enough they wouldn't have started really trying to track me yet."
"What did you plan to do here?"
"My uncle Martin runs what's left of the actual family business from here. I thought maybe I could get him to call my father."
"Last I remember, Martin would have hired people to kill his brother himself. Has that changed?"
She shook her head. "Not that I know of, but I hoped he might see things my way, and not really want him dead."
"Martin's company, Villiers International, has been trying to build an arcology up in the Bronx for years now," said Chase. "It's billions over budget and years behind. Strong rumors have it that Fuchi, alias your father, has been behind the sabotage. It's said that Richard wants to drive his brother out of business so that Fuchi can buy up the rest of Villiers International, the part Martin walked away with when he wouldn't go along with your father's deal with the Japanese."
Cara looked down. "I hadn't heard any of that until I got here."
"There's also another problem. Your cousin Darren."
She nodded. "Yes, but I thought that might be a reason for my uncle to help me. Beyond all the other troubles, I know he's mad at the Nakatomis for recruiting Darren into Fuchi. I thought he might do it just to crash them."
Chase leaned against the side of a bookcase. "You'd be right, except Darren was transferred to Tokyo. He's going to be running some secret project for the Nakatomis. Your mother's been given his old job as VP of Fuchi Northwest, as well as staying head of Fuchi Systems Design."
Cara's eyes were wide. "She's working directly with my father?"
"Some. The Fuchi Northwest VP pretty much runs the show, but answers to your father. He's almost always in Tokyo now. Guess he wants to keep an eye on things."
Her left arm clenched again and she stared at him. "How do you know all this?"
Chase shrugged. "I did some research last night."
Cara slid deeper into the pile of the couch and closed her eyes. "We could still talk to my uncle…"
"Bad idea. With Darren in Tokyo, directly under the control of the Nakatomis, your uncle's been checked. If he gets involved, anything could happen to Darren."
"But they're brothers."
Chase sighed. "That doesn't mean anything Cara. Family doesn't automatically mean friend. You can take that from me, but I think you know it too."
She pulled her legs up onto the couch, and then under her. She turned slightly to look at him, all the composure she'd held while telling her story gone. "Then what can we do?"
"We, Cara?"
"Please… you've got to help me."
He thought about it only for a moment; the last twelve years had never happened.
"All right," Chase said. "I will."
6
The Rouge Angels listened to reason, and money, and were gone from the Caina by early the next morning. Cyanide Tiger could find no signs that the flat was under surveillance, and the band told Cara they hadn't spoken to anyone since she'd left. Chase, however, didn't believe them.
Lachesis'
She closed her eyes and nodded. "I told them I was leaving, but didn't want to say why. Alain and Gerard blamed each other, or something. They were wired."
"Dreamchips?"
She looked up at him. "What?"
"Dreamchips? BTLs? Better Than Life?"
She looked confused.
"Illegal simsense chips," he said.
She nodded. "Yes… I forgot what they're called over here."
"Go on."
"I… she was in a meeting or something, so I left a message with one of her people. I left my hotel room number. They told me to wait for her call.
"About an hour later I had visitors—a man and a woman. They had guns and forced me outside, but I got lucky. There were some London police rousting a bunch of punks on the corner, so I started to make a scene. They got really nervous and let me get away."
"So you came here. How?"
"With the help of a friend," she sighed, "but under my own passport codes. I used the last of my money to grab a transorbital from Heathrow to here. I hoped that if I moved fast enough they wouldn't have started really trying to track me yet."
"What did you plan to do here?"
"My uncle Martin runs what's left of the actual family business from here. I thought maybe I could get him to call my father."
"Last I remember, Martin would have hired people to kill his brother himself. Has that changed?"
She shook her head. "Not that I know of, but I hoped he might see things my way, and not really want him dead."
"Martin's company, Villiers International, has been trying to build an arcology up in the Bronx for years now," said Chase. "It's billions over budget and years behind. Strong rumors have it that Fuchi, alias your father, has been behind the sabotage. It's said that Richard wants to drive his brother out of business so that Fuchi can buy up the rest of Villiers International, the part Martin walked away with when he wouldn't go along with your father's deal with the Japanese."
Cara looked down. "I hadn't heard any of that until I got here."
"There's also another problem. Your cousin Darren."
She nodded. "Yes, but I thought that might be a reason for my uncle to help me. Beyond all the other troubles, I know he's mad at the Nakatomis for recruiting Darren into Fuchi. I thought he might do it just to crash them."
Chase leaned against the side of a bookcase. "You'd be right, except Darren was transferred to Tokyo. He's going to be running some secret project for the Nakatomis. Your mother's been given his old job as VP of Fuchi Northwest, as well as staying head of Fuchi Systems Design."
Cara's eyes were wide. "She's working directly with my father?"
"Some. The Fuchi Northwest VP pretty much runs the show, but answers to your father. He's almost always in Tokyo now. Guess he wants to keep an eye on things."
Her left arm clenched again and she stared at him. "How do you know all this?"
Chase shrugged. "I did some research last night."
Cara slid deeper into the pile of the couch and closed her eyes. "We could still talk to my uncle…"
"Bad idea. With Darren in Tokyo, directly under the control of the Nakatomis, your uncle's been checked. If he gets involved, anything could happen to Darren."
"But they're brothers."
Chase sighed. "That doesn't mean anything Cara. Family doesn't automatically mean friend. You can take that from me, but I think you know it too."
She pulled her legs up onto the couch, and then under her. She turned slightly to look at him, all the composure she'd held while telling her story gone. "Then what can we do?"
"We, Cara?"
"Please… you've got to help me."
He thought about it only for a moment; the last twelve years had never happened.
"All right," Chase said. "I will."
6
The Rouge Angels listened to reason, and money, and were gone from the Caina by early the next morning. Cyanide Tiger could find no signs that the flat was under surveillance, and the band told Cara they hadn't spoken to anyone since she'd left. Chase, however, didn't believe them.
Lachesis'
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