dissection but a refulgent feast for her reeling senses.
HINT
: In case of disorientation, amp your ’suit down and wait at least thirty seconds before attempting movement. Closing your eyes could result in vertigo. This message will be repeated as necessary.
She thought she might have made some kind of relieved noise as she stared at the setting marked
decrease
. In a few moments, all the settings on the ’suit had been re-adjusted to a more bearable level. Whoever had had this ’suit on last, she thought, had either been extremely jaded or suffering from some kind of overall sense impairment. Both, maybe.
Now that she could perceive her surroundings without being assaulted by them, Konstantin was dismayed to find that she didn’t seem to be anywhere near where Shantih Love had died. Instead, she was standing at the edge of an open area in the midst of a crowd of tall buildings festooned with enormous neon signs of a sort that had been popular seventy or eighty years before. Except for herself, there were no people, or at least none that she could see, and no sound except for a faint hum that might have come from the signs, or from some distant machine. Or possibly even some loose connection in the headmount, she thought sourly. It would be just her luck.
The buildings were dark, showing the scars of fires, bullets, and explosions, broken-out windows gaping like empty eye-sockets, but the signs were brilliant, impossibly vivid with shifting colors that melted and morphed like living ropes of molten light. There were no words that she could make out, only symbols that fell short of meaning anything to her. Somehow, though, that made the sight all the more captivating; she felt compelled to study every line, every bend and curve of every image, and finally managed to force herself to look away.
She was still feeling half-hypnotized when she saw a silvery figure standing in one of the open doorways. At first, she thought it was someone wearing – pretending to wear, she corrected herself – a skintight bio-suit but then the figure moved forward and she saw that its skin was the same color as the clothes it wore. The figure moved closer and she had to amend her perceptions: the figure was the same color as its clothing.
‘New in town?’ it sang, approaching with careful movements.
‘Maybe,’ she said, taking a step back.
‘Oh, you’re new, all right.’ The figure, which began to look more like it was made of mercury or chrome, gestured at something behind her. Konstantin turned to look.
The sight of the completely hairless and sexless creature in the dark glass made her jump; then she cringed with embarrassment. Since she had not chosen a persona, she was wearing a place holder. Her gaze darted around as she searched for the exit icon.
‘It’s not necessary to leave,’ the silvery figure said in its musical voice. Now that it was right next to her, Konstantin could see it was a sort of animated sculpture of a very tall and very young woman seemingly formed from softened platinum. Or something like it. ‘Pull down Central Stores and choose Wardrobe. Then just follow the directions.’
‘Oh. Thank you so much.’ Feeling awkward, Konstantin stuck out her hand. ‘I’m, uh, Dore. And you’re right. I’m new here.’
The silvery girl seemed unaware of her extended hand. ‘I am a pop-up-help-and-guide subroutine keyed to respond to situations and types of situations most often identified with new users of AR and/or post-Apocalyptic Noo Yawk Sitty. I am also available on request. Pull down Help and ask for Sylvia.’
Konstantin started to thank her again but the girl pointed at something behind her. She turned around and found herself standing at a shiny white counter. The words TOUCH HERE FOR ASSISTANCE faded in on its surface, going from pale pink to blood red and back to pale pink before disappearing. Konstantin gingerly put a fingertip on the spot where she estimated the middle of the O in FOR had
HINT
: In case of disorientation, amp your ’suit down and wait at least thirty seconds before attempting movement. Closing your eyes could result in vertigo. This message will be repeated as necessary.
She thought she might have made some kind of relieved noise as she stared at the setting marked
decrease
. In a few moments, all the settings on the ’suit had been re-adjusted to a more bearable level. Whoever had had this ’suit on last, she thought, had either been extremely jaded or suffering from some kind of overall sense impairment. Both, maybe.
Now that she could perceive her surroundings without being assaulted by them, Konstantin was dismayed to find that she didn’t seem to be anywhere near where Shantih Love had died. Instead, she was standing at the edge of an open area in the midst of a crowd of tall buildings festooned with enormous neon signs of a sort that had been popular seventy or eighty years before. Except for herself, there were no people, or at least none that she could see, and no sound except for a faint hum that might have come from the signs, or from some distant machine. Or possibly even some loose connection in the headmount, she thought sourly. It would be just her luck.
The buildings were dark, showing the scars of fires, bullets, and explosions, broken-out windows gaping like empty eye-sockets, but the signs were brilliant, impossibly vivid with shifting colors that melted and morphed like living ropes of molten light. There were no words that she could make out, only symbols that fell short of meaning anything to her. Somehow, though, that made the sight all the more captivating; she felt compelled to study every line, every bend and curve of every image, and finally managed to force herself to look away.
She was still feeling half-hypnotized when she saw a silvery figure standing in one of the open doorways. At first, she thought it was someone wearing – pretending to wear, she corrected herself – a skintight bio-suit but then the figure moved forward and she saw that its skin was the same color as the clothes it wore. The figure moved closer and she had to amend her perceptions: the figure was the same color as its clothing.
‘New in town?’ it sang, approaching with careful movements.
‘Maybe,’ she said, taking a step back.
‘Oh, you’re new, all right.’ The figure, which began to look more like it was made of mercury or chrome, gestured at something behind her. Konstantin turned to look.
The sight of the completely hairless and sexless creature in the dark glass made her jump; then she cringed with embarrassment. Since she had not chosen a persona, she was wearing a place holder. Her gaze darted around as she searched for the exit icon.
‘It’s not necessary to leave,’ the silvery figure said in its musical voice. Now that it was right next to her, Konstantin could see it was a sort of animated sculpture of a very tall and very young woman seemingly formed from softened platinum. Or something like it. ‘Pull down Central Stores and choose Wardrobe. Then just follow the directions.’
‘Oh. Thank you so much.’ Feeling awkward, Konstantin stuck out her hand. ‘I’m, uh, Dore. And you’re right. I’m new here.’
The silvery girl seemed unaware of her extended hand. ‘I am a pop-up-help-and-guide subroutine keyed to respond to situations and types of situations most often identified with new users of AR and/or post-Apocalyptic Noo Yawk Sitty. I am also available on request. Pull down Help and ask for Sylvia.’
Konstantin started to thank her again but the girl pointed at something behind her. She turned around and found herself standing at a shiny white counter. The words TOUCH HERE FOR ASSISTANCE faded in on its surface, going from pale pink to blood red and back to pale pink before disappearing. Konstantin gingerly put a fingertip on the spot where she estimated the middle of the O in FOR had
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