something like this could help a lot of people.”
“Indeed,” I said. “Will you create the necessary equipment?”
“Well, as you say, it’s really just a modification of the design I used for Miss Caitlin. There is a second unit partially complete in my lab. I’ll use that one; it would probably take no more than a couple of days to make the modifications, but . . .”
“Yes?”
He shook his head. His breathing was always noisy, and his sighs, at least as conveyed by the webcam’s microphone, were thunderous. “It’s pointless, Webmind. You said this man is under arrest. The Chinese government will never let me come visit him.”
“Our Caitlin likes to say she is an empiricist at heart, Kuroda-san, and that seems a good policy to me. We won’t know until we try.”
eleven
Sunshine did ultimately walk Caitlin back to her house, but she declined an invitation to come in; her boyfriend Tyler was getting off work, and she wanted to follow up on the promise made by the picture she’d sent.
Caitlin came in the front door, and her mom came swooping into the room. “Where the hell is Matt?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Sunshine walked me home. Matt had to go to the hospital; his dad twisted his ankle.”
“Sit down.”
“Mom! I didn’t do anything wrong! I told you—Sunshine walked me home.”
“Just— sit down .”
Caitlin was trying to decode her mother’s face, but it was contorted in ways she’d never seen before. Caitlin moved over to the white couch, flopped herself down, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Her mother took a deep breath, then: “I hope you enjoyed your trip to the donut shop, Caitlin, because it’s the last normal afternoon you’re ever going to have.”
Caitlin was anxious. Did her mom know about the picture she’d sent Matt? No, that wasn’t possible; surely Webmind wouldn’t have ratted her out. “Mom, you can’t ground me!”
Her mother stopped pacing and—Caitlin’s eyes went wide—she dropped to her knees in front of Caitlin, and took Caitlin’s hands in hers; her mother’s were shaking. She looked right into Caitlin’s eyes.
“They know.”
“What?”
“About you and Webmind.”
“Who knows?”
“Soon—everyone: everyone on the whole damn planet. I got a call just before you came in—from ABC News. They know you’re the one who brought Webmind forward.”
Caitlin felt her mouth dropping open.
“How . . . how did they find out?”
Her mother got to her feet again, and when she was standing, she spread her arms. “God, we were stupid to think it would stay a secret. We knew that the US government was onto you—and that they’d told CSIS and the Japanese government, too. It was only a matter of time before someone leaked it, and—”
The phone rang. Caitlin’s mother looked briefly at her, then picked it up. “Hello?” Then: “May I ask who’s calling?” Then: “Look, I’m her mother. She’s only sixteen, for God’s sake. What? No, no, we don’t want to fly to Washington tonight. Jesus. Yes, yes, I know she has to talk to somebody . . . Look, ABC already called, and—no, no we haven’t committed to them. All right, all right. Yes, yes. No, I’ve got it—it’s right here on the call display. Yes, all right, if you must. Yes, good-bye. I—no, no; good-bye.” She put down the phone.
“NBC,” she said, looking at Caitlin. “Meet the Press.”
The phone rang again. Caitlin’s mom went over to it, and did something that made the ringer stop—here, at least; it was still jangling away on the other phones in the house. “Let the machine get it,” she said. And, indeed, it did: Caitlin could hear the muffled sounds of a message from another journalist being left; the answering machine was in the kitchen.
“I should call your father,” her mom said. “My cell’s upstairs; can I use yours?”
“Sure.” Caitlin fished out her red BlackBerry, dialed her dad for her, and handed it to her mother.
They
“Indeed,” I said. “Will you create the necessary equipment?”
“Well, as you say, it’s really just a modification of the design I used for Miss Caitlin. There is a second unit partially complete in my lab. I’ll use that one; it would probably take no more than a couple of days to make the modifications, but . . .”
“Yes?”
He shook his head. His breathing was always noisy, and his sighs, at least as conveyed by the webcam’s microphone, were thunderous. “It’s pointless, Webmind. You said this man is under arrest. The Chinese government will never let me come visit him.”
“Our Caitlin likes to say she is an empiricist at heart, Kuroda-san, and that seems a good policy to me. We won’t know until we try.”
eleven
Sunshine did ultimately walk Caitlin back to her house, but she declined an invitation to come in; her boyfriend Tyler was getting off work, and she wanted to follow up on the promise made by the picture she’d sent.
Caitlin came in the front door, and her mom came swooping into the room. “Where the hell is Matt?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Sunshine walked me home. Matt had to go to the hospital; his dad twisted his ankle.”
“Sit down.”
“Mom! I didn’t do anything wrong! I told you—Sunshine walked me home.”
“Just— sit down .”
Caitlin was trying to decode her mother’s face, but it was contorted in ways she’d never seen before. Caitlin moved over to the white couch, flopped herself down, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Her mother took a deep breath, then: “I hope you enjoyed your trip to the donut shop, Caitlin, because it’s the last normal afternoon you’re ever going to have.”
Caitlin was anxious. Did her mom know about the picture she’d sent Matt? No, that wasn’t possible; surely Webmind wouldn’t have ratted her out. “Mom, you can’t ground me!”
Her mother stopped pacing and—Caitlin’s eyes went wide—she dropped to her knees in front of Caitlin, and took Caitlin’s hands in hers; her mother’s were shaking. She looked right into Caitlin’s eyes.
“They know.”
“What?”
“About you and Webmind.”
“Who knows?”
“Soon—everyone: everyone on the whole damn planet. I got a call just before you came in—from ABC News. They know you’re the one who brought Webmind forward.”
Caitlin felt her mouth dropping open.
“How . . . how did they find out?”
Her mother got to her feet again, and when she was standing, she spread her arms. “God, we were stupid to think it would stay a secret. We knew that the US government was onto you—and that they’d told CSIS and the Japanese government, too. It was only a matter of time before someone leaked it, and—”
The phone rang. Caitlin’s mother looked briefly at her, then picked it up. “Hello?” Then: “May I ask who’s calling?” Then: “Look, I’m her mother. She’s only sixteen, for God’s sake. What? No, no, we don’t want to fly to Washington tonight. Jesus. Yes, yes, I know she has to talk to somebody . . . Look, ABC already called, and—no, no we haven’t committed to them. All right, all right. Yes, yes. No, I’ve got it—it’s right here on the call display. Yes, all right, if you must. Yes, good-bye. I—no, no; good-bye.” She put down the phone.
“NBC,” she said, looking at Caitlin. “Meet the Press.”
The phone rang again. Caitlin’s mom went over to it, and did something that made the ringer stop—here, at least; it was still jangling away on the other phones in the house. “Let the machine get it,” she said. And, indeed, it did: Caitlin could hear the muffled sounds of a message from another journalist being left; the answering machine was in the kitchen.
“I should call your father,” her mom said. “My cell’s upstairs; can I use yours?”
“Sure.” Caitlin fished out her red BlackBerry, dialed her dad for her, and handed it to her mother.
They
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