Contents
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Overview
Molly storms 3Jane’s vast chamber, kills an Ashpool decoy, but Hideo disables her and Riviera traps and drugs her, later shattering her eye. 3Jane reveals her mother’s philosophies while Riviera vows to deny Wintermute the key word.
Wintermute orders Case and Maelcum to dock at Straylight, carry the Flatline inside, extract 3Jane’s word, and kill Riviera. They arm themselves and successfully dock, shifting the mission from remote hacking to an on-site strike.
Summary
Molly makes a theatrical entrance into 3Jane’s cavernous chamber, hurling a grenade at a diving boy and shredding an apparent Ashpool with fletcher darts, only to realize it was a decoy. In the same instant, Hideo disables Molly’s leg without touching her, collapsing her attack.
Riviera searches Molly, trapping her hands in a crushing black sphere and savoring her pain as 3Jane has Hideo administer drugs. Case, on simstim, feels her agony before jacking out. Wintermute, speaking through the Finn’s image, declares the plan has changed: Molly can’t walk, so Case and Maelcum must dock Garvey at a private Straylight port, cut the sideband, take the deck and Flatline inside, get 3Jane’s word, and kill Riviera. The Kuang virus has consumed the Hosaka and will be interfaced to Straylight’s custodial net once docked.
Back with Molly, 3Jane muses on her mother Marie-France’s dream of diminished individual consciousness. Molly, dulled and hyperclarified by drugs, admits she came to kill Riviera and would have tried for Hideo. Riviera arrives, boasts of his “perversity,” and declares he will keep the word from Wintermute; he smashes Molly’s left eye implant with a glass, further incapacitating her.
Case and Maelcum prepare for insertion: Maelcum produces a sawed-off Remington for muscle, while Case rigs his deck and the Flatline construct, checks his gear, and relies on Wintermute’s spoofed docking codes. Garvey is drawn into Straylight’s dock via Haniwa; rotation grants gravity, and they land successfully, poised to enter, find 3Jane, secure the key word, and eliminate Riviera.
Who Appears
- Molly MillionsAttempts to seize 3Jane; leg crippled by Hideo, hands trapped by Riviera’s device, and left eye shattered.
- CaseOn simstim with Molly; coordinates with Wintermute, arms up with Maelcum, and docks Garvey to enter Straylight.
- Peter RivieraGloats over Molly, restrains her, vows to thwart Wintermute, and smashes her eye implant with a glass.
- 3Jane Tessier-AshpoolHosts Molly in her chamber, discusses her mother’s ideals, and holds the key word Wintermute needs.
- HideoNinja bodyguard who silently collapses Molly’s leg and administers medical aid at 3Jane’s request.
- MaelcumPilots Garvey to Straylight under Wintermute’s guidance; produces a sawed-off shotgun for the assault.
- Wintermute (as the Finn)Directs Case and Maelcum to dock, cut the sideband, enter Straylight, get 3Jane’s word, and kill Riviera.
- Dixie FlatlineConstruct assisting Case in cyberspace; confirms Kuang’s progress and prepares for internal run.