7. No There, There

Angie returns to her empty Malibu house, still feeling Mamman Brigitte’s warning. In the bathroom, she finds a fresh derm-charger and the drug she craves, but forces herself to destroy it, acknowledging the intensity of her addiction. Sorting Bobby’s leftover things, she discovers an abandoned Ono-Sendai deck and impulsively jacks in, experiencing a constrained, impersonal matrix unlike the freedom she knew with the loa.

Hilton Swift calls through the house system, noting her nosebleed and matrix access and urging a physical. Angie downplays everything, but pointedly asks about Bobby; Swift claims ignorance. That night, Angie reflects on the charger, the drug, and claustrophobic cyberspace, then retrieves a dream fragment: the letters “T-A” linked to Freeside.

In the morning she calls Continuity about an old orbital sequence and requests Tally Isham’s Freeside work. Swift calls again; Angie announces she’s ready to resume work and requests a physical and Porphyre’s visit. She wonders who designed the drug and whether it served someone else’s agenda.

Porphyre arrives, bluntly checks on her, and confirms gossip that Robin Lanier called her crazy and claimed the Net psychs know she hears voices. Afterward, Angie reviews Tally Isham’s Freeside tapes via studio-grade trodes, fast-forwarding through scenes until a restaurant moment reveals the focus: a wine label.

She prints and enhances the image, finding her dream sigil: “T-A.” The label reads TESSIER-ASHPOOL SA. Angie recognizes the connection between her dreams, Freeside, and Tessier-Ashpool, securing a concrete lead as she prepares to return to work.