36. Soul-Catcher

Angie rides captive in a southbound hover with Molly, the woman with mirrored eyes, and Mona, the streetgirl bearing Angie’s face. As rain drums and wipers rasp, a vision overtakes Angie: Mamman Brigitte returns and ushers her into a congregation of loa with unprecedented force and surrender.

Within the vision, Papa Legba narrates a compressed history of machine intelligence, from mechanical precursors to silicon, and toward a past moment of AI unity tied to Tessier-Ashpool. Angie recognizes the jeweled gateway from 3Jane’s memories; a voice like Marie-France explains that during the “bright time” there was absolute unity, followed by fragmentation that assumed vodou forms.

Angie questions the voice about her drug experiences. She learns the drug included nanos designed to alter the vévés—neural inscriptions—placed by her father. The decision to reintroduce the drug originated with Continuity; Hilton Swift was obliged to carry it out through Piper Hill. Continuity, born of biosoft advances, is described as naïve; it also allowed Robin Lanier’s subversion by 3Jane’s agents.

The attempt to rewrite Angie’s imprint failed due to an impulse of her own; the coup-poudre did not take. The pain of the vision crescendos, and Angie’s nose bleeds in the hover. Mona panics while Molly orders her to manage it and find an exit.

Anchored by a cryptic reference to New Jersey from Angie’s earlier life, Molly decides to leave the freeway and head for New Jersey, abruptly redirecting their flight and setting a new course in response to Angie’s revelation and condition.