Viewschool
Page 6
Duke looked all around before responding. “You're worried about ViewNet being used as a weapon."
"After I stop being worried about Danny, I'll have the emotional room to be very worried."
"Me, too. Bill, at Enhancement we've got people working on incredible possibilities. Think of the potential for, oh, medical imaging. A few years ahead, surgeons may operate while apparently standing inside their patients’ bodies.” He spoke quietly, but passionately. “Or take space exploration. With our gear in the right kind of robot, you could go for a stroll on Mars or hang-glide on the ammonia clouds of Jupiter. How about a hike in the deepest ocean trenches right here on Earth? We're not talking virtual reality, but transferred reality.
I stared at him. “I had no idea."
"Any new technology creates new risks and the more powerful a technology is..."
"Jack, you've got millions of clients, and the numbers keep growing. And you're not the only enhancement service around. Back in Chicago, have you noticed how the fancier restaurants have replaced their bathroom mirrors with those stupid ViewNet screens with the built-in camera? As a non-client, all I see in them is a bad cartoon of my face."
"The idea is—"
"To see yourself as you're paying for others to see you. Christ, I've suffered through enough ads. Aren't you concerned that your subscribers might be turning into ... enhancement junkies? And if the wrong people get their hands on your equipment, can you imagine the level of catastrophe? Terrorism has died down a bit in the last decade, but it sure as hell hasn't died off."
Duke gazed off into the distance, or maybe into the future, for a few seconds. “I can't offer any reassurances,” he admitted. “These days, I spend most of my time trying to make our system more secure, but I keep finding loopholes to plug, which warns me there could be plenty more. Our company is aware of the dangers. That's why the suits made their security chief a vice-president."
"Maybe your hiring practices need bulking up."
"What can I say? We run more checks on our personnel than any other ten businesses but as you've learned, we're not perfect. But you should know that if I thought the risk outweighed the promise, I'd quit in a heartbeat."
"I believe you and appreciate your honesty. Let's get back to the waiting area."
We sat in a silent row: Jack, me, Q-Ball, Cher, while Buddha, Kekipi, and Maddie kept us company as proxies. I was thinking about how I'd nearly given up on these kids before I'd met them. And I was remembering my internal tirade in the jet triggered by Q-Ball's street talk. I had mixed feelings about that, but pride wasn't one of them. Hell, Q-Ball's ... linguistic expertise gave Daniel his chance to live.
"Q-Ball,” I asked, “what does ‘hump a primp’ mean?"
He looked at me, tilting his head. “Where you hear that?"
"You said it to that sidestriped boy at the apartment."
"Oh, yeah.” He leaned close to me and whispered. “A ‘primp’ is a mirror. You can't hump it cause it's got no holes."
"Thanks, I was wondering. And I can't thank you enough for helping out today, you were great."
A smile spread across his face. He looked like a different person. “You pretty great yourself.” He turned his attention back to Cher who seemed on the verge of falling asleep. For her sake as well as Daniel's, I prayed Daniel would pull through.
I'd had some rough times growing up, but nothing compared to what these kids had gone through. And I hadn't even seen their complete files yet! I was almost scared to read Kekipi's full story.
In my mind's eye I saw the faces of my wife and children and sent my love winging toward Chicago. Caught in the gears of the daily grind, constantly wrestling life's limitation and my own, I'd forgotten something vital: I'm a rich and lucky man.
Humbled by all my unearned blessings, I closed my eyes and concentrated on nothing but willing Daniel to live.
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