SNOW CRASH

“How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know. They move us here when our veins don’t work anymore. We just do things to help spread the Word-drag stuff around, make barricades. But we don’t really spend much time working. Most of the time we sing songs, pray, and tell other people about the Word.”

“You want to leave? I can get you out of here.”

“No,” the woman says, “I’ve never been so happy.”

“How can you say that? You were a big-time hacker. Now you’re kind of a dip, if I may speak frankly.”

“That’s okay, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. I wasn’t really happy when I was a hacker. I never thought about the important things. Cod. Heaven. The things of the spirit. It’s hard to think about those things in America. You just put them aside. But those are really the important things-not programming computers or making money. Now, that’s all I think about.”

Y.T. has been keeping an eye on the High Priest and his buddy. They keep moving closer, one step at a time. Now they’re close enough that Y.T. can smell their dinner. The woman puts her hand on Y.T.’s shoulder pad.

“I want you to stay here with. me. Won’t you come down and have some refreshments? You must be thirsty.”

“Cotta run,” Y.T. says, standing up.

“I really have to object to that,” the High Priest says, stepping forward. He doesn’t say it angrily. Now he’s trying to be like Y.T.’s dad. “That’s not really the right decision for you.”

“What are you, a role model?”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to agree. But let’s go down and sit by the campfire and talk about it.”

“Let’s just get the fuck away from Y.T. before she goes into a self-defense mode,” Y.T. says.

All three Falabalas step back away from her. Very cooperative. The High Priest is holding up his hands, placating her. “I’m sorry if we made you feel threatened,” he says.

“You guys just come on a little weird,” Y.T. says, flipping her goggles back onto infrared.

In the infrared, she can see that the third Falabala, the one