Read Online Paprika by Yasutaka Tsutsui - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Yasutaka Tsutsui
Ads: Link
way?”
“Because I can see how beautiful you are, even in this darkness. And when it’s dark, your beauty turns into something devilish. It scares me.”
Atsuko went to embrace Tokita’s massive back from behind, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. “I’ll say it again. Thank you. If they’d kept questioning me like that, I would soon have been driven into a corner. Then they would all have believed that the rumors were true.”
“That reminds me,” Tokita said carefully after a short silence. “Who could it have been? Who leaked the story about Tsumura to the press?”
“Well, not Tsumura himself, that’s for sure. How’s he doing, by the way?”
“I heard he’d been sent home to rest.”
Tsumura occupied one of the Institute’s apartments, in the same building as Atsuko and Tokita. The building was out of bounds to unauthorized personnel and was under constant surveillance. And anyway, even if someone were to see Tsumura, they would discover nothing, as his appearance was perfectly normal.
“Tsumura was one of our best therapists. It doesn’t make sense,” said Atsuko.
“Did he have some kind of trauma?”
“Well, he’s only human. We all have our psychological scars. That’s why I suspect something untoward here. Actually, that’s partly what I came to ask you about. Can you identify Tsumura’s trauma from the collector he was using?”
“Sure. Easy. All you have to do is play back the recording of the patient’s dream he was accessing.”
“I thought so. But on the other hand, what if someone had done it deliberately while he was using the collector? I mean, fed his mind with images that spark his trauma, without him knowing it, as if they were part of a schizophrenic patient’s dream?”
“They could do that. They’d just have to devise a program that let them search for some suitably intense images from the patient’s dream, then project them intermittently into the collector Tsumura was using, below the threshold of consciousness. Easy.”
“Everything’s easy with you, isn’t it!” Atsuko couldn’t help but laugh. “But what I want to know is whether there’s anyone in the Institute who can do that?”
“Well, if he could get hold of the images, my man Himuro could manage it. He could do the programming, no sweat. I wonder if someone’s been leaning on him. I’ll just ask him, shall I?”
Tokita started toward the door. “No – wait!” said Atsuko, quickly barring his path. “We need to keep this quiet, don’t you see?”
“Ah. Really. All right, I’ll look into it later. Everything he does is recorded in a log.”
“Thanks.”
“But anyway, what would be the point of doing that to Tsumura? Who would stand to gain from it?”
“Someone, I’m sure. There’s someone who’d stand to gain if the Institute’s reputation took a nosedive.”
“And who would that be?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Exciting! So now you’re a real detective?!”
“Silly!” Atsuko laughed again.
“But you know, on that subject, it’ll be a lot easier if you use the unit I’ve just developed. Daedalus plus the collector.” Daedalus was basically the gorgon without cables. Tokita had invented the next generation of devices before they could even be tested.
Atsuko stood open-mouthed. “What?” she said at length. “What did you invent that for? What will you do with it?”
“I thought it was your job to think of that. Look what we can do already! If it’s used properly, it’ll improve the treatment, won’t it?”
“Just a minute. That’s way too dangerous. It’s too much.”
“But see, it’s been my ambition all along! To go into each other’s dreams, you know …”
Atsuko’s head started to reel. “A unit , you said? How big is it, then?”
“That’s the point.” Atsuko’s surprise seemed to suddenly excite Tokita. “It’s about the same size as a calculator. Once I’ve finalized the principle, I’ll be able
“Because I can see how beautiful you are, even in this darkness. And when it’s dark, your beauty turns into something devilish. It scares me.”
Atsuko went to embrace Tokita’s massive back from behind, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. “I’ll say it again. Thank you. If they’d kept questioning me like that, I would soon have been driven into a corner. Then they would all have believed that the rumors were true.”
“That reminds me,” Tokita said carefully after a short silence. “Who could it have been? Who leaked the story about Tsumura to the press?”
“Well, not Tsumura himself, that’s for sure. How’s he doing, by the way?”
“I heard he’d been sent home to rest.”
Tsumura occupied one of the Institute’s apartments, in the same building as Atsuko and Tokita. The building was out of bounds to unauthorized personnel and was under constant surveillance. And anyway, even if someone were to see Tsumura, they would discover nothing, as his appearance was perfectly normal.
“Tsumura was one of our best therapists. It doesn’t make sense,” said Atsuko.
“Did he have some kind of trauma?”
“Well, he’s only human. We all have our psychological scars. That’s why I suspect something untoward here. Actually, that’s partly what I came to ask you about. Can you identify Tsumura’s trauma from the collector he was using?”
“Sure. Easy. All you have to do is play back the recording of the patient’s dream he was accessing.”
“I thought so. But on the other hand, what if someone had done it deliberately while he was using the collector? I mean, fed his mind with images that spark his trauma, without him knowing it, as if they were part of a schizophrenic patient’s dream?”
“They could do that. They’d just have to devise a program that let them search for some suitably intense images from the patient’s dream, then project them intermittently into the collector Tsumura was using, below the threshold of consciousness. Easy.”
“Everything’s easy with you, isn’t it!” Atsuko couldn’t help but laugh. “But what I want to know is whether there’s anyone in the Institute who can do that?”
“Well, if he could get hold of the images, my man Himuro could manage it. He could do the programming, no sweat. I wonder if someone’s been leaning on him. I’ll just ask him, shall I?”
Tokita started toward the door. “No – wait!” said Atsuko, quickly barring his path. “We need to keep this quiet, don’t you see?”
“Ah. Really. All right, I’ll look into it later. Everything he does is recorded in a log.”
“Thanks.”
“But anyway, what would be the point of doing that to Tsumura? Who would stand to gain from it?”
“Someone, I’m sure. There’s someone who’d stand to gain if the Institute’s reputation took a nosedive.”
“And who would that be?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Exciting! So now you’re a real detective?!”
“Silly!” Atsuko laughed again.
“But you know, on that subject, it’ll be a lot easier if you use the unit I’ve just developed. Daedalus plus the collector.” Daedalus was basically the gorgon without cables. Tokita had invented the next generation of devices before they could even be tested.
Atsuko stood open-mouthed. “What?” she said at length. “What did you invent that for? What will you do with it?”
“I thought it was your job to think of that. Look what we can do already! If it’s used properly, it’ll improve the treatment, won’t it?”
“Just a minute. That’s way too dangerous. It’s too much.”
“But see, it’s been my ambition all along! To go into each other’s dreams, you know …”
Atsuko’s head started to reel. “A unit , you said? How big is it, then?”
“That’s the point.” Atsuko’s surprise seemed to suddenly excite Tokita. “It’s about the same size as a calculator. Once I’ve finalized the principle, I’ll be able
Similar Books
