Read Online Spaceland by Rudy Rucker - Free Book Online Page B

The hair thickened up and covered everything, then shrank to—nothing.
    Looking at Spazz and Jena, I could clearly sense how they felt. They were scared to death. As was I. And then Momo was back
again, only her head this time, lumpy and crooked and cubist.
    â€œWhat steps will you take to commence the Great Work, Joe?” asked Momo.
    â€œI don’t see why we shouldn’t still go to Tahoe,” said Jena in a small voice. She was way on the other side of the room, squeezed into the corner and biting her nails. “Listen, Momo, if you want Joe to start a company, he’s going to need seed money. Even before the first round of funding. We’re not just talking research and development, we’re talking focus groups, marketing studies, prototypes, and a business model.” The touchstone words put Jena on familiar ground. She ran with it.
    â€œWe’ll start out with a proof of concept,” continued Jena, her cheeks growing pink again. “Then do some surveys to figure out the best way to productize. And meanwhile we’re getting a buzz going. If we do this right, the venture capitalists will call us instead of us calling them. Maybe a stunt of some kind to whet the public’s interest. Free media exposure. How about a contest to raise the profile? We’ll have Web of course, Web from the start, but if we wanna hook the front porch folks, we’ll need to get direct mail and telemarketing campaigns in place, all ready to go as soon as we can pull the trigger. You’re talking about a serious budget, Momo. Millions. I could work it up.”
    â€œThe prophets and holy men we used in the past had no business models,” said Momo thoughtfully.
    â€œJoe, a prophet?” said Jena, laughing again.
    â€œCan I get some respect?” I said. “You’re right, Momo, business is the way to go. And we’re the ones to do it for you. And as for funding, if you don’t make a scene in the casino, Jena and I can win mucho dinero in Tahoe. Nothing like what we’ll need, but at least enough to start. Once we’ve got some seed money, we’ll think of a way to make it grow. Blackjack’s just for openers.”

    â€œYou only have six hundred dollars in your wallet,” said Momo. “That’s a rather small stake for gambling.”
    â€œIt’s enough. If I keep winning it’ll build.”
    â€œI’ll obtain some additional cash,” said Momo. A proper amount to start with. I see some nearby. Wait.” She disappeared.
    â€œIt’s gotta be Vegas,” said Spazz.
    â€œWhat the hell are you talking about?” I said. I was still mad at Spazz for laughing at me.
    â€œVegas is where the high-roller games are. You win more than a hundred grand at Tahoe or Reno, they’ll throw you out and maybe stomp your butt in the parking lot. If we’re talking about winning a million off quality people, it’s gotta be Vegas.” Spazz gave a brisk cough for emphasis.
    â€œWhat’s this ‘we,’ Spazz?” I said coldly.
    â€œDidn’t you say you needed an assistant, man? Hell with that, I’ll be your Chief Technology Officer. Or how about your —apostle. I heard that stuff about prophets. Momo’s tried this before, right?”
    â€œI don’t know if it was Momo herself. It might have been one of her ancestors. She said her trick for giving me my third eye was a family secret.” I lowered my voice and took Jena aside, hoping Momo wasn’t watching us from somewhere vout there.
    â€œYou’re smart to build up the budget estimate,” I murmured to Jena. “If Momo’s machine works, great—and if it doesn’t, we’ve still helped ourselves to a big chunk of the cash flow. We work this thing, and we get rich either way. You think I should really cut Spazz in?” Jena nodded enthusiastically. I was going to have to keep an eye on those two.
    â€œWhere