" So this is how it begins." " Daddy, help me!" "Daddy!" "Daddy, come quick!" "Help!" "Dad!" "Honey?" "That looks good." "Is it decaf?" "Did you want decaf, darling?" "No, no, no, that's fine." "That's fine." "Wow, look at that foam, looks good." "You have some real skill there." "You know I'm a damn household goddess, Harry." "Bagel's on the way." "Oh, what a night." " Remember your dream?" " It was weird, remember that much." " Scared the hell out of me." " Where's the kids?" "Little Buddha's getting her bag, and I think Coty has a bug so I'm keeping him home today." "Why do bugs love that kid so much?" "Because he's juicy." "Oh, he had a callback for a toothpaste commercial." "Should I have his tummy checked?" "No, he just has a nervous stomach." "Like his old man." "Waitress, I think your bacon's burning." " A little charred." " I like it that." " I'll put another one in." " I said bring it here, woman." " Such a nasty man." " Thank you." " Here she is." " Oh, my Deirdre straight from the tub." "Come here, you." "There's the wet Little Buddha." " I'll check on the stomachacher." " Okay." "Wow." "This stuff is great." "I have a bug." "Yeah?" "Well, you're just gonna have to scare that bug away, Mr. Blue." "Love you, Daddy." "Mr. Latimer said that he had the paperwork ready." " Hi, Harry." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Groovy dress." "Thanks." "Got it at your wife's store." "Things are getting just a little too incestuous, Paula." "You're fired." "Harry, I forgot to tell you, my kid's in a play today..." " ... and I have to leave at 4:00." " Go ahead, abandon me." "What do we got for lunch?" " Hey, Jude." " Hey." "Off my desk, Morty." "You have a 1:00 with Mr. Lazlo at City." "Is that on Third or Sixth?" " La Brea and Second." " La Brea and Second." "Jeez." "So when is the special day?" "Morty and I are getting married." "Thought you should know." "Harry, don't be coy." "Everybody knows you're making partner." " Rumor, Morty, rumor." " You are so abstract." " Paige Katz is here." " Great." "Send her in." " Who's Paige Katz?" " Morty, bye." "Come on." " Did I tell you Annie's pregnant again?" " That's great." "Really great." "She's always complaining about bloat so I told her to tell everybody she's retaining daughter." " Do you love it?" " I love it." "Come on." "Come on." " Catch you later." " Okay." "Partner." "Come on, come on." "Go, Morty." "This is gonna be a weird day." "Paige." "I felt funny calling." "Oh, no, it's great to see you." "Please sit down." "Would you like a cappuccino or some mineral water?" "No, thanks." "You look great." "Just great." " It's a little out of the blue." " Blast from the past?" " How long has it been now?" " Fifteen years." "You're married, naturally." "Yes." " Happily?" " Naturally." " Kids?" " Two." "You?" "I have a son out of wedlock." "You work?" "I'm a consultant for the Wild Palms Group." " Two kids, huh?" " Yeah." "I always knew you were daddy material." "Well, that's a..." "Thank you." "You came to speak to me about something?" "I want you to help me find someone." "Paige, it's a little Raymond Chandler, don't you think?" " I'm a patent attorney." " It's my son, Peter." "He disappeared five years ago." "See you soon." " Hey, Oakley, what's happening?" " Your mom called." "Oh, no, I was supposed to pick her up." "Why am I doing this, Oakley?" "I'm an adult woman." "I have a life." "Why do I feel compelled to pick her up at the hospital?" " After her 57th face-lift." " Do you want me to answer that?" "No, not really." "Isn't that Tabba Schwarzkopf?" " The actress?" " It is." " She's coming in." " Easy, Grace." "You see her in Magnificent Obsession?" " That 1Oth time they made that?" " She was so great." "Hi." "I need to ask you something which will probably arouse..." " ... a sickening contempt." " You need to use the phone." " Worse, the bathroom." " Oh, no." " I'm a terrible person." " But you break just like a little girl." "Oakley, would you please show Miss Schwarzkopf the communal loo?" "She even knows my name." "It's so sad." " I've seen all your movies." " I've used all your bathrooms." "You look fabulous." "Doesn't she?" "Never again." "It hurt this time." " They did a terrific job." " Goodbye, Cruella." " This is Cruella De Vil." " I'm Grace, daughter." "She a horror?" " A delight." " They'll say anything." "They're so thrilled you're leaving." "It's like they're high on something." "Mother." "Never again." "See you in six months." " Bye, Cruella." " Bye." "I'm looking for" " Here." "Light of my life, how are you?" "You're late, you son of a gun." "I'm starving." "They've got monkfish today to die for." "You're going in with me on the soufflé." "I already ordered." "You got a parasite in there, Tommy?" "How goes it on the partner front." "Any word yet?" " Nothing definitive." " Hey, it's a done deal." " Guess who I ran into today." " Who?" " Paige Katz." " From school?" "You're kidding." "Where?" "Came into the office." " How'd she look?" " Unbelievable." "Had a kid." "Disappeared or something." " A custody thing?" " I don't know." "She didn't tell me..." " ... anything about the father." " Very film noir." "That's what I said." "Man, she is hot." "Brought back a lot of memories." "She's sitting there telling me this tale and all I'm doing is looking at the hair on her arms." " I wanna bring her down by the neck." " She really got to you, huh?" "You know it's a fine line between empathy and animal lust." " Get your hands off me." " Hey, hold on there." "What are you doing?" " Stop it!" " Can't do that." "What are you doing?" " Settle this now." " Move!" "Hey, hey." "Are you all right?" "Ma'am?" " Tommy, what was that?" " Hey, that was stupid." "So was it the police?" "I've never seen anything like that." "They hurt that guy." "Do we need more time?" "Tell me about the monkfish again." "I'm telling you the sauce is killer." "Grammy." "Careful, dear, your grammy might just unravel." " How are you feeling, baby?" " I'm fine." " What, were you sick, darling?" " I had a bug." "He always gets better around 3..." " ... when school's out." " Shut up, Tambor." "We do not tell people to shut up in this house." "Am I the ultimate grandma?" " And are you the ultimate baby girl?" " Mom, be careful." " Tambor, take her." " Do you have something to say to me, Buddha girl?" "Do you, do you, Deirdre?" " Are their bags packed?" " All set." "Mom, I don't want this one going in the pool." "Look, I said I'm better." "When your mother says no pool, no pool." " Grammy, watch me Rollerblade." " Okay, in a second." " Okay." " Use the knee guards, Coty." "How's Deirdre's latest guy?" "All the experts have a different opinion." "That's why they're experts." "Don't make yourself crazy." "When she's ready, she'll talk." "Comes from a long line of willful women, that's all." "You in trouble, Grace?" " Trouble?" " You and Harry." "We're fine." "Why do you ask?" " Just a feeling." " Well, it's a wrong feeling." "Is he still seeing the shrink?" "Yeah." "He's having nightmares." "Grace and I haven't made love in over two months." "That's a record." " Except for when she had her ectopic." " Well, it happens." "Couples go through periods." "You know, I always promised myself a beach house." "I'm supposed to have a beach house by now." "I couldn't even give Grace the money for her store." "She had to get it from her mother." "Do you think she loves you any less?" "An old lover of mine came into my office this morning." "Awakened something." "And then something strange happened at lunch." "I'm sorry to be so unfocused on it." "These men came into the restaurant and dragged this guy out." "It looked like one of those Robert Longo paintings." "And everyone just went right back to their meals like..." "Like it was all staged or something." "Like..." "Like it was nothing." "You felt vulnerable?" "No." "I identified with the men." "I was rooting for the attackers." "Come here, you." "I had the dream again last night." " With the rhinoceros." " Tell anyone?" "Not even your dad?" "You're not afraid, are you, darling monkey?" "If you're afraid of the rhino, the dream goes away." "And then you'll be like everybody else." "And that's the most terrible thing in the world." "I really like this." "Me too." "You know, maybe Josie can keep the kids." "I'm just talking about a year or two." " She'd love it." " Yeah." "Harry?" "Have you noticed anything about Coty?" "You mean the facial paralysis?" "Well, he's just..." "He seems distant." "He's closer to Mother than he is to me." "Well, that's normal." "Yeah, boys that age pull away." " Really." "Yeah." " Is that true, Dr. Bettelheim?" "Well, in the research I've done in the last 10 years." "No, it's just something about the look on his face when I touch him." "I'm probably just being paranoid." "I love that quality." "That paranoidal edge." " Makes me feel so" " Harry." "I forgot to tell you." " What?" " Deirdre talked." " You're kidding." " No, right before she left with Mom." "How can you forget something like that, Grace?" "I don't know, I just did." "Well, what did she say?" "I went to kiss her, she looked at me and said, "Everything must go. "" " Are you sure?" " It's too freaky to make up, Harry." ""Everything must go. "" "Tell me that you love me, Junie Moon." "I love you, Junie Moon." "Do you mean it?" "I really mean it." "Show me." "You know her from Summer Solstice and Pentagon Dreaming." "Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome for Tabba Schwarzkopf." "I understand that you are very big..." "Share in certain charities." "What-?" "Is it...?" "It's all right." "I get mixed-up." "There's so many of these things." "Honey." "He makes words up." "Don't you?" " Don't wanna run, yet I heard" " Oh, yes, please do." " Just for legal reasons, you know." " All right." "Grace." "Grace." "God." "Oh, God." "Harry." " Harry." " What's happening to me?" "Come here." "Come here." "It's okay." "It's okay." "It's okay." "I'm having these nightmares." "I keep dreaming of this rhinoceros." "Go on." "It's not like a dream at all." "It's not even close." "I walk into this room and there it is." "This rhinoceros." "As real as this, Tommy." "What does your shrink say, what's-his-name?" "Schenkl." "He says I'm about to learn some very important childhood stuff." "I'm having some sort of breakthrough." "Yeah." "A nervous breakthrough." " Harry." " What?" " Over there." "Over there, turn slowly." " What?" "See it?" " Where?" " There, beside the StairMaster." "No." "The girl?" "A rhino." " I knew I shouldn't have mentioned it." " Come on, you gotta joke about it." "You don't joke about it, you'll wake up at a watering hole next to a gazelle." "I'll see you." " You free tonight?" " What's happening?" "I'm having a few people over." "Try and come by about 9:00." "There's some people you should meet." "Take it easy, Tommy." "And bring Grace." "Hi." "I'm" "I'm Dr. West." " I'm Grace, Coty's mother." " I gathered that." "May we talk for a few moments?" "In my office?" "Sure." "Right this way." "We met at open house." " You have a little girl, right?" " Yes, Deirdre." "Can you tell me what's happened?" "Coty had a fight with one of the boys." "Now, it's nothing serious but it's our policy to send the kids home when they act out physically." "Give them a chance to cool off and, you know..." " ... think about what they did." " He's never been in a fight before." " Over what?" " The class was making family trees you know, tracing history, and one of the boys started teasing him." "What's wrong with this picture?" "He's left me off." "How did you find your way into recovery, Joey?" "Well, I went to a Synthiotics house, which, to me..." " ... was a tremendous help." " Yes." "I'm investigating a missing child." "Computers are down." "Is there any way I could look through these stacks?" " Are you an attorney?" " Yes." " Oh, great." " They do fabulous work." "So, what was your story?" "Well, I was over their house for six months..." "Fill this out." " Name again?" " Harry Wyckoff." "I meant the name of the missing party." "Peter Katz." "These are the children K through Z. They only go back 15 years." "Josie?" "Paige." "Harry." "What are you doing here?" " Were you just with Josie?" " Josie?" " My mother-in-law." " Your mother-in-law." "Yeah, the lady with the red scarf." "But, Harry, I'm late." "I'm sorry." "Well, I wanted to talk to you about your kid." "I was just down at the Justice Department." " Can't believe how many are missing." " We'll talk later." " Sure." " Why don't you come with me." " No, I..." " No, this is not to be missed." "Now technology for cheap reality is here and the Wild Palms Group is in the eye of the post-symbolic storm." "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor through the joint effort of our friends, partners and Kawasaki and Kansai, to introduce a visionary tomorrow's realitician and today's bridge between human wetware and high-end telepresence." "Senator Tony Kreutzer." "Thank you, thank you." "And welcome." "You know, I was in Tokyo just last week." "And in Japan, they call me Fuji because I'm white on top." "To paraphrase Aristophanes I have all the traits of a popular politico:" "Bad breeding vulgar manner and one hell of a 10." "I'm not here, children." "I'm a synthetic hologram." "Talking to you, real time from the penthouse of this hotel." "And one day very soon this is what it's gonna look like right in the living room." "You will costar in weekly sitcoms." "You will fight the samurai's battles and experience the heartbreak of first love." "All between commercials." "And if you own a TV, any old TV and an adaptor that you get from Mimecom for under a thousand dollars, then you have bought a ticket." "I have seen the future." "And it is Channel 3." "Where did he go?" "That's the guy you work for?" "The guy who founded that freaky religion in the '60s?" "Synthiotics." "It's helped a lot of people." "New realism is very hip right now." "I read about it in People." "Don't be so cynical." "You should read some of his books." "No, I don't dig bad science fiction." " Bill." " Paige." "Harry, this is William Gibson." "Sure, Neuromancer." "He coined the word "cyberspace. "" "And they won't let me forget it." "Nice to meet you, Bill." "Paige Katz." " Quite a performance, senator." " Did you really think so?" "Very Orson Welles." "Very Mercury Theatre." "Invaders From Mars." "We're taking the dog-and-pony show to FFC next week." " You think it'll play?" " If they like Monopoly." "Tony, I want you to meet a friend of mine, Harry Wyckoff." " How do you do?" " Hello." " Close friend?" " We went to school together." "See the show, Harry?" "Yes, it was mind-boggling." " What do you do, Harry?" " I'm a lawyer." "Armies of the night." "My father owned a little clothing store in downtown L.A." " Did you know that, Harry?" " No, no, I didn't." "He started out a tailor." "Yes, the Jews were the only tailors." "My father was murdered by the Friends." "They broke into his shop and they stole his things." "They defecated in his shop and they beat this old man this maker of suits." "They didn't kill him." "That came months later." "He stayed alive long enough to have a fire sale." "A fire sale in an inferno." "Can you imagine it, Harry?" "And I'll never forget the sight of him." "Death already in his eyes." "Slumped on a chair beneath a great colorful banner:" ""Everything must go. "" " What the hell was that all about?" " He's bigger than life, huh?" "Yeah." "Scary like a Roman emperor." "You know, the fingers." "All he's saying is that there's more than one reality." "That doesn't make Synthiotics any different than, say, Buddhism." "Our senator just bought Channel 3." "That's some temple." "Paige, can you tell me any more about your son?" "Who the father was." "Is." "Relax, Harry, it isn't you." "I wasn't implying that." "Is there something between you and the senator?" "No." " Was there?" " Well, maybe flirtation during the early campaign." "We shared a lot of small planes together but it never went beyond that." "Takes 16 months for one of them to make a baby." "Can you imagine?" "Of course you can't." "I only had Peter for nine." "I can't, Paige." " I can't." " You can't blame a girl for trying." "It's just" " It's Grace." "I know." "It's okay." "Do you know what the Buddhists say?" "There's more than one reality." ""Everything must go. "" "Did you really say that, Little Buddha?" "You can tell your dad, come on." " "Everything must go. "" " Harry, come on, we'll be late." "I must go." "Close your eyes." "Nighty-night, sleep monster." "We'll be back by midnight." "You have your talk with Coty?" "More like a monologue." "Mine." "Everybody reads too much into it." "He's just bored." "He's way ahead of his class." "Yeah, I guess." "I thought I saw your mom today." " She's in Palm Springs." " I know." "I thought I saw her in this car." "I even followed it." " Where'd it go?" " Over a cliff." " Yeah, you wish." " Yeah." " Yeah, it went to a hotel." " Did she have a big horn?" "I'm sorry." "Is it any better?" " Is what?" " You know, the problem." "Well, you have to be a little more specific, honey there's a lot going on: nightmares, impotence, trouble with the kids..." " ... they're saying weird things." " I'm sorry I asked." "Got a bloody nose playing racquetball at the law firm." " Knock it off." " Your lipstick's on crooked." " My lipstick is not on crooked." " It's all over your face." " It is not." " Like Ladykillers with Rod Steiger." " No rhino cracks, okay?" " Only if you behave." " That Rod Steiger down there?" " What?" "Hey there." " Oh, my" " What are you doing here?" " Using the bathroom, what else?" " I forgot your name." " Oh, Grace." "You were hilarious." "I was gonna call you." " This is my husband, Harry." " How do you do?" " Your wife is fantastic." " Thank you." "Mr. Wyckoff Goes to Washington." " Wasn't that a movie?" " Maybe in your mind it was." "This is my consort, Tully Woiwode." "How do you do?" "I'm a big fan of yours." "Made me get one of your paintings in the atrium at our firm." "Watchers Born of the Night triptych?" "The morning cometh and also the night the dog is turned to his own vomit." " That's disgusting." " Babylon has fallen." "Tommy, we didn't know that you knew these guys." " Forever." " Well, he's been hoarding you." " Well, I'm hungry." "Where's the food?" " First there's booze." "Nobody eats until they're smashed." "Gotta clean those palates." "I got a palate so clean I could eat off it." "Somebody take him, he needs food." "I'm just wild about Harry" "And Harry's wild about me" "He's as sweet as coffee and tea" "He's something." " Happy guy, huh?" " Maybe a little too happy." "Yeah." "You know, I think you're just terrific." "What was that thing you were in..." " ... with Gary Bravo?" " AII Fall Down." "That was terrific." "That was really good." "You were great in that." "My son's an actor." "Are you working on something now?" " Something for Channel 3." " Channel 3." "Come on, we're dancing." "So, what'd you think of Tully Woiwode?" "That guy is freaky, isn't he?" "Jeez." " He's still painting?" " Yeah, he's a factory." "The Schnabel of the West Coast, even does restaurant menus." "Know what they call him?" "The Merchant of Venice." "Cold, Tommy, really cold." " Such a cynic." " Hey, look at the food you got spread out here." "Hey." "You know who that woman is behind us, the one with the glasses?" "Maisie Woiwode." "That was the woman at the restaurant." "You mean, you know her?" "Tommy." "Get your ass over here." "Tommy?" "Excuse me, ma'am." "I was at City when those guys grabbed your friend." "Is he all right?" " You're mixing me up with someone." " Is he okay?" "It's a mistake." " Wyckoff." " Yes." " Have you met my sister?" " Yes." "Too bad you're married." "We're trying to find Maisie a suitable candidate for breeding." " Hello, Harry." " Severin." "Joe couldn't make it." "He's still fly-fishing in some dark, secret location." "Well, as long as he brings back a fish story, huh?" " That, he will." " Yeah." "Joe Baum could bring back a fish story from the Gobi." "He's something." "A woman came to see you." "Paige Katz." " An old friend." " Did you know Miss Katz worked..." " ... for the Wild Palms Group?" " She may have mentioned it." "You also know that we're preparing a suit against Mimecom on behalf of the Deke Newhouse Company." "I'm not involved with that, but I'm familiar with it." "It seems someone from Newhouse found out Miss Katz was visiting our offices." "She came to me because of a personal problem." "I wasn't accusing you or your friend of being a mole, Harry." "That's comforting." "Deke Newhouse is concerned enough to threaten to go elsewhere." "This account means a lot to us, as you know." "It would be impolitic for us to give you a full partnership just now." "The timing is not good." "Come on, Severin, that's absurd." "I mean, Paige Katz was in trouble." " Her son disappeared." " When was the last time you saw her?" "A while ago, 15 years maybe." "A woman who disappeared 15 years ago, hasn't been in your life for 15 years, and she comes to a patent attorney to help him find her son." "How does it sound?" "Look, I don't care how it sounds, Severin." "Why do I feel, all of a sudden, I'm in a courtroom?" " There's no need." " I want that partnership." "You owe me, Severin." "We're going to make Morty Winnaker a limited partner." " Morty Winnaker?" " When things cool down at Newhouse, we'll take you aboard with open arms." "But Winnaker?" "Let things settle, Harry." "Yeah, I'll let it settle, all right." "They can just settle without me." " You're being foolish." " See you." "Good luck, sick little punk." " Hello." " Hello." "Go say hi to your mom." "Hey, darling." "What you got cooking there?" "Pork chops, baby." "I'm king of Pork Chop Hill." "Coty, tell Daddy what happened today." " What?" " Come on." "He's just a cool customer." "What happened, Coty?" "Kill someone at school?" "Coty." "I'm gonna be on TV." "Tabba's new show, Church Windows." " When did that happen?" " You had lunch." "Said they're looking for a 12-year-old kid." "Told her about Coty." "She said, "Bring him in. "" "Quiet." "Does he even wanna do it?" "Oh, it's torture for him." "Of course he wants to." " I'll get it." " Didn't even notice my apron." "Oh, it's almost erotic." "Well, I'm gonna be a househusband for a while." " Just call me Yoko." " Dad, it's a woman!" " Paige." " Hello, Harry." "What are you doing here?" "This is Paige Katz, a friend..." " ... and a client." " Hello." "Sorry to burst in on you like this." "We were just sitting down to" " No, that's all right." " It won't take any more than a minute." "Could I...?" "I had to see you talk to you." "Paige, I think you should find someone else to follow up on your son." "I don't think, you know, this is such a great idea." "I called your office, they said you'd taken leave." "Harry..." "A friend of mine had a dream about you." "He wants you to come and meet him at Rancho Mirage." "The senator?" "He wanted me to give you this." "When I was a boy, I ran away from home." "I took a bus to Palm Springs." " Oh, I like that." " Yeah." "Running away to the desert." "The wind is old and still at play" "While I must hurry upon my way" "For I am running to Paradise" "That's Yeats." "Harry." "You're gonna make me fall in love with you." "We live in a desert, that's the earth." "We inherited it." "No sense complaining." "Some of us would like to see the garden again." "The drawing Paige gave me..." "I've had some nightmares." "Harry, do you know what the rhino is?" "It's all that's left of the unicorn." "A magnificent activism." "The remnant of ecstatic myth, rough, nearly blind." "Utterly exquisite." "I'll bet you think I'm a tweaked old bastard, don't you?" "Maybe." "Harry..." "How would you like to work for me?" "Doing what?" "Oh, I don't know, we'll find something, household chores maybe." "We could always use another masseur." " Well..." " Or..." "How about head of Business Affairs at Channel 3 at five times your old salary?" "How was it?" "Oh, it was pretty amazing." "His house is the size of a country club." "You the spokesman for Synthiotics now?" "Not quite." "But he did ask me to work for him." "You gonna do it?" "It's a lot of money." "I don't know, I've gotta figure out what I'm getting myself into." "Drink?" "Why didn't you tell me about her?" "Paige?" "I don't know." "Happened so long ago, I..." "Maybe I should have." "Were you still seeing her when we first met?" "Don't lie to me, Harry." "No." " It was over a few months before." " Is it over now?" "Yes." "Got you on the rebound, huh?" "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Grace." "I used to think so." "I have a headache." "I'm gonna take a nap." " I love you." " Love you too." "We're all filled with giant love bugs." "I didn't go looking for Paige Katz." "She came looking for me." "You can understand why Grace was a little rattled." "Okay, Mr. Understanding, cool it, huh?" "Can we get off this?" " Where are we going to eat?" " Someplace on the beach." "I love you, baby And if it's quite all right" "I need you, baby" "Harry." "Harry." "Harry." "You don't like my singing?" " You been looking into missing kids?" " Yeah." "Remember all those kidnappings during the '90s?" "It was a secret recruitment program for the Fathers." "Fathers?" "What are you talking about?" "Satanists?" "Too political for you, Harry?" "I'm listening." "Let me give you a little background history." "We're talking two groups, political enemies." "The Fathers and the Friends." "The Friends were libertarians." "Obsessed with the Bill of Rights." " What's it got to do with missing kids?" " I'm getting to that." "Tommy, what are we doing here?" "You always wanted a beach house." "Well, I found you one." "I thought we were going out to dinner." "I'm starving." "Somebody inside I want you to meet." "Who?" "Brian Wilson and his shrink?" "Hey, Chickie." "I brought a friend." "Nice to see you." "Make yourselves at home." "This is Harry Wyckoff." "Would you care to join me?" "I'm in the ballroom." "Why don't you pick out some eyeglasses for you and your friend." "Beautiful." "Ought to sell these at the store, Harry." "Harry, you might feel a little nauseous at first." "All right." "Are you all right?" "Is it better now?" "What's happening?" "It's all computer-generated." "We're in cyberspace." "They call it the Web, just go with it." " Is this real?" " Or is it Mimecom?" "I thought" " Wasn't he in a wheelchair?" "Couldn't walk, could he?" "Didn't you give your little speech, Thomas, Poli-Sci 101?" "See?" "It's been 20 years since they broke my back and left me for dead." "I had to lay under my mother's body very still, and I'll tell you why." "Because after they killed her they sat down at the table and had dinner." "Ate everything she'd cooked just hours before." "Even today I can still feel the weight of her." "Tara!" "This is Tara." "She comes to us all the way from Kyoto." "She's plugged into a computer just like we are, only she's in Japan." "See, both parties are able to meet in the Web." "Thomas, try and be a little poetic." " Do you want me to come back?" " No." "No." "Stay." "Stay." "They were just leaving." "I call her Tara Infirma." "It's a bad joke." "Gentlemen, put your glasses down anywhere." "It was nice of you to drop by." "Harry it was nice to meet you." "Bye, now." "Too weird." "That Web." "It was so real." "I mean, I've played around with virtual-reality toys before, but this..." "Yeah, the senator wants Chickie to work for him." "He needs him." "See, Chickie is the Einstein of the New World." "The senator's more like P.T. Barnum, you know." "He must bring that ballroom over the phone lines right into the living rooms of America." "That's what Church Windows is all about." "I want Chickie Levitt brought in." "And I want Woiwode to do it." "A jewel in the saddle of an ass." "What is it about you and Woiwode?" "You're worse than a Punch and Judy show." "At least we know who Judy is." "He betrays you with every breath." " He is a fair painter." " He's a whore!" "And you're his biggest john." "Someone should set him on fire." "You're too hard on him." "He saved my life." "And he'll take it away." "I would have drowned." "Don't talk to me about that fateful day in Catalina." "He almost drowned you just so he could pluck you out of the water and get a medal." "He wanted you forever in his debt." "Woiwode knows just how soft you are." "How soft am I?" "You've got the skin of a kid, you know that?" "How old is Jack Nicholson now?" "Gotta be close to 80." "God, that movie really depressed me." " The Indian got away, didn't he?" " Oh, terrific." "Wanna have some dinner somewhere?" "You kidding?" "I OD'd on that popcorn of yours." "I think I'll just go home." " Where's Tommy?" " Out with Harry Wyckoff." " Jealous?" " Tearing my hair out." "You know I really enjoy these film-festival nights of ours." "Brothers and sisters share the sweetest mysteries." "Mystery loves company." "I love you, baby And if it's quite all right" "Please don't sing, Harry." " I need you, baby" " Harry, come on." " You don't like my voice?" " I have a headache." "You mean a hangover." "You're just like heaven to touch" "I wanna hold you so much" " Aren't we excited?" "Nervous?" " Who, me?" " First day of school and all." " No way." "Would you check on Coty?" "He's got a read-through at the studio." "Yeah." "You going to the store today?" "Jeez." "I don't think you've left this room for five days." "I told you, I'm not feeling well." "It's because you're drinking all day and at night you're standing out on the balcony watching the damn palms." " You should talk to my shrink." " I don't wanna talk to your shrink." "Well, talk to somebody." " I'm out of here." " Okay, Mr. Head-of-Business-Affairs." "Look, try to get out today, all right?" "Take a drive or something." "Love me?" " I love you, baby" " Oh, get out of here." "And if it's quite all right I love you" "Maps to the stars?" "Who did that to you?" "Church of the Fathers." "Buy a map?" "What is it?" "Tully, what's wrong?" "Damn it, talk to me." "It's my baby's eyes." "Her little glasses." "Maisie?" "What does it mean?" "Harry Wyckoff, Gavin Whitehope, Public Relations." " I'm your Virgil for today." " Nice to meet you, Virgil." "I had trouble finding you." "This place is so small." " Impressive, huh?" " The scale, very intimate." " You know, warm." " I think I'm gonna like you, Harry." " I'm gonna give you the grand tour." " Well, I'm ready." "Been stormy." "We have some nuisances about the Windows copyright." "You'll be filled in by Legal." "It's "friends of. " Totally resolvable." "Phil Bortzmann, Harry Wyckoff, new head of Business Affairs." " Phil, how are you?" " Pleasure." "You have Phil as daytime." "His wife just left him, for his father." "No kidding." "That must be tough." " So how long you been married?" " Thirteen years last month." "I can't believe how much I hated that salad." "Little bits of nectarine in it." "Nectarine." "So where did you meet?" "College." "UCLA." "Oily clumps of Gouda, like tiny little men's heads." " Any kids?" " Boy and a girl." "I got four." "Oldest is a cop." "What did you do before Channel 3?" "Smell that clam sauce." "It's like the sweat of a sink." "Pass me some of that- What is that, pumpernickel?" "I didn't do well during the Depression." "I had some crappy years like everyone." "Got in some trouble, robbed a bank." "Bank?" " This was when?" " Six, seven years ago." "You remember how bad it got?" " They catch you?" " Oh, yeah, I went to prison." "Jeez, Gavin." "Jail gave me time to think." "I know, it's a cliché." "In my worst moments I got handed a book on Synthiotics." " On the Way to the Garden." " You got it." "Yeah, the world's a smoke-filled room, Harry." "We die in the aisles looking for the exit." "The senator shows us the way." "Hey, look at that." "It's the funniest thing I ever seen." "Okay, this is funny." " Get off of there." " Hey, killer." "What's happening?" " Where's your mom?" " She's upstairs." " Where are we?" " I wish I knew, Frankie." "You're gonna be a star, kid." " How you doing?" " It's hot in the house." "The wind, it's beautiful." "Smells great." "Give me these." "Oh, that feels good." "It went great, first day at work." "They loved me." "Thanks for asking." "I'm going away this weekend to the desert." "What's in the desert?" "A friend." "Someone who knew my stepfather." "He's at the prison hospital in Indian Wells." "The resort?" "What's he doing in there?" "It's political." "Political." "I never told you about him." "He's an old friend of the family from Kyoto." "He founded a group." "Like a band?" "They're part of the underground." "They call themselves "the Friends. "" "How is Chickie Levitt?" "Tully took him at the beach." " Has he talked?" " He will." "You really inspire confidence." "Has he mentioned the Go-chip?" "Don't snipe at me." "It's only been a few weeks." "We are the cardinals of this cathedral." "This broken boy is to us a stained glass." "He is the freaking Church Windows." "There is no escape without him." "I think he'll talk to a man." "Someone the same age his father was when he was taken." "What about Chap Starfall?" "I haven't heard that name in a thousand years." "I talked to him a few months ago." "He's going to be in town on a gig." "Kings don't mean a thing" "On the street of dream" " Used to love the way he did that." " He was a handsome boy." "Good pipes on him." "Used to live out of garbage cans at Zuma." "He is a die-hard New Realist, clean and sober a long time now." "And he still does the occasional benefit for us." "Chap Starfall." "Go and see him, Paige." "Pull him in." "Show him the wild blue sky." "Good evening, ma'am." "How are you feeling?" "Hungry?" "Did you eat enough?" "We never meant to kill your mother." "What's done is done." "I loved your father so." "What is it?" "Oh, yeah." " Hey, this place ain't so bad." " Harry, would you stop." "No wonder they call it a resort." " Don't joke about it." " I'm gonna give my travel agent a call." "Maybe they've got weekend-getaway rates for couples." "Mrs. Wyckoff?" "Our guest is ready to see you now." " Back in a minute." " Okay." "You are free to roam the grounds." "We do ask that visitors to wear their badges and respect the posted signs denoting restricted areas." "Hello, Grace." "Hello." " How are you?" " I'm all right." "Every once in a while when Mother looks at me in a certain way I know she's seeing you." "Did you bring Harry?" "I told him you were a friend of the family." "I'm so sorry I never visited." "Forgive me for leaving you alone in that country with that demonic woman." "It's my one, my only regret." "I've lived with it every day for over 20 years." "Daddy..." "I'm so sorry." "Harry?" "Hey, doc." " You better just be visiting." " No, no." "Finally went over the edge." " Well, win some, lose some." " You're talking about minds, right?" " You haven't been in." " Things have been going too well." "No time for neurosis." "But I'm gonna try to pencil some in." "Well, that's terrific, Harry." "I'm happy for you." "Thanks." "So..." "Grace is visiting an old college friend." "An alcoholic." "What's your excuse?" " Consulting staff." " Oh, yeah." "I know the Fathers have done terrible things." "I know that they've taken children from political enemies." "I know they've harvested children." "What I need to know is Coty..." "What is it?" "Would they have taken my baby and given me the son of another?" "Could they have done that?" "Answer me, Father." "I will come for you." "I will come for you all." "And you will help me, Harry Wyckoff." "That's why you were born." " Mom?" " In here, honey." "I couldn't sleep." "Oh, poor baby." "Let me fix you some warm milk." "With a shot of Kahlua?" "Come here, you." "It's a new city, it's a new school, it's gonna take some getting used to." "Mom, are you ever gonna get married again?" "Oh, I don't know, Ivan." "Is it because you're still in love with Dad?" "Maybe it's difficult to meet someone as wonderful as your father was." "Is it because Dad was a man of God?" "Not just that." "Hey, Mom." "How about that real-estate guy?" "You know, the one who sold us the house." "He was a little crude." "Called me a fixer-upper." "At least you weren't a tear-down." "Come in, Harry, come in." " How are you?" " I'll tell you how I am." "Mucus strangled." "Toxic." " What happened?" " Injunction." "The networks wanna stop Church Windows." "WPN has a technological monopoly, blah, blah, blah." "You're damn straight we do, I spent billions earning it." "You recognize the letterhead?" "Baum, Weiss and Latimer, your old pals." "Thirty years, Harry." "I labored 30 years!" "Now they wanna shake the trees, grab all the apples." "You're the patent attorney." "What are you gonna do about it?" "Well..." "They're invoking the "Paramount Consent Decree. "" " What is it?" " The governments forced the studios to sell off the movie theaters, that was in the '40s." ""Unlawful, Mimecom's unilateral refusal of deal-"" "Mimecom owns the patents!" "And I own Mimecom." "They're trying to rape me, Harry." "It's that flipping simple." "I'll take care of it." " Jacob." " Yes, Mr. Wyckoff." "Arrange a meeting between myself and the networks who filed suit and I want it within 24 hours." " Shall I inform the senator's office?" " No." "Empress." "Why, oh, why didn't I ever draw a portrait of you?" "Because I won't allow it." "You know I don't approve of likenesses photographic or otherwise." "A waste." "You're such icon material." "Tell me what you want, Tully, and then get out." "Give her back to me, Josie." "If she's still alive." "What are you talking about?" "I hear things." "I cover the waterfront, remember?" "You cover your ass." "You know what?" "You make me vomit." "How dare you come into my home and dictate to me." "This is a you that we don't get to see enough of." "There's a temple in Toshiba Park, guarded by a pale, blue-skinned Shoki." "And the eyes bug out, just like yours." "I don't want to play anymore." "Can you please get that through your head?" "You dried-up monster." "Without Maisie, I am not interested in living." "Are you interested in dying?" "Give her back to me." "Or I will send you to a hell you're not familiar with." "Hello." "When did you get back?" "Now?" "It's almost 11:00." "Yeah, yeah, I know where that is." " talking with Oliver Stone." "Fifteen years after the film JFK, the files are released." "You were right." "Are you bitter?" "No, no, I'm not bitter, Joe." "If Jack Valenti were alive, I think I'd be the first one to extend an olive branch to this guy." "That was fast." "Thanks." "You get my phone messages?" "They were sweet." " So where you been?" " Kyoto." " I thought I told you." " No, nobody tells me anything." "Thank you." "I missed you." " How's the new job?" " Oh, it's incredible." "I keep pinching myself." "Can I help with that?" " That was wonderful." " Well, thank you." " Really enjoyed that." " Well, we like it, we're having fun." "We call it the saloon tour, no amphitheaters or arenas." "Chap, this is Harry Wyckoff." "Harry's the new head of Business Affairs at WPN." "I've seen the ads on Church Windows." "Wild." "It's gonna change the ball game." "I mean the way we perceive." "That's been the senator's game plan all along." "Chap's a long-time Synthiotics head." " Before it was chic." " The wheel comes round." "Here's to old love songs and New Realism." "I wanted to talk to you about your kid." "I found out some very strange information." "I've got some good people handling that now, Harry." " I should have left you out of it." " No, listen." " Have you heard of the Fathers?" " To do with the government?" " Well, remember Tommy Lazlo?" " Yes, your crazy friend from college." "Well, he told me this thing about stolen children about some kind of recruitment program." "Anybody ever mention that to you?" " Anyone that's looking for your kid?" " Recruitment, for what?" "I don't know." "He's probably just paranoid." " You know he loves a conspiracy." " Don't we all." "Well..." " ..." "I'd better get home." " You sure?" "Not really." "Goodnight, Paige." "Goodnight, Harry." "Dream carefully." "I looked in the toilet and screamed." "That's a great title." "I'm gonna call my memoirs that." " Honey, what are you talking about?" " Your friends from yoga class." " Yeah, I told you about those people." " Your wife has been baring all." "Don't say anything that'll get us into trouble." " What was her name, Gavin?" " Sawran." "As in "wrap. "" "We'd been hearing the sexual stuff for years." " You know, the five-day orgasm." " Five days?" "That's gotta take some serious foreplay." "It all happens without physical contact." "They take this pill they get illegally from the farm." "P" " H-A-R-M." "Wait, what does this have to do with the screaming toilet?" "Would you please let her finish?" "This pill they give you turns the water, you know..." "What Eileen's trying to say so discreetly is, you pee purple." " You took it?" " We most certainly did." "I can't take the suspense, what happened?" "Nothing." "They failed to inform us the first time you take it..." " ... there's a delayed response." " So, four days later Eileen's in the dentist's chair." "Oh, come on." "It's a gamble, Harry." "I mean, it could blow up in your face." "Don't you think you ought to run it by him first?" "Well, it's too late." "Besides, I'm running it by you." "Well, I appreciate that." "For some reason, I don't know why, I trust you." " Well, I've only got one question." " What's that?" "What are you gonna do when the senator fires your ass?" "Rob a bank." "Got any tips?" "Sorry we didn't call." "I know how much I hate it when someone drops by unannounced." "Your work is greatly improved." "What a wonderful likeness of your sister." "You know if you went to the desert and dug Maisie up you'd find the resemblance remarkable." "You've captured that tortured look she had the last eight or nine hours of the interrogation." "Artists have their great periods." "Picasso had his blue." "Now Tully Woiwode will have his blind." "My eyes!" "The bitch took my eyes!" " My love to Grace and the kids." " Thank you very much, Severin." " And Morty, hey." " Yeah." " Thank you for your help today." " Yeah." "By the way, next time you go to the dry cleaners ask them to put the stain stickers on your sleeve." " That's how you get that schmutz out" " Thanks." "Thanks, Harry." " Thank you." " How did it go?" "They went for it, had to." " I love it." " What a big genius you are." " When are you gonna tell the old man?" " I'm heading down to the desert now." " You know it's his birthday?" " How's his mood?" "Good." "Upbeat, vengeful." "Come on with me." "We gotta go to the media room." " They've set up the Windows demo." " Now?" "You won't believe it." "How many adaptors have we sold?" "Well, RadioShack's done about 20 million units." "The response has been phenomenal." "I had this unbelievable experience down at the beach." "I put these glasses on, I saw this ballroom." "We got rid of the glasses." "Too many glitches." "We'll use them for total-immersion custom stuff." "Most people couldn't afford them anyway." " Tell me about the box." " This is the adaptor, just like cable only it's a computer that generates synthetic holograms." "Now, the TV scans the room." "Infrared knows where you're sitting." "Knows where the chairs are." "Knows where the sofa is." "There's even a collision detector, optional." " Cool." " All right, fellas." "All right." " Mom?" " In here, honey." "I couldn't sleep." "Poor baby." "Let me fix you some warm milk." "With a shot of Kahlua?" "Could you lower the volume?" "It's a new city, it's a new school, it's gonna take some getting used to." " Collision detector." " Mom are you ever gonna get married again?" "I don't know, Ivan." "Is it because you're still in love with Dad?" "Too weird." "Well, maybe because it's difficult to meet anyone as wonderful as your father was." "Or is it because he was a man of God?" "Not just that." "Hey, Mom." "How about that real-estate broker?" "You know, the one who sold you the house." "He was a little crude." "Called me a fixer-upper." "At least you weren't a tear-down." "You wanna go interactive?" "It's a new program." "Be ready in about a year." "Go ahead, touch her." " You sure?" " Yeah." "Try again, Mr. Wyckoff." "Poor baby." "Let me fix you some warm milk." "Poor baby, poor baby, poor baby." "Poor baby, poor baby, poor baby." "Grace?" "There you are." "Criminy, I cannot climb stairs anymore." "You sick?" "What is that?" "A black hole." "Thought you'd recognize it." "Lovely." " I went to see Daddy." " Really?" "Is he well?" "Tell me about the Fathers, Mother." "Tell me what you know about the abduction of children." "It was a way to strike at men who wanted to burn the fabric of our country, of our world." "If the children of our enemies could join us and turn against their own, this would be a great gift." "That was the thinking anyway." "How far did it go, Mother?" "I don't think I know what you mean." "Who decided?" "Who decided which children would be taken?" " I already told you." " Was it you and the senator?" "We didn't sanction any of it." "Liar!" "I just wanna know one thing." "Who is that little boy?" "The one I've called my own?" " You're insane." "Just like Eli Levitt." " Who is he, Mother?" "You tell me." "I wanna know." "And I wanna know what they did to my baby." "I'm either too hot or too cold all the damn time." " Happy birthday." " Get me something good?" "I talked to the networks today." "I got you a deal." "I don't think I heard you right." "I settled the suit." "I think you're gonna be" "You son of a bitch!" "You can't deal with those half-heads behind my back!" "Listen to me." "You've been preparing for this moment for 40 years." "Forty years a visionary." "Now act like one." " You've got to sell the technology." " I told you never." "Can't you see they're gonna get it anyway?" "This isn't some recipe for chili." "It's only a matter of time before someone does it and does it better." "Let them have it." "This way at least you retain some control." "You made a deal?" "In 10 months time we will agree to license to them the technology for which we will receive a royalty beyond imagination." "By then it won't matter if there's a thousand networks." "There'll only be Channel 3 in the eyes of the world." "Behind my back!" "Yes!" "Chap, what did they do with my things?" "They're safe." "Everything was moved here." "It's all here now." "They want me to tell them secrets." "They wanna know about the Go-chip." "You know what Synthiotics calls the last secret?" "That there are no secrets anymore." "The senator wants to be immortal." "Could anyone be more deserving?" "There's somebody I need to talk to." "Who's that?" "A girl." "Her name is Tara." "I saw Church Windows today." "It's only the beginning." "Why should this reality be public domain?" "What's so great about it?" "Tony wants a new, improved reality controlled by Mimecom and sold straight out of 7-Eleven." "I'm glad I found you again." "It's all there for the taking." "A world where we don't have to be afraid to leave our dreams open at night." "With you I feel there aren't any limits." "They found the man who took my son." "Where?" "They're bringing him in." "They want me to go there to identify him." "I'm scared, Harry." "Will you be there?" " Will you be there with me?" " If you want me to." "I want you." " I need you." " I'll be there." "You'll come?" " I'll come with you, Paige." " Come with me, Harry." "The palm at the end of the mind, beyond the last thought rises in the bronze décor." " I can't believe we're chasing this guy." " We're gonna nail him." " Are they the police?" " No they're special units called Watchers." "Come on." " Come on." " Wait a minute." "Paige!" " Paige, what are we doing?" " Take him." "What do you mean take him, take him where?" "Don't let him get away, Harry, not now." "Please, Harry." "Don't you care?" "Please, Harry." "Oh, God, no." "Tommy!" "This is how it begins."