The Zenith Angle - Bruce Sterling [125]
Anjali Devgan didn’t seem much impressed. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll be able to see it happening, right through this beautiful Japanese telescope. This used to belong to Tom DeFanti, and I brought it here just for you. I am literally going to write your adorable name, with a laser, on the surface of this planet’s satellite. A-N-J-A-L-I. That process will take about half an hour. If we get some overcast cirrus, we might drop a few pixels here and there. But, honey: it’s the Moon!”
“You’re writing my name on the Moon in English?”
“Why not?” Tony paused. “Honey, please don’t do this to me. I don’t have a font in Hindi.”
“I know that Chinese woman is your lover. She kissed you on the face in front of me! She called you ‘darling.’ ”
“I can get you a font in Hindi. I just can’t get it tonight.”
“You have no soul, Anthony Carew. You are a decadent Western intellectual. You never think of anything but your power and your money. I am sick and tired of being your concubine, Tony Carew. I don’t care how many toys you give me. You are unworthy of my love. You have no home. You have no warmth of elders in your house. You cannot marry me properly as a man should marry a woman. There is no husband’s mother to properly send me my sargee. You want only love without commitment, and sex without children. You have no future!”
“Honey, people in the modern world can work out little issues like this.”
“I’m going home to marry Amitabh. That’s what Bapuji wants from me.”
“Anjali, you can’t marry that guy. Amitabh? Even as Bollywood star-children go, Amitabh is as dumb as a racehorse.” Tony recoiled from her scalded look. “Okay, fine! Go marry Amitabh, have his kids! I’m willing to look right past that!”
“I hate you, Tony Carew. You are evil. I should never have erred and sinned with you. My audience will forgive me my vamp roles when I give them children.” Anjali looked at her jeweled watch. “I’m never going back to that ugly Chinese woman’s stupid ranch house! Never! I am flying away from you in Sanjay’s jet. I have a three-night engagement to dance in London. Bipasha is there, Kareena is there. I want to talk to my star sisters! They understand the sorrows of life!”
“Oh, come on, sajaana . . .”
“Our love affair is over, Tony. I don’t love you, and I never want to see you again.” She left him.
Tony stood immobile. Then he turned and ran headlong for the desk. He scrabbled at the black fabric rifle case and unzipped it. He stood the rifle on its wooden butt. Trembling all over, he jammed his chin against the muzzle.
Van stepped into the light. “I disarmed your rifle, Tony. Bullets equal zero.”
Tony glared at him with red-rimmed eyes. “Oh, for God’s sake. You? What good are you to me now?”
“I’m no good to you, Tony. I am the end of you, pal.” Van leveled the ray gun.
“What’s with the titanium toy? Am I under arrest or something?”
“No, Tony. You are not under arrest. I hacked you and I own you. You are an illegal combatant. It’s the steel box in Cuba for you, you son of a bitch.”
Tony made a sudden break for it. Van cut him off, grabbed his jacket, and punched him twice in the head. Then he dragged Tony bodily across the floor of the observatory. He threw Tony headlong across a tumbling heap of metal chairs. He opened a chair. He picked Tony up and sat him down.
“Now what?” said Tony, wiping his split lip. “I guess you can beat me up. What does that prove?”
“I am not beating you, Tony. I am interrogating you. Are there any other ones?”
Tony was stunned. “What?”
“Are there other laser weapons like this telescope? Anywhere on planet Earth.”
“Would I need another one?” said Tony. He gestured wildly. “Look at her! This is the most fantastic weapon in the world! I built a death ray, man! I built a no-kidding, working death ray in the very same world that’s got bubble gum and Hollywood Squares and Chee•tos! I can fry spacecraft!”
He drew a sobbing breath. “Okay, so they don’t blow up all at once! Maybe it takes me a few months to destroy them! Sometimes the orbit