For a moment Al was alarmed by the idea that there might be messages in the lights of the real world as well. But then he came to his senses. Chuckling softly, he scuttled Alyce’s quaint theory as gently and as decisively as he could. “Only trouble with that idear, toots, is ol’ Al’s been livin’ up there near half a century, an’ I ain’t never seen nor heard no subliminal messages. Nope, reckon that’s jist somethin’ they use ta keep people evil down here. Prob’ly bein’ blind’s saved yerself from the worst of it.” He smiled as one would at a small child. “Never woulda thought you’d go in fer that sorta cockamamie conspiracy theory.”
After a moment’s reflection, he added, “Fact of it is, another reason there couldn’t be any such messages up in the good world is precisely what scuppers yer moral equivalency about the Houses an’ the megas. Cuz if some mad genius tried ta sneak messages into the lights o’ good, hard-workin’ folks, well you can bet the Red Samurai’d be Johnny-onna-spot to put the brakes on that sorta tomfoolery. So I s’pose ya git my point—sure Renraku funds them heroes outta justified self-interest in keepin’ its own citizens an’ assets safe. But the things I done seen those boys do over the years, from stoppin’ eco-terrorists’ dirty bombs, breakin’ up shadowrunners’ kiddie porn rings, an’ crackin’ down on one o’ my own pet peeves, workplace time theft, well, the good they done free o’ charge an’ ta the world at large is well-nigh incalculable. An’ that’s jist one example o’ one corp. I mean, I was watchin’ on AZTV jist t’other day this documentary on how much of Aztechnology’s modest profits are funnelled straight into education an’ clean water programs in developin’ economies, an’ the documentary also pointed out how the company does it without seekin’ no sorta publicity nor thanks at all, jist helps all these poor an’ downtrodden folk all quiet an’ Christian-like.
“Reckon I know it’s a fallen world, an’ we’s all sinners, but while we all err, the differences is in what we’s aimin’ an’ strivin’ for. Up inna sun, some individuals do horrible things, but as a society we done agreed stuff like sex slavery o’ kids is not gon’ stand. Now this Flowers house, they’s self-admitted slavers. An’ even if the other Houses ain’t doin’ that, they’s toleratin’ it, which is the same thing. Ya see any folk down here boycottin’ Flowers drugs cuz they’s tested on unwillin’, kidnapped children? Hell no. Them degenerates tried stealin’ a girl we was with, admitted they was gon’ turn ‘er out as a whore, an’ when we tried ta git ‘er back, ya think anyone in the crowd, Flower or not, tried to help? Or was they even jist stayin’ onna sidelines? Hell no, they all was on the Flower side, followin’ us ‘round like a bunch a’ zombies pronouncin’ some sorta death sentence on us jist fer savin’ that girl. That’s when I knew it’s the whole lot of ‘em down here that’s rotten. Stands in pretty sharp contrast to the constant altruism the triple-As is gracin’ the real world with ever’ damned day o’ the week.”
