But what I think even she didn’t expect or calculate was just what a colossal goof the n-Viz would be. Unless she did, with a spare mini-Envisioner the size of a make-up compact tucked into her slim purses that hung off her elbow when she waltzed into TV studios or angel investor meetings. Don’t look over there, she burbled playfully, I’ve got the goods stashed over here.

Once she’d swooped back to the Compound after her continent-hopping tour, she told me about one product meeting in San Francisco with some tech bros. She’d planned to offer a subscription service of Envisioner data to the public. Nothing critical, only a limited database of pre-answered questions, mostly boring weather and traffic predictions. Maybe an elite product line for bank-rolling customers to hash out personalized questions with a customer service rep—only harmless non-event stuff, nothing about “when will I die,” or “what will this stock price be”—for the research team to consider asking the Envisioner.

She could gouge the public twice over if she linked the service to a device, the tech bros had told Kaori, who steepled her fingers like I’m listening.

“The n-Viz is about human connectivity and exerting power over our future and buzzwords,” a tech bro grandstanded at her in his slim suit, waving to projected slides of his firm’s pitch that detailed the black wrist cuff device. “The n is for nexus, or new, or the unknown in an equation.”

“I still find money gross,” Kaori said in her office after she’d filled me in on her fundraising and her pre-enrollment plan for the n-Viz, where people could lock in a lifetime of savings. “But the n-Viz will pay for the new staff, and plane fuel, and the patron outreach.”

Even knowing she meant well, I had to swallow a mouthful of hot tea not to go off on her about how privileged someone had to be to just dismiss money. Sure, rally for the redistribution of wealth and get all post-capitalism. But the only people lucky enough to write-off the whole concept of money never had to hunt the streets for stray change to buy groceries.

KAORI (VOICEOVER)

Democratization of this information is so critical. But it can’t be for free. We need the resources. We need the time. It’s too important. After all, this is our future.

“I’d really like to know just who gets to decide who has access to this… this thing,” a douche supposed expert in some field, who’d never met or spoken to Kaori, argued on a nightly news panel. “She’s turning down United Nations requests for access and information. Then this n-Viz preview is…”