Dixie Flatline, also known by his
real name McCoy Pauley, is a legenday
console cowboy in
William Gibson's
sprawl trilogy. He, along with
Bobby Quine, were responsible for the
education of
Henry Dorsett Case, the
protagonist of
Neuromancer.
Dixie got his nickname from his frequent
cyberspace runs against various forms of
ice which resulted in he being put into a state of
brain death. He describes the first time which he achieved flatline during a run against an
AI in
Rio which readers of
Neuromancer should recognise. Pauley, unfortunately, dies before the beginning of the sprawl trilogy and his character is represtend by a
ROM construct which was recorded by the
Sim/Sense Corporation before his death. In this state, the '
ghost' of McCoy Pauley takes on the
moniker of
the Flatline (from his previous nick name) because now all that is left of him is the '
brain dead' part.
From this state he helps
Case (whom he describes as "Miami,
joeboy,
quickstudy") once again by interfacing with Case's Ono Sendai and using the
RAM therein as a sort of memory. Without this memory, every time his construct loses power the Flatline forgets everything he has learned and is returned to the state he was in when it was recorded. After a long enough time, the Flatline becomes aware that he is a recording and his only request to Case is that after the
run is over, Case is to erase the construct and let Pauley final
rest in peace.