Descending Road - HE STRAIGHTENED THE UNIFORM by Dana W. Paxson

HE STRAIGHTENED THE UNIFORM

1563 4D

Squatting behind dense shrubs at the University, Jeddin touched up his facial toner, using the mirrored visor of the man he had just killed. The toner looked dark enough, and it protected his andro skin from the ravages of the bright sunlight.

The man’s body lay next to him, the fabric of its undersuit shining in the noon glare. The man’s uniform, a set of ArCorp security coveralls, fitted Jeddin nearly perfectly. He pulled the visor from the face and put it on. The dead dark eyes stared straight up into a deep clear sky.

A pang of regret touched Jeddin. If only you hadn’t tried to shoot me, I’d be inside the grounds, and you’d be alive. What do I do with you now?

A metal plate covered a maintenance hatch a few feet outside the bushes. Too visible — people crowded a walkway just a few strides away. So, make it invisible. He hefted the ballistic handgun the man had carried. About a hundred strides across the grassy space stood a graceful cellstone building with a pair of slender columns supporting a high portico roof above its front door.

This would do. Waiting until the area near him had cleared, he stood behind the bushes, took careful aim, and whipped his arm in a blinding arc.

Flying at half the speed of a slow bullet, the gun struck the left column just under the portico roof. It blew through the column, its cartridges exploding with the impact; the column tottered slightly, then collapsed as the roof sagged through the newly-created gap. The whole roof, cracking and groaning, began to separate from the rest of the building very slowly, the pistol-shots of breaking metal and plast echoing the first report. Excellent.

Everyone walking in the area stopped and stared. Jeddin ran the few steps to the hatch, slid the cover aside, and ran back behind the bushes. The roof now descended toward the heads of three people leaving the building. As watchers shouted or sprinted toward the collapse, Jeddin dragged the body to the hatch and dumped it in.

The roof snapped free and fell directly, narrowly missing the people underneath. A scream echoed. Jeddin replaced the hatch cover and looked around. Perfect. He straightened the one-piece uniform, smoothing it at the slightly loose waist, and joined the throng of watchers surging toward the heap of tangled rubble. This time, no one hurt.

Story List	SURPRISE ME	Author Page
USER SURVEY	PUZZLE ME	MAKE ELM MARK

HOVER Lucida Bright BARE	HOVER Lucida Bright FULL	HOVER Palatino Linotype BARE
HOVER Palatino Linotype FULL	HOVER Times New Roman BARE	HOVER Times New Roman FULL
PAD Arial BARE	PAD Arial FULL	PAD Lucida Bright BARE
PAD Lucida Bright FULL	PAD Times New Roman BARE	PAD Times New Roman FULL


	HE STRAIGHTENED THE UNIFORM 1563 4D Squatting behind dense shrubs at the University, Jeddin touched up his facial toner, using the mirrored visor of the man he had just killed. The toner looked dark enough, and it protected his andro skin from the ravages of the bright sunlight. The man’s body lay next to him, the fabric of its undersuit shining in the noon glare. The man’s uniform, a set of ArCorp security coveralls, fitted Jeddin nearly perfectly. He pulled the visor from the face and put it on. The dead dark eyes stared straight up into a deep clear sky. A pang of regret touched Jeddin. If only you hadn’t tried to shoot me, I’d be inside the grounds, and you’d be alive. What do I do with you now? A metal plate covered a maintenance hatch a few feet outside the bushes. Too visible — people crowded a walkway just a few strides away. So, make it invisible. He hefted the ballistic handgun the man had carried. About a hundred strides across the grassy space stood a graceful cellstone building with a pair of slender columns supporting a high portico roof above its front door. This would do. Waiting until the area near him had cleared, he stood behind the bushes, took careful aim, and whipped his arm in a blinding arc. Flying at half the speed of a slow bullet, the gun struck the left column just under the portico roof. It blew through the column, its cartridges exploding with the impact; the column tottered slightly, then collapsed as the roof sagged through the newly-created gap. The whole roof, cracking and groaning, began to separate from the rest of the building very slowly, the pistol-shots of breaking metal and plast echoing the first report. Excellent. Everyone walking in the area stopped and stared. Jeddin ran the few steps to the hatch, slid the cover aside, and ran back behind the bushes. The roof now descended toward the heads of three people leaving the building. As watchers shouted or sprinted toward the collapse, Jeddin dragged the body to the hatch and dumped it in. The roof snapped free and fell directly, narrowly missing the people underneath. A scream echoed. Jeddin replaced the hatch cover and looked around. Perfect. He straightened the one-piece uniform, smoothing it at the slightly loose waist, and joined the throng of watchers surging toward the heap of tangled rubble. This time, no one hurt.