Descending Road - TWO STREETS APART by Dana W. Paxson

TWO STREETS APART

1560 4D

The puzzle got more tangled by the second. This man was an andro. He had to be, with that white skin. But he was acting like an outlaw, and that was impossible. What was Thringe doing, and how was she hurt? And how would I help her now?

Andros. They were vat-built men and women, that’s all, wired in their genes as servants of all kinds. They were sterile. They couldn’t kill. They couldn’t fight a human. Their makers and users infected them with viruses to update their nerves and muscles and bones with the latest body fashions and special senses and abilities. After ten years or so, their white-skinned bodies disintegrated. Disposables. So who or what was this madman?

A crash and a string of curses below warned me that the door was open. I reached the level of Streakrun Score and raced out into East 500, the main radial understreet leading past Streakrun‘s entrance. I was near my own home, where my father waited. Brownhollow and Streakrun were only two streets apart.

I could just walk home, strip off all the makeup and gear, and give him the medicine… I cursed at myself. For the second time, I remembered I’d left it all at Joovlies, and that meant another long street trip. But then I could get the makeup off, and go back. Even if the streets were trouble, I’d be out of this mess.

But that wasn’t right. And I’d lose the money. No, I decided, I’d find Thringe first, and then see what I could do.

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


	TWO STREETS APART 1560 4D The puzzle got more tangled by the second. This man was an andro. He had to be, with that white skin. But he was acting like an outlaw, and that was impossible. What was Thringe doing, and how was she hurt? And how would I help her now? Andros. They were vat-built men and women, that’s all, wired in their genes as servants of all kinds. They were sterile. They couldn’t kill. They couldn’t fight a human. Their makers and users infected them with viruses to update their nerves and muscles and bones with the latest body fashions and special senses and abilities. After ten years or so, their white-skinned bodies disintegrated. Disposables. So who or what was this madman? A crash and a string of curses below warned me that the door was open. I reached the level of Streakrun Score and raced out into East 500, the main radial understreet leading past Streakrun‘s entrance. I was near my own home, where my father waited. Brownhollow and Streakrun were only two streets apart. I could just walk home, strip off all the makeup and gear, and give him the medicine… I cursed at myself. For the second time, I remembered I’d left it all at Joovlies, and that meant another long street trip. But then I could get the makeup off, and go back. Even if the streets were trouble, I’d be out of this mess. But that wasn’t right. And I’d lose the money. No, I decided, I’d find Thringe first, and then see what I could do.