Defying the Gods: Inside the New Frontier of Organ Transplant by Scott McCartney

Author:Scott McCartney [McCartney, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Health & Fitness
ISBN: 9780025828209
Google: OMO7jnmU6jUC
Amazon: 0025828207
Barnesnoble: 0025828207
Goodreads: 2230011
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 1994-02-15T00:19:15+00:00

Chapter 5

The only light source in the alley is above the service entrance to Sol-Bucks. To the left of that doorway is a dumpster, and in front of this dumpster, on her knees, holding her left arm up over her head in a defensive position is the black-haired barista with the glacier eyes! Standing above her holding a length of pipe is a man in what looks to be an expensive suit.

Sully and I both freeze, not really believing (or processing in Sully’s case, I’m sure that his Three Laws are in a struggle concerning how to proceed) what we are seeing. The man is leaning over her and screaming, spittle flying across the short distance between them to land on her upturned face. In her horror, she seems unable to turn away.

“Seventy-two credits!? Seventy-two measly fucking credits?! What kind of service are you providing to make such shitty tips? This barely covers the cost of your slutty uniform, you worthless little bitch!” With that said, he swings the pipe down and into her face with a sickening thump.

No longer stunned, Sully and I are racing forward, Sully easily flying past me. The suit with the pipe turns in surprise when he sees us coming his way, and barely manages to raise the pipe above his head, readying a strike at us, before Sully slams his forearm into his chest, sending him crashing into the dumpster. The pipe is knocked from his hand and rattles noisily down the alley as he slumps to the ground, coming to rest in a puddle of old coffee.

I reach them as fast as I can, but Sully has already neutralized the situation. I drop hard to my knees next to where the barista has collapsed, my heart pounding. Gently, I put my hand on her shoulder and brace myself for a horrible scene as I roll her onto her back.

There is no blood.

She blinks up at me with one bright blue eye. Her left eye, the entire left side of her face for that matter, is an utter ruin. I can not see much by the light above the service entrance, but I think I see the white shine of bone. The skin and flesh on the left side of her face looked to be torn and ragged… yet dry.

I feel sick.

“Sully, I… Sully, I’m not sure what…” It seems I can’t be in this girl’s presence without stuttering like a fool for one reason or another.

“Luthor, she’s an android.” Sully said in an odd voice. Realization hits like a bucket of cold water, a slap in the face. What I mistook for bone is the shining metal of her endoskeleton. Her dry damaged skin, synthetic. My eyes flick to Sully, instantly knowing what’s about to happen.

“Sully, no, it’s ok! We didn’t know!”

“I-I-I attacked a hu-hu-hu-human to save a robot, Lu- Lu- Lu-Lu-Luthor.”

“BRAIIINNNSSSS!” I scream at Sully, hoping to get the latent brain to assume control before Sully totally roblocks. Sully’s eyes dim, and remain so for what seems an eternity.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.