The Illusionists by Laure Eve

Author:Laure Eve
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471402593
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Published: 2014-08-07T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

ANGLE TAR

WHITE

‘I need something removed,’ said White into the keyhole.

‘What?’

He hesitated, glancing around. It was early evening and the Border City street this grand little townhouse sat on was quiet enough, but this was not a normal request he was making, and the man on the other side of the door not quite a normal doctor.

‘An implant,’ he said.

Silence.

He had left Fernie over a day ago – it had taken that long to travel up to Border City, first by several different trains, and then coach. He’d never been this far north before, and couldn’t Jump somewhere he’d never visited, or at least not consciously. Not yet. It had only served to remind him how lucky he was that he could Jump at all. Having to use public transport was risky, if people were looking for him – but more than that, it was just so tediously godsdamned slow.

‘How did you find me, please?’ said the voice through the door.

‘Someone gave me your name and address a long time ago.’

‘You will give me the name of this person, please.’

‘De Forde Say Frith.’ As White said his name, his stomach dropped to the ground. If the man needed him to be vouched for by Frith somehow, he was screwed.

But then the door clicked as the key was turned on the other side, and then White was shuffling into a narrow hallway.

The man before him scrutinised White keenly. He was short and round, with a balding head and pleasant features.

‘If they come from Frith, I do them for free,’ he said.

White was silent. Frith had said as much when he’d given White the doctor’s name, not that long after recruiting him.

So much had happened since then.

‘Come into the office and let’s have a chat.’

He led White down the corridor and into the room at the end. It was small, the walls violently decorated with a mishmash of paintings and words and impossible colours.

The doctor sat behind a polished trewsey wood desk. He noticed White staring at the walls and smiled. ‘One of my eccentricities,’ he said. ‘I do miss it still, you see.’

‘Miss what?’

‘Life.’

White studied him. ‘You are a Worlder.’

‘Not any more. Got my Angle Tarain citizenship a few years ago. Now,’ he said, and steepled his fingers, ‘you wish to have your implant removed.’

‘Yes,’ said White, but maybe there had been something in his voice, because the doctor raised a brow.

‘You understand what you’re doing, don’t you? I apologise if I seem patronising, but if you change your mind afterwards and want another implant, there are places in World – illegal, rather unwholesome places – but it will be much more painful an operation and the new implant will never be as fully immersive as the one you have now.’

‘I understand.’

‘Well, I don’t know what you’ve heard about it already, but it’s actually a fairly simple procedure. Have you been living without Life for a year yet? I generally say a year before I’ll even consider removal.’

‘Longer,’ said White. ‘I have been in Angle Tar a while.

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