Link to part 1

“Authority, what do they have to do with anything?”

“Well, you said it yourself, we’ve got to be under the tubewerx, right?”

“Well, yeah, but how in the hell of hells does authority not notice you? I mean, they run the tubewerx and –“

Her trex beeped a harsh tone. “Here it comes!” she squealed.

“Here comes wha--”

Link to part 1

Her eyes went wide. Amanda_adnamA stared off into some unknown distance. “That’s….That’s a very good idea, Paul.”

“Yeah, I’m full of ‘em,” He said, and his focus fell onto her mouth. The crenulations of her lips, the whiteness of her teeth. the coyness of her tongue. “But right now, I’ve wandered into something for which I’m all out of ideas.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I got no job and I got no prospects and in a day or so, I’ll have got myself no placed to live, either.”

Link to part 1

Tubeways were scattered about, projecting titles in front of their doors, “Adults Only”, “Kids Only”, “Lovers Only”, “Tubeway Only”, and, finally, “For Your Eyes Only”. It had the smallest line of the bunch.

Link to part 1

The skylight was blue. A few errant clouds streamed by the perimeter horizon far, far away. Business suites towered behind him. He bent forward, hands on knees and breathed deeply, in and out. The perfectly humid regular air of the Expanse filled his lungs. This was Safe. This was Normal. This was Good.

Link to part 1

Paul could feel his sweat starting to evaporate. If that was happening, it meant his disguise was fuming into air as well. He had very little time to get out of the arteries the Detective was plowing through. He looked desperately for some place of salvation. The buildings in the business district of the Expanse were like forced bubbles with cylindrical bottoms. Various doors and windows of transparent spongiform glistened in the skylight, style shops with a trickle of customers at this hour, none of which seemed too appealing for a fellow that was about to transform into something else.