Read Online Shadow Unit 15 by Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear
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She's exasperated.
But then she looks at you, that sharp sidewise look. "Partridge," she says. "How can I help?"
"I just wanted to double-check your visitor authorization. I didn't see your name—"
You look at the clipboard in your hands. It's the sign-up for the department Fourth of July potluck. No paid party anymore. You meant to grab the sign-in sheet.
"Never mind." You manage to smile at the monster. "I was looking at the wrong list."
"No problem. And Partridge? It's nice to see you."
The monster smiles at you and steps into the elevator. You hear her say, "There's more yet, but Sol's getting back to me today. I'll text you—"
The doors close. The elevator's going down, and you have to go back to the desk to clear the trip downstairs.
She doesn't know, Ash says. She doesn't know what you did.
You wonder what you did. We have to stop her. Put her back in the cage.
There's another monster in her old cage. Another one like her. The lightning caller.
There's no help for it. You know what you have to do to stop her.
Calmly you walk back to the desk, put the clipboard back, and sit down. You can't do anything else unusual, now that you know what to do.
*
"You're early, big brother."
Eddie sits on a long overstuffed sofa, two seat cushions between him and Natalie, sitting on the other end. They were on the sunny side of the room, where tall, many-paned clear windows with a view of Idlewood's biggest garden let light in. Eddie's scalp showed through the short bristle of his freshly cut hair.
"Thought I'd start coming at this time, so I'm not late for bike polo. Hey, Nats. Was it haircut day?" He's teasing, of course. She couldn't grow two feet of hair in a month.
"This is a wig," she says, and reaches up for Dice's hug.
"You ever see bike polo, Nats? There was a match on that YouTube. You gotta be tough to play that." Eddie says it with pride.
"I haven't seen bike polo," Natalie says. "Did you break anything?"
"I've been lucky," Dice says.
"Natalie plays Go," Eddie says. "She kicks my ass."
"Good. Keep him humble, Nats."
"I will, you bet. 'Scuse me a bit, I'm going to find something to eat."
"Have a strudel?" Dice offers.
"I will have a strudel, and I will still find something to eat. Be back in a bit."
Eddie watches Natalie leave before he gives Dice a see? I told you so look. "Board's already set up. You get me cheese strudel?"
"Apple, cheese, poppyseed."
"Best get one while they're hot," Eddie says. "Let's try a Knight's opening today, what do you say?"
"Sure, Eddie. Hey, you get YouTube?"
"We can ask to watch a video on YouTube, but it's restricted. Susanna, the kid, she watches a lot of Netflix." Eddie gets to his feet and they head for the table in the windowed alcove, dappled with shadows cast by a venerable oak.
"All right, so white's opening move is a knight? King's knight or Queen's?"
"You get to pick, big brother."
*
"You're worried, Dann-O," Jason Saito says, once they're seated in their places.
"Everyday stuff. Time for Dallas, right?"
"No. You're giving it up so fast, I want what you're hiding. Is it your girl monster? She's giving you the crawling doubt. She's...up to something," Saito says. "And you don't know what to do."
"Hafidha is fine." Brady rolls his eyes. "I've just got somewhere to go today."
"Gonna see your man? Have what's cooking on the grill, drink beer from a glass, oh, I've got it. You're going to pick out colors for your wedding buffet!" Saito laughs. "And you'll try not to worry that your Girl Wonder is cracking up? Because you are. What's she doing? Give that to me."
"She's visiting a patient today. Latest candidate for the surgery."
"Another adolescent girl? The board has a soft spot for the women. I hear only one man meets their standards. What's with the sexism?"
Brady shrugs. "We teach girls to think of other people before themselves. Probably enhances their empathy through social expectation, by punishing them for asserting
But then she looks at you, that sharp sidewise look. "Partridge," she says. "How can I help?"
"I just wanted to double-check your visitor authorization. I didn't see your name—"
You look at the clipboard in your hands. It's the sign-up for the department Fourth of July potluck. No paid party anymore. You meant to grab the sign-in sheet.
"Never mind." You manage to smile at the monster. "I was looking at the wrong list."
"No problem. And Partridge? It's nice to see you."
The monster smiles at you and steps into the elevator. You hear her say, "There's more yet, but Sol's getting back to me today. I'll text you—"
The doors close. The elevator's going down, and you have to go back to the desk to clear the trip downstairs.
She doesn't know, Ash says. She doesn't know what you did.
You wonder what you did. We have to stop her. Put her back in the cage.
There's another monster in her old cage. Another one like her. The lightning caller.
There's no help for it. You know what you have to do to stop her.
Calmly you walk back to the desk, put the clipboard back, and sit down. You can't do anything else unusual, now that you know what to do.
*
"You're early, big brother."
Eddie sits on a long overstuffed sofa, two seat cushions between him and Natalie, sitting on the other end. They were on the sunny side of the room, where tall, many-paned clear windows with a view of Idlewood's biggest garden let light in. Eddie's scalp showed through the short bristle of his freshly cut hair.
"Thought I'd start coming at this time, so I'm not late for bike polo. Hey, Nats. Was it haircut day?" He's teasing, of course. She couldn't grow two feet of hair in a month.
"This is a wig," she says, and reaches up for Dice's hug.
"You ever see bike polo, Nats? There was a match on that YouTube. You gotta be tough to play that." Eddie says it with pride.
"I haven't seen bike polo," Natalie says. "Did you break anything?"
"I've been lucky," Dice says.
"Natalie plays Go," Eddie says. "She kicks my ass."
"Good. Keep him humble, Nats."
"I will, you bet. 'Scuse me a bit, I'm going to find something to eat."
"Have a strudel?" Dice offers.
"I will have a strudel, and I will still find something to eat. Be back in a bit."
Eddie watches Natalie leave before he gives Dice a see? I told you so look. "Board's already set up. You get me cheese strudel?"
"Apple, cheese, poppyseed."
"Best get one while they're hot," Eddie says. "Let's try a Knight's opening today, what do you say?"
"Sure, Eddie. Hey, you get YouTube?"
"We can ask to watch a video on YouTube, but it's restricted. Susanna, the kid, she watches a lot of Netflix." Eddie gets to his feet and they head for the table in the windowed alcove, dappled with shadows cast by a venerable oak.
"All right, so white's opening move is a knight? King's knight or Queen's?"
"You get to pick, big brother."
*
"You're worried, Dann-O," Jason Saito says, once they're seated in their places.
"Everyday stuff. Time for Dallas, right?"
"No. You're giving it up so fast, I want what you're hiding. Is it your girl monster? She's giving you the crawling doubt. She's...up to something," Saito says. "And you don't know what to do."
"Hafidha is fine." Brady rolls his eyes. "I've just got somewhere to go today."
"Gonna see your man? Have what's cooking on the grill, drink beer from a glass, oh, I've got it. You're going to pick out colors for your wedding buffet!" Saito laughs. "And you'll try not to worry that your Girl Wonder is cracking up? Because you are. What's she doing? Give that to me."
"She's visiting a patient today. Latest candidate for the surgery."
"Another adolescent girl? The board has a soft spot for the women. I hear only one man meets their standards. What's with the sexism?"
Brady shrugs. "We teach girls to think of other people before themselves. Probably enhances their empathy through social expectation, by punishing them for asserting
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