Harry Turtledove: A Different Flesh

"That's a low blow, Ken." But she did not give him a direct reply. For some time, she did not give him anything at al . she finally said, "Let's see what Matt has to say about it. If he wants to go back, oh, shit." It was not I concession, but Dixon knew it was as much as he would get. They went to the closed door. Melody, usually impetuous, stayed behind Dixon, as if to say this was not her place. He opened the door. They both frowned at the sickroom smel that met them.

Matt lay on his back on the bed. He lifted his head a couple of inches when they came in, then let it fal back the pil ow, as though the effort of holding it up was top much For him. For the moment, though, he was breathing well.

He had lost weight, but had no appetite; a bowl of food, almost full, stood untouched on the nightstand. His eyes ' were the only live things in his thin face. He looked, Dab thought, like a camp survivor from the Russo-Prussian War. Dixon knew the comparison was a cliche. Nontheless, it fit all too well. Once inside the bedroom, Melody took the lead; Dixon’s idea might have been her own, once she was with Matt

"You've stopped coughing," she said quietly. "Are you feeling any better?" so Tired, the sim signed. So tired. His arms flopped down. On the mattress as soon as he was done using them. Then one of them came up again. Medicine? he signed Medicine that helps?

"I'm sorry, Matt. We have none, and don't know where to get any.” Melody said. Dixon winced at Matts shrug of resignation. Melody went on, "They do have that kind of medicine at the towers, Matt, if you want to go back." she held her voice steady.

home? Matt signed, which only made Dixon feel worse, he had not thought he could. The sims somber face brightened. Medicine back home?

He tried to sit up, eventual y succeeded, though it set off another spasm of coughing, this one fortunately brief. Females too, yes? he I with a sidelong look at Dixon and Melody. Tired of hand. That set Melody laughing so hard she had trouble stoping. Finally, at Dixon's quizzical look, she explained, read in my great-great-grandfather's diary that the only reason he ever came home from a trapping run was that he got tiered of his hand."

" Dixon laughed too, a little, before turning serious Pin, "Matt seems to have made his choice." That brought her up short; after a moment, she gave a reluctant nod. Then went on, "Now we have to figure out how to give him back without giving ourselves away to the greencoats...."

The intercom buzzed. "Yes, Doris?" Dr. Howard said.

“It’s for you, sir," his secretary said. "Won't give a name, won't speak to anyone but you. He says it's about Matt” ”Put him on," Howard said wearily. He'd had enough crank cal s since Matt was taken to last him a lifetime, but there was always the off chance.... He picked up the phone. "Yes?

This is Dr. Peter Howard. Go ahead."

The man on the other end of the line sounded young and cautious, but what he said made Howard sit straighter in his chair “ How do I know your not a fake”

"If I were a fake, would I have any way of knowing last three pamphlets you got were red, green, and White order?"

The doctor said, exitment rising in his voice. "I don't believe you would.

This is about Matt, you say? Where is he is he well? Is he alive?"

The stolen HIVI should have been used up some time ago. After it was gone, anything might have happened.

"No, he's not very well, but he is alive," the caller "As a matter of fact, he's sitting on a bench on the corner Peachtree and Sherman, waiting for somebody to come pick him up. We're giving him back to you." If that was true, Relief left Howard limp. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're anything but welcome," the young man bitterly. "You made him sick, but you're the only one who can slow down the AIDS in him now, so we don't have any choice but to give him back. I wish we did."

"People will be better because of what we've done to him," Howard said.

"Wil Matt. He didn't get a choice."

"You had him some little while yourself. Did you let him make all his own choices?" The silence at the other end of the connection answered that for Howard. "You can't with a sim, can you?" the doctor said. "Believe me, I know that."'

"Go to hell," the young man said. "I'm breaking this call off now. You're probably tracking this call." The connecting went blank.

"Thank you for giving him back, anyhow," Howard to the dead line.

Then he gathered himself and rang Coleman. He was not surprised to find that the so chief had already given orders for picking up Matt, going after the caller.

Howard found himself hoping the young man got away. That did surprise him.

"It's no good, Ken," Melody said. They were sitting Slide side at the edge of the hotel bed, but he had know before she spoke that they would not be making love tonight. The way she'd sat stiffly, not looking at him, in the passenger seat of the horseless as he drove away from the DRC had been plenty to tell him that. Now she went on "After today, in fact, we'd probably be better travel separately."

“Why?" he said. Down deep he knew why, though admitting it to himself by continuing, "You agreed we had to take Matt back."

I know I did. It was the only thing we could do, and I did. I don't see how I'l ever do anything but hate it, and being with you just keeps reminding me of it. Sorry."

“The rewards of being right," he said.

it earned him a glare. "Call it whatever you like. But stay together, and I think I'll end up hating you too. I'd rather break clean now."

'However you like," he said tonelessly. He suspected she would end up hating him anyway, convincing herself that everything that had gone wrong was his fault. It was too late for him to do anything about that.

He and Melody slept with their backs to each other. The space of mattress between them might as well have I chasm.

The IV that slowly dripped into Matt's arm after a while gave him a familiar pain. He slept again on a familiar bed in a familiar room.

His breakfast came on a familiar tray at a familiar time. After so much strangeness, all that was reassuring.

aside from the temporary nuisance of the IV, he felt better. The towers had the medicines to cure the sicknesses he had come down with on his travels, and the special medicine to help keep him from falling sick so easily again.

He had females once more, when he felt well enough for them That was good, after doing so long without. When couplings were done, they would ask him in sign-talk about his adventures on the outside. He answered as best he could. They were curious, and it helped pass the time.

in horseless, like on television, he would sign, and to himself. That never failed to draw awed murmurs of excited "Hoo"s from whatever female he was with. better than here. Here everything the same al the time, l torn ' He shrugged and yawned, baring his large yellow teeth.

After while, going in homeless same al the time too, he answered, full of the ennui of the experienced traveler. Is One afternoon, the female cal ed Jane asked, why take you from here?

People want to help make sims free, he signed People want to make me free.

"Hoo," Jane said softly. You go outside tower, you free Matt thought that over. No matter how often Ken and Melody had used the word, he stil could not quite get what they meant by it. Not sure, he signed. Then, slowly shook his head. No, not free. People outside like people here.

Say they let sims do what sims want, but real y only let us do what sims want when they want that too. "Ah," Jane said, and nodded. She understood that perfectly. After a while, they coupled again. Then a nurse came to take Matt away. More needles? he signed. The nurse nodded. He sighed and went with her.

The afternoon moved on to twilight.