Ilox Saga 1: Eris Monroe: More Than Human Read Online Free PDF

fit in the palm of hands. Eli had always wondered why. Now he had a reason – anonymity. A few minutes later, he pretended to pull out a wallet and card while his mind linked in with the computer equipment and imperceptibly manipulated the software with his ability. He had been doing such things since he was ten years old. He quietly pocketed the eight hundred credits he had just stolen. Eli had long since come to terms with his ability. He felt no remorse for what he had done – it was a matter of survival.
    Looking up, he saw the sun was going down and shadows from the nearby towering skyscrapers had plunged the street into a gray dimness. He shivered as the wind blew, goose bumps appearing on his arms. It was getting chilly and he needed a warm place to stay.
    A man in a gray overcoat bumped into him as Eli made his way through the pedestrians and to the street curb. Cabs that were driven by real people moved through the street haltingly, blaring horns at other vehicles. On the side of one yellow car he recognized a cab company name - Auto Cab. This was New York City… his hometown. He raised his arm and waved down the automated taxi. The electric hum of the engine was almost imperceptible as it came to a slow gliding stop in front of him. The android driver had lowered the passenger window on the all yellow electric car. Thoughts had been buzzing in his head ever since he had awakened, thoughts on what he needed to do, plans to be made and how to go about doing them.
    The driver was female and dressed nicely, if a little provocatively. Her blouse was low-cut and revealed an ample bosom. Eli knew ‘she’ was an android, programmed to drive and interface with customers. She put a human face on the machines that interacted with the lives of hundreds of billions of humans on a daily basis.
    “Where to , mister?” she inquired, smiling. Her voice was pleasant with a foreign accent. She had a perfectly perky and happy expression. Her face had been designed by experts - the distance between her eyes and mouth was just over thirty-six percent of the overall length of her face, from hairline to chin. Her facial features had a lasting beauty that a real driver would never have; let alone that there were no organic female drivers. Driving a taxi in New York City in the 22 nd century was still a dangerous profession – but not for a computer, or an android. If attacked, ‘she’ could immediately call the police, lock all the doors and either shut off the engine or drive back to her garage. She even had greater strength then most men but was not programmed to do anything except restrain violent offenders until the proper authorities arrived. Most people didn’t think twice about being driven by androids or computers. It was a part of everyday life. Her brown hair shone and her eyes glistened softly in the dim light. Sometimes Eli hated living in this century.
    He gave the auto cab the home address of his old friend, Lane Medina. He hoped Lane still lived there. He didn’t want to impose on anyone, but he needed help. He needed to get back to Kanpur and find out what happened to Eris…The thought of her quieted the maelstrom in his mind. She was the center of a hurricane, always so serene and beautiful until it came time for action, and then she became a whirlwind of death. The ride was silent after Eli told the automated cabbie to stop talking. Of course he had had to listen to the fake girl talk about ads first. He was tempted to use his ability to make it do what he wanted, but he figured that the less he used his power, the better. He knew that agents of the TEC were after him. He knew because Victoria Longshadow had told him to beware of the TEC and that it would want someone with his…power…working for them. He hadn’t believed her at first, but over time he had come to accept the situation. Agents had tried to corner him twice before. Since Lane had connections with the Republic government, he figured he could