Keystones: Altered Destinies Read Online Free PDF Page B

unwanted legacy from a failed relationship. He’d have taken her to the pound years ago except she was so ugly that it would have been a death sentence. Each time she climbed his shelf of vintage model cars and jumped on him he reconsidered the choice to keep her. He had to get out of bed now. Otherwise she’d keep pouncing on him until he fed her.
    Deklan flipped between channels on the screen. Yesterday he’d awoken in a morgue; today, a Saturday, he was channel-surfing. Already the media had settled on referring to the odd purple effect that he kept hearing about as “The Sweep.” He was fascinated by the eight minutes of darkness and the new stars. Everyone else was fascinated by the new Keystones.
    The various news outlets were in stiff competition to discover the most interesting Keystones. Deklan flipped between channel after channel that showed close-ups of Keystones with physical aberrations. He paused at an interview with a man who had two tentacles sprouting from his torso under each arm. Another show centered on a man with furry flaps that resembled wings and a hard ridge of what looked like keratin that started at his nose and swept over his head to his shoulders. Other channels featured individuals’ antennae, scales, extra limbs, and translucency. The more obvious the physical transformation, the greater the public fascination.
    There was also great interest in just how many new Keystones there were. In the span of a few moments Keystones had gone from being rare to commonplace. Estimates abounded, but there were no hard numbers.
    The sheer variety meant that, instead of becoming jaded and uninterested, the public was growing ever more intrigued. Deklan hoped that the surplus of information, not to mention the rash of property damage, would keep people from noticing that for a brief while, before he deleted the morgue’s records, he had been dead.
    He kept trying to ignore the note he’d found on his toe: This was the easy part. It will get harder. Try to do the right thing. Good luck. What did that even mean?
    Vibrations from his Uplink alerted him to an incoming call. This time it wasn’t from a friend but the police. Since The Sweep he’d been dodging social calls apart from a chat with his parents. He wanted a chance to process what had happened at the morgue and the crash that led up to it.
    His Uplink was similar in form to an antiquated wristwatch, but he preferred it to the more modern models. It was difficult to lose or steal, and the release was voice-activated. Flicking a finger over its screen, he routed the call to his TV. “Hello?”
    “Mr. Tobin?” The person on the other end sounded bored.
    Deklan steadied his voice, dreading the idea that someone was following a paper trail that led back to him in the morgue. “Speaking,” he replied.
    “Sir, we’ve found your car. I regret to inform you that it’s been in an accident.”
    Deklan felt his pulse slow, only now aware that it had spiked. It was time to feign surprise. “What? How bad is the damage?”
    “I haven’t seen it, but according to this file you’re going to need your insurance.”
    Deklan kept up his charade of surprise and mixed in some outrage. “Who’s done this? Where can I see it?”
    If anything the voice on the other end slipped deeper into a monotone. “We have it impounded with other stolen vehicles until you claim it. You can come at any time, though there may be a wait. Things have been busy today.”
    An hour later Deklan was at the impound lot staring at his car. Even knowing that it was his, he didn’t recognize the twisted wreckage. He noticed in particular that the driver’s seat was stained with copious amounts of blood.
    Deklan’s hands roamed over his torso of their own accord. He’d awoken feeling fine, both in the morgue and this morning. He was sure that he was some sort of Keystone now, but what kind?
    Was this a one-time-only second chance? If he were in another catastrophic accident,