Wild Cards [08] One-Eyed Jacks Read Online Free PDF Page A

positions. He was a head shorter. Her left hand went out in greetingwhich was when her conscious mind twigged to what her unconscious had already registered, that Tachyon's right arm ended at the wrist.
    He responded with a soft left-handed handshake, the slightest of smiles acknowledging and appreciating her courtesy.
    "A meeting I've been looking forward to, actually, for quite some time. Scent -I don't know if you're aware, but he's the director of our Vietnam Veterans Outreach Program has been singing your praises to these many years." He motioned her to take a chair. She'd seen pictures of him, of course, but on paper-and especially,- the tube-it was easy to dismiss his eccentric costumes as just that, costumes, the man himself trivialized into a character from some tacky teleplay.
    "But I suspect," he continued, "the anticipation is not quite mutual."
    "Is it that obvious," she replied, thinking deliberately loudly, or did you read my mind to discover it?
    In person, his appearance was no less outrageous, but far more effective. Living embodiment of an eighteenthcentury aristo. Plum trousers tucked into gray suede buccaneer boots, ruled green shirt beneath orange, doublebreasted waistcoat, the effect actually enhanced by its contrast with the white hospital-issue lab coat that stood in for the burgundy frock coat hung on a corner rack.
    He motioned toward the papers she'd moved. "Much appreciated," he told her, ignoring her inner and outer response. "It's often far too easy to be overwhelmed by the clutter here. As you might have guessed, I am far from the most organized of souls. And good secretaries, especially in Jokertown, are damnably hard to find."
    The pieces of his face didn't fit together in any manner that might be considered classically handsome, yet the sum of the parts was undeniably attractive. The same description had often been applied to Cody. Though the end result in his case is, she thought, somewhat more delicate. A sling cradled his right arm, the stump swathed in fresh bandages, a recent wound. There'd been no hint of this in the letter he'd sent inviting her to New York. Wonder what I've missed fighting fires in the boonies? she thought. It also helped explain the fragility in his manner, she'd seen it herself too often in casualty wards. And she remembered her own reactions, coming out of anesthetic to discover her right eye gone.
    "That what you want from me?"
    "Hardly, given your resume." He looked quizzically at her. "Are you always this direct?"
    "Yes," she said simply.
    A sudden shadow crossed the inside of his eyes and she knew somehow she'd slipped through his barriers, touched a memory as painful as her own. Her face flushed, with anger and resentment, and she didn't bother masking her exultation at this small, trivial score. Who the fuck do you think you are, cock? she snarled silently, hoping he was listening. What the hell right do you, does anyone, have to pick someone else's brain, goddammit, isn't anything private anymore?
    "Truthfully," he continued, as though nothing untoward had happened, and Cody found herself admiring his damnable alien poise as much as she was infuriated by it,
    "I'd forgotten all about my letter in the press of recent events. I never expected an answer."
    "Desperation has a way of overcoming even the most primal terrors."
    "How clever. I only caught the one news broadcast. What exactly happened?"
    She shrugged. "I shot my mouth off, got my ass shot off in return."
    "Uncomfortable."
    "I should introduce you to my kid, he has exactly the same opinion."
    "I'd like to meet him. I have a grandson myself."
    "Congratulations."
    "Thank you. A true blessing, actually.". From the way he spoke, the faintest coloration to his tone, she wondered if that was as true as he obviously wanted it to be.
    "I'm glad for you."
    "And I am still curious."
    "Well"--she sighed--"after Chris was born, I packed in city life and headed for the high country. My folks left me their