The Complete Karma Trilogy Read Free Page A

benefit from your example. You’ll accept, I imagine?”
    “Yes, of course.” Will sat up, a deep headache immediately blooming as he moved his head. He held his hand up to his forehead and looked down at his legs below him, which felt strange. Below his knees, everything was metal. Prosthetics. They had the general shape of human legs, but they were wiring and plates and bolts, grafted unnaturally where they met the skin. He quickly averted his eyes.
    “Why don’t they look like legs?” he asked irritably. “Can’t you put skin on them?”
    “That’s cosmetic,” the man replied. “They’re legs, not your face. If you feel that it matters that much to you, then save up some money and you can pay for it yourself, later. Until that point just wear some pants. I suppose I should mention a few things about them too, since you brought it up,” he continued, indicating Will’s new legs. “They may feel unusual at first. Expect to trip a few times. But in a month or two you shouldn’t even notice the difference anymore.” He placed a bottle of pills on a table that was between them. “Four times a day, orally. You’re not going to want to miss a dose.”
     
    The next day, he woke up at five in the morning and took the first real hot shower he’d had in his entire life. Because his balance was so poor, he had to hold on to a bar that ran along the length of the shower the whole time, and still he fell once. Even then, it was an extraordinary experience for him. He never would have imagined how nice hot water could be.
    Outside the bathroom, in the kitchen and his bedroom, were real appliances he’d only ever seen in stores. A refrigerator, an instant microwave, a television—it was all a dream. But he only had enough time to get himself dressed, and then slowly wobble down the hallway of the apartment complex towards the elevator at the end. He took along a walking stick that he had almost refused out of pride, back at the hospital, but was soon deeply thankful for. In his pocket was the morphine the doctor had given him, and his Card.
    Even the subway was nicer, which he found to be amusing. Since it only serviced the wealthier neighborhoods, it was perhaps to be expected, just so that it would match the rest of the buildings and people. But surely a lot could be said about how well it was treated by everyone that rode on it, as the quality of person was much higher on average than all of the places that Will was used to. The women wore dresses, and the men wore suits. Government people.
    The person riding across from him, a young woman, seemed to recognize his face, and smiled and whispered something into her friend’s ear, sitting next to her. The other girl also turned and glanced at him quickly, but averted her eyes again when she saw that he was looking at them. “Do I know you?” he asked the first girl. “I don’t really know how that could be possible. This is my first time riding this subway.”
    “You’re Will Spector, aren’t you?” she asked, somewhat shyly.
    He was fairly startled. “Well yes, but… who are you?”
    “Didn’t you know?” she replied, and stood up to get a newspaper from the end of the row of seats. She opened it up in front of him when she returned. “Only second page, but that’s pretty impressive still,” she said as she laughed without much confidence. And there he was, second page of the newspaper.
    The picture was a fairly strong composition, he had to admit. In the foreground was the top half of his torso, his face displayed clearly, damaged and very much unconscious but easily recognizable, as medics were taking him away from the scene. In the background, the negligent woman from the day before, tightly holding her son and crying, facing the camera. The far wall of the station could be seen as well, which made him wince, since it was the wall of the subway tunnel, on which could be seen his own blood splattered against it in an impressive mural. He wondered