Read Wild Cards [08] One-Eyed Jacks for Free Online

foyer-painfully conscious that aside from the occasional staff member, she was the only person she saw with anything approaching a normal appearance, every so often catching a whispered curse and not-so-whispered taunt when Scent caught up with her.
    "Sorry to see you didi mau lMajor," he said.
    "Win some, lose some, Scent. We should be used to that."
    "This summer--after that fuckin' convention--I feel like we're bein' fuckin' overrun. Prob'ly makin' the smart play, buggin' out while you can."
    "Yeah."
    "Look, that ain't why I'm here. The joker you ran into--I can't say for sure since I can't see to make sure, but I think they just brought it in, DOA."
    "Where?"
    "Morgue."
    "Can you show me?"
    No attendants in the body shop, only a single pathologist on duty, a nat, more than willing to give full vent to his anger at the city medical bureaucracy for sending him to this gulag. He knew of Cody, figured that made them kindred spirits; they both stood up to the system and got royally screwed. She figured him for a jerk, but wasn't about to let on with him in a mood to help.
    The corpse lay on the examining table and Cody was surprised to discover it no less disturbing dead than alive. "Pretty fucking gross," the pathologist agreed.
    She didn't reply at first as she continued her examination, mentally comparing the body before her with the one imprinted in her mind's eye. "Ever see anything like it?" she asked, at last.
    "You kiddin'? Jeez, I hope not. B'sides, I thought each manifestation of the virus was unique."
    "That's the theory," she agreed. "Any chance of a positive identification?"
    "Not a fucking prayer, pardon my French. Other than the fact it's female."
    "Female?" she asked sharply.
    "Yeah." He shrugged. "Take a look. No tits to speak of, but what appear to be appropriate genitalia. I suppose, during the post, I can check to see if the internal plumbing matches."
    "Do it." She spoke with such an automatic, offhand voice of command that he responded by writing the order down in his workbook, assuming she was senior staff. "About the ID?"
    "No hands, which means no fingerprints; no way we'll get retinagrams from those eyes; and dental records ... ?" He pointed to the sawtooth fangs filling the partially open mouth. "This is a complete physical metamorphosis--'cept, of course, bein' a joker, nothing works like it's supposed to. So you got an aquatically configured creature who can't live in water. Flippers for swimming, but no gills."
    Cody looked at the thickly massive, almost elephantine flippers that were the creature's "feet."
    "What can you tell me about these?" she asked. "Whaddya mean"-he stifled a yawn-"other than what I already said?"
    "Any wear and tear?"
    "You can see that for yourself. Same kinda shit you'd have on your feet, you walked around barefoot. Especially in this town."
    "Hasn't been doing it long, then?"
    "Doubtful. Any real amount of time, they'd develop rough, horny calluses, scar tissue from the constant pounding and abrasion. Probably compression of the legbones, as well-y'see, these really aren't feet in any sense that we mean it, they aren't designed for walking. Nah, y'ask me, Doc, this baby's right outta the box."
    "And somebody sure as shit wasn't happy to see her." He pulled aside the sheet that covered the joker's torso, revealing a pair of fearful wounds. "You ever see jaws," he asked, and as Cody nodded, "when I was in med school, we got some poor sumbitch, did a dance with a tiger shark. Same kinda bite structure. 'S funny." He stepped away from the table, gave the corpse a long look-and Cody revised her opinion of the man; for all his annoying behavior, he appeared to be good at his job. "If I didn't know better, I'd almost say the joker did this to herselfsimilar bite radius, actually a little larger, same kind of teeth structure. But no way could her mouth reach around to make those wounds."
    "Maybe-twins?"
    "You serious? Jeez, I hope not."
    She looked at the creature's shoulder. The