Chapter 19
X stood in front of a large, brick tenement building. It was falling apart, but yellow windows were lit up here and there. As he walked up the stairs, two rats ran underneath the porch, burrowing into a pile of trash and trampling over cellophane as they disappeared into the foundation of the house. One rat was real, the other robotic.
He came to the front door. It was green and rusting. A digital wall of shimmering light appeared before he could touch the handle and a robotic voice spoke to him.
“You do not have the authority to enter this residence,” the voice said.
“I’m a UEA android,” X said.
“Please provide identification.”
X gave his agent number, and the wall shattered. An alarm sounded in the building, and a few seconds later a man jumped out of the second floor wi
