RAINBOW RUN by John F. Carr & Camden Benares Read Free Book Online Page A

dwell as soon as the urbode is cleaned and opened. Then offer shelter to friends or foils who won't complain when the householder cuts their gruel."
    "So that’s what Ural is after. I've heard transit mentioned before. What is it?"
    "Transit is the time of change when all colors except rainbows have to leave their old urbodes and find new dwells in different urbodes. Just as three shifts make a cycle, thirty cycles make a transit. On the first day of the new transit, all urbodes—except those that are limited to whites and rainbows and have a separate cleaning schedule—open their doors and stay open until the occupants leave. Even if they want to stay, they’re forced to leave because everything in the urbode ceases to function. If any continue to stay the VIS arrests them. When the urbode is empty, the doors close for automatic cleaning and maintenance. The doors open after that and new occupants come in. The doors won't open to previous residents."
    "How do people stay in touch with their friends?"
    "The permanent grays use spotters and runners to keep track of new available locations and old associates. Those who stray too far from their compound during transit may or may not ever encounter anyone they knew before. Some grays use transit as a way of starting fresh, running or moving away from the old life. Most find that the newness gets old after fifty or sixty transits—especially for those who don't play the Game."
    "Are there many urbodes where different colors live together?" I asked, thinking of Lyonella with her white wristlock.
    "In a gray urbode only grays can key into the individual dwell identification system. A higher color can enter the urbode but can't get into any of the dwells without assistance. Not that many want to. The exceptions are rainbow and white wristlock wearers; rainbows have universal access and whites have limited access. But there is very little mixing. Dedicated Game players don't have the time."
    "What does a white wristlock signify?"
    "White is the service color, worn by medics, clergy, helpers, and listeners. If the wristlock has black stars on the white band, the wearer is a member of VIS. Anyone can apply for a white wristlock after reaching the fifteenth level of the Game; some use a period of service as a timeout from the pressures of the Game. Service people are free to live in the lower thirty levels of any urbode; those who choose to live in urbodes that house only whites and rainbows have the privilege of continuing to stay in the same dwell at transit time."
    Making certain that I wasn't being overheard, I asked, "What will I do at transit time?"
    "Rathe, I'm a member of the Counter Colors, a political group working for the abolition of wristlocks, transit time and the VIS. You can join the movement and come with us."
    I shook my head. "I appreciate your offer, but I'm too new to this world to commit myself to a political viewpoint and a system I know nothing about. I need more information and more experience to understand the situation."
    "You've already got enough experience to know the system has serious flaws and stinks of corruption. The Counter Color movement needs you. Unlike the majority, you are open-minded, perceptive, alert and not addicted to the Game."
    "But where would I go and what would I do?"
    "Believe me; we have a place for you. We are better organized than anyone suspects. Remember, I found you; didn't I? For now, we want our enemies to underestimate us, but we have our own spotters, runners, busters, and other skilled people." 
    "Kahalyton, I don't know enough to be sure that I share your views. I know you're sincere, but I have to learn firsthand what this world is like before I can commit to changing it. I'm vaguely aware of your ideas; I know very little about your plans or goals."
    Kahalyton's eyes burned like brilliant displays. "Once we have destroyed the color barriers, all people will be equal, naked before each other as on the day they left the