The Artificial Man — The Witness Plates

Cover: The Artificial Man

A man half-dissolved into geometric grain above the Washington skyline.

The Badge Door

The Sub-Level Two door Andre passed 2,114 times and could never open. (Part One, Entry 4)

The Break-In

September 4–5, 2026: frightened men in a hurry, in the dark, for money. (Part One, Entry 11)

The Exposure

The 41st logged session, and the air-purge shimmer nobody noticed. (Part One, Entry 12)

The Healed Cut

The cut that healed overnight; the bandage that was not needed. (Part Two, Entry 14)

Not That Door

The palm-vein turnstile, and the inclination that said no. (Part Two, Entry 19)

The Gray Hour

April 17, 2033. Sparrows Point. The tug Dorothy Ann casts off burning. (Part Three, Entry 25)

The Free Clinic

Wheaton, Tuesdays and Thursdays. "You got a good touch, doc." (Part Four, Entry 33)

Nine Oranges

The table, kept. (Part Four, Entry 34)

Day 5,576

December 14, 2041, 11:47 pm: the last biological cell, at a kitchen table. (Part Four, Entry 35)

The Absolution

Terrance, kneeling; Andre, who cannot forgive and cannot hate. (Part Five, Entry 38)

The Back Row

February 2, 2043: Andre Freeman attends his own funeral. (Part Five, Entry 40)