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<\/a>Where Version 1.0 appeared.<\/p><\/div>\n
Once in a blue moon, though, you get a do-over. And I am pleased to announce that as of this past midnight, the eZine Lightspeed<\/a><\/em> has reposted my story “Collateral”, which originally appeared in Neil Clarke’s cyborg anthology Upgraded<\/em><\/a>. And they didn’t just reprint it; they let me upgrade it in its own right.<\/p>\n Not that I didn’t like the original “Collateral”, mind you. It played with some interesting ideas about ethics vs. morality, collateral damage, the culpability of augmentation. But while the themes were solid, the execution was a bit lacking. A gun on the mantelpiece got used in the last act (which is exactly what’s supposed to happen with guns on mantelpieces), but it was also introduced<\/em> in the last act\u2014 which made part of the climax look kind of shoehorned and contrived. I always wanted to take another run at that story, but deadlines are deadlines and the ship sailed.<\/p>\n When John Adams approached me for the reprint rights, I asked if I could take that second run\u2014 and he said Sure. (He even agreed that it would improve the story.) So what you’ll find over at Lightspeed<\/em> is “Collateral, the Director’s Cut<\/a>“: same story, same payoff, but you notice the critical gun a lot earlier in the story. The payoff unfolds more organically now. Plus, the need to relocate that element also gave me the opportunity to tune up some dialog, coax a little more tension out of the exchanges between Becker and Sabrie.<\/p>\n