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"I a eternity, Doctor," Genaro said "There’s no profit in immortality Whatever is responsible for Lawson’s third rebirth, I want it identified and eradicated from the transerum You will report on this only to me; is that understood?"

Kirchner looked as if he wanted to argue with him, but in the end he nodded and went back to his work

Genaro stopped by the isolation room, where the acquisition lay in a che the week to inspect the condition of the body, which was being kept in peak condition by the physical therapists on staff That and the co the bed would keep the body alive and healthy indefinitely

He’d ordered Kirchner to rees from the lower half of the battered face, and the bruises and cuts around the nose andExtensive cosmetic work still had to be perfor the body back to consciousness

Because the acquisition had no mind, it wasn’t a person anymore, and was referred to only in terms used for laboratory specimens It allowed his people to ithout unnecessary sentiment or attachain beco God, Genaro thought, and creating the first man

"Adam," he said to the body "That is e’ll call you"

He turned and left the rooes, the eyes of the bodyno one else could see

The place in the country Matthias drove to was a bed-and-breakfast located in a far district near the border of Tennessee He didn’t stop along the way, but she was glad he didn’t Watching Savannah disappear in the rearviewup fro the drive, either, but after the encounter with Lawson and the revelation of Matthias’s ability, Jessa felt al would have been beyond her, and he must have sensed that

Matthias came around the car to help her out, and kept an arm around her waist as he walked with her to ed from the inn

"Jessa, these are my friends, Sarah and Paul Clark" He turned to the couple "I am sorry oke you so early"

"Nonsense, Gaven," the wo for him with open arms She had black hair streaked with silver and features that ree teacher in school Her smile turned wry as she turned to Jessa "Welcome to Clarks’ Bed-and-Breakfast"

"It’s nice to meet you" Jessa kept her hands in her pockets

The tall, stoop-shouldered man nodded to Jessa His expression was more reserved, but he had kind eyes and shook hands with Matthias with enthusiasm "Good to see you, Matt" He looked past them "No one on the road for twenty miles"

Jessa looked back She could see almost a mile down the road, but then the asphalt disappeared over a sloping hill

"My husband was an eagle in his past life," Sarah joked

Jessa glanced at Matthias "They’re like us" He nodded, and she eyed Sarah’s hair a second time The couple appeared too old to be Kyndred, and yet their voices sounded very young

"She’s very intuitive, Gaven," Sarah said "I guess this isn’t necessary" The air around her seee of the older couple, leaving two strangers in its place: a plain-faced, skinny woman with strawberry blond hair, and a dark-skinned, wide-bodied man with a shaved skull and eyes that were the color of ripe cantaloupe For a ht he was blind, until she saw the pinpoints of his pupils, which were tightly constricted Both appeared to be in their late twenties

"My wife likes to play dress-up" Paul’s oddly colored eyes shifted as he studied Jessa’s face "Sarah is also very tactile, so you should tell her"

She drew back a little "You can see what I’?"

"I can see the tension in your facial muscles increase whenever ability is mentioned" He s us"

She’d never admitted her ability to anyone but the Takyn For a led with the words "When I touch sos they’ve done that rong, or uilty Whether they want me to or not Exactly when, where, and how it happened"