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"I’ll look," Byrnes promised

A knock started at the door All four of theed a wheeled chair into the roonant with the contraption

"Here we are, sir It took er than anticipated to fetch him," Perry said

"She practically wrestled me into it," Garrett snapped "I can walk"

"Not until Doc says you can," Doyle replied bluntly "How’s your breathin’ been?"

"I’h Garrett’s eyes After such a grievous injury, his craving virus levels had increased draht the virus off while it tried to heal

Lynch exchanged a glance with Doyle He’d have to keep a close eye on his second Garrett’s CV levels were now around the sixty percent ht lead to brief losses of control Garrett wasn’t used to fighting off such increased hungers

"And your stitches?" Doyle asked

"Itching like a sailor with the pox"

"I cut thelare as she wheeled him into place beside Lynch "Are you cold? Do you want a blanket?"

"I’arden if you don’t leave off" Garrett clapped a hand to his forehead in frustration, scraping his hair out of the way

Perry snorted "As if you could Even when you’re at your best, I can have you facedown in the dirt nine tih," Lynch said quietly

Both of them fell silent

"I need you on your feet," he told Garrett "If that h Perry’s ministrations, then so be it"

"Besides…" A slow s, its part of her nature"

"Was that an oblique reference toto thin slits

If he left them at this, they’d be at each other’s throats within atheer toward the book "Fitz, what’s the difference between enclave work and the master smiths?"

"Enclave work doesn’t have synthetic flesh," the young scientist frowned "It tends to tear in their line of employment"

"She didn’t bother with it"

"However the addition of the Carillion blade argues for master smith work We all know a blue blood’s saliva has chemical components in it that can heal a cut--or the slash of a blood-letting knife--without trans the virus," Fitz said "That’s what they use to create bio- with flesh by using a blue blood’s saliva The interior of the bio-s, each contraction offlex in the steel hand It’s truly an extension of the body"

"And enclave work?" he asked

"Far rougher They don’t have access to a blue blood’s saliva A hand relies on clockwork pieces inside it to drive the mechanism and hydraulic hoses in the arm to lift it Mech--not bio-mech Far less accurate"

Lynch scratched at his mouth "Its master sers and hand"

"Looks like we’ve got some smiths to question," Byrnes said with a heated sether on that," Lynch directed

Perry shot him a look She and Garrett alorked as partners; Byrnes preferred to work alone

"You’re entering Echelon territory," he said, though he rarely bothered to explain his orders "You need someone to watch your backs Keep it quiet--but I want to know if anylike this within…the last ten or fifteen years The hand’s fully sized, so she had to be an adult by the ti Perry away fro at each other’s throats His head was pounding as it was Lynch nodded sharply "Dismissed"

Later that afternoon, Lynch stripped his coat off and tossed it on the ar, he looked around the roo existed everywhere Ever since he’d found her in here two days prior, she’d beenher presence known in myriad, subtle ways

He’d been too busy to take her to task for it, but now he paused, taking a good hard look around the room