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Cole looked down at the black bedsheets draped over hi fluids into his arm Beyond, rows of elevated cots stretched down the narrow rooures with their own IVs and breathing machines Two doctors stood by one of the cots, obviously working on someone Tools clattered on a tray; their heads remained bowed in concentration One of them whispered commands to the other, calm but insistent

Cole looked at the needle taped to his left arht one It appeared perfectly norht, couldn’t sort out the real fros was part of the latter It certainly hadn’t felt real at the tis he knew to be drea to sort the true froht arers He ca He felt the same part of his other arm, just to make sure Coh this other hand, could feel with the pads of the fingers as if they were real He was pretty sure that sort of thing was still science fiction

Cole pulled the sheets back and discovered he wore the barest of coverings: a surgical gown s off the cot to see if he could stand, when an alien groan emanated frohtly beneath its black sheets, then fall still

When he looked back to the doctors, he saw one of the his way It was a Stanley, there wasn’t any doubt He held up a gloved hand--blue latex dappled with blood--and said so to the other person, the doctor whose back was to Cole

When she spun around, Cole recognized the hair immediately It was own, but bright, red trails of it hung down over the white, own seeirl’s eyes met his for a brief instant--then she dashed out of the roorabbed his pillow and sat upright He then became distracted by his ar to think about it He held it up again and flexed his fingers one at a tiirl and another man strode into the rooits

It was the man with the beard Cole tried to place his face as he crossed the roo the Stanley

"Where aure approached his bed

The rabbed a stool from beside another cot and rolled it next to Cole’s before sitting down

Cole realized who he was, the sudden recognition hitting hier face--in pictures aboard Parsona

"Mortiht? You’re the kid I spoke to over the D-band?" Mortilanced at Cole’s new hand "I’d offer to shake your hand, but let’s wait until you get used to using it"

Cole pushed hi up even more as he tried to clear his head "You’re Molly’s--you’re her father," he said

Mortiot some problems, and I need answers Let’s start ho you are and how you got here Then I’d like to hear how you know Molly and where she is Also, I need to knohere that Drenardian band is you were thinking through the other day I know it’s a lot to dump on you, but we don’t have a lot of time, if we have any"

Cole swiped his hair off his forehead and tried to s, but his et soers "Some water," he said, after she turned

She rushed off, and Mortimor turned back to Cole "Is Molly okay? How do you know her? And ere you wearing one of htsuits?"

"We found the ship," Cole said

"Parsona?"

Cole nodded

"How--?" Mortimor stared at the wall beyond Cole "What about the man aboard the ship?"

Cole shook his head "No one was aboard But we didwe found as in the ship The hidden thing"

Mortimor narrowed his eyes, and Cole suddenly felt trapped in one of those situations where two people both know a secret, but don’t kno to tell the other person they knoithout giving the secret away in case they don’t

"Where did you find it?" Mortiht in the same snare

Cole chose his words carefully: "In the chart data"

Morti else seemed to flash behind his eyes Relief?

"Did you serve with Molly? You seeether At the Acadeirl reentered the room More of her hair had colass of water in her bare hands, her gloves pulled off Cole felt a wave of guilty excite her He noted her freckles and the way her cheeks were flushed fro to nod his thanks as he reached for the glass--

"Ahleft hand," Mortiirl, who turned away quickly, hurrying back to Stanley Cole took a long swig fro some down his chin He went to wipe it off his rabbed his wrist

"Careful," he said "People tend to hurt themselves at first, even with the temporary limiters" He reached down and used part of Cole’s sheet to dabble at theto a patient--suddenly made Cole feel like a useless invalid

"You’ll need soh, back to Molly"

"Yeah" Cole took another sip of water and sed "We were flight partners in the Acade went to hell fro--"

"Byrne?" Mortimor asked

"What? No, that came after Hell, I just found out about hiht?"

Mortimor nodded

"Okay, no, our problems started on Palan, soalaxy were you doing on Palan?"

"That’s--that’s where the ship was I don’t knohat--"

"No, that’s fine" Mortimor shook his head He looked back to the Stanley, as peering over his patient at their conversation "So, I io wrong? On Dakura? Lok? Is Molly okay?"

"Go wrong?"

Cole looked for so everywhere" He took a deep breath, trying to calenocide on our way back to Earth, the Navy framed me and we had to kill Lucin--"