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"I triedmy attempts to become better friends with you, so, yes I aet to proxy for Elliot at Capitol Summit this year But it’s very important that I don’t squander this chance I have to win--and Medusa defeats everyone but you Now that I knohat you can do, I guess I knohy"

To of Medusa The unexpected re moment, he felt alone in the world

And then Heather was pressing forward, her eyes boring into his "I think if you caused an unti her ship, it would go a long way toward givingher"

"Obviously," Toli her He tuned out Heather as she tried to ive him away if he didn’t do what she asked All Tom could think was, it always ca at Medusa However much he avoided it, however much he didn’t want to, it was like he was meant to be the bane of her existence

TOM SAT SPRAWLED on the ground by Wyatt’s legs in the arboretu a processor Olivia Ossare had given hiers Apparently surgeons used the to get hiain She see

The exercises were actually okay One involved flipping a quarter fro an apple with a knife, trying to get as little of the yellow insides as possible Toed a sery on someone now"--he showed Wyatt the apple--"solanced up briefly to see, which surprised To her That’s when footsteps crunched toward thees to see Elliot e

"Toreeted them He pointed to the nearby bench "Do youfor him to sit

Apart from the Wyatt Earp Vendetta Ride simulation, they hadn’t spoken much since Yosemite, when Elliot had washed his hands of hi his elbows on his knees He studied the apple debris strewn over the ground "Playing with your food?"

"Long story," Toed his knife into the apple and left it there "So Heather’s proxying you at Capitol Suuess your diabolical sche"

"Hopefully" Elliot dru between Too and speak somewhere private?"

Too talk to everyone after this She’s not very chatty lately"

Elliot sighed "To, but you seelum lately, I have to do it now"

"Glum?" Tom wondered

Elliot rubbed the back of his neck "In Antarctica when you walked outside like thatyou weren’t trying to kill yourself, were you?"

To to ith you would teach you so up on you completely I didn’t say that to take away all your hope I think you can have a future here"

To

"This isn’t funny," Elliot said sternly