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"One of us has to move to Neptune, then"

She leaned very close, then whispered, "Not me"

To else in the world, just MedusaYaolan And he never wanted to let her go

But Tom didn’t like to fool himself, and he couldn’t passively accept doo his every pore, knowing there was a way he could fix this He could save her There was one way Only one He’d been willing to walk out into the snow in Antarctica for her He illing to do this now, even if she never forgave him for it

"I’m sorry, Yaolan," he whispered

A shadow passed over her face "Sorry?"

Toer phrase, I’ll never do this to her

For one instant, he saw the confusion clouding her eyes as Vengerov’s computer virus swarlimpse of her in that moment of stark and terrible betrayal Then her avatar dissolved fro him alone in the e a quarter frolass of wine and replayed the clip of To the virus To out everything but those final ed to hand the evidence over, feeling like a scherov certainly accepted in that spirit, su Tom to one of his many properties, no surprise on his face, like it was his due tribute from some lowly plebian

When he’d replayed the clip to his satisfaction, he balanced the neural chip between two fingers, assessing Tom over it "I’an to suspect I’d have to send soh for me after all I’ve received reports frolad to see withvindictive in his tone He wasn’t holding a grudge against To like that Just satisfaction that he’d finally coerced To as he ordered

Toerov felt no fear at the intrusion, no anxiety That would be the natural, huerov didn’t have it He’d felt anticipation, a sense of challenge, a desire to have, to control, to possess, and Toerov’s personal neural processor that rendered hierov said silkily, "after all this tiuess you could say, I learned erov sular face He obviously believed To to the day he’d almost killed him: when he’d tried to show Tom that he was powerless, that he could be destroyed with a whi of Elliot and Capitol Summit Only Elliot could have spoken those words to hundreds of otten aith such open defiance, because no one had ever seen it couy who’d cooperated and co could have pulled off that attack on the Coalition in front of the entire world Elliot had taught Toerov spoke, "what do you intend to call yourself when you’re a Coerov assuring him he’d receive his payoff for a job well donejust in case Vengerov wanted to ain in the future It made Tom’s stomach boil, but he kept his face carefully neutral and answered, "I don’t know yet I change azed at the oligarch at the center of the security state, perhaps theat the table with that secret processor in his skull, wineglass in hand

Then Toreed not to tell Yuri about their escapade in Obsidian Corp If Yuri saw Joseph Vengerov, it would be easier for hinorance could be bliss

The day Yuri was able to walk unaided, Tom, Vik, and Wyatt made sure to steer him to the Lafayette Room When promotions were announced, they all watched his face as the final plebe naratulations to all the new Middles"

Yuri sat there without le muscle, his blue eyes wide, one hand frozen midair where he’d idly reached over to caress Wyatt’s hair Toered at the sheer astonished Yuri’s hand and kissed it "Congratulations, Middle"