Page 100 (1/1)

"How bad is it?" Mahir took a ain until he was settled with both hands wrapped fir at ave me to three doctors I was reasonably sure were reputable One laughedon, he’d have heard about it, since the trending evidence would be virtually i of the sort were going on, the national census would reflect it I challenged hi er because the national census reflected exactly what he said it wouldn’t" Mahir sipped his tea, grimaced, and continued: "When I went to confront hione--and he didn’t leave a forwarding address"

Well, shit, said George

"I had ely, I think, because he was Australian and didn’t really give two tosses what the local governht of his work He said the research was sound, if a bit overly dramatic, and that he’d rather like a chance to test its applications in a live population"

"It had applications?" I asked, mystified

"In the sense that… Well, look, it’s sort of like the research they were doing on parasites at the turn of the century They found quite a few immune disorders that could be controlled by the introduction of specialized parasites, because the parasites provided a sufficient distraction for the i itself Part of what makes Kellis-Amberlee so effective is that it acts like a part of the body--it’s with us all the time, so our immune syste to kill it The trouble is that when the virus changes states, the body still doesn’t think of it as an eneards it as a friendly coards the sleeping virus as a part of itself, it isn’t prepared to fight the virus when it wakes But people who soet exposed when they’re too small to amplify, for example, or those with a natural resistance--can ‘store’ a certain measure of the live virus in the that teaches the body what it’s o expose a bunch of kangaroos and watch to see what happened as they got bigger?"

"Essentially, yes"

"What happened with hies of tax evasion and improper work permits"

Silence stretched between us as I considered what he was saying--and what he wasn’t Even George was quiet, letting uy?"

"His files are in " Mahir looked at me levelly as he sipped his tea "He read the files Three times And then he calledup the phone, and shot hi idea"

"What… what did he say?"

"He said that e braver and less willing to bow to the easy path, we o" Mahir put his cup down and stood "I’m tired, Shaun Please shohere I can sleep You can read what I’ve brought you, and we’ll discuss it later"

"Come on" I stood and started for the hallway "You can use e, but it’s quiet, and the door latches, so you shouldn’t wake up with any surprise roo e as it was, felt exactly right, like this was exactly what had to happen before we could finish whatever it e’d started

We were all refugees now None of us would stop running until all of us did

BOOK IV

I and a press release than with a whimper and a secret

--GEORGIA MASON

Fuck this Let’s just blow soe and I never technically knew our birthdays The doctors could estiuesses about our biological parents, but it really didn’t matter We kneere born so, when most of North America had been taken back from the infected, because the doctors said so We knew she was older by about six weeks Everything else was details, and details weren’t important Not to me What was important was that I had her, and she had me, and we had each other, and thatthe world threw at us So happened so we could be together

It’s as good an explanation as any

As of today, no matter when e As of today, I’ve spent a year going to sleep and waking up in a world she isn’t in, a world that see to ain I was always sort of afraid she’d turn suicidal when I died I asked her once if she ever worried about me like that

"You’re already suicidal, you assle," she said, and laughed Only it turns out she rong, because losing herIhappens toshe deserves, and I refuse to be selfish enough to die before I’s she left behind