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"Can I help you finish getting the van ready?" asked Becks "Since we’re going to be sleeping in the thing for God only kno long, I want to be absolutely sure that there are no old tuna sandwichestoward the open van doors "Mahir, tell Alaric and Maggie we’re rolling out in the rimaced "AM?"
"Naturally"
"I take back what I said about you being a good man"
"Too late There are no take-backs in real life"
Becks chuckled darkly "Ain’t that just the truth?"
"Sadly?" I asked "Yes It is Now let’s get back to work We have a lot to get done, and nothisout froe door, followed by the sound of gunfire In the brief pause between the first volley of shots and the second, we could all hear thefrom inside
"Never a dullmy pistol, I ran for the door Becks was there just ahead of ether into chaos
Dr Abbey gaveat her staff "They didn’t sign up for this" That’s what she said Like it made all the difference in the world, son up for this Don’t treat thened up for this Not e, not anyone And I definitely didn’t sign up for keeping my mouth shut while a bunch of aerous Science doesn’t protect you fro, science n up for that, either
--Fro of Shaun Mason, July 23, 2041 Unpublished
Yes You were right
We will proceed
--Taken froe sent by Dr Danika Kimberley, July 23, 2041 Recipient unknown
Seven
Dr Shaw’s tests were actually soothing, despite the partial nudity and the being touched by strangers She was cal precision that gave theree of serenity I hadn’t previously encountered at the CDC Everyone else I’d dealt with had been uneasy when forced to co a clone was so Dr Shaw’s assistants showed no such discomfort They affixed their sensors without hesitation, even peeling theurations It was so matter-of-fact and impersonal that it was al to drift off until Dr Shaw cleared her throat and said, "It would help usbrain wave patterns if you would do us the favor of re recorded"
"Oh" I openedher a sheepish sh a great deal Still, the cause of science must take precedence over comfort" She leaned forward to affix a sensor to my forehead Her lips almost brushed e, "The locks will be reset tonight at ht You can answer many of your questions then, if you’re quick about it"
Pulling back before I could react, she pressed the edges of the sensor down and said, "Begin the next phase, James, if you would be so kind" One of her assistants nodded Dr Shaw turned away, attention seeht Infore time was over, at least for the moment Her words had definitely had one effect, at least--there was no way I was going to start nodding off again
All the tests I’d been through since I’d woken up had been different That was unusual, all by itself Blood tests, ical exams performed by people who didn’t seeiving The ed constantly, and each was directed by a different administrator So what did thatfor that didn’t require a single supervising doctor to find?
Dr Shaas the first to outright ad my brain waves I was reasonably sure she wasn’t the first one to do it The chance to study a cloned brain that was actually functional and responsive had to be irresistible to them--and despite my fervent wish to believe otherwise, I knewelse inal bloodstream, it attacked the brain with a ferocity unequaled by any naturally occurring pathogen I’d been able to feelIf they’d placed my infected old brain in ht into amplification, and all their hard ould have been for nothing
I watched the colored lines representing le on the monitor across from me None of them made a damn bit of sense I never studied medicine, beyond the first aid required for field certification Mahirthem into comprehensible data Mahir wasn’t withto peel the sensor froive him more traction He shot me a relieved look "Thanks," he said "This bio-adhesive can be tricky"