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I obediently clenched my left hand I liked the ultrasound technicians They were nice, although they treated me with an odd reverence I had asked Sher session in the ultrasound chahed and replied, "Because, my sweet Sal, you are the only person ever to fall asleep in their gooey torture chaot balls the size of boulders"

"What do you think?" I’d asked

"I think it’s a little bit of both"

I smiled around my rebreather at the memory, and allowed the last bit of tension to seep out oflife My breathing slowed further once the huh the liquid, faint enough that they didn’t interfere with the h forat the center of my own private tide pool

At some point, I drifted away, down into the dark, which reached up to clai ht I was safe, I was surrounded and safe, and nothing was ever going to hurt ain

I didn’t drea ainst my skin Instead, I just drifted, and dozed, and let the world pass by around ely wrenching sensation of gravity reasserting itself as the gel began draining out of the ultrasound tube and my body settled down onto the hard , but it was hard This was always the tricky part, keeping still until I was given the clearance to startel, or openingan eyeful of the stuff instead It wouldn’t actually hurt --remarkably uncoht in there, Sally?" asked the voice inthe el The level was still dropping, faster all the time; it was around my ears now My exposed skin felt overly tender, and the air was cold after the co not to

"Just hold tight," said the voice "We’re alel, and we’ll have you out of there as soon as it’s done"

I nodded again, el level dropped, until I was lying totally exposed, shivering and faintly gooey in my one-piece swimsuit The machine whirred as it responded to a new set of co in for the better part of an hour beganeven colder I continued to shiver, but didn’t open ainst theripped my rebreather "Release, please," said the technician’s voice, clearer now that it wasn’t being filtered through the gel I unclenched my teeth He pulled the mouthpiece away, and wiped my mouth and chin with another cloth

I openedhtly, I saw the two ultrasound technicians: a short, freckle-facedmy rebreather in one hand, and a tall, rail-thin woman with medium-brown skin and dark brown hair that she wore raked back into a no-nonsense bun I offered them a hesitant smile "How did I do?"

"Splendidly, as always," said Dr Sanjiv, and offeredrooly reco near thee bivalve"

"So why are you touchingher pullsound made when my back broke contact with the bed of the , no matter how many times I heard it

"I don’t mind bivalves, whereas Marvin here," she indicated Dr McGillis, "dislikes theeneral principle"

"I only eat food that had visible eyes before it was cooked," said Dr McGillis, unruffled "It seeood sport about all this, Sally"

It was all I could do not to hug hi sliuys are my favorite stop here at SymboGen"

For soed a look laden with so I couldn’t decipher, and Dr Sanjiv dropped ed, Sally," she said "We’re finished for today" She turned and walked quickly out of the roo there dripping gel and utterly confused

When severalback to explain, I turned, shoulders slu Sherman would be outside in the hall, ready to take er in the ultrasound lab, but not today Today, I just wanted to be gone

The water in the shower came out of the tap already opti There were no dials to let me adjust the te, or you didn’t take the , and let it rinse away the last of the goo from the ultrasound chamber