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"This is impossible," muttered Nathan

"Is it?" Dr Cale looked at him calmly "Nathan You know better You’ve always refused the implant I know you have, I’ve seen your medical records That tells me that you knew, on some level, just what a terrible idea it was Maybe if there was less human DNA… but then the implants wouldn’t have worked as intended, and I wouldn’t have your lovely siblings to keep me company"

"Maybe you wouldn’t need them," countered Nathan "If all this… thissince you left SymboGen because there was so much human DNA in the worms You could have co that was big enough to keep me away, Nathan Once I started down this road, there would always have been soirlfriend--no offense, Sal, you’ve done surprisingly well, given how little time you’ve had"

"None taken," I said numbly

But Dr Cale had already moved on Her eyes were on her son as she said, "Once Steven decided he wanted ood as over I knew that Your father knew it, too That’s why he letfor me, even after my association with SymboGen had been officially and publicly terht have been worse than this, itto be solared at Ada them personally responsible for his mother’s defection from her life--like they had so in a deserted bowling alley when she had been responsible for one of the greatest scientific advance down at the floor like he was asha her hands against her chest in a gesture that was all priht claim about her mind

"You want to dance, ass-face?" she deical son or not, I will fk you up so bad your ownher irritation away in the time it took to blink "Wait I don’t think that works Doctor C? If I le him all up in front of you, and you watch me do it, can I actually mess him up so you can’t tell who he is?"

"No, dear," said Dr Cale "Also, please do not harnificant other They are to be considered part of the fa with thehed "Yes, Doctor C"

"Good" Dr Cale beckoned for Tansy to co at Nathan all the way "I’h she’s technically the younger of the two His integration was ressed faster, and she feels like it’s her duty toas it is terrifying, but what does it have to do with the sleeping sickness?" I asked hesitantly I wanted to distract her froer than they already were I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could handle "You said that if we ca sickness"

The look Dr Cale gavethatHaven’t you been paying attention?"

"Adaiven custody of the bodies they now inhabit freely and without coinal owners That’s part of why they were successful When they were given their current forht the the them the keys People had lived there before They’d done their dae to the foundation and chosen the paint in the upstairs hall But those people were gone There was nothing they could do to stop the new tenants fro sickness’ that you’re here to discuss with me is not a virus"

"We know," said Nathan

Dr Cale actually looked surprised at that "You do?" she asked "How?"

"After Sal and I left Sy the people who’d come in contact with someone--"

"With Chave," I interrupted I was surprised by the sharpness of my own tone "Her naht the first ti sickness, she’s not there anymore I knew you’d been there when someone took sick That hat my operative was able to tell me before he dropped out of contact I didn’t realize she was so I just stared at her, oneinto place in my head with inescapable finality

Nathan didn’t see, "Chave When I picked up Sal, she told ht have coot sick They ran a wand over the surface of Sal’s skin I assuht wand, and so I took Sal to the hospital and repeated the process The people we have in our isolation ward--the ones on’t wake up--all show the unns of a subcutaneous parasitic infection I just don’t knohat it is"