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"That doesn’t hurt e in , and I feel no pain when brainless little lab rats decide to step on ive us e’re asking for, or we’ll just take it, and then you’ll lose the satisfaction of knowing that you cooperated with us And believe me, Sally, you want that satisfaction It hurts so ht you were my friend" My voice was still little h to be heard, and that was all that mattered

"I am your friend, Sal, the best one you’ve ever had I am so much more your friend than the people ant to use you, or experis? Didn’t I offer you co in return? The only reason I’ed to wind up in our way Not even because you meant to be Because sory?"

"I agreed to be put where I aain "I never asked for friendship with strings attached I never asked you to do ed me forthrough a maze alls she couldn’t even see You’ve been an experi--not to me, not to the doctors, not to yourself I know you kno isn’t it ti for yourself?"

The dru in my ears, and there was a catch in h it, straightening, and looked at hi this for myself," I said "I’m sorry you’re too… whatever you are… to see that"

"I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘ruthless,’ " said Sher to learn your new vocabulary words without ood ords," said a voice from the back of the lab

All four of us turned in unison to see a wo in the open door to the electrical closet She had a pistol in each hand, and her short blonde hair was streaked liberally with strawberry pink She was s broadly On her, the expression looked uys," said Tansy brightly "Miss me?"

Sherman was the first to recover "Not particularly," he said, producing a sun from inside his jacket He closed the distance between us in a single step and looped an ar under ainst him I squeaked That was all I had the tiun was pressed to h to act as a silent reue with I froze

Tansy yawned "Really, Sherun at Sal? Because what, that’s going to suddenly o with you if you just proot news for you, du, she’s whiny, she has the learning curve of lichen, and I’ all remarkable Shoot her, slit her throat, whatever you want to do I don’t give a shit I’ll shoot you all in the head before she hits the ground, and then, when you co out of the new hole I’ve punched in that thick skull of yours, I’ll squish you to death I’"

I couldn’t see Sherman’s face, but the way his posture shifted broadcast his confusion todeeper into the skin of my temple, and he snarled, "I don’t believe you"

"If you don’t believe me, you’re just as dumb today as you were on the day you left us," said Tansy She shifted position slightly, uns to cover Drs Sanjiv and McGillis "Don’t even think about it,to take care of what I came here to do No matter what Shermie may have told you, your lives matter about as much to me as a fifty-cent-off coupon for toilet paper"

"What does that even ed "It sounded good, and that’s what counts, right? I’irl Well That, and violence" She returned her attention to Sherman "Come on, Shermie, you’re not this dumb You know I’m better than you are Can you really help your little cause if you’re dead?"

"Can you really lookto choose her cause overthat I was not the "her" he was talking about "She’s just using you, Tansy You have to know that by now She’s never going to give you the world that you deserve"

"Oh, and you will? Sorry, Shermie, but I’m not really into wholesale destruction and devastation and all that junk Besides, killing all the humans will totally trash the cable schedule, and there are some shows I’m really excited to have back on the air" She said it like that was thein the world: the hu the hu habits