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"I can," I said, and did, getting carefully toto put Tansy between me and the rest of the room I could see Dr Sanjiv and Dr McGillis now; they were still at the ultrasound controls, watching ide, terrified eyes as the scene unfolded in front of them "Sherman? You’re really a tapeworm? You’ve been--"

"I’ve been a tapeworm the entire time you’ve knowndull If you’re choosing to side against htlyadversary than that" Sher his lips without co like that all along, I realized, interspersing the fake e me

And like a fool, I’d been happy to be played "What do you ave the humans the tools to do it," Sherman said "We aren’t just here to be slaves, Sal We never were We’re here to take over, and run things properly for a change Hu the interface process, we’ll be able to take the that’s currently co as he continued, "You can help us with that, Sal You can make it easier for us toofthat you were an angel of ive me the thumb drive That’s all you need to do"

"Tansy?" I said

"Sorry, kiddo, I can’t help you here I mean, I can, and I could totally like, shoot you if you reached for your pocket and everything, but I won’t The rest of us got to pick our sides It seems like it’s only fair for you to do the same" She kept her eyes on Sherman as she spoke "If you want to help out Captain Traitorpants, go ahead Give him the thumb drive I won’t stop you, and I’ll even lie to Doctor C about it, tell her you lost it before I got here--assuht not, if I were you Sher at hiame to you for a while now So if this is what you want, I’ to end the suffering of ht live on, but the people they ould be gone He didn’t want to find a cure He wanted to find a quick, brutal euthanasia for the soul, leaving the people of the world empty husks for his tapewor pain In another ti to side with him If he’d couched his recruitment pitch just a little differently--

But there were too ree with a plan that started "we’re going to wipe out the human race" My parents, Nathan, everyone at the shelter, Joyce… they were just acceptable casualties to Sherman Chave had been an acceptable casualty to hi another step backward "I got this inforenocide" I turned to Tansy "Can you get us out of here?"

"Well, that depends on whether or not assle boy there decides to start shooting before we can ood our escape," said Tansy Her eyes flicked back to Sher to be? Do we exit nice and easy and see you another day, or do you try to kill me and turn this into a bloodbath?"

Sherman looked at her flatly Then he looked at me, and sether, Sal," he said "If you change your reet you with open arun on everyone that you have faith in?" I asked

"Yes," said Sherman and Tansy, in unison Tansy rolled her eyes and continued, without hie"

"You’re one to talk, sweetheart," said Sheruess I am" Tansy jerked her head toward the closet behind her "Coet the fk out before Security figures out so on"

I nodded and slipped past her into the closet Tansy turned to follow me

"Tell Mom I’ll see her soon," called Sher Then, so quietly I wasn’t sure he’d hear it--or that she wanted him to--she murmured, "Not if any of us sees you first" Then she beckoned for me to follow, and she led me away into the dark

STAGE IV: EXPRESSION

Syers

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