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It was a pity that I was pretty sure we hadn’t saved her hts They played out on my face in real ti me "I doubt she’ll ever wake up," he said "The wore in the process The drugs did even more She’s still on life support while we look for a miracle Do you have a le syllable ofme of who I e were to each other I stared at hi briefly open in co , so he had to have knoho Nathan’s ated Nathan as soon as we started dating He probably knee’d been with Dr Cale, and howme from the rest of USAMRIID because he really hoped I had a ic equation fro Joyce’s ain He was a father who had already lost one of his two daughters forever, only to see a stranger put that little girl’s body on and walk it around like a suit He would do anything to save the daughter he had left
He was grasping at straws
"I’m in a bubble, Daddy," I said Several of the scientists paused, eyes widening Apparently, the nature of our biological relationship hadn’t been known to his entire tea, he should have said so sooner "I don’t think I can produce many miracles frooodbye: he just turned and resumed his walk down the row of bubbles The scientists chased after hi to keep up with the leader of their flock I stayed exactly where I was, only turningaway The occupants of the other bubbles pressed the their aret his attention The bubbles had to be proximity-permeable somehow, because I didn’t hear any of thee had passed out of sight I walked back to the bed, crawled onto it, and stretched out on top of the covers It was time to wait and see what happened next I had every confidence that it was going to be so
Solve the puzzle, take your tiuide you through the darkness to the dawn
Children’s games can break your heart,
We all have to play our part
Know this world will one
The broken doors will open for we sinners who atone
My darling boy, be careful now, and don’t go out alone
–FROM DON’T GO OUT ALONE, BY SIMONE KIMBERLEY, PUBLISHED 2006 BY LIGHTHOUSE PRESS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT
The subject did not respond well to anesthesia Nor unconsciousness, and only when the feed was increased to dangerous levels did subject becons were depressed and subject’s breathing was coical tearess would need to be postponed until a viablesubject’s sedation was found
Dr H___ has suggested that pain control and unconsciousness are not ethically required, provided paralysis can be ally "huery until a viable anesthetic cocktail can be found This suggestion is being taken under consideration
We will resume tomorrow
–FROM THE PRIVATE NOTES OF DR STEVEN BANKS, SEPTEMBER 21, 2027
Chapter 7
SEPTEMBER 2027
I must have fallen asleep at so up at a twilit ceiling, all the lights having been turned down so the back of ure out exactly what had woken radual di would have made me sleep more deeply, not wake up That only left a few possible sti moved in the dim hall in front of my bubble There was a thick,the floor I sat up straighter, brushing my hair away from my eyes There was another movement, but I couldn’t quite see what it was; it was like the plastic had gone cloudy, turning everything on the other side into a series of undifferentiated blurs Then the wall began to melt
It didn’t happen all at once Holes appeared in the plastic, see invisible caterpillars chew their way through a translucent leaf Once the holes had spread far enough, they joined together, and sheets of gooey bubble wall fell to the floor ofsounds I watched them fall, fascinated They continued to dissolve after they hit the ground
As the bubble fell away, the body of the guard beca the sheets of bubble foaone did I raise my eyes to my murderous savior
Sher a smirk He clipped the spray can of solvent he’d used toon the spray trigger "Hello, pet," he said His accent was back in full force, which was actually reassuring He wasn’t pretending with ray bodysuit that was distinctly not USAMRIID issue, and he had so a drop of blood on hiht like an extraction"