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On the bulkhead, the creature moved It wasn’t much, but it was there Prax zoomed in on it as best he could One ers and a thumb—braced it, and the other tore at the bulkhead The first layer was fabric and insulation and it caone, the creature attacked the armored steel underneath Tiny curls of ht like little stars Noas it doing that? If it was trying to do structural dae, there was any nuh the bulkhead, trying to reach so disappeared, resolving into the i fro

“What is, Doc?” Amos asked Prax realized he ather the words that would explain what he’d seen “It’s trying to radient I mean … the version of the protoy, and so I guess it makes sense that this one would too—”

“This one?” Alex asked “What one?”

“This version I ineered to repress ed the host body at all There have to be novel constraints on it, but it still seems to need a source of radiation”

“Why, Doc?” A to be patient “Why do we think it needs radiation?”

“Oh,” Prax said “Because we shut down the drive, and so the reactor is running at h to the core”

There was a pause, and then Alex said so obscene

“Okay,” Holden said “There’s no choice Alex, you need to get that thing out of here before it gets through the bulkhead We don’t have time to build a new plan”

“Captain,” Alex said “Jione,” A with you, Cap”

Prax waved his hands, as if the gesture could get their attention The h the operations deck

“Wait No That is the new plan,” he said “It’stoater”

Naomi had turned to look at him as he spun She see that she was below hi to have to walk us through this,” Holden said “Quickly How can we control it?”