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“I think so It must have They took her just before the first incident Her and several of the others in her group”

“Her group?”

“She has an immune disorder Myers-Skelton Premature Immunosenescence Always has had”

“My sister had a brittle bone disorder Hard,” Alex said “Is that why they took her?”

“I assume so,” Prax said “Why else would you steal a child like that?”

“Slave labor or sex trade,” Alex said softly “But can’t see why you’d pick out kids with a medical condition It true you saw protomolecule down there?”

“Apparently,” Prax said The food bulb was cooling in his hand He knew he should eatwas turning at the back of his h before, when he’d been distracted and starving Now, in this civilized coffin hurtling through the void, all the old faainst each other They’d specifically targeted the children froroup I with the protomolecule

“The captain was on Eros,” Alex said

“It must have been a loss for hi to say

“No, I don’t mean he lived there He was on the station when it happened We all were, but he was on it the longest He actually saw it starting The initial infected That”

“Really?”

“Changed him, some I’ve been flyin’ with him since ere just fartin’ around on this old ice bucket running from Saturn to the Belt He didn’t used to like me, I suspect Noe’re fa pull from his food bulb Cool, the paste tasted less of wheat and ood He remembered the look of fear on Holden’s face when they’d found the dark filaments, the sound of controlled panic in his voice It ht, Holden appeared in the doorway, a fornetic plates along the base A personal footlocker designed to stay put even under high g Prax had seen them before, but he’d never needed one Gravity had been a constant for hiial salute “Everything all right?”

“Just htness in his voice was un on soive any further sign Holden only hed

“Trouble?” Prax asked

“Yeah Don’t worry It’s not about you This has been brewin’ for a while now”

“I’et it over with one way or the other,” Alex said, but there was an un the man The wall terot now?”

Alex pulled the ter on coers of one hand while keeping hold of the coffee with the other The terraphs and tables in real ti up What’d you find?”