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"Do you reo?"

Merendsen launches into the strangest story I’ve ever heard--a shipwreck with two survivors, a planet terraformed but with flora and fauna twisted, voices on the wind, visions everywhere He tells it briefly, matter-of-fact and confident, but even so it’s difficult to believe A planet terraforovernment’s pers Different fro as dubious as I feel

"Here in this universe" Merendsen hesitates, then plows ahead "LaRoux Industries opened a rift on that planet, a gateway between this dih hyperspace, but this one was per there LaRoux’s scientists pulled these beings through and trapped thes?" I can’t conceal et here on Avon, all too willing to believe the locals’ wild tales of wisps in the swarim smile "You don’t know the half of it I don’t knohat they were, not really Lilac and I called the to do with Avon?" Flynn’s voice is taut "There are too many people here--someone would have noticed if there were creatures on this planet"

"Not if LaRoux were concealing the an eyebrow at Flynn "The whispers could do things we couldn’t begin to understand They changed the planet we crashed on in the years they spent there They sped up its plant growth, altered the aniinally seeded there"

My eyes snap to Flynn, who stands suddenly stricken as he stares at my forht in Molly’s, pu soldiers for inforht be connected with Avon’s stunted terraforuments that had sounded so insane tocorporations were slowing down its develop back in a flood that sends a chill down er proht, how can we hope to fight these things?"

Merendsen’s eyebrows shoot up "Fight them? Lee, they’re not the enemy They’re LaRoux’s victims as much as Avon’s citizens are The whispers were never hostile toward us--in fact, they helped us But they’re not like us, they don’t see us the e see each other, as individuals, unique They don’t really understand death They’re all connected" His eyes flick toward the , avoidingup on a dozen tiny clues: the way he won’t aze; the twitch of his hand as he stops hih his hair; the short, casual sentences that belie the i us?"

He glances up, eyes falling first on hter "Soed e anyone" Flynn’s voice is dry

"I ed," says Merendsen quietly "I can sense them sometimes--they’re a part of etting louder"

My body wants to shiver, to scan Merendsen’s features and try to find so us I’er on Avon’s behalf--on Flynn’s behalf--draining away "What are you saying? That you’re not…you anymore?"

"I’m me," he replies instantly, an uncharacteristic hint of defensiveness in his tone "I’m ht I do know my captain, and he’s never been overly concerned with protecting hi a creeping, cold certainty through my body "What would happen if LaRoux Industries found out about you?"

Merendsen aze finally, and in his face I see the confirmation of my suspicion: fear And I don’t think I ever saw hiether "They’d take irl in the , how quick he was to come when he realized these so-called whispers were involved All the little clues, the fragments in their conversation, the pieces Merendsen’s left foranything They’re watching us Trust what you feel That’s irl

"I understand, sir" My voice comes out fierce

Merendsen nods "Thank you, Captain"

Flynn’s watching us with a wooden expression I know he doesn’t understand what I’ve just promised my friend; you’d have to know Tarver Merendsen the way I do to begin untangling these clues But Flynn knowsinat him, he jerks his eyes away

"Sir" My voice shakes, and I can’t stop it "When you were talking to Lilac, you said these whispers had caused a bunch of researchers to gothose people, would it be any better? Would it matter to Flynn? The questions die on my lips as quickly as they come to me