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Because what if the answer is no?

Merendsen’s watching me "You want to know if they could be the cause of the Fury?"

I don’t answer--I can’t, ht I can barely breathe I want to look at Flynn, to see if there’s any chance this would change things between us But I knoon’t It was still hs "They didn’t do that to us But we did find a…a record of sorts, of what happened to the original research station near where we crashed And yes, Lee It looked very entle, but I know hier hidden deep in his voice that makes me wonder what happened to hi us "Whatever LaRoux is using them for, perhaps the Fury is a side effect Either way, LaRoux’s experi past Flynn until I can fix on the door instead, hands curled tightly against the lid of the trunk I can still feel hi between us like a cord; bound together, held apart

"Lee, give un" Merendsen’s on his feet, one hand extended toit holster and all offit to him He pulls the Gleidel out, as familiar with it as I am, and turns it over so he can reach the access panel Flipping the cover up, he hands it back to ed?"

I let o I shot at the ceiling to cause a rock fall to give Flynn and me time to escape"

"And before that? How many times was it fired?"

My heart shrinks "Please--sir, I can’t look, you don’t understand--"

"That’s an order, Captain"

I force myself to dropto see twenty, thirty shots registering on its record Instead there’s nothing Not for days and days, and after a while I stop scrolling, and my hand falls into my lap, numb

He leans over to rest his hand on ht you there, but it wasn’t to kill anyone You never fired your weapon"

My"I didn’t kill those people" I can’t think, can’t process I’ to breathe All I know, all I can think of, is Flynn I lift ht at aze,in my ears, frozen where I sit

He tears his eyes away and stumbles to his feet I want to speak, but I can’t, and he turns swiftly for the door, fuone before I can speak, and I’ to find my equilibrium

Merendsen drops down into a crouch on the floor in front of uide ht to treat disaster victinizes the training

"I can’t believe you didn’t think to check its memory," Merendsen says quietly, a s forward, never back"