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“I was the guy cooking theood it did”

Astrid twisted around to look up at him

“Oh, I know that look,” Saenius, tell me what it is I missed”

“With what are they looking at you?” Astrid asked

Sam took a beat Then, “They don’t have eyes”

“No I just checked again They don’t have eyes But so hit with blasts of light energy, they all twist around in —in the same direction At you”

“Great So somehow they can see I think what et the e”

Astrid shook her head “I don’t think you did anything to them I’m not sure it’s ‘them’ What if they’re like ants? I mean, what if there really aren’t individual woranism? Like a hive”

“So there’s a queen worm somewhere?”

“Maybe Or maybe it’s not so hierarchical, less differentiated”

He kissed the nape of her neck, sending pleasant shivers down her spine “This is all great, Astrid How do I kill them?”

“I have two ideas on that One is a practical suggestion You’ll like it The other is crazier You won’t like the crazy idea”

It was tiet Little Pete ready for bed She stood up and called to hier phrase he understood “Beddy boody, beddy boody”

Little Pete gave her a hazy look, as if he had heard her but had not understood Then he got up from his chair and headed obediently up the stairs Obedient not to Astrid’s authority, really, but to as, in effect, progra

“I have to go do a walk-through in town, and you have to get Petey to bed,” Saive me the short version”