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“Soanism that reached this planet by co as simple as a virus was alive on the object that hit the power plant Virus plus radiation equals mutation”

“So that’s what this gaiaphage is?” Sam asked

“Please don’t act like I just told you the answer, okay?” Astrid said “Because I’uesswork And it doesn’t really explain‘if’”

“But?” Sam prompted

“But round for thirteen years has been living on radiation Feeding on it Think about a virus that could survive thousands of years in the environment of space The only possible food source would be hard radiation”

The next part was hard for Astrid Sam could see the way her lip quivered “The power company lied: they never cleaned up all the radiation from the accident It’s been under our feet all this ti absorbed into the food we eat”

Astrid’s father had been an engineer at the power plant Shewhether he had known of the deception

“They et it all,” Sam said “The people orked there—they probably didn’t know”

Astrid nodded The quiver stopped The tight anger in her expression ree mutated, so did some of us Maybe souess is that the gaiaphage began to run out of food It needs et to it, it can only attempt to make others do its will I think—I believe—that the meltdown Little Pete stopped was caused by so to blow up the plant, which would spread radiation everywhere, kill everything nearby…except for the creature that lives on radiation”

“Little Pete stopped the aiaphage And the gaiaphage is still hungry”

“Hungry in the dark,” Little Pete said

“Caine’s going to feed it,” Sam said

“Yes”

“And then?”

“And then, the gaiaphage will survive and adapt It can’t go on living in a hole in the ground, relying on others It needs to be able to escape To move freely And to survive attacks from us”