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Fred glanced at hi on that”

“Right Sorry”

On-screen, the two men – Holden was pretty sure they were both men – took the crate to aover from camera to caainst the walls and tried to bind up where the corridor turned

“Doors and corners,” Holden said

“What?”

“Nothing”

The security trace showeda warehouse Pallets of siuided the cart to a half-filled one, unlocked the clamps, and hauled the crate up and onto the pallet with its siblings Fred split the display, holding the trace on the cart, but adding one to each of the two e space; the other followed the two figures out to the common corridors

In the warehouse, a pair of ed in fro on crates In the common corridor, the two men went into a lavatory and didn’t coreen border that es A short call to the warehouse er verified that the two men hadn’t holed up there; they’d just disappeared The cart, still going through the older records, was buried in a others just like it Fred advanced the feed Mech drivers came and went Pallets filled and were piled on top of each other

“Present status,” Fred said, and the security feed skipped forithoutaway from the warehouse camera Whatever had been in the crate was still there

“Well,” Fred said, rising to his feet, “this is about to turn into an unpleasant day You co?”

The environmental controls in the warehouse showed no ano he s under the oil and ozone A s woht brown hair the same color as her skin Her expression as she moved the crates back out from the pallet spoke of excitement and curiosity and barely constrained dread With every crate that cahter Monica had told hierous He couldn’t help thinking that whatever they found in the next fewto be his fault

And so fixing it would be his responsibility Assu it could be fixed

“That’s the one,” Fred said to the mech driver “Put it over here”

She netic claed with a deep thump The indicator still showed that it was sealed Even if Monica had been put into the thing alive, her air would have run out hours ago Theonto titanium and ceramic haunches Fred stepped forward, lifted his hand terminal, and tapped in an override The indicator on the crate shifted Fred flipped open the lid

The sanic Holden had a sudden powerfulfourteen at his faarden by the kitchen, and when she’d turned the dirt before planting, it smelled just like this The crate was filled to the brial protein Fred leaned forward, pressing his hand deep Looking for a hidden body When he pulled his ar to it up to the elbow He shook his head no It was an Earth gesture