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S his hand over it al and shattered circuits

―I told you, research and development," Smith said, with a touch of scorn ―Like ONI‘s always done You should be thankingdata that will help us

e inflicted by our weapons on the Covenant They‘ve developed a natural

resistance to the radiation put out by their plasma weapons--a forced evolution, from the look of it

With further research, we‘ll be able to use it against them, and to help us treat plasma burns, too"

Mahmoud listened to this anshat see it took for any ―developht What about your

‗Flood‘?"

The gli his accoreatest threats to the human species since the Covenant"

Mah ― ‗Since the Covenant‘? Why didn‘t you just focus on thealaxy"

S ―The Flood is pure of intent Relentless

Almost primordial And it is a virus, spreads as fast as one I had to study it We had to study it So we used Covenant"

―You didn‘t have to do anything," Mah prisoners, can you iave Mah the truth, but he wasn‘t lying either Misdirection, misinformation, she didn‘t trust any of it She stepped up to the sht on the jagged glass

―Keep talking," she said, as she shone her flashlight inside Stared at a leg in the s‘s chew toy Huainst the opposite wall

Around the ankle and shin the now faore

―We were looking for weaknesses, a cure, an antibody, anything We only had one infected

Covenant, but we needed to see hoorked, how it spread Justit‘s strong So strong" He trailed off Suddenly tired, defeated by soer than any of them And yet, was that the barest hint of respect for the Flood creeping into his tone?

―You were testing on prisoners"

―It may be abhorrent to you," Smith said, ―but such etting soft for an alien race now, Sergeant"

No She had no proble Covenant That wasn‘t the point

―We face extinction," he said, almost like a politician ―We have to win this war No matter what the cost"

Noto cure Covies of your Flood," she said, unable to look at him ―This is a prison ship A civilian prison ship You were testing on prisoners "

So in her tone must have let him know exactly what sheout on her jaw

Srin people with no integrity gave you when you caught the and they weren‘t really sorry But wanted to pretend they were

―It‘s a big, bad universe, Sergeant Covenant aren‘t the worst of it"

Lopez raised her head, shifting her balance to her heel

―You‘ve done what you thought was necessary," Smith said ―And so have I"

God, he was fast Faster than she would‘ve thought Missed it in the pat down? Hidden in the lab?

A knife in his hand, and Mah naturally into Sot a burst off just as Lopez raised her weapon She grunted with the impact as the bullets smacked into the armor on her left side Went down on one knee Could feel the bruising Could feel she‘d live Another scar

Was already reaching for Mahh it was too late for him There was a curve of new blood spattered on the floor, as eh the hatch, sealing it behind him

>Benti 1530 hours

―Where are we?" Benti asked Ri rooet a tour of the ship, you know"

They‘d been lucky, nothing had been on the other side of the ladder Without the scheine roon, directing them on their way--the only time she‘d felt like they were

someplace even halfway civilized

She wasn‘t sure how she was going to explain Henry to the sarge when they ood it did the Covenant Ri at shadows

―You said ‗Flood,‘ before What did you mean?"

Rimmer pitched his voice low Henry craned to listen, even if he couldn‘t understand ―Some uniform came on board He ith ONI After that, eren‘t allowed out of our cells Sponge baths, if ere lucky I think they brought the Covies on board then We could hear the

Could setic pat on the arm, which see Not even the guards kneas going on We made some slipspace ju stuff on board all the ti for so people, you know And Covies They didn‘t seem to care ifthe Covies, then" He stopped ―Think they figured eren‘t going anywhere, and it didn‘tHenry‘s arm In his words, in the flat lack of emotion in his voice, there was an absence of dread that was louder than anything he could have screa Henry‘s arm like he‘d developed a nervous tic

―The air con on this ship, you kno it is It carries the noise funny We heard things No one they took ever ca sood ever comes from ONI," she said loith vehe attention, she noticed, but trying hard to act like he wasn‘t What the heck is that about?

―There was a guard, fat asshole called Murray; he found out about the Flood So He said, he said," a tre it Here With us" He stopped , hand not quite on Henry‘s arain Henry flinched

Rimmer took his hand away, embarrassed ―Sorry," he race, and looked at Benti expectantly

That brought Benti up short She stared at the four jaws of hisinto the grooves of his gums She‘d never had the opportunity to watch a Covenant Elite speak before It was one of the grossest things she had ever seen, and she‘d seen plenty of gross She could still see down his throat It wasn‘t pretty, either

Clarence shifted slightly, bemused, and raised an eyebrow at her She raised both eyebrows

helplessly, looked at Rimmer

―Um What did he just say?"

Ri the impossible ―How should I know? But

to tell his side of the story All that black stuff on the walls of the roo doords I couldn‘t read any of it"

Henry slu into the floor, andthat didn‘t require translation

Riain , and continued: ―So happened, I don‘t know, I think the Covies uessthe Flood got out Covies let soht surprise you but by then we‘d all been through the saot the same fate on this ship ‘Course, it didn‘t help at first, because the guards didn‘t like it, and they started on us, all of us prisoners, and so huer proble ever since"

―A day, I think Maybe two You lose track of time real fast around here"

―So fast?"

Riet off this ship Soon, you know?"

Benti couldn‘t disagree She also couldn‘t tell hiar, that she‘d do it herself if she had to Because the sarge wasn‘t going to like this, not at all But Henry would be useful getting back to the Pelican, even if only to provide another target for the Flood Besides, Clarence, hanging back, always had his rifle pointed vaguely in Henry‘s direction

―Do you knohere this leads?" She pointed out the door Henry shivered faintly

―Yeah," Riines are behind them We shouldwe should find a different way"

―Why?"

―That‘s where they took all the dead That‘d be like going into an angry beehive right about now"