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Dorian felt himself turn away from Shaay from the only person in the world he truly cared about Then he and Ares were running Another blast They would never make it

Janus keyed the final sequences into the ship and stepped back, watching the display show the ship’s sections explode and decompress The massive ship would soon be a burned out wreck

But she would be safe

That was all that mattered—the only reason he had come here or to any of the other hundreds of worlds

Another shudder swept the ship Death would coiven his life to save her, so he had willed himself to do every day for thirteen thousand years in that chamber under the Bay of Gibraltar It was so easy now, so simple Janus knehy: he would never awaken, never resurrect He wouldn’t wake up to remember his death, would never confront the saony the people in Ares’ resurrection vessel endured He would die knowing he had saved the only person he had ever cared about In that moment, he understood the stories of Kate’s father His sacrifice in Gibraltar And Martin Maybe subspecies 8472 had come further than he had estimated Even so, it wouldn’t e, and Janus steadied himself

How long do I have left?

Perhaps there was time to correct one last mistake He activated the ship’s deep space coht as he could

“My name is Dr Arthur Janus I a-since fallen civilization…”

A set of double doors opened onto a rooht from the panel Dorian felt nuh the portal just as the blast broke through the walls

Dorian stumbled into the room he had seen before, the one with seven doors Ares was bent over, panting, his hands on his knees

When Ares had caught his breath, he rose “Now you see, Dorian They make you weak They pull at your heart Hold you down They try to keep you fro what must be done to survive” He walked out of the room

Mechanically, Dorian followed It was as if he were looking at hi now No reaction

Ares paused at the opening to the vast chamber that held the endless rows of tubes

“Now you’re ready, Dorian We will save them These are your people now”

CHAPTER 95

Outside Ceuta

Kate flew through the archway of the portal a second before David landed beside her The portal closed behind them

Milo was at her side, helping her up

“Are you all right, Dr Kate?”

“I’m fine, Milo Thank you” She raced to the panel beside the portal doors Yes, the connection to the ship was closed; it had been destroyed Janus had done well The moment she had seen David alone, she’d knohat their plan was Janus had been brave