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Peter Watts 139 Blindsight
"Because we can make it go away, Cygnus. That's the whole
point. Whatever that was, whatever you didn't like about it, we
know where it is now. We can go back in and damp it out just like
that. And then we've got days to get it removed permanently, if
that's what you want. Just put the cap back on and—"
She put her arms around me, drew me close. She smelled like
sand, and sweat. I loved the way she smelled. For a while, I could
feel a little bit safe. For a while I could feel like the bottom wasn't
going to drop out at any moment. Somehow, when I was with
Chelsea, I mattered.
I wanted her to hold me forever.
"I don't think so," I said.
"No" She blinked, looked up at me. "Why ever not"
I shrugged. "You know what they say about people who don't
remember the past."
"Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives."
—Old Ecologist's Proverb
We were blind and helpless, jammed into a fragile bubble behind
enemy lines. But finally the whisperers were silent. The monsters
had stayed beyond the covers.
And Amanda Bates was out there with them.
"What the fuck," Szpindel breathed.
The eyes behind his faceplate were active and searching. "You
can see" I asked.
He nodded. "What happened to Bates Her suit breach"
"I don't think so."
"Then why'd she say she was dead What—"
"She meant it literally," I told him. "Not I'm as good as dead or
I'm going to die. She meant dead now. Like she was a talking
corpse."
"How do—" you know Stupid question. His face ticced and