"If you like. I'm not digging anything out of you."

"No. And that's why I'm telling." He closed his eyes, took a breath. "What I said about quitting the bug-killing business?"

"Yes."

"It wasn't really the total truth. You see, I had this buddy. Let's call him Joe. Joe and me . . . well, we killed a lot of bugs."

She was going to say something smart-a.s.s but realized it wasn't the time or the place. She smelled an intensity, a seriousness about him now. The only appropriate response seemed to be just to listen.

After a moment to put the story together right, Ned Sanchez said, "You know, I could tell you a long, long story."

"If you like."

"No. I'm going to make it short."

"Joe and me, we went into a hive. We made a couple of mistakes, some big mistakes. Joe didn't come out. I did. Sometimes I think it should have been the other way around."

"I understand."

"Do you? Do you really?" He snorted. "Well, maybe you can tell me, but when I heard about another chance to prove myself, I guess I was just fed up with all the guilt that had been building up inside me. So I signed on."

"It wasn't just for the money, then."

"No, I guess not."

She nodded. "I can relate. I felt that in you, Ned. Maybe that's why I was attracted to you."

"Hmm? What-you've got a story, too?"

She told him about her father. About the family shame. About how she wastrying, in her own small way, to alleviate that shame.

She told him about Ryus.h.i.+, her first colony world, and how she had failed it. People had survived, and she was responsible for that; but the colony was gone.

All in simple, concise terms.

"What say we promise each other something, okay, Machiko?" he said, cupping her face in his hands.

"What's that?"

"Let's live long enough to tell the long version of our stories."

"That's going to take a long time."

"Then we're going to have to live a long time, aren't we?"

He kissed her, and that was the only reply that was necessary.

"You slept with him, didn't you?" said Attila the Hun.

She was changing her clothes. Ned had gone to eat dinner with the rest of the men, but she couldn't bring herself to go with him. Superst.i.tion or something. Maybe they'd be able to smell the s.e.x or something. Anyway, for some reason she had no appet.i.te.

"I did," she said.

Attila plopped down in a chair, folded his arms. "Great. Just great. Now when you dump him, we're going to have a heartbroken soldier on our hands."

"What did Lao Tzu say about heartbroken soldiers?"

"Unreliable." He sniffed affectedly.

"I didn't say I was going to dump him."

He gave her a surprised look. "Well, did you ask him to help us break into the biolab and have that look you so desperately and foolishly want?"

"No."

"No? Why not?"

Looked at him. "I just didn't."

"Look, I thought the whole idea of getting to know this guy was that if he liked you, he'd help us."

"No. That wasn't the whole idea."

"Okay, okay," Attila said peevishly. "You had the hots for him."

"I liked him. I saw something there. And you know what, Til? It is there."

"Wonderful. I'm happy for you. There's a there, there. But you didn't ask him to help us."

"Look. It's our suspicion. It's our problem."

"He's a hireling, too. It's his problem if we find anything we don't wantto find. Which makes me wonder now if we should even bother. I mean, clearly you're not that concerned."

"Look, Til. I'm sorry I've upset you. Are you jealous?"

"What! Nothing of the sort. I hope you had a very good time. May you both be very happy together. Et cetera, et cetera."

"I just don't want Ned to get involved at this point .... Okay, okay, I don't want him to get into trouble. We get into trouble, that's different.

We're at a higher level. We're more likely to take the heat without a burn.

Sanchez, though-they can boot his a.s.s out of here, no money, no nothing."

"Okay. It's your decision. Maybe it's for the best."

She nodded. "Thank you." She put her dinner plate to one side. "So, Attila.

Your little recon-how did it go? Are we even going to be able to take a stab at this crazy mission?"

He finally smiled.

"While you were so amorously whiling away your time, ducks, I simply waltzed into the biolab factory."

Her mouth dropped. "So then we don't even have to break in! You've done it."

"Hardly. I certainly wish. No, the truth is that apparently much of the factory is under very loose security. And why not? This is a small settlement.

There is no crime here."

"So how did you get in?"

"I just walked in, saying I wanted to look around.

They said fine, sir-there are just certain areas that are off limits.

Certainly, I said. I understand completely. I took a little tour."

"And?"

"And it seems to be just what Evanston claims it is-a biolab. Cloning factory. Lions and tigers and bears. Exotic alien animals. Simple enough."

"But."

"I'm glad you inserted your but there. It's a big but."

"Hey. I like it."

He smiled. "But a cute one, as Mr. Sanchez will no doubt attest. No, Machiko, there are large areas simply off limits and I saw most of what was necessary to be a fully functioning biolab."

"So the question is, what else is there?"

"Precisely."

"Any sensor input?"

"Nothing much I need to get closer."

"So how do we get in tonight? How do we get closer when we do get in?" "To the first question"-he pulled two badges from his pocket and put them on the table-"I stole these and altered them, complete with fake retinal and DNA patterns. These will get us in. As for the rest-well, with my sensors and a good laser toolbox-"

"Good job."

"You didn't even ask this Sanchez guy if he'd ever been a burglar."

She frowned at him. "That subject is closed, Attila"

"Okay, okay."

"And you had no problem? They didn't ask you what you were doing there?"

she said, looking for potential foul-ups.

"No. Security seemed amazingly lax on the outside. I daresay that Evanston and company are worried about other things. However, beyond the main part of the lab-behind those closed doors . . . they are definitely hiding something that they don't want us to see."

"Well, that just makes me want to see it all the more.

"I confess, despite my less-than-warrior like att.i.tude for this entire adventure, I too would like to have a look."

"Tonight, then, a little private exercise of our own," said Machiko.

Chapter 17.

Attila had done his job well.

Not only had he counterfeited those badges, but he'd managed to sneak into a supply closet and procure two of the biolab uniforms. They actually fit well, too.

"The deal is this," said Machiko Noguchi as they strode past the open outer gates of the factory, past security operatives, the setting sun of Norn at their backs, the brisk cool smell of evening settling down on the still lushness of this cultivated frontier settlement. "We get caught inside the perimeter, we tell them we're authorized by Evanston."

"And if we make it through to the other part, but get caught then?"

"We run. We go back to the barracks and grab beer cans. I didn't want to involve Ned in this actual operation-but I don't feel bad having him back us up."

"I suggest that we just not get caught. And most certainly not use weapons."

"I like to have one on hand, if possible. They let me wear one here, and it put me in good stead with that bug this morning."

Attila had prepared tiny stasis generators to cancel out any weapons-detection device, and again Machiko was impressed and grateful for his varied talents hidden in that plain-looking sh.e.l.l.

For all her martial-arts abilities, Machiko felt far more comfortable with a sidearm. The news that she'd be able to wear one on this mission was certainly welcome. They walked past the posted guard with just a flash of their fake IDs.

Security officers were not as numerous as Machiko had expected. Much of the security was automated. s.h.i.+fts were apparently changing, and stragglers from the mids.h.i.+ft were just making their way home. They appeared to be normal workers, looking forward to dinner and a beer. The s.h.i.+ft that they were infiltrating, on the other hand, had far fewer workers, who were clearly far less industrious. The few people they encountered did not seem at all upset about the pair of new employees in their ranks. The departments in the biolab were diverse enough that they probably a.s.sumed Machiko and Attila were headed for sections other than theirs.

And of course, they were totally correct.

Attila had briefed her on the layout of the biofactory in descriptive enough terms that Machiko was able to wend her way knowledgeably through it, acting as though she had a definite mission, not goggling about like the first-timer she was. Nonetheless, she allowed Attila to lead slightly and used her peripheral vision to take note of the stations and activity around her.

Tanks.

There were tanks of stainless steel and gla.s.s, connected by tubing all around, with conduits and f.l.a.n.g.es and wheels. There were lab stations and racks of chemicals and equipment-the usual panoply of functioning scientific research and production. The smell of flame and harsh elements clung to the air, wafting in currents' of warm and cold. Wisps of steam and frost escaped from doors and hatches opening and closing, and altogether the effect was of some well scrubbed, sterile satanic kitchen.

Walking by one of the gla.s.s-enclosed tanks, Machiko caught a glimpse of something through the gla.s.s paneling--something caught in milky liquid.

A half-formed beast with great claws and sharp teeth, slowly forming in a nutrient bath.