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the screen, "Tell us!"
Bingo, Simeon thought, narrowing in on
Chaundra's pupil dilation and breathing.
"There is a possibility," Chaundra said, looking aside from the pickup.
"Another virus." A long pause. "The one that killed Mary. It is of
unparalleled virulence.
Possibly the worst natural... unnatural disease ever to be discovered."
Amos' head jutted forward. "Why did you not men-
tion this before?" he asked harshly.
"Because it killed my wife!" Chaundra shouted sud-
denly; the more startling coming from so mild a man.
"Because it is killing my son!" More softly, more ration-
ally: "Because I swore that the filthy disease should never kill another human
being. I no longer classify the Kolnari under that heading."
"Still," Channa said, "the virus is a good plan. The enemy don't have much
medical capability at all And
Chaundra has lucidly explained why they don't need it For our purposes they
are medically ignorant Little expertise beyond treating wounds and broken
bones, really. I get the impression they just sort of.. .junk anyone who's
sicker than that"
Chaundra looked thoughtful, professional com-
petence taking over despite himself. "I do not have the live virus, you
understand. But I have the information on a rninihedron. The protein is
nothing, the replicator can produce it immediately. But modifications... yes.
What sort of disease did you have in mind?"
322
Ame McCaffrey W SM. StrrKng
"Something scary," she said.
"Something fetal," Amos added.
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"If possible," she agreed. "But at the least, spec-
tacularly incapacitating, disgusting, horrifying.
Something with mental deterioration? We want them terrified, and what's more
terrifying than madness?"
"Whoa now, I dunno," Simeon .said. "Do you really want a stationload of crazy
Kolnari? Crazier than they already are, I mean."
They looked thoughtful and slightly sick.
"No, no, wait a moment," Chaundra said, and paused. "As Channa suggested, we
could target only those who've had the virus. They catch it. It's just not
capable of getting much beyond the first few cells.
Antibody response is very quick. That's a manageable part of the Kolnari
force, enough to hurt and rattle them without driving them into a killing
frenzy. It would be cumulative, spread among themselves. Close contact is
needed, and I could increase that Immunize our people stealthily, under the
guise of normal treat-
ment. It can be done. I'm sure of it."
"Get on it, then," Channa said. When the doctor's image had faded: "That takes
care of that!"
Simeon's image nodded. It was less mobile than usual, with so much capacity
tied up. "This is a war of morale. Guerilla war always is. We have to
demoralize them, and much more important, maintain our own morale."
Or our people will crack and someone will go to the Kolnan, went unspoken
among them.
"Speaking of which," Amos said, rising.
"Must you?" Channa said quietly.
"Yes, I must," he replied, walking over to her and lifting a hand to his lips.
The gesture seemed far more
natural than it had at first, less.staged.
"This isn't going to work for long," Channa said to the air, after he had
left.
THE Crry WHO FOUGHT
323
"It doesn't have to," Simeon replied. "Only long enough."
"Get ready, Seld," Joat breathed.
"I'm ready" he whispered back. He was pale and
5weating heavily. --"A
Her hand rested dh the diaphragm that separated the vent from the corridor.
Her other hand gripped the spring-loaded device, adjusting it so the red dot
on the notescreen image beside her lay precisely over a spot in the corridor.
Below, Patsy waited at the junction of the passageways, one hand behind the
concealing wall. That hand held the arc pistol, but if all went well they
would not need it.
If all did not go well, they were probably going to die in the next twenty
seconds or so. Die quickly if they were lucky.
"One of them," Seld said. "Still only one." He was peering into the miniscreen
jacked into the security cameras from their local lead. "Still coming." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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