Despite the fact that they’d known each other and had worked side by side for years, Golic had offered no greeting at his arrival, nor a single word since. Now the hulking 161

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prisoner finally turned his face away from the wall, his arms still buried inside the archaic restraining jacket.

?Hey, Morse.?

The older man looked up from his viewer. ?So you can still talk. Big deal. You never had nothin’ to say anyhow.?

?C’mon, brother. Let me out of this thing.?

Morse grinned unpleasantly. ?Oh, so now that you’re all wrapped up like a holiday roast suddenly I’m a ‘brother’? Don’t give me any shit.?

?Come on, man. Don’t be like that. This thing’s uncomfortable as hell. Gimme a break.?

?No fucking way. I got my orders.?

?C’mon, man, it hurts.?

?Sorry.?Morse turned back to his viewer. ?Aaron says to let you go, I’ll let you go. Until then you stay tied up. I don’t wanna get in no trouble. Not with a Company ship coming.?

?I didn’t do nothing. I mean, I understand I was a little crazy for a while. Shit, who wouldn’t be after what I saw? But I’m okay now. The doc fixed me. Just ask him.?

?Can’t do that. The doc bought it. You heard.?

?Oh, yeah. That’s right. I remember now. Too bad. He was a good guy, even if he did slap me in this.?

?Don’t talk to me.?Morse made a disgusted face.

Golic continued to plead. ?What’d I do? Just tell me, what’d I do??

Morse sighed and set the viewer aside, eying his fellow prisoner. ?I dunno, but I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m gonna guard your ass just like I was ordered.?

Golic sniffed derisively. ?You afraid of that pissant Aaron??

?No, I ain’t, even if he is the unofficial superintendent 162

Alan Dean Foster

now. I just don’t want no trouble with Dillon, and if you’re smart, which I doubt, neither do you.?

The bigger man sniffed glumly. ?All I did was tell about the dragon. About what it did to Boggs and Rains. Nobody believed me, but I wasn’t lying. I should be the last one to be tied up. It ain’t fair. You know what I’m sayin’ is true. You saw it.?

Morse remembered. ?Fuckin’ A I saw it! It was big. And fast. Man, it was fast. And ugly.?He shuddered slightly. ?There’s cleaner ways to die.?

?Hey, that’s right.?Golic struggled futilely against his restraints. ?Let me loose, man. You got to let me loose. What if it gets in here? I couldn’t even run. I’d be dead meat.?