“Where’s Waela?” He shouted it in desperation. He had to have help. Waela might understand.

“Waela’s pregnant and she’s been sent shipside to the Natali. We don’t have birthing facilities here yet.”

“Lewis, please listen to me, please believe. Ship awakened me from hyb to put you all on notice. You don’t have much time left to . . .”

“We have all the time in this world!”

“That’s it! And this world has only seven more diurns. Ship demands that we learn the proper WorShip before . . .”

“WorShip! We can’t waste time on such nonsense. We have to make a whole planet safe to live on!”

“Lewis, I have to talk to Oakes.”

“You think I’m going to bother the Ceepee with your babblings?”

“You forget that I’m a Ceepee.”

“You’re insane and you’re a clone.”

“Unless you listen to me, you’re headed for destruction. Ship will break the . . . it will be the end of humankind forever.”

“I have my orders about you, Thomas, and I’m going to obey them. There’s only room for one Ceepee here.”

The hatch behind Thomas popped open and he whirled to see the yellow dayside lights of the passage framing an E-clone sentry there—giant head, round black hole for a mouth, huge arms that hung nearly to his ankles. The eyes were glaring red and bulbous.

“You!” A growling voice issued from the round black hole. “Out here!”

One of the massive hands reached in, closed around Thomas’ neck and jerked him out into the passage.

“WorShip. We have to learn how to WorShip,” Thomas croaked.

“I get tired a hearin’ that WorShip crap,” the sentry said. “You’re movin’ out.” The sentry released his neck and gave Thomas a violent push down the passage.

“Where are we going? I have to talk to Oakes.”

The sentry lifted one of his arms, pointed down the passage. “Out!”

“But I . . .”

Another push sent Thomas stumbling. There was no resisting the strength of this clone. Thomas allowed himself to be herded down the passage. It curved to the right and ended at a locked hatch. The sentry took one of Thomas’ arms in a relentless grip, opened the hatch. It swung wide to reveal the open ground of Pandora in the harsh cross-lighting of Alki swinging low on the horizon to his left. A sudden push from the clone sent Thomas sprawling into the open and took his breath away. He heard the hatch slam closed. Somewhere above him, he heard the distant fluting of a flock of hylighters.

They’ve sent me into the open to die!

Chapter 51

Chapter 51

And the Lord said, “Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language . . . and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Let us go down and confound their language that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

—Christian Book of the Dead, Shiprecords