It was the last part of Andria’s statement that concerned me.

If GOLEM could whisper thoughts into its creations’ heads, then the computer could probably track members of its flock as well.

Suddenly our escape seemed a bit too easy.

ABE, relay the GPS coordinates of the doline crater to Andria. Ask her to take us there as quickly as possible. Track our course … alert me if she deviates in any way.

The transhuman machine banked hard into a southwesterly course, the sudden movement causing Oscar to stir.

“Hang in there, pal, we’re heading home.”

The cephaloped struggled to breathe, each wheezing agonized breath from its siphon organ sounding like an antique car horn.

I squeezed a tentacle and my hand was immediately covered in specks of warm blood. ABE, what’s wrong with him? What can I do?

ANALYSIS REQUIRED. TASTE OSCAR’S BLOOD.

I hesitated, then licked a dime-size droplet of blood from one of my fingers.

THE APHAERESIS DEVICE HAS DEPLETED OSCAR’S RED BLOOD CELL COUNT TO DANGEROUSLY LOW LEVELS. UNLESS OSCAR RECEIVES A BLOOD TRANSFUSION, HE WILL DIE OF ANEMIA.

How long before he suffocates?

THIRTY-SEVEN MINUTES.

Jesus … How far are we from the cephaloped colony?

AT OUR PRESENT COURSE AND SPEED: TWENTY-NINE MINUTES, THIRTY-FOUR SECONDS. HOWEVER, THE EMP ARRAY PREVENTS THE HUNTER-TRANSPORT FROM ENTERING THE CRATER, ADDING ANOTHER SEVENTEEN TO TWENTY-FOUR MINUTES IN ORDER TO DESCEND TO THE CRATER BASIN AND ACCESS THE COLONY. THERE IS ALSO NO EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE CEPHALOPEDS POSSESSING THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT NECESSARY TO PERFORM A BLOOD TRANSFUSION.

What about the surgical suite aboard Oceanus? It has the necessary equipment. We’d just need to find a suitable cephaloped donor.

ROBERT EISENBRAUN AND OSCAR BOTH HAVE TYPE O NEGATIVE BLOOD. ROBERT EISENBRAUN IS A COMPATIBLE DONOR.

How is that even possible? We’re two completely different species. Octopus blood is blue.

INCORRECT. WATER-SPECIES OCTOPUS BLOOD CONTAINS THE COPPER-RICH PROTEIN, HEMOCYANIN, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PALE-BLUE BLOOD FOUND IN ALL MOLLUSKS. TERRESTRIAL CEPHALOPEDS DO NOT POSSESS GILLS. AS AIR-BREATHERS, THEIR RED BLOOD CELLS NOW UTILIZE HEMOGLOBIN TO TRANSPORT OXYGEN IN THE BLOOD. ROBERT EISENBRAUN IS THEREFORE A COMPATIBLE DONOR.

*   *   *

Twenty-six minutes later, the Hunter-Transport raced up the beach where I had come on shore weeks earlier, landing next to Oceanus. It was four in the morning and the sand was alive with crustaceans, each fast-moving crab the size of a frying pan. Clutching Oscar’s torso to my chest, I dashed to the watertight door of the egress chamber, the clawed demons snapping at my companion’s trailing tentacles.

ABE guided me to the ladder leading up to the mid-deck, the bio-chip counting down the remaining minutes of my friend’s life. By now, Oscar was convulsing in my arms, each breath a pained snort of air—and I realized with alarm the sound might draw the bees.

FOUR MINUTES …