The machine's job was to defend its place against enemies—but it had forgotten it had friends! I It was different this time. There was a dry pain in my lungs, and a deep ache in my bones, and a fire in my stomach that made me want to curl into a ball and mew like a kitten. My mouth tasted as though mice had nested in it, and when I took a deep breath wooden knives twisted in my chest. I made a mental note to tell Mackenzie a few things about his pet controlled-environment tank—just as soon as I