John Scalzi - Walk the Plank

EL-MASRI: You’re going to take care of this, then.

SPURLEA: When I go back in I’ll give him enough to get him to sleep. I’ll take care of it from there.

EL-MASRI: I’m sorry I have to be like this to you about it.

SPURLEA: I understand, Chen. I do. I’m just certain that when I die and meet Hippocrates, he’s going to be sorely disappointed in me.

EL-MASRI: He’s going to die anyway, and painfully. You wouldn’t be doing him any favors.

SPURLEA: I’m going to change the subject by saying, Look, here comes Magda.

GANAS: The easterly team found the containers with the crew from the Erie Morningstar .

EL-MASRI: What’s the report?

GANAS: Everyone’s dead. Death at impact at one site. Death by the pack, it looks like, at the other. They’re less than a klick apart, with the death-by-impact site being the most northerly one. The team took pictures, so if you want to have nightmares tonight, you can look.

EL-MASRI: No other containers?

GANAS: If they’re there, they haven’t found them yet.

EL-MASRI: Have them keep looking. Give all the other search teams the coordinates and fan out from there.

GANAS: How is Malik?

SPURLEA: The Rot’s in his blood.

GANAS: Jesus.

SPURLEA: Just another perfect day here in New Seattle.

EL-MASRI: Look at it this way. It’s unlikely to get much worse.

GANAS: Don’t jinx it.

EL-MASRI: Thank you, Aurel, Magda. I’ll let you know when or if we find those supplies.

SPURLEA: Thank you, Chen.

GANAS: There goes a right bastard.

SPURLEA: We knew what he was when we hired him.

GANAS: I know, but it’s painful to be reminded of it so frequently.

SPURLEA: Without him we might be dead already.

GANAS: Which is also painful to be reminded of so frequently.

SPURLEA: Come on. We have to give Malik his painkillers.

GANAS: Did Chen tell you to finish him off after you did?

SPURLEA: He did.

GANAS: Will you?

SPURLEA: I don’t know.

GANAS: You’re a good and decent man, Aurel. You really, truly are. How you ended up on a wildcat colony is beyond me.

SPURLEA: You’re one to talk, Magda. Let’s go in.

GANAS: All right.

SPURLEA: And turn that off. Whatever I do, I don’t want a record of it anywhere but on my conscience.