in front of the bakery (they always seemed to be there) doing a synchronized display wave with their willies, and he was about to defend himself with a comment about Amy's past, but then he decided that there was just no need to watch that little brain movie, let alone use it as some kind of weapon against what was essentially just Amy-style teasing - one of the things he found he adored about her as soon as he'd allowed himself to admit that he could adore someone again.
The whaley boys snickered at him as they passed.
"You guys are all just big, squeaky bath toys," Nate said under his breath, knowing they could hear him anyway. Nate had been insulting them every time he and Amy went by for a week or so, just to irritate them. Maybe Amy was rubbing off on him.
The whaley boys blew a collective sputtering raspberry.
"Sentient? You guys can't even spell sentient," Nate whispered.
And then the reward. He loved watching creatures with four digits try to flip him the middle finger.
"Yeah, I'm the immature one," Amy said.
Life is good, Nate thought. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was happy. Kinda.
In the morning a brace of whaley boys came to take him to the Colonel. Amy wasn't even there to kiss him good-bye.
Chapter 35~36
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Yeah, but You
Can't Dance to It
The Colonel was standing in the middle of the mother-of-pearl amphitheater when the whaley boys led Nate in.
"You two go on now," the Colonel said to the whaley boys. "Nate can find his way back."
"You came out of your lair," Nate said.
The Colonel looked older, more drawn than when Nate had seen him before.
"I don't want to be in contact with the Goo for what I'm going to tell you."
"I thought it didn't get information that way," Nate said.
The Colonel ignored him. "I was hoping you would have had a brainstorm to solve my problem, Nate, but you haven't, have you?"
"I'm working on it. It's more complex - »
"You've been distracted. I'm disappointed, but I understand. She's a piece of work, isn't she? And I mean that in the best sense of the word. Never forget that I chose to send her to you."
Nate wondered how much the Colonel knew about them and how he knew it. Reports from the whaley boys? From the Goo itself, through osmosis or some extended nervous system? "Distraction has nothing to do with it. I've thought a lot about your problem, and I'm not sure I agree with you. What makes you think the Goo is going to destroy humanity?"
"It's a matter of time. That's all. I need you to carry a message for me, Nate. You'll be responsible for saving the human race. That should go some measure toward consoling you."
"Colonel, is there any chance you can be more direct, less cryptic, and tell me for once what the hell you're talking about?"
"I want you to go to the U.S. Navy. They need to know about the threat of the Goo. One well-placed nuclear torpedo should do it. It's deep enough that they shouldn't have any problem justifying it to other countries. There won't be any fallout. They're just going to need someone credible to convince them of the threat. You."
"What about the people down here? I thought you wanted to save them."
"I'm afraid they're going to be a necessary sacrifice, Nate. What are five thousand or so people, most of whom have lived longer than they would have on the surface, compared with the whole human race, six billion?"
"You crazy bastard! I'm not going to try to convince the navy to nuke five thousand people and all the whaley boys as well. And you're more deluded than I thought if you think they'd do it on my word."
"Oh, I don't expect that. I expect they'll send down their own research team to confirm what you tell them, but when they get here, I'll see to it that they get the message that the Goo is a threat. In any case you'll survive."
"I think you're wrong about the Goo finding us dangerous. And even if you were right, what if it just decides to wait us out? On the Goo's time scale, it can just take a nap until we're extinct. I'm not doing it."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Nate. I guess I'll have to find another way."
Nate suddenly realized that he'd blown it - his chance to