Starfish

Starsh
Watts, Peter
Published : 2000
Type(s) : Novels, Science Fiction
Source : http://www.rifters.com

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2About Watts:
Peter Watts is a Canadian science ction author and marine-mammal biologist.  Maelstrom
(2001)  Behemoth
(2007)  Blindsight
(2006)
Copyright: www.feedbooks.com

Contents
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Creative Commons License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Prelude: Ceratius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
I Duet 14
1 Constrictor 15
2 A Niche 25
3 Housecleaning 37
II Rome 40
1 Neotenous 41
2 Elevator Boy 48
3 Crush 52
4 Autoclave 57
5 Waterbed 60
6 Doppelg
¨
anger 64
7 Angel 67
8 Feral 75
9 Shadow 77
III Ballet 80
1 Dancer 81
2 Short Circuit 96
3 Critical Mass 105
IV Dryback 113
1 Jumpstart 114
2 Muckraker 117
3 Scream 125
4 Bulrushes 139
3

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45 Ghosts 144
V Seine 155
1 Entropy 156
2 Carousel 160
3 Ecdysis 164
4 Alibis 169
VI Quarantine 174
1 Bubble 175
2 Enema 178
3 Turncoat 184
VII Head Cheese 186
1 Theme and Variation 187
2 Ground Zero 191
3 Software 195
4 Racter 202
VIII End Game 209
1 Night Shift 210
2 Scatter 212
3 Reptile 219
4 Skyhop 222
5 Floodlight 224
6 Sunrise 226
7 Jericho 229
8 Detritus 233
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For Susan Oshanek, on the off chance that she's still alive.
And for Laurie Channer—who to my unexpectedly good fortune, denitely is.

Acknowledgements

References

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Creative Commons License
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 You are free:  to Share—to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work
 to Remix—to make derivative works
Under the following conditions: 
 Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.




Prelude: Ceratius
The abyss should shut you up.

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12monsters to their lair."
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13the Grid Authority ever gets off its corporate ass and nishes what they started.
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Part I
Duet 15

Chapter
I Constrictor
When the lights go out in Beebe Station, you can hear the metal groan.

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17Something hits Beebe from the outside.
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18They stop for a moment, hands resting on the line that guided them here.
"I'll never get used to it," Ballard grates in a caricature of her usual voice. www.feedbooks.com

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19Then:
Why am I still alive? www.feedbooks.com

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And then, dully surprised that she hasn't seen it before:
She never did. www.feedbooks.com

Chapter
II A Niche

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29"And you."
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30"Sonar doesn't lie," Clarke says calmly.
"Neither does seismo," Ballard answers. www.feedbooks.com

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31from the gums.
She turns and backtracks. The cloud on the seabed is starting to settle.
"Ballard," she says in her synthetic voice.
Nobody answers. www.feedbooks.com

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37Clarke steps toward her.
"Don't call me a basket case," she says, her voice absolutely level. www.feedbooks.com

Chapter
III Housecleaning
So. They say you're a beater.

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Part II
Rome 41

Chapter
I Neotenous

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43"Vanceattle? Which one?"
Shrug.
"Don't you have a watch?"
"Lost it."
You've got to help him, Shadow said. www.feedbooks.com

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44Back. Forward. Pain.
"—under sections 151 and 152 of the N'Am Pacic Criminal Code." www.feedbooks.com

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45"They said I was typical. They said, they said lots of the one-fty-one's used the
same rationale ." www.feedbooks.com

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46Alloplasty.
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48"Pre-adapted," was what he said.
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Chapter
II Elevator Boy

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50well before the turn of the century.
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Chapter
III Crush
Pre-adapted .

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56Was this what it was like for you?
No. This didn't take so long. www.feedbooks.com

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Chapter
IV Autoclave

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59Sometimes she just comes here to sleep.
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Chapter
V Waterbed
Taking off his diveskin is like gutting himself.

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64climbs away overhead.
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Chapter
VI Doppelg
¨
anger
Beebe's almost as soundproof as the inside of an echo chamber.

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66doesn't even have to stand up, until she feels normal again.
When in doubt, stay out of sight.
"Alice?"
The hatch is closed. There's no answer. www.feedbooks.com

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67He looks at her, his face framing a question around empty eyes.
"What have you got against Fischer?" she says, nearly whispering. www.feedbooks.com

Chapter
VII Angel

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70And nothing goes dead fast enough.
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72Fischer shakes his head. "That's okay. I can stay here."
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75Maybe this beautiful light is hurting his eyes.
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Chapter
VIII Feral
"Hey," Caraco buzzes as they come around the corner. "Number four."

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Chapter
IX Shadow
It's a nightmare.

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79"You're not supposed to be here."
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80"She's a...friend. When I was young."
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Part III
Ballet 81

Chapter
I Dancer

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85"It didn't belong here," Acton buzzes.
"Neither do we."
"It was suffering. You said so yourself." www.feedbooks.com

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86Acton stops. "Yeah. I was kind of hard on him, wasn't I?"
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88"...that's something else again," Acton says.
She never gured him for a bookworm. Still, there he is again, plugged into the
library. Stray light from the eyephones leaks across his cheeks. www.feedbooks.com

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89"That him?" Caraco says.
Clarke shakes her head.
"Maybe it is. Everyone else is—" www.feedbooks.com

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90"Um, Lenie..."
Clarke turns.
"What about you?" Caraco asks.
"Me?" www.feedbooks.com

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93low for dryback vision; Clarke and Acton see a room suffused in pale uorescence.
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95—before common sense sets in. Gerry Fischer wouldn't use a headlamp.
"Lenie?"