Start to scream and thrash and flap his arms, rip off the filthy old robes and scatter bugs everywhere. Because they were in his ears, and up his nose, and down the back of his shirt, and clumped so thickly on his limbs that he could hardly lift his feet. But that made it better, probably, made his progress look more like the cumbersome walk of a Hive Monk. And when they started passing Railforce check-points and he peered out through the eyeholes of his paper mask and the fringe of legs and feelers that rimmed them and saw the Bluebodies wave them by without even looking at them, well, then he realized that it was going to work, and that it was going to be worth it. From time to time, Nova’s words would come through his headset. “Not far now,” she’d say encouragingly, or “Look at the Bluebodies! They don’t even spare us a glance!” Only once were they stopped. A sub-officer stepped into their path when they were almost at the barriers and asked where they were going.
