“Special dispensation,” the woman said, following briskly, her nose wrinkling. “What"s that smell?” Her speech was as devoid of expression as her face. The twin ranks of muscular suits followed her with uncanny precision.
“The alien. And most of the smell is now contained by his envirosuit. You should have smelled it before.” Erastus pushed through the first set of double doors.
“The Kziznvxrfn, right? What"s his name, Agent Doukas?”
He glanced askance at her. “You said that almost as well as the female prisoner. She calls him `Xsirh," but his full name is much longer. You should hear her say it. Tongue-twister doesn"t do it justice.”
“ `Xsirh?" ”
“Yeah, just like that, better than I can pronounce it. You a linguinologist, or something?” The word didn"t sound quite right to him. Erast
