––––––––
Hugh stared at the brown, shapeless lump in front of him.
“It tastes better than it looks.” Ableson shifted nervously.
“I hope so.” He cut off a piece and hesitated with the fork halfway to his mouth. The last samples had been worse than bad.
“I promise, this one is good,” said Ableson.
Gruder mumbled something under his breath.
“Ignore him,” said Ableson.
Hugh was starting to sympathize with Conguise. He’d imagined killing both Gruder and Ableson a couple of times just today. He stuffed the food into his mouth before the two scientists started bickering again. He chewed.
“So?” Ableson leaned closer. “It’s good. Isn’t it?”
He started to nod. The flavor was decent but...He chewed and chewed.
“Spit it out before you choke,” said Gruder.
“It’s not that bad,” said Ableson.
