�Biological weapons? Well, they�re these things�um, disease sort of things, I think�and they kill lots of people,� said Newt lamely. �Many lots of people. Very painfully.�

�Really,� said Cain. His eyes were very bright, and very gold.

�Er, yes. Very painfully,� Newt repeated, and coughed. �They�re not nice at all.�

�No, I shouldn�t think so.�

Newt felt that a different topic might be safer, but for some reason nothing came to mind and he rambled desperately to avoid looking at Cain�s intent expression. �See, how it happens is, one person drops a bomb or something in a big crowded area, and all the people there get infected, like, and they go round infecting others and everybody dies. Painfully. Like smallpox, your skin sort of blisters up, I�ve heard, and it�s all very uncomfortable.�

�I�ve heard of smallpox,� said Cain, distantly. �Do go on.�

�Biological weapons are bad,� Newt found himself saying. It seemed to require stressing. �Very bad things, like. They�re illegal. I think. Most of them. For bad nations, anyway.�

�Mmhmm.� Cain dismissed legality blithely; laws, of course, were for the peasantry. �Exactly what are these bombs?�

�I don�t know exactly,� Newt mumbled. �Some of them send gas everywhere, I think. Disease gas. Makes everyone sick.�

Cain said, �Interesting.�

�They�re bad things, biological weapons,� said Newt, miserably. �Very bad.�

�Of course,� said Cain. He smiled.