Rebecca Ore’s most recent novel,

Gaia’s Toys,

was published by Tor in trade paperback last May. Her newest book,

The Outlaw School

, will be out from Avon sometime next year. Of her latest tale for

Asimov’s

Ms. Ore says, “A conversation about

hantavirus

with a researcher at the Virginia Museum of Natural History and fish-smuggling tales from members of the American Killie Association and American Cichlid Association led to this story. Bruce Turner, Ph.D., of Virginia Tech was the science consultant.”

A word of warning: There are some violent and sexual scenes in this story that may lie disturbing to some.