In other words, he'd have to find out for himself. And the trouble with the shield was that as well as not letting anything in, it wouldn't let anything out. He'd probably be fine if he dropped it, but something wasn't quite right with his sensors because it was picking up two heartbeats from this man.

Nevertheless, he dropped the shield. All anyone else would see was a flash of blue. He should only need to keep it down for a short time - short enough that he hoped he wouldn't be infected again.

He held out a hand, palm upwards. "I'll try one."