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Satisfied, Monk headed out

Konstantin kept up, but Kiska and Pyotr struggled The as steep Monk and Marta both helped the s them up the harder patches Finally, they reached the top of the rise Ahead, more hills spread in all directions, mostly wooded with a few open meadows Off to the left, not too far away, a wide patch of silver e lake

Monk stepped in that direction With a lake like that, there should be people, sorabbed his elbow "We can’t go that way Only death lies that way" His other hand squeezed the badge affixed to his belt, a radiation otten about that danger He flipped his badge up Its surface hite, but as the radiation levels rose, it would begin to turn pink, then red, then dark crinancy test--

Photo-flashes ofblue eye, tiny fingernails--

Then nothing again

His head throbbed He fingered the tender suture line through his wool cap Konstantin looked at him with narrow, concerned eyes

Kiska, who Monk had learned was Konstantin’s sister, hugged her arry," she whispered, as if fearful of both being heard and of shoeakness

Konstantin frowned in his sister’s direction, but Monk knew they all should eat to keep their strength up After their panicked flight, they needed aMonk stared toward the lake while fingering his badge

Only death lies that way

He needed to better understand their situation

"We’ll find a place to shelter and eat quickly," Monk said

He crossed down into the next valley A series of ses The place sparkled with a dozen waterfalls and cataracts The air smelled loamy and damp Halfway down, a fern-strewn cliff side had been eroded into a pocket with an overhang He led the children to it

They hunkered down and opened packs Protein bars and bottled water were passed around

Monk searched his pack No weapons, but he did find a topographic round The header was in Cyrillic Konstantin joined hi on a peanut-butter-flavored bar Monk noted the mountainous landscape was marked with scores of tiny Xs

"Mines," Konstantin said "Uraniu the Cyrillic header, then waved an arm to encompass the area "The Southern Ural Mountains Chelyabinsk district Center of old weapons factories Very dangerous"

The boy tapped all around the ical hazard symbols dotted the terrain "Many open mines, old radiochemical and plutonium plants Nuclear waste facilities All shut down, except for one or two" He waved to indicate a far distance away

Monkdown at all the hazard symbols "And all I wanted to knohere ere"

"Very dangerous, da," Konstantin warned He pointed an arht "Lake Karachay Liquid waste duround for old Mayak atomic complex You stand one hour by the lake and you will be dead a week later We o around"

Konstantin leaned closer to the map and tapped in the center of a cluster of mines and radiation plants "We coround city--Chelyabinsk 88--where thousands of prisoners were housed orked the mines One ofbuildings he had seen in the cavern Obviously someone else had found a new use for the abandoned place

Konstantin continued, "We lanced up to Monk to make sure he understood "Which means we must cross the Asanov swaer over anotheron the far side of the lake

Monk didn’t understand Weren’t they seeking to escape, to get to someone who could help the to the lanced to Pyotr, who cradled with Marta on a bed ofboy’s words to him

Save us

Konstantin turned back to Monk "It is e brought you here"

11:30 AM

General-Major Savina Martov glowered at the assembled children They were in the school’s lowed froe LCD screen behind her

"Has anyone seen this ? He own"

The children stared blankly at her from banks of wooden seats They’d all been rousted early from their dornated by the color of their shirts The white-shirted sat at the back, those who carried the genetic rays sat in the middle, mildly talented, but not remarkable

Unlike the ten who shared the front seats