Page 2 (1/2)

"You know, there are three kinds of waves associated with earthquakes," I said, in an attempt at nonchalance "P waves, S waves, L waves See, the sonic boom is caused by the primary waves-"

"And the ancient Chinese believed it was the dragon shifting in its sleep," David interrupted ain, he had a point "Okay What if I order you to stop it?" I asked

David shook his head, looking down at the continued waves ainst power It would only s worse I can’t oppose him directly"

"So it is Jonathan" As if I had any doubt We’d been playing keep-aith the state of Nevada for nearly three days, circling around And every ti to stop us Hail the size of basketballs that I’d barely been able to keep fro storms Wind walls You name it, we’d run into it

And from it

I’d spent a considerable a the careful balance of the ecosyste fireballs at us y equation, or that whipping up a tornado ht rip apart the stability of the weather half a continent away Kevin I could understand; he was a kid, and kids don’t think of consequences But Jonathan I knew he had the capacity to balance the scales He just hadn’t

Hanging inus anywhere I sucked in a deep breath and said, "Plan B, I guess"

"I think we’re h the alphabet," David replied "Jo, I really thought we could get through to Las Vegas, but we’re not even co up, so don’t even think about saying it"

I couldn’t give up Kevin and Jonathan were a partnership iven Kevin the opportunity to do that Also, I should have been able to stop Kevin froifted Warden in the world, iving up now The cost could be incalculable in lives and property, and one of theht now, the sa and ripped iical parts out of hi Leas so powerful ic was part of him He couldn’t do without it

However, the trouble was that Kevin now possessed so ically talented idiot trying to as-were as obvious and vulnerable as black bugs on a pristine white floor No place to hide Nowhere to go, except onward, hoping we’d be able to avoid the giant’s crushing power

We had, so far But clearly they were just playing with us

Two

I had a dreadful thought "Is there anybody else on this road?" Kevin, I kneouldn’t go out of his way to rack up civilian casualties, but I was far froo out of his way to avoid it, either

"Not in range I can dampen the vibrations a little, at the outskirts, and he’s focusing it right beneath us No one’s been hurt" The unspoken yetcan he keep it up?"

David shotas he wants?"

"Exactly" Fro a little inadequate "We’ll have to wait hiain

"So," I said, and forced a little lightness into my voice, "hoe pass the time?"

David wasn’t in thething below us and said, "Catch some rest while you can I’ll keep watch"

Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I got his point I was tired, and unlike David, I was only human these days

Not that I was bitter about that, or anything

Much

Weather is nothing but the practical application of quantum mechanics There’s no way to make quantum mechanics simple, but ultimately it boils down to the interactions of particles so s is divisible by so else, down to particles so srasp them or even measure them in any way except by the effects they leave behind Particles behave like waves Nothing is what it see quantuic, or art-or the truethe weather,energy, annihilating quarks against antiquarks or protons against antiprotons, and it’s both destructive and clean It canrain, or a thunderstorht Life or death

It’s a lot of responsibility, and I’m afraid the Wardens don’t really take it all that seriously sometimes We’re huot lives, and families, and all the noretting the four am call from the office, especially if it’s to fix somebody else’s ot plenty of those Greed, for one Greed and power have always been really good bedfellows, but greed and ic are the deadliest of evil twins

I’d had a few brushes with how absolutely power could corrupt The Wardens were built on solid, idealistic principles, but so the way some of us-maybe even a lot of us-had lost the mission There were a few faithful, altruistic ones left (I didn’t dare countthem)

It’s never been my job, orwas right in the grand sches I’ useful and doinga killer wardrobe and bitchin’ shoes doesn’t hurt

I never wanted to be in an ethical struggle It shouldn’t be , who lives, who dies It shouldn’t be anybody’s job, but most especially not irl who likes fast cars and fast men and expensive clothes, not necessarily in that order

But you do the job you’re handed

I couldn’t sleep Ifor the other shoe to drop? Even as exhausted as I was, fear keptmy eyes for ing there, watching the road ripple in the brightoccurred to

"Can I fly this thing?" I asked As if eren’t already hanging a ton of steel in ine D’oh! "I "