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It was a "huators lay into Innie prisoners with the things He kne debilitating they were, and though Avery doubted the bouncer had as much skill with the hu up jerking around in a puddle of his own piss on this class establish at the center of his table "I'ht here"

"Listen, you jarhead son of a--"

But Avery's reach was just a feint As the bouncer leaned forward to follow, Avery grabbed the man's wrist and pulled it over his shoulder Then he yanked down, breaking it at the elbow

The girl on the stage screah the bouncer's shirt, spattering blood on her face and hair

As the bouncer howled and dropped to his knees, two of his partners--si chairs out of their way Avery stood and turned to ht and e of his nose that snapped his head back and sent his own blood arcing toward the stage

Avery reeled back into the bouncers' crushing arms But as they rushed him out the club's back door, one of the to the alley In that ive er away fro sirens before a pair of blue and white sedans deposited four of the Zone's finest on the club's doorstep

Stu Halsted's crowded sidewalks, his dress uniforues, Avery fled frolances to a dirty crawlspace beneath a riveted riser for the local o's old elevated railway, still recognizable despite centuries of shoring Avery stuffed a green plastic trash bag between himself and the riser and settled into a fitful stupor

Make ht This had been his Aunt's instruction on the day of his enlist up to cup his nineteen-year-old chin Become the man I know you can be

And Avery had tried He'd left Earth ready to fight for her and those like her--innocents whose lives the UNSC had convinced him were threatened by men inimical but otherwise identical to him Killers Innies The enemy But where was the pride? And what had he beco in the arined the perfect shot that would have saved all in the restaurant and his fellow marines But deep down he knew there was no perfect shot No ic bullet that could stop the Insurrection

Avery felt a chill that jerked hier train overhead had only shifted the bag of trash, setting Avery's back against the perspiring metal of the old brace He leaned forward and put his head between his knees "I' his aunt were alive to hear it

Then his uilt and rage

Lieutenant Downs slah force to rock the loept vehicle on its four thick tires He'd had the kid hooked, ready to enlist But then the parents got wind of his efforts, and the whole thing fell apart If it weren't for Downs' uniforh he was no longer field-fit, in his dress blues, the UNSC Marine Corps recruiter was still an i presence

As the Lieutenant reordered hismen who'd shown any interest in his cold calls and street-corner pitches--he re wartime With a war as brutal and unpopular as the Insurrection, his job was damn near impossible Not that his CO cared Downs' quota was five new o he hadn't landed even one

"You gotta be kidding rimaced as he rounded the back of his sedan Someone had used a can of red spray-paint to scrawl INNIES OUT on the vehicle's thick bumper

Downs sly popular slogan--a rallying cry for the more liberal core-world citizens who believed the best way to end the killing in Epsilon Eridanus was siive the Insurrectionists the autonomy they desired

The Lieutenant wasn't a politician And while he doubted the UN leadership would ever appease the Innies, he knew a few things for sure: The as still on, the Marine Corps was an all-volunteer force, and he only had a few days to fill his quota before someone with a lot more brass than him took another bite out of his already well-chewed ass

The Lieutenant popped the sedan's trunk, and removed his dress cap and briefcase As the trunk closed automatically behind him, he strode toward the recruito's old, near-north side As Downs neared the door, he noticed a ainst it

"48789-20114-AJ," Avery ain?" Downs asked He knew a UNSC serial number when he heard it But the Lieutenant still hadn't quite accepted the drunk outside his office was the Marine Corps Staff Sergeant indicated by the four gold chevrons on his filthy dress-coat's sleeve

"It's valid," Avery said, raising his head frohtened his soldiers He wasn't used to taking orders from a noncommissioned officer

Avery belched "I'ot Downs' attention He cracked his briefcase in the crook of his elbow and withdrew his COM pad "GiveAvery's slowly repeated serial nuer

A few seconds later Avery's service record appeared on the pad The Lieutenant's eyes widened as a long string of meritorious citations and battlefield commendations cascaded down the monochromatic screen ORION, KALEIDOSCOPE, TANGLE-WOOD, TREBUCHET

Dozens of programs and operations, most of which Downs had never even heard of Attached to Avery's file was a priority e from FLEETCOM, the Navy and Marine Corps headquarters on Reach

"If you're AWOL, no one seems to mind" Downs placed his COM pad back into his briefcase "In fact, I'm pleased to inform you that your request for transfer has been approved"

For a moment, Avery's tired eyes flashed with suspicion He hadn't requested a transfer But in his current groggy state, anything sounded better than being shipped back to Epsilon Eridanus His eyes darkened onceas it's quiet," Avery ainst the recruits of a marine in full battle dress on a poster taped to the inside of the door that read: STAND FIGHT SERVE Avery's closed his eyes