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Dr Craven pushes his glasses up his nose as he reads it "Thank you, pumpkin This will be very useful," he says distractedly, already turning back to his microscope

"We’ll leave you to it," Natalie says

We head out of the hospital and go to the Mess Hall, since that’s where Martha said Lucinda, Day, Beetle and Elijah had gone We bu co

"Mind if I join you? I’ his flat stoet any ideas" Bastets have been known to eat Darklings

Acelot grins "I can’tparticularly tasty today,with activity as the soldiers arrive for the first lunch shift We grab some trays of food and find everyone at one of the tables in the far corner of the rooot his foot up on a seat, his arm draped around Day’s shoulders As always he’s a total led than ever, his juravy How does he do it? Day, on the other hand, looks pristine, her julossy black hair tied back into a braid

Opposite thelass of Synth-O-Blood She sniffs back tears, and I wonder if she’s thinking about Kieran Beside her, Elijah is chatting to a pretty brunette soldier at the next table She whispers soht red He looks up as we approach He glances at Natalie, then quickly lowers his eyes It can’t be easy for hiether As uy has a crush onjealous It just leads to heartache andonto his plate as I sit down "Thought you ht like this I kno much you love birds," I tease

"Ha-ha, very funny," he says, rolling his honey-colored eyes

Acelot s off his brother’s plate We quickly fill the we know about the attack on Centrus Everyone has turned a shade paler by the time we’ve finished

"That’s so lances at so?"

I turn Destiny is on top of one of the tables, dressed in white Pilgrim robes People’s looks of confusion quickly turn to fear as she speaks

"His Mighty has looked into your souls, and He has seen your impurity," she says vehemently "You will be cleansed from this earth for your sins, to make way for the new order One faith! One race! One nation, under His Mighty! So sayeth us all!"

The glasses on everyone’s tables begin to rattle as a low huh the compound Natalie throws me a panicked look I know that sound

Destroyer Ships

25

ASH

I PULL NATALIE under the table just as the first bo, and metal trays clank to the floor as the bomb hits the compound The scent of blood hitsScreahts blink off, replaced by the red ehout the compound wharp-wharp-wharp-wharp There’s a hiss as the sprinklers turn on, putting out the fires that are already sweeping through the Mess Hall

Natalie’s panicked eyes catchDay, and Lucinda covers her head with her ar next to the Elijah with his body, shielding hi out of Acelot’s back Blood pu hiazing up at me A trickle of blood seeps out of his parted lips

"Ace, oh God," I say, ht

Elijah stares at his brother "No," he says, shaking his head "NononoNO!"

There’s a terrifying screech of bendingthe concrete ceiling won’t lastto cave in

"We have to get out of here, bro!" Beetle shouts over the noise

I place Acelot’s body on the ground Elijah blinks and tears streao," I say

Elijah sniffs and nods He gives his brother one last pained look, and then we’re scra over the injured, the dead, not stopping to help I briefly register Destiny’s twisted, broken body strewn in parts across the floor I feel nothing The six of uscollapses, sending up a plume of dust The shock waves knock us off our feet I skid across the floor, sainst the wall Oooph! The air is knocked out of et everyone out of here I scramble to my feet and help Natalie up

All around us there’s a tremendous thud-boom-thud-boom-thud-booe,rattle I feel like we’re in a snow globe, being tossed about and showered with debris

"We need to get to the Transporters," Day says

"I have to get my mom!" Elijah says

"My parents," Natalie replies "Martha! Oh God, Ash!"

"Where’s Roach?" Beetle says

Roach was in command central with Natalie’s parents andMy stour I can’t lose him and my dad in the same week I can’t I can’t I can’t We race down the sidewalk leading toward command central, which is on the way to the hospital ward People are running in every direction Soency protocol, but everyone else, us included, is just racing to find their loved ones Everywhere I turn, walls are cru; subway trains have slid off the tracks and their cables drag across the railways, sparking blue with electricity

There’s a pop of gunfire as we turn the corner Slater races down the sidewalk toward us, his gun raised For a terrifying, heart-twisting second I think he’s going to shoot us, but then he aims his weapon over our shoulders and shoots the people behind us I whip around Sentry guards sware boy dressed in a gray unifor butterfly medal on his chest Sebastian Even frolint in his newly silver eyes

"Ash, his eyes," Natalie gasps