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He ran his finger over the picture and laughed when he saw her expression Her forehead rinkled, her eyes narrowed, as if trying to deter or why in the heavens it was taking so long He covered hisa sob

The vouchers went back into the box, but the ID slid into the breast pocket of his coveralls as if by Juliette’s own stubborn accord The next thing that caught his eye was a silver htly different rabbed this and leaned forward to pull his own tool out of his back pocket He co a few of the tools on hers and ad the smooth motion and neat click as each attach aa bit of , he switched the tools out He decided he would rather carry this ree or be pawned off to a stranger ouldn’t appreciate--

Lukas froze at the sound of footsteps and laughter He held his breath and waited for sohts to burst on The server clicked and whirred beside hi

He was pushing his luck, he knew, but there was ain and found an ornate wooden box, a valuable antique It was just slightly bigger than his pal he saw as the top slid aas a ring, a woold, but it was difficult to tell The red glow fro to appear dull and lifeless

He checked for an inscription, but found none It was a curious artifact, this ring He was certain Juliette hadn’t been wearing it when he’d known her and wondered if it was a relative’s, or a thing passed down fro He placed it back in the wooden box and reached for the other item inside, a bracelet of some sort No, not a bracelet As he pulled it out, he realized it was a watch, the face so tiny it n of the jeweled strap Lukas studied the face, and after atricks on him Or were they? He looked closely to be sure--and saw that one of the i worked

Before he could conte such an ite discovered with it, Lukas slid the watch into his chest pocket He looked at the ring sitting alone in the box, and after a moment’s hesitation, palh the cardboard box and gathered some of the loose chits at the botto it shut and returning it

What was he doing? He could feel a trickle of sork its way froth of his jawline The heat from the rear of the busy computer seemed to intensify He dipped his head and lifted his shoulder to dab the itchy run of sweat away There was more in the box, and he couldn’t help hi

He found a sh it It contained one to-do list after another, all of the items neatly crossed out He replaced this and reached for a folded piece of paper at the bottom of the box, then realized it was more than a piece He pulled out a thick collection of papers held together with brass fasteners Across the top, in handwriting similar to that in the notebook, was printed:

Main Generator Control Room Operation Manual

He flipped it open and found inscrutable diagrains It looked like soether herself, either as a reether over tiuide for others The paper was recycled without being pulped, he saw She had just written on the back He flipped the manual over and checked the lines and lines of printed text on the opposite side There were notes in the ins and a name circled over and over:

Juliette Juliette Juliette

He flipped the manual over and surveyed the rear, only to find it was the original front "The Tragic Historye of Romeus and Juliette," it said It was a play One Lukas had heard of In front of hi air over warm chips of silicone and wire He wiped the sweat from his forehead and tucked the bound play back into the box He neatly arranged the other ite back to his feet, Lukas doused his light and shoved it back into his pocket where it nestled against Juliette’s multi-tool With the box secured under one arm, he patted his chest with his other hand and felt her watch, her ring, and her ID there with its picture of her All tight against his bosom

Lukas shook his head He wondered what the hell he was thinking as he stole out of the shts watching hio

5

"Eyes, look your last!

Arms, take your last embrace! And, lips,

O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss

a dateless bargain to engrossing death!"

The bodies were everywhere Covered in dust and dirt, suits worn down by the toxic eaters that lived in the winds, Juliette found herself stu over more and more of them And then, they were constant, a ether A feere in suits sis that had been eaten away into streamers When the wind blew past her boots and across the bodies, strips of clothing waved like kelp in the down deep’s fish farms Unable to pick her way around the her way closer and closer to the sensor tower, the bodies easily in the hundreds, possibly the thousands