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Zane shook his head "If Tiiven a task ill get so we have never been good at I hope you don’tfor both of us, son," he said to Tim
"It’s the truth," Tim replied "Why do you think I was a technician on Anchor, instead of in the science lab?"
Tania felt a s at the corners of her ether in proxireet him on the rare occasion they passed each other in a hallway It wasn’t until he came forward in that moment of desperate need, and offered to pilot Black Level away from the rest of the station, and Darwin, that she really knew hiiven him a task and he’d risen to the occasion
"And why," Zane said, interrupting her s like the Platz Charities? Neil and I both knew I’delse"
"That’s not true," Tania protested by reflex Zane’s quickly raised hand silenced her
"It is true No need to sugarcoat it" He shifted farther in his seat and tilted his head quizzically "Come on, now, Tania We need you Don’t make me look to the kid here fordisputes with table tennis"
"I stand by that suggestion," Tihed, and only partly succeeded in suppressing it She knew then that she couldn’t walk away from these two
Zane went on "This little triumvirate doesn’t work if it’s just Tim and me We need you You’re part of this You’re what makes it work"
"Okay, okay If you two keep going on like this I’ll be in tears I’ll … try That’s the best I can offer right now" And she would try, for their sake more than her own But deep down she knew that Skyler had carved the hole in her confidence, and that wound would fester unless she did souys," she said "There’s so I need to do"
Tania rapped on the rear door of the APC and took a few steps back
The caely peaceful silence The gentle sound of the river filtered up fro fountain Sprinkled just above that came the flirtatious chatter of nocturnal birds, the occasional mew of a feral cat in the slums just north, and the roup of theht a collapsed tent, and it occurred to her she should help them since Skyler see dispelled that idea
She’d neglected to bring a flashlight or lantern, and realized suddenly she was standing in near total darkness outside the door The door swung open just enough for Skyler to poke his head out "Who’s there?"
"It’s Tania," she said
"Oh"
He clih and latched the door behind him with deliberate care Without a word he led her by the elbow a few paces away, to where a calowed in the fire circle
"I’o of her elbow "And I’m not sure there’s , and then you can go back to sleep"
She felt, ave her Despite herself she inhaled deeply, hoping to find soth in his scent But all she found was the smells of smoke and churned earth, of ash and rainfall The action made her feel pathetic
"Go ahead then," he said
Tania looked up at his face, just a shadow against the faint glow of starlight that filtered through the cloudy night sky behind So able to see his features, to stare into those narron eyes that always seeer, helped focus her resolve
"I’h at the ti the truth"
"And what is the truth, exactly?"
She looked up into the shadow that hid his face "That I agreed to Gabriel’s de everyone else At least, that’s what I let the others convinceothers doaone Or a … or a …"
"… a politician," Skyler said flatly
"Yes, exactly And I hate it It’s not the person I want to be"
He stood still for a longdown at her "I’iveness? I forgive you"
"No," she said "I didn’t ask for that"
"Then what?"
"I guess I’m here to tell you that your little trap to catch me in a lie was childish and disrespectful You knew the truth and you "
"You created the opportunity forI hated myself for Of course I’d take that It would shock me, frankly, if you wouldn’t, too, had the roles been reversed"