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Salances at her old friend as they walked He looked five kilos lighter than when he’d left, and a thin black beard grew on his chin and neck His hair looked like a dirty bird’s nest, but that was nothing new There’d been a ti his throwback hairstyle Clearly that hadn’t been a priority while living outside the city

A pair of Nightcliff guards stood to either side of the hangar door They eyed the newco Sam rolled the heavy doors closed behind theh the building before she turned to face her friend

Whatever she’d been about to say, the words died on her lips Skadz stood facing the euys were out on awith one Crashed"

"Skyler go doith it?"

"Many think so, but no He survived A lot of shit’s happened since then, though If he’s alive now, I have no idea It’s a long story"

Skadz digested that for a runted "So where is he? Where’s Jake? And where’s Prue on my walk in and it looked like the place had been bombed"

Sas to discuss "What are you doing here, Skadz? What do you want?"

"Huh?" he asked, and glanced over his shoulder at her "This is ar"

"Like hell it is"

He burst into laughter then, and pointed at her "The look on your bloody face! C’ ht I’d say hello Let’s open that bottle, yeah? I’ll stay the night, and we can trade our stories"

"Stories," Sah I’ll be da as yours Holy shit, Sanored the question "You walk aithout warning, for a year, and the reason you come back is to do business with Prumble? Where the hell have you been?"

"Here and there," he said with a shrug "Spent some time down in Derby, but mostly I just wandered Walkabout, the locals call it, yeah? It’s as boring as it sounds"

"If it was so boring why’d you go? Why’d you stay away so long?"

"Boring is exactly what I wanted, Sa the candyher height out of habit, and looked down into his bloodshot eyes "That’s it? You couldn’t handle the responsibility?"

He said nothing Instead he gave her an exaggerated shrug

"What a crock of shit," Sam said

Skadz sed hard "Fine, you need to know? Someone died"

"Lots of people die Everyone, in fact"

"Soe what they needed"

"Who?"

"Re down in Hidden Valley?"

Sahter Seven years old, cute as hell She had this condition, called … doesn’this head "No, fuck that It’s not that I couldn’t find the daht? The lists back then were huge Our missions totally mental One request out of hundreds slipped irl died"

"That …" Saic, but not the worst thing--"

"You want to know the worst part? Okay Mary told irl, before they crehttried, but I … I couldn’t reone Mary spotted it in e, threw my scatterbrained ass out, and told irl’s name, Sam"

Sam backed off a step "Jesus H Why didn’t you just tell us?"

"I already had to deal with seeing her accusing fucking stare every time I closed my eyes, Sammy Didn’t need to see the same every time I talked to you You or anyone else"

"It wouldn’t have been like that"

"Wouldn’t it? I can see it now, in your freaky blue eyes"

"Don’t I’oing to judge you, Skadz That’s in the past, and … Fuck, man, billions of people died You’re pretty dalared at her A flash of that te breath through flared nostrils, and the hardness in his face melted

"If it’s any consolation," Saround after you left But then …"

"Then?"

Sam motioned for him to sit "Neil Platz hired us, and truly did run us into the ground"

Chapter 29

Darwin, Australia

29SEP2283

RUSSELL BLACKFIELD WOUND up, sucked in a sharp breath, and heaved with both hands

The Jacobite painting flew fro in a flat trajectory for a ht A second later the flight turned to more of a plu, he ether

He watched the canvas tumble and flutter until it disappeared just over the wall of the fortress

"He scores!" Russell shouted as he thrust his fists into the air A faint echo of his cheer rebounded off the skyscrapers that huddled next to the fortress like beggars at a trash fire So barked viciously, and he even saw a few candles lit in the tos at his booht not have been the best tiine the horrible excuse for artwork, now that it had left his field of view The cult’s sacred i to be ripped apart by Darwin’s pickers when the sun rose

It was ale Ale of the roof, and inhaled The air tasted worse than it snant ocean with a hint of piss, a classic Darwin vintage amplified by time spent above Atmosphere on the space stations was sterile with a faint hint of metal and silicon Once in a while he’d catch a whiff of flatulence not his own, but otherwise it was like breathing nothing

He’d coiant armpit Darwin turned into when the rains went away It would be even worse when the sun rose