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It’s only when he sees the Dreains to worry What are the chances that Lassiter’s on that plane? Then he realizes that the riot squad isn’t just tranq’ing and yanking--they’re going against procedure, loading the ets loaded into a truck before Nelson can get to him, it’s over

Now he’s worried Heout binoculars, scanning the faces A gaggle of scared teenagers No Lassiter Sure, he ht be in the swarm, but if he is, Nelson can’t spot him He puts down the binoculars

"Crap!"

He knows that with every passing second his chances get sliet there or sh to stay away froet tranq’d as they run, but the farther they are away from the main action, the better their chances

Up ahead Nelson sees the dark silhouette of one s to carry an older tranq’d kid on his back--re Nelson of the way ants will carry off their wounded But apparently this kid has better sense than an ant, because he gives up, drops the bigger kid in the dust, and takes off into the shadows

Nelson almost doesn’t check the dropped kid He alle face running by, but Nelson is nothing if not thorough He grabs the unconscious the kid by the hair, lifts his head out of the dirt, and practically yells with triuht to hiht in his path!

Nelson wastes no tis, and weaves through the aircraft, heading toward his waiting van As he crosses an outer aisle, he’s spotted by another Juvey

"Forget him," the cop says "Leave him for Sanitation and Transport Our orders are to take out the bolters" And to ehter jets, tranqing her into the dust

"Special orders on this one," Nelson tells hiet past, but the other cop won’t yield

"Why? Is he the one who’s been starting the fires in town?"

"Yeah," Nelson says "He’s the one"

Then behind them, three kids try to break for the outer aisles, and their atteh for Nelson to get past him

The farther from the main aisle, the fewer AWOLs, and the fewer cops Transport trucks are already here on the outskirts, gathering whatever tranq’d kids they find before h-density zone The San & Tran workers treat the fallen kids withthes in either powder blue or pink that cover everything but their faces, so that their precious parts are protected in transit

Nelson reaches his van, dumps Connor in the back, and drives out the way he ca he’s not in the clear yet

As he nears the gate, there’s a s of Juvey squad cars--as if any of the AWOLs will be stupid enough to try to get out through the e "Orders to take this van to HQ It’s being iimpounded as evidence! They couldn’t wait for a tow truck?"

"When can they wait for anything?"

The cop shakes his head "Incredible!" And he waves Nelson through

As Nelson leaves the Graveyard behind, he turns on the radio, surfs until he finds a song he knows, and sings with rare joy

Divan, his black ns Nelson now sees will soon be seen through the Akron AWOL’s eyes That’s the real reward, far more important than the cash Nelson doesn’t even remember what this kid’s eyes are like, but it doesn’t matter Whatever their color, whatever their acuity, they’ll be the last pair Nelson will ever need They will be perfect!

He’s still thinking of Connor’s eyes when he hears the high-pitched blast of a tranq pistol and feels a sudden sharp pain in his leg, then a second, then a third

His hands, suddenly lead-heavy, fall froth, he forces his head to turn so he can see his attacker

Rising fro as the desert around theun," Lev says "How pathetic"

71 - Lev

Nelson had used Lev to help him find Connor--and now Lev has returned the favor With soanyone out of the Graveyard would be a miracle And then Lev realized that, at least for the reatest ally Both Nelson and Lev had the saet Connor away from the Juvies and out of the Graveyard alive So Lev carried an unconscious Connor right into Nelson’s path Lev risked exposing his identity, but with so hts and spotlights, it was easy to keep his face in shadows, then drop Connor and run, letting Nelson do the hard work of getting Connor out

While Nelson carried Connor off, Lev raced ahead and slipped into his van, keeping low--hoping that Nelson would be distracted by the events around hih at his catch to never notice that Lev was hiding in the backseat

Now, half a mile from the Graveyard, Nelson slumps in the driver’s seat, unconscious, and Lev hurries to take the wheel, keeping the truck fro Nelson aside, he stomps on the brakes, and the van co left to do

Leaving the van, Lev doubles back on foot to the gate From his position on the floor of the van, he hadn’t been able to see how ets close, he sees there are only a handful--all the rest are in the battle zone The scant chaparral of the desert doesn’t provide enough cover to hide hiet closer

He told the kid at the gate to get Miracolina and take her someplace safe The kid said he would do it, but Lev has to be sure

There’s a squad car right in front of the spot where Miracolina had been, and a Juvey-cop leans against it, talking on his radio The moment the Juvey-cop looks away, Lev darts behind the car, keeping low, and checks behind the dry bushes

She’s not there