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"You won’t get out," Deucalion said "They’ve taken over the police, all authorities Roads are blocked at both ends of town They’re seizing key utilities--telephones, the power company The weather helps them because people will tend to stay at home, where their replicants can ing devices," Sammy said, "without the Internet, KBOW is the only efficient way to warn a lot of people"
Ralph Nettles said, "I’ve got guns I … collect"
Saht that the even-teineer probably had a plan for every contingency froh he’d never heard Ralph say a word to suggest that he collected guns, he wasn’t surprised by this disclosure, and he suspected that the collection would prove to be extensive, though just short of a quantity that would justify the use of the word paranoid
"I have enough to defend this place," Ralph said "My house is less than a mile away I could be back here with arms and ammo to spare in … twenty o with you, and we’ll be much quicker than twenty"
The front-door buzzer sounded KBOW was locked to visitors after the reception lounge closed at five-thirty
"That’ll be Transport Number One," Deucalion said "They think they have four zombies to collect Wait here I’ll deal with the revelation of the existence of the replicants and the sight of their alien innards would prove to be less startling than Deucalion’s departure from the room He, Ralph, Mason, and even half-catatonic Burt all cried out in surprise, however, when Deucalion, turning away from them, did not merely walk out of the room but vanished from it
Chapter 12
Two extra cushions had been added to one of the kitchen chairs to elevate five-year-old Chrissy Benedetto, who otherould have been barely chin-even with the top of the table
The girl needed both hands to lift herof hot chocolate, and each tiht at the taste
"You make it different," she said
"I use almond milk," said Erika, who sat across the table from the child
"Almond like that nut aletI just buy it at the store"
"Can you get et milk out of a ka-chew?"
"A cashew? No, I don’t think so"
"You’re very pretty," Chrissy said
"Thank you, sweetie You’re very pretty, too"
"I was the Little Mermaid at preschool You know, last time it was Halloween"
"I’ll bet you charrimaced "Boys They all wanted to be scary They were like ick"
"Pretty is better than scary Boys always figure that out, but it takes theonna be a princess this year Or o with princess if I were you"
"Well, Olivia is a pretty pig And really funny Anyway, Daddy says what you look like on the outside don’t ood different cookies, too"
"I add pecans and coconut to the chocolate chips"
"Can you teach my mommy?"
"Sure And I could teach you, too"
The last quality that Erika Five--noedenborg--should have discovered in herself was a talent for relating to and nurturing the young Having been grown in a creation tank in the Hands of Mercy, in faraway New Orleans, having gained consciousness as an adult, she had neither parents froht have learned tenderness nor a childhood during which she entle concern of others
She was created to serve Victor, to subra Even then, Victor envisioned a world that would one day have no children in it, a future in which sex had no purpose other than the relief of tension, a time when the very concept of the family would have been eradicated, when the iance not to one another, not to any country or to God, but only to Victor
"Mo me new teddy bears," Chrissy said
That hat Michael told her In fact, her mother was dead
"That stupid pretend mommy tore up my teddy bears"
The pretend mommy was the Communitarian that replaced the real Denise Benedetto Michael had rescued Chrissy, and Carson had but moments later killed the replicant
"Where did that pretend ile as a Lladró porcelain The girl’s trusting nature and her vulnerable heart brought Erika close to tears, but she repressed them
"Well, honey, maybe it’s like bad witches sometimes in fairy tales You know, sometimes with just a spell, they make themselves look like other people"
"Pretend one now and never coo?"
"I hear they threw her in a cauldron of poison that she herself was brewing to use on other people"
Chrissy’s eyes widened without benefit of hot chocolate "That’s so cool"
"She tried to turn herself into a flock of bats and fly out of the cauldron to freedom," Erika said, "but all the bats were still covered in the poison, and they just--poof!--turned into a cloud of mist and vanished forever"
"That’s what should happen to bad witches"
"And that’s what did happen Poof!"
Froain the voice of Jocko in the throes of hacker excitedown her cookie, Chrissy said, "Your little boy don’t sound like any little boy I ever heard"
"No, he doesn’t He’s very special"
"Another plum, another plum, another plum for me! Jocko shakes the cyber tree! Ah ha-ha-ha, Ah ha-ha-ha-ha!"