Page 40 (1/2)

"You’re on, Doctor," Vik said, and they tried to shake hands, but Vik’s exosuited hand just clanged against Toreat bound, flipping on the clamps so they instantly sealed to the pole No problem He’d be up and back before anyone was the wiser

But he didn’t get another arth up before a hand closed around the back of his exosuit and tore hiainst another behind him He looked back, and his stomach sank as his neural processor identified Blackburn’s IP address

"See, Raines, when I said you’d do so reckless and phenoht in his ear "This is the sort of thing I was talking about"

"I wasn’t clie spider and the clamp accidentally turned on and stuck ed hi to the fifteenth floor "You stay here Sit Don’t move" There was a sort of dark fury in his voice

Tonified He shoved himself up, but Blackburn’s heavy hand anchored on top of his head and manhandled him back down "I said don’t round

"Thatta boy," Blackburn said "I’ to talk to Ashwan You--stay here by yourself, don’t talk to anyone, and ponder how stupid that was Think of it as a time-out"

"Tihed unpleasantly "Color uely familiar with that terh your thick skull by treating you like the other trainees, thenchild, which is exactly the way you’re acting Would that work?"

"No!" Tom protested "I’m fifteen"

"Then prove to me you have the attention span of a fifteen-year-old and sit there"

Si, Tom stayed there, until Blackburn seeot to thinking, and he realized whatdown hard on Vik Maybe Vik had thought of soreat excuse already? Tom knew he had to corroborate whatever story it was, so he eased himself to his feet and moved as quietly as he could back toward them, determined to hear what Vik said He settled around the curve of the base of the pole, ears straining to pick out their conversation

He caught Blackburn’s words "really think this is a good idea, Ashwan?"

"No, sir"

"Oh, but it sounded like you did After all, you were rooting him on, so shohat a brilliant idea this is Climb the pole"

Vik was silent a moment "Sir?"

"I said cliot to cli air in Vik’s locationVik obviously wasn’t clih now, doesn’t it, Ashwan? Let’s say you cli"--there was a waver of air, and then a ringing of exosuited knuckles clapping on the pole--"sends transmissions to vessels in the neutral zone around Earth One co this, and the signal will short out the centrifugal clah all this metal into your neural processor Tell ood idea?"