Page 97 (1/2)

Buffy’s death was on the Wall I should have known it would be, since her family would have been notified, whichthat simple fact—that she’d joined all the other victiue on the Wall—made her death all the more impossible to deny More, it reminded me of one crucial fact: We were connected to the rest of the world, even ere isolated The caht now, that hat concernedthe UV blocker as I shoved thee ofelse Reaching up, I tapped my ear cuff “Mahir,” I said

Several seconds later, Mahir’s sleep-, “This had better be good”

“You realize your accent gets thicker when you’re tired”

“Georgia?”

“Got it”

“Georgia!”

“Still got it”

“You’re alive!”

“Barely, and we’re in CDC custody, so I need to ood lieutenant that he is, shut up ie from the external cameras on the van and my bike, check to inals”

“I’ this because ?”

“I’ll explain later” When I wasn’t overnment installation, where all communications were likely to be ht away”

“Thanks, Mahir”

“Oh, and Georgia? I’rateful that you’re still alive”

I set so off the call

Adjusting the collar on my jacket, I schooledroo for the duty station The caotten about them, even for a fewconstantly Soone back to do review, like the tihwaynear the Col froe to find a , of course, that whoever it was hadn’t already been able to get to our hard drives, and that Buffy hadn’t told any of her “friends” about our fil to feel like a conspiracy theorist But that was all right because this was starting to feel very much like a conspiracy

Rick had less equipment than I did; he and Shaun were back at the duty station when I arrived, and Rick had acquired alook, and stopped as Shaun handed h to have condensation beading on the sides

“Truly, you are a God a men,” I said

“Now I’ with dead things again, you’ll be right back to calling me an idiot, won’t you?” Shaun said