Page 98 (1/1)

He pulled open the van’s rear passenger-side door without saying anything, putting his carry-on bag on the seat before he cliain Even then, he didn’t say anything, just fastened his seat belt and

I started the engine

Mahir held his silence until ere half a mile fro, waiting for hi his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Magdalene, how far is it fro in her seat to look at him ide and worried eyes "Honey, are you okay?"

"No No, I am not okay I am several thousand miles fros even now, I aal umbrellas, I am entirely unsure as to what ti more than to rewind my life to the point at which I peria Mason" Mahir dropped his hand away froed backward "I believe that if I were any ard that as a blessing Hello, Shaun Hello, Dr Connolly I would say it is a pleasure to see you again, but under the circuenuous at best"

"Hello, Mr Gowda," said Kelly I didn’t say anything I kept driving, listening to George swearing loudly in the space between my ears If there had been any question about what Mahir had found--whether it was good, bad, or just weird--his demeanor answered it There was no way he’d look that beat down over anything but the end of the world, and so to suspect that the end of the world was exactly what he represented

Maggie looked around the car, a crease for between her brows as she considered the expressions around her Then she reached for the remote and turned the voluht thing to do, and we drove the rest of the way ho the happily nihilistic pop eneration behind us as ent

Mahir opened his eyes e reached Maggie’s driveatching with interest as we passed the first and second gates As we approached the third gate, he asked, "Does it kno many people are in the vehicle?" I hit the switch to roll down the van s as I glanced to Maggie for her answer Metal posts telescoped up fro to reveal small blood test units with reflective metal panels fastened to their sides The tiny apertures where the needles would erid runs on bioie said, with the sort of rote precision that implied she knew because she’d read the manual, not because she really understood what the security syste At least she read the manual So that much "It always kno many people need to be tested We ran a bus up here once, e did the group trip to Disneyland, and the gate wouldn’t open until all thirty-eight of us had tested clean"

"Itthe question with a lohistle "That’s i to bet the designers hadn’t considered all the possible loopholes in that ie’s security systeh for a blood test, but it didn’t actually h an air lock while everyone else was tested It would be entirely possible for soo into a checked out The ocular scan at the next gate would catch them--probably--but it would increase the nuroup

Maggie s the subtext of my comment That was probably for the best "It’s the best on the private market" She stuck her hand out theas she spoke, pressing it down against the passenger-side testing panel

"It’s not on the private market," said Kelly I twisted to look at her as I slappedher hand out the , and said, "This technology isn’t supposed to be available outside of governie She flashed a sreen light next to the testing unit flashed on "I guess Daddy e dryly I sed a chuckle

"He did an excellent job," said Mahir The light next to his testing panel flashed green Withdrawing his hand, he sluain "Good lord, this nation is enormous Wake me when there’s coffee"

"You’ll need to open your eyes for the ocular scan in a lanced at hi in the fine stress lines etched around his eyes Those weren’t there a year ago George’s death was al I wouldn’t have believed possible for aler, her colleague, and her best friend, and so he would have tried to be more if they hadn’t lived on different continents At least I had the constant reassurance of going crazy He just had the silence, and now, thanks to me, the strain of whatever it was he’d learned that was bad enough to drive hiland