Page 159 (1/1)

"Mr Gowda--"

I hung up on his protests and stood, dropping the phone onto the bed "I’et some rest"

"I hate that those people call here," she coently indown at her sleepy face, her dark eyes al up, I said, "I hate it as well They’ll stop eventually"

Nandini snorted her disbelief and cli over to face the wall Her breathing leveled out inme that she had drifted back to sleep

Sanjukta was less obliging I left the bedroo room as I waited for her eyes to close "Would you like to hear a story, my love? It’s about soe the world"

I wasn’t lying to that reporter when I told hiia--were They sent their posts and articles via blind relay They sent their very rare postcards much the same way So far as I knew, they were so a life for themselves Maybe they had come back into the United States to rejoin Dr Abbey--a few of her letters had led ht have seen them, at least briefly--but I doubted those would ever be more than visits The Masons had lived and died in the public eye Now, finally, they were free of it, and they were living for the to be the one to take that away from them

Especially not now They were clever to vanish when they did, while the world was still reeling fro after The new director of the CDC, Dr Gregory Lake, publicly redirected their research into reservoir conditions and possible vaccination paths, while privately redirecting it into spontaneous reht coh all levels of several governan, finally, to rise

Maggie recovered, and re replacements for the equipment we’d lost, both to disaster, and when the Masons insisted on reclai their van Alaric and Alisathe ceremony into several virtual worlds for the sake of those of us who have had quite enough of the United States for now, thank you very much

Alaric took over the Newsies; one of our h, although he goes by "Geo" to prevent confusion--took over the Irwins; and I? I took over the entire operation, with Maggie as ether Maybe it’s not as flashy and exciting as it was during the Mason era, but it does well enough by us

We changed the world That’s all the news can hope to do, I suppose

The last postcard I had from the Masons ca call It su a wonderful tilad you’re not here

All our love--G&S"

Sanjukta sighed, drifting back into sleep I kissed her on the forehead as I turned to carry her back to her own room, where I settled her down on the mattress of her crib She fussed, but didn’t wake

I drew the blanket over her and backed out of the roo in the doorway to whisper, "They may not have lived happily ever after But they lived happily long enough"

And then I turned, and I went back to bed