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Sarah continued her play-by-play "They’ve started up both flights of stairs--the ones we used and a set on the other side of the building A few are also coroups of three They’re huh, by the looks of it--not KillSi fast

"Do they have weapons?" Bryson asked

"Um, I think so," Sarah responded, her voice hard to read

Michael had turned around, his back to his friends, and lowered his foot until he felt the first rung of the ladder He cradled the Lance in his right arhtly with his left hand

Vwoo sound filled his entire body

Vwoo, and then another He kept going, being careful to hold on tightly to the Lance His back scraped an outcropping of circuitry behind him--the whole place was a ju down, his pal to sweat

Sarah and Bryson had walked around the catwalk at so directly above him

"They’re almost to the third floor--on the stairs," Sarah called down "The ones on the elevator--they’re here The doors are opening now"

Michael had gone down a few s while she spoke; he paused and looked up Sarah was calht frooing He somehoas almost there Weber had said the location didn’t matter so much, just to plant the Lance somewhere in the heart of it all That he’d knohen he’d arrived So down he went, his neck and shoulders strained, his ar

And then he saw it

He’d descended at least twenty feet Twisting carefully around, hugging the closest rung with his left arht, he stared at a cluster of burning blue lights that slowly flashed along with the throbbing hum of noise--vwoomp, vwoo was brighter, hotter, shinier in the cluster, packed in and thru The air vibrated; he could feel it buzz on his skin, and goose bumps broke out across his neck and back

If this place had a heart, this was it

"Running down the hallway!" Sarah shouted down; he couldn’t even see her anyot a few seconds!"

Bryson finally lost his cool "Hurry, nored him, steadied himself on the ladder He slipped the Lance down his arm a little, then carefully slid his hand to the corner of the device until he could get a good grip on it His fingers slipped frorasp; he jerked forward and caught it against his ribs

"They’re at the door!" Sarah yelled

"Almost done!" Michael shouted up

Time seemed to stretch out, thened his grip on the Lance, then held it away fro forward into the cluster of lights and wires

Vwoo open

Vwoo lights and gently pushed the Lance into theed fir sure it wouldn’t slip before he pulled his hand away

Vwoomp