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The failing light was casting long shadows They would need to think about finding a place to spend the night

"Won’t make any difference what I say," Caine said softly "Won’t be et out of here All those kids who h this, they’ll be the ones telling the story"

"Why do you say that?"

Caine laughed "Someti deals are going to be the only ones talking to whoever? The cops? The FBI? Don’t be stupid You think the adults are going to listen to us? They’ll be afraid of us"

"You think we’ll still have our powers? Even if we did--"

"It’s not about that, Sammy boy" Caine turned his back on the reat deal of effort for him to do that, and once he’d accomplished it he nodded like yes, yes he could do it "It’s not about the powers, man; it’s that we aren’t kids anyh Look e’ve done Look at yourself, surfer dude We’ve done so none of our parents have even co world; we took over a world about a thousand tiher If alk out of this alive, on’t have to bow our heads to anyone There’ll be guys ere in wars hearing e did and thinking, ‘Whoa’ You and ot yourself soh the FAYZ’"

"I haven’t thought et out of here and have a pizza" Sahten themade Sam squirm

But Caine wasn’t done "They’ll be afraid of us, brother, not because we can shoot light out of our hands or throw people through walls, but because we’ll be the living proof that they’re nothing special just because they’re old They’ll fear us and they’ll hate us Most of them, anyway And they’ll try to use us, hed "You don’t know much about human nature, do you?"

At last Caine smirked and nodded his head, satisfied with himself and satisfied as ith the troubled expression on Sa back to reality here, we should e doesn’t come back this way Let’s shut this place down once and for all"

Caine spun on his heel, looked back at the estion" He raised his hands, palms out Loose rock from all around the mine entrance hurtled into the pit Boulders rose and suddenly veered, fast as jet fighters, to crash into the hole Pebbles and rocks and bushes and dirt and bits of broken ti hurricane

"That outcropping up there, that big rock?" Sam pointed to a sun-bleached boulder about the size of a house "If I get it to break loose, can you handle it?"

"Let’s find out"