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For Peter Jaxon, last president of the Texas Republic, the final seconds of the night were nothing he had anticipated Once the catwalk had begun its collapse, and the nature of the situation had become clear to him, he wholly intended to die This was the only honorable outcoone, the city was gone, and he had only hi Kerrville’s destruction would be an unthinkable disgrace

The last of the civilians had descended through the hatch, but would the door hold? Judging from the events of the last tenelse, it was bound to fail Fanning, however he’d done it, knew everything

Still, one had to try Syar had said The virals were a as a horde Still firing from the , Peter ordered theleft to defend except themselves Many were out of aer locked back He cast the gun aside and drew his pistol

"Mr President, tiht you were calling et down that hole right now"

Peter squeezed off a round Maybe he connected,anywhere"

Peter would never be sure what Apgar had hit hi of a broken chair? A thud at the back of his skull and his legs ar say, "help et your father out of here"

His body lacked all volition; his thoughts were like slick ice, ied, then lifted, then lowered once again He felt, oddly, like a child, and this feeling morphed into a ain, notpassed from hand to hand He saw faces above hiue He was being laid upon a wooden platforle face came into focus: his son’s But Caleb wasn’t a boy anymore, he was a man, and the situation had reversed Caleb was the father and he the son, or so it seemed It was a pleasant inversion, inevitable in its way, and Peter felt happy that he had lived long enough to see this

"It’s all right, Dad," Caleb said, "you’re safe now"

And then the light went out

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Apgar slammed the hatch and listened as the bolts sealed fro

"So could you" He rose and looked at her Everything felt suddenly calht so, too"

"Ready?"

Sounds above: the virals were tearing through the roof Apgar lifted a rifle froazine, and shoved it back into the well Sister Peg withdrew the box of matches from the pocket of her tunic She struck one, tossed it A river of blue fla in several directions