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"So you agree with the plan"

She nodded "Yes I think it’s our best chance"

"Let’s look at that drawing"

Alicia had sketched a sis, but also what lay beneath them and points of access To this she added verbal descriptions: how things looked and felt, certain lande would be obstructed by forest growth or collapsed structures, the sea’s ins where it lapped over the southern tier of the island

"Tell me about the streets around the station," Peter said "How ht for a etsixty, seventy stories It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen in your life, and it can get pretty dark at street level any tiain "I’d say your best bet would be here, at the station’s west exit"

"Why there?"

"Two blocks west, there’s a construction site The building’s fifty-two stories tall, not huge by the standards of what’s around it, but the top thirty stories are only fraood sun around the base, even late in the day You can see it from the station--there’s an external elevator and a crane up the side of the building I used to spend a lot of time up there"

"On the crane, you mean?"

Alicia shrugged "Yeah, well It was kind of a thing with me"

She offered no more explanation; Peter decided not to press He pointed to another spot on the map, a block east of the station "What’s this?"

"The Chrysler Building It’s the tallest thing around there, alhty stories The top is hly reflective Depending on where the sun is, it can throw a lot of light"

The day was over; the te dew from the air As a silence settled, Peter realized they had coht hours they would raise the sails, the Nautilus wouldto Manhattan, and whatever was bound to happen there would happen It was unlikely that all of them would survive, or even that any of them would

"I’ll take the watch," said Michael

Peter looked at him "We seem well protected here Is that necessary?"

"The botto anchor right now"

"I’ll stay, too," Lish said