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"Hey! Look at this!" Caleb called

They followed his voice around to the far side Tipped onto its side was the shell of some kind of small aircraft

"It’s a helicopter," said Michael

Caleb was standing on top of the fuselage Before Peter could speak, Caleb had pulled the door open, like a hatch, and dropped down inside it

"Hightop," Alicia called, "be careful!"

"It’s okay! It’s e around the interior; ahere, just a couple of slie and showed the these"

A pair of necklaces, tarnished from exposure To each was attached a silver disk Peter used sos clean

Sullivan, Joseph D O+ 098879254 USMC Rom Cath Gomez, Manuel R AB- 859720152 USMC No pref

"USMC-that’s Marine Corps," Hollis said "You should put these back where you found them, Caleb"

Caleb snatched the necklaces froainst his chest "No way I’htop, they were soldiers"

Caleb’s voice was suddenly shrill "So what? They never came back, did they? The soldiers were supposed to come back for us, and they never did"

For a moment, no one spoke "That’s what this place is, isn’t it?" Sara said "Auntie used to tell stories about it How the First Ones came from the cities, to ride the buses up the mountain"

Peter had heard these stories, too He’d always thought of theht; that’s what this place was More than the buses themselves, or the fallen helicopter with its dead soldiers inside, the stillness told him so It was more than the si stopped

A feeling jarred hi

"Where’s A her name By the time Michael found her, Peter was coht wander off like this

Michael was standing beside one of the sunken buses, peering through an open

"What’s she doing?" Sara said

"I think she’s just sitting there," said Michael

Peter clambered up and pulled himself inside The wind had pushed the sand to the rear of the vehicle; the first few lines of benches were exposed A on the bench directly behind the driver’s seat, holding her pack on her lap She had relasses and hat

"Airlfor solanced around, her eyes pulled into a squint, as if noticing for the first ti her pack onto her shoulders, and clih the

The bunker was just where Hollis had promised

He led them to a spot where the third ain, and in half a click he stopped "This is it," he announced

They were facing a wall of rock Behind theht across the horizon

"I don’t see anything," Alicia said

"You’re not supposed to"

Hollis slung his rifle and began to scramble up the wall Peter watched hilare Ten o?" Michael said

The face of the an to move A pair of doors, Peter realized, e: they backed into the face of the hillside, revealing a dark cavern and the figure of Hollis standing before them

It took Peter a : a vast vault, carved fro extended into its dark recesses, stacked with pallets of crates that reached high above their heads A forklift was parked near the entrance, where Hollis had opened a roup moved inside, he flipped a switch and the roolowing ropes on the walls and ceiling Peter heard the airy hu on

"Hollis, these are fiber optics," Michael said, his voice lit with amazement "What’s the power source?"

Hollis flipped a second switch A yelloarning beacon sprang to life, swiveling with a , the doors began to slide fro blades of shadow across the floor