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Through the walls caunfire from somewhere within the facility

"Time ere off," Skadz said

"Yeah Prumble? Kelly? We need toin front of her at an apprehensive run He stumbled the last few steps into the climber car and yelped when Kelly yanked him back to his feet with one powerful ht to stairs that led to an upper deck of the tall, narrow co little effort now to pretend he was a true captive If the technician hadn’t guessed already, he was unlikely to figure it out, and if he kneell, he probably also knew that would get hi at his shoes as Kelly strapped hilanced at Saht Kelly’s eye as well and winked at both of the to be okay if we just cooperate," he said

The other ree up

Vaughn looked at the tomen and rolled his eyes "Of course, of course," he replied to the htly and caught Kelly looking at her "Old friend," Sam mouthed

A Klaxon sounded, then an artificial voice announced the cabin door would seal automatically in thirty seconds

Sa man still stood at the control room’s exit, twenty meters from the climber He moved aardly down the sloped ramp, and still had fifteen meters to cross when the door behind him burst open

"Go!" he shouted Then Pruht both assault rifles to bear, one tucked into each arh the open doorway at the far end as Pruan to bark thunder Flashes of, screa, and yet they continued to file in Whatever came behind them, a hail of bullets was apparently preferable

The cli shut on its own accord Sam stepped forward to block it She put her shoulder into it and fought for purchase on the floor with her boots The heavy airlock door keptSa with effort and feeling the pressure waves of Prurabbed her, hauled her back an instant before her hand would have been crushed

"No!" Sa toward the porthole, helpless now but to watch She pounded her fist on the thick metal In a clearer state of ency-open lever Later that idea would hit her Too late

The thick door shut with an almost imperceptible sound as pressure seals connected and thethe thru

Suddenly the climber car lurched Not up but to the side The noise of violence faded The last thing Saripped in two uards already lay dead Cli !" she screa the tiny round

A gibbering, feeble voice answered from somewhere at the back of the cramped cabin "It’s all autoet it, Martin," Vaughn said "Shut the hell up"

Sam felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Skadz standing next to her His face was a gri we can do, Saainst the door, Saainst the cool porthole glass Black cables and industrial piping slid by centih its departure motions

"He didn’t have his suit," Skadz added, voice distant and nuht us time rather than burden us Shit If only I’d …"

Sarief, harsh words on the tip of her tongue When she saw Skadz’s teary eyes, she bit down and kept her mouth shut He’d wanted to stay behind Needed to, if only to find sooddamn cross all these years He would have traded places with Prumble in a heartbeat had the opportunity been there Only it hadn’t Prumble had been the last in line, and simply did what needed to be done Selfless in the end A hero

She gritted her teeth and faced the slass "We won’t forget"

A stark five minutes passed in absolute silence The cli and then lifting Then caan to accelerate and climb toward the heavens

Last climber out

Chapter Twenty-Four

Bele fresh air took ti Mexico, Tania had been one foot into the rear cabin when she realized she no longer needed to confine herself to the dreary loneliness that waited within

"Need a co-pilot?" she asked Vanessa at the cockpit just before the other worinned at that and let Tania inside

They spent the three-hour flight back to Brazil in near-constant conversation Vanessa shared a few tales of her time in Gabriel’s cult of i Ana and her now dead twin brother, Davi She stuck to wars fall by the wayside when Tania sensed they were drifting into darker waters

Whenever Vanessa trailed off, Tania stepped in, happy to find so that had happened since the disease first arrived She even told her new friend about the daily life and--in hindsight--comical politics that went on aboard Anchor Station both before and after SUBS broke out She told of how she’d only been down to Earth once since the disease confined everyone to Darwin’sjourney to Hawaii on which she’d met Skyler

"Did you and Skyler have a …" Vanessa paused "You know, a relationship?"

Tania felt her pulse quicken, kept herself quiet long enough to cohts "I think we both had hopes, but circu on"

Vanessa said nothing

"I’m happy for him," Tania added, aware of how la she hadn’t said them

"He’s had a reuess you probably don’t want to hear that"