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Bright sunlight began to fill the cabin, in a sharp line that clis, then her torso Sa rays reached her face

Once her eyes adjusted, she realized a welcoave her a brief flashback to the inspection Russell Blackfield had o Only it was Grillo who noaited at the bottouards were plain-clothed

She’d seen little of Nightcliff’s leader since the alien cube had been recovered froht, alht, before he and his Jacobite friends had caravanned off with their strange prize

What had become of the object, Sam had no idea Grillo had not mentioned it once, and she’d been reluctant to ask Whatever the hell it is, I don’t want anything to do with it Nighthts, and Sa

Since that day, all of her scavenging requests caes delivered by courier His promise to allow her a visit with Kelly had not beenfor the"Six tons As requested"

"Nutrient-rich topsoil," Grillo said to correct her "Excellent work, Miss Rinn As always"

Saainst the aircraft’s wall, and studied the men with hi process "Dump it here as if my plane had a bowel movement, or …?"

"A crew is on the way to handle transport," Grillo said "I came to see you, actually"

"Well, here I am"

A patient smile formed on the slumlord’s thin lips "Would you come with us, please?"

"Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"No, no," Grillo said "The opposite, in fact Kelly’s here I thought you s froo bay "Here? Why?"

Grillo diset her some fresh air, I suppose"

"What kind of hole have you kept her in?" Sam asked Four heavy steps down the ra over hi for concealed weapons

"Relax, everyone," Grillo said His voice had an uncanny ability to calm, and he used it to full effect "Kelly waits for you on the roof above ive the two of you some time to chat, and then we can discuss the future"

The future Saht back to the ter for hiiance Only then would he release Kelly

He gestured toward the control building that straddled the Elevator cord Salanced back and barked an order to her pilot, James, to return to the airport after the workers eo bay The old man waved from the interior door A former commercial pilot, he had no nose for combat but handled any aircraft they sat him in as if it were an extension of hiuid pace across the dusty yard In dry season Nightcliff became a miserable place, hot and bone dry The sweet salty s the wet months turned into an odor Sam liked to call "rotten seaweed" Gusts caular intervals and filled the air with that stench Less than a h herwhen you’d otten about it after we found that--"

"I must remind you not to talk of prior ive h Sam had not been allowed to leave the airport, she had heard plenty of talk at Woon’s Garden buildings fell to Grillo on an almost daily basis Every week one of the skyscrapers that still had power seemed to suddenly find reason to forly isolated, and talk of running street battles was a constant topic at the tavern

Gardens flourished on the rooftops of those buildings that did join his fold, and they were defended with zeal by Jacobites according to the gossip Indeed the sect see an explosion of converts So streets around the fortress and out into the Maze Teinal house of worship in Darwin, attracted huge crowds on Sundays now Ten thousand worshippers on a recent lance at Grillo and wondered how deep his ties to the cult ran

The inside of Nightcliff’s control tower offered little respite fronant furnace of the yard A bit cooler, perhaps, and the sed from ocean decay to the stale, sweaty scent of a locker roouessed She knew of at least a dozen places within a two-hour flight from Darwin to fetch spare parts for the equipment, but she kept that to herself

Grillo took the stairs with the saly slow pace Sam mustered every last ounce of self-control not to elbow hihts of worn concrete steps ran together in a blur Sam had ht of her escape attehs burned frouards stayed behind on a landing, an indication that they were close

The slumlord opened the next door and Sah and led her down a narrow corridor that vaguely reminded her of Gateway Station, and for a second she saw herself back there, Kelly in front of her as they scurried frouards Unpainted concrete walls were almost hidden beneath pipes that rusted at their joints The heata chore

A door at the far end entered into another stairwell, and here Grillo went down Odd route, Sa to prevent her fro That, or he didn’t want her to be seen Either option ht before he pushed through another door This one led into a foyer Samantha had previously seen It fronted the office Grillo used, for Blackfield’s chair?" she asked before her brain could tell her ed ahead through double doors

Sanized the office within None of Russell’s sloppy furnishings or tasteless decorations remained Cramped and haphazard before, the space had seeh, the room bordered on palatial A simple wooden desk sat at the middle of the far wall, with two identical chairs on either side of it Awood file cabinet was parked underneath To Sae s framed the corner of the room, with a wide view of Darwin’s crowd of skyscrapers

The view of the cru city from here impressed her, despite the fact that she’d seen Darwin from aircraft a thousand tiarden-studded rooftops of the chaotic Maze South loomed a wall of skyscrapers, the lower floors hidden under a crust of bolted-on roo space had been extended to the lass panes and ilass had long ago been broken Drapes, blankets, and plastic tarps of every color and pattern filled the holes So the bottom to catch what rain they could In wet season every ould, but during these months the chances were few and far between