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"Still," Saet all the refresh the Testament," Kelly said

In any other situation, Sahter at such a stateh, it served only to unnerve her further Kelly sounded like she lance back toward the door, then leaned in toward Sa so there, at the stadium What it is I’m not sure, but it’s important A ‘cube,’ someone called it I have to find out--"

"I knohat it is," Sam said "I found it for them It cas," she said

Samantha didn’t understand "What?"

Kelly paid her no attention "She spoke of it She’s not ready"

Before Sa she heard the sound of theopen She turned to see Grillo at the doorway He stepped out, and Kelly went to hi a place just behind his left shoulder

"Saht we’d coht of protesting or playing dumb, but there seemed no point She’d been sucker-punched by her last friend in the world, and all these months of work for this jackass were scattered to the hot wind Sae of the roof She thought this must have been how Skyler felt when he crashed the Melville Everything gone, taken Skyler had fought on, though

"You’ve failed this little test, Miss Rinn I can’t really blah You value your friends above all else To a fault, unfortunately"

"Nail me to a cross then, asshole"

Grillo sucked in his lower lip, the coer is understandable Your words, forgivable But blaspheain, Samantha, and I will show you pain far beyond what the redeee she may have felt to test his promise fell ahen she saw the calm in his eyes, the absolute confidence All of a sudden she wanted to be very far away

"This transgression need not ement, Samantha Just a delay, I’m afraid I need to know you can be trusted, that you’re truly one of us Kelly has seen the path--"

"It’s not Kelly anymore," the thin woman said

Grillo turned to her, one eyebrow raised

"I’m ready to take my sister name I’m ready to leave my former self behind"

Samantha could only stare at her, the shadow of the woht she’d known

"Have you chosen a name?" Grillo asked

"I have," Kelly replied calht Kelly had told her many stories of her mum, Gab Gab, and how she’d been the very e, always at ease in social settings Kelly had envied that quality in her childhood, and strove to channel it as an adult

"Josephine," Kelly said "My mother would smile if she could see me now"

"She can, Sister Josephine," Grillo said "I’m sure she’s as proud as I a punch line to a faape and snapped it shut, grateful that Grillo was looking at Kelly--Josephine--and not her Josephine The naht, she’d used it before

On Gateway they’d needed access to a new set of security codes, and set about stealing them from a room that stored archival data for the entire station Sam had assumed they would wait for the room to be empty, but Kelly told her to wait and listen She’d proceeded then to bluff her way in, claiotten her key card Her acting had been masterful, Sam recalled, and the technician on duty had waved her in as if they were old friends

Josephine A persona Kelly had donned to steal so an extreht noas the tipping point Her friend wanted to remain in captivity in Lyons, or else whatever plot she’d cooked up would be ruined

And whatever she was up to, it was ih to throw Sam under a bus

With sudden clarity she realized Grillo had been playing thele Convince hi along to win Kelly’s freedo to escape with her friend at the earliest opportunity Kelly’s reward seemed to be stature in the Jacobite church To what end, Sa tiotten she was there "I’m afraid we’re back to square one You’ll return to your duties and try to earn ain That, or rot in a cell, I suppose"

"Maybe I could take the robes, too," Sauys do"

"I’ Sister Jo to live with you--Sister Jo, I do like the sound of that! I’d hoped she could bring you to our flock, but I think more time is required Return to your duties, Sam, and meanwhile I will think on what has happened here"

"What if I refuse?" she asked

Grillo sighed "Then you’ll leave this roof the quick way"

Outside, the sun baked the city Dry air raked across the dirty yard of Nightcliff, whipping up bits of trash along with the constant spray of fine sand Sarit of it in her mouth, and would have spat if she could uards who had escorted her fro to take her holect to mention Whether it was an offer or an order, she didn’t care Sah the patrol door adjacent to the fortress gates before the pair of goons could stop her

In wet season Ryland Square was a sea of ht and hot wind, the surface had become a cracked, brittle wasteland that crunched under her boots Pigeons scattered as she crossed the center of the wide space, but would land again behind her the ht over the corpse of a mouse, half-buried in the cake of ar, but she needed the time and space to think, and that wouldn’t happen unless she avoided the scavenger crews Lately they see a piss unless she ordered it