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The roof was hidden under a dense garden
A typical Darwin tombstone, in other words A vertical enclave, with the powerful living at the top
Only two or threeholes were lit The flicker of candlelight, or the soft blue-white glow of an LED lantern
Ocean Cloud approached her target from the south The fires Skadz had so anxiously pointed out earlier were all north of thes in this area were so quiet Sam wondered if they’d been abandoned in the face of the attack
More likely, she thought, their targets represented the enemy’s fallback position A sandwich attack She leaned forward, squeezing her head into the space between Pascal’s seat and the curved glass of the canopy To the right of their craft, she saw the dark shapes of four other scavenger vehicles as they closed in on other target buildings Pascal spoke quiet commands into his headset, too soft for her to hear, but the synchronicity of the other planes told the story If they’d planned the operation for days she doubted they could have achieved any more coordination
Sam leaned back and turned toward the crowded rear compartment "Thirty seconds," she said "What’s the plan? Torch and run?"
"Their fighters will be to the north," Grillo said "Where our ground assault started Our ais, then move on to others as we can You will take off immediately and return to the stadium for another run, until our faithful have been delivered to all the buildings on thesuddenly a thousand kilo, Grillo will own all of Darwin
All of it that mattered anyway
They had made three more trips by the time the sun crested the eastern horizon in a thin red line
The third trip proved unnecessary, though Other than a few sporadic gunfights, the war appeared to be over, and for once in her life Sa left out of the action The dead and wounded loaded into Ocean Cloud’s bay for the return flight were proof enough that the operation had been a sloppy, fierce affair Cries of anguish and runts of raw pain filled the otherwise quiet cabin as Pascal guided the craft back to Grillo’s stadium
Back in the safety of that concrete bowl, the mood was quite different Sa over the side Pascal had brought a zippered bag full of small overripe apples and shared one with her He ate in silence, which suited Sam just fine
Across the field Jacobite soldiers celebrated in groups of ten or twenty Even in the old stands, where shacks and sled with others, laughing and talking in animated fashion Battle stories, she knew The favorite pastiroups were huddled in prayer They knelt in circles, as few as four in nuroup consisted of at least fifty nized a certain air about them The hard looks on their faces, the crowd of supporters around theht, or perhaps the elite fighters Grillo stood in the center of their ring, speaking quietly with his hands outstretched in piety
Eventually Grillo"I’ll be in the cockpit," he said as he rose from their perch "Let me knoe’re clear to leave"
"Okay," Sam said
Grillo strode up, a hair slower than he usually walked He wiped his face with a clean white handkerchief, folded it, and returned it to his breast pocket before speaking "Thank you for your help tonight," he said
Sa"
"You’ve held up your end of the bargain, Samantha I may have been too harsh with you before, and I’er wishes to join you at the airport"
"She can make her own decisions," Sam said She hoped Kelly wanted her to stay away Listen to the ghost
"Quite" He clasped his hands behind his back "Her choice could have eroded your loyalty, however, and I just wanted you to know that I’rateful you’ve remained on our little tealance around the busy arena Anything to get the focus off herself
A flash of pride crossed his face "I’ to make a small speech soon, and lead a prayer Would you stay? Stand atme--I’m sorry It’s late, I … at your side? Surely there are others who deserve that kind of honor"
"None ht help your … status"
"No offense, Grillo, but prayer really isn’tBesides, I’ed and, u in an almost imperceptible frown "Suit yourself," he said
"U with my status, anyway? Youto say heathen"
"Ah" Grillo took a step to one side and gestured toward the space elevator The thread was invisible in the hazy , but a few climber cars marked it "We don’t care ht there It’s just ait … differently"
Sath of the alien cable for ato say ‘immune’?" she asked
He shifted A brief expression of discomfort passed across his face She’d seen it once before, and enjoyed it just as much this time "We don’t knohat to make of your unique attribute Some, like me, think you may be the key to our salvation Others, many, think the opposite"
"Is that why you keep arded the hull of Ocean Cloud "And if I coddled you, or kept you from harm’s way, I would incur not only your wrath but that of the faction skeptical of your nature If I let you go, or ignored you, I’d go against my own instincts, and the faction that looks at you with awe"
In an instant she went fro like some cherished possession A tiny voice in Samantha’s head, one she usually scoffed at, told her to tread with care Grillo was all but ade, than she’d previously known "I’m not the only ione now, Samantha There may be others like you, people who live happily in Darithout any knowledge of the trait Unfortunately there’s no known test"