Page 65 (1/2)

Sam took a cushion near the door, next to Skadz Pruiant ood," Skadz said, pouring a cup

"Good enough to mask my flatulence," Prumble said He winked at Saerous poisons while you tell your tale"

"As Mr Pruan, "I have a position in the control toithin Nightcliff, and thus access to--"

Prumble held up his hand and Kip went silent "Christ, ave a shy nod, his eyes downcast "Of course Well, you see, after the schism between Mr Blackfield and Neil Platz, I--"

"Skyler’s alive," Prumble said over the man "There’s a new space elevator over in Brazil, and Skyler’s there They’re all there, the runaways, the traitors"

"I … holy shit," Sam said She’d known somehow, but it had always felt more like a childish hope than firs to the idea of Santa Claus long after the other children have accepted reality and moved on

"It gets better," Skadz said "Well, it gets crazier"

"Oh?"

Kip looked to Pru permission to speak This time Prumble nodded at him and sat back

"Blackfield is there, too," Kip said "He took Platz Station and joined up with the colony, along with everyone aboard, after the Jakes tried and failed to take over the station"

He let the words sink in for a moment, and Sam felt the reality Grillo and his people had crafted shatter and fall away For all of Grillo’s supposed virtue, he wasn’t above a little propaganda to suit his cause But Skyler and Blackfield, together? On the same side? That she found impossible to believe

"That ain’t the crazy bit," Skadz said

"It’s pretty fucking crazy," Sam said

"Well, it ain’t it"

"In a few days," Kip said, "Grillo and his people will begin so called ‘Project Sanctify’ "

Samantha stared at him "I don’t like it already"

"Grillo, his followers, see the Darwin Elevator as a gift from God," Kip said "They’re noare of the Elevator in Brazil, and as you can probably guess they’re not thrilled with the idea"

"Suddenly our Elevator ain’t so special," Skadz said "Bible didn’t say ‘Jacob’s Ladders,’ yeah?"

Prumble leaned in "Grillo went to all this trouble to steal the Darwin Elevator from Blackfield, to purify it, you could say, only to find the job’s only half-done"

"Fuck," Sa to try to capture that one, as well"

"No," Kip said "Fro the colony, and the other Elevator"

"Seems they think it’s the devil’s work," Skadz said "Or some shit The Anti-Elevator"

"Okay," Saht That’s officially crazy"

"Well, Saetic look crossed the thin man’s face when Sam turned her full attention to him

"Tell her the rest," Pruer than that Arrange made to transfer personnel on Darwin’s stations down here Soon only the Jacobite faithful will be allowed in orbit Anything else is considered blasphe, Kip went on, gaining his voice theweeks, decrees will be announced Laws to govern Darwin, the city All of us"

"Jacobite laws," Pruine how liberal they are"

Skadz plucked a white bun froious fascis extrein to press on her shoulders A burden of guilt, and unspoken accusation She’d been complicit in Grillo’s rise She’d helped him deliver on his vision of a prosperous Darwin, and had closed her eyes to what that would mean in the end Theocracy Russell Blackfield was no doubt ruthless and dictatorial, but for theas nothing threatened the Elevator, he’d left Darwin to its own devices It was a shitty way to run the last bastion of hu under a totalitarian cult of religious freaks held even less appeal

The threeNone of them needed to voice the question; she could see it on all three faces Kip she couldn’t care less about, but to see that accusation on Prumble’s face, on Skadz’s, cut like a knife

"I’m on your side," she said "I’ve been an idiot, yes, but I’lance "Happy to hear you say that, Sammy," Skadz said