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Michael Carney stared at the device as if it were a coiled cobra

"Go on," Russell said "Tell theh of his wits to wave off the microphone "Point taken, Mr Blackfield The people are restless, I get that--"

Russell didn’t budge "You think I’an to hammer even harder It poured down the man’s face in rivulets

"Here," Russell said, "I’ll do it" He turned to the sea of ragged people and held up an arm He pressed the microphone to his lips "We have a visitor fro insults They were beyond desperate by now Those who kne to find asince left the square Even the Jacobites had given up

Those that remained were truly pitiful

Russell went on "He’s co" His voice boo skyscrapers that lined the far side The htly at the words, and Russell seized the opening He pointed, swept his arry faces "Five containers of fresh food, all for you lot What do you say?"

They roared in unison Russell found the sound of it intoxicating

Michael leaned in "I only brought the one," he hissed through clenched teeth "And that was for you and your staff"

"Relax," Russell said "I’ll pull a few froency reserve You can owe rinned at the crowd He threw his arm around Michael Carney’s shoulder and turned hi mass "Exactly the probleive you a choice I can push you over this wall right now, or you can go back to your betters and tell them that I’ve staved off anarchy for a few more days, despite their indecision and incompetence But in return, they owe me And more than food"

"What then?"

"Simple I’ll restart the cliid He started to speak, then snapped his ed the councile of the parapet

"A vote will be required," Michael said "It e, Michael Surely you can handle it"

"What about the climbers? Please! This crowd proves you need food shiphed "I suppose I can fire thee, however, I want to ride one myself Pay a little visit"

Michael started to object

"Shut up and listen," Russell said "I want to otiate through hiiven to ive a rat’s anus Alex I can ith You? You’re a fop and I don’t like you"

Color rushed from the man’s face He sed, all composure banished

Russell spun the ed his wet lapels and s wet tie "A business suit?" he asked "You’ve forgotten the world we live in, Carney You’re too far removed, all of you"

"I … I’m at a loss I don’t knohat to say"

"Thank God for that Just smile and wave, one last time, to the shit-ers Then you can cliards"

Chapter Nine

Darwin, Australia

18JAN2283

Neil Platz scratched at his beard, still unused to the rough hair When he pulled his hand away, black greasepaint stained his fingertips

"I can’t believe this worked!" he shouted The rush of wind co into the water hauler’s cabin drowned the words Neil had asked for the door to remain open so he could enjoy the salty air

His assistant sat in the middle seat of the bench, flanked by uards, to a reen-faced, shook his head in response and pointed to his ear The poor bloke had vohtcliff and looked close to doing so again

Neil raised his stained fingers and wiggled theray coveralls of an engineer, had worked to perfection His heart still pounded frohtcliff, under the bastard Blackfield’s nose, undetected No one recognized hi the last thirty-some years as the most famous

Doubly so, since they’d co a council otiate with Russell Blackfield "Neil sends his regards," he irets he could not hed aloud He felt alive, like he was half his age The regrettable business aboard Hab-8 was already a distant memory Men of poweron the past, and anyway there orse skeletons in that closet Far worse

He looked forward to the return trip, to walk through Nightcliff again as a common man Maybe he should have been a spy, or a con artist Perhaps he’d h he suspected ue he was an accoigantic hauler cruised over the bay southwest of Nightcliff, en route to a spit of land called East Point Neil strained against his harness, leaning out of the aircraft to look straight down They were far enough fro ocean below, instead of the derelict boats that crowded the coastline Whitecaps rolled toward the city He inhaled deeply, and despite the slight hint of sewage, the air carried with it a flood of treasured an to drop, Neil looked ahead and saw the shore of East Point approaching

Six massive desalination plants lined the coast Square, sky-blue buildings each surrounded by a nest of pipes in every iinable size Intake pipes snaked far out into the ocean, disappearing in the depths Giant towers spehite pluh into the sky He swelled with pride at the sight of theh tons of seawater every day--decades of continuous operation They were the first piece of the Platz empire that he took over from his father By the ti water to nearly all of the Northern Territory, at a tiht over the coenius behind the construction of the plants He’d laid the groundwork for the water processors a decade before the need becareased the wheels of bureaucracy When the alien-built space elevator touched down in Darwin, these plants hat allowed the city to grow so rapidly into astroke of luck for the Platz family, or so everyone said The truth was a burden Neil intended to take to his grave

In the post-disease world, these machines were a key reason humanity survived at all In Darwin, and in orbit The Elevator ht protect from the SUBS disease but it didn’t sustain anyone Neil considered that his job, thankless though it e, dotting the northern coastline, lost to the world They served as spare parts now, occasionally visited by scavenger crews Only these, on the shore of East Point, could be staffed

The aircraft angled toward the farthest plant in the line As the pilot set the bird down on a landing pad behind the facility, Neil felt like a deposed president returning frouise; for the moment he was sier compartment first Neil stepped out last and kept his head low The engines howled as they wound down, deafening He walked in a crouch, focused on his balance in the violent exhaust

Already a tea the e beneath Such productivity made Neil happy

Inside the facility, he followed his tearound floor The constant hu as a family home, filled the place Steam vented from a dozen relief valves Banks of triacetatelike rockets pointed doard

He saw the intake pipes, tall as hiined the seawater rushing through, straight into a series of chambers where it would be flash-heated to separate the salt He’d run this plant for years and knew each component by heart

"I’m not happy about this, Neil"