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"That doesn’t make sense" David looked at the knife "Dad always said this was the ht froh-tech alloys and ed "Maybe the part that joined the cuffs was made out of different stuff"

He shook his head, not quite accepting her story Finally, he shrugged "Oh well, we’ll just have to live with theet away"

"How do you know?"

He held up the knife "If he’d had any warning, my dad never would have left without this The Specials must have surprised them completely"

"Oh I’m sorry, David"

"At least they’re alive"

He looked into her eyes, and Tally saw that his panic had faded "So, Tally, do you still want to go after them?"

"Yes, of course"

David s back at the house and shaking his head "It’s funny, Mom alarned me that this would happen They tried to preparewhile I believed them But after all those years, I started to wonder Maybeparanoid Maybe, like runaways always said, Special Circumstances wasn’t real"

Tally nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak

"And now that it’s happened, it seems even less real"

"I’m sorry, David" But he could never kno sorry Not until she’d helped save his parents, at least "Don’t worry, we’ll find them"

"One stop to make first"

"Where?"

"As I said, my parents were ready for this, ever since they founded the S sure you could take care of yourself," she said, touching the soft leather of his hand soot froer "They did a lot more than that Come withso small that Tally had to crawl inside on her belly, David showed her the cache of gear his parents had tended for twenty years

There ater purifiers, direction finders, lightweight clothes, and sleeping bags - by Smokey standards, an absolute fortune in survival equip, but they were fitted with the same features as the one Dr Cable had supplied Tally with for the trip to the Se of spare belly sensors, sealed against hest quality

"Wow, they did plan ahead"

"Always," he said He picked up a flashlight and tested its beaainst the stone "Every tiine this moment A million times I planned exactly what I would need It’s alined it so much that ithad to happen"

"It’s not your fault, David"

"If I’d been here - "

"You’d be in a Special Circuht now, handcuffed, not likely to rescue anyone"

"Yeah, and instead, I’m here" He looked at her "But at least you are too You’re the one thing I never iined, all those tied to s "I’"

Tally nodded, and her head swahts before

David ru "Plenty of instant food Let’s see: VegiRice, CurryNoods, SwedeBalls, PadThaiany favorites?"

Tally took a deep breath Back to the wild

"Anything but SpagBol"