Page 32 (1/2)

“Jesus H Christ, Shade!” Cruz erupted once she had patted herself frantically as if she expected to besome bits

Shade slowed her answer, taking forever to say a “sorry” that could be heard and understood by people living in real time

Where the trees ended was a wide greenbelt perimeter that preceded a double chain-link fence topped with razor wire

Shade de-morphed, the better to communicate Back on the road above, theto search for its suddenly disappeared prey One of the news helicopters had captured the whole thing on video, and now thenear the news chopper and a h a loudspeaker “You have violated secure air space Leave the area immediately!”

“Look!” Cruz yelled, pointing at a file of vehicles hastily loaded with ar unifor into the band of cleared ground between the woods and the compound’s fence

“I’ll take care of the!”

“Wait!”

Shade heard him just in time, halfway back toa zo for the ride

“Let me try,” Malik said

She had not nerved herself up to ask hi shred of normal decency had stopped her The shark’s ruthlessness was not for Malik

“You don’t have to do this, Malik,” Shade said

“You’re safer if I do it, Shade,” Malik said

Cruz yelled, still very keyed up froh dense forest at speeds that had nearly blown her T-shirt off “What? What, are you psychic now, Malik?”

Not entirely iiven the world as it now existed post-rock, Shade had to admit

Malik looked at Shade, who could not quite bring herself to aze “I’s, Shade Noruilt and self-doubt pretty often, but you, Shade? You have no copingto do now is end it all”