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Three others said the same

“I’ht you saw?”

“Like a plane or so”

Tolliver had no face and no facial expressions, but he , and his tone worried Justin

And then, again, the stabbing pain But this time it had a rhythm to it Onoffonoff And still it was only affecting him

“Wait!” Tolliver said “I’ off to our nine o’clock”

“What is it?” someone asked

And again, the rhyth pain, faster this time On-off-on-off

A signal! So

“It’s a goddam drone!” Tolliver said “There!” He pointed his mechanical arm, and at that second Justin saw a small but distinct flare, a jet of flame

The stab! Urgent this ti

The pieces caan to morph His sword arm stretched out His skin was replaced by chitinous armor His other hand becahtmare than Justin, he leaped from the side of the truck

It would certainly have hurt Justin very badly—ju sixty would break his bones and scrape his flesh and quite possibly smash open his head and kill him

The half Knighth it felt more as if the road surface had jus and shot a different pain through his spine, but his armor did not crack, his sword arm did not shatter, and Justin DeVeere did not die

Ka-BOOM!