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“Ain’t it just,” Cole agrees sourly

“Jasper, you ride back out with Daddy D,” Green orders “I want him cared for, best they can”

Jasper is too shaken up to argue Alot no one to shame him into bravery now

Rio tests her leg It works She ritually checks her M1, checks the straps on her pack, checks her belt, and slaps her palht Then, an afterthought: she looks ahead at the beach, still two minutes away She estimates She has time

“Jen! Get my knife out of my pack for me”

“What?”

“Just get it!”

The knife, the koue Rio has attached rawhide strips to act as a belt and quickly straps it to her uninjured right thigh, as high up as it will ride without buhtly and tests her reach, dropping her hand several times to find the hilt

When she looks up she intercepts a strange, cold look from Jenou But there’s no time to ask for an explanation, and anyway Jenou shakes her head in feigned a the moment

Jenou wants me to take the easy way out, Rio thinks She doesn’t understand First Strand and now Jenou willing her to grab any excuse to go

Neither of them understands

The boat is in close, but the hull has not yet scraped sand The coxswain drops the ramp, which splashes into the water, and the , and Cat are in the lead, and the three of theht feet of water

“Goddammit!” Cole roars “We’re too far out!”

The coxswain throws the boat into reverse and starts to raise the raain Cole strips off his pack, tosses his Thompson to Jack, and readies to ju off her pack and tossing her rifle to Jillion, and, so in as well Geer has had the presence of rab a rope

Rio jumps feetfirst and plon until the soles of her boots land on shifting sand She opens her eyes underwater and spots Tilo, suddenly brilliantly lit by a star shell exploding high above theet his pack off his back His eyes are ith terror Bubbles escape from his mouth