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Erich turned back to theer in his face, or fear, or even wariness That was good “So you’re headed south, then? How bad is it up there?”

“Not that Bethlehem,” Amos said “The one in the Carolina admin district”

“Where the Pit is,” Peaches said, raising her hand like a kid in a classroom Then a second later, “Was”

Erich blinked and leaned against his desk “Where the third strike hit?”

“Close to there, yeah,” Aave me with the hotel, so that sucked”

“All right How are you still alive?”

“Practice,” Aot a job Well, Peaches has a job, and I’m in Could use some help”

“What kind of job?” Erich asked A sharpness and focus ca someone wake up Aed stick-thin arms around her torso

“Do you know Lake Winnipesaukee?”

Erich frowned and nodded at the same time “The fake lake?”

“Reconstituted, yeah,” she said “There’s an enclave on Rattlesnake Island The whole place is walled Independent security force Maybe fifty estates”

“I’,” Erich said

“They have a private launchpad built out onto the lake The whole point of the place is that you can drop there suborbital or down fro distance fro with an Epstein, but soh the road, you couldn’t get past the checkpoints, but there’s a way in from the water The boathouse locks are coht code, and they pop open even if the security chip’s not in range”

“Which you kno?” Erich said

“I used to su”