Page 141 (1/2)

“Good work, Marchetti,” he said “Now, come back down here and help me clean up this mess”

CHAPTER 60

KURT AUSTIN WAITED IN THE DARK AS THE AIRSHIPS CIRcled and finally began to approach Standing at the edge of the helipad, he watched as the lead ship floated in, slowly sinking toward the pad With the fans tilted down in a vertical position to slow the descent like retro-rockets on a moon lander, the microbots were blasted around like ash from a volcano

They swirled into the air, a cloud oftoward the zero deck below

A few feet away, down on his knees, Jinn watched the cloud fall but otherwise made no movement He was a beaten ht

“You’ll send me to prison,” he mumbled

“For ten times your natural life span,” Kurt replied

“Can you see aup

“Only long enough to go insane,” Kurt replied

Jinn looked toward the edg

e The darkness beckoned “Let o”

Kurt could see what he had in mind “Why should I?”

“As a kindness to a vanquished enemy,” Jinn mumbled

Kurt stared at Jinn for a long moment Without a word, he stepped back

Jinn calanced at Kurt “Thank you,” he said and then turned away