24-04-11 28 Juliette reported to first shift at six, the conversation with Walker playing over and over in her head. There was a sustained and embarrassing applause from the handful of techs present as she entereddispatch. Knox just glared at her from the co...

24-04-11 27 Juliette showed up at Walkers electronics workshop at five, worried she might find him asleep on hiscot, but smelling instead the distinctive odor of vaporized solder wafting down the hallway. Sheknocked on the open door as she entered, and Walke...

24-04-11 26 She was allowed a visitor, but who would Juliette want to see her like this? No one. So she sat withher back against the bars, the bleak view outside brightening with the rising of an unseen sun, thefloor around her bare of folders and ghosts. Sh...

24-04-11 25 The next morning, exhausted, Juliette arrived late at her desk, her legs and back sore from the climbdown to IT and from not getting an ounce of sleep. She had spent the entire night tossing and turning,wondering if shed discovered a box that was...

24-04-11 24 It was thirty-three levels down to IT. Juliette skipped down the steps so swiftly, she had to keep ahand on the inner railing to keep from flying outward into the occasional up-bound traffic. Sheovertook a porter near six, who was startled by bei...

24-04-11 23 The next morning, instead of climbing to her office, Juliette descended five flights to the upper dirtfarm for Marness funeral. There would be no folder for her deputy, no investigation, just thelowering of his old and tired body into the deep so...

24-04-11 22 After filling out reports, discovering Marnes had no next of kin, speaking with the coroner at the dirtfarm, and answering questions from nosy neighbors, Juliette finally took a long and lonely walk upeight flights of stairs, back to her empty of...

24-04-11 21 The next morning, Juliette arrived early at her desk having stolen little more than four hours of sleep. Beside her computer, she saw a package waiting for her: a small bundle wrapped in recycled pulppaper and encircled with white electrical ties...

24-04-11 20 It was well after ten by the time Juliette pushed herself away from her desk. Her eyes had become toosore to stare at her monitor any longer, too tired to read one more case note. She powered down hercomputer, filed the folders away, killed the o...

24-04-11 19 Days Earlier Juliette sat on the floor of the holding cell, her back against the tall rows of steel bars, a mean worlddisplayed on the wallscreen before her. For the past three days, while she had attempted to teachherself how to be silo sheriff,...