24-04-11 30 Bernard watched the cleaning from the cafeteria while his techs gathered their supplies in Petersoffice. It was his habit to view these things alonehis techs rarely joined him. They lugged theirequipment out of the office and headed straight for...

24-04-11 29 The climb up was to take three days. Longer than it should have, but there were protocols. A day tripup to Hanks office, a night in his cell, Deputy Marsh coming down the next morning from the midsto escort her up another fifty levels to his offi...

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...