Kelly pushed the button for the penthouse floor, the elevator doors slid closed and she and Dunstan ascended while a quaint electronic tune floated above their heads. Kelly stared at the orange glow highlighting the ‘penthouse’ button on the elevator panel, and then after a while stared at nothing at all. She stood in the middle of the elevator, shoulders squared, while Dunstan slouched against the railing on the wall. Kelly rapidly tapped her middle and index fingers against her thigh. Her body felt clammy and cold and there was a tingling sensation in her shoulders. Still she ached. Her scalp still hurt as if that man was still throwing her around by her hair. She still felt the cool sting of the knife slicing her flesh. The pressure of the hilt in her hands. The bite of shattered glass. Someone in the distance calling her name.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8tizEni2o 維尼
“Lieutenant?” Dunstan leaned towards her and Kelly snapped back to reality.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡYswVkZl25u 維尼
“Sorry?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8TVOWpwQw 維尼
“I was asking if you think it was a good idea to leave our weapons in the lobby?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cLbM3hr0m 維尼
Kelly didn’t respond right away. She blinked a few times. Laid her hands flat on her thighs. “It was… necessary. I want to send the right message, that we mean what we say about forming an alliance. Julia won’t deal with someone whose plan B is an M9.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O0JFlrk6E 維尼
“That’s all well and good, ma’am, but how do we know we can trust the Van Burens to play nice?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6MPOnmVIQ 維尼
“I’m trusting you. Well, a little. I really don’t think it’ll come to that, but you flagged that order of biometrically locked weapons, right?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hUtxp6XdS 維尼
Dunstan nodded. “Right. But that’s one hell of a gamble.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡWquZOvZeQI 維尼
“Then we better hope it doesn’t come to that.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70UP2EZNYl 維尼
The doors pinged open to reveal a smiling woman cradling a computer tablet in her arms. She was dressed professionally, hair tied back, glasses. There was nothing sinister in the way she looked at Kelly and Dunstan, in fact her smile was startlingly innocent.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIl484T6O9 維尼
“I’m miss Van Buren’s personal assistant, if you could please come with me, miss Van Buren will be with you in a moment.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFKpI9dCy4 維尼
Kelly followed the assistant to an open rooftop bar, incredibly luxurious, gazing out upon the sprawling valley below, great stretches of desert and jagged outcrops speckled with settlements, it made Kelly feel like she was on top of the world, and that kind of power was intriguing. A red corner lounge and a low glass coffee table filled some of the space on the edge of the balcony. The balcony itself had a pale blue transparent floor, and glass railings on only two sides—the furthest point from the main building dropped off into the gorge far below. The bar was located under a dark gazebo. Kelly took a moment to admire the negative photograph of a rattlesnake on the wall. Somewhere nearby she heard trickling water, and walked around the gazebo to find a pool with another glass floor.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡMS62ahGFoK 維尼
“Exquisite,” Kelly told the assistant.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJUFy2PD8d 維尼
“She’s not afraid of heights,” Dunstan added.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WUsHVMVRy 維尼
“Miss Van Buren has excellent taste,” the assistant agreed. “She designed this building herself. It is her architectural masterpiece.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IJsZFTEdi 維尼
The assistant spoke about the building for a while. It really was impressive, and it confirmed a suspicion Kelly had that Julia’s ambitions extended beyond the operations of the cult. Kelly made a note of the security cameras mounted around the space – there weren’t many blind spots.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJNfOUQoA9 維尼
“I admire her tenacity,” Kelly said. “She seems like a capable woman.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhbfdg6Iyz 維尼
The assistant nodded. “Please, sit.” She gestured to the lounge chairs on the edge of the balcony. “Miss Van Buren will be out shortly.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71BzqEU6tu 維尼
Kelly took a seat and gazed at the valley below while Dunstan continued to wander around the bar. Julia would undoubtedly take their positioning as a sign of mistrust, or as a sign of intelligence.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkGSWteXiJ 維尼
Kelly heard the tapping of Julia’s heels before she stepped around the corner. Like Kelly, Julia had a rigid posture with square shoulders and a professional upkeep. Her short chestnut hair was streaked with ash grey and swept back—it failed to cover the silver implant behind her ear. Kelly noticed right away that Julia’s Neural Interface was different, a different model, perhaps. Julia removed her sunglasses before leaning forward and firmly gripping Kelly’s hand.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEQm9kVt9b 維尼
“So, you’re the false shepherd that has been causing Anton trouble. Kelly Jade.” She spoke the name as if she were sampling it, and looked Kelly up and down. Scanning. Making note of the cuts and bruises that marred Kelly’s usually beautiful skin. “I suppose his goons did that? What a brute.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnSSt1H9CI 維尼
“My associate and I were on our way to see you when we were attacked by unknown assailants,” Kelly said, without breaking eye-contact.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡChlMvy27La 維尼
Julia nodded. “An unfortunate coincidence, or a plot by my brother. Things have really gotten out of hand around here.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSppHENqIa 維尼
“You know who I am,” Kelly replied. “You know why I’m here. You don’t seem worried.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5Iei9uG4T 維尼
“Please, I’ve handled far worse than you, dear. My company will be fine. It’s the state that concerns me, and my brother. My father entrusted me to take the lead on the family business when he passed away. I won’t have Anton dragging our name through the mud if this gets out. Reputation is everything, dear. There’s a way to go about handling these things and my brother doesn’t give a damn for any of it. It’s preposterous.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUVWfXH3DN 維尼
“I find it hard to believe you’d complain about a problem without proposing a solution, and seeing as you’ve agreed to meet with me, I’d say you’ve made me a part of your plan.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMcnogt1tM 維尼
“Correct, dear.” Julia’s assistant handed her a small cup of tea, and one for Kelly. “You know, I never liked my nephew. He always had poor manners, and Anton never treated him right. But when you have a name as important as mine, blood takes on a certain value. Anton isn’t happy with what you did, and frankly neither am I.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMNvNMuftL 維尼
“I eliminated a threat,” said Kelly sternly. “If you want to get rid of me I’m fine with that, but I came here to do a job and I can’t leave until it’s done. I want to know how the cult are obtaining their information. I want to know how they managed to access top secret CIA documents. How did Anton know who I was the moment I stepped into that church?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡly5ppnYGZX 維尼
Julia leaned back, an air of smugness coming about her. “To access a computer all it takes is the right piece of code positioned in the right place at the right time. Agent Connors chose you for this mission because you’re old-fashioned, like him, like me. Sometimes the simpler methods are the most effective.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAedaej30m 維尼
“Do you condone your brother for what he’s done to this place? What he did to these people?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUL2DQC97N 維尼
“Try not to misinterpret my meaning, dear. Do you really think I’d let him keep doing what he’s doing if I didn’t agree to his philosophy? Mankind is long overdue for an upgrade. Technology evolves and the base human specimen is left behind, unable to change, unable to keep up. What Anton and I have achieved is a society on the brink of utopia, the removal of human error to be replaced with a perfect harmony of mathematical precision. Anton’s invention opened our minds to the voice of god—not the entity that archaic man dreamt up to answer for our petty imperfection, but a machine intelligence capable of guiding those who are worthy towards the next stage in human evolution.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5hSRsaNf2 維尼
“And this voice,” Kelly asked carefully, “how do you know it can be trusted? How do you really know what it’s doing to your mind?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡXikMcRlGWT 維尼
Julia smiled and touched the silver Interface. “Have you noticed that my implant is different from the others? I was among the first of us to have one installed. I remember my life before, so much doubt, so much clutter… and sadness. I knew about Anton’s research, of course, I played a major role in funding and supporting his work. I never knew how the Neural Interface worked but I knew why it had to. Anton told me that I could be the first improved human. He promised that he could make me better and so, for obvious reasons, I was… intrigued. But I was only interested in something that would enhance my cognitive function. I didn’t want a device that would make my decisions for me. I know how these things work, you see. Control the flow of data—”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUu4axrhf5 維尼
“And you control everything,” Kelly finished.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXrjtaTeLw 維尼
“That’s right. I helped Anton test the device. My mind was strong enough to handle the updates and alterations that were needed to perfect the link between mind and machine.” She tapped the side of her head with her middle finger. “This device is revolutionary… and you want to know how it works.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7ZjaLg194 維尼
“Not necessarily,” Kelly replied, again without breaking eye-contact.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbCD8lzjY7 維尼
“Then what do you want?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26tN5lBEic 維尼
“The data that your cult currently possess is dangerous. Anton has the means to manipulate thousands of innocent people to his will and the US Government will not let that kind of threat go unchecked.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUHOMkwb9N 維尼
Julia bowed her head as if she were urging Kelly to make her point.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdgmFnMhWj 維尼
“Alright.” Kelly clapped her hands on her knees. “Your interface is a means to an end. My associate believes there is a way to access and delete the files on Anton’s device without terminating him.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVfxBnURDO 維尼
“And of all the Neural Interfaces out there you chose mine because the moment Anton catches on to your little scheme he’ll initiate countermeasures to stop you from doing it again. You figured my mind was the most valuable.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm182bdzX4 維尼
Kelly paused. “I can save your brother.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKa1AY4Mjx 維尼
“Just by suggesting that, you’ve already underestimated him… again.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxgpClsZ6c 維尼
“And what about Cherry.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBRIj7HmzT 維尼
Julia’s face changed. The smugness was wiped away.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJgh2pOQ7V 維尼
“What about her?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnpHyGNOBF 維尼
“Your daughter is involved in this too. My investigation won’t stop with Anton. Whatever Cherry’s activities are, I will find out eventually. And if not me then someone else. How certain are you that you can protect your daughter? From Anton and the CIA?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgzncWDABT 維尼
Julia stood up and walked to the edge of the balcony, her heels clicking on the glass floor. Kelly joined her and leaned with her arms on the railing. With the building hanging off such an enormous outcrop, Kelly looked straight down at the gorge below. What would that be? Five hundred feet?8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ig6xfXZQb 維尼
“I never get tired of this view,” said Julia. “Take it in while you can.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvlyp619Sb 維尼
Kelly heard the click of a handgun being cocked and looked up to see Julia holding her at gunpoint. Kelly slowly raised her hands and said, “Now look who has no manners.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcysTaQZLO 維尼
Julia didn’t seem impressed. She pursed her lips. Her hand was steady. Her eyes cold. She had killed before.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PdnJgrKPW 維尼
“Come on, Julia, just think of the paperwork,” Kelly said.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHsoI6nren 維尼
“Good to know you’re not taking this personally. I’ve done the math. The cost of killing you doesn’t quite outweigh the benefits. Sorry.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaRg1bZvm7 維尼
Kelly half-shrugged. “Just business.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIT8TdM0ar 維尼
Julia pulled the trigger. Nothing. Kelly let out a relieved breath and looked at Dunstan, standing by the pool with his phone, giving her a thumbs up. Julia grunted and the weapon rattled in her hand as she squeezed the trigger again and again. She hadn’t noticed the safety indicator on the weapon’s grip turn to red.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TUzsJ11WA 維尼
“You have to hate computers,” said Kelly. “They’re wonderful until they’re not.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JpCx4szeZ 維尼
Julia responded by hurling the useless weapon at Kelly which, surprisingly, caught her off guard. It struck her above her right brow and split the skin with a painful white flash. Julia charged forward and Kelly only just noticed the small knife in her hands.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqzhzGrWbS 維尼
“Hold on!” Kelly yelled, catching Julia’s wrists.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQ8WIlbIar 維尼
It had barely been a week since her last knife fight. Julia was surprisingly nimble, but untrained.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLLb89PUHw 維尼
“Dammit Julia I need you alive!”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡNe4IOxf8hK 維尼
Kelly twisted Julia’s wrist, easily removing the knife, and then knocked her back with an elbow strike to the chest. Julia tumbled backwards and Kelly immediate realised her mistake, as Julia tripped and landed on the very edge of the balcony. Kelly dived towards her, trying without hope to catch her hand.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡYktVhRBdb2 維尼
She was too slow.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMMp3EKeGK 維尼
Julia screamed as she fell into the gorge below.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TISU3TA1R 維尼
Though the air in the river gorge became cooler as the sun dipped over the edge of the escarpment high above, the rocks under Kelly’s hands remained warm and dry. Kelly slid down a slope of loose stones. She surfed, ran and jumped from rock to rock; her clothes and her boots were covered in dust and a thin layer of red dirt darkened on her perspiring forehead.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaHIsJofu4 維尼
“Lieutenant, could you slow down?” Dunstan called from higher up the slope, as he slowly staggered and stumbled his way down.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fYuZMNOSv 維尼
In the late afternoon the depth of the river gorge took on a ghostly appearance. The rocks were sharp, toothy and pale, and the coarse blood-red sand turned purple as it was streaked with Neon in the coming night.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5KPKw7RRH 維尼
Kelly had wondered about that faint glow of neon since she first began the climb not far from the base of Van Buren’s estate. She was surprised to find that she had now stumbled into a shanty town, long deserted but somehow very much alive. On both sides of the base of the gorge, pierced by the tricking river, were huts and platforms, walkways and stairs, all made from corrugated iron and lightly decayed wood. A few automated systems must have stayed on after the town was abandoned. Small bots crawled around like spiders, cleaning, collecting, repairing. There was an eerie mist about the place, sprung to life in the neon glow cast by old repurposed signs that miraculously still worked—thanks to the bots, no doubt.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdAKDLv3C1 維尼
Kelly’s descent became easier once she was aided by the structures of the town. She peered inside huts to find them completely stripped of their possessions. They were dark and lonely places shot through with blaring pink and blue neon.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMBANU9ADw 維尼
Dunstan came up behind Kelly, huffing with the effort of the climb. He gazed about the place in mild confused wonder.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡYe9LNMsoN7 維尼
“You ever seen a place like this, Lieutenant?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Rmq51ARvU 維尼
“No,” Kelly replied. “I’ve seen shanty towns, but none like this. There’s something about this place.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8S00tOzEJ 維尼
Now that she was standing still she realised that she was amongst a dense and encumbering silence. Nothing alive here made a sound, and above the slow drawing of her own breath only the river made any noise, like a small fountain somewhere far away. The sky now burned a vibrant orange that reflected on the running surface of the river beneath her.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvmdu27j5D 維尼
“Let’s just find Julia and get out of here,” Kelly said.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45c2os8nAF 維尼
At the mention of Julia’s name Dunstan was reluctant to press on, in fact he hung back a little, not wanting to be the first to see what happened to her.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jXTwYtNsi 維尼
At long last they reached the bottom of the gorge and Kelly’s boots plonked into the river that was only about a foot deep. She glanced left and right, being pretty certain that the balcony from which Julia fell was high above them on their right. She waded in that direction, and her suspicions were confirmed when the water around her turned a cloudy red.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡaH6qTVycxP 維尼
Julia’s broken body lay on a protruding rock not far off. She had landed on her side, a violent contorted death. A pool of blood and brain matter seeped from her cracked skull where her head collided with the rock on impact. A little robotic spider tugged at her sleeve. Kelly had confirmed seven kills and seen more death in her time, but even so this sight made her want to gag.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡv05EU2pNGG 維尼
Why did you do it? She thought with dismay.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡTK9W842q7b 維尼
Kelly waded up to the gross scene, stopped for a moment, and leaned forward with her hands on her thighs.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHeNMl73Nh 維尼
“Shit,” she breathed.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡHE99cJfCVp 維尼
The climb down hadn’t been easy and seeing the gruesome reward at the end didn’t make things better.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHT3KDlig9 維尼
She heard splashing and breathing as Dunstan came up behind her. He took one look at Julia’s body and his face turned creamy pale.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMJ2XCRLV4 維尼
“Oh!” he cried, quickly turning away with nausea in his voice. “Oh… no…”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpBVswNsno 維尼
“Dunstan, you don’t have to look at it but I need you to tell me what to do here.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZtS0ZEnN1 維尼
Dunstan found an interesting tree to hold his attention and spoke—keeping his back towards Kelly. “Even if the host is deceased I could still theoretically be able to recover the data from her Neural Interface, but I kind of counted on Julia being cooperative and, you know, alive, during this process. The equipment we’d need is back at headquarters and I don’t see us carrying her body back up that cliff.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡhF5R9OfOB5 維尼
Kelly nodded and sighed quietly. This wasn’t how her day was supposed to go. She pinched her brow and said, “But we don’t actually need Julia, we only have to get the Interface.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrY4vtJxk1 維尼
“Which is surgically implanted into her brain,” Dunstan replied. “Again, you’d need a surgical drill or—”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5UQDsJxut 維尼
Kelly unsheathed her combat knife and stepped towards the body.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LUOau5E1E 維尼
Dunstan turned towards her. “Oh, Kelly no.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2QdsQkRJD 維尼
“We came all this way,” she replied, and knelt down in front of Julia. She searched for a good hand-sized rock and promptly got to work. “Okay Dunstan, where am I cutting?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6sTtpInx7 維尼
He hesitated.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzesD2xv5K 維尼
“Dunstan!”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIhWtORKN0 維尼
“Based on the schematics I researched, the part we need is the solid drive beneath the protective plating and the three auxiliary wires that run about an inch into the temporal lobe.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNLCypDz0L 維尼
Kelly guided the knife uncertainly over Julia’s head.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4L0JFifq3 維尼
“What?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGO7m8q7Zx 維尼
“Just… the shiny part, yes that. As long as you don’t damage that or the three larger wires attached to it, you’ll be fine.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdGPQpNVyQ 維尼
Kelly exhaled slowly.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDQAZH48CT 維尼
“Right…”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJle1ECV4J 維尼
Kelly rolled Julia’s limp body onto its back while trying to avoid looking at the face—a pointless task, really. She turned the head so that the Neural Interface was facing up. So too was the bleeding cracked part of the skull. Kelly placed the tip of her knife to the side of the silver device embedded in the skull, then found a better angle, about an inch above, where it would be less likely to take damage when the bone cracked. Kelly dug the knife in until it was steady, gave it a few taps with the rock, and then one large hit. The blade sank in deep and was almost impossible to get out again. Kelly struck it a few more times and used her weight to twist and shimmy the knife around. By now she had copious amounts of blood on her hands and clothes. But she was making progress. With a gruelling crunch Kelly was able to separate a part of the skull to loosen the Neural Interface just a little. Hidden inside the brain matter she was at least able to see the three wires Dunstan had told her to be careful of, as well as a number of hair-thin cables and nodes running in all directions.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aX8JjkR34 維尼
Kelly wiped her sweating forehead, oblivious to the bloody smear her hand left behind. She was exhausted. “What about… what about these little wires?” she asked Dunstan.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYeVvgdPqh 維尼
Even flush with pale neon Dunstan’s face looked green. He dared to glance for one second at what Kelly had done and immediately doubled over and vomited in the bushes behind them. Kelly gave him a moment, and then he hobbled over wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He kept his eyes pointed at his feet.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsewhjK4v7 維尼
“We don’t… uh… yeah we don’t need those ones,” he said.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NRNMh8GGA 維尼
When Kelly removed the main part of the Neural Interface and pulled it away from the skull the thinner wires trailed along after it. “Okay,” Kelly said, and she cut the wires with the serrated part of her knife.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UW12fNAXH 維尼
She got up. Hopefully they would never have to talk about this, to anybody, ever again. Kelly even planned on omitting some details to Agent Connors. She looked at the bloody piece of machinery in her hand. So much trouble over a little thing. She washed it in the river, dropped it into Dunstan’s hand, gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder, and began to make her way back up the slope.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWr6jyAbtv 維尼
“Wait,” said Dunstan. “What about her?”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiHbO9aeoe 維尼
Kelly turned around and reluctantly looked at the sorry state of Julia Van Burren’s corpse. Such a powerful woman, lying dead at the bottom of a dark river gorge.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TBCicl8jQ 維尼
“We can’t do anything now,” Kelly said. “We’ll get out of here first. We know where to go, we’ll call Santiago once were in the clear, have him send someone to collect her.”8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3VOZXE7Bn 維尼
Kelly tried to find a clean patch of shirt to wipe her face with. What I’d give for a shower right now, she thought.8964 copyright protection530ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiczshhSCm 維尼
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