rustled behind him, wreathed themselves around his neck. . . .
He went down shooting.
Urick adjusted the sound equipment behind the camera, while Chambers smoothed his hair down in a hand-held mirror for the fifth time. Einhorn and Teal cracked off-color jokes and watched from the fringes. Chambers was becoming nervous and increasingly obsessed with his appearance, even asked Urick's opinion about whether he should wear his glasses on the air. She told him it didn't matter.
It was in the little things, her father had said, and not the big ones that people revealed their true character. She'd never believed it before; now, watching Chambers, she wondered.
He looked up anxiously from the mirror. "Could you help me with my collar?"
"It looks fine," she answered shortly, then, to give him something to do and, hopefully, shut him up: "Sound check."
"Testing," Chambers said in a deeper-than-normal voice, "one, two, three . .."
Finney walked up and stood next to Teal and Einhorn, who were laughing and nudging each other. They were excited and happy, Urick realized; why wasn't she?
Chambers read dramatically from the smudged paper in his slightly trembling hand. "We, the free soldiers of the People's Liberation Party, have come to you, citizens of the World, with a list of demands, including the immediate resignation of the President of the United States____"
She glanced at her watch and silenced him. "Perfect. Five minutes."
Chambers nodded, looking a bit green at the thought.
Five minutes and the world would be forever changed. Strangely, the closer the time for the broadcast came, the less she believed it would actually happen. It was like killing those corporals: it simply wasn't real. There was only one thing she believed in anymore, and that was the cold sensation of death's nearness that draped her like a shroud. Yet at the same time she told herself there was no reason to be so afraid now, when success was in their hands. But Urick was unable to shake the fear.
"Where's Mossoud?" Teal asked.
"On his way," Finney answered.
Chambers snapped at Finney. "You heard her. Only five minutes. Just what's taking him so long?"
Finney shrugged and began to answer, but his words were drowned out by gunfire.
"Mossoud!" Chambers shouted.
Instinctively, Urick ran to the truck and found the Uzi propped against it. She expected to hear more bursts, but after the first all was silent. Even so, the five of them spread out and headed for the gunfire's source. Urick made her way down an aisle of barrels, working her way parallel to Teal and Einhora.
This is it, she told herself. They've found us, and now we're all going to die. She was sick with fear, but not at all surprised, as if she had known from the start this was going to happen.
A man screamed to her left; she whirled, Uzi at the ready, and craned her neck to see over the barrels. Two aisles down, the briefest glimpse: Finney down, back arching, mouth a rictus, being dragged by his legs by something dark. It looked like there were ropes around his thighs, but she wasn't sure even in the bright daylight. He disappeared behind a towering stack of barrels, gave one final blood-chilling scream, then fell silent.
"Finney!" she mouthed soundlessly. No gunfire; whatever had taken Finney did not use bullets. She began to follow after him, but cautiously.
On the other side of the yard, one of the barrels fell—or was knocked over.
"Chambers?" she called hoarsely, shifting the Uzi and wiping first one wet palm, and then the other, on the front of her jump suit.
No answer. Louder. "Chambers?!"
A rustle, this time on her right... muted sounds of someone struggling, a muffled cry.
"Teal!" she shouted. "Einhorn! Chambers!!" She was clenching her teeth now, the gun held tightly in both hands. Dear God, she was alone....
Only a few yards in front of her came the sound of a barrel scraping across the ground, being moved aside. A shadow fell across the ground at her feet. She froze
He went down shooting.
Urick adjusted the sound equipment behind the camera, while Chambers smoothed his hair down in a hand-held mirror for the fifth time. Einhorn and Teal cracked off-color jokes and watched from the fringes. Chambers was becoming nervous and increasingly obsessed with his appearance, even asked Urick's opinion about whether he should wear his glasses on the air. She told him it didn't matter.
It was in the little things, her father had said, and not the big ones that people revealed their true character. She'd never believed it before; now, watching Chambers, she wondered.
He looked up anxiously from the mirror. "Could you help me with my collar?"
"It looks fine," she answered shortly, then, to give him something to do and, hopefully, shut him up: "Sound check."
"Testing," Chambers said in a deeper-than-normal voice, "one, two, three . .."
Finney walked up and stood next to Teal and Einhorn, who were laughing and nudging each other. They were excited and happy, Urick realized; why wasn't she?
Chambers read dramatically from the smudged paper in his slightly trembling hand. "We, the free soldiers of the People's Liberation Party, have come to you, citizens of the World, with a list of demands, including the immediate resignation of the President of the United States____"
She glanced at her watch and silenced him. "Perfect. Five minutes."
Chambers nodded, looking a bit green at the thought.
Five minutes and the world would be forever changed. Strangely, the closer the time for the broadcast came, the less she believed it would actually happen. It was like killing those corporals: it simply wasn't real. There was only one thing she believed in anymore, and that was the cold sensation of death's nearness that draped her like a shroud. Yet at the same time she told herself there was no reason to be so afraid now, when success was in their hands. But Urick was unable to shake the fear.
"Where's Mossoud?" Teal asked.
"On his way," Finney answered.
Chambers snapped at Finney. "You heard her. Only five minutes. Just what's taking him so long?"
Finney shrugged and began to answer, but his words were drowned out by gunfire.
"Mossoud!" Chambers shouted.
Instinctively, Urick ran to the truck and found the Uzi propped against it. She expected to hear more bursts, but after the first all was silent. Even so, the five of them spread out and headed for the gunfire's source. Urick made her way down an aisle of barrels, working her way parallel to Teal and Einhora.
This is it, she told herself. They've found us, and now we're all going to die. She was sick with fear, but not at all surprised, as if she had known from the start this was going to happen.
A man screamed to her left; she whirled, Uzi at the ready, and craned her neck to see over the barrels. Two aisles down, the briefest glimpse: Finney down, back arching, mouth a rictus, being dragged by his legs by something dark. It looked like there were ropes around his thighs, but she wasn't sure even in the bright daylight. He disappeared behind a towering stack of barrels, gave one final blood-chilling scream, then fell silent.
"Finney!" she mouthed soundlessly. No gunfire; whatever had taken Finney did not use bullets. She began to follow after him, but cautiously.
On the other side of the yard, one of the barrels fell—or was knocked over.
"Chambers?" she called hoarsely, shifting the Uzi and wiping first one wet palm, and then the other, on the front of her jump suit.
No answer. Louder. "Chambers?!"
A rustle, this time on her right... muted sounds of someone struggling, a muffled cry.
"Teal!" she shouted. "Einhorn! Chambers!!" She was clenching her teeth now, the gun held tightly in both hands. Dear God, she was alone....
Only a few yards in front of her came the sound of a barrel scraping across the ground, being moved aside. A shadow fell across the ground at her feet. She froze
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