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 Much, Malone said.  Thank you.
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Daniel smiled and moved on. A couple of people were trying to help
an old man down
from the next truck, but he was having none of it.
 Get your hands off me? What do I look like, an invalid? I can get down on my
own!
Seeing he was the last one in the truck, Daniel waved the helpers away and sat
on the edge of the truck. The old man stood and stared at him.
Daniel returned the stare.  So you going to get down or not?
Looking daggers at Daniel, the old man tried to clamber over the edge, but
lost his footing.
Daniel was there instantly to gently lower the man to the ground. The old man
shook off the assistance.  I knew what I was doing!
Daniel nodded, then leaned against the truck.  Mmm hmm. So what s a
spry youngster like you doing in a Care Center?
The man started to answer, then stopped himself to take a closer look
at Daniel.  Wait a second, he said.  I know you. You re that demon catcher
guy, Chang, Chong & Cho! Daniel
Cho!
Daniel took a small, perfunctory bow.
The old man stuck out his hand.  Ira Rosenbaum. Pleased to meet you.
Daniel shook the man s hand, then repeated his question.  What were you in
for?
 Eh, the man said, waving dismissively.  With those thugs, who needs a reason
anymore?
Something wrong with my genes, they said. It doesn t matter. They
don t need excuses anymore, come on, they run the planet, for crying out
loud.
Ira looked around, then leaned closer to Daniel.  I ll tell you something. It
isn t just medical anymore. A few weeks before they took me, I noticed some
problems with my neighbor. Nice guy, typical overworked gentile. He must
have worked twelve-hour days at some big shot business in the city,
not counting the commute, and most weekends too. He didn t spend
much time at home, and the wife worked too. Over time, the man s lawn got a
bit messy. One night, an angel dropped by in one of their big golden cars and
told him to mow his lawn. The guy said okay, but you know the type; he forgot.
A few days later I hear this big commotion over there at night. I get up
the next morning and the guy and his family are gone.
 My parents, they told me stories about times like these. They lived in
Poland in the late thirties, early forties. They survived the camps,
even managed to stay together, but most of their friends weren t so
lucky. I just thank God neither of them is alive to see what the world s
become, to see the madness has returned.
Daniel said nothing; he couldn t think of anything that wouldn t sound trite.
 Well, thanks for the rescue, Mister Cho. I gotta find the john. Excuse
me. The old man wandered off, loudly asking the way to the facilities.
Deep in thought, Daniel watched him go.
An hour or two later, after all the trucks were unloaded and moved
out, a sense of calm returned to the Underground. Any plans of a victory
party were squashed by the reminders of the enormous cost of the rescue,
and soon everything was squared away again. Which was exactly what
Lewis Malone was waiting for.
Soon after he was deemed okay and left alone, he began exploring the building.
He found what he was looking for after only fifteen minutes of searching. A
tiny niche behind some huge wooden packing crates, it was dark and out
of the way, the perfect hiding place. From his pants pocket, Malone
took a small electronic device. After turning it on, he carefully placed it in
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the corner, out of sight.
Walking away from the device, Malone s eyes sought out Daniel Cho. The rebel
stood near a group of the others. Malone was disgusted with the rebel s smug
attitude, and the deference the others gave him. But that would all change
soon enough.
Breach of Faith
« ^ »
This is Susan Richardson, with this Heavenly News Update.
 Tragedy struck last night as improperly stored fuel in a motorpool caused an
explosion in a Care Center south of Los Angeles. Authorities believe
that a fire broke out late last night which in turn caused multiple
barrels of gasoline to explode. The explosive force and fire
devastated the compound resulting in the fatalities of most of the patients,
as well as many of their angelic caretakers. Though internal combustion
engines have long been outlawed for personal vehicles, they are still
legal and common for industrial use. Michael is personally looking
into the incident, and has said that steps will be taken to insure that it
never happens again.
 Rumors that the explosions were the result of an Underground
terrorist assault are completely unfounded, and should be ignored.
Susan was miserable. She realized shortly after Daniel had left that he d been
right after all, and that she d been too blinded by all the perceived good
the angels had done to see it. The very day Michael declared Daniel a
heretic, Susan began looking into the allegations Daniel had made.
The results shocked and angered her, but she stayed, thinking she
could help more by being the voice of reason in the media, by trying to
tone down the angels from the inside. The world had been through so much death
and chaos, she didn t want to start another revolution.
She d tried to do all those things, but in the end, she had to admit nothing
had changed. If anything, things had gotten worse the longer Michael was in
power, and she remained nothing more than a puppet, her only consolation that
she, unlike so many others, could see the strings.
Susan knew quite well what had happened the night before. She knew the
rumors she d just told people to discount were the real truth, the truth
she d sworn as a journalist to tell. She knew what the Care Centers were, she
knew what the Underground had done, and she knew, even though she had no proof
whatsoever, that Daniel had been there.
She thought of him often, out there fighting the ever-growing injustice while
she remained
the mouthpiece of & of what?
Inhuman monsters? The angels certainly weren t human, but even after
all she d seen, Susan still believed they meant well. Then again, according
to what Daniel had told her, Satan believed the same thing. Who was right?
Maybe it was the power, she reasoned. The power of guidance the angels and
demons had possessed for millennia. Maybe they were so full of their roles as
shepherds, they lost sight of what was really best for the flock.
In any case, her life was hollow, people died by the thousands every day for
genetic flaws they had no control over, and while Daniel fought for
those people, Susan did nothing but cover it up. One way or another,
Susan swore that would change.
Obeying an urgent summons, Gabriel walked into Michael s throne room. The
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angel that ruled the world stared intently at one of his data screens, but
looked up when Gabriel entered.
 He s in, Michael said.
 He d better be, Gabriel replied.  We lost a lot in Cho s little raid.
Michael sat back on his throne, looking very regal but not
impressing Gabriel in the slightest.  Yes, he said,  but who would
have thought Cho and his merry little band of outlaws would be so
efficient?
 Certainly not Adonaeth, Gabriel said dryly.
Michael sobered a little.  That part mustn t get out. If the humans ever come [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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