Part 79 (2/2)

”Maybe an e-bomb?” I ventured, but it was a lame suggestion. The Taliban didn't have hardware like that. And no one in their right mind would have sold it to them. That would have been a ticket to a military escalation that n.o.body on either side wanted. ”Okay,Top, drop the other shoe. What's the rest of it?”

”I got no shoe to drop, Cap'n. I'm standing here in my socks ankle-deep in some weird s.h.i.+t.”

We looked up at the mountains.

”Bug said NASA thought it's something in the rocks,” I said. ”Some metal or ore that's creating a field of interference.”

When I looked at Top, I could see how much of that he believed. ”You really trying to sell that?” he asked.

I didn't bother to answer.

When Bunny returned, we three hunkered down around Finn. I said, ”I'm tired of watching Finn get his beauty rest. Let's see if we can get some straight G.o.dd.a.m.n answers.”

Top produced a syrette filled with a stimulant and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at me. I nodded and he jabbed.

Finn twitched and groaned, and in a few seconds his eyes fluttered open. He blinked his vision clear and looked at the three faces ringed around him. He wasn't seeing any smiles.Then the pain from his face registered and he winced.

”What . . . happened?” he asked thickly.

I told him.

He winced at that, too.Then his eyes popped wide and started darting around, looking past us as his whole body went rigid with tension.

”Is she here? Did you get her?”

”Whoa, whoa,” I said soothingly. ”Who are you talking about?”

”Her, G.o.dd.a.m.n it. Did I get her?”

”Finn-you grabbed my piece and started taking potshots at some local boy. A kid, for chrissakes.”

He shook his head. ”That was no boy, Joe. It only looks like one.”

We stared at him.

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