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Back Angels of Vengeance
Chapters (68)
  1. Blurb
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. CHARACTER LIST
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. TWO MONTHS LATER
  60. ONE YEAR LATER
  61. TWO YEARS LATER
  62. FOUR YEARS LATER
  63. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. Also by John Birmingham
  66. ALSO BY JOHN BIRMINGHAM
  67. Copyright
  68. Cover

A deep crease appeared between Sarah Humboldt’s eyebrows. ‘I don’t know that I would call it “unremarkable”, Mr Culver,’ she countered. ‘Our people are being run off their land, and some of them are being killed. And I don’t know whether or not Fort Hood is conniving at this – that would be an extraordinary allegation – but they’re certainly not moving heaven and earth to stop it happening.’

Culver dismissed her sense of outrage. ‘I’m afraid it is the very definition of an unremarkable story, Sarah. Not just compared to a bloodbath like New York, but to life anywhere else on the frontier. We have trouble securing the homesteads a hundred miles out from Kansas City – hell, we’ve even had raiders down in the Willamette Valley. You don’t get very far beyond the edge of Seattle or KC without stumbling into brute creation. This is a huge country and it’s mostly open for the taking. There’s still thousands of pirate raiders on the East Coast, thousands more up in Canada drifting down over the border as it suits them, and hordes of real bandits coming up from the south and the Caribbean. A couple of raids here and there in Texas might mean something to us, but it’s just a droplet in a fast-flowing fucking river of blood that’s running all over this country.’

Frowning as she leafed through the folder he had given her, Humboldt calmed herself a little. ‘You didn’t invite me in here to complain about the world. What’s on your mind, Mr Culver?’

He gave it a moment, as though thinking over what he might say next. But Jed had long ago made up his mind.

‘I need information, Sarah. And please stop calling me “Mr Culver”. You make me feel like I’ve done something wrong.’

She smiled, and he continued.

‘I need your files. Or copies of your files, at least. Everything you have on all of the attacks on our people down in the Mandate.’

The confusion on her face was evident. ‘Well, those files are confidential,’ she began. ‘But if the President’s office requested them, I’m sure there’d be no problem making them available . . . Although I must admit, I’m confused as to why they’d be of interest now. The attacks have tapered off. Not entirely, but they’re not nearly as bad as in ’06 or early this year.’

‘I need them now because I have need of them now, Sarah. Simple as that,’ said Culver. ‘And the President’s office won’t be requesting them. Ever. I am requesting them. I need them, and I need to be sure that nobody ever knows I have had access to them. This is not an official request. Quite the opposite.’