Im sure. She nodded, then her expression grew more uncertain, her hands straying towards her belly. Listen, Megan, theres something I need to tell y

Later, said Megan, more abruptly than she meant to. Were on our way down again.

The forward array indicated dense cloud layer below, and it looked like a storm was building up, north of their destination. By now the mountains had slid out of sight around Redstones curving horizon, and the craft had identified a number of potential landing spots close to the settlement.

Megan thought about how different everything was going to be for Gabrielle from now on. Shed need to get as far away from Redstone as she could preferably after getting some major facial surgery in a body shop, as Megan herself once had, to reduce the chances of her being recognized. And then there was the question of finding her a new identity, and somewhere to call home.

Nothing that Megan hadnt done herself.

She realized then that she wanted Gabrielle by her side when they did finally leave Redstone. She hardly knew the girl yet, but the fact remained that, in a sense, they were family. Her and Gabrielle, and Bash.

She laughed quietly to herself. One hell of a fucked-up family youve got there. A runaway and a walking vegetable.

Were putting down in another couple of minutes, warned Megan. Brace yourself, Gaby. Bad weathers coming in before long, and I cant make any promises about this being an easy landing.

Im pregnant, Gabrielle finally announced.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Megan stared at her, thunderstruck. Youre pregnant? For how. . . ?

Four months, said Gabrielle.

Four months? And they both came from short-birther stock, meaning that Gabrielle had perhaps no more than another two months before shed give birth.

Not long at all, in other words.

Okay, said Megan, bringing up a series of menus and studying them with a feeling of hopelessness. I guess that does change things.

She wondered who the father was, and just prayed it wasnt Tarrant.

The ships computers had recalculated their best options for landing before the anti-matter-containment systems overloaded, based on the changing weather conditions and the topology of the local landscape. It showed her an area of flat terrain adjoining a small body of water a lake, although it was barely large enough to qualify as such.

The dropship shook again as it hit turbulence during the final minutes of their descent. The drive-fields were now barely keeping them aloft.

Megan kept her eyes on the feed from the external sensors, as white-dappled hills flashed by below, and she got a visual sighting of the lake-shore ahead. She manually tweaked their course slightly and then, before she was really ready, they were dropping towards the ground at a shallow angle.

The drive-fields flickered, then faded forever. Their angle of approach steepened, and Megan realized they werent going to make it all the way to the actual shore.