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Back The Drowned Cities Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Welcome
  2. Dedication
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. PART TWO
  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. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  52. Contents
  53. Copyright

“Soldiers!” The lieutenant smiled. “I’ve got good news. We’ve got a new hero in the platoon. Got to treat our boy Ghost right.” He waved to Ocho.

“Burn him in. Give him his verticals, and treat him good. We have twenty-four R-and-R before we go back out and teach the cross-kissers another lesson.”

“Burn me in?” Ghost asked.

Ocho and Stork had already grabbed Ghost’s arms.

“C’mon, Ghost. Be a man. Get your three.” Ghost started shaking at the thought of the iron again, but TamTam handed him a bottle of booze.

“Drink up, warboy. You don’t got to do this one clean.”

Lieutenant Sayle set a piece of iron in the fire. Ghost stared at it, and then he took a big swig of the booze.

The iron got hotter and hotter.

Ghost took another swig. Ocho tapped him on the shoulder. “All right, warboy, one last drink. Let’s get this done.”

The boys all grabbed him. Some of them were laughing. Ghost fought to keep himself from struggling.

“Sarge?”

“You know the drill, soldier.” Ocho took the brand from Sayle, and carried the red glowing bar over to Ghost. Knelt down in front of him, his own face fierce with its scars. “You’re one of us now, Ghost. UPF, until the sea rolls out.”

He pressed the metal against Ghost’s flesh and Ghost flailed and struggled. But they had his head and he didn’t scream even though he wanted to pass out from the pain, and then the bar was on him again. And again.

Three across, and now three up and down. His horizontals and his verticals. Full bars. A real soldier now. The triple hash of Glenn Stern’s United Patriot Front on his cheek.

The brand came away. Ghost lay on the rooftop, gasping. Someone pulled him up and then all the boys were slapping him on the back and cheering for him, every one of them with the same deep burn on their right cheek.

Ocho pulled him close. “We’re brothers now.”

The LT stood to one side, his hollow face smiling. “You did well out there, soldier. Real bravery. Even Colonel Stern has heard about how you turned the 999 back on the cross-kissers.”

He took out a glittering golden pin and placed it in Ghost’s hand. “The Star of the True Patriot. Your bravery under fire makes the UPF what it is. Keep it close.”

Ghost stared down at the gleaming pin. It was a blue star on UPF white, surrounded by gold. The other warboys crowded around, peering at it.

Got himself a star, they murmured. UPF Star.

The lieutenant clapped Ghost on the back. “Congratulations, soldier. Welcome to the brotherhood.”

And then Ocho shouted, “Who are we?”

“UPF.”

“Who we fight?”

“TRAITORS!”

“Where do we fight?”

“WHERE THEY HIDE!”

“What do we do with them?”

“KILL!”

“Who are we?”

“UPF! UPF! UPF!”