“It was almost too fast for the eye to see,” the supervisor said. “Our beam hit less than a meter away. I saw the ground out there begin to glow. Then the beam . . . bent. It bent right up toward that man on the rock. I thought I saw him glow, then the beam came right back at us!”

“Our cutter’s gone?” Lewis asked.

“It went up so fast only a few of us escaped.”

“Send out some clones,” Oakes said.

An unmistakable press of bodies moved toward him as he spoke and, too late, he realized his danger. More than half the Command Center crew was composed of clones and most of the refugees who now crowded the room were clones.

“Sure!” someone shouted from the press of people. “You stay here while we take the risk!”

Another voice, gravelly and full of gutturals, took it up from another comer of the crowd: “Yes, send out some clones. More meat for the demons. A diversion while you Naturals tiptoe home to Colony and your wine!”

Oakes glanced at the ring of faces pressing toward him. Even the Naturals among them appeared angry. This was not the time to tell them that Colony no longer existed. They would know their power then. They would know how much he needed them.

“No!” Oakes waved a hand in the air. “All survival decisions belong to the Ceepee. I am Ship’s envoy and voice here!”

“Ohhh, it’s Ship now!” someone shouted.

“We will not run home to Colony,” Oakes said. “We will stand here at your side . . . to the last man, if necessary.”

The guttural voice responded: “You’re damn right you’re not leaving!”

The room took on an odd sense of quiet into which Lewis’ voice came clearly: “We will not be beaten.”

Oakes picked it up: “We have almost eliminated the kelp that kept us from gardening the sea. The hylighters will go next. A few rebels will not stand in the way of the good life we can make for ourselves here.”

Oakes glanced at Lewis, surprised a flitting smile there.

“Tell us what to do,” Lewis said.

One of Lewis’ minions in the crowd responded on cue: “Yes, tell us.”

How well early conditioning pays off, Oakes thought. And he said: “First, we have to take stock of our situation.”

“I’ve been watching the screen,” Lewis said. “I don’t see any Runners. Have you seen any, Legata?”

“No, not a one.”

“Not one Runner has tried to enter the Redoubt,” Lewis said. “They remember the chlorine.”

“Have you looked at the whole perimeter?” someone demanded.

“No, but look at those people near that break in our wall.” Lewis pointed. “Not a one of them’s in trouble. I’m going to open the hatches.”

“No!” Oakes stepped forward. “Whoever asked that question is right. We have to be sure.” He turned toward Legata. “Do you have enough sensors to scan the perimeter?”