Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Killer Cat

Two fortune-telling airport workers set up the plane's gangway for passengers about to disembark. Under the light of the reflector, the plane that the doctor and his party took looked like a big monster tired from running, lying quietly on the tarmac, more than a hundred yards away from the terminal hall. "Mark! Has anyone seen Mark?" The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and Mrs. Monrik's shout seemed particularly piercing. Old man Ben Ster, shaking his pipe in his hand, hurried towards the plane, yelling, "Lex! Lex!" He kept yelling "Nick", but couldn't see the word "Nick", and couldn't help but burst into tears.Nora Quinn picked up Padi who was stumbling and running behind, and held her tightly in her arms.

Rowena Monrique was left at the end of the crowd again, with only the bewildered nurse and her faithful big yellow dog nearby.Because Ai Pulu was gone, the aggressive aura of the big yellow dog also subsided. It casually glanced at Babi, and the golden eyes showed friendliness. "The plane is parked far away," Babi told Rowena. "I can't figure out why. But Dr. Monrique and the others will come out in a while and meet us." "Thank you, Willie." She smiled a little, and a peaceful look flickered across her face for a moment, then disappeared again, with a sad look on her face again. "I'm so worried about Mark!"

"I can understand," Bobby whispered reassuringly, "Sam Quinn told me about that Alashan, and I guess Death Valley is a lovely oasis compared to that. Indeed, Dr. Monrique's body Not very good--" "No, Baby, it's not his body." Rowena's thin shoulders trembled uneasily, "Mark does have a heart problem, and his tracheitis is getting worse every year, but he is still very energetic, and, he I also know where the desert I went to is, so I don’t worry about it.” Her hands tightened on the leash again, and Bobby could see that her hands were still shaking.She pulled the dog closer to her, fumbling her fingers quickly between the leash and the collar, and then put it on the silver buckle of the collar, as if the coolness of metal could calm her and make her happy.

"Before I experienced too many things, I used to work with Mark, you know that." She almost whispered to Babi, and her thin fingers gradually filmed the scars that were hidden behind the sunglasses, which would never be forgotten . "I know what his theory is, and I know what Sam found in that ancient burial site in Alashan before the war. So I have repeatedly advised him not to go there again." She turned suddenly and listened carefully. "Where are they now? Baby!" Her voice was anxious and doubtful. "Why haven't they come here yet?" "I don't know." Babi told him, feeling very uneasy in his heart. "I don't understand why the plane is waiting there, the gangway is put in place, and the cabin door is opened, but why is it not recognized? Dr. Boyett from the Foundation is on the plane."

"He'll figure it out." Rowena clutched the dog's chain tightly, turned her head to the direction of the departure hall, and asked, "Where's that girl? The one who was chased by Turk?" Her voice was not very high, but With a bit of vigilance. "It's in there," he said, "and I'm sorry for what happened. Ipuru is beautiful, and I hope you like her. Really, Rowena, I don't see any reason—" "Of course there is a reason." Mrs. Monrick Jin sullenly, with a serious expression, "Turk doesn't like her." She said while patting Turk's head.Turk's vigilant yellow eyes flickered, staring at the direction of the terminal, as if he was always on guard for Ai Pulu's coming again, Babi saw all of this in his eyes. "Turk knows." Rowena repeated.

"Rowena, don't you think you've exaggerated your trust in Turk a bit?" Babi didn't approve of Rowena's excessive trust in a dog. Babi seemed to feel a pair of eyes staring at him from behind her dark glasses, and he couldn't help being a little uncomfortable. "Mark trained Turk to protect me," she continued gravely. "Turk attacked that woman because he knew her—she was bad." Her fingers trembled nervously on the silver collar. "Remember this One point, Willie!" She seemed to be begging, her voice hoarse with excitement, "I know that girl is beautiful—very pretty, but Turk knows better."

Babi took a step back unhappily, wondering if the panther that hurt Rowena had also traumatized her mentally.Her logic seems to exceed the scope of rationality, and it seems a bit absurd.Seeing the Foundation's manager step off the plane, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Boett is here," he said, "and I think the others are coming out too." Rowena held her breath, and they both waited in silence.Babi thought of Sam Quinn's dark brown hair and blue-eyed face; of Nick Spinwick, who might still be dark and thin, squinting through his glasses, moving Always in such a hurry, as if there was always something to seek; and think of Lex Sturt, who, despite being here, is still such a nice, down-to-earth guy; what would Dr. Monrick be? As for the appearance, the appearance of the doctor appeared in Babi's mind again. He still had a rosy face and a hairless head, but he was very healthy, with a firm chin, and deep and gentle eyes.

However, none of them showed up at the hatch. "Where is Mark?" Rowena urged in a low voice, "Where are the others?" "Can't see them there." Babi tried to keep his composure. "Dr. Boyett seems to be trying to get everyone off the plane. Look, he's coming this way." "Dr. Boett? Is there something that is entangled with Mark?" Rowena's voice was high-pitched, almost shouting, and Babi was a little surprised. Dr. Boyett returned to the departure hall with an anxious face, and stopped in front of Rowena and Babi.On her brows that were already tightened, the sadness seemed to deepen, but his tone was definitely resolute.

"They're all well, Mrs. Monrique," he told Rowena. "They're ready to get off the plane, but they'll have to wait a little longer." "Wait a little longer? Why?" Rowena opened her mouth wide, puzzled. "Dr. Monrique is going to make a statement about the results of this excavation." Boett tried his best to control himself, and explained slowly, "I think it must be because this discovery is extraordinary, and he hopes to be able to make a statement when he leaves." Make the news public before the airport." "Oh——don't do this!" Luo Wei's trembling left hand hurriedly covered his throat.Her silver bracelet and ring gleamed coldly, "He must not do this, they will not allow him."

Boett frowned in confusion. "I really don't see the need to make such a scrupulous statement about a scientific discovery," he said, "but I assure you, Mrs. Monrique, that there will be no surprises. I can't figure it out, and the Doctor himself is a little extra vigilant, and he wants me to arrange security to make sure that she is safe, that his discovery is safe, that his announcement can be made safely." Rowena shook her head distrustfully, as if to say that such measures might not be enough. "Mrs. Monrique, you don't have to worry." Boett said again with certainty, "Your husband has told me how to arrange it, and I will arrange everything myself. He will start the press conference as soon as he gets off the plane, and we will check everything Reporters will be present to prevent any weapons from being brought into the venue, and we also have sufficient security forces to prevent any possible mishaps."

"The security can't do anything!" Mrs. Monrick said impatiently: "Please go back to the plane and tell Mark—" "I'm sorry, Mrs. Monrick," Boett tried to hide his impatience, "The doctor has told me his request, and I will hurry up to arrange according to his request. He wants me to hurry up, as if he There was already a sense of some potential danger." "It's just dangerous." Mrs. Monrick nodded her head, gripping the dog leash even tighter, "Go!" Dr. Boyett frowned and walked quickly to the departure hall.Babi followed closely behind, and asked tentatively: "Clarendon is such a peaceful town, Dr. Boyett, what do you think the danger Dr. Monrick said would be?" "Don't ask me." Boett said quickly, "You also don't want to get gossip in advance. Dr. Monrique doesn't want anyone to leak any information in advance, and he doesn't want reporters to make any speculations. He said this is a big event, The public must get first-hand information directly. The photojournalist of "Life" and the people from the TV broadcast station should arrive, and I have to contact a reporter from a TV station to be present. This is the hottest news this year, and it is an opportunity for everyone equal." "Perhaps so," muttered Bobby. He knew the tricks of the press. Just wait and see.He paced the hall boredly.Inadvertently saw Ai Pulu's bright hair, he was making a call in a telephone booth.As far as the eyes could see, there was no one like his Aunt Agatha, and he reminded himself not to be wary of women. He walked to the snack bar counter in the hall and ordered two cups of hot coffee. However, the chill he felt did not come from the damp and cold air. This chill did not dissipate for a long time. He ran out in a panic, preparing to interview Colonel Walvin. The plane slid slowly past Monrick's plane and stopped at the opposite side of the terminal.Businessmen in twos and threes stepped out of the plane, followed by a couple of lovers who were still intoxicated in their honeymoon. Finally, Walvin strode out. The stewardess introduced her connections in Washington, her voice echoing in the night sky. He paused, posed, and waited for the Star photographer to take his picture, but he asked Barbie not to quote anything he had said.He said that he planned to hold a campaign strategy meeting with his good friend Preston Tey, and also invited Babi to come to his old law firm when he was free, have a cup of coffee, and chat casually , However, nothing he said should be published in the newspapers.He raised his chin again, asked reporters to take pictures, and then got into a taxi. Preston Tye would be the one to provide the strategy, which Bobby knew, and then get someone to write the story.The truth is: Walwin was acting as a false shell for Tey's own political ambitions.Of course, such a report cannot be published by the "Star".Babi had nothing to talk to him, so he hurried to Monrique's plane. "Mother, I'm afraid!" He heard little Patty Quinn's high-pitched voice from the anxious crowd, and saw her wrap her arms around Nora's. "Dad, what's the matter with them?" "Father, they are fine." Nora's voice was not confident, "waiting for a while." Three police cars finally stopped at the barbed wire fence. Six security guards in uniform walked towards the plane following the reporters and photographers who had been waiting impatiently. family members and relatives. "Please, sir!" Rowena could hardly control herself, "You must let me here, Monrik is my husband, he is in a very dangerous situation now, I have to get closer to him to help him." "Sorry, Mrs. Monrique." The security guard showed professional calmness, "We will protect your husband—idle people, there is really no need to be so alarmed, the Foundation asked us to clean up the airport, except for reporters from newspapers and TV stations , no one is allowed on the tarmac." "No!" she screamed, "please—you don't understand!" The security guard grabbed her arm and continued to stop her. "Excuse me," he said, "please be quiet." "You don't know anything," she whispered angrily. "You can't help—" The security guard took Rowena back firmly. "Let's just stay here, Mom," said little Patty to Nora in a low but stubborn voice. "I want to see Daddy—I remember Daddy." Nora, pale with fear and looking no less calm than a child, picked Patty up and walked back to the brightly lit terminal.Mother Spinwick moaned in agony, lying on top of her little husband, sobbing quietly, while old man Ben Ster waved his black pipe at another security guard: "I say, sir, I've Been praying that my darling would come back alive from that goddamn desert. The Spinwicks paid all that money to come back from New York to pick up their son. For God's sake, sir—” Bobby caught his flailing arm. "Better wait, Ben." The old man walked back behind the people unhappily, muttering heavily.Babi showed his press credentials, and joined the group of reporters after the security check was completed.The reporters were already worried that under the huge wing of the plane, he found Ai Pulu standing beside him. The little black cat must have been returned to Aunt Agatha, because the pocket of her snakeskin handbag was tightly closed.At this moment, she was staring at the high cabin door with a tense expression and shortness of breath. She seemed a little at a loss, and suddenly turned her head to him, her red hair fluttering.For a short while, Babi seemed to feel her nervousness, and there was a decisive battle in the tension.After a while, she smiled, with enthusiasm and pleasure in her big green eyes. "Hey, Mr. Reporter," her soft voice sounded affectionate, "Looks like we've got a front page story, and they're out." Sam Quinn walks down the gangway.At this moment, Babi saw a great change in Sam.His square and resolute face was tanned by the sun, and his golden hair seemed to be bleached, almost completely white.He may have shaved on the plane, but the khaki pants looked worn and dirty, and his face was tired and haggard, and he looked more than just two years older. And, that's not all. The other three people also had an indescribable change.Babi wondered if they had all suffered from some serious illness.The tropical sun hat that Dr. Monrik was wearing was already spotted and worn out, his face was pale, and his muscles looked particularly slack, probably because of bronchitis, or a bad heart. Even the very sick deserve a little smile in this moment of triumph and reunion with loved ones. However, these ragged and haggard expeditioners were full of thoughts, and no one smiled at the people who came to interview and greet them. Nick Spinwick and Lex Sturt followed Monrick, rough, weather-beaten faces, sun-faded khaki trousers, thin, dark, serious-looking.Lex must have heard Grandpa Ben Ster's hoarse shouts from the security guarded terminal, but he seemed unmoved. He and Nick carried a big green-painted wooden box with two straps nailed on to the handles. Babi thought to himself, this must be a very good craftsmanship under the simple local conditions.A very thick iron hoop tightly bound the wooden box, and a large iron lock was locked on the handmade lock.They both carried it down with great difficulty. "Be careful!" Barbie noticed that Dr. Monrick reminded him from time to time, "We can't let him make any mistakes now." The haggard and tired Dr. Monrik went up to help stabilize the box, until Nick and Lester walked down the ramp together with the box, his hand was still on the box and motioned to carry the box to the reporters. Babi thought, they are not like other triumphant warriors who announced their another victory to the ignorant world. On the contrary, they are like cautious and watertight old masters, calm and rigorous, preparing for the next big move. "I don't know—" Ai Pulu said quietly, her eyes narrowed, "I don't know what they really found?" "No matter what they find, it's not something that makes them happy anyway. People who believe in religion will think that they have entered hell." Babi said, and couldn't help taking a breath. "No way." Ai Pulu said, "People don't fear hell very much." Babi realized that Sam was looking at him, but his stern expression when he looked at Babi dispelled Babi's idea of ​​saying hello to him, and he just waved to Sam.Sam nodded lightly, in answer to Babi's greeting.The strained, hostile alertness of his dark face was palpable. Monrique stopped in front of the reporters, the flashes were flashing, and the reporters rushed to take pictures. The doctor stood under the wing, waiting for his young accomplice, ignoring the lights of the reporters, just focusing on the heavy Big wooden box.Bobby watched the doctor carefully with the flashlight.He saw that Dr. Monrik was completely broken, and that Sam, Nick, and Lex were weather-beaten.No matter what kind of investigation and excavation it was, they must have suffered a lot and experienced a lot, but the doctor looked really broken, his tired and weak appearance was very worrying. "Gentlemen, thank you for waiting so long." His voice was slow and hoarse, with deep-set eyes, he seemed to be searching the crowd in front of him with some unease, and then turned his eyes to the crowd of relatives and friends waiting behind the two security guards in the terminal hall.He must have seen his blind wife, standing there alone with the dog, but he said nothing.Then, his attention returned to the three assistants, as if reassuring that the wooden box was safe and sound. "Your waiting here will prove to be worthwhile, because—" Bobby felt that the doctor was speaking breathlessly and quickly, as if he was afraid that someone would interrupt him—"because, we have an announcement to mankind. Big thing." He paused for breath, "A special warning that people didn't expect, gentlemen, that was hidden, buried, and suppressed for a long, long time." He waved his arms, a little stiff from the tension. "The whole world should know this warning before it's too late. So please record everything I'm about to say, if possible, on the radio, and please take pictures of the evidence we've brought back." He said, touching the wooden box with his boot, "If possible, it will be in the newspapers tonight, and it will be broadcast on the radio tonight." "No problem, Doctor." A radio reporter said, waving the microphone in his hand, "That's our job. I'll record it at the same time, send it back to the radio studio, and if the political censorship passes, everything will be fine.Let me tell you what you think about the situation in China? " "We have indeed witnessed many scenes of war, but I am not going to talk about them. What I will tell is far more important than any war. Because it will explain why there are wars, and it will explain why many human beings still have Unknown things, many things that have been denied in our education." "That's great, Doctor," said the man on the station, adjusting his equipment. "Let's get started." "I'm going to tell you—" Monrik coughed sharply, panting heavily.Bobby could hear her labored panting.At the same time, he noticed Sam's anxious expression.Sam produced a handkerchief, and Dr. Monrik took it, wiping the sweat from his brow—while Bobby was still curled up in his coat, shivering in the clammy wind. "Gentlemen, I'm going to tell you something extremely shocking." Monrik continued hoarsely and laboriously, "I'm going to tell you about the hidden enemy who hides his true face—the one hidden among the real people." The black tribe. They are plotting and plotting to defeat mankind one day-they are secretly harming and deliberately destroying civilization. Any of the most cunning plots of modern people to destroy mankind is far less harmful than them. I tell you, they are the coming black The savior—the Son of Darkness—hidden among the real men portends a primordial, horrific riot." The Doctor paused for breath, looking tired and terrified. "Let's get ready for this, gentlemen. It's a dreadful thing indeed, and you'll have doubts, as I did when I started. It's too hard to believe. But when you see us from When the ancient orangutan burials in Alashan bring back these evidences that no one wants to see, they will accept this fact like me. "These discoveries of mine—oh. It should be said that these discoveries of ours—reveal and confirm many previous conjectures." He looked at his three assistants with deep-set eyes gratefully, and nodded to them frequently, "We have found answers to mysteries that plague the sciences, and other mysteries that are obvious, of everyday life, and of which we are unaware, but continue to haunt us. s things. "Gentlemen, why is there evil?" asked the Doctor gravely. "Have you ever thought about what is hidden behind the so-called misfortune? Why is the world always under the shadow, either external war or internal instability? Seeing the crime reports published in the daily newspapers, have you ever thought, Why do people have such animalistic behaviors? When some of us find ourselves caught in the choice between evil and justice, when we cannot choose justice for ourselves and cannot control ourselves, have you ever wondered why? "Do you all—" The doctor's voice was choked, he bent down, panting with difficulty, his hands were trembling on his sides, his face was blue, and he had difficulty breathing, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughed vigorously, and then wiped his forehead with the handkerchief beads of sweat.His voice became a little hoarse as he recovered his breath and was able to speak again. "I don't have any more time to tell about all the weirdness of our lives," he gasped, "but listen up!" There was something potentially sinister about Bobby's soil, and he looked around to see a photojournalist loading new film into his camera, a radio reporter who seemed to be adjusting his tape recorder, and others who were being spoken to by Dr. The reporters who were talking in a fog were mechanically taking notes. Ai Pulu next to him stood there stiffly, her face turned pale with excitement, her hands were tightly clutching the mouth of the snakeskin handbag, her round green eyes were dull, staring at the blind Dr. Rick looked a little strangely nervous in pain. At this moment, Babi had too many doubts about Ai Pulu: Why did she scare him a little?Where did her attraction to him come from—was there something, deep in her bright hair, stirring his already vague alertness?How much of the justice Dr. Monrique spoke of was in her?How much evil is there?Where is the focus of conflict? Ai Pulu didn't realize that Babi was looking at her, nor what he was thinking.Her pale hands twisted and pinched the snakeskin bag as if it were a living thing.Bobby felt very uncomfortable, look, her hands look like animal claws. The poor doctor finally caught his breath. "Please remember, gentlemen." He tried to explain clearly, "This is not whimsical. Thirty years ago, I doubted the reliability of these facts-however, a not small accident made me finally realize that , Freud's psychological revelation of the subconscious is only a sharp and accurate description of people's thoughts and behaviors, rather than a true explanation of the evil we see. "I was working as a psychiatrist at Glenhaven Psychiatric Center at the time, and I gave up my medical profession - it was because of a so-called truth that I had always had doubts about, and it was a big joke with what I had learned, and I had always Dedicated to curing the mentally ill, it turned out to be a ridiculous farce. For this reason, I had a great argument with old Dr. Grant, who is now the director of the Glenhaven Psychiatric Center and Dr. Grant's father. Small surprise." "So I turned to other subjects—trying to find evidence to back up the facts that I feared, and I went overseas and ended up getting a position at Clarendon University, doing ethnography—any other subject, really. It is based on the practical connotation of 'people'. The accumulation of my bit by bit of research has gradually confirmed and affirmed the harsh facts that people have been afraid to accept." Dr. Monrik looked very ill, and he stopped again to catch his breath. "I have been doing research alone for years." His voice was low and labored. "You may know what I mean - how difficult it is to find the right assistant. I even have my beloved wife assist me in my work , because she already knew and understood my research work. Unfortunately, she lost her eyes because of it. However, it was her sacrifice that fully confirmed our doubts and worries, which are well-founded. At last I have found an assistant I can completely trust." A smile flashed across the Doctor's face at this moment, and his deep-set eyes cast eager gazes on Sam, Nick and Lester. "I train them with me—" The doctor's voice was weak, and he bent over in pain, breathing hard.Sam Quinn stepped forward to support him until a violent coughing ended. "Forgive me, everyone—I can't do anything about this cough." His voice became softer and weaker, and he raised his limp arm again, wiping the sweat off his face, "Forgive me, I'm so sorry." He said again Panting, "I'll tell you the background as soon as possible. If you really want to understand the significance of this excavation, you should understand the background first." Sam whispered something in his ear, and he nodded vigorously, then continued as if trying to save time. "We have such a theory. We need to find evidence to awaken people, to awaken real human beings, and to arm them. The evidence we need can only be found from the historical relics of the long past. Therefore, ten years ago, I resigned my position as head of the university department in order to search with all my might the ancient cradles of the human and semi-human races—to find the conclusive evidence." "The hardships and hardships we have experienced are unimaginable, and it is impossible for me to list them here. The Tago Mongolian tribesmen attacked our tents; thirst nearly killed us; severe cold almost froze us And then, just as we found the first great ape burial site, the war forced us to stop halfway." He had to stop again as he spoke, to catch his breath. "The people in the dark huts already knew that we were suspicious of them and once blocked our work; Congress also expressed that they did not want us to continue digging; the Chinese government tried to keep us out of their borders; we were also suspected For spies—finally, we finally convinced them that the work we were doing was far more important than the military intelligence of any country. It can be seen that both man and nature have set us a lot of obstacles. But , I've got these great lads with me!" After finishing speaking, he stopped again and again, coughing sharply for a long time. "We found what we were looking for," he said with some pride, "we found it, and brought it back safely, from those Paleolithic sites." He touched three assistants with his boots to keep watch. big green wooden box. "We brought it back, and here it is." He straightened up again, breathing comfortably, and scanned the crowd in front of him.The moment Bobby looked at his cloudy eyes, he felt that the doctor's eyes were very contradictory, with both urgent urging to himself and unconcealable fear.Bobby understood the true meaning of the Doctor's lengthy opening remarks, knowing that he wanted to reveal the truth directly, but he was afraid of being suspected and distrusted by people. "Gentlemen, please don't make any comments on me," he coughed loudly. "I hope everyone can understand these precautionary measures taken in advance. Even if you think it is redundant now, you will understand in the future. Now everyone has more or less With some mental preparation, I have to finish what I have to say as soon as possible. I have to finish everything before I am forced to stop." His pale face contorted and twitched with pain. "Because the danger is at hand, gentlemen. Every one of you, and every one who hears my announcement, is in danger. However, I beg you to listen to me . . . because I still hope … …by declaring this fact…so that more people will know…before they kill the human race to extinguish the truth…in order to rise up against these villains of the Hidden Tribe. " Monrik struggled for breath, trembling. "Millions of years ago—" He choked up, and his own hands stuck to his throat, as if trying to open a gap so that he could breathe through.A horrible cry came from his throat, his contorted face and struggling hands turned blue, and suddenly, he fell to his knees and fell limp in Sam's arms, with his mouth open but speechless. "Impossible!" Babi heard Quinn whisper in panic, "There are no cats here!" Babi blindly scanned the crowd, and seeing Ai Pulu's puzzled eyes, she stood stiffly on the spot, staring at Dr. Monrick, who was already struggling to breathe, her round eyes gave off a strange dim blue light, Her face was expressionless, as white as the white fur coat she was wearing, but her hands were frantically twisting the snakeskin handbag. But where is that black cat? The handbag was tightly closed, and Bobby could not see her lively and lovely little black cat.How could a cat make it difficult for the Doctor to breathe?Bobby shivered in the wet wind, and turned to look at poor Dr. Monrik. He struggled and breathed heavily, Sam and Nick laid him flat on the ground, Quinn pulled off his khaki shirt, rolled it up as a pillow, and placed it under the doctor's head.And Lex Sturt didn't leave the green box an inch away, his eyes gurgling, and he looked around vigilantly—it seemed that the contents of the box were worth as much as the doctor's life, even when the doctor's life was dying. At the same time, the box still needs to be guarded by someone. Dr. Monruk struggled blindly with his hands, as if trying to catch a wisp of air.Then he slowly drooped down, his bluish face gradually turned gray-white, he twitched weakly for a few times, and then did not move again, as if a deadly iron chain was firmly stuck in his throat. "Push away!" Sam yelled. "He's starved of oxygen." The reporters immediately flashed their lights and rushed to take pictures. The security personnel stepped forward and pushed away the reporters who were taking pictures. Some people shouted that the gangway was crushed, but no one paid any attention.Dr. Monrique hadn't moved any more. "mark!" With this heart-piercing cry, Babi saw Mrs. Monrick running from the security guarded terminal, her steps were steady, as if she could see the way again, and her big yellow dog followed closely behind. , a silent threat that discouraged the security guards who tried to stop them.Mrs. Monrick rushed to the side of the lying doctor, knelt down, and touched the doctor's black and gray cheeks with her fingers tentatively. The cold light in the wind reflected her silver rings and bracelets, shining Tears rolled from the scarred eye sockets behind her sunglasses. "Honey, my poor silly Mark!" Babi heard her whisper mournfully, "why don't you let me and Turk stay with you and protect you? Can't you see they're coming for you?"