Page 132 of The Atlas Maneuver

“Cotton.”

He turned back to her. She’d breathed his name. “I’m here.”

“Listen… to me… please.”

“Save your strength. There’ll be time to talk later.”

Aiko was moving among the carnage, but had stopped at one body where she bent down.

“Cotton,” Suzy breathed out. “Listen.”

He turned back to her. “Okay, what is it?”

“Remember my… favorite… book?”

He did. They’d often talked about books. It had been a subjectthey’d shared. Unlike Pam. His wife had harbored no interest in reading. Suzy’s likes had varied from biographies, to history, to science fiction. She especially loved history books. One of which ranked as her all-time favorite.

“A Distant Mirror.”

She gave a slight nod. “Remember that.”

“I never forget anything.”

He was trying to make a little light of things. Take the edge off.

“No… you.… don’t. I still… have my copy.”

He’d given it to her.

A present to someone special.

He wondered about the choice of subjects, but indulged her. Anything to keep her awake, talking, engaged—until help arrived. Problem was, the compound was a long way from the nearest hospital and Suzy didn’t have enough blood to wait.

“Fix it… please… you have… to fix it.”

He was puzzled. “Fix what?”

“Atlas Man—

She started to gasp, struggling to breathe. Blood seeped from her lips. He wanted to do something, but there was nothing he could do. She’d been shredded by shrapnel and singed by the heat of the explosion. His initial assessment now seemed correct. C-4 had been packed into the tent’s support structure along with the steel balls. Once exploded the aluminum and the balls shredded outward with the force of bullets, doing immeasurable damage.

“What do you want me to fix?” he asked her.

“All of it… everything. Use the… code. It will make it all… right… again.”

Death seemed impatient. The words edged falteringly past her blue lips flecked with red. Her left hand reached for his and he gently grabbed hold. She was staring at him with her one eye, watery, oily, the life fading from it. It broke his heart to watch this happening. Others were being administered to, but they were all surely in the same bad place.

Aiko walked over. “Catherine Gledhill is dead. She’s over there.My source within the bank, Lana Greenwell, was here too. Also dead.”

He was still holding Suzy’s hand.

Aiko stared at the wounds and nodded her understanding. Nobody was going to survive this.

“Cotton,” Suzy suddenly said, with surprising firmness.

He faced her.

“You have to make it… the way I wanted.”

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