usan?" Hale panted, his face in hers.

He was sitting, one leg on either side of her, his full weighton her midsection. His tailbone ground painfully into her pubisthrough the thin fabric of her skirt. His nose was dripping bloodall over her. She tasted vomit in the back of her throat. His handswere at her chest.

She felt nothing. Is he touching me? It took a moment forSusan to realize Hale was buttoning her top button and covering herup.

"Susan." Hale gasped, breathless. "You'vegot to get me out of here."

Susan was in a daze. Nothing made sense.

"Susan, you've got to help me! Strathmore killedChartrukian! I saw it!"

It took a moment for the words to register. Strathmore killedChartrukian? Hale obviously had no idea Susan had seen himdownstairs.

"Strathmore knows I saw him!" Hale spat."He'll kill me too!"

Had Susan not been breathless with fear, she would have laughedin his face. She recognized the divide-and-conquer mentality of anex-Marine. Invent lies—pit your enemies against eachother.

"It's true!" he yelled. "We've got tocall for help! I think we're both in danger!"

She did not believe a word he said.

Hale's muscular legs were cramping, and he rolled up on hishaunches to shift his weight slightly. He opened his mouth tospeak, but he never got the chance.

As Hale's body rose, Susan felt the circulation surge backinto her legs. Before she knew what had happened, a reflex instinctjerked her left leg back hard into Hale's crotch. She felt herkneecap crush the soft sac of tissue between his legs.

Hale whimpered in agony and instantly went limp. He rolled ontohis side, clutching himself. Susan twisted out from under his deadweight. She staggered toward the door, knowing she'd never bestrong enough to get out.

Making a split-second decision, Susan positioned herself behindthe long maple meeting table and dug her feet into the carpet.Mercifully the table had casters. She strode with all her mighttoward the arched glass wall, pushing the table before her. Thecasters were good, and the table rolled well. Halfway across Node3, she was at a full sprint.

Five feet from the glass wall, Susan heaved and let go. Sheleapt to one side and covered her eyes. After a sickening crack,the wall exploded in a shower of glass. The sounds of Crypto rushedinto Node 3 for the first time since its construction.

Susan looked up. Through the jagged hole, she could see thetable. It was still rolling. It spun wide circles out across theCrypto floor and eventually disappeared into the darkness.

Susan rammed her mangled Ferragamo's back on her feet, shota last glance at the still-writhing Greg Hale, and dashed acrossthe sea of broken glass out onto the Crypto floor.