Pennsylvania Omnibus (41 page)
Read Pennsylvania Omnibus Online
Authors: Michael Bunker
The other screens showed things
like force readiness reports, and files about the history of the AZ and the
building of the wall. All things he’d read before. He thought of Dawn Beachy,
and a file containing her picture appeared on one of the screens. He scrolled
to an overall summary of the information Transport had about her. He had the
feeling that, if he’d ever looked at or studied a piece of information before
in all of his life, he now had access to it in real time.
He squeezed his eyes tightly,
and he saw the screens in his mind, and they’d all gone dark. All of them
except one. The one there on the bottom right, with the picture of the faded
and embossed coffee can, stomped flat and cut to fit. That screen didn’t
change. In his mind it was permanent—like an anchor, grounding him to…
…to what?
And then that screen faded to
black as well.
And now he had another anchor.
He felt his hand being clasped by someone, and when he concentrated, and really
felt
the other hand, he knew it to be Dawn’s. As the team walked and
carried him along on the stretcher, Dawn was holding his hand, letting him know
that she was there, that she was a part of him, and a part of his life.
Something that was real, tangible. Solid. Something on which he could depend.
Someone he could love. She was his window…
Ask questions.
He thought for a
moment.
What is the next step?
Where do we go from here?
And the black screens answered
him. A single word in all caps. Italicized in white print. Stark against the
darkness of the screens…
OKLAHOMA
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