in clinical work； trying to keep children alive who should be just learning how to drink a beer but instead have their systems full of chemical shit that never should have made it outside a god…damned laboratory！‘
‘And it‘s going to get worse；‘ Sam noted gloomily。
Sarah nodded。 ‘Oh yeah； the next big one is cocaine。 She needs you； John；‘ Sarah said again； leaning forward。 It was as though she had surrounded herself with her own storm cloud of electrical energy。 ‘You‘d damned well better be there for her； boy。 You be there for her！ Somebody dealt her a really shitty hand； but she‘s fighting。 There‘s a person in there。‘
‘Yes； ma‘am；‘ Kelly said humbly。 He looked up and smiled； no longer confused。 ‘In case you were worried； I decided that a while back。‘
‘Good。‘ Sarah nodded curtly。
‘What do I do first？‘
‘More than anything else； she needs rest； she needs good food； and she needs time to flush the barbiturates out of her system。 We‘ll support her with phenobarb； just in case we have withdrawal problems… I don‘t expect that。 I examined her while you two were gone。 Her physical problem is not so much addiction as exhaustion and undernourishment。 She ought to be ten pounds heavier than she is。 She ought to tolerate withdrawal rather well if we support her in other ways。‘
‘Me； you mean？‘ Kelly asked。
‘That‘s a lot of it。‘ She looked over towards the open bedroom door and sighed； the tension going out of her。 ‘Well； given her underlying condition； that phenobarb will probably have her out for the rest of the night。 Tomorrow we start feeding her and exercising her。 For now；‘ Sarah announced； ‘we can feed ourselves。‘
Dinner talk focused deliberately on other subjects； and Kelly found himself delivering a lengthy discourse on the bottom contours of the Chesapeake Bay； segueing into what he knew about good fishing spots。 It was soon decided that his visitors would stay until Monday evening。 Time over the dinner table lengthened； and it was nearly ten before they rose。 Kelly cleaned up； then quietly entered his bedroom to hear Pam‘s quiet breathing。
Only thirteen feet long； and a scant three thousand sixty…five pounds of mass … nearly half of that fuel … the Buffalo Hunter angled towards the ground as it accelerated to an initial cruising speed of over five hundred knots。 Already its navigational puter； made by Lear…Siegler； was monitoring time and altitude in a very limited way。 The drone was programmed to follow a specific flight path and altitude； all painstakingly predetermined for systems that were by later standards absurdly primitive。 For all that； Cody…193 was a sporty…looking beast。 Its profile was remarkably like that of a blue shark with a protruding nose and underslung air intake for a mouth … stateside it was often painted with aggressive rows of teeth。 In this particular case； an experimental paint scheme … flat white beneath and mottled brown and green atop … was supposed to make it harder to spot from the ground … and the air。 It was also stealthy … a term not yet invented。 Blankets of RAM … radar…absorbing material … were integral with the wing surfaces； and the air intake was screened to attenuate the radar return off the whirling engine blades。
Cody…193 crossed the border between Laos and North Vietnam at 11：41：38 local time。 Still descending； it leveled out for the first time at five hundred feet above ground level； turning northeast； somewhat slower now in the thicker air this close to the ground。 The low altitude and small size of the speeding drone made it a difficult target； but by no means an impossible one； and outlying gun positions of the dense and sophisticated North Vietnamese air…defense work spotted it。 The drone flew directly towards a recently sited 37mm twin gun mount whose alert crew got their mount slued around quickly enough to loose twenty quick rounds； three of which passed within feet of the diminutive shape but missed。 Cody…193 took no note of this； and neither jinked nor evaded the fire。 Without a brain； without eyes； it continued along on its flight path rather like a toy train around a Christmas tree while its new owner ate breakfast in the kitchen。 In fact it was being watched。 A distant EC…121 Warning Star tracked …193 by means of a coded radar transponder located atop the drone‘s vertical fin。
‘Keep going； baby；‘ a major whispered to himself； watching his scope。 He knew of the mission； how important it was； and why nobody else could be allowed to know。 Next to him was a small segment from a topographical map。 The drone turned north at the right place； dropping down to three hundred feet as it found the right valley； following a small tributary river。 At least the guys who programmed it knew their stuff； the major thought。
…193 had burned a third of its fuel by now and was consuming the remaining amount very rapidly at low level； flying below the crests of the unseen hills to the left and right。 The programmers had done their best； but there was one chillingly close call when a puff of wind forced it to the right before the autopilot could correct； and …193 missed an unusually tall tree by a scant seventy feet。 Two militiamen were on that crest and fired off their rifles at it； and again the rounds missed。 One of them started down the hill towards a telephone； but his panion called for him to stop as …193 flew blindly on。 By the time a call was made and received； the enemy aircraft would be long gone； and besides； they‘d done their duty in shooting at it。 He worried about where their bullets had landed； but it was too late for that。
Colonel Robin Zacharias； USAF； was walking across the dirt of what might in other times and circumstances be called a parade ground； but there were no parades here。 A prisoner for over six months； he faced every day as a struggle； contemplating misery more deep and dark than anything he‘d been able to imagine。 Shot down on his eighty…ninth mission； within sight of rotation home； a pletely successful mission brought to a bloody end by nothing more significant than bad luck。 Worse； his ‘bear‘ was dead。 And he was probably the lucky one； the Colonel thought as he was led across the pound by two small； unfriendly men with rifles。 His arms were tied behind him； and his ankles were hobbled because they were afraid of him despite their guns； and even with all that he was also being watched by men in the guard towers。 I must really look scary to the little bastards； the fighter pilot told himself。
Zacharias didn‘t feel very dangerous。 His back was still injured from the ejection。 He‘d hit the ground severely crippled； and his effort to evade capture had been little more than a token gesture； a whole hundred yards of movement over a period of five minutes； right into the arms of the gun crew which had shredded his aircraft。
The abuse had begun there。 Paraded through three separate villages； stoned and spat upon； he‘d finally ended up here。 Wherever here was。 There were sea birds。 Perhaps he was close to the sea； the Colonel speculated。 But the memorial in Salt Lake City； several blocks from his boyhood home； reminded him that gulls were not merely creatures of the sea。 In the preceding months he had been subjected to al